Jane Lui is proof that in order to have a thriving career in the music business one must have the following: how to play the heck out of an instrument, work a camera from the front and back, perform a concert just as good as a musical and, most importantly, have a very supportive fan base. Like many indie artists, Lui’s YouTube fan base, aka Janiemonsters, have helped catapult her to a successful career so far. They raised $11,600 in 2 months for the San Diego singer-songwriter to fund the creation of her album, "Goodnight Company", which was nominated for the 2011 San Diego Music Award for Best Local recording. Also, she received rave reviews for her first acting role as Penny in the live stage adaptation of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Now Lui is making her tour rounds from Northern California to Switzerland beginning in September. Other well favored artists such as Kina Grannis and David Choi give her shoutouts on a daily basis – the ultimate fanfare indeed. – Nicole Dawley

Singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe will release her second album, entitled "Apokalypsis", on August 23rd, but NPR is giving fans the opportunity to stream the album before it officially hits stores. The 10-track album is filled with dark, dreamy themes that could serve as the soundtrack to an Alfred Hitchcock film, just as well as a peaceful and unalarming late-night drive. It is easy to describe Wolfe’s music as haunting, but underneath the obvious are tender and romantic moments. Originally from Sacramento, Wolfe released her debut album in 2010 and moved to Los Angeles later that year. Her move to the big city reinforced her majestic touch of intertwining heavy guitars with ethereal vocals and occasional tinkling percussion. Music fans who enjoy the mix of soft and enigmatic sounds of Zola Jesus, Fever Ray and Bat for Lashes will most likely dig this album. – Karla Hernández

Chelsea Wolfe – Mer

Don’t get put off by the atypical capitalization of the band’s name. Take it as a heads-up to the type of music you’re about to hear. PeRPLeXa is a band of a previous era that still finds its way into relevance in the current one. Taking cues from the psychedelic greats of the past, this band has a firm grasp on the abstract. The lineup features performances from members of other bands in the same vein such as bassist Chris Camacho of Forest for the Trees and William B. Carruthers of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized. Founding member Jonathan Wald has now managed to put together a new album, Gone Beyond, the first in a little over a decade. It’s a vast, swirling soundscape that is just waiting to be explored. If you care to get lost for a little while in a place unfamiliar but inviting, check it out here. – Taylor Lampela 

Inc. is joining the ranks of artists like Janelle Monáe, Rapael Saadiq and Robin Thicke who are instilling class back into R&B. While over-produced artists dominate commercial R&B radio stations, these artists are choosing honest lyrics and musicianship over gaudy productions styles. Produced by Andrew and Daniel Aged, the LA-based brother duo that makes up Inc., is a great match for those feeling nostalgic for ’80s R&B with a modern touch. The three songs found on the recently released debut EP, entitled "3," are smooth and silky in every possible way. There is an obvious Prince influence with whispered vocals and a subtle bounce to the music, but it still sounds fresh and natural. Inc. knows how to make the music flow in an effortless way and does not force anything on the listener.

Although musically the brothers have very little in common with Top 40 artists, they are no strangers to that world. Before Andrew and Daniel joined forces and started Inc., formally known as Teen Inc., they individually recorded and toured with artists like 50 Cent, Elton John, Pharrell Williams, Beck, Cee-Lo, and Heavy D, in addition to their contemporaries Raphael Saadiq and Robin Thicke. Once forming Inc., the brothers have shared the stage with Os Mutantes and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. With such an extensive background, it will be interesting to see what the brothers come up with on their full-length album to be released next year. – Karla Hernández

There’s an unexplained charm about Pizza! Having been around the LA scene for about half a deacde, the lackadaisical lo-fi five-piece stroll on with their idiosyncratic pop reconstructions. Recently, they even participated on the LA Lottery League, in which twelve bands were randomly created from a pool of budding musicians vying for an unpredictable, but hopefully fruitful companionship with other peers. They’ve just released a new video for "Be a Man", a vaguely psychedelic number that brings to mind the unorthodox naivete of early K records. You can also find it on Bogus Rimshots From the Fourth, a DIY compilation of early recordings that should suffice before they purvey some delectable sliced goods this coming November.

In the history books, the Ross Sea Party refers to a little known yet heroic chapter of the Ernest Shackleton trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914, where a group of men were sent to navigate the immense, unpredictable continent. Like its namesake, the Los Angeles-based quintet strives to explore the unexplored, but of course, in the musical sense. The band produces folk music, and yes, folk’s been done before, especially in LA, but there’s a charm about the Ross Sea Party that makes you want to continue listening. It may be the family band-type energy of the fivesome’s live shows, or it may be the storytelling nature of vocalist Brady Erickson’s lyrics, or maybe it’s the melodic instrumentation, but there’s something that sets this outfit apart from other local folk troupes. If you don’t believe me, go listen for yourself. The Ross Sea Party is in the middle of a FREE Mondays in August residency at the Silverlake Lounge, and the band’s not only playing tracks from its impressive self-released EP, Plains of Id, but Erickson and company are previewing tunes from a debut LP that they will begin recording following the residency. – Katrina Nattress 

Starting September, a glorious mish-mash of psychedelic punk, funk and rock will come head-to-head when Mini Mansions join The Kills and Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces), on their west coast tour. Oh, what a fine break it has been for Queen of the Stone Ages member, Micheal Shuman, who rallied up two of his equally talented LA-based comrades, Tyler Parkford and Zach Dawes, to create songs in a dusty makeshift studio, which resulted to a band, which resulted to a kickass album. From Canada to California, fans will get a chance to jam out to their Beatles-esque tunes from their self-titled album. – Nicole Dawley

Blues artists are usually regarded for their virtuosic technicality and skilled compositions, but the real question is whether or not they have the personality to stand out from their instrumental precision. Terraplane Sun is one of those bands that aren’t troubled of bending the rules whilst strictly adhering to key signature blues scales. Fronted by Ben Rothbard’s raggedly eclectic vocal delivery, the Venice troupe concentrate in rich, abrasive melodic folk-rock with sharp choruses that’ll stick in your mind for days. Fresh off from releasing their sophomore Coyote, they’ll make a quick stop at the Echo this Thursday, August 11th. – Juan Edgardo Rodríguez

Towers is one of those albums that’s hard to get out of your mind, and definitely even harder to take off of the top of your playlist. In other words, Chelan members, Jennifer Grady and Justin Hosford, cook up an excellent batch of dreamy-pop-electro-indie folk goodness that keeps the listener coming back for seconds. Towers, released at the beginning of summer, is the Joshua Tree/Los Angeles duo’s third effort, which can be compared to the works of Camera Obscura and School of Seven Bells. Songs such as “Towers” and “Checked In” take you on erratic gorgeous highs, while “On The Water” and “Sunrise” lead you through lovely multilayered lows. Grady’s smooth jazzy vocals coupled with Hosford’s production skills (writes score for television and film) makes this a project that music lovers must get a hold of (or download) right this moment. – Nicole Dawley

Towers by Chelan  

To celebrate a record release, what better way is there to do so than a hometown performance? Los Angeles dream pop band Correatown is following up their lovely EP Etch the Line with their full length LP Pleiades, out on September 20 off Another Room Music. That very same day, they’ll be playing a show at the Bootleg Theater, one of LA’s most interesting and intimate venues. Go and soak up the fuzzy, blissful vibes with Correatown, who is playing with Lex Land that night; it’s bound to be a great show. – Taylor Lampela

You may know Emma Ruth Rundle as the guitarist of the post-rock outfit Red Sparowes, but she is also the founder of The Nocturnes, a Los Angeles-based quartet that gracefully meshes folk, chamber pop, goth, post-rock, and shoegaze into an atmospheric wall of sound. The foursome recently announced an August 30th release of Aokigahara, the band’s sophomore effort via Errant Child Records, and as a teaser released a video for the haunting first single, “The Road.” Check out The Nocturnes at Pehrspace on August 26. – Katrina Nattress 

Like many Americans, David Serby is very concerned about the economic crisis and the state of his Nation, which birthed the inspiration for his August 9th release, “Poor Man’s Poem”. A Union Steward by day, the Los Angeles crooner used a bit of his day-to-day experiences admix with American history when creating the 10-track project. Like a historian armed with a guitar, he shares tales of hardships (Evil Men) or personal accounts (Virginia Rail) of love, honor and the right to survive and thrive in "the land of the free and the home of the brave". Serby dropped his signature honky-tonk sound and teamed up with producer Edward Tree, who played an assortment of instruments throughout, creating a more acoustic country-folk sound. You can catch Serby live this month in the LA area – Sunday, August 14th at The Roots Roadhouse Festival and Saturday, August 20th at the Folk Music Center. – Nicole Dawley