Soot and Stars
I AM SOOT!
This is one of my favourite and actually one of the most interesting going around, they probably aren't 'hard' as such but probably about as much as White Stripes
I love that group! You're right, they aren't hard in most respects but they are brilliant lyricists and have a very good vocalist who knows how to carry across a song with character!
My favorite from them:
These guys are pretty poppy so I'm sure they will be discredited but hey "I'm a fan!"