Death from Above 1979

For The Record: Quick News On Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, Kevin Federline, Rob Zombie & More

04 Aug 2006 17:05:00 EDT

Underwood fights pop switch; Lopez leaves 'Dallas'; Furtado goes with 'Maneater.'
By MTV News staff report

She'd spent a year as the winner of "American Idol" and was about to receive a college degree from Northeastern State University, but May was a month of dread for Carrie Underwood, who was certain her big graduation day would be a disaster. "I was like, 'People are going to boo me,' " the singer told Teen People in the magazine's September — and final — issue. Underwood, who said a story in a student newspaper claimed she was getting too much attention, got through the ceremony to receive her degree without a boo — "I was just another graduate." And while the triple-platinum country singer says she'd enjoy working in small-town broadcast journalism, a shorter career jump to a more pop sound is not in her future. "What could I bring to that market? I don't dance. I'm not a tummy show-er. ... I felt I fit in the country world, where I don't have to change." Teen People's final issue, which also features the new cast of "Laguna Beach," is on newsstands Friday (August 4). ...

Jennifer Lopez will not be appearing in the forthcoming Hollywood remake of the TV soap "Dallas," her spokesperson confirmed. J. Lo had signed on for the role of booze-swigging Sue Ellen Ewing opposite John Travolta, who will play conniving oil tycoon J.R. Ewing. ... Nelly Furtado has picked her next U.S. single. "Maneater" will be the second track from Loose to hit the airwaves. ... Only four dancers are left standing in Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" competition — two were eliminated this week following a performance by Omarion — and next week, a winner will be crowned. Ciara and Fergie will appear on Thursday's finale, performing "Step Up" and "London Bridge," respectively. Tickets for the "So You Think You Can Dance Tour," which kicks off September 12 in Seattle, go on sale August 12. ...

The video for "Lose Control" is set in a nightclub, so rather than deck out a soundstage, Kevin Federline went straight to the real thing when it came time to shoot the clip. Federline took over the Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on July 29 for a 15-hour shoot, reports In Touch magazine, which has a behind-the-scenes look at the production in its August 14 issue. After the work was done, Pure's late-night crowd was treated to a preview of "Lose Control" — which the DJ played three times as Federline sang along. "The single is really high energy," he told the magazine. "It's a great song to perform." ...

A release date has been set for Rob Zombie's remake of the horror classic "Halloween," but fans of the rocker's flicks will need to wait awhile before the film hits the screen. Zombie's "Halloween" is scheduled to open October 19, 2007. ... Ohio punk foursome Dead Poetic's forthcoming album, Vices, will feature a very special guest on the track "Paralytic" — Deftones frontman Chino Moreno, who also co-produced two songs for the effort. Vices will be in stores October 31. ... Actress Monica Keena has been missing from "Entourage" this season, but she has a new hot chick to play. Keena will voice a character in "The Sopranos" video game, due in November. ...

It's been known for some time that Modest Mouse were working on their new album with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, but what's news to us is the fact that Marr is now apparently a full-fledged member of the band. A spokesperson for the band's label, Epic Records, confirmed that Marr had joined Modest Mouse and will tour with them in support of their upcoming album, tentatively titled We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The band (including Marr) recorded the new album at Sweet Tea studios in Mississippi, the same place the group recorded its breakout 2004 album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The new Modest Mouse LP is tentatively due this fall. ... Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" was featured on the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" in May — with the line "Would you lie with me and just forget the world?" pointedly playing as a surgeon lies in a hospital bed alongside the dead body of a beloved patient — and the song quickly became a hit on iTunes. Now there's a mash-up of sorts posted on ABC's Web site, pairing the track with scenes from the series. The free video will be posted at ABC.com through August 14. ...

The Clash bassist Paul Simonon has confirmed that he'll be collaborating with Blur/ Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen in a new band that has yet to be named. According to BBC News, the group will be releasing an album, called The Good, the Bad and the Queen, January 2007; Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse — who is also Albarn's partner in Gorillaz — is producing the disc, which has been in the works for the last two years. ... On August 15, the Sex Pistols will reissue Spunk, which originally came out as a bootleg in 1977. The disc features the original demos recorded with bassist Glen Matlock, who was fired and replaced by Sid Vicious before the band recorded Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. ...

Sorta-industrial Canadian grinders Death From Above 1979 have called it a day. Bassist/keyboardist Jesse Keeler broke the news via a post on the band's official Web site, writing, "I'm sure most of you assume the band isn't happening anymore, since there are no shows, no work on a new album, etc. I wanted to let you know that your assumptions are correct. We decided to stop doing the band." Keeler goes on to say that he and drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger actually decided to split about a year ago, but they opted to finish their busy tour schedule — which included a slot opening for Nine Inch Nails and the Queens of the Stone Age — and then break up. "We started as a punk band with pop aspirations and we met every goal we set for ourselves," Keeler wrote. "A few weeks ago, the album [their 2004 debut, the thundering You're a Woman, I'm a Machine] finally went gold in Canada and that was the final mark I really wanted to reach." ...

Unlike most best-of collections, Unwritten Law's forthcoming retrospective will feature fresh new takes on some old songs. The band re-recorded 17 tracks for the disc, The Hit List, which is set for release September 26. The collection will also feature some unheard, unreleased studio cuts. ... Melissa Etheridge and her band will be auctioning off autographed instruments used during their summer 2006 tour to benefit the Breast Cancer Care and Research Fund. The auction, hosted by GivingWorks.eBay.com, kicks off Friday with a new instrument added each week this month. ... Doug Fieger, lead singer of the Knack, underwent successful surgery to remove two brain tumors Thursday, The Associated Press reports. He is expected to have a full recovery. The Knack's upcoming tour — which included an August 11 stop at the Corbin Music Festival in Corbin, Kentucky — has been postponed.

08.03.2006

The Rolling Stones will have Kanye West pumping up the crowd for the first three dates of their A Bigger Bang tour's fall North American leg. The rapper will perform before the rock vets during concerts at Boston's Gillette Stadium (September 20); Halifax, Nova Scotia's Halifax Commons (September 23); and East Rutherford, New Jersey's Giants Stadium (September 27). ...

According to Attleboro, Massachusetts' The Sun Chronicle, a 42-year-old man from Cranston, Rhode Island, was charged with indecent assault following Ozzfest's August 1 stop in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for allegedly reaching under a woman's skirt. Joseph Rinaldi was released on $860 bail following his arraignment on Wednesday. The victim told police he'd grabbed underneath her skirt as she was walking back to her tour bus with a friend. The victim's identity has not been revealed. Rinaldi was also charged with possession of a class-B substance when police found he was carrying Vicodin. ...

Religious leaders are lashing out at Madonna in advance of her Sunday concert in Rome, The Associated Press reports. The singer plans to stage a mock crucifixion at the show, as she has been doing throughout her Confessions tour. "To crucify yourself in the city of the pope and the martyrs is an act of open hostility" toward the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Ersilio Tonini told Italian daily newspaper La Stampa on Wednesday. Mario Scialoja, president of the Muslim World League in Italy, called the demonstration "an act of bad taste," while Riccardo Pacifici, a spokesperson for Rome's Jewish community, said, "It's a disrespectful act, and to do it in Rome is even worse." ...

Rihanna will perform at Teen Choice 2006, which will air August 20 at 8 p.m. on Fox. Nick Lachey, Snoop Dogg, Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Sophia Bush, Brandon Routh, Kristin Cavallari, Wilmer Valderrama, Paula Abdul and the cast of "High School Musical" will also be appearing at the awards show. ... Making a TV performance of a different variety is David Hasselhoff, who will sing "Jump in My Car" on "America's Got Talent" Thursday night (August 3), with his former "Knight Rider" co-star KITT in tow. ...

Alabama's Bureau of Tourism & Travel is erecting six billboards with the pictures of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice under the words, "Where America finds its voice. Alabama." The billboards will go up just before "American Idol" auditions begin in Birmingham on August 21. ... In other ex-"I

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New Releases: Britney, System, John Mayer Trio, Fort Minor, Juelz Santana & More

21 Nov 2005 21:42:00 EST

Also due Tuesday are releases by Nelly, Death From Above 1979, Scott Stapp and Big Boi.
By Kurt Orzeck

Sure, Mix a Lot: If you're getting all your Britney news from her Web site, you're probably in the dark about her undercover B in the Mix, the Remixes disc, which has 11 tracks retouched by Junkie XL, Justice and other mixmasters. But oddly enough, indie rock has the most club-ready action this week. Death From Above 1979's Black Sabbath-sounding Romance Bloody Romance is also doctored by Justice, plus Josh Homme, whose Queens of the Stone Age have a CD+DVD concert compendium out this week (Over the Years and Through the Woods). Also, Interpol take matters into their own hands with a four-track EP, although it also came with Antics: The Special Edition. (A snazzy vinyl version of Interpol Remix is due December 6).

All Systems Go: Bookending a year that included a #1 album (Mezmerize) and a mind-bending tour with the Mars Volta, System of a Down continue their spiral-twisting ways with Hypnotize, the Ashley to Mezmerize's Mary-Kate. The new album's packaging interlocks with that of its predecessor, bringing the artwork of Vartan Malakian — father of guitarist Daron — to full splendor. There's also a DualDisc run with enhanced-stereo tracks and a film by Armenian auteur Gariné Torossian.

Mayer vs. Metal: John Mayer loves playing with the grown-ups, and he's giving you a taste of what it sounds like with Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert, also featuring veteran bassist Pino Palladino (the Who) and drummer Steve Jordan (Bruce Springsteen). At a theoretical festival, though, those smooth sounds would be out-blasted by the likes of Cradle of Filth, Papa Roach and the this summer's Ozzfest lineup — all of whom have live DVDs of their own this week.

Minor Adjustments: Mike Shinoda's Fort Minor project only has one album so far — The Rising Tied — so, to keep things interesting, he's putting out three versions of it. The standard clean pressing has 16 slices; an enhanced-'n'-explicit edition boasts three bonuses ("Be Somebody," "There They Go" and "Hard Way") and a third, limited version houses those extras plus a DVD and alternate artwork. Juelz Santana, in the meantime, is doing his limited What the Game's Been Missing bonus DVD up right with an interview, two making-of clips, a pair of videos (one featuring Young Jeezy) and more.

Southern Comfort: Big Boi answers his own question with Big Boi Presents ... Got Purp? Vol. II, and, in the process, tides fans over in the wake of Outkast's "Idlewild" film and soundtrack postponements. The usual Southern suspects — Cee-Lo, Goodie Mob, Killer Mike and Bubba Sparxxx — aid and abet Big Boi over the course of 23 tracks, including a "Dungeon Family Dedication" and a provocatively titled interlude, "Mayonnaise Mouth." In the meantime, Nelly reps St. Louis with Sweatsuit, which combines the highlights from Sweat and Suit along with three new tracks.

DualDiscs, Coast to Coast: Death Row's looked back on its watershed moments — Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop's Doggystyle and The Very Best of Death Row — and decided they need some sprucing up, digipak-DualDisc style. But rival label Koch isn't backing down from the competition: They're also putting video content on the flipside of one of 2Pac's two All Eyez on Me CDs.

Sweet Relief: Just in time for FEMA's cutbacks, more artists are stepping up to the plate with hurricane benefit releases. And it's no coincidence that most of them spring from what is arguably the city's greatest cultural contribution: jazz. Jazz at the Lincoln Center Presents: Higher Ground - Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert lines up Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Art and Aaron Neville, and the red-hot Dianne Reeves, although the two-CD Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now outdoes that roster with Kanye West, Coldplay, R. Kelly, Dave Matthews Band and tons more. All of Come Together Now's proceeds go toward hurricane relief, as do those from Dr. John's (admittedly more modest) Sippiana Hericane EP. (A "Come Together Now" charity single featuring Game, members of the Backstreet Boys, Ruben Studdard, Jesse McCartney and Wyclef Jean drops next week.) Speaking of being modest, archival releases Essential Louisiana Rhythm and Blues and The Greatest Mardi Gras Concert Ever! are also coming out this week, but only $1 from each copy sold goes to the American Red Cross' Katrina relief fund.

Song Title of the Week:
"30,000,000,000,000,000 People" (Part Chimp's I Am Come)

New Releases:

Alex Is on Fire/ Moneen - Split EP (Vagrant)
Bouncing Souls - Bouncing Souls Live (Chunksaah)
Buy Now: Bouncing Souls Live (Chunksaah)
Michael Bublé - Caught in the Act (live; Reprise)
Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (limited edition with bonus disc also available; Universal)
Sylvain Chauveau & Ensemble Nocturne - Down to the Bone: An Acoustic Tribute to Depeche Mode (DSA)
Cruna - A Hustler's Love Story (Warner Bros.)
Dave's True Story - Simple Twist of Fate - DTS Does Dylan (Bepop)
Ray Davies - Thanksgiving Day (EP, V2)
Death From Above 1979 - Romance Bloody Romance (remix album; Vice)
Buy Now: Romance Bloody Romance (remix album; Vice)
Read: "Death From Above 1979 Draw More Crowd-Surfers Than NIN, Write Four-Hour Album"
DJ Morpheus - I Can't Live Without My Radio (Tigersushi)
Dr. John - Sippiana Hericane (EP, Blue Note)
Enya - Amarantine (Reprise)
Buy Now: Amarantine (Reprise)
Fort Minor - The Rising Tied (limited-edition and enhanced versions also available; Warner Bros.)
Buy Now: The Rising Tied (limited-edition and enhanced versions also available; Warner Bros.)
Read: "Linkin Park MC Gets Director With Flair For Video With Flares"
Fra Lippo Lippi - Songs (Rune Arkiv Norway)
Fully Down - Don't Get Lost in a Movement (Fearless)
Interpol - Interpol Remix (EP, Matador)
Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions (Hollywood)
Talib Kweli - Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD (Koch)
Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens (Secretly Canadian)
Lil' Tweety - Confessing a Feeling (enhanced version also available; Thump)
Buy Now: Confessing a Feeling (enhanced version also available; Thump)
Samara Lubelski - Spectacular of Passages (The Social Registry)
John Mayer Trio - Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert (Columbia)
Buy Now: Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert (Columbia)
Read: "John Mayer Trio Geek Out With Live Album, Rolling Stones Jokes"
Reba McEntire - #1's (MCA Nashville)
The Mendoza Line - Full of Light and Full of Fire (Misra)
The Never Enders - Air Raid Romance (Indianola)
Buy Now: Air Raid Romance (Indianola)
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP, Jagjaguwar)
Buy Now: Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP, Jagjaguwar)
Part Chimp - I Am Come (Monitor)
Paulson - All at Once (One Day Savior)
Buy Now: All at Once (One Day Savior)
Queens of the Stone Age - Over the Years and Through the Woods (live, with DVD; Interscope)
Buy Now: Over the Years and Through the Woods (live, with DVD; Interscope)
Rich Boyz - Young Ballers: The Hood Been Good to Us (Gutter)
Juelz Santana - What the Game's Been Missing! (Def Jam)
Buy Now: What the Game's Been Missing! (Def Jam)
Read: "Dip Set Poised To Conquer: New LPs From Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana On Tap"
Ray Scott - My Kind of Music (Warner Bros.)
Britney Spears
System of a Down
John Mayer
Fort Minor
Juelz Santana

Death From Above 1979 Draw More Crowd-Surfers Than NIN, Write Four-Hour Album

08 Nov 2005 21:19:00 EST

Canadian two-piece focusing on Machine follow-up after wrapping up tour with NIN, QOTSA.
By James Montgomery

Thunderous Canadian two-piece Death From Above 1979 may currently be confounding audiences as the opening act on the Nine Inch Nails/ Queens of the Stone Age rock and roll spectacular, but they're not letting all the arena-rock trappings go to their heads. It's kind of hard to get all rock star in a half-hour.

"We're only out there for 30 minutes, so it's difficult to really get anything going," drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger sighed. "Basically, the whole time we're playing, it feels like there are a million things I forgot to do during the day. So I'm thinking about that the whole time."

"There are a few words that come to mind when I think about this tour," bassist Jesse Keeler added. " 'Comfortable.' 'Appropriate.' 'Easy.' Maybe it's been too easy. I don't really know. We sometimes have the most crowd-surfers though."

If Grainger and Keeler seem a bit road-weary, well, that's because they're a bit road-weary. Actually, "a bit" is a bit of an understatement. Ever since their Vice Records debut, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, hit stores in October 2004 (see "You Hear It First: Death From Above 1979"), they've been a two-man touring machine, launching multiple jaunts across the U.S., Canada, U.K., Japan, Australia and Europe — not to mention their stint opening for NIN and QOTSA. So you'd think that their post-tour plans would involve as little music as humanly possible. And you'd be half right.

"We're going to fly home to Toronto. I'm going to have breakfast with my girlfriend and then probably dinner with my family after that," Grainger laughed. "That's about it."

"I'm going to go back to work," Keeler quickly interjected. "That's the only plan I have."

But just what will he be working on? According to DFA79, a follow-up to You're a Woman has already been finished, though it's not quite clear exactly when or where they recorded it. And aside from Keeler's insistence that the new album is "four hours long," the band is being tight-lipped with any additional info.

"I don't feel comfortable giving you guys the exclusive," Grainger said. "So all I'm going to say is that it's all original material. And that we wrote all of it ourselves."

"I don't even like making dates with girls, because if I don't show up, then they can say I let them down. It's better to be like, 'I'll be there, you'll be there, if it works out, cool.' " Keeler laughed. "So that's what I'm going to say about our new record. I don't want to let her down. I don't want her to hate me later."

They're a little more open with the information about their new remix album, Romance, Bloody Romance, a collection of their tracks reworked by the likes of QOTSA frontman Josh Homme, Arcade Fire associate Owen Pallett and Sam Merrann of current Brit buzz act Test Icicles.

Of course, being more open isn't always a good thing.

"The remix record is a collection of B-sides and remixes that were put together for releases in the U.K. that were never commercially available in North America," Grainger said. "So as a service to our fans in America, we're selling them a product that has been available in the U.K. for quite some time."

Track list for Death From Above 1979's Romance, Bloody Romance, according to Vice:

"Better Off Dead" (with La Peste)
"Blood On Our Hands (Justice Remix)"
"Romantic Rights (Erol Alkan's Love From Below Re-Edit)"
"Black History Month" (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke remix)
"Little Girl (MSTRKRFT Edition)"
"Romantic Rights" (the Phone Lovers remix)
"Black History Month" (Josh Homme remix)
"You're Lovely (But You've Got Problems)"
"Romantic Rights" (Marczech Makuziak remix)
"Black History Month" (Sammy Danger remix)
"Romantic Rights" (Dahlback remix)
"Black History Month (Girl on Girl - Final Fantasy Revision)"
"Sexy Results (MSTRKRFT Edition)"

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Death From Above 1979 Are Not The Sleazebags They Appear To Be

23 Mar 2005 17:47:00 EST

With their metal/punk sound and porn-star mustaches, the Toronto noise-rock duo are easily pegged as sleazebags. But DFA '79 are sweeties at heart, and when they're not making music, they're talking about their feelings.

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Death from Above 1979

CMJ Music Marathon Recap: 10 Bands Who Live Up To The Hype

20 Oct 2004 15:09:00 EDT

Almost 1,000 bands played the convention last week — here are the 10 best that we saw.
By Jem Aswad, James Montgomery, Rodrigo Perez and Alyssa Rashbaum

Every fall for the last 24 years, hordes of musicians, music-business types, college-radio programmers and fans have descended upon New York for the CMJ Music Marathon. The event includes discussion panels and seminars about the business, but what's most interesting are the concerts: This year, nearly 1,000 bands played at 56 venues over four manic days. Everyone's looking to discover the next Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers or Marilyn Manson (all then-unknown acts that garnered major attention from gigs at the Marathon), and most of the bands playing the convention are looking to become the next big thing.

It really is a marathon, with acts taking the stage at all hours of the day (and night). Loads of name acts — from Sonic Youth to TV on the Radio — performed at the convention, (click for photos), but we were most interested in catching the bands that are flying slightly below the radar. So, thanks to the New York subway system and more than a few cabs, we managed to find 10 acts that we believe are destined for big things. (Yes, quite a few of them are Canadian, but Montreal and Toronto are two of the most thriving scenes in North America at the moment.) Think of us as clerks in your local cool record store — except we're not going to sneer at you if you ignore what we say and buy the new Good Charlotte album instead.

Who: Adem
What: Homesongs
Why: Singer/songwriter Adem is also the bassist for the band Fridge, but that won't begin to prepare you for the stately beauty of his songs. His music isn't for every mood: The songs are sloooooow, with a folk flavor, aching choruses and understated musical accompaniment (acoustic guitars, autoharp, string bass, hand-held percussion). It's definitely not something you put on when you want to rock out — the album isn't called Homesongs for nothing — but if you like beautiful melodies that unravel slowly, you won't find anything better this year.

Who: Arcade Fire
What: Funeral
Why: If a single band was the buzz of the ball, it's this sprawling Montreal ensemble. Combining rock energy with violins, accordions, all manner of guitars and, in a live setting, anything they can beat with drumsticks, the band's sound is that of controlled chaos: The instruments meshing with Win Butler's shaky, almost David Byrne-like yelp into a beautiful, caterwauling sound that seems as if it could spin out of control at any moment. That air of imminent destruction is just one reason the Arcade Fire's music is so exciting.

Who: The Concretes
What: The Concretes
Why: Sweden's newest exports are unique for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that they sound absolutely nothing like the garage-rock crowd that came into vogue in 2002 thanks to the Hives. A curious but sublime conflation of '60s girl-groups, Mazzy Star and the sweet side of the Velvet Underground, the eight-member collective is dynamic, romantic and soft. Plus, they sing in cute Swedish accents and dress like they're going to the prom.

Who: Controller.Controller
What: History
Why: Two guitarists that look like back-up members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a bassist who could fill in for any member of Hot Hot Heat and a longhaired drummer who's probably auditioned for Slayer. Oh, yeah: there's also lead singer Nirmala Basnayake, a pint-sized powerhouse who struts around the stage with such unabashed sexiness that she makes Karen O look like a shrinking violet. Their debut EP, History, is one of the most visceral, confident and thrilling bows in recent memory, as the Toronto natives rip through seven songs of their self-described "death disco" in just over 24 minutes.

Who: The Dears
What: No Cities Left
Why: If you crossed the graceful side of Blur with the Smiths and Tindersticks, you might come close to the sound of the Dears. A unisex six-piece, the Montreal group plays sumptuous, sophisticated and elegant orchestral rock with epic horns, keyboards and soaring strings. Britpop is not only back, but alive and well in Quebec.

Who: Death From Above 1979
What: You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Why: Girls kiss each other, beers fly and utter mayhem breaks out in the moshpit: That's a typical Death From Above 1979 concert experience. Who needs guitars? The Toronto dirtbag duo — who reportedly met in prison and live in a former funeral parlor — forgo the traditional six-string crunch in favor of an immense, intense barrage of of metallic bass, machine-gun drums and howling vocals.

Who: Hope of the States
What: The Lost Riots
Why: England's Hope of the States don't do anything by half: The seven-piece band includes three guitarists (two of whom double on keyboards) and a full-time violinist; they play big, sweeping, majestic songs with loads of echo and big themes; and they perform in front of fast-moving films that include lots of Cold War-era American military footage. The twist? They're all in their early 20s. How a bunch of young guys came up with such a huge concept — let alone their sound, which combines the bombastic elements of Radiohead with the sonics of Godspeed! You Black Emperor and vocals reminiscent of early '90s mumblers like Dinosaur Jr. and the Afghan Whigs — is just part of this band's unique allure.

Who: Pinback
What: Summer In Abaddon
Why: California's Pinback puts a new spin on indie-pop, adding complexity with sweet melodies and intricate song structure. On their most recent LP, Summer in Abaddon, the band's airy vocals are layered over delicate piano chords; percussion is occasionally treated as an afterthought, though it plays a starring role on the rock track "AFK." Thick basslines hold court over pop songs like "Fortress," while carefully crafted lyrics govern more atmospheric tracks like "The Yellow Ones." The band's music seems spare at first, but repeated listens reveal layers of dynamic instrumentals and smart lyrical structures.

Who: Q and Not U
What: Power
Why: With their third album, Power, the Washington, D.C., funk-punkers strike the right balance between the arty hardcore of fellow District alumni Fugazi and the sexed-up balladry of Purple Rain-era Prince. On the first single, "Wonderful People," singer/guitarist Chris Richards belts out comical pickup lines like the Purple One on helium while a four-on-the-floor disco beat and squiggly synthesizers boogie in the background. Throw in some jagged guitars, sing-song choruses and an extended flute solo or two, and you've got an experimental disco/punk album where Green Day meets the Village People — with a flute player.

Who: Straylight Run
What: Straylight Run
Why: This Long Island band (whose debut album will enter the Billboard albums chart at #100 next week) makes emo music for the optimistic masses. The group, which features former Taking Back Sunday members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, combines the melancholy genre's moody and introspective lyrics with brighter hooks, energetic rhythms and the occasional power chord — although the group's soaring keyboards and vocal harmonies leave no shortage of melodrama. Fronted by Nolan and his sister Michelle, Straylight Run's debut album is optimistic, dramatic and upbeat, and unashamed of its emo soul, as evidence by song titles like "Existentialism on Prom Night," "Another Word for Desperate" and "Sympathy for the Martyr."

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