2011, Canvasback/Atlantic

There's something panoramic about The Joy Formidable's music - their mountainous, fuzzed out riffs and ferocious, earthy rhythms shrouded in ethereal haze. It sounds like where they're from: Childhood friends Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd grew up in rural North Wales, surrounded by rolling green hills and little else. Bryan and Dafydd had been writing music separately from one another, and worked together in a couple of short-lived local bands after finishing school. They knew they wanted to collaborate, but didn't manage to make it work until a few years ago. Their debut album, The Big Roar is a remarkable collection of songs that explore "the possibility of victory in a hopeless situation." Fan favorites "Whirring" and "Austere" are joined on The Big Roar with nine other beautiful and explosive new recordings.