Clair De Lune

Few record labels can forecast the future of emo and postpunk quite like Deep Elm. There may be other indie-rock artists using emo to go to more radical creative depths, but Deep Elm acts such as Minnesota’s Clair De Lune manage to keep one foot in the present and one in the future. Clair De Lune’s cerebral cross-rhythms borrow from indie rock, and the band pilfers emo’s somber introspection, yet the edges blur enough to merge into something fresh. Sure, the band can be mopey, but the lyrics — which address environmental decay, war and society’s lack of intimacy — put a bad mood to good use, looking away from the proverbial navel.