12 Area Standouts to Watch for in ’92

T he top 1991 freshmen of Southern California come from all over the musical map--from rap to country to Beatle-pop to grunge-rock. Here’s a look at the 12 new area acts who’ve made the biggest splash this year.

Eleven: With a lineage that includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the intriguing but short-lived art-crunch band What Is This and the co-ed duet Walk the Moon, the L.A. trio displays a veteran’s sureness and a neophyte’s eagerness on its debut album, “Awake in a Dream”--pop-rock with a soul tinge, a philosophical slant and a melancholy undercurrent.

L7: No tricks, just unbridled, direct, inescapably infectious rock from four women who appear overjoyed at what they’re doing. The quartet is recording its major-label debut album for Slash Records with producer Butch Vig, currently riding high on his Nirvana credit.