Ordinarily, Indie Rock, Halo and skating share a whole heap of nothing in common. But for Wild Moccasins vocalist/guitarist Cody Swann, each of those things has functioned as an all-enveloping obsession at some point in his life.   

It’s been nearly a decade and a half since New York City percussionist Adam Pierce anagrammed his name in order to christen his new solo project Mice Parade.   

Frontdude Grayson Sanders is a classically trained musician and composer with a soft spot for “Stravinsky, Ravel, Bartok, Ligeti and Autechre,” influences that clearly color the band’s 2011 full-length debut, Laminate Pet Animal.   

Imperial Teen is still kicking, still churning out singularly crafted Indie Pop so ear-pleasingly addictive that it’s kind of remarkable they’re not more of a household name. But, then again, that’s never been the band’s reason for being.   

To a certain extent, once you dive into each musical genre or subgenre, all bands start to sound alike. That goes for Australia’s Indie/Pop/Alternative group The Temper Trap, too. But just because everything “new” has already been discovered doesn’t mean that something old/overplayed can’t be enjoyable, right? The Temper Trap is definitely enjoyable. Plus, the band has the bonus secret weapon of lead singer Dougie Mandagi’s voice, which is quite unique.    

With last year’s six-song Nightlife, Phantogram lightened their atmosphere slightly while continuing to weave a fascinating sonic tapestry colored by threads of Chillwave, ephemeral Synth Pop and beat-driven sampledelica. In the design sense, a phantogram is a two-dimensional image that appears to be multi-dimensional. In the musical sense, Phantogram is a duo that sounds like an airy yet totally engaging Pop orchestra with dimensionality to spare.   

The Joy Formidable has plied its loudly melodic Shoegaze Pop trade well beyond its Welsh homeland since forming in 2007, but the trio has simply exploded; the band’s roller coaster has barely slowed down in the past 15 months. Since The Big Roar, the trio has toured with fans Foo Fighters, played the Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festivals in England and the Fun Fun Fun Fest, Lollapalooza and Cincinnati’s MidPoint Music Festival in the U.S.  

With their first anniversary still months away, Sacred Spirits’ sonic identity is still evolving, giving the band plenty of latitude to experiment in the studio and on stage. Plans for the coming year include recording their new material, working as many local gigs and as much regional touring as its members' schedules allow and continuing to push the boundaries of their creative expression.  

At its most basic, Slothpop's sound is restrained Indie Pop. The arrangements are tempered and utilitarian in design, the melodies are sweetly sonorous but not overbearing and instruments move in and out with clockwork care. The overarching minimalism also means that you have to dig around for nuance and listen intently to soak it in. Slothpop's sound tends to not come to you; you have to get closer to it.