Wafting out of countless college dorms, "Undone — the Sweater Song" seemed only the latest in slacker sloth: Above an ambience of beer-bash chitchat, a sad sack wails forlornly (the title "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" just about sums the album up).

But these four young survivors of the Los Angeles club wars can no doubt handle the mixed blessing of a novelty hit. Weezer's Rivers Cuomo is great at sketching vignettes (the Dungeons and Dragons games and Kiss posters that inspire the hapless daydreamer of "In the Garage"), and with sweet inspiration like the waltz tempo of "My Name Is Jonas" and the self-deprecating humor of lines like "I look like Buddy Holly/You're Mary Tyler Moore," his songs easily ingratiate.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”