The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Their 2009 debut was deeply indebted to the sounds of '80s UK indie (yay, C86!), but these Brooklyners beefed up and went a bit alt rock on the follow-up. 2011's Belong was produced by Flood, a studio veteran more associated with stadium-sized acts like U2 and Smashing Pumpkins, and it's got strong hooks and singalong opportunities galore. Too bad that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart still don't have a stage spectacle to match: in that respect, they're still very much a Pitchfork band. They're supported by San Francisco shoegazers Weekend, whose narcotic debut album, Sports, got a lot of love when it was released at the tail end of 2010.