Solid Gold

Synth-pop has a tendency to turn sterile and mechanical if it’s not handled properly, but Twin Cities electronica group Solid Gold crafts its music far too carefully to let that happen. Assembled over a period of several years, 2008's debut record, Bodies Of Water, weaves moody, ethereally electronic soundscapes that fit nicely next to European indie-electronic acts like Phoenix and Cut Copy—which goes to explain why the band has won a sizable following across the Atlantic even though it's still unsigned. Though the beats are primed for dancing, the emotional undercurrents are nuanced, full of quiet desperation and roiling emotions. Solid Gold recently followed up with Synchronize, an EP that features a remarkably de-kitsched cover of Kenny Loggins' Top Gun fist-pumper "Danger Zone."

Updated 03/25/2010