In honor of 2010’s halfway mark, NME has made a list of the 50 best bands to debut this year. In usual NME style, a good chunk of what the mag calls the “most exciting new acts” are from predictable places like London, New York, or California. (The No. 1 band, Best Coast, hails from Los Angeles; the other top nine are all from elsewhere in California or New York, London, Manchester, and Chicago.) The only Seattle musician on the list–ranked at No. 33–is Perfume Genius, the alter-ego of Mike Hadreas, possibly the saddest bastard to ever make sad bastard music. (Avi Buffalo, a Sub Pop-signee from California, came in at No. 41.) I’ve got to agree with NME on one thing: Hadreas really is good. His piano keys and high-pitched voice manage to sound unique while still traversing well-known singer-songwriter terrain (i.e., Elliott Smith). The song NME uses as an example, “Lookout, Lookout,” actually manages to use the word “murder” dramatically without sounding melodramatic. Not sold on NME’s verdict? Perfume Genius plays the Crocodile Sept. 22.