In the spirit of our back-to-school issue, Flagpole presents our PopFest picks superlative yearbook style:

Most Likely to Make You Dance

Judi Chicago

JUDI CHICAGO

This Atlanta-based duo will turn wanna-be dance party DJs green with envy. Stripped down to their tighty-whities and armed with just a keytar, a British singer and some sweet beats, these sweaty party starters hop off the stage and invade the crowd - dancing among the audience and spreading their highly contagious grooving bug. It's never long before the crowd catches on and starts shaking along with them.

Most Likely to Be Called "The Next Black Kids"

Tendaberry

TENDABERRY

Somebody has to get this title after last year's PopFest success, and Tendaberry is a serious contender. No, it's not just because they are black. This highly innovative Atlanta group combines the best of post-punk with some funky soul and insightful lyrics: imagine Rick James sitting in with Gang of Four. Tendaberry has been recording in Athens with Jesse Mangum (who, by the way, recorded Black Kids down in Florida), and, by all accounts, the upcoming release will soon catch fire across the blogosphere.

Most Likely to Overwhelm

A. ARMADA

Mainstays in Athens since 2004, A. Armada's dynamic sound will leave you wanting more. The band's melodic and sometimes aggressive mix of instrumental post-rock is simply entrancing. From droney shoe-gaze riffs to bombastic wall-of-sound arrangements, it's hard not to be engulfed by the music. If you missed these kids at AthFest, here's your last chance to see them before they embark upon their European fall tour in support of the new album Anam Cara. [Charley Lee]

Most Likely to Make You Want to Commune with Nature

NANA GRIZOL

Main man Theo Hilton might sing with his guitar electric, but his lyrics long for an idyllic lifestyle long since passed: strolls through wild forests, cooling off with a swim in an ice cold creek, and evenings spent gazing at the stars. All these things are possible on the Orange Twin enclave where Hilton and some of his bandmates reside, but not in the geography of what most of America has become - a phenomenon that Hilton rails against on the group’s debut, Love It Love It. Nana Grizol’s jangle punk sound is invigorated by a collective of noted musicians including Laura Carter (Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, etc.), Robbie Cuchiarro (Neutral Milk Hotel), Ian Rickert (Titans of Filth/ Folklore), Madeline Adams and more. [Deirdre Sayre]

Most Welcome Return

Supercluster

SUPERCLUSTER

Few bands beamed as brightly in the early Athens music scene as Vanessa Briscoe Hay’s and Randy Bewley’s Pylon, and few voices emote like that of Briscoe Hay. The duo's latest collaboration, Supercluster, is back to remind us of the fact, adding a few more all-stars to the roster, including: Bob Hay (The Squalls, Bob Hay and the Jolly Beggars), Hannah Jones(SoundHouses), John Fernandes (Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, Elf Power), Kay Stanton (Casper and the Cookies) and Bill David. [DS]

Most Likely to Keep Your Attention

BUNNYGRUNT

There’s a lot to love in this 15-year-old St. Louis indie-pop act, a PopFest staple since its reformation in 2004. Most of Bunnygrunt's songs are short and sweet bursts of dynamic guitar-based powerpop clocking in at less than three minutes. Bunnygrunt is guaranteed to keep the most A.D.D.-afflicted among you focused. Also, make sure to catch the band's set as "Blondie-grunt" during PopFest as well, when the group performs, you guessed it, all Blondie covers. [DS]

Most Likely to Stay Stuck in Your Head

RUBY ISLE

If Ruby Isle's songs remind you of every amazing 1980s soundtrack hit you've ever heard, you probably already can't wait to get showered with sweat at the show. Ruby Isle's live set is nothing to be disappointed in either, with energy permeating the air and tons of bouncing, posing, and the occasional electric scooter solo. If this band doesn't hit it huge somehow, there's a horrible streak of wrongness in the universe. [Hillary Brown]

Most Likely to Surprise You

Cryptacize

CRYPTACIZE

Cryptacize is as charming as indie-pop comes these days, but with more pleasant surprises than most.  Chris Cohen, Nedelle Torrisi and Michael Carreira tear pages from music's lesser-read chapters of history, evoking lost Tin Pan Alley ballads and tender R&B.  A perfect marriage of Nedelle's bossa-tinged solo material and Chris' tilt-a-whirl material with his own project, The Curtains; Cryptacize is a doozy. [Jeff Tobias]

Best Eyelashes

Casper and the Cookies

CASPER AND THE COOKIES

During his eight years in Athens, guitarist Jason Nesmith has been in high demand, celebrated for his considerable skill on the axe as well as for his enthusiastic onstage persona, playing with celebrated Athens psych-pop acts Of Montreal, The Sunshine Fix and the Late B.P. Helium. Nesmith created Casper and the Cookies nearly 10 years ago to showcase his own songs, which bear testimony to a panoply of pop influences from the previous four decades, as well as a quirky sense of humor. Expect a set of all new songs. [DS]

Most Likely to Become Pen-pals After PopFest

The Coathangers

HOTPANTS ROMANCE and THE COATHANGERS

It'll be a real treat to see Manchester's Hotpants Romance immediately followed by Atlanta's Coathangers. Both grrl groups are edgy, reckless garage punks, and, despite being separated by an ocean, they'll find a lot in common musically for sure.

Most Likely to Already be on Your iPod

DEAD CONFEDERATE, ELF POWER, DARK MEAT and TWIN TIGERS

Some bands need no introduction, but since PopFest will see a lot of out-of-town visitors and new students; let's just say if you aren't already familiar with these driving forces, now is the time. Check out the Dead Confederate CD review here.

Michelle Gilzenrat