blue group · The short answer
2000S INDIE ROCK BANDS, WITH "THE"
Each puzzle word passes the same exact test. The four mappings show how the answer works.
Adding the required article produces The Decemberists, matching the official 2000s indie rock band category.
With “The” in front, NATIONAL becomes The National, the band name required by the category.
Adding “The” turns SHINS into The Shins, another band name covered by the official relationship.
With the shared article added, WALKMEN becomes The Walkmen and completes the four-band set.
Why this group was difficult
- The shared article is absent from every tile
None of the entries displays “The,” so solvers must apply the same missing word mentally before the proper names become clear. - The words retain plausible ordinary readings
NATIONAL can be an adjective, SHINS names body parts, and DECEMBERISTS has a historical reading, concealing their proper-name role. - SHINS is pulled toward the body trap
SHINS appears to fit naturally with CHEST, NECK and WAIST, even though those three have a narrower measurement connection.
How to spot this pattern next time
If several remaining words sound oddly plural or incomplete, place a short shared word before them. Adding “The” reveals four recognizable proper-name constructions here.
Do not accept a broad body category merely because SHINS fits semantically. Compare the unused words and check whether SHINS supports a stronger proper-name pattern.
Four useful facts behind the group
- Every entry in this group requires the same preceding article, “The.”
- NATIONAL changes from an ordinary adjective or noun into a proper name when read in this pattern.
- SHINS supplies the board’s main overlap because its ordinary anatomical meaning is immediately available.
- The official category limits the relationship to 2000s indie rock bands.
Questions players ask
The details people search after seeing the group
What word goes before DECEMBERISTS, NATIONAL, SHINS and WALKMEN?
The shared word is “The,” producing The Decemberists, The National, The Shins and The Walkmen.
Why is NATIONAL included in the band group?
NATIONAL is read as part of the proper name The National, rather than in its ordinary country-related sense.
Why is SHINS not grouped with CHEST, NECK and WAIST?
SHINS becomes the band name The Shins when the shared article is added, while SLEEVE completes the exact measurement category.