TOP 5 ARTISTS OF THE WEEK:

REGINA SPEKTOR: Born in the Soviet Union, Spektor began her career as a singer-songwriter and pianist when she began classical training on the piano at the age of six. When she was nine years old, her family emigrated to the United States, where she continued her classical training into her teenage years; she began to write original songs shortly thereafter. Remember Us To Life is her seventh studio album with arrangements that span intimate piano ballads and fully orchestrated set pieces, with hints of theatrical pop. Ultimately, the sweetness that’s always been as much a part of her musical persona as quirkiness overrides any embellishment, offering a touch of drama without pretension.

COAST MODERN: Returning to their spot on the TOP 5, this Los Angeles-based duo, who infuse their breezy, west coast electro-pop with elements of hip-hop and indie rock, Coast Modern was started by Luke Atlas and Coleman Trapp. After two years of failing to cast their creations into the mainstream, Trapp retreated to Denver, Colorado to get a little perspective, and began writing songs for himself, rather than the latest tastemaker. He would send theses back to Atlas, who would add bits of production, and before long, Atlas was back in L.A., and Coast Modern was born. Their first single, Hollow Life, in 2015, drew rave reviews and comparisons to artists like Grouplove, Cage the Elephant, Twenty-One Pilots, and Alt-J. A second single, Animals, followed in 2016.

THE LEMON TWIGS: Making their debut performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario started the Lemon Twigs when they were still teenagers. The siblings play multiple instruments, including guitar, keyboards, drums, horns, and strings. In addition to Harry Nilsson, Todd Rundgren, Big Star, and Brian Wilson, the D'Addarios have counted the Beatles, Wings, and the Zombies as major influences to their music. The Lemon Twigs are signed with 4AD and they have just released their debut album, Do Hollywood. Channeling the baroque rock of the ‘60s, The London Times characterized them as “a modern-day band combining the melodic, harmony-rich soft rock of Wings and Supertramp, the underground cool of Big Star and the Ramones, and the theatricality of Broadway musicals."It may only be their debut, but the boys of the Lemon Twigs sound like they’ve got it all figured out.

LVL UP: The New York quartet LVL UP channels the best bits of ‘90s lo-fi and indie rock to create a grungy, melodic racket. The band was formed in 2011 at SUNY (State University of New York) in Purchase, New York, where its members were students. Their third album, Return to Love has a sound reminiscent of bands like Eric’s Trip, Pavement, and Built to Spill, making it a natural fit with their new label, Sub Pop. The album is filled with "nicely catchy songs, familiar sounds, and the overwhelming sense that the band’s love of the '90s is being transmitted directly to the listener minus any irony and/or distance.”

FICTIONIST: {Back on the TOP 5 for a second week) An alternative rock band from Provo, Utah, the band Fictionist began in its earliest formation as Good Morning Maxfield in 2007 and released an eponymous album under that name. Fictionist formed in their current configuration to release their first album Invisible Hand in 2009. Their most recent album, Free Spirit, which has been described to be “clean and modern” with roots in “indie pop and indie rock”.