Pennsylvania

Analog electronic practitioner Tobacco uses whacked out synths & beats that are easy to label psychedelic. But much more, it's mad nasty funk. Here's two downloads: Dirt featuring Aesop Rock and Truck Sweat.

With influences as diverse as Bad Brains and Aretha Franklin you can't put Santogold in a box. She embraces comparisons to The Pixies, but there's so much more goin' on here. There are nods to 80s new wave & pop, reggae, and punk rock / ska. Here's two sets and an interview from KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.

lighten up a bit - don't take yourself too seriously - but seriously, this is very good songwriting - makes me want to cartwheel

Have your cake and eat it. Solid songwriting without sacrificing innovation & experimentation as happens all too often in the underground music scene these days. Sounding much more punk rock here in this live session than their studio work, you get a sense of their concert sound: raw and raucous.

Nu - Jazz style from madlib & friends.

This is your new favorite band! Don't believe me? I dare you to listen. If I'm wrong, then flame me, or better yet, post a better band. Ambitious vocals reminding me of early rock with indie backing. Pair the songwriting of the Beatles with the passion of Elvis Costello.

The Fallen Troubadours are an American rock band inspired by the blues, folk, and the rock music of the 1960s, particularly bands like the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Kinks... The sound is classic, timeless, and interesting. Well written tunes played by six artists who love what they do. A band that generates an amazing amount of energy in a room. A band on the move.

The KNOTZ musical style is best described as the fusion between hard-hitting hip-hop street lyricism and official rude-boy dance hall flavor. Members include Megaton, Dreadchild, and Aswad Mikal. Come check out the group that has shared the stage with such hip-hop greats as Common, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Papoose, and Ja Rule.