Cass McCombs has as many faces as cities that he's called home. While moving from the Pacific Coast to the east, spending time down south and overseas, and now living in the middle of the country, Cass McCombs has written songs for both the streets and the priests, the seers and the school children, for suburban families and whatever's left of the ivory tower. His most recent album, Catacombs, was released in 2009 on Domino Records.

Following the release of their self-titled debut on Western Vinyl, Here We Go Magic have signed to Secretly Canadian for their follow-up due in 2010. The band spent much of last year touring with Grizzly Bear and the Walkmen before playing the Austin City Limits festival. Lately they've been hard at work recording their self-produced sophomore album in a house in upstate New York, and while the first record was the result of band leader Luke Temple getting creative in his bedroom, this release is a fully fledged team effort.

The 2002 release of "Losing My Edge" ushered in one of the great new talents of the aughts, LCD Soundsystem, aka James Murphy. While also focusing on the running of his label, DFA, Murphy perfected a sound that would come to represent much of the label's output in the following years. The 2007 release of Sound of Silver shot Murphy to the tips of tastemakers' tongues; universally acclaimed, the record featured the minimalist single "All My Friends" and the heart-tugging "Someone Great", indie staples the world over.

Long a key component of the Providence, R.I.-based noise-rock label Load Records, Lightning Bolt's live shows have garnered a lot of talk, with the band often setting up behind the audience and sonically assaulting them as soon as the previous band completes their set. The 2005 album, Hypermagic Mountain, found Lightning Bolt tossing decades' worth of musical history into a wood chipper and coming up with some chewy chainsaw taffy. Their newest album, Earthly Delights, comes after two years of work and has the sound of a 10-piece band.

Modest Mouse formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Wash., and released their first full-length album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About, on the Up label in 1996. With the release of their second album, The Lonesome Crowded West in 1997, the band's status reached new heights with a legion of fans and critical acclaim. In 2000, Modest Mouse were signed to Epic Records and released their third album, The Moon & Antarctica; 2004 brought the release of Modest Mouse's breakthrough, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which included the hit "Float On" and earned the band two Grammy nominations. Their most recent album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, was released in 2007 and immediately entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #1, and last summer saw the release of a special eight-song EP, No One's First, And You're Next.

Since coming together over 20 years ago, Pavement released a bunch of EPs and singles and five great albums, then split. Slanted & Enchanted, the classic debut, casts a shadow miles wider than its modest tape width. Stephen Malkmus, Spiral Stairs, Mark Ibold, MC Bob Nastanovitch, and Steve West laid down the follow-up, the hook-heavy Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain with the detached confidence of heirs apparent. Wowee Zowee was a stoned and emotional sprawl that people are still finding new nuances in today. The last two LPs, Brighten the Corners and Terror Twilight, were stately showboats, intelligent, warm and cool. This spring and summer sees the highly anticipated return of Pavement for the first time since their final show at the Brixton Academy in 1999.

The world first encountered the lyrical prowess of Raekwon as a member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. In 1995 he gave us his first solo effort, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., which has become one of the most highly regarded albums in hip hop. And 2009 was a banner year for Rae with the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II; here's hoping he continues to further solidify his place in hip-hop history.

Sleigh Bells are the duo of Derek Miller, formerly of Florida hardcore band Poison the Well, and Alexis Krauss, from teenpop group RubyBlue. The Brooklyn-based group's first recordings, in-the-red synth rave ups with cool, sassy vocals from Krauss, have made them an artist to watch in 2010, attracting praise from critics large and small. Their debut album will be released this year.

Annie Clark's recorded debut as St. Vincent, Marry Me, gave immediate notice that a dizzying new talent had emerged from the flatlands of Texas. In 2007, Clark capped a year of international touring by winning the Plug Awards' Female Artist of the Year. For her beguiling and sophisticated sophomore album, Actor, Clark developed an idiosyncratic writing process, immersing herself in some of her favorite films-- Badlands, Pierrot le Fou, The Wizard of Oz, Stardust Memories, Sleeping Beauty-- and beginning each song as a secret film score, then slowly giving it independence as its structure and lyrics came fully into focus. If Marry Me served as the world's introduction to Annie Clark, Actor may prove to be her coronation.