The Selmanaires/Anna Kramer drop albums in January

In case you haven't been following it, or in case it's not located in your backyard like it is for us, Atlanta's music scene has been attracting a little extra attention lately. Excellent new albums from Deerhunter, Black Lips, Mastodon, Manchester Orchestra and Snowden have served as a wake-up call to the rest of the country, and with a little luck, the great press raining down upon the ATL will bring to light some of the city's lesser-heralded (but not lesser awesome) acts.

Case in point, two groups on Atlanta label International Hits: The Selmanaires and Anna Kramer and the Lost Cause. The former, a Paste Band of the Week, has just returned from flaunting its Kinksian pop, funky bass and shout-along vocal harmonizations on tour with pals Black Lips. The latter, led by the Miss Kramer herself, churns out an often-raucous and boozy form of country rock. Both come highly recommended, and incidentally, both also have albums out on Jan. 22.

The Selmanaires will release The Air Salemen, three songs off of which you can preview on the band's MySpace page. The group will also perform at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse with Snowden, Black Lips and Deerhunter on Nov. 30.

Kramer will release her International Hits debut, The Rustic Sounds of Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause. The woman Atlanta alt-weekly Creative Loafing awarded its best local singer/songwriter award in both 2005 and 2006 also has a pair of new tracks on her MySpace page for your listening pleasure.