Who: Glasses-sporting, sweetly nerds Fredrik (cornet, guitars, vocals, loops) and Lindefelt (vocals, drums, noise percussion) hail from the small town of Malmö, Sweden and comprise the LK, short for the Love of Kevin, Color, Chaos, and the Sound of K.

Who? State Bird's core consists of Coby Hartzler (vocals/accordion/ Wurlitzer) and Jared Riblet (guitar/vocals), both hailing from Dover, OH. On their debut album, 2006's Marching in the Wilderness, the duo worked with an eclectic collection of like-minded artists and singers, formulating a curious variety of ethnic folk.

Who? Hailing from Chambersberg, PA, the Shackeltons features Mark Redding (vocals), Eric Fisake (guitar), Dan Schuchman (guitar), Justin McDaniels (bass) and Sean Hallock (drums). Their nervy post-punk-induced self-titled debut LP will drop Jan. 29 via the Loveless label.

Who? In a characteristically Southern happenstance, Birmingham, AL natives Preston Lovinggood (vocals) and Chip Kilpatrick (drums) met at church choir practice, and soon formed the nucleus of what would grow into Wild Sweet Orange. The band’s debut EP, The Whale, dropped earlier this year and the outfit will release a yet-to-be titled full-length in early 2008.

Who? Although from different parts of the country, White Denim's founding members Josh Block (drums) and James Petralli (guitar/vocals) met in Dallas. The pair eventually moved to Austin and formed the alt-rock outfit, Parque Torche. After spotting bassist Steve Terebeki performing with another local act, Peach Train, Block and

As his debut album, Smoke continues its assault on the blogosphere, Cleveland-bred synth-pop shredder White Willams kicked off his latest U.S. tour to a packed house at the Middle East