The Dodos/Stems

Indie psych folk duo Meric Long and Logan Kroeber have held down the past decade in off-kilter rock as The Dodos, dropping percussion-heavy tunes that blend the strains of Americana songwriting with crushing punk instrumentation. As their record label describes the band, they were searching for a sound where the "drumming could be a center role and help bring out the syncopated rhythms coming out of the acoustic guitar." With this year’s release, Individ, the guys continue that mission with relentless focus. For anyone who’s really into studying the drums, check out how The Dodos throw down. On a related note, the band’s latest video (“Competition”) has the duo performing a strange dance routine all in one single take; the last few seconds are awesome. (Eric Sandy)