UK

don't be put off by their name, these two guys make ultra rad mind bending noise infused melodies - heavy distortion - one of the darlings of the 2008 sxsw music festival

At the age of 7 EJ was forced to soldier for the SPLA in Sudan. His rap music is heavily influenced by the horrors that he saw and his desire to be a positive force for peace and righteousness in the world.

OK, so Jay-Z signed her to Def Jam, but mainstream hip-hop ain't ready for the S-O-V or UK Grime.

If there was a top ten list for most fun albums of the year then Lily Allen would be at the top of it. The sweet voice of this UK songstress was carried well through the summer air. - Ryan of the RSL blog

London grime - audacious, experimental, electronic hip hop - come get it from ya moma

hardly under the radar - posting this link b/c Polly Jean reinvents herself, yet again - stripped down, haunting, and folksy, but as unnervingly honest as ever

On music, as on life in general, we privilege a spontaneous and experimentalist attitude: avoiding pre-conceived programs by default, we like and prefer to be not concerned about words and meanings, when we make music, but being interested on freedom of expression itself rather than to rationalise it or try to explain it…
All because, FUN is FUNdaMENTAL, we believe,

London based math rockers knit energetic guitars, harmonic chimes, with rambling base lines, and angular rhythms. Bright Eyes Make for Good Dogs stands out with its howling vocals.

uber pleasant indie pop - good songwriting, nicely crafted and produced with layers of instruments: guitar, synth, strings, horns, etc. - distant and lazy vocals - they'll be at this years SXSW and should be one of the darlings of the festival

super furry boom bip mega electro pop - highly accessible dance music a la 1980s with throbbing robotic beats, synth accents, and crystal clear tenor vocals - makes you want to do the robot - the stand out track imho is Trick for Treat feat. Spank Rock a cool blend of hip hop with neonx2 style and a smashing falsetto chorus.