What? With an illustrious, ever-expanding career -- from 1997's debut You Can Play These Songs with Chords to revered indie rock gem The Photo Album to 2003's breakthrough Transatlanticism to 2005's set Plans -- Death Cab for Cutie have continually pushed the artistic fringe with

What? Riding a fine line between overtly arty noise rock and a clamorous sonic disaster, Austin, TX's When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth debut this week with Not Noiice, an enticing collection of psychopathic, sludge-punk tunes, right at home at an acid-fueled Brooklyn loft party, or in the soundtrack to an experimental horror flick.

What? Emerging from a curious indie-rock-meets-new-age fog, located somewhere between Enya, Bright Eyes, and Air, the Republic Tigers debut this week with Keep Color (out May 6), an excellent collection of acoustic guitars, backing ooohhhs and aaahhhs, sailing keys, and frontman Kenn Jankowski's hushed vocals, all covered in a ethereal, smooth production.

What? Do you think the Shins' latest effort was too depressing? Do you wish Dr. Dog albums arrived with a glossier production?

What? Though one could argue that the Swedish invasion on the brains of stateside indie rock fans is near kaput, Lykke Li, one of the latest names to fly from the Scandinavian canon, is one of its highest fliers, deserving of the praise given to many of the nation's less talented first wave exports. And with yesterday's (May 6) U.S.

What? Much like fellow Georgia-bred act the Whigs, Atlanta's Morning State have an affinity for nuts-and-bolts, guitar-centric pop-rock. But where the Whigs plow straight-ahead into the barroom, Morning State opt for wobbling riffs and pop-punk urgency, recalling the dawn of indie rock with loud and soft dynamics, and plenty of artsy minutiae to boot.