Deerhunter's Bradford Cox
Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images

If there is a busier guy in the indie-rock fraternity (and it does at times feel like a fraternity, complete with hazing) than Bradford Cox, I'd like to know who it is. The Deerhunter frontman — whose band made a stunning, droning, blood-smeared, dress-wearing splash last year with the acclaimed Cryptograms album, Fluorescent Grey EP and explosive live shows — has begun '08 on a slightly more relaxed but just as busy note.

We caught up with Cox during the second week of a tour to support Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, the debut of Atlas Sound — a solo project that finds him in a dreamy, discordant, more electronic and less noisy place than Deerhunter. To go along with the new album, there is also something of a new Bradford. Having just recently kicked a dependence on the anti-anxiety medication Ativan, Cox seems more at ease both on- and offstage.

"My spirits are much better," he said. "One thing about Deerhunter is that it takes a lot out of you to perform that way. With Atlas Sound it's different, it's more relaxed. My goal on this tour was to maintain my sanity."

But as the year goes, his schedule only gets more insane. Atlas Sound will be on the road in America through mid-March, then will head to Europe to open for Animal Collective and play festival dates. In between, Bradford has penciled in a late-March trip to Morocco to spend a fortnight working on music with pals Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett.

"Ed's rented this villa where we would record," Cox explained. "We want to make, like, a pop album. We haven't come up with [a name for the project] yet. Ed just wants to call it 'Morocco,' but I think we ought to come up with some name. It should be a lot of fun. I feel like I might have to get some [immunization] shots though. I'm real sensitive to, like, unusual foreign places."

Closer to home, Cox also hopes to resume working on Ghetto Cross, his collaboration with fellow Atlantan Cole Alexander from the Black Lips. "I hope kids like it. Cole and I used to be the best of friends, and as both of our bands have been traveling more, we've kind of drifted apart. So as soon as I get off tour I am gonna call Cole up and say, 'Get your butt over here, we're gonna record some songs!' "

There is also the matter of a soundtrack he's reportedly been working on with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, which is reportedly for the film adaptation of director Spike Jonze's interpretation of "Where the Wild Things Are" (the uncertain status of that film has been the subject of much recent speculation in the movie world). Cox wouldn't comment on the project except to say that "Karen is a wonderful composer and she's just created some beautiful music."

Of course, there is also Bradford's main gig.

Plans call for Deerhunter to begin work on a new album this summer at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room studio, with an eye toward a Halloween release. While on their current hiatus, the members have been working on new music, and though it's still early, Cox said fans may be in for a surprise. "I think we're on a new page here with Deerhunter," he said. "We've all been listening to pop music, and I don't think any of us are quite as interested [as before] in ambient music right now. All the songs we've written, there's no weird effects, it's all just guitars plugged into amps, so it's very much like a '60s pop record or something. I'm really looking forward to it." He laughed. "I don't know how the [Deerhunter] audience will react to it, we might alienate a good portion of them."

Finally, there is the copious "unofficial" music Cox works on during downtime (although it's hard to imagine him having any), holed away hermit-like in his Atlanta bedroom. He creates several songs a day, both covers and new tracks, often unrefined and compiled into self-styled EPs posted on his well-trafficked blog. There, he also raves, rants, reminisces and even reaches out and offers "healing music" to kids with serious illnesses. Other artists may release more polished tracks online, but Bradford says that in terms of sheer volume, they can't touch his output.

He is so prolific, he said, partly because music is his life, that it "occupies the same part of my brain" that a romantic relationship would, and also because he hopes to inspire other kids to take advantage of technology and create bedroom music of their own. But there may be another, darker reason: a sense of his own mortality.

"I made the Atlas Sound record last summer when I was going through some stuff related to my physical condition, and I had this impression that I didn't have very much more time left." The condition Cox refers to is Marfan syndrome — a connective-tissue disorder that has plagued him since childhood, and which can have serious cardiovascular complications that worsen with age. The 26-year-old says he "doesn't really monitor" his health as much as he should, "so I really have no idea what's going on. But that's why I don't really care about anything but making as much music as I can — to be remembered by."

He's already accomplished that, but contrary to what some other indie types have suggested, Cox scoffs at the notion that he's "made it." "A lot of young bands, like 16- or 17-year-olds starting up bands, say, 'Hey man, all we need is a good Pitchfork review and we'll be set.' Well, we had the good Pitchfork review [three, actually: Cox's batting average on the much-ballyhooed site is currently 8.76] and I still make less money than I did putting vinyl on signs. It's hard, hard, hard work."

Still, he's not complaining. "It's been a fun, fun year. For the most part ..."

• Raising Hell In The ATL

• Deerhunter
• Atlas Sound
• Grizzly Bear
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Cab
Photo: Decaydance Records

If there are only two certainties in life, there are even fewer down in Texas. And nowhere is that theory more valid than at South by Southwest, the annual music conference/ industry holiday/ media circus that descends on Austin each March. For 21 years now, SXSW has been the premiere proving ground for bands looking for their big break. Though that star-making potential has been diminished thanks to the rise of MySpace and music blogs, that hasn't stopped hundreds of bands from trekking to the state capital for a week of shows, schmoozing and shots at superstardom.

Still, the odds that any bands will make it to the big time are slim, so when it comes time to pen the annual "SXSW Picks To Click" article, it's a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. But that hasn't stopped us from highlighting artists that we think you'll be hearing big things from in the coming months (just think of them as the biggest needles in the SXSW stack). From Pete Wentz-approved crooners and Pharrell's favorite Ivy League doo-wop act to barely legal metalheads and DIY punkers with borderline offensive names, here are 10 acts we think are primed to beat the odds.

The Cab

Where They're From: Las Vegas, like a couple of other fairly successful rock acts whose names escape us at the moment.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: Pete Wentz recently inked them to his Decaydance Records (home of, you know, Panic at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes and a host of others) and put them on the road with new labelmates Cobra Starship. So far, every date has been sold out. With Wentz's backing, an upstream deal with Atlantic and a sound that's equal parts MySpace and Maroon 5, we're expecting big things.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): After SXSW, they'll be hitting the road again, on another package tour with We the Kings, Valencia and Charlotte Sometimes. Then, in early May, they'll make an appearance at the Bamboozle festival at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, alongside scene heavyweights Paramore, Panic and Thrice.

Atlas Sound

Where They're From: Atlanta, by way of a lonely bedroom full of unrequited love near a children's hospital.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: Because we need more Bradford Cox, one of the most fascinating figures in contemporary music. This time, he's traded in his semipossessed, dress-wearing Deerhunter persona for a more relaxed — but no less compelling — role, as the flannel-clad frontman of Atlas Sound. And on their debut disc, Let the Blind Lead Those Who See But Cannot Feel, Atlas prove that they can be just as amazing as Deerhunter — check songs like "Recent Bedroom" and "River Car" for proof.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): Atlas have but a handful of shows scheduled post-SXSW, but if you're jonesing for more Cox, you can follow his adventures though his eternally updated, endlessly entertaining/terrifying blog.

Black Tide

Where They're From: The metal Mecca of Miami.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: They're teenagers who play old-school metal that could give Metallica a run for their money. While their peers have been at the mall shopping for Clearasil, Black Tide have been playing the main stage at Ozzfest, touring with Avenged Sevenfold and prepping their party-metal major-label debut. Led by 15-year-old singer/guitarist Gabe Garcia — who took the mic when he was just 9 years old — the group's veteran-sounding mix of classic Slayer thrash, Guns N' Roses melody and Iron Maiden snarl has already snagged them props from Ozzy himself and, seemingly, a one way ticket to groupie-ville.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): When they're not bumming smokes in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven, they'll hold an album-release party at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, and then launch a Left Coast headlining tour. Then, presumably, it's back to more bumming of smokes in convenience-store parking lots

Foxy Shazam

Where They're From: Cincinnati, making them the second-best thing to ever come out of the Queen City, next to the Ickey Shuffle.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: They've got awesome facial hair. They're frontman is legally insane and fancies himself the "Evel Knievel of Rock and Roll," and their album, Introducing Foxy, features songs written from the perspective of a bullfighter and Robin Hood. Their chaotic, shambolic live sets have earned them a loyal following with the MySpace set, and the video for their single "Dangerous Man" is possibly the most annoying/mesmerizing thing you'll ever see. Equal parts spazzy show tunes and spiky art-rock, and featuring more vocal acrobatics than a Serj Tankian/ Christina Aguilera duet, there are truly no other acts out there like Foxy.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): Following a Friday evening gig at SXSW, they'll hit the road for the foreseeable future, first with Portugal the Man and then the Fall of Troy.

No Age

Where They're From:Los Angeles or, more specifically, the all-ages, noise-art space the Smell, a venue that No Age have helped put on the national map.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: Because we already are — and for good reason. They garnered much buzz with their 2007 effort, Weirdo Rippers, and now Randy and Dean — the dynamic duo behind No Age — are back with Nouns, an album that shows they haven't missed a step. No one does raucous fuzzed out tinnitus-inducing pop better. Other Smell faves like Mika Miko and Health are playing SXSW, but No Age rule the roost.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): They've got a pair of New York shows on the horizon in May, and then a whole bunch of festival appearances lined up in Europe. So ... might we suggest their blog?

Jay Reatard

Where He's From: Memphis — music city, baby.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Him: He's releasing a single every other month on Matador Records from now until the end of the year, a schedule that isn't all that grueling for the 27-year-old new-wave/thrash punker, who has released more music since 1998 than some bands release in their entire careers. From his first home-brewed cassette at age 15 to the 18 full-length albums he's released under his stage name (he was born Jay Lindsey), and with bands including the Lost Sounds, Nervous Patterns, Final Solutions, Digital Leather and Angry Angles, the one common thread is that there is none. From '60s pop to Devo-like new wave, garage rock and classic skinny-tie punk, onstage and in the studio, Reatard is all over the place.

Where You Can Catch Him (Outside of Austin): He'll be on the road with Akron, Ohio, retroists the Black Keys until the middle of April, and then he'll launch a headlining tour after that. Oh, and if that's not enough, there's his infrequently updated (but frequently disgusting) photo blog too!

The Plastic Constellations

Where They're From: Minneapolis, a fact they mention at least three times per album.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: Actually, you might not. After more than a decade together (they've been rocking since the ripe old age of 15), the hard-charging, even harder-partying quartet decided they'll be calling it quits after the release of April's We Appreciate You. So they're treating this year's SXSW as a sort of last hurrah, which, given the beery propensity of their infamous live sets, should mean awesome times for pretty much everyone.

Where You Can Catch Them Outside of Austin: Uh, they'll be playing a farewell show next month in Minneapolis, but other than that, the schedule's wide open (as is generally the case when you go on "indefinite hiatus"). Or you could just go buy We Appreciate You, because it's pretty great and full of songs about brotherhood and mysticism and stuff like that.

Lightspeed Champion

Where He's From:London, with a heaping helping of Omaha, thanks to Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis, who served as producer on the Champ's debut, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge.

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Him: Because Devonte Hynes is one of the more colorful figures in Austin this year (think Spank Rock meets George Clinton), though he needs to lose the fur hats (c'mon man ... fur?). And because on Lavender Bridge, he's done a 180 from his old Brit-punk outfit the Test Icicles, creating a relaxed, country-rock sound that may not change the world but is still a whole lot of fun.

Where You Can Catch Him (Outside of Austin): Hynes is crisscrossing the States as you read this, but after Austin, it's all Europe, all the time. Like so many on this list, he has a blog (with video!) through his Web site, so that will have to do for now.

Chester French

Where They're From: Straight outta Harvard, yo! (Via Cambridge, Massachusetts, ya heard?)

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Them: Because they're the latest protégés of a producer/rapper you may have heard of named Pharrell. Sure, the lily white duo of D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey might seem like an odd addition to the Star Trak family, but they signed with Skateboard P — whose other protégés include street-grinding hip-hop duo the Clipse and Robin Thicke — because he promised not to mess with their Beatles- and Bowie-inspired British Invasion-meets-Beck/Weezer sound.

Where You Can Catch Them (Outside of Austin): Through the end of March, they'll be on the road with Pharrell and his cohorts in N.E.R.D., where they can no doubt expect to be muttered off the stage by throngs of rather confused-looking dudes in Billionaire Boys Club hoodies.

Liam Finn

Where He's From: New Zealand. Just like those dudes in Flight of the Conchords!

Why You'll Be Hearing More From Him: He's about to launch a U.S. tour opening for an old family friend you may have heard of ... Eddie Vedder. The son of Crowded House/ Split Enz legend Neil Finn, Liam is a one-man band whose recently released second album, I'll Be Lightning, sounds like a glitchy orchestra recorded in someone's spare bedroom. With a bracing falsetto that floats over spare drumbeats, acoustic guitars, swelling strings and Beatle-esque melodies, Finn has been performing the entire Lightning album live with just a backup singer and autoharp accompanist, cooking up real-time guitar, bass and Theremin loops onstage.

Where You Can Catch Him (Outside of Austin): He'll be out on the road seemingly forever, logging time with Pela, the Most Serene Republic and then — in April — the aforementioned tour with Vedder.

• 10 Bands To Watch At SXSW

• Pharrell Williams
• Lightspeed Champion
• No Age
• Black Tide
• Atlas Sound