Joy of division

Photos: Middle Left and Right, Associated Press

Late Flaming Lips + early David Bowie + (DeBarge x 0.5) = MGMT

In a nutshell Neo-glam Brooklyn electro-rock with more memorable songs than original beats up its sleeve. It wouldn’t be an insult to call the act a digital remix of the Flaming Lips formula—its tunes are built on psychedelically decadent lyrics and spacey synth lines.
Download “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel”

The Afghan Whigs + the Screaming Trees / grunge + Nick Cave = the Gutter Twins

In a nutshell They aren’t technically kin, but who’s gonna argue with the singers of the Afghan Whigs and the Screaming Trees? Prepare for a brooding update to Seattle’s heyday on behalf of these seasoned vets.
Download “The Body,” “The Stations”

Fireworks – eyeballs + Mogwai + Sigur Rós = Explosions in the Sky

In a nutshell Don’t be confused if you find yourself flashing back to episodes of Friday Night Lights amid this instrumental act’s atmospheric bliss. These guys handle more licensing than the DMV.
Download “First Breath After Coma,” “Catastrophe and the Cure”

Moby – elevators + Chemical Brothers / the ’90s + Kraftwerk = Booka Shade

In a nutshell Electro house might seem to be exclusively a DJ or laptopper game, but Germany’s Booka Shade has made a go of it as a live band—with live percussion that makes for an interesting show. With no Daft Punk in sight, this might be your real chance to dance in the park.
Download “Charlotte,” “Body Language”

Radiohead – computers + barns x Gogol Bordello + Gypsy Kings = DeVotchKa

In a nutshell This Denver quartet plays like a night sitting around the fireplace passing the bottle with some Russian intellectuals. Despite scoring the hit movie Little Miss Sunshine, the multi-instrumental (including sousaphone and bouzouki!) quartet hasn’t gotten the accolades it deserves.
Download “Venus in Furs,” “The Clockwise Witness”

The Beatles / $$$ + Spoon / $$$ + Guided By Voices x $$$ = Dr. Dog

In a nutshell Sixties fetishists filter Brit-invasion melodies through ’90s lo-fi indie.
Download “The Girl,” “The Old Days”

Merle Haggard + Keith Urban / NASCAR + Springsteen = Dierks Bentley

In a nutshell Country! Lolla opens its mind (a bit) by including this Nashville singer-songwriter. Bentley makes up for modest pipes with lovelorn lyrics and chugging, rockcentric tunage.
Download “Every Mile a Memory,” “Trying to Stop Your Leaving”

Neko Case + Arcade Fire / Canada + Roy Orbison = Nicole Atkins & the Sea

In a nutshell Fashionable New Jersey diva invokes the David Lynch ’50s with outsized emo vocals, bubblegum chords and some punk ’tude thrown in for good measure.
Download “Maybe Tonight,” “The Way It Is”

Oasis² + the Jam² / the Beatles = the Enemy UK

In a nutshell British teens hate their fookin’ jobs and mums, start a band. Anthemic choruses reach for the soccer-stadium cheap seats, while guitars go hard for the shins.
Download “Away From Here,” “We’ll Live and Die in These Towns”

Photos: Mascara, Martha Williams

The Cure² / mascara + the Go! Team = Black Kids

In a nutshell Wan, heartbroken vocals over jangly, jumpy ’80s sock-hop rock
Download “Hurricane Jane,” “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You”

Tortoise – Yanni x Rush = Battles

In a nutshell The original drummer of Helmet steers this polyrhythmic powerhouse. Bonus: vocals so tweaked through effects they’d have T-Pain buying the whole band a round of dranks.
Download “Atlas,” “Tonto”

Jack White^{Jack White} + Black Crowes = Parlor Mob

In a nutshell Straight-up classic rock. Imagine if Jack White joined forces with Jack White to merge the White Stripes and the Raconteurs. Call it the Raconstripes. The White conteurs? Foghat?
Download “Everything You’re Breathing For,” “Angry Young Girl”

Interpol + the Killers / mustaches + the Verve = White Lies

In a nutshell Massive, slow-burning epics burst into triumphant climaxes against a steel-gray sky. White Lies’ output may be miniscule, but it has major-label scouts salivating. Like Coldplay, if they read books and drank.
Download “Unfinished Business,” “Death”

Queen + Sparks + Barenaked Ladies = Tally Hall

In a nutshell Geeky young men from Ann Arbor, Michigan, weave ornate prog-ariffic pop.
Download “Good Day,” “The Bidding”

Cold War Kids + Bright Eyes / emo + Three Dog Night / 3 = Ha Ha Tonka

In a nutshell Hootin’ and hollerin’ indie-rock spirituals from the Ozarks fill up the band’s 2007 debut, Buckle in the Bible Belt, like low-grade hooch.
Download “Up Nights,” “Bully in the Pulpit”

Amy Winehouse / crack rock + Otis Redding = Eli “Paperboy” Reed

In a nutshell The great ’60s soul powerhouse Stax Records won’t get any royalties from the young Reed, but in a just world, it would. The Boston-based, Mississippi Delta–raised, blue-eyed testifier makes his own mark on the soul revival over blues-drenched ballads and horn-popping belters.
Download “Am I Wasting My Time,” “I’ll Roll With You”

My Morning Jacket^R+ Pearl Jam^E + Foo Fighters^M = the Whigs

In a nutshell Beer-fueled frat rock with a Southern twang, punched up into a power-trio
Download “Right Hand on My Heart,” “Like a Vibration”

Of Montreal + the Shins / vocals + Stereolab– French = the Octopus Project

In a nutshell Don’t let the name fool you—it isn’t a jam band. Instead, expect synthed-out electro-pop from these Texan tricksters.
Download “Wet Gold,” “I Saw the Bright Shinies”

Debbie Gibson x Missy Elliott + Samantha Ronson / Lindsay Lohan = Uffie

In a nutshell On her warm and fuzzy single “First Love,” vocoderized girly pop augments her sexy party attitude. In packed, sweaty clubs, she can hold her own on the microphone—and break a few hearts in the process.
Download “Brand New Car,” “Hot Chick”

Photo: Left, Associated Press

Pink Floyd – astronomy – acid + Arcade Fire x Ambien = Grizzly Bear

In a nutshell This eclectic Brooklyn neo-folk outfit is a refreshing antidote to the borough’s beloved antihero, Animal Collective. It’s no surprise the Bear was chosen to open the current leg of Radiohead’s tour.
Download “Knife,” “On a Neck, On a Spit”

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