The Clydesdale, "Sister" (myspace.com/theclydesdale) Neil Young parties with the Meat Puppets on this perfect, two-minute slab of punk-country goodness. Yee-haw!
2.
Camden, "I Traveled the World" (myspace.com/camdenrock) The sun may be out and the sweat pooling, but this what-could-have-been lament will deposit you in a barren winterscape of doubt and remorse.
3.
Love Pentagon, "Dark Circus" (myspace.com/lovepentagon) Take a bit of dark synth-pop, mix in reverb-laden guitars, add Le Tigre-esque vocals, and what do you have? One of Las Vegas' most fun-sounding bands, that's what.
4. The Skooners, "Sleeping on a Sunburn" (myspace.com/theskooners) Rainbow battle-of-the-band champs craft a winning combination with this piano-goosed pop-rock ditty.
5.
The Pandas, "Alone" (myspace.com/thepandas) Psych-rock that's catchy and experimental, all at the same time.
6.
The Fremonts, "Waitin' to Die" (myspace.com/thefremonts) Badass country-rock that sounds like it was imported from the backwoods of Tennessee.
7.
Lydia Vance, "Die Without Me" (myspace.com/lydiavance) They've only been together a short while, but the Vance rip through dark, dance-rock cuts like old pros.
8.
4LBS Entertainment, "All Up in Your Face" (myspace.com/4lbsentertainment) The rap outfit blasts unsupportive local radio stations and mouthy newcomers, and includes the first-ever diss of a Las Vegas Weekly staff writer (Damon Hodge).
9.
ForTwentyDaze, "Irie Song" (myspace.com/fortwentydaze) Vegas' foremost roots/reggae band guarantees to spread the love with this mellow, percussive groove.
10.
Shirt in the Jupon, "Shopping Dreamer" (myspace.com/shirtinthejupon) Japanese soloist turns the finest parts of garage, J-rock and psych into pure, catchy chaos.
11.
The Dirty Panties, "Pretty in Pink" (myspace.com/thedirtypanties) The punked-out, feminist answer to the Psychedelic Furs' New Wave classic.
12.
Sparkler Dims, "Without a Word" (myspace.com/sparklerdims) Drone on, cosmic explorers, drone on.
13.
The Day After ..., "Car Crash" (myspace.com/tda) It's hard to think of a Las Vegas rock band that sounds more polished and professional than these scene vets ... yes, including The Killers and Panic!
14.
Forget McCarran, "Chardonnay" (myspace.com/forgetmccarran) Urgent, building verses, shout-along chorus and a frantic breakdown. Power-pop doesn't get more powerful.
15.
Slow to Surface, "Wichita" (myspace.com/slowtosurface) When did these guys go and get all post-rock trippy on us? Maybe about the same time they topped their "influences" list with Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
16.
Atonalis, "azuredelusioN" (myspace.com/atonalis) Glitchy, dark and interesting, Atonalis' take on downtempo IDM brings a new look to the electronic subgenre.
17.
The Real Shames, "Runaway Girl" (myspace.com/therealshames) Garage punk that'll make you wanna steal a Harley and run away from home, whether you're 15 or 50.
18.
Fletch, "Ghost in Chicago" (myspace.com/fletch) Dramatic narrative, symphonic sweep, courtroom-roof-raising bombast. The best B-side My Chemical Romance never wrote?
19.
Ashbury, "Come On" (myspace.com/ashburyrock) Hey, if it was good enough to appear on MTV's The Hills, this entrancing breakup/breakdown ballad is good enough for us.
20.
Wyatt McKenzie, "War" (myspace.com/themusicofwyattmckenzie) Beautifully dark, combining elements of alt-country and folk in pure, viral form.
21.
The Cab, "Take My Hand" (myspace.com/thecabrock) It's poppy, it's dancey, it's a singalong, it's R&B-y; the only thing it's not is willing to settle for complacency.
22.
The Objex, "Eat This" (myspace.com/theobjex) Total punky energy—see it live for the full experience.
23.
Jr. Anti-Sex League, "Bang Bang Bang" (myspace.com/jaslmusic) This shape-shifter takes the '80s seriously, shouting out the likes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, My Little Pony, Scarface, Punky Brewster and Rainbow Brite.
24.
GDB, "Version" (myspace.com/gdb) This instrumental nutshells the reggae-rock vets' approach: smooth, sometimes surfy jam-funk.
25.
Meat Over Moscow, "Live to an Audience of No One" (myspace.com/meatovermoscow) Okay, so we're biased since Weekly staffer Aaron Thompson happens to be in this experimental outfit, but who else in town can melt your brain without any help from the summer sun?