It's apparent with the album artwork, the band name and the lyrics that Bethany Cosentino belts out that she has a particular affinity for the West Coast.

Mark Olson has been a staple of the Twin Cities for over 25 years, first as the founder of local legends The Jayhawks, and secondly as a solo musician, releasing only two albums to date under his own name.

If during the holiday season one of your relatives, trying to meaningfully connect with you, quickly says,"So what does this 'indie rock' that you like so much sound like?" -- just hand them Deerhunter's "Halcyon Digest."

"Le Noise" is "no holds barred" Neil Young.

Lazerbeak has been in the local music scene for years, first playing with the band The Plastic Consetllations, who went on to get signed by French Kiss Records. P.O.S, an old high school friend, heard his work and encouraged him to start making beats. From there he started creating beats for the popular Minneapolis group Doomtree.

Mixing every genre imaginable, from soul to full-fledged hip-hop and dream-pop to funk, Janelle Monae has become a modern day musical prodigy.

of Montreal has been around for nearly 15 years, first creating material within the influential Elephant Six collective, which produced some of the brightest indie bands of the 90s, including The Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel.

Villagers' debut album "Becoming A Jackal" has been named the greatest Irish album since U2's debut "Boy" back in 1980. That's a hefty title to live up to, but frontman Conor J. O'Brien does it admirably.

You've got to hand it to Dirty Projectors. After all, the band somehow made all of frontman David Longstreth's most uneven and insanely complex ideas work.