Ra Ra Riot

Fact: these guys sound like the pop cousin of Arcade Fire. Second fact: they do it way better. Ra Ra Riot debuted this month with their first studio album, The Rhumb Line, after two years of touring and the release of an E.P. The majority of their songs were written by their late drummer John Pike, whose death keys in eerily to Riot’s common themes of mortality and getting older. However, the band celebrates Pike’s life and music by giving the world a lush, orchestral indie rock gem. Check out “Dying Is Fine”, “Each Day”, and their quirky cover of Kate Bush’s “Suspended In Gaffa”.

Bears Repeating

Mark my words: Bears Repeating will be famous in one year. This indie duo channels it’s fair amount of Radiohead and Sigur Ros, but don’t forget to have fun either. Dark and stripped-down, these boys do their Philly/Brooklyn roots proud with music that is highly infectious. At the moment, you can actually download their new EP, First Things First, for free from their website. Click the link below.

Los Campesinos!

Kitchy and twee, but in a good way, this Welsh band is the kind of group where they play medium fast and shout the chorus. If you like any of the other bands in this guide, you’ll like them.

Throughout the career of The Nodd, they have made songs drawing from various traditions of music, rock or otherwise, and combine reverence for generations past with bold visions of the future. The Nodd draws on timeless and universal themes of loss, desire, betrayal, ecstasy, longing, and search for purpose with empathy.

The front man of The Nodd is Dug (lead vocals/guitar/piano) a graduate of the Tyler School of Art.

http://www.myspace.com/thenodd

Voxtrot

They’re the indie darlings of 2007 that, still, no one has heard of. Straight out of Austin, Texas, I think Voxtrot is what the Beatles would have sounded like had they formed up in this decade. In 2006, they released a string of popular EPs before finally dropping their self-titled debut album last year. Lively and danceable, Voxtrot’s music is unlike anything else on the scene right now.

Jukebox The Ghost

If Ben Folds and Billy Joel decided to be college roommates, then their jam sessions would’ve sounded like Jukebox The Ghost – an upbeat trio from Washington, D.C. that like to trade-off songs about positivity and space aliens. I saw these guys open for Ra Ra Riot last December, and they are on a fast track themselves for something big. Presently, their debut album, Live and Let Ghosts, is flying under the radar, but I would recommend catching them now as they play the club and bar circuit. I recommend taking a listen to their lead single “Good Day”.

The Wailin' Jennys

They are a folk/roots group that play acoustic music and sing in three part harmony. Their a capella songs are so melodic they could do without instruments but their playing adds a new level to the beauty of their music. They have three albums, The Wailin’ Jennys, 40 Days and Firecracker. Some of my favorite songs are “One Voice”, “Glory Bound”, and “Parting Glass”The Jennys are slated to record a 4th album this fall. They are having a free show in Weehawken, NJ tonight, August 27th.