klaxons, klaxoffs - luther
In the sometimes impenetrable world of dancy/dark/euro/electro/cooler than you music, there are a few groups that have stood out to me of late. I try to track these 'bands' (usually more collectives of art students who seem to effortlessly create this stuff, but don't really take it that seriously), but they multiply, interbreed, and pretty much confuse the hell out of me most of the time. But, I have been able to nail down a few that I like, and I think keeping an eye on them might be a good idea.
The first and foremost of these is Klaxons, a UK outfit that is just too fucking cool for school. Not only do they dress wacky, including donning Technicolor cult robes and bad eighties sci/fi movie accessories. The music is frenzied, dancable, and has just enough pop sensibility to keep you from wanting to bludgeon yourself with a glow stick, but just enough edge to keep it interesting and respectable. They have garnered a fair amount of attention in the UK, nabbing an NME cover even, but they still seem to have stayed under the bigger radars here in the US ( much like a number of great UK outfits ). Watch out for these guys to have one big hit here in the US and then continue to go the way of Blur and Pulp. They have it in them. Don't believe me? Check this shit out:
MP3 - Klaxons - Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) - 
Some of the other folks who fall much more into the "not as likely to succeed, but still the joint" are:
Crystal Castles, an artsy noise duo from Canada who mix up 8bit wackiness with some blippy beats and incidental sounds. It's cool, if your into that sort of thing (like I am). These kids have what it takes and I can't wait till they really get in there and make a full blown album. These tracks are on repeat in my car. They also have some of the coolest art I've seen on Myspace.
MP3 - Crystal Castles - Air War -
1-800-Dracula, a wacky, wonderful mix of lo-fi samples and video game sounds that actually comes out pretty accessible. With an enjoyable sense of humor to it, it's easier to accept because it doesn't seem to think that it's making the best, most important music ever, like other overtly inaccesible wierdos.
Also, check out the fuckin' hard Pre, the kind of well known AIDS Wolf, and the 'what the hell'-ish Mir. Now, for the fun part, just start cruising their top eight, and the bands who have commented. Hours of time you could be doing something constructive will be gone in no time at all! Yeahay!