Deerhunter

Somewhere between Phil Spector and My Bloody Valentine lies Deerhunter, an Atlanta band who cites both '50s-'60s pop and English punk as influences. Microcastle, their latest album to be leaked, blogged, and glorified months before its official release, may be the Deerhunter album that finally clicks with you. Just listen to "Never Stops," and you'll be humming along before you know it. Stereogum calls the album "gorgeous psych-pop," and Pitchfork basically says it will save the world. Find out for yourself!

The Knees

The Knees rock! We've said it before, and now that we've heard their debut album we'll say it again, twice as loud. The Knees ROCK. "Like Liz Phair fronting Weezer," as one fan put it, The Knees are the best thing to happen to your face since... uh, Weezer. Sexual Radio has all the crunchy guitars, loser heroes, and drunken sing-a-long hooks that you miss from the '90s, including such memorable lyrics as "whoa-oh-ohhh!" and "hey hey!" and "oh me oh my oh no!" There's even a love story slow-jam in there for the saps. And a free track called "Sick of Being Stoned." And it's all only $5. Believe it! Buy it.

The Whip

NME calls Manchester electro band The Whip "the best thing to happen to dance music since LCD Soundsystem." Their debut album X Marks Destination is a giant mash of post-punk and rave, and even if you thought the indie-dance scene was sooo over, songs like "Fire" remind you why it was ever good to begin with. This is one of those albums that makes a lot more sense when you turn the speakers up and lights off, so don't be turned off by a repetitive lyric or two -- just think how many times Kraftwerk said "Autobahn"!

Cold War Kids

All eyes have been on Cold War Kids since the release of their 2006 breakout debut, Robbers & Cowards. Unlike the legions of buzz bands who've fallen victim to the sophomore slump, Loyalty To Loyalty features Cold War Kids at the top of their game. The album showcases the band doing what they do best: intense, gritty and haunting blues-rock. Rolling Stone says "Cold War Kids attack their songs with unusual intensity, infusing even the most noirish, unsettling songs -- fractured narratives about hipster bohemia and suicide -- with a feeling of enchantment."

Michael Zapruder

Michael Zapruder began his musical career as a member of the San Francisco-based The Naked Barbies (later renamed The Vagabond Lovers) and later gained recognition for his 1999 album 52 Songs, for which he wrote, recorded and produced one song a week for a whole year. By 2002 he had formed Michael Zapruder's Rain of Frogs -- an orchestra of San Francisco-based musicians and members of the Decemberists, Camper Van Beethoven, and Pink Mountain. His fourth solo album, Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope, features a variety of simple acoustic folk songs and mysterious alt-country, oftentimes with lush orchestral flourishes. Michael Zapruder is giving away his song "Ads For Feelings" and offering his brand new album for only $5!