Vampire Hands might be the Twin Cities' best kept music secret. The four-piece started out in 2004 and have since gone on to release four recordings and complete four national tours.

Passion Pit hit the floor running ever since their Valentine's Day inspired formation several years ago.

Natasha Khan has been sharing her mystical brand of Fearless songwriting and composition as Bat for Lashes since 2005.

A bluesy diva teams up with raucous, garage rock ruffians to form The Noisettes.

Brothers Jim and Mike Blaha, along with Dave Roper, started The Blind Shake and released their first recording in 2004. They have gone on to release two full length albums and a handful of 7" records.

The Kendal, UK-based quartet Wild Beasts released their sophomore album "Two Dancers" in August to a chorus of perplexed praise, perhaps owing to their peculiar sound.

What happens when you add 11 people + Southern California + communal musical philosophizing + a fixin' for creating music reminiscent of the 1960s and '70s? Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, that's what.

I can only say that I was "agog" as Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth sat before me in our studios playing DJ for this latest edition of "Theft of the Dial."