Who: Aptly named New York quintet Apes & Androids, who merge primal classic-rock influences with futuristic song structures.

Sounds Like: A dance floor-ready cocktail of Queen's bombast (complete with Freddie Mercury's falsetto), 1980s Prince, Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie and Beck's Midnight Vultures. On their debut album Blood Moon, A&A pump out sing-alongs like "Hot Kathy," party starters like "We Don't Understand You" and simmering burners like "Riverside." "We tried to build the record into something that would be a journey when listening to the whole thing," says A&A's Brian Jacobs, who shares vocal and guitar duties with bandmate David Tobias.

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Thanks to Kanye West's frequently updated blog, we were alerted to the video for "American Boy" by British R&B singer Estelle, one of Rolling Stone's 10 Artists to Watch. West, who raps on the track, co-stars in the black-and-white clip along with a sampling of other, well, American boys — including John Legend. Check it out:

Who: Oakland, California, quintet Howlin Rain. Fronted by Comets on Fire guitarist Ethan Miller, the band plunges deeper into 1960s influences on their second album Magnificent Fiend.

Sounds Like: A psychedelic cocktail of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Faces, the Damned and author Raymond Carver. "Everyone dabbles in the history books to get their licks," says Miller, "We use the same roads and highways. But the weather, lights, cars and people, they're never quite the same."

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Who: Toronto duo Crystal Castles, who, after a string of EPs and acclaimed remixes are ready to flood your eardrums with their own self-titled full-length debut on March 18th.

Sounds Like: An amalgamation of Klaxons' nu-rave dance, the Velvet Underground's more cacophonous moments and the 8-bit aesthetics of famed Nintendo composers Yoshihiro Sakaguchi and Koji Kondo. The band was shocked when they discovered how quickly their music (literally) moved people. "One of our first shows, the venue said 'We've been hosting shows for years, but no one really dances at our shows,' " multi-instrumentalist Ethan Fawn says, "but people like dancing to Crystal Castles."

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Who: Baltimore duo Beach House, comprised of vocalist Victoria Legrand and keyboardist Alex Scally, who create atmospheric dream pop that serves as an auditory escape from the rough Baltimore streets portrayed in The Wire.

Sounds Like: A pastoral mix of Mazzy Star, Yo La Tango and Phil Spector-bred girl groups. On their sophomore album Devotion, the duo creates dreamlike songs using Scally's army of vintage keyboards and Legrand's atmospheric coo and stream-of-consciousness lyrics.

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