Lockett Pundt takes a meticulous approach to rock

Lockett Pundt’s multiple album trajectory might have gone unnoticed to the general public; to the casual listener, he’s one of the driving forces in “Deerhunter,” the seminal shoegaze ensemble from Athens Georgia, yet, his solo work under the name of Lotus Plaza presents an early look at his influences and the direction “Deerhunter” will go in the future, but his musical evolution on a personal level.

The Shins’ new record worth the extended wait

Calling James Mercer the lead singer of The Shins is not descriptive enough, nor does it truly state the connection between the two. In essence and execution, Mercer has always been at the helm. Ostensibly, when The Shins went through a clean sweep of their Sub Pop lineup consisting of Dave Hernandez, Martin Crandall and Jesse Sandoval, it seemed that the group would be left dismantled and Mercer would take the solo route

Rossen excels as soloist

Daniel Rossen, better known as one of the front men for the darling indie band Grizzly Bear, has always been a very prolific musician.

Andrew Bird breaks through with “break it yourself”

You can say Andrew Bird is an idiosyncratic artist in that homogeneous pool of Indie musicians and that he goes through an eccentric and docile ebb and flow, but the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into each album cannot be mistaken.

Grime’s masters catchy pop sound

Claire Boucher better known as Grimes, has a particularly interest take on pop music. Her signature sound, a mixture of airy synths, borderline chipmunk vocals and pulsating bass lines create the perfect template for a catchy array of songs as is found in Visions, her second album.

Nashville-rooted album is lush and full of soul

Wagner of Lambchop has all the makings of the stereotypical Nashville musician: he drives a manual pick-up truck, wears a dusty cap and knows a thing about Memphis-rubbed dry ribs. However, the image of Wagner isn’t necessarily reflected in his music and with “Mr. M,” it progresses with such casualness, class and identity.