I’m looking for music that is mostly instrumental, some lyrics are okay.
Some bands i’m into right now are:
Broken Social Scene (especially their first album) and Sigur Ros.
Please suggest a band or two like these, or perhaps something new or different for me to try and what music category it falls into, so I know what i’m commiting myself to.
(I’m probably looking for well respected Indie bands. 
)
Spiderlands by Slint - it’s just so good. So good. Someone come along to describe this record better?
The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky - Huge crescendos that are as great in quiet moments as they are in the loud ones. Incredible intricacy packed into a simple mix of guitar, bass, and drums. Extremely emotional stuff.
I like Tuatara, a band that includes Peter Buck of R.E.M. fame. It’s…I suppose I’d go with “atmospheric” as a description, but then I’m not very good at descriptions.
There’s a “jukebox” at the Fast Horse Recordings site where you can listen to tracks from the latest Tuatara album, “Cinemathique.” They also have samples of some other artists, and you might give the Wayward Shamans a listen as well. I also like Maconha Baiana, the new cd by Alex Veley. It’s got a Brazilian/samba kind of sound, and it’s largely instrumental (although there are some lyrics, in Portuguese).
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is almost entirely instrumental, although tends to be a bit heavier than what little Sigur Rós I’ve heard. F# A# ∞ and Raise Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven are great albums, and the first track of F# (“The Dead Flag Blues”) is phenomenal.
Thank you SO much! I’m writing ALL these names down to pursue.
But don’t think I’m done, I’m still interested in some more suggestions! 
I keep repeating myself about this, but you should try listening to KEXP.
Mum is an Icelanding band that is sort of a more mellow version of Sigur Ros. You might also want to check out the Transmissionary Six for more quiet, moody music.
Icelandic, that is.
Dead Can Dance has a celtic/hindu feel to their music… lovely stuff! Some vocals but mostly atmospheric.
How about Mogwai? Allmusic.com calls them: Sprawling, Ominous, Hypnotic, Detached, Visceral, Cerebral, Druggy, Eerie, Brooding, Volatile. Sounds about right to me.
You may want to have a look at the Kranky label. A number of the artists on there are primarily instrumental. Labradford is great, Stars of the Lid is sublime, and there are little off-shoots of the larger groups like Pan*American that do interesting things. I don’t recommend Fontanelle though. Low is well known for being very very slow and sparse but they are vocal heavy – you might want to keep them in mind when you are into words again.
Other groups I love: American Analog Set, a balance of instrumentals and vocals. The Mercury Program is instrumental and catchy. L’Altra is exceptional – more vocals than instrumentals – still definitely worth hearing. Set Fire To Flames is an eerie, more conceptual side project of Godspeed You Black Emperor that I like. Hrsta is another group with a sprawling sound and occasional vocals that is interesting. These all fall into the indie realm.
You may want to have a look at the Kranky label. A number of the artists on there are primarily instrumental. Labradford is great, Stars of the Lid is sublime, and there are little off-shoots of the larger groups like Pan*American that do interesting things. I don’t recommend Fontanelle though. Low is well known for being very very slow and sparse but they are vocal heavy – you might want to keep them in mind when you are into words again.
Other groups I love: American Analog Set, a balance of instrumentals and vocals. The Mercury Program is instrumental and catchy. L’Altra is exceptional – more vocals than instrumentals – still definitely worth hearing. Set Fire To Flames is an eerie, more conceptual side project of Godspeed You Black Emperor that I like. Hrsta is another group with a sprawling sound and occasional vocals that is interesting. These all fall into the indie realm.
If you want to go instrumental, check out the Mono album Life in Mono or I’ll second Explosions in the Sky, Mum, and Godspeed You Black Emperor! (which is a great band name, second only to …And They Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead who ain’t bad themselves).
I love Sigur Ros, and I find that late Bjork (especially Vespertine which is very very close and less so Homogenic) and Radiohead fill the same niche. If you are going down that path, get the Flaming Lips’s Yoshimi Vs. The Pink Robots (in Dolby 5.1) and the Clinic album Walking With Thee. But I’m sure you have probably heard of these albums. If you want to go more symphonic and poppy, try The Polyphonic Spree (but under no condition should one ever be subject to the last track of that album. It is a musical monstrosity).
If you want to go more techno-y, I would recommend Royksopp. Melody A.M. is a real fun album. Along the same line is The Postal Service’s album Give Up.
Some other possibilities:
Coil
Chris & Cosey (aka CTI)
The Dirty Three
More of a stretch:
Some of the stuff by Psychic TV
The last couple of albums by the Walkabouts
Spiral Realms
The Damo Suzuki Network