Living amongst the immense musical talent in a city like Chicago is eternally inspiring. But standing apart from the crowd can be a never-ending challenge. So Canasta came together in early 2002 when six friends joined forces and augmented the standard rock set-up with piano, violin, keyboard and trombone, in an effort to craft a more ambitious strain of majestic, ultra-melodic, orchestral pop. Canasta songs are nothing if not eclectic; you'll hear everything from bouncy, horn-driven ditties to epic, sweeping anthems and slow, country-tinged narratives to instrumental post-rock. But what's constant is an emphasis on sophisticated songwriting, dramatic dynamics and meticulous orchestration that has won them comparisons to Belle & Sebastian, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, The Delgados, The Sea and Cake, Wilco and Yo La Tengo.

Fresh out of hiding, six piece Bearsuit have a whole heap of brand-spanking-new shonky pop songs replete with glitter, knives, smiles, shouts and catchy choruses to make you feel happy sad and slightly scared at the same time.

Subjects include terrible bloodthirsty gangs of tiny children, getting jiggy with dinosaurs, fist-fighting your younger self, signing up for intergalatic warfare, finding love, the colonisation of the solar system, the search for tangible proof of a 'soul', and a dirty old crow: you know: the usual shit.