The Vines "GetFree"
ALBUM: Highly Evolved ORIGIN: Melbourne, AustraliaLABEL: Capitol CONTACT: gary.spivak@capitolrecords.com
For buzz bands, it's all about duos right now. If it's notDetroit's White Stripes, then it's Melbourne, Australia's Vines.Unlike the garage rock of the Stripes, however, the two-some fromdown under combines the psychedelic pop of the Beatles and theagression and quiet loud/shouty-tuneful dynamic of Nirvana. Thefirst US single, "Get Free" is a sheer aural assault, the punishingguitar line dropping in from the jump, with the pulsing, shufflingdrum patterns and the Cobain-esque vocals all combining to form oneof the most amazing debuts in recent memory. This is one of thosesongs that'll make people ask "Where were you the first time youheard...?"

Paul Oakenfold "Ready, Steady,Go" [Radio Mix]
ALBUM: Bunkka ORIGIN: London LABEL: MaverickRecords CONTACT: gaby.skolnek@maverick.com
Get the wax out of your ears, grab your glow sticks and put onyour dancing shoes, as we present the future of dance music, PaulOakenfold. DJ, producer, remixer, and some might say "supreme sexstallion," Oakenfold's career spans from signing DJ Jazzy Jeff andthe Fresh Prince to the UK-based Champion Records to providingremixes for U2, New Order, The Cure and Massive Attack. Mostrecently, his golden fingers touched the movie soundtracks forSwordfish, and Tim Burton's Planet Of The Apes. Now Oakenfold hascreated Bunkka, an unconventional structure built from the rootsupwards, made up of pop, rock, dance, and hip-hop cement. "Ready,Steady, Go" is like driving 100 miles an hour on the autobahn atnight, with your eyes closed. The guitar fueled anthem opened up anew world for Oakenfold, who recruited everyone from Perry Farrell,Hunter S. Thompson, and Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town to IceCube, Tricky and Nelly Furtado to help make Bunkka a unique andhighly anticipated piece of artillery, which will plug into yourdome on June 18.

Ikara Colt "At TheLodge"
ALBUM: Chat And Business ORIGIN: LondonLABEL: Fantastic Plastic
Ikara Colt once spat "All groups should be shot after five years,"and to prove they mean business, the band took their name from twotypes of guns. Ikara Colt express a raw passion for rock music, adistinct dislike of UK pop, and cool mod rock hair cuts withskinny, tightly knotted ties. Their music is stripped-down andfrantic, with the band's bad attitudes shining through on everynote. For a band who have been together for less than a year, theyseem to posses a level of cynicism and angst that, for most acts,usually takes half a decade to develop. "At The Lodge" is anintense rock & roll assault that is dripping with a level ofpissy-ness only possible to attain by attending a high brow Londonart school. Fans of B.R.M.C. and The Strokes will love squeezingIkara Colt's punk rock trigger.

Marah "Float Away" [RemixEdit]
ALBUM: Float Away With The Friday Night Gods ORIGIN:Philadelphia LABEL: Artemis CONTACT: jhendry@artemisrecords.com
Marah first tickled the fancy of the music world with amiraculous, snotty, and tight performance at the 1998 SXSW MusicConference, one that led to roots rocker and E-Squared label headSteve Earle offering the Philadelphia-based quartet a chance torecord for his label. Taking full advantage of the opportunity,Marah proceeded to pound out an eclectic and exciting album in2000's Kids In Philly. 2002 brings a more mature, more confidentand better equipped Marah, returning to the scene with an easilyaccessible, slickly produced new album and a passionate new single."Float Away" is an arena anthem that is strangely familiar, yetexcitingly new–kind of like making out with yourex-girlfriend's sister, but thankfully it doesn't leave you feelingguilty afterwards. See if you can figure out who the guestvocalist/guitarist near the end of the tune is.

The Reputation "The Stars OfAmateur Hour"
ALBUM: The Reputation ORIGIN: Chicago LABEL:Initial Records CONTACT: elizabeth@reputationmusic.com
Elizabeth Elmore's old day job was the voice for the indie rockoutfit Sarge, who acquired a substantial following and dominance inthe press (Spin, Playboy, Interview) in the late '90s before theirdemise in 1999. Elmore created a new army of sound, featuringmusicians from Sarge, Moreno, My Lai, and the avant-jazz collectiveAndiamo. The band's self-titled debut features Jay Benett fromWilco, who also helped produce, along with Matt Allison (AlkalineTrio, The Lawrence Arms) and Mike Lust (Sweep The Leg Johnny). "TheStars Of Amateur Hour" is an extremely well-written track, whichilluminates Elmore's descriptive lyrics, like "heated promises,""artless gluttony," and "battered lips" telling the tale of anunforgettable encounter with the bottle. This nine-song disc stirsa variety of spices including post-hardcore, '70ssinger/songwriters, a slight touch of jazz and indie rock, andsounding something like the fallen Velocity Girl or Belly.

Cirrus"Boomerang"
ALBUM: Counterfeit ORIGIN: Long Beach LABEL:Moonshine Music CONTACT: evan@moonshine.com
The dream of Cirrus became a reality in 1993 when DJ and bassistAaron Carter and guitarist/keyboardist Stephen Barry deliveredtheir demo to Moonshine Music. Since that pivotal moment, theelectronic dance brigade has released two mind-altering records:Drop The Break (1997) and Back On A Mission (1998). Cirrus havealso licensed their music to major motion pictures includingSnatch, Zoolander, Big Trouble, as well as video games like MortalCombat II and Gran Turismo 3. To help their music grow and evolve,they enlisted drummer Jim Chaney and goose bump delivering vocalistLaura Derby, who leaves her sultry stain on "Boomerang" and willrelease an untitled full length of her own on Moonshine in 2003.Counterfeit, colorfully coated with eye smashing artwork fromvisual artist Freddi C, is a glorious sensation of pulsating dancebeats, rhythms, and the occasional rhymes. Engage the realer thanreal Counterfeit on June 25.

The Hives "Hate To Say I ToldYou So"
ALBUM: Veni Vidi Vicious ORIGIN: SwedenLABEL: Burning Heart/Epitaph/Sire/Reprise CONTACT: lynn.mcdonnell@wbr.com, todd.sievers@wbr.com, kurt.steffek@wbr.com
A phenomenon in Sweden since the mid-'90s, The Hives now standready to take the US by storm. Their balls-out sound, which drawsfrom all that is good about rock & roll music from the '50s,'60s, '70s, and '80s, combined with the rawest attitude on theblock, is perfectly captured on Veni Vidi Vicious. The album,originally released on Burning Heart, is a collection of 12 of thefastest, sweatiest rock tracks you've ever heard. "Hate To Say ITold You So," with it's infectious, driving guitars and in yourface vocals, is the perfect track to catapult these well-dressedSwedes into the upper echelon of the rock world. And I'm not theonly one who thinks so. The Hives have graced the cover of UK rock& roll bibles NME and Kerrang, while US magazines like Spin,Details, and GQ have all done feature stories on the hip-as-hellSwedish crew. It seems clear. The Hives are coming and we caneither join them or join them–yea, I know, we've pretty muchgot no choice.

Easyworld "Try Not ToThink"
ALBUM: This Is Where I Stand ORIGIN: Eastbourne, EngLABEL: Jive
Growing up in England and not being in London, it seems the onlyway out of your current state of existence is football or music.Easyworld chose music. The two-boy, one-girl outfit from Eastbourne(also home of Toploader, for you trainspotters out there) wassigned to Jive UK after releasing a stellar yet raw mini-album forindie label supreme Fierce Panda. "Try Not To Think" is the firstfruit borne from this new endeavor with Jive and it's quite tasty.Incorporating more silly Casio keyboard sounds at the beginning,the song careens into a rompy-stompy glammed-up guitar pop gem, allshimmery guitars and sing-a-long choruses. A perfect song for thesedays when the sun is out and the days are getting longer.

Loudermilk"Estrogen Oxygen"
ALBUM: The Red Record ORIGIN: Tri-Cities, WALABEL: DreamWorks CONTACT: ross@dreamworksrecords.com& msmith@dreamworksrecords.com
The members of Loudermilk got their start in junior high as .22sAnd Tulips, a Guns and Roses cover band. All four members haveknown each other since childhood and from the first time they heardAppetite For Destruction, they were dead set on becoming rockstars. Thankfully, the Tri-Cities upstarts were blessed with thetalent to match the desire. The majority of Loudermilk's DreamWorksdebut, The Red Album, was produced by George Drakoulias (BlackCrowes, The Cult, Tom Petty), with Ron Aniello (Lifehouse, Days OfThe New) lending his skills to a pair of tracks. The album, likerock & roll, is all about rebellion; however, Loudermilk isquick to distinguish themselves from common, angst-ridden modernrock. They prefer to rebel through "innovation, intellect andspirituality." "Estrogen Oxygen" rings true to that belief. Itschoppy guitar licks and high-end vocals, coupled with honestemotion, would make Axl Rose shake his hips with legendaryGumby-like flexibility.

Guided By Voices "EverywhereWith Helicopter"
ALBUM: Universal Truths And Cycles ORIGIN: Dayton,OH LABEL: Matador Records CONTACT: donovan@matadorrecords.com
The best thing about Guided By Voices coming back home to MatadorRecords is that with all of singer Robert Pollard's sideprojects/solo albums/collaborations, the label never even noticedthat they were gone. Universal Truths And Cycles, self-produced byGuided By Voices and described by Pollard as Alien Lanes meetsIsolation Drills, is gushing with a mid-fi mix of sandpaperysnippets and semi-gloss punk/prog/pop. "Everywhere WithHelicopters" is not only a rad title for a song, but a short-livedblast of infectious melodies and jangly guitars. Universal TruthsAnd Cycles, Guided By Voices 14th proper studio album, will beheard on June 18.

Toby Slater"Consumption"
ORIGIN: London CONTACT: renglish@cornerstonepromotion.com
This song is awesome. With lyrics comprised almost entirely ofname brand products like Apple, Microsoft, Exxon, Gap, etc., andthe chorus exhorting "Give me something I can use / I don't want tobe bought by you," this track is more than just another rock songby numbers. Disguised in the fake plastic glasses and rubber noseof your average radio hit, "Consumption" is actually a politicallyand socially aware vehicle through which this London-based22-year-old disseminates his message of anti-establishment to theunsuspecting masses. Mixed by production giant Mark "Spike" Stent(U2, Madonna), the song itself, political agendas aside, is full ofcatchy phrasing, catchier hooks, and the essential rock & rollattitude. Toby Slater may not be able to change the world byhimself, but I think someone thankfully forgot to mention that tohim.

The Chemical Brothers "TheTest" [Edit]
ALBUM: Come With Us ORIGIN: Manchester, UKLABEL: Astralwerks CONTACT: jenni@astralwerks.com
The Chemical Brothers have been leading the dance revolution foryears, taking cues from the very same extra terrestrial beings whocreated the pyramids and invented the secret ingredient to Coke."The Test" sees the Chems paired with former Verve frontman RichardAshcroft, who's haunting, cigarette scarred vocals and cool rockstar delivery make for the perfect addition to Tom and Ed'secstasy-inducing arrangements. Ingredients for success: two bignames, one great song, booty shaking beats, worldwide fan base, andsupport from all powerful alien beings. Will YOU pass the acid"Test."

The Baldwin Brothers feat. MihoHatori "Dream Girl"
ALBUM: Cooking With Lasers ORIGIN: ChicagoLABEL: TVT CONTACT: gary@tvtrecords.com
First of all, the Baldwin Brothers are not a pair of Hollywoodstars' musical side project, a la the Bacon Brothers. In fact, noneof the band members are actors, brothers, or even named Baldwin.The band's creative nucleus, Jason Hinkle and TJ Widner, used touse "Baldwin" as a code word for someone in the know, so the nameis really just an inside joke. As the Baldwin Brothers, TJ andJason made a name for themselves around town and eventually becamea fixture in Chicago's Wicker Park arts scene. Their unique blendof funk, jazz, dance and electronica draws as much from the past asit does from the future–their sound is as much Herbie Hancockas it is Kraftwerk. "Dream Girl" features Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori,who layers the track with fun, quirky vocals and even dips into herbag of tricks for a short rap bridge. One listen to the BaldwinBrothers will have you saying, Alec who?

The Music "ThePeople"
ORIGIN: Leeds, England LABEL: Hut
While the majority of bands on the tastemakers' tongues these daysare looking back to the late '70s for inspiration, The Music'seyesight isn't that strong; they settled on the late '80s/early'90s instead, seeing as they weren't even alive in the late '70s.Sounding similar to the groundbreaking Stone Roses, this bunch ofteenagers from Leeds, England, harkens back to the halcyon days ofthe "baggy" musical movement when the acid house culture firstcross-pollenated with rock & roll. Punctuated by the swirling,repetitive guitar loops, groovy bass lines and trademark shufflingdrumbeats, and made so popular by acts like the Roses or theCharlatans, The Music evoke the sound of those heady days. Nowtheir guitarist just needs to provide Jackson Pollack-inspiredcover art and we'll have come full circle.

Cornershop "Lessons LearnedFrom Rocky I to Rocky III"
ALBUM: Handcream For A Generation ORIGIN: LondonLABEL: V2 CONTACT: matt.pollack@v2music.com
Theyyyyy're baaaack. The golden children of 1997, Cornershop, havereturned to the fray with their first new material in almost fiveyears. Having recorded an album under their side-project pseudonym,Clinton, and almost having disbanded due to frustration with themusic industry, the 'Shop is back, and, dare I say, better thanever. This track, apart from being an early contender for single ofthe year, is a raucous romp through Rolling Stones and Oasisterritory, without an Eastern influence to be found anywhere–ariot, a big, funky guitar jam, complete with female backing vocals,and a bell rung like that at a boxing match. Where's Apollo Creedwhen you need him??

Trust Company "FallDown"
ALBUM: True Parallels ORIGIN: Montgomery, ALLABEL: Interscope CONTACT: robbie.lloyd@umusic.com
Under the moniker 41down, the band got signed on the strength oftheir live performance, rabid fan base, a pair of self-releasedalbums, a performance at WTKX's radio festival in the summer of2001, an indie sponsored national tour, a spree of industryshowcases, and the guidance of Jeff Rabhan (Michelle Branch) at TheFirm–see kids you can do that! By the end of November, theband, now called Trust Company, was in the studio with maestro DonGilmore (Linkin Park, Eve 6, Lit) pounding out their debut, TrueParallels. Now, they are ready to bring their home grown nümetal sound to the country's collective eardrums by way of "FallDown." The track is a modern rock radio-ready hit in the vein ofPuddle of Mudd, Godsmack, or P.O.D.

AlpineStars "SnowPatrol"
ORIGIN: Manchester, UK LABEL: Riverman
Damn, I wish my parents HAD gotten me a Casio keyboard when Irepeatedly asked for one growing up, then I could have written coolshit like this. AlpineStars are the Mancunian duo of Glyn Thomasand Richard Woolgar and they make a mighty tasty synth-popbeat-extravaganza sonic stew, hold the cheese. Slightly vocodedvoices, futuristic synth lines and icy electronica evoke thoughtsof how Kraftwerk must have thought music in 2001: A Space Odysseywas REALLY going to sound. With the recent resurgence of '80s synthacts, AlpineStars fit in without ever having to try, as it shouldbe with something this effortlessly cool. Alpine cool, even.

The Washdown "It Must BeTrue"
ORIGIN: Tampa, FL CONTACT: tat2meg@hotmail.com
Tampa, Florida isn't exactly Manhattan's East Village. Butsprouting up from Florida's music wasteland is The Washdown. Aftertooling around in several other local punk and hardcore bands, themembers of The Washdown have settled down on a sound that borrowsfrom the past, but fits in with the current garage rock revivalbeing championed by The Strokes, White Stripes and The Hives.Oblivious to these bands and their hype, The Washdown have honed inon a style uniquely their own. "It Must Be True" might be thefinger-snapping, toe-tapping anthem of the year. Word is that theirlive shows are high-energy dance parties complete with clapping,snapping, pointing and good use of the tambourine and maracas!

Pretty Girls Make Graves"Speakers Push The Air"
ALBUM: Is It Broken Doctor ORIGIN: SeattleLABEL: Lookout! Records! CONTACT: radio@lookoutrecords.com
The name Pretty Girls Make Graves comes from a vintage tune by TheSmiths, but this quintet ain't no goddamn Smiths! An amalgam ofMurder City Devils, Kill Sadie, and The Beehive Vaults members,this posse of bandits quickly came together and recorded ninestunning tracks in their hometown of Seattle with Phil EK (ModestMouse, Built To Spill) back in December of 2001. PGMG weave in andout of the hardcore, punk, emo, and indie worlds as if genrejumping were a friendly game of hopscotch. Fronted by the red-hotvocals of Andrea Zollo, the tracks heard on Is It Broken Doctor areexplosive, experimental and taking punk rock to an exciting newlevel.

Electric Soft Parade "Empty AtThe End"
ALBUM: Holes In The Wall ORIGIN: Brighton, EnglandLABEL: dB Records
What is up with the preponderance of excellent brother acts? Firstthe Kinks, then Oasis, and now Electric Soft Parade. Originally theSoft Parade, until some Doors tribute bunch of jackasses from theStates threatened legal action over the name, they have managed towrite one of the most amazing albums of 2002. The first bit ofaural ecstasy from their spine-tingling debut, incorporatesinfluences from everything from The Beatles to The Stone Roses toAsh to the Boo Radleys. The boys write timeless rock songs, withjust enough modernism and dynamics to keep it fresh. Write thisdown: Electric Soft Parade. You'll be writing it down again inDecember when assembling your top 10 albums of the year,too.