[bert] / Holy Mary, Mother of Bert This far-flung collective mixes acoustic and electric guitars, upright and electric bass, viola, piano, accordion, organ, musical saw, percussion, and two-to-four-part harmonies. Formed in 1996 as Holy Mary, Mother of Bert and now known simply as [bert], the band released its third full-length "Thunder and Frogs" in 2008.

The Method and Result This Philadelphia-based duo makes music that mixes asymmetric beats, upright bass, warm tones and mellifluous vocals to recall post-rock, standards, and electronica in the same breath. Formed from the ashes of Blinder, M+R's Megan and Mason Wendell have been playing together for over a decade, though they've recently taken time off to focus on their business Canary Promo and their beautiful new daughter Lyra.

The Hangman's Alphabet Once a solo project, the now fully-formed three-piece has been playing together for about a year. Switching off instruments, the band's music sounds like the offspring of '70s prog and '90s angular indie rock, with bits of melodic pop and jazzy instrumentals thrown in for good measure. The band's first full-length will br released later in 2008.

Tristan da Cunha This Boston trio brings brilliant lunacy in the form of complex chord structures, exacting disharmony, and a spectrum of voice, all with perfect, madcap execution. Formed in 2000, these prolific songwriters have penned some 40 or so compositions, ensuring that their jukebox-on-random-style shows never become stale. 2007 saw the release of their 2^nd album "Instanter", and 2008 hopes to bring another new record.

Shark & Bear This Massachusetts-based quartet melds visceral, spleen-venting rock with jazz-math dexterity, and a twisted, textured feedback with consonant melodies galore. Beginning as a side project in late 2002, the band features members of Fiesel, Superagent, Score One For the Fat Kid, and Harlequin. And no, they're not from Michigan. On hiatus since 2007, a compilation of new and old material is hopefully forthcoming in 2008.

Words For Snow Another Boston group, this four-piece incorporates the structure of classical composition, the approach of relaxed jazz playing, and the timbre of sparse low-rock. The band has been playing out since 2000, and drummer Chris Moylan is sort of the label's "in-house engineer," having recorded many of the label's releases at his studios. Though the band is no more, they did release their long-awaited full-length in 2007.

Fiesel This Worcester, MA trio puts a week's worth of moods into songs with stop-on-a-dime dynamics and tricks to confuse your calculator. Existing since 1997, their angular guitars, fuzzy melodic bass, thundering drums and acerbic harmonies have made them our most popular band, and the many cross-country tours didn't hurt, either. Recently reformed in Austin, TX, the band is currently practicing to begin playing shows again.

vaguely star shaped This Providence foursome uses well-pitched harmonies, dissonant guitars, and frenetic, intricate drumming to refine their altogether elegant version of pop/rock. Built around Aaron Sherman's songwriting and production, the band has been playing around New England since 2001.

Jeremy From Boise True to the name, this Boise, Idaho-based one-man band features rich, dissonant acoustic guitar, swathed with industrial noise collages, and layered with low, warm vocals. JFB was previously known as A Radio With Guts, and has been releasing music in various forms since the late 90s. He also runs Fort Hazel Records, and plays in the band Monster Dudes with his son.

Score One For the Fat Kid The music of this Boston four-piece teeters haphazardly on the edge of poppy indie-rock, merrilly trimming beats from measures and interjecting strident mischief. Consisting of a college math professor, a computer programmer, a biomedical engineer and a textbook editor, the delightfully nerdy "work-to-rock" outfit was in existence from 2001 to 2003.

The Nationale Blue This Boston quartet molds a labyrinthine prog-rock replete with alternately interlocking and meandering guitars, a thick, resonant bass, and expansive yet tightly controlled drumwork. Playing together since the late 90s, they may not be able to spell but they have toured Europe.

thebrotherkite This Providence band makes a thick, harmonious, and noisy shoegazer rock. Sharing a member with city-mates vaguely star shaped, the guitar and tape manipulators have been recording their brand of suffusive, layered rock since 2001.

Calumet-Hecla Hailing from Michigan by way of Northborough, MA, this trio marries harmonic chords to feedback, straight fours to mayhem drumming, low-end melody to high-end noise, and calculation to chaos. Together since 2000, two of the band's members run CMAA, a non-profit arts organization in central Massachusetts.

Idiot Savant Garde The Pennsylvania math-rock trio switches off guitar, bass, drums, and vocal duties with their highly collaborative songwriting. Around from 1998 to 2000, they've consistently had the most-mangled name in our catalog (ranging from Idiots' Avant Guard to Idiot Savage Garden.)