Who: a veteran of the Bay Area's vibrant hardcore scene (he is currently screaming on behalf of Caged Animals) for over a decade, Molina's proven himself to be a gifted popsmith as well, both with local noise-pop outfit, Ovens, as well as on his own. His sophomore solo offering, Dissed and Dismissed, recorded last summer and released this past February, is a glorious, 12-minute, 12-song sprint through guitar heroics that call to mind both Rivers Cuomo and J Mascis at their most melodic and ornery.Sounds Like:Weezer, Dinosaur Jr., Teenage FanclubWhere To Start: Dissed and Dismissed in its breathtaking entirety.
Who: Houston-based, Nigerian-American, regular-ass dude rapper (he sometimes moonlights as DJ I Got Hoes), who can bridge the gap between the Internet nerd rap (last year's Double Dragon mixtape with producer/rapper Tom Cruz was made up entirely of samples from the Nintendo classic) and the kind of dead-serious, humanistic, head-down dedication to craft that Houston legends Bun B and K-Rino made vital. Political when he feels like it but down to party and always clever, Fat Tony's a new breed of conscious undergrounder.Sounds Like: Antwon, Das Racist, Grand PubaWhere to Start: “Hood Party,” a wizened take on gentrification featuring Kool A.D., formerly of Das Racist, and a particularly raspy Despot, off Smart Ass Black Boy, out June 11 on Young One Records.
Who: This Chicago duo's name is almost certainly a play on R&B hitmaker The-Dream's alias, but aside from twitchy trap snares, finger snaps, and gauzy cloud-rap hallmarks, the similarities end there. Sounding like they've sampled the quietest bits from Kate Bush records and grafted them on top of booming 808 patterns, The-Drum revel in contrasts; their debut LP, out June 25 on Audraglint, pulls together fleet footwork rhythms, new age synths, percolating R&B, and faded trap-rave into a bewitchingly hi-def hybrid.Sounds Like: Gatekeeper, Shackleton, NguzunguzuWhere to Start: The upcoming Contact, a concept album about a futuristic manufacturer of A/V-equipped, pharmaceutically enhanced isolation tanks.
Who: Cardiff's Pete Lawrie Winfield makes experimental electronic ballads that never let you get comfortable, Hollywood movie singer-songwriter cuts interrupted by a strange burst of computerized weirdness or wrapped up in sentiments not quite ready for prime time. A visual analogue for this music was established by Winfield himself, who reassembled footage from David Lynch's Lost Highway for the “Pressure” music video.Sounds Like: James Blake, Peter GabrielWhere to Start: “Pressure,” from his forthcoming debut LP, a highlight that mixes hammy lounge piano and helium-voiced robot wails.[videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]
Who: Lively Montreal quartet making watery art-rock that isn't afraid to sprawl out – songs on their 2011 debut Native Speaker often reached the eight minute mark – or get very, very serious. In short, Braids belie the light exterior that some may initially associate with their sound. Vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston slyly approaches pleasant indie pop tropes with brutally honest lyrics about sex and psychosis. These are dread-filled songs about matters of the mind and body.Sounds Like: Animal Collective, Boy Friend, Kate BushWhere to Start: “In Kind,” a bent-out-of-shape, post-post-rock slow burner off Flourish//Perish, out August 20 on Arbutus/Full Time Hobby/Flemish Eye.[videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]