Photograph by Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone

The summer is almost over, which means it’s time for Rolling Stone to christen a new batch of Artists to Watch for 2008. Click below for the six artists making the most interesting, controversial and exciting music right now, incuding anthem mongers Low Vs Diamond (above), jumpy chamber poppers Ra Ra Riot and icy chanteuse Lykke Li.

• Artists to Watch: Six Artists Defining Rock and Pop in 2008

This week’s Rolling Stone Breaking Artist is a British aggro-dance troupe that goes by the unusual moniker Does It Offend You, Yeah? For more on the band, plus a look at the video for the single “Rockstar,” click here. For more Rolling Stone Artists to Watch for 2008, click here.

Harvard alums Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach make up Chester French, a pop collective that splits the difference between Beach Boys beauty and lo-fi bedroom beats. Click above for their adventures in Austin during last weekend’s South By Southwest festival. For more on Chester French and other Artists to Watch, click here, and for complete South By Southwest coverage (including more video and photos), click here.

Welsh soul songstress Duffy has already had a number one single in the UK, and she is on track to make a big splash in the US with her debut album Rockferry. She joins other buzzworthy acts like the Foals, Chester French and Wale on Rolling Stone’s list of Artists to Watch. For the complete round-up, along with audio and exclusive video, click here.

[Photo: David Tiltow]

As we approach the end of our Artists to Watch days here at Rock Daily, we’re tossing a spotlight on Black Kids, the Jacksonville, Florida buzz band who write freewheeling indie-rock tunes that’ve earned them comparisons to Arcade Fire and the Cure. Click here to listen to their “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You” and to find out more about the quintet. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

We’re almost done spotlighting acts from our Artists to Watch package here at Rock Daily. Today we’re talking about OneRepublic, the R&B-tinged pop-rock band Timbaland can’t stop championing. To find out about frontman Ryan Tedder’s alter-ego as a songwriter for J.Lo and Tupac — and to check out video of the band in the studio playing “Apologize” (and explaining their tumultuous route to their record deal) — click here. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

This week, we continue to spotlight Rolling Stone’s newest crop of Artists to Watch. To kick off this week we introduce you to the Cool Kids, a retro-rap duo from Chicago that specializes in sparse, bass-heavy beats and gritty EPMD-infused prose. To see the group’s video for “Black Mags,” which does for BMX bikes what Lupe Fiasco did for skateboards, click here. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

For the past few days we’ve been spotlighting acts from our new Artists to Watch package here at Rock Daily. Next up is MGMT, a pair of electronic-rock pranksters from Brooklyn. To find out why MGMT wrote an ode to a praying mantis and how they won over Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes — and to watch the band frolicking at a zoo, plus get a listen to “Time to Pretend” from their debut album Oracular Spectacular — click here. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

For the next week, we’ll be spotlighting acts from the Artists to Watch package in our Jay-Z issue. Next up is Kate Nash, the snarky British chanteuse who caught Lily Allen’s ear thanks to her MySpace page. To find out why Nash ditched an invite to Björk’s Halloween party — and to watch the singer soundchecking and talking about prepping for a gig in England — click here. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

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• MGMT: Artist to Watch 2008
• Liam Finn: Artist to Watch 2008
• 10 Artists to Watch in 2008

We’ll be spotlighting acts from our Artists to Watch package for the next week. First up is Liam Finn, the singer-songwriter son of Crowded House’s Neil Finn. To find out how a biker gang once held a teenaged Finn hostage and why he named his first band Betchadupa — and to watch Finn serenading passersby on a busy downtown New York City street — click here. To check out the rest of our Artists to Watch coverage, complete with videos and key tracks, click here.

It’s time to meet the new kids who’ll rule 2008: the A&R girl turned New Wave singer; the Led Zep disciple from L.A.; the home-schooled hippie folk-rocker. To read more about Santogold, MGMT, OneRepublic and seven more up and comers — and to check out videos and must-have tracks from the whole bunch — click here.