The Virgins, 'The Virgins' (Atlantic)

Since the Strokes forgot how to be the Strokes…

Gossip Girl's got nothing on this. Over 38 taut minutes, these New York kids reflect the mirror-ball gleam of primo INXS and Emotional Rescue–era Rolling Stones onto the lives of today's young, rich, and wasted.

Tokyo Police Club

Canadian indie-pop upstarts protect and serve.
Tokyo Police Club / Photographed for Spin by Simon Willms

After half of Tokyo Police Club politely apologize for running late ("Someone left their clothes in the dryer," says keyboardist Graham Wright, 21; "I had to get ready for dinner with my parents," offers singer/bassist Dave Monks, also 21), it's no surprise to hear that the boys took a wholesome approach while slogging it out on the suburban Toronto battle-of-the-bands circuit.

Destroyer, 'Trouble In Dreams' (Merge)

This is ground control to Major Dan: We're ready for liftoff!

Though Destroyer's Dan Bejar is probably best known as a part-time New Pornographer, his self-reflexive lyrics, epic song lengths, and taste for musical melodrama suggest someone who sees himself in rather grandiose terms. On Destroyer's eighth album, Bejar lives up to his stratospheric self-regard. Gloriously guitar-spangled, word-addled glam jams "My Favorite Year" and "Rivers" rock like T.

Bon Iver, 'For Emma, Forever Ago' (Jagjaguwar)

Tenderly comforting songs emerge from a cold, lonely place.

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon spent last winter holed up in rural Wisconsin with his guitars, some recording equipment, and a broken heart. When the snow melted, he returned with ten sparse, searching songs that gorgeously evoke the desolate beauty of those surroundings.

Laura Marling

English folkie hates crowds, loves Victorian lit.
Laura Marling, photographed for Spin in London, Jan. 7, 2008 by Clare Shilland

With her gently bewitching songs about bad dreams and broken hearts— not to mention her flaxen hair, snow white skin, and searching blue eyes— teenage singer/songwriter Laura Marling is proud to come off more Wuthering Heights than The Hills. "I've always loved books by the Brontë sisters," purrs Marling, who was raised in the sleepy village of Eversley.

Who's Next '08: Jay Reatard

The next garage-punk prodigy. With bonus live video.
Photo by Brad Johnson

In a nutshell: The Memphis native's musical career got off to an early start after his dad gave him an ultimatum in 1995: Do your homework or give up your guitar. The decision was a no-brainer for Reatard (born Jay Lindsey), whose moniker comes from a misspelling on an early homemade cassette. "I moved out of my dad's house and never showed up for the first day of grade nine," he says.

Syndicate content