Onetime Polyphonic Spree member Annie Clark made her debut under the recording name St. Vincent four years ago with 2007's "Marry Me." But it was her sophomore effort, 2009's "Actor," that propelled her to critical acclaim and widespread popularity in the indie-rock community. Now, two years later, she has returned with her third album, "Strange Mercy."

Althought they don't consider themselves such, they are a "supergroup" of sorts. Wild Flag, featuring ex-members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium and The Minders officially formed in 2010 after Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) announced it on the NPR All Songs Considered blog. The all-female rock band based in Portland, Oregon and Washington D.C., released their debut "Glass Tambourines" on Record Store Day.

Hailing from Foley, MN, the county seat of Benton County, Matt Latterell has been crafting songs for the past 13 years. Now a resident of Northeast Minneapolis and a regular performer at the 331 Club, Matt has honed in on his country-meets-indie sound.

When San Francisco band Girls burst onto the indie-rock scene in 2009, they were heralded with a huge amount of hype and buzz, thanks to their infectious, messy garage-rock sound and to singer Christopher Owens' bizarre and fascinating life story (short version: it involves cults).

Twin Shadow is the indie alter-ego of the New York City-based DIY musician George Lewis Jr. Twin Shadow's music is an ethereal and haunting yet totally infectious blend of sleek, R&B-tinged new wave and lo-fi indie-pop.

Metals experiments with other sounds while still maintaining what makes Feist, Feist: a voice that is its own distinct instrument and conveys her emotion and meaning.

Tied to the well-known Eau Claire, WI scene, folk-rockers Megafaun began as brothers in jazz band then morphed into a band known as DeYarmond Edision. That band moved to North Carolina, where they enjoyed the warm weather, but eventually lost their lead singer, who went on to be Bon Iver. They became the three piece that has released three records under the name Megafaun. And this month, they've added a member to the band and released their fourth, self-titled album packed with tight harmonies and Neil Young-like melodies.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, better known by their acronym OMD, began their career in the UK in 1978, trading in synth-pop, new wave and experimental post-punk sounds for nearly two decades before lead singer and bassist Andy McCluskey (at that point the only remaining original member) called it quits. The original line-up reunited in 2005, and have been touring and recording ever since.

This is one of the most visual recordings I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Full disclosure -- when I heard about this project for the first time I was very excited... but I was excited more about Nick Hornby than Ben Folds!