New York's The Walkmen make unimpeachably awesome, atmospheric indie rock that lots and lots of people love. Hyperfocused on craft and structure, with music filtered through vintage recording equipment so it turns into muddy jangle-pop, the band has been quietly reinventing its approach for more than a decade. Baltimore's Lower Dens are both well-loved and still a bit slept-on. Their debut, Twin Hand Movement, takes the term "underground rock" literally: Former freak folker Jana Hunter and friends sound like they're hammering out Velvets-inspired songs in a dungeon somewhere—straightforward rock turned into a bleary mass of pop and drone. —Brandon Soderberg