Tomas Palermo

Baltimore duo Beach House revels in large, lush sonic compositions, joining a select handful of bands in the post-rock era—Cocteau Twins, Galaxie 500, Mazzy Star—that expertly render shimmering sounds with equal parts confidence and mystery. Now on its third album, Teen Dream—the band's first for Sub Pop—Beach House has expanded...

Sound Tribe Sector 9 just can't shake its perceived "jam band" associations, and all the dreaded hair, patchouli, hemp clothing and smelly baggage that comes with it. It's a serious problem too: Discerning electronic music audiences have largely ignored the computer-enhanced post-rock ensemble. Techno snobs are missing a group whose...