Thundercade

If rap was the new punk in the late '80s when Public Enemy, NWA and Boogie Down productions came along to give it a real edge, then the latest incarnation of experimental electronic pop may just be the new indie rock.

Thundercade (due at the Meadowlark on Friday, October 12), with its heady blend of synth and indie pop and ambient house, is at the vanguard of the movement, surveying the same storied terrain as daring post-rock acts such as M83 and latter-day Future Sounds of London. Thundercade's effervescent music is like the first day of spring, when you can feel in your bones and taste in the air that winter is finally over. The group's use of vintage video-game sounds and driftily gorgeous drones lends the songs a daydreamy vibe that showcases how old sounds can be made to do new things.