Pitchfork is a bit shit, really. You'll find some gems there, but overall their taste is pretty bland and uninspiring in my opinon. A lot of great recs already from Doogie, Alex and Datura already (Wolf Parade is my latest obsession), and I'll add a few more. I went through my iTunes library and picked out what I think is the best and most accessible. Let me know if you want more:
Brand New - The albums
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me and
Daisy are alt rock masterpieces in my opinion, the former is probably in my top 10 albums of all time. Their first two are a bit more punk-pop and emo inspired, avoid unless you like. Their progression through the albums is insane, especially if you followed them through the evolution!
Bowerbirds - American indie / folk from the top of the shelf. Check out Upper Air, and you should be hooked after the first couple of songs!
Coconut Records - Jason Schwartzman's (you may know him from the silver screen, or the band Phantom Planet where he was the drummer) solo project. Very simple and easy-to-like indie pop.
Cymbals Eat Guitars - This is one recommendation Pitchfork got right. Perfectly distorted and produced indie rock with shades of Modest Mouse at its best!
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Another gentle and slightly weird indie pop act that gives you some great pick-me-up music. Slightly reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian at times, which is another act you MUST check out if you haven't already.
The Features - I saw these guys live, and I was hooked from the moment they came on stage! Proper indie rock which draws a lot of inspiration from good old rock 'n roll and blues. Some Kind of Salvation is their latest album, and a great starting point.
The Gaslight Anthem - I've seen these guys labeled as punk, but for me it sounds like straight forward rock. I don't think they can be given the indie or alt label in any way, but not a lot of people seem to know them. The '59 Sound is arguably their best work so far, almost flawless.
Interpol - Can't believe their name hasn't been dropped yet! One of the first proper indie rock acts I got in to, and they remain near the top of my favourites.
Iron & Wine - Sam Beam is a genius. Just listen.
Lone Wolf - The Devil and I was the best album to come out of Britain in 2010 in my humble opinion. Slow, melancholic and hauntingly beautiful.
The National - If you listen to just one act from this list, let it be The National and their album Boxer. And when you don't understand why I'm hyping to it the first time, listen again. It took me a couple of listens to break through what on the surface sounded a bit monotone, but once you do it you will listen to this album hundreds of times. The melodies, vocals and lyrics are all in absolute harmony from start to finish, and I can not think of another album that I can listen to as often and never tire of.
The Postal Service - This one-off collaboration record from 2003 by Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Taborello of Dntel is a perfect mash-up of electro and indiepop.
With all the other recommendations, that should keep you occupied for a while, so I'll just stop there
