In one of the most fertile 12-month periods of local music in recent memory, more than a few forerunners emerged for the all-too-vague category of Best New Band. But few bands have managed to pinpoint the sound of 2011 better than Phantom Tails, whose multi-genre approach stitches together far-reaching elements like 8-bit electro squeals, snarling Britpop wails, and gloomy prog-rock meanderings into a forward-thinking pop sound that's undeniably catchy. Think an even nerdier, glitchier version of the Gorillaz, or the Sex Pistols partying down at a goth rave with the Mad Hatter. In an era in which genre lines are being blurred faster than bands can delete their MySpace pages, Phantom Tails' charismatic mixed-bag music is a welcome sound indeed.