Who? With undeniably infectious hooks and never-boring pop formulation, D.C.-born, Philadelphia-based three-piece Jukebox the Ghost rekindle the communal, sing-along pop styling of '60s FM radio with their excellent debut full-length, Let Live and Let Ghosts.

What? Windsor for the Derby find beauty in barren Texas with a mellow, driving drone of artful, amalgamative post-rock. Slow-burning and quiet, the band offers a more subtle version of the heavy and heady psychedelic atmospherics set forth by their fellow Austinites, the Black Angels.

What’s the Deal? With an eclectic, drifting-in-midair-like mix of intricate pop songwriting and romanticized electronic renaissance, Air's outstanding studio debut Moon Safari has virtually invented the tangled indie rock make-out session of the past decade.

What's the Deal? Artful Philly bred duo melds traces of the '70s with glitchy chamber pop, replete with warm keyboards and billowing walls of well-orchestrated sound. Rich layers of antique-inspired accents, erratic and driving drums, and sweetly double-tracked vocals are wound tightly together at a consistent and energetic pace.

What's the Deal? The 26-year-old Jaymay, a.k.a. Jamie Seerman, vividly crafts series of vignettes that play like a novel, illustrating the intensity and incredible emotion that come with the highs and lows of an involving relationship in a setting as alive as New York City.

What's the Deal? The D.C.-based band draw from the post-grunge inspiration of Sugar and Bob Mould while exploring challenging rhythms like the gleefully erratic Dismemberment Plan.