7Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons are an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that gained exposure after the release of their debut studio album, Night Visions, in September 2012. Since then, they have gone on a world tour, and gained exposure on major late night shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno. Billboard magazine listed them as one of "2012's Brightest New Stars", and Rolling Stone magazine called their single "Radioactive" "the biggest rock hit of the year."
"Radioactive"
6Beck
Beck rose to fame in the early 1990s with his lo-fi, sonically experimental sound. His later recordings incorporate folk, funk, soul, hip hop, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. In other words, enjoy the variety! Beck is currently working on his eleventh and twelfth studio albums, so while we hope to hear material from Mellow Gold and Odelay, it would be nice to get a sneak peek of the new material.
""
5The Lumineers
The band’s sound has been described as “an amalgam of heart-swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock, classic pop, and front-porch folk […] The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics.” Get ready to dance.
4Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean debuted his first studio album channel Orange last summer. Featuring unconventional melodies; themes of love, longing, and nostalgia; a subdued rhythm secion; and experimental song structures, his is a performance you won't want to miss. His music has been described as "open echoes of self-guided, innovative R&B songwriters like Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell, Erykah Badu and particularly R. Kelly and his way of writing melodies that hover between speech and song, asymmetrical and syncopated..."
3New Order
New Order recently reunited with a new lineup and the release of Sirens, an eight-track album featuring songs left off 2005 release, Waiting for the Sirens' Call. Their music has strongly influenced rock, techno, and pop musicians alike, including The Killers and Moby. They have been influenced by the likes of David Bowie and Kraftwerk. Sounds like a party to me.
2The Cure
These guys are the veterans of this list, rocking since 1976. Thirty seven years, 13 albums, melodic bass lines, strangulated vocals, and a "lyric obsession with existential, almost literary despair"; you won't want to miss The Cure. It'll be a well-earned a notch on any music lover's belt.
1Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons released their second studio album Babel to much acclaim. This music is folk rock at its very best. Not convinced? Here's what the band had to say about touring:
Even though there's a structure—you know what towns you're going to, and that you'll be playing a gig—pretty much anything can happen.
I defy you to not enjoy this performance.