Dead Man's Bones

It's impossible not to mention it, so let's get it out of the way: actor Ryan Gosling is one of the key members in Dead Man's Bones. But even more so than She & Him or Phantom Planet, Gosling's status as a Hollywood heartthrob is entirely irrelevant. Dead Man's Bones, rounded out by Zach Shields, takes their cues from the Langley School Music Project by enlisting a children's choir to make hauntingly touching chamber pop. Both musically and thematically macabre, the band's self-titled debut is a dense, dark record that's as fascinating as it is moving. It's also a record that would be just as enthralling no matter who made it.