Eight Reader writers take on 16 albums—including White Lung's witchy two-minute mantras, Monarch's crawling tectonic doom, and Sir Michael Rocks's bleakly sunny party rap.
By Leor Galil, Peter Margasak, Monica Kendrick, Kevin Warwick, Luca Cimarusti, Bill Meyer, Kim Kelly, and Erin Osmon
The comedy stylings of Pissed Jeans, the apocalyptic ritual of Swans, the bowstring-taut postpunk of Savages, the adorable accents of Belle & Sebastian, and so much more you can barely stand it
Key Losers do California pop, Purple and Green do Chicago house, Iceage and the Men carry the posthardcore torch, and the girls in Nu Sensae and White Lung get screamy