If you’re trying to build a mental map of indie music,

If you’re trying to build a mental map of indie music, Manchester is still the best place to start: Joy Division turning post-punk into atmosphere, The Smiths making loneliness sound melodic, then Oasis and the whole Britpop wave kicking the doors open. Even now, when people argue over their ultimate Britpop band, it usually circles back to that city’s gravity sooner or later.