NYC's Oxford Collapse play noisy, spazz rock that puts on emphasis on disjointed, spiky guitars, yelps and howls, tambourines, and bass-induced grooves. Fans of early Dischord stuff will see an obvious (and successful) homage to the stripped-down sound of Nation of Ulysses and Fugazi, yet Oxford Collapse also seamlessly incorporate the dancier aspects of bands like Radio 4 and Q and Not U with the "artiness" of Liars and Oneida. Phew, that's a whole lot of bands. It may take a little effort to keep up with this band, but your sweat will be well spent.

I've always loved Cheetahs. Sorry, Chee-tos. I never really thought about Jaguars too much, but now I know that I love them, too. Seattle's Jaguar Love is Johnny Whitney (of The Blood Brothers!), Cody Votolato (of The Blood Brothers!) and J Clark (our favorite guitar player in Pretty Girls Make Graves!). With these three dudes joining up, there's no way this new project could suck.

And Jaguar Love does not suck. Does not suck, indeed. This is melodic punk with plenty of bounce and lots of refrains where you want to raise your hands over your head and clap really fast. You know, Ted Leo style. This is music meant to be played only by insanely talented guitar players and absurdly high-register vocalists.

Good thing Jaguar Love's got both of those covered. They sound like a little less spazzy The Blood Brothers crossed with a little more spazzy Pretty Girls Make Graves. Were really stepping out on a limb, eh? Oh yeah, Matador is putting out their debut full-length, so it will probably sell a bajillion copies.

Brooklyn's four-named young wonder makes eccentrically electric psych-folk that comes with a little bit of twang, a little bit of the blues, and a little bit of bar-band rhythm and booze. There's a swagger in Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's songs that makes one ponder if he just might be a rock star one day soon.

He's already had musical help from his almost-rock star friends when he released a record in 2006 that featured guest appearances from members of Grizzly Bear and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio. So that definitely helped his momentum.

His full-length comes out in July of 2008 on Say Hey Records (White Rabbits, Shy Child) and it will have many songs that are almost as long as his name.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson has been known to do the extended guitar jam on occasion. But that's ok. At least it's interesting. And he kind of reminds me of Will Oldham if Oldham ever got real rowdy.

Baltimore's Ponytail rock it hard, fast and all over the place. With relentless tribal drums, unrestrained vocal wails, and rapid-quick guitar riffs that slide all over the scales, this is an arty rock party in a jewel case. Singer Molly Siegel really lets it rip too, shrieking incomprehensible commands that make Ponytail sound like they're leading a punked-up Witch hunt.

For the casual music fan, Ponytail might seriously dip into your Advil supply, but for those who appreciate math-rock that's not particularly poppy (like Lightning Bolt, perhaps), this is the band for you.

Their latest, Ice Cream Spiritual, was just released on the new We Are Free label (home to Yeasayer and Indian Jewelry). Most recently Ponytail has played dates with Joan of Arc, Titus Andronicus and Abe Vigoda.

They seem to tour a TON, so you should have many chances to catch these guys. But bring your compass in case you get entirely lost in these rhythms and can't find your way home.

Annuals are a six-piece from North Carolina that play sprawling and perfectly poppy indie rock. They recently signed to Ace Fu Records (Pinback, Man Man) and should fit right at home with their current roster of odd rock.

Adam Baker vocals sound similar to the tenor of Superchunk's Mac McCaughan, who is also from that fine land of Jordan. But they've most often been compared to Arcade Fire for their epic and imaginative instrumentation. There are tons of strings, keys and percussion going on here. Music like this tends to be messy, but Annuals are tight. No matter how far they stray, they never lose sight of their strong melodies. This is optimistic stuff. Annuals will have none of The Knife's doom and gloom.

CSS represents Sub Pop's first South American signing. These girls and boys from Brazil rock the sexy synths. Actually their name is short for "Cansei De Ser Sexy" which translates to "I'm tired of being sexy." Somewhere, Right Said Fred is demanding royalties.

How do describe CSS... think Peaches on her best behavior accompanied by that song "Do the Hustle," and you're close to experiencing what they're all about. The title of one of their songs, "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above" pretty much says it all. But are they talking about the DFA or Death From Above 1979? Either way, someone's getting their ass sued. In the meantime, if YOU are tired of being sexy, you'll probably enjoy CSS. Me? I'm just tired of writing the word "synth."

Brooklyn's catchy as hell rock-electronic duo, Ratatat, was born with a silver spoon in its mouth. First, they have a really cool name. With a cool moniker you immediately have a leg up on the competition. Who knew it would be so hard to think of a decent name for your band? It's like, just think a little bit, guys.

Second, guitarist Mike Stroud plays guitar for Ben Kweller's band and Dashboard Confessional (Chris Carraba they aint!). Third, they've already shared the stage with such buzz kings as Franz Ferdinand, !!!, Tortoise and Battles. Fourth and definitely not least, Paul Banks of Interpol essentially discovered them.

But even with these advantages, it's still all good. You know why? Ratatat's debut album is really, really good. With Evan's beats and Mike's guitar, Ratatat's energetic live shows have them quickly becoming known as the band that gets a party started.

We thought for sure we'd written about these guys on Rockness, considering we've been into The Notwist for so long. But we hadn't written a word and we finally figured out why. The last time Germany's The Notwist played our shores was shortly before the birth of Oh My Rockness (are we wrong on this?). Well, that explains it. To paraphrase a song by Oxford Collapse, time is certainly marching away.

It's hard to believe this band's modern classic Neon Golden album came out six years ago. Six years! If you remember, it was the Funeral of 2002 before anyone knew Arcade Fire. Everyone loved it.

The Notwist released a ton of albums before that great one, but they were all weird and not very rock at all. But something sure clicked for them in 2002 and they became one of the oldest "it" bands. But that's all history. Now, finally, The Notwist are playing again in support of a new record. It's called The Devil, You + Me and while it's too early to tell if it's good enough for them to take another six year hiatus, it's good to know they're around again.

Oh yeah, what do they sound like? Well, good old glitchy melodic pop with a bit of ambience. In other words, they sound like The Notwist.

DC's Jukebox the Ghost are an extremely entertaining piano-pop trio that writes cleverly optimistic songs. Their music gives off an aura that vaguely resembles happiness. Imagine!

Upon first listen to these guys you will probably think two things (depending on how in touch with the '90s you are); "Ben" and "Folds." It's true that singer/piano player Ben Thornewill shares strong vocal similarities to that other Ben's tenor. And, of course, it doesn't quell comparisons when they're both piano men. But Jukebox the Ghost probably lean a little more towards the dramatic flair (a la Queen) than Folds did (or does?).

People go crazy for these guys at their shows. Maybe you will, too?

Grand Archives is the perfect record to put on at 4:30pm on a Sunday. It's not exactly sunshine-pop; it's more like twilight-pop. It's not exactly happy, but it's not mournful either. This wonderful Seattle five-piece is headed-up by Mat Brooke, who was the former guitarist of Band of Horses and of the lesser known Carissa's Weird.

There's definitely an element of Band of Horses on Grand Archives' debut for Sub Pop (yep, same label), but really it's just the impressive pop melodies that are similar. The whole country vibe the Horses rock isn't really present here. Instead Grand Archives opt to cop those great 60's harmony bands. Sub Pop says they're like Mamas and Papas and The Turtles and Sub Pop is right, but these guys seem to carry more regret. Throw in some Rogue Wave, too. If you like choruses featuring whistles, harmonicas, and horns, this is the band for you. I really like these guys.

Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking made the weirdest recording decision on their most recent album Rip It Off for Matador Records. Basically, they decided to make it sound like shit. To say they went a little crazy with the treble would be an understatement. Describing the recording as "messy" gives dirty rich hipsters a bad name. Equating this with lo-fi is an offense to the $15 dollar Radioshack microphone I got when I was 12. Saying Rip It Off sounds like it was recorded in a dented and corroded tin garbage can does not do it justice.

I just thought it was an odd choice, considering how good these songs are. But it's hard to rock out to Times New Viking when you get traces of a headache when your mouse even hovers near this album. Anyway, I guess it's supposed to capture the glory of old-school lo-fi punk rock like The Muslims and Titus Andronicus are currently doing. Or maybe it's just intentionally supposed to be annoying as a statement against technology... or something. Either way, hopefully they've changed their stage mix so these songs can shine through the madness. Otherwise, the club's bar and bathrooms are going to be VERY crowded.

So I guess I'm still rocking my screamo phase, because the same week that I was finally able to stop listening to Genghis Tron (for now anyway...), I discover Houston's The jonbenet. While as a general rule, I'm not a fan of naming your band after a dead little kid, I must admit that these guys are pretty sick (in a musical way).

This is more of that spazzy noise that is akin to canned peaches -- either you love them or you don't. If you like GUITARS, doom, death, destruction, and singers who permanently impair their vocal chords, check out The jonbenet. Somehow I don't think the blogs will be all over this band, but screw those guys. This is for fans of Swing Kids (and if you think I'm referring to the movie Swing Kids, you would definitely HATE the jonbenet), and for those who aren't easily frightened.

Chicago's The Cool Kids are the hyped-up hip-hop duo consisting of Antoine "Mikey Rocks" Reed (he represents Matteson, I represent Park Forest) and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll. The kids go crazy for these two young guys who met each other just a couple years ago on MySpace. But though they're down with a most modern way to start a band, their music is all relaxed retro raps and beats. And by retro, we mean 1988 (as evidenced in their appropriately titled song "88").

The Cool Kids model their style after Erik B. and Rakim, EPMD and colorfully fun '80s fashion (they make neon look NICE). Their smooth, humorous rhymes over back-to-the-basics beats and simple synths have fans and record label execs clamoring for more. They recently opened for M.I.A. to great acclaim and rocked the house at 2007's Pitchfork Fest and, most recently, Coachella.

The Cool Kids are not only taking it back, they're also injecting a huge dose of fun into the underground hip-hop world.

This is music for your next beach party (hope Johnny and his gang don't show up!). Or, this is music to listen to while you have a fiesta on a yacht in Monte Carlo. Or, you know, just music for getting wasted alone at home. Barcelona's El Guincho is the optimistic one-man band of one Pablo Díaz-Reixa. Under the El Guincho moniker, Díaz-Reixa creates sunny songs full of peppy tribal percussion, lovely programmed drum loops, delightful dub, cheery Tropicalia and a whole lot of repetitive "world" rhythms that are strangely addictive.

His hypnotic dream-pop has often been compared to Animal Collective, but really this is closer to Panda Bear's Brian Wilson-inspired solo work. I also hear some Talking Heads influence in this too, though this is a lot more dance-y. El Guincho would be good to groove to as you sip the milk out of a freshly fallen coconut.

Díaz-Reixa has recently played shows with Architecture in Helsinki and HEALTH and is tapped to play one of our favorite music fests, 2008's Oya Festival in Oslo, Norway. One thing is for certain, there's nothing depressing about this guy's songs. This makes me feel HOT HOT HOT!

Beirut is 20-something wunderkind Zach Condon, one of Brooklyn's newest residents. The multi-talented and multi-instrumentalist Condon sounds like Devendra Banhart meets Antony meets Neutral Milk Hotel meets, well, you get it.

This is post-folk with horns, strings, accordions and glockenspiels (and no guitars) that find their sonic inspiration in the mystical sounds of Eastern Europe. Imagine an old school carnival crossed with the music they play when you eat at the Olive Garden (don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about). Condon's pleasant vibrato floats effortlessly over his melting pot of rhythms as he sings songs about minstrels and gypsies (somewhere Colin Meloy is demanding residuals).

You're either going to eat this stuff up or not care for it at all. But people who like Beirut REALLY like it. Condon should be around the music scene for quite some time.

Black Kids are the unsigned (and heavily hyped) Jacksonville, Florida band that takes familiar 80's synth retro rock and flips it on its ear. These are delightfully catchy songs that sound like the birth of MTV (think Simple Minds) meets lo-fi garage (The Ponys) meets dance-pop (Abba?) meets twee (The Go! Team) meets a high school sock-hop (which is what The Ramones were always about anyway). Weird, right?

The three guys and two girls in Black Kids combine to write giddy melodies and harmonies (often sung into what sounds like a tin can) with swirling synth hooks. This is definitely optimistic music (the stuff that "twees" are made of), but it's never nauseating. There's a nice bit of Richard Hell's swagger throughout Black Kid's repertoire, giving these toe-tapping tunes a swift punk-rock kick in the ass. By the way, their debut EP has one of the most perfect album titles ever (The Wizard of Ahhhs.)

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It's always refreshing when a band comes around that actually wants to rock. You wouldn't think this would be such a rare occurrence considering pretty much all this stuff we write about is within the genre of "rock 'n roll." But somewhere along the recent way, rocking out became passï¿© and synths became key. F-that and thank goodness for Brooklyn's Appomattox.

These three dudes are a straight up guitar band that rips through peppy power-chord songs with an underlining current of nicely-tempered spazz. I'm not exactly sure what these songs are about, nor do I exactly care. I just know that sometimes the band's slightly-distorted choruses with the proper amount of feedback make me want to raise my fist in the air just like I used to do back in the '90s when I would "borrow" my friend's ID so I could go see shows in bars in Chicago.

Appomattox may be a blast from the indie rock past, but that's definitely a past worth blasting around about. Appomattox blasts.

L.A.'s Meho Plaza are an explosively experimental lo-fi band that can be compared to the (very) modern underground heroes HEALTH and No Age. The two dudes and one lady that make up Meho Plaza like to synth their short songs up in a messy and most muddled way. Yet, the result is something strangely catchy.

They make their sounds using cheap casios, a noisy guitar seemingly straight off the rack at Woolworth's, and drums pummeled through a few layers of distorted and blurry haze. This music is minimalistic without being boring and inventive without falling for pretension. You certainly can try to tap your toes to Meho Plaza's often bouncy beats, but the band's beautifully bizarre time signatures will most likely have you scratching your head in befuddled appreciation.

Join Oh My Rockness and Film School at Mercury Lounge May 1st!

Oakland's Film School have quietly been making some of the best soft/loud/soft and moody rock of the past few years. While still under the radar, Film School seem poised to break with the swirling dynamics of their spacey lo-fi pop. Think a mixture of the hushed melancholy of Bedhead with the occasional crescendo of early Seam and a bit of Sparklehorse's spookiness.

Guest players on Film School's releases have included members of Pavement and Fuck. Film School are sure to be recognized soon for their unique brand of sprawling, atmospheric pop.

Every time I listen to these guys, I immediately want to look down and study my Sauconys. Brooklyn's Deprecation Guild make lush, shoegaze-y sounds from guitars (no surprise there) and a Nintendo (surprise there). They're like fellow NYC guys Anamanaguchi, in that 8-bit respect, but Anamanaguchi doesn't sound like Slowdive and Ride and Lush. Depreciation Guild does.

The duo is made up of Christoph Hochheim (Guitar, Vocals) and Kurt Feldman (Guitars, Vocals, video game/toy programming). As a side note, you may know Kurt as the drummer for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. But moving on, this band doesn't really rock the video game glitchy-clicky shtick for fun so much. In this case, the Nintendo (sorry, the "Famicom") acts as more of a background sound layer to fill in any gaps between nice and swirly guitar parts and catchy pop choruses sung in the band's best Britpop hush.

London/Paris synth-pop trio The Teenagers have a whole song devoted to Scarlett Johansson (called "Starlett Johansson," presumably to protect the innocent). I learned from the song that Scarlett "started out on Broadway when she was eight." Obviously, they did their homework. They also have a very dirty song called "Homecoming" about doing, well, dirty stuff with American cheerleaders. And they get right to the point with their track, "Fuck Nicole."

The Teenagers also have funny voice-overs during their songs about fashion and things. And though their music has been likened to the soundtrack of a porno, these three guys are just really being more silly than sexy. They don't take themselves too seriously (they list "puberty" and "party" as some of their influences). If you like to laugh while listening to your post-new-wave, this is the band for you.

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Baltimore-by-way-of-Australia's The Death Set play short and spazzy electro-punk songs that are fueled by crazy keys and a demonic drum-machine. These two guys are just generally intent on making you happy, not necessarily writing the best songs in the world. So this would be recommended if you like bands like Matt & Kim, Team Robespierre and Best Fwends.

The Death Set duo (comprised of Beau Velasco and Johnny Siera) are supposed to be seen and experienced (preferably in a basement or legion hall somewhere), and not really listened to on disc. You're supposed to get all hopped up and hop around with the duo on the floor in front of the stage, and smile and sweat, and act drunk on pure youthful joy. You're supposed to go as crazy as they go, and let The Death Set's lo-fi beats take over your body and soul (for ninety-seconds anyway). It's a fun experience. But there's really no reason to sing this stuff in the shower.

Baltimore's Wye Oak are a young duo (Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack) that play swirling, haunting and delicately layered songs (using guitars, drums, keys and strings: they both sing) that sometimes sounds soft and somber and sometimes just rock out. This band is like a cross between Beach House (their neighbors), Headlights, Asobi Seksu, and a little bit of Yo La Tengo. And sometimes Wasner's voice sounds similar to Cat Power. So yeah, a lot going on here.

Merge Records (Arcade Fire, Spoon, Neutral Milk Hotel and like everyone else popular since 1993) were smitten enough with this duo's strangely melodic songs (did I hear a saw being played?) that they decided to reissue their hard-to-find debut (from back when they were called Monarch before legality prevailed). Now that's what I call validation. Wye Oak are as easy to listen to as a Sunday morning.

This is music made to make you happy. Department of Eagles (formerly "Whitey on the Moon UK") is a frequently folk-ish and sometimes electro-ish Brooklyn duo full of a strange kind of sunshine. The band is comprised of Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen. You know Dan. He's in that great dream-pop band, Grizzly Bear (and he wrote a good chunk of the songs on Grizzly Bear's best album, Yellow House). You may or may not know Fred, depending on how many people you know.

With Department of Eagles, Dan plays multiple instruments and sings his tenor most tremendous (in his blurry Damon Albarn-esque best), while Fred mostly rocks the beats. They both write the songs though. And while these songs haven't yet made the whole world sing, that's just because most of the world doesn't know Department of Eagles' melodies will cast their cares far away (albeit in a somewhat strange way). Lo-fi mellowness with a little giddy-up.

San Diego's The Muslims play really good lo-fi punk that's seeped in history. It's sort of sloppy, and probably fueled by booze, and if you shut your eyes you just might think you're listening to the Voidoids. They've certainly got the swagger.

There's not a whole lot of intricate orchestration going on in The Muslims songs. The bass just sort of plunks along to the easy-going drum thumps, and the laconic guitars do their best to not shred too much (though there are a couple of nice surf solos thrown in there).

Listening to The Muslims you sort of think, "Hey, even I could do that." But hey, you didn't do that. They did. And that's punk rock. The Muslims are currently on tour with John Reis' new band, The Night Marchers.

Mexico's Chikita Violenta are a band of five closely linked to Broken Social Scene. And the fandom works both ways. Not only does their big and climactic chamber-pop rock full of rapturous riffs and drawn-out keyboard choruses sound very similar to that massively successful Canadian collective, but the members of B.S.S. themselves also lent their talents to Chikita Violenta's debut album (the album also included Do Make Say Think's Charles Spearin).

Broken's Kevin Drew (with Metric's Jimmy Shaw) recently performed with Chikita Violenta as a guest player in their band. And (the links just keep coming) Chikita enlisted Broken Social Scene's producer (Dave Newfeld) to record their latest album, The Stars and Suns Sessions. Phew. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if you like Broken Social Scene, you'll like Chikita Violenta. They're just as good.

"His sparse, sweet acoustic songs charm more than they shock, and make you think rather than irritate."
- The Guardian

Sweden's Lykke Li is a twenty-one year old who is quickly becoming very popular. And it's not because she's cute like (a young) Debbie Harry and has a cool shock-of-blonde haircut. It's because Lykke sings sweet, sometimes almost saccharine, indie-pop with subtle dance hooks that instantly get stuck in your head (for better or worse).

You can compare Lykke Li to her frequent touring partner, El Perro Del Mar, in sound and style. Her name has also been thrown around a bunch with the likes of Robyn, Annie and her friends and collaborators, Peter Bjorn and John.

Sometimes these songs can be a little too cute for their own good (kind of like that El Perro song about how she wants "candy"), but they're definitely catchy. If you're in the mood to float instead of fly, and saunter instead of sprint, you may be in the mood for Lykke Li. But just for a little bit. Listening to too much of this is like eating one too many bites of a Boston cream.

Toronto's Tokyo Police Club play optimistic and twitchy pop with a beat. They say that if you were to throw Bowie, Joy Division, The Arcade Fire into a blender, you'd find the inspiration for their sound. One thing is for sure, these four guys definitely love pronounced bass lines, chants, hand-claps and rapid drums. If that's not optimism, I don't know what is.

They've been building hefty buzz as they tour Canada (btw, did you know there is a venue in London, Ontario called The Alex P. Keaton... how much does that rule?) and the States, and will continue their quest to take over the world, one addictive riff at a time.

We saw Jens Lekman completely captivate crowds comprised of our normally jaded youth during Austin's SXSW a couple weeks ago by playing sweet pop songs about love and, well, love. Huh. Who knew this fair blond Scandanavian lad could turn all those insecure hipster scowls into unabashed happy smiles.

Twenty-something-year-old Swedish pop star (in Sweden, anyway) Jens Lekman writes quirky singer-songwriter stuff that has led to Beck meets Stephen Merritt comparisons. Using his acoustic guitar, along with harps, violins, mandolins and scattered electronic beats, Lekman delivers classy, bittersweet melodies over clever wordplay.

But really, it's about his voice. Lekman has a clear, bordering on angelic, tone that makes tales like "holding his girlfriend's hand as she pukes" nothing less than lovely. It's hard to tell if Jens Lekman is secretly saying "ha ha" or if he's a completely earnest artist. Probably, he's a little of both. Not crazy enough to cut off his ear, not normal enough to be carried at Sam Goody.

Lekman is more interesting than Belle and Sebastian with a greater vocal range than Nick Drake, and has roughly the same modesty as every other soon-to-be rock star (his own website said he was ranked the 15th most beautiful person in Sweden, which is like being #1 in the U.S. Everyone is hotter than us over there.)