The Baltimore beat

With the likes of Dan Deacon, Beach House and Wye Oak leading the way, Baltimore's underground rock scene has been overflowing with talent for a few years now. Here are some other acts doing Charm City proud.

Double Dagger -- Bass, drums and vocals are the only elements needed for this trio to make its cathartic, apocalyptic rumble. The band's live shows are always sweaty, full-contact affairs.

Future Islands -- Vocalist Samuel T. Herring's dramatic wailing serves as the centerpiece of the band's surging electro-pop creations.

Lexie Mountain Boys -- Often seen wearing plastic shopping bags, body paint and fake beards, the all-female troupe specializes in hypnotic vocal chants, suggesting something close to David Lynch's take on a cheerleading squad.

Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez -- Not everything in the city has to be experimental. This Cuban-born, Baltimore-based singer-songwriter does the troubadour folk thing and keeps it more warm and inviting than weird.

-- David Malitz