Mystery Palace is the local electronic project from the former 12 Rods member, Ryan Olcott, jazz bassist James Buckley and drummer Joey Van Phillips. Olcott, who also fills his time producing bands in the Twin Cities, produced their latest effort, Nervio.

Don't be turned off by the hype, or the way Cults endears itself to American Apparel shoppers and wearers of clip-on feathers. This is a totally solid album, with nary a clunker in the bunch.

You'd think someone who's married to a food critic is more likely to be at restaurants rather than rock shows, but that isn't the case for Bombay Sweets' Nathan Grumdahl. Married to local food writer, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, he enjoys his duck confit just as much as his garage-surf-rock band. The former guitarist for Selby Tigers and Monarques, Grumdahl started the Bombay Sweets as a one- man-band and added His Mischief drummer Jeff Brown to the mix shortly after.

Husband and wife duo Nathan and Mandy Tensen-Woolery, formerly of the local band Fitzgerald, have shifted their sound from quirky folk to electronic, syth-dance in their latest project Ghost in the Water. Their new self-released record, Shooting Stars and Battle Scars draws on heavy influences from the 80's.

Dawes' second album is no sophomore slump! Instead, it seems like an album from another era.