Interview

The xx’s debut album, xx (Young Turks/XL Recordings), has been hailed as the sound of young London, and for good reason: The band started making music four years ago, when its members were all between the ages of 16 and 19.

VV Brown makes pop music from another planet-a world that resembles ours but is a lot more fun and unpredictable. "I'm a messenger from the future, but I'm getting love and memories from the past," the 25-year-old British chanteuse explains.

More Twisted Sister than Princess of Pop, Lady Gaga is a walking, talking, singing, fire-from-the-breast-shooting, fashion-freaking, all-out spectacle, and she's spent the past year elevating every concert, music video, and paparazzi photo op to the level of performance art. Photography Matthew Williams

Judging from his music—plus the fact that he lists “beautiful women and existential despair” as his main influences—it’s reasonable to assume that Mike Bones is a miserable guy. Turns out he isn’t.

The next great wave of New York rock acts is upon us. And while they all may have different styles, what connects them is a love of noise, an artistry for live performance, and above all, a devotion
to the spectacularly weird.