by LORRAINE CARPENTER

Now that every season is festival season, Under the Snow is here to satiate indie connoisseurs in these hibernal times, courtesy of Emoragei magazine founder and Where Are My Records chief Jeff Rioux. An accompanying compilation, Sous la neige, is out on WAMR today. Located somewhere between Pop Montreal and Victoriaville's Festival internationale de musique actuelle, both stylistically and on the calendar, the inaugural edition of Under the Snow promises "The best in indie music right now," according to Rioux, with Canadian, American and Dutch bands bringing sounds ranging from post-rock to folk to electronic (check www.underthesnow.ca for full details).

"I want to help bands I love," says Rioux, "and create something not just for people who will come out for a particular band, but for those who want to discover music."

Here's a look at one band from each of Under the Snow's six bills:

We vs. Death: From the Netherlands, where brassy instrumental rock is reportedly as rare as mind-altering greenery is plentiful, this quintet dot their driving guitar lines with horns and cross their propulsive rhythm with peek-a-boo time signatures. Once described as "Ze zijn hier meer in-your-face dan op de vorige CD, ook harder en misschien wel indrukwekkender," We vs. Death have a lot to live up to. With Up the Empire, Laval and Camaromance at Casa del Popolo tonight, Thurs., March 3, 9 p.m., $10

vitaminsforyou: In Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto (his current home base), the prolific and versatile artist known as vitaminsforyou has been exploring the melodic possibilities of microscopic sound since 1998. Having collaborated with artists in the techno, electroacoustic and electropop realms, and written theatre, film and spoken word soundtracks, vitaminsforyou mines for those rare diamonds that are just as brilliant on every side. With Montag, Mitchell Akiyama and Millimetrik at La Sala Rossa tonight, Thurs., March 3, 9 p.m., $12

The Besnard Lakes: With sprawling, sun-bleached melodies tucked into their brooding psychedelic rock sound, Montreal's Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas are like a pop duo in deep space, with gravity issues and epic hallucinations impeding their every step to stardom. And someone tell ground control that they'd like some water - lots of water - and pizza. With Panopticon Eyelids, Taïga and TheBrotherKite at Casa del Popolo, Fri., March 4, 9 p.m., $10

Below the Sea: From Montreal and Quebec City, Below the Sea's pretty post-rock compositions take their time and take up a lot of space, producing a surprisingly neat and economical sound considering the largesse of their palette. The trio has released half a dozen EPs and albums since 1999, mostly via Where Are My Records, charming fans in both la belle province and overseas with their shoegazing tendencies and snowed-in melancholia. With Sianspheric and Mice Parade at La Sala Rossa, Fri., March 4, 9 p.m., $14

Magneta Lane: From Toronto with love, these young ladies administered an antidote to what they call "the faux punk posturing of today's manufactured young rock bands" with their 2004 debut disc The Constant Lover. The trio poured their hearts and hottest riffs into songs inspired by the Kinks, Sonic Youth, the Velvet Underground and Nancy Sinatra, producing an inviting and intoxicating rock brew. With Nara and Merkin Dream at Casa del Popolo, Sat., March 5, 9 p.m., $10

Calla: Formed in Texas, based in Brooklyn, this band's indie rock murder ballads could make a red state turn blue, if only by auto-erotic asphyxiation. Their three LPs' worth of patient, radiant, unrelenting guitar lines and world weary vocals stealthily work their way into you until, before you know it, you're fucked. With destroyalldreamers and Barzin, Sun., March 6, 9 p.m., $16

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