You’ll have to forgive Los Angeles for having a sonic superiority complex. Over the past few years, an explosion of culture and fresh musical energy has ignited the city, making L.A. the hottest music scene in America right now. Akin to Seattle in the early ’90s and even Detroit towards the end of that same decade, Los Angeles has erupted with a new caliber of artists and musicians—both native and imported—who create an exciting polyglot of sounds that has the world once again listening to us.

J*Davey, the punk-funk New Wave duo, embody this new Los Angeles attitude to the fullest. They’re bold, colorful and lots of fun—but also genuine, ambitious and rich with hard-earned street cred.

“We’ve come so far just on word of mouth and the internet,” says Jack Davey, the band’s stylistic frontwoman. Davey, it turns out, is also a serious music nerd, one geeked out on L.A. New Wave band Missing Persons. “We’ve covered their song ‘Walking in L.A.’ a few times,” she notes.

It’s these myriad musical and techno-cultural juxtapositions Davey speaks of that are rampant in the L.A. music scene, fueling a creative inferno. A mash-up mentality and digital technology allow for literally anything to be possible—your imagination and the storage space on your hard drive are the only limitations.

“Right now is the most artist-friendly climate [in the music industry] possibly ever,” says Eugene Goreshter of L.A. space-rock trio Autolux. And he’s right. Given the dazzling array of music happening all over L.A., it will be no surprise if the next big thing of 2008 starts right in your own backyard. Here are 13 reasons to back up  our claim ...

The punk-funk army
Led by the likes of cover stars J*Davey and space-hop collective Sa-Ra, acts such Afrobots and Casxio remind us that Prince, the B-52’s and New Order all used to hang out at the same clubs. And that the original punk-funk spirit (Rick James R.I.P.) will never die.

Heavy mental orchestras
From the thinking-man’s-instrumental-metal of Isis, to the freak-flag-flying molten blues of Entrance (featuring former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin), to bands such 400 Blows and Qui, L.A. provides ample opportunity to bang your head and not feel like an idiot for doing so.

Pour some irony on me
What do the Pussycat Dolls and Steel Panther have in common? Both come heavy with celebrity cameos. Both mercilessly skewer hallowed American institutions—stripping and ’80s-metal excess—while simultaneously rocking (or grinding) your face off. The PCD still generate enough heat to power a reality show to scarily high ratings for three seasons running. And even Motley Crue wish they could’ve written something half as kick-ass as Steel Panther’s tender power ballad “Stripper Girl.” When either act is lighting up their shared home base of the Sunset Strip, just add tequila and presto! Best. Night. Ever.

The underground hip-hop all-stars
Stone’s Throw, Murs (whose “Paid Dues” festivals are the Coachella of hip-hop) the Project Blowed family, Pharcyde (what up Fatlip?)—the legacy of indie hip-hop in L.A. is just as storied as New York, period. CA all day!

The burgeoning “Yo! L.A. Raps” scene
What, you thought Chicago had the monopoly on Technicolor hip-hop heads dedicated to keeping the memory of the late ’80s/early ’90s golden age alive? Get up on the 87 Stick Up Kids, Pacific Division, Schwayze and Brother Reade before you’re wondering how they became rap stars without you knowing anything about it.

The newgazers
Dreamy melodies, chiming guitars, and moody melancholy musings—the classic shoegaze aesthetic is alive and well in L.A. The Mezzanine Owls, Film School, Black Kites and Eskimohunter all play like the 4AD label’s dream team 2.0. We’re not afraid to admit how much we love it. When My Bloody Valentine finally reunites, the L.A. show is going to be severe, to say the least.

(Your favorite band here) comes alive
L.A. is lousy with killer places to see live music—from the summer tradition of BYOB at the Hollywood Bowl to indie institutions such as Spaceland and the Echo—perpetually hosting the next big thing coming down the pike. Were you among the precious few to see Amy Winehouse at the Roxy for her lone L.A. show to date? You can see the Ed Banger gang spin the cool kids into a tizzy at the recently purchased Viper Room and catch red-hot blog sensations like Kate Nash and Robyn at the Troubadour. But to really see what’s happening next, make the intimate Pehrspace a regular stop. You’ll be glad you did, especially if run into regulars like criminally underrated Katie the Pest.

Motherf*ckers of the night
Steve Aoki vs. Franki Chan, Johnny Love vs. Daniel LeDisko, Dan O plus Gina Turner—the screaming neon scene that Miss Kittin sings about in “Frank Sinatra” is on fire around here, and the kids just can’t get enough. When life finds you flaunting this week’s flashy-trash fashions, booty-shaking to the latest blog-house tracks downloaded from Discobelle and Palms Out Sounds, getting your picture taken by any one of L.A.’s growing posse of hipsterazzi, and still making it to your shift working at American Apparel on time—that’s living the dream, baby.

The art-punks
With No Age on the verge of starting a new youth revolution across America, fellow bands Abe Vigoda, HEALTH and the Mae Shi have the potential to become the axis of the music world’s next big scene. Other than that, they also share a tendency to rock hard enough to pull a muscle. Simply hit Downtown's the Smell to get up to speed.

Hallelujah crew
Doesn’t anybody remember laughter? We’re especially partial to the shiny, happy sensations emanating from the reverent vocal harmonies of Bodies of Water and the ebullient sunshine pop of the Parson Redheads. But it’s the Beatles-inspired pop-rock of the Cold War Christians that really seem to get the faithful shouting in the aisles.

New indie vanguard
Now that the Silversun Pickups have taken the “Silverlake sound” national, there are a bunch of contenders for L.A.’s next indie rock heroes to make that play for the big(ger) time. MMX favorites Airborne Toxic Event, Happy Hollows, Great Northern, Rademacher and Oliver Future are all furiously jamming around town, honing their songs to a razor’s edge. Indie rock fever—catch it!

Freaky folkies
Devendra Banhart has made the pages of Vanity Fair and is set to co-headline the Hollywood Bowl with Gilberto Gil this summer. All the more reason to get cozy with the panoramic circle of like-minded acts that includes the quirky torch songs of My Brightest Diamond and Sea Wolf’s more traditional ruminations. Beards are entirely optional, of course.

Band that gets a category all their own: Crystal Antlers
Meet your new favorite band. Perhaps you’ve heard the legend of their live show, an orgy of psychedelic sex rock with a double helping of freaky funk on the side, starring the percussion pimp known only as Sexual Chocolate. These guys bring it so righteously and have such good karma that when their van full of vintage gear was stolen, it was found a few days later with all of their instruments intact. Feel the love.

Scott T. Sterling is Music editor for Metromix Los Angeles.