Edison Glass: Lots of love goes to this band because they hail from Coram, New York, on my home turf of Long Island. Second bits of love go to the band because they worked with the venerable studio god Brad Wood, and lastly love goes to this band because they have two vocalists each with a compelling voice, tons of jangly guitars, and a few driving, soaring ballads to make your heart melt. This is arty-science rock, but it's done well, and live it's out of this world. A must listen. http://www.edisonglass.com

Tim O'Reagan: The drummer from alt-country favorites The Jayhawks tries his hand at a solo career. His debut CD is pretty top notch. With an assortment of some of alt-country's best session musicians, O'Reagan definitely has the 70's singer/songwriter thing down, and definitely borrows a little from Rubber Soul. A very, very good disc. The song Highway Flowers is absolutely extroadinary and a must listen. http://www.timoreagan.com

New London Fire: Trippy, dreamy pop from New Jersey. This band definitely borrows a page from Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and the like. Their album "I Sing the Body Holographic" is quite strong, and while it does falter a little in the middle, there are enough strong songs on it to make it worth buying. http://www.newlondonfire.com

Doubting Paris: A band from Vancouver that hasn't seemed to make a splash on the American scene for reasons I can't figure out. This band is a mix of Augustana and The Fray, and they feature a compelling, charismatic frontman, and beatiful melodies. Their debut disc which was self-titled should have gotten some record of the year nods, and it might have in Canada, but how it got so neglected by the US I don't know. They are hard at work on a new disc titled the Green EP and so far the songs sound pretty top notch. I expect big things. Truly compelling music. http://www.doubtingparis.com

Joe Hedges: He fronted the band July for Kings and is now doing his own thing. Whereas JFK featured more pop/rock radio-friendly stuff a la Matchbox Twenty or Third Eye Blind, the new stuff is a bit edgier, and darker, with a heavy programming vibe. He worked with acclaimed producer Blumpy, whose lended his talents to a bunch of the industry's biggest. Hedges disc Curvature is due out soon. http://www.joehedges.com