Who: Santi White, a Philly-born, Wesleyan-educated producer turned songwriter who used to play in punk band Stiffed, but now specializes in eccentric pop that's a culture-clash of world music, blips and bleeps, and a healthy dose of reggae. Sounds Like: Santogold merge White's versatile voice (which recalls M.I.A. one minute and Karen O the next) with quirky, off-kilter beats. The result is a kaleidoscope of organic and synthetic sounds held together by White's attitude-filled flow. Three Things You Should Know:

1. White moved to New York in early 2005 after she lost her father and decided she needed to focus on her music. She started out as a songwriter, and has written with Lily Allen and Marc Ronson as well as for Ashlee Simpson. (Her current roster of collaborators includes hip beatmasters Spank Rock and Switch.)
2. Santogold was hand-picked by Björk to open for the Icelandic pop star when she played Madison Square Garden this week. The show took place on Santi's birthday, and the crowd sang to her. "After each show they do a little dance party backstage because Björk likes to get her adrenaline out of her muscles," White explains. "Each night a different person DJs off their iPod, then we had these dance battles in a circle. It's like a pajama party dance party." Read the rest of this page »

Who: A microbiologist turned rocker from Sweden who was planning a career in academics or pharmaceuticals until he released his first album, 2005's Veneer, and found fame with a cover of the Knife's "Heartbeats" on a TV commercial and The O.C. Sounds Like: José Gonzaléz's music instantly recalls other mellow introspective folk-rockers like Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, but the singer's significant South American influence sets him apart. Three Things You Should Know:

1. Gonzaléz, who considers himself an atheist, titled his new album In Our Nature in reference to the debate over whether human behavior is biologically dictated. Science, philosophy and religion are major lyrical themes for him. "I don't want to be too harsh, but there's very little evidence for 'intelligent design' or any sort of creator," he explains.
2. Before high school, Gonzaléz spent a summer taking classical guitar lessons while also playing in a punk band. "I wore dreadlocks and rode a skateboard," the singer remembers. "The rest of the guys in the band were really bad at school -- I was the one who did the homework." Read the rest of this page »

Click here to watch Grand National's video for "By the Time I Get Home There Won't Be Much of a Place for Me." Who: Lawrence "La" Rudd and Rupert Lyddon, a pair of witty English dance-music enthusiasts with no particular fondness for horses — they had planned to name themselves after the pony that won a major horse race, wound up taking the name of the competition itself to save time, and have been plagued with horse-related questions from interviewers ever since. Sounds Like: Dancey electro-rock that bounces along to soulful, Eighties-tinged grooves and clubby synths but never loses the "rock" side of the equation. The group's second album A Drink and a Quick Decision, like their debut Kicking the National Habit pulls from influences that range from Depeche Mode to Hall and Oates. Three Things You Should Know:

1. When Lyddon used to deliver sausages for a living, he scored studio time in the band's early days by making a deal with Primal Scream — he'd hand over as many sausages as they desired, and the band let him borrow the keys to the studio. Read the rest of this page »