After half of Tokyo Police Club politely apologize for running late ("Someone left their clothes in the dryer," says keyboardist Graham Wright, 21; "I had to get ready for dinner with my parents," offers singer/bassist Dave Monks, also 21), it's no surprise to hear that the boys took a wholesome approach while slogging it out on the suburban Toronto battle-of-the-bands circuit.

With her gently bewitching songs about bad dreams and broken hearts— not to mention her flaxen hair, snow white skin, and searching blue eyes— teenage singer/songwriter Laura Marling is proud to come off more Wuthering Heights than The Hills. "I've always loved books by the Brontë sisters," purrs Marling, who was raised in the sleepy village of Eversley.

In a nutshell: The Memphis native's musical career got off to an early start after his dad gave him an ultimatum in 1995: Do your homework or give up your guitar. The decision was a no-brainer for Reatard (born Jay Lindsey), whose moniker comes from a misspelling on an early homemade cassette. "I moved out of my dad's house and never showed up for the first day of grade nine," he says.

It doesn't sound very cool, but D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey, the Harvard alums who make up harmony-loving pop duo Chester French, owe their success to solid study habits. "We got deep into the canon of classic rock in the summer between our freshman and sophomore years," says Wallach, 22, whose ghostly pallor, goofy grin, and scarlet hair make him resemble a modern-day Archie.