Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's frontman Richard Edwards' trembling vocal style has always been likened to other heart-on-sleeve indie troubadours such as Conor Oberst — while the seven-piece musical collective which backs him will always draw knee-jerk comparisons to the Arcade Fire. But a song like "Vampires in Blue Dresses" (from 2006's spectacular, overlooked The Dust of Retreat) packs an emotive punch and heart-wrenching honesty that validates his band's often melodramatic chamber pop. With the recent move to a major label and the full-length Animal! due in July, the band has a lot to prove to its new corporate overlords. Still, live footage of new song "Love Song for a Schuba's Bartender" — with its ethereal keyboard drone, lonely harmonica and sparse orchestral drum-bursts — should satisfy Margot's loyal indie fan base.