1. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
(Brooklyn psych-rockers get some help from the Flaming Lips' producer for this impressive and warped debut.)

2. Chris Walla, Field Manual
(Portland super-producer, and member of Death Cab For Cutie, makes a promising debut solo effort. It sounds a little like Death Cab outtakes, but also stands its own ground in the booming Pacific Northwest community,)

3. Shelby Lynne, Just A Little Lovin'
(For an album full of other people's songs, this country heart-breaker does a fine job of making the material her own.)

4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
(The hype is right. These New Yorkers, with a sound straight out of West Africa, embody some of the best moments from influences like Talking Heads and Paul Simon. It's a delightful debut LP, and it's gonna be around all year long. Bet on it.)

5. The Magnetic Fields, Distortion
(These Indie-pop mainstays don't lie with the title of their latest album: there's distortion aplenty. But the melodies, and frontman Stephin Merritt's lazy croon, are perfectly intact.)