Willis Earl Beal - Acousmatic Sorcery

Willis Earl Beal makes incredibly beautiful and simple acoustic music. Most seem to refer to it as a Delta Blues throwback project but it's more than that. He seems like an eccentric, with his super-retro writing style, lo-fi recordings, and flyers that he's left around the city of Chicago. His debut album  will be released on April 3rd on Hot Charity, with a tour following. I'm already looking at ticket prices near me. Listen to Monotony and Evening's Kiss at Youtube and get excited.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Acid Reflex EP

Indie pop prodigies The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are releasing a nice little stopgap to whet appetites for new material after 2011's Belong for this year's Record Store Day. Though the EP doesn't actually contain any new songs, it boasts remixes by the likes of Twin Shadow, Washed Out, and St. Etienne. It's available to stream at Soundcloud and will be available on colored vinyl on April 21 at your favorite local record store.

Funeral Home - Funeral Home EP

Funeral Home are a Richmond band that makes shoegaze the way it was always supposed to be made. Their first EP features a lot of distorted guitars with tons of awesome melodies and vocals. It isn't the most original stuff out there, but its very, very well made. A few tracks, like "A Song You Can Fall Asleep To," are more minimal and clean and call to mind early 90s slowcore like Bedhead. There are a few experiments with fun instrumentation as well, with some electronic elements and interesting percussion making appearances throughout. If that sounds at all intriguing or you just want to support local Virginia music, check out their EP at Bandcamp.

Frankie Rose - Interstellar

Frankie Rose has somehow managed to be a notable member of the great Crystal Stilts, as well as girls of the Vivian and Dum Dum varieties. All of those bands were loaded with jangly guitars and fun pop hooks so Rose's solo work thus far has been a relatively jarring transition. "Interstellar" is her second album, and its spacey dream-pop is some of this year's best thus far. Some of the best moments remind me of a more driving Beach House or a reserved Asobi Seksu. There are lots of bright synths and spacey atmospheres. Check out the title track at Pitchfork and grab the whole album if you liked it.

Siamese Twins - Demo

Siamese Twins are one of those bands that should already have a massive cult following and even a big single or two. For now, they have an all girl lineup, they're named after a song by The Cure, and they make incredible gothy post-punk. They take a look of inspiration from their (what I assume) idols, The Cure, as well as bits and pieces from Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and some bright indie pop bands. Their internet presence leaves something to be desired, but this cassette demo is otherworldly. It contains some of the best pop released in 2011 and I've listened to it countless times. Download the whole demo here and be on the lookout for a proper release by this band.

Big K.R.I.T. - 4Eva N A Day

Big K.R.I.T. already has a few releases out that I adore and included on my year-end lists (K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and Return of 4Eva are both awesome) but his new output sets its sights high. Answering all of my fanboy prayers, K.R.I.T. took on the incredible "Lord Knows" beat that Just Blaze gave us via Drake's Take Care. The resulting track, dubbed "King Pt. 2," is equal parts social consciousness and ghetto gospel. It's a callback to some of the best Southern hip-hop released in the last decade. 4Eva N A Day is shaping up to be unlike anything we've heard from him yet. Hear the song at Stereogum and be on the lookout for his mixtape that drops later this year.

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory

Cloud Nothings seems like a project that knows how to mature. I enjoyed their previous efforts, but Attack on Memory just knows how to make melodies that turn out to be inescapable. Very few indie bands still make music that's grandiose and heavy without seeming like they're in it for the irony. Cloud Nothings make songs as catchy as Strokes numbers but without all the apathy and post-Is This It complications. Watch their video for "No Future / No Past" and make sure to give the album a spin if you've been neglecting it thus far.