Tanlines
Tanlines sounds like the bastard child of two groups you probably never imagined would hook up well: The Pet Shop Boys and the National. Brooklynites Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm channel the former’s warm, worldly, downbeat synth-pop with the latter’s urban-wasteland rock sound on their second album, “Mixed Emotions.” The duo’s live set earned strong marks last month at South by Southwest. Opener Rewards is the new moniker of Chairlift co-founder Aaron Pfenning, recording for the LCD Soundsystem-affiliated DFA label. Chris Riemenschneider