If E! were to develop a reality TV series called Keeping Up with the Chillwave Bands, the network might actually finally grab our attention. Let's face it: Separating one indie buzz-band — armed with a token foxy frontwoman, breathy vocals, and spacey synth — from the next has proved difficult (or just straight-up annoying). In the case of NYC indie-pop crew Twin Sister, buzz-band requisites still very much apply, but this band really is worth checking out. Their latest album, In Heaven, bolstered by "Kimmi in a Rice Field" (the gauzy, Cocteau Twins-smooches-Kate Bush single), popped up on many year-end best of lists in 2011. The accolades are understandable, given the album's stylistic grace and the literary-yet-approachable lyrics of singer Andrea Estella. Sure, with her bangs, twee glasses, and cherubic face, she's a frontrunner for every hipster nerd boy's wet dream, but what's wrong with that when it promotes music this good?

• Local Wire