If you recognize Brendan Benson’s voice, it’s likely from hearing the Raconteurs, the band he co-founded with fellow Michigander Jack White in 2005. His solo career, however, dates back to the mid 1990s, so it’s hardly surprising that his new single, “Bad For Me,” sounds so remarkably assured and well-crafted. The song – and its soaring choruses that seem plucked straight from Elton John’s 1970s songbook – is pulled from Benson’s upcoming record, What Kind Of World, due this month on Benson’s own Readymade Records. If the rest of the album is as brilliant as “Bad For Me,” it’ll turn out to be one of our favorites of the year, hands down.

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The two lead singers from Hot Chip usually get all the credit for that band’s hit songs. But credit is definitely due for the incredible rhythm section, who have taken time out from their main band to form New Build. Wriggling and writhing with the same infectious beats and soulful melodies of their day job, the songs of New Build sound familiarly awesome! Their first album, Yesterday Was Lived and Lost was just released and we can’t stop listening to it.

If Ravens & Chimes‘ baroque pop sounds familiar on first listen, you’re probably a fan of Montreal acts such as Arcade Fire and Stars. Dig deeper, though, and you’ll hear strains of the Decemberists and even Nick Drake on the New York band’s pair of albums – their amazing 2007 debut, Reichenbach Falls, and its follow-up, Holiday Life (out April 3). The new record, several years in the making, is rich in subtle beauty and could likely turn out to be one of our favorites of 2012…an ideal soundtrack to spring days ahead.

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Five years in the making and recorded in Montreal, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Paris, Jarkarta and their hometown of Portland, the Chromatics‘ new album “Kill For Love” was finally released last week. All of their efforts ended up in the music, with not a moment wasted (the album is an hour and a half long!). You might have heard their song “Tick of the Clock” on the soundtrack to Drive last year, and you can except more of the same icy, methodical electro on the new album. We love the title track, embedded below, and think you will too!

Though he plays guitar in Philadelphia rock outfit Circa Survive, Colin Frangicetto clearly possesses a softer side. The music he creates on his own – recorded and released under the name Psychic Babble – is built around his reserved vocals and reflective songwriting, and we think it’s the ideal soundtrack to the few remaining cold nights of winter ahead. Visit Psychic Babble’s Facebook page to order the new album, My Brother’s Ears / My Sister’s Eyes, as well as for a free download of an earlier EP, My Own Stupid Mouth.

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After a somewhat brief hiatus (their last EP came out in 2010) one of our favorite synth pop duos, Tanlines, has just released their debut full-length album Mixed Emotions. It’s already one of our top albums of the year so far. You can download a copy of their lead single, Brothers, direct from the band to see if you agree. Do it!

Considering how we completely fell for Eternal Summers‘ most recent album, Silver, it should come as no surprise how excited we are for the Virginia trio’s upcoming release, The Dawn Of Eternal Summers. As the record’s title implies, it’s a collection of older tunes, starting with the band’s first EP (from 2009) and continuing through various other orphaned-out tracks, including a few choice covers by Guided By Voices and others. “Able To” perfectly captures Nicole Yun’s super-girly vocals and strummed guitar playing – an ideal tune for a sunny spring morning!

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The quartet of San Franciscans who make up Young Prisms aren’t old enough to have been picking up My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins records upon first release a couple decades ago, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to their powerful, yet alluringly hazy music. The band’s upcoming second album, In Between, pays homage to all those legendary acts, but does so in a way that’s fresh and exciting rather than shamelessly derivative.

It says a great deal when Austin’s legendary music scene considers you its darling, but such is the case these days for velvet-voiced Erin Ivey. While the singer-songwriter’s past releases have toed a folk-rock line to one degree or another, Ivey recorded her latest album, Broken Gold, with R&B/dub organ trio the Finest Kind, a decision that’s yielded a slinkier sound well-suited for sunny spring days – in Texas or anywhere. Even though Broken Gold just came out in late February, we’re already huge fans…and we think you’ll be as well!

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Known until recently as the main creative force behind Los Angeles indie pop band Oh Darling, Jasmine Ash has just released her own album, Beneath The Noise, a songwriting/production collaboration with ex-Phantom Planet members Jacques Brautbar and Sam Farrar. Her delicate vocal style may remind us of the great Kate Bush, but her infectious melodies are hers and hers alone – and there’s no better example than her new single, “Killer“. If you like what you hear, you can keep track of her on Twitter and Facebook.