Dirty Projectors

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Why they matter: Bandleader David Longstreth, a Yale music-composition grad, combines everything from tribal African hollers to classical violins on his band's experimental new album, Bitte Orca.
You should know: Longstreth penned an experimental work for Bjork recently, and the two performed it at New York City's Housing Works Bookstore Café. Read a review here.