Artist: Neon Indian

Hails From: Denton, TX

Musical Style: Indie, Alternative, Electronic

For Fans of: MGMT, Washed Out, Air

Terminally Chill

Why you should check them out:

It’s an easy/bad pun, sorry, but Neon Indian has more buzz than a, err… neon light bulb.  The band has become the leading figure of the new indie microgenre called chillwave. This new sound applies a garage lo-fi aesthetic to a sleepy 80’s-style synth pop. Much of this genre’s success can be credited back to Neon Indian’s sleek and gratifying songwriting.  There are hooks at every turn and they know how to present a cool retro sound fitted for the listeners of today.

Background Check:

The band started as the brain child of Alan Paloma, who wrote the music and lyrics, and his long-time high school friend Alicia Scardetta, who supplied visual elements to accompany the music. They released their first EP in 2008, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 when they released two tracks “Should Have Taken Acid With You” and “6699 (I don’t Know if you Know)” onto the web. Several indie music blogs caught wind and started to spread the word.

They released their first LP Psychic Chasms, on Lefse record in October and since then the buzz has just continued to grow.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: Mumford and Sons

Hails from: London, England

Musical Style: Alt-rock, Folk, Roots, Americana

For Fans of: Fleet Foxes, Swell Season, Arcade Fire

Little Lion Man

Why you should check them out:

No, Mumford & Sons is not the name of some local roofing company. They are, in fact, four twenty-somethings from West London peddling heartfelt, well-crafted roots music at sold-out venues across the globe.

Background Check:

Birthed in London’s underground folk scene in 2007, Mumford & Sons—Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane–incorporate bits of all the genres they collectively hold dear, from bluegrass to folk to indie to 70s rock. Their songs are bittersweet, hopeful and introspective, not totally unlike Arcade Fire and Coldplay, a couple of other bands recorded by their producer Markus Dravs.

Most of the group’s debut, Sigh No More, is mellow and pastoral, with occasional forays into the more raucous and bawdy pub music of their homeland. The quartet’s instrumentation choices are just as important as those made in its songwriting: ample flourishes of banjo, accordion, upright bass and the like greatly enhance the organic atmosphere of both its recordings and live show.

The guess here is that a world tour playing to large and enthusiastic crowds night after night will cause them to unleash the beast a bit more on their next album—and we will all be thankful for that.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

mumfordandsons.com

Myspace

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: Yeasayer

Hails from: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Indie, Rock, Experimental

For Fans of: Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio, Talking Heads

Ambling Alp