The Brooklyn based quartet known as The Stationary Set has been in our vocabulary for some time. Whether it’s through friends or friend’s of friends talking about the group, there’s been buzz about this band for years. It wasn’t until seeing the guys for the first time live when we understood what all the hype was about. Their energy onstage, how each member distinctly stands out on his own yet blends perfectly into one harmonious rhythm in a fast paced or stripped down set, makes the band a stand out. With lead vocalist, Andrew Lutes, lending his textured pipes to songs that range from pop to electronic to indie-folk, Death Cab for Cutie needs to watch their backs because this band is the next big thing. Look out for their new album out later this year and in the meantime be sure to download some catchy tunes like “Drink from the Well” and “Clap Song” from their self-titled release.

They were named one of TIME’s “Ten Acts that Rocked SXSW” in 2011 and they’re set to play alongside some of the biggest up and comers at this year’s famous Coachella music festival. However, before this indie band began blowing away audiences across the country they were busy building the band up by way of the south, Lafayette, Louisiana to be exact. With a bit of that southern flare trickling into their folk, afropop and overall eclectic sound they’re a real treat to listen to. Seeing them live is an entirely different experience. If the music doesn’t already put you in a trance the quintet’s two lead vocalists, Tiffany Lamson and Taylor Guarisco, certainly will. As their eyes literally roll to the back of their heads while they sing they effortlessly bounce between various instruments creating melodic sounds that are reminiscent of bands like Vampire Weekend or Pheonix, but are completely their own. On their album The Light you’ll find everything from flute solos to the single featured on the FIFA 12 video game “Up Up Up.”

Is it weird that it was ‘The Local Natives’ album cover with all their heads exploding that first got our attention? It’s possible that this indicates a deeply macabre streak somewhere in our psyche, but it’s hard to care about something that trivial when we’re busy becoming enamored with the album’s #2 and #3 tracks, Airplanes and Sun Hands. Their debut album, Gorilla Manor, has a multi-faceted, layered sound that is at the same time deceptively simple. Die hard fans may remember them under their previous moniker, Cavil at Rest, but under any name they have that mood-setting, soundtrack to life quality in the vein of Grizzly Bear or The Black Ghosts. Mentally, we’ve already penciled them in as background inspiration for our next writing session.

Some say a great artist is one who wears many hats. After five platinum and gold records (not to mention a greatest hits album) with his band, Something for Kate, Australian singer/songwriter Paul Dempsey switched it up with a solo album, Everything is True, which debuted in 2009. The first time we heard the opening riff to “We’ll Never Work in This Town Again,” we were like, “Alright, P. Demp, you got us. The Bruce Springsteen fanatic in us is totally putty in your hands right now.” And it’s true, there’s something about the slightly metallic twinge to the guitar track, the raw, leave-it-all-on-the-field vocal and the storytelling lyrics that make it more than a little Boss-y. But queue up his debut solo track, “Out of Airlock” and you find a simple melody with a gentle, eerie beauty reminiscent of Elliot Smith. As far as we’re concerned, Paul Dempsey can keep wearing all the hats he wants. They look good on him.