Geographer

Welcome to a new feature on SPIN.com! We've opened a direct line for independent, undiscovered bands to send their music to our inboxes. Then every so often we sort through the submissions and bring you the must-hear acts we discover. If you're an artist and want to submit your materials, click here for more information -- and if you just want to be the first to hear three great new bands, read on!

GEOGRAPHER

Hometown: San Francisco
Recommended if you like... French Kicks, Mobius Band, Say Hi
Why it rocks: Cellos plus synthesizers often equals wimpy drivel. But this Bay Area threesome deftly factor urgency into their equation with insistent beats that prop up shy, reverb-drenched vocals from Michael Deni. Tailor-made for your own personal late-night dance party.
The backstory: Originally from New Jersey, Deni headed west to escape strife within his family. After finding a synthesizer on the street, he began channeling his painful experiences into the songs that became Innocent Ghosts, the band's new album.
Listen to: "Can't You Wait" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Website: geographermusic.com

LIBRARY VOICES

Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Recommended if you like... Ra Ra Riot, I'm From Barcelona, Talking Heads
Why it rocks: Make room for another massive collective: This born-in-'08 Canadian posse boasts more than 10 members. Thankfully, the sound isn't convoluted at all, leaning on well-edited art school essentials, from restrained flourishes of unadorned guitars to playful keyboards and cutesy boy-girl vocals. Self-referential lyrics? Check. Tales of young, drunken romance? You betcha.
Fun fact: Library Voices is more than a clever band name. The group packs its six-song EP, Hunting Ghosts (& Other Collected Shorts), with literary references, from track titles riffing on Vonnegut, to a tale of a Tom Waits-t-shirt-wearing hottie/bookworm quoting Kafka on the dancefloor.
Listen to: "Step Off The Map & Float" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Website: Library Voices on MySpace

THAILAND

Hometown: Los Angeles
Recommended if you like... New Order, the Raveonettes, Royal Trux
Why it rocks: This trio churns out low-fi, drum machine-led guitar pop seemingly immune to all technological innovations achieved in music production since 1985. But fans of Peter Hook-style basslines and affected pop art era vocals will certainly yearn for a trip to Thailand.
The backstory: For all the miles these band members logged, they might as well have gone to Thailand. Floridian singer Marc Linquist met Oklahoman synth player/vocalist Staci Roark in Nashville, and the twosome lived in London and Kentucky before settling in L.A.
Listen to: "Favorite Sun" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Website: Thailand on MySpace