Artist Ladyhawke

Named for the 1985 Matthew Broderick fantasy film, Ladyhawke—a.k.a. singer-songwriter Phillipa “Pip” Brown—makes her influences immediately apparent, particularly on her 2008 self-titled debut. The blonde Kiwi first forayed into music as the lead guitarist in a punk outfit, Two Lane Blacktop (named for the classic road movie), before segueing into her own electro-pop sound. Brown, who plays guitar, synth, and bass on the album, turns out infectious, synth-heavy dance-floor-shakers like “Paris Is Burning” and “Magic” that could’ve easily ended up hollow club hits, but ring full of sound and energy.