Savages, droids, emperors.

Savages. The description that comes to mind doesn't make sense, but here goes: they're a super tight band, and yet there's space—every individual instrument stands out.  So they're together, but separate. Clear as mud, I know. OK, think U2, specifically War-era U2—reverbed and spacious, but each instrument pulling its weight equally, and all of them locked in to each other perfectly. It's haunting and atmospheric but without sacrificing musicality. And over it all, this monster of a voice that can be best described as PJ Harvey meets Siouxie Sioux meets Geddy Lee. Really. Listen to "She Will" and tell me you're not hooked.

Throw your fist in the damn air, man, because Japandroids demand it. It's one thing to successfully pull off garage rock with only a guitarist and a drummer. It's another to pull off arena rock. Not saying these guys could play Giant Stadium or anything, but from the comfort of your headphones, you'll find that these dudes stir up those anthemic music emotions that make you want to run up the steps of the Philly Art Museum. (Incidentally, they're from Vancouver. I've lost count of how many great bands I've listened to recently that are from Canada. Take home message: if you're in a band, be from Canada.)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor makes spooky orchestral rock that builds on loops, layers and effects. Their "Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!" has four tracks—two of them 20-minuters. But those four tracks are an intense, experimental journey. Track 1 doesn't change chords for a whole six minutes and forty-five seconds. Who does that? And yet you feel pulled along, as a willing participant, because wow, those guitars, and geez, that drama.  (Wanna guess where they're from? Seriously, dudes. Canada. Move there.)

Local plug: OK, y'all, Cowboy Indian Bear is a band from the beautiful metropolis known as Lawrence, Kansas. And yes, they're local, so perhaps some bias is coming into play. But they're honest-to-goodness good, not just relative to Lawrence. (Which would still be pretty good, because our music scene is kind of a big deal. I don't know if you've heard.) Their second full-length album, "Live Old, Die Young," has so much delightful about it. It's indie rock that's alternately intimate and other-worldly, all while being consistently beautiful. Favorite track: "I Want a Stranger's Heart." (Though it's really hard to pick just one.)