Band: Deerhunter
From: Atlanta, GA
Sound: Left-field pop…smoldering, noisy, uncompromising and ever-evolving
Similar Artists: Sonic Youth, Liars, My Bloody Valentine, Velvet Underground
Listen Now: “Nothing Ever Happened”
Read more…
Band: Jean on Jean
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: lo-fi chamber pop; or, a folk-rock orchestra for the melancholic
Similar Artists: Judee Sill, Kristin Hersh, The Shangri-Las, Beat Happening, Colin Blunstone
Listen Now: “Tonight”
Read more…
Band: Starfucker
From: Portland, OR
Sound: Disarmingly upbeat and catchy electro-pop pummeled home with dual drumsets and layers upon layer of entrancing loops and samples.
Similar Artists: MGMT, Ratatat, Of Montreal, Air
Listen Now: “German Love”
Read more…
Band: Jenny Dalton
From: Minneapolis, MN
Sound: haunting, ethereal, literate, and nostalgic pop rock
Similar Artists: Kristin Hersh, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant
Listen Now: “Married to the Sea”
Read more…
Band: Women
From: Alberta, Canada
Sound: Warm and pulsing lo-fi goodness from a cold basement in Calgary.
Similar Artists: Clinic, Velvet Underground, Animal Collective, the Zombies
Listen Now: “Black Rice”
Read more…
Band: Bel Air
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: sparse and melodic, rooted in folk, country, and rock but not fully defined by any one category of American music
Similar Artists: Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Jenny Lewis, Wilco, The Band
Listen Now: “Looking Up”
Read more…
Band: Love As Laughter
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: Raucous, joyous slabs of Americana told through the guileless filter of rock and roll
Similar Artists: Built to Spill, Superchunk, Modest Mouse, The Replacements, Sam Champion
Listen Now: “Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz”
Read more…
Band: The Fab Faux
From: New York, NY
Sound: everything from Please Please Me (and before) to Let It Be (and after); literally EVERYTHING
Similar Artists: The Bootleg Beatles, AC/DShe, Mini Kiss, Lez Zeppelin, The Machine, Dark Star Orchestra
Listen Now: “Strawberry Fields Forever” (live at Radio City Music Hall)
Read more…
Band: Sister Suvi
From: “Montoronto,” Canada
Sound: Plucked, strummed and assaulted strings, Medieval vocal rounds stamped with barbershop harmonies and the sludge of 70s glam howls, all cauterized into beautifully meandering sonic roadmaps.
Similar Artists: Oneida, Deerhoof, Bombadil, Pixies, Can
Listen Now: “Lightning Train”
Read more…
Band: Sam Champion
From: New York, NY
Sound: A perfect bullseye of classic rock songwriting, muscular riffs and unbridled energy.
Similar Artists: Tom Petty, The Replacements, Pavement, Built To Spill, The Kinks
Listen Now: “Be Mine Everyone”
Band: The Laughing
From: Austin, TX
Sound: dirty jungle smut; or, dubbed-out dance-psych-rock
Similar Artists: Yeasayer, Wolf Parade, Talking Heads, Liars, Tapes ‘n Tapes, TV On The Radio
Listen Now: “Canopy”
Read more…
Band: The Walkmen
From: New York, NY
Sound: The brash, reckless, romantic soundtrack to a late night in reverb city, starring impossibly dramatic guitar swells, hazy cathedral organs, and cathartic croons
Similar Artists: The French Kicks, Spoon, Calla, White Rabbits, U2
Listen Now: “In The New Year”
Read more…
Band: Grizzly Bear
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: haunting neo-psychedelic indie folk-rock constructed with heavy doses of Spector-esque vocals and a love for stretching the boundaries of sound
Similar Artists: The Beach Boys, The High Llamas, Panda Bear, Mercury Rev, Pink Floyd
Listen Now: “Two Weeks” (live on the Late Show with David Letterman)
“Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves, or whether it should be ours here and now and on this Earth.” - Ayn Rand