The AirborneToxic Event, Alberta Cross

The Airborne Toxic Event's sound isn't necessarily easy to pin down: Hints of punkabilly, punk and keyboard-laden alt-rock are littered throughout the band's self-titled, full-length debut. But don't let the fact the band has a keyboard player fool you into thinking that it's as saccharine as Coldplay. While some of the themes of the songs may, in fact, be similar in scope to dewy Coldplay tracks, the Los Angeles band's sound has more in common with Social Distortion.

And there's a nice DIY aesthetic to it all: The band recorded the disc on its own and emailed MP3s to any blogger who would listen. It paid off: The band jumped from obscurity to late-night stages of Conan O'Brien and David Letterman seemingly overnight. Whether it was exposure on network television or a testament to the band's sound, its song "Somewhere Around Midnight," the most downloaded Alternative song on iTunes in 2008, certainly garnered the band a ton of attention.

Joining the band on this bill is the fantastic Alberta Cross. While it's easy to compare the band to more broadly known bands like My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes, its reverb-soaked sound manages to come off as wholly unique.