Best New Artist

Sure, the music scene is notoriously cyclical, but who saw this revival coming? Five years ago, if you had mentioned funk to a punk rocker, he would've rolled his eyes and made some joke about Primus. But all of a sudden everybody's claiming Gang of Four as an influence, and New York bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Liars are saying it's okay for punks to dance, it's okay to give the rhythm section a li'l somethin' somethin'. With this change in the Zeitgeist comes In Medias Res to shake some St. Louis punk-rocker heinies, making them our best new band. With a drummer and bass player as tight as pleather pants in July and a guitarist who coaxes beautifully ungodly atonalities out of his instrument, In Medias Res is as great a listen at home as it is in a sweaty all-ages club (although the band has thus far released only a two-song 7-inch to the hungry public). Here's hoping the full-length is on the way. Here's hoping there are tours planned. Let's show everybody what the best new artist in St. Louis looks like.