North Dakota

North Dakota:

Animal Lover

PHOTO: SARA GAECHTER

CITY: Fargo
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: "Garage Wolves"
WEBSITE: myspace.com/animalloverband

WHY THEM: There's an all-too-human tendency to gravitate toward the familiar. Perhaps this influenced our decision to declare the maniacal Animal Lover — who would fit snug-as-a-bug on an Allston basement-show bill — North Dakota's finest. But that doesn't mean we're wrong. This garage-rock power trio conjure a splendidly miasmatic haze of guitar distortion that manages to serrate and jangle simultaneously, all while a dude named Addison screams his brains out. It's wondrously gnarly enough to raise the question: why do they still live in North Dakota? No disrespect intended toward the Roughrider State, but it hardly seems like a terrific environ to cultivate rock and roll.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Tony the Butcher — There didn't end up being many hip-hop artists on this thing, but Tony the Butcher forced us to re-examine our rockist worldview.

By BARRY THOMPSON

Ohio

North Carolina