Black Milk:

Riding the high wave of his critically-acclaimed album “Tronic,” Black Milk is the new audio force of Detroit. He cites his influences as everyone from Stereolab to A Tribe called Quest, extracting history to form new beginnings. Black Milk has proven, through his solo work and collaborations, that he is a leader in the beautiful future of hip-hop. Listen to “Losing Out (featuring Royce da 5’9).” www.myspace.com/blackmk

Grizzly Bear:

OK. So a lot of indie bands have animals in their names these days. And while many are lost in the indie abyss, Grizzly Bear has stuck around for round two. The Brooklyn band’s second-released album “Veckatimest” is getting blogger applause everywhere for its more developed, distinct tone. For an audio description, think of them as the star-crossed child of Neil Young and Sigur Ros. All of its members work as one long instrumental echo, with singers Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen alternating on the mic. Listen to “Two weeks.” www.grizzly-bear.net/

Busy P:

A big name at this year’s Movement festival, this french Day-Glo playboy knows to how to make kids dance. Busy P specializes in making humorous beats with just the right amount of electro cheesiness. His shtick could be “Busy P and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” if the main character used a vocoder and danced like a robot. Listen to him while wearing glow-in-the-dark shades and neon spandex. That way, we can all learn “it’s more fun to compute”. Listen to “Colette c’est Chouette.” www.myspace.com/busyp

Grand Ole Party:

Recently opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s US tour, Grand Ole Party carries similiar three-piece looks, but does rock ‘n’ roll in their own wild San Diego way. A deep and powerful soul voice is trapped in singer and drummer Kristin Gundred’s tiny frame. She churns out absurdly melodic garage-rock lines, while backed by guitar and bass. Listen to “Insane auf Deutsch” and “Look Out, Young Son.” www.myspace/grandoleparty

Frontier Ruckus (pictured above):

The five-piece band from Michigan is gaining attention for its hauntingly beautiful folk sound, complemented with their simple, down-home lyrics. Leadsinger and Rochester native, Matthew Milia, pervades the band’s sound with familiarity and sorrow; like a lonely country road.

The band was recently signed to Ramseur Records out of North Carolina where they are expected to showcase six more songs related to their “Orion Songbook” album under the title “Way Upstate and the Crippled Summer pt. 1.”

The music is recommended listening for Upper Peninsula road trips with friends, long hard winters and bonfire reunions. Listen to songs “Latter Days” and “Orion Town 2.”

www.frontierruckus.com/

www.myspace.com/frontierruckus