Oh My Rockness

Brooklyn's Yvette is one of those wonderfully noisy bands that make you grab your temples, open your mouth, and yell "AHHHHH!" And that's a compliment. It's fun to yell "AHHHHH!" sometimes.

This duo reminds me a lot of HEALTH, for sure. And like that similarly boisterous band, there are a plethora of mighty melodies underneath this band's massive racket. We're not just talking random feedback turned up to 11 here. Anyone can do that. We're talking carefully crafted song structure, which very few can do. Yes, structure is possible (even essential) in the avant garde experimental noise genre. Believe it.

Yvette's concise-and-quick songs are deafening and distorted and drone-y and drum-y and din-y and dare I say, even kind of danceable. You can bop to this, but you better wear earplugs as you do.

Yvette has played recent shows with such clamor stars as Pterodactyl, Male Bonding, No Joy, The So So Glos and Fiasco.

Good stuff. Good band. Never has grabbing your temples, opening your mouth, and screaming "AHHHH!" been so enjoyable.

Yvette plays Bruar Falls, on Friday, June 17th.

Oh My Rockness has tickets to giveaway to some upcoming shows!

Win tickets to see WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS at Mercury Lounge 6/3 or Music Hall of Williamsburg 6/4!

Win a pair of passes to the 54/10 MUSIC MARATHON at Ars Nova this month!

Win tickets to see BON IVER at Prospect Park Bandshell 8/10!

Win tickets to see M. WARD at The Wellmont Theatre 8/11!

Win tickets to see EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY at The Wellmont Theatre 10/3!

Ontario's Memoryhouse is the duo of Denise Nouvion (vocals) and Evan Abeele (hit maker). Together, they create slow, ethereal dream-pop ambience that makes for a perfect soundtrack should you find yourself drifting out to sea on a cushy rubber raft.

I mean, drifting out to sea on a raft (cushy or not cushy) would probably totally suck. But if you had to do it, and you had an iPod (actually this is best listened to on a turntable, but a turntable on a raft at sea isn't a very realistic scenario, now is it), Memoryhouse's mellow hazy swirl will surely help you navigate the waves and keep your mind relaxed.

It's all about pretty textures and lush layers with this band. It's kind of like classical-gaze. Yeah, that's it; classical-gaze. So maybe think Grizzly Bear (whom Memoryhouse has covered) meets a way more mellow Black Tambourine or something. Maybe they're like Washed Out and Small Black and all those other beach-y bands. Maybe they're just Memoryhouse.

As of this writing (2 B.C.), the band is on a long tour with the similar sounding (and similarly exceptional) band, Twin Sister. You should check out that tour. Anyway, this is a good band to drift out to sea to...if you had to do it.

Memoryhouse plays Glasslands, on Friday, June 10th, and at Pianos, on Saturday, June 11th.

Nightlands is Philadelphia's Dave Hartley. He plays bass in The War on Drugs, which we like a lot. But we're not here to talk about them some more.

Nightlands makes machine-made orchestral dream-pop goodness. There are lots of brightly ethereal loops, textured multi-instrumental layers, and all sorts of angelic vocals and harmonies going on here.

The result is that one quick listen to Nightlands will have everything around you seem, dare I say, beatific. It's certainly not a buzzkill. This is the shit angels listen to... the cool angels who want to cut class and smoke grass... but decide not to because... they're angels.

Nightlands is for fans of Animal Collective, Panda Bear, A Lull and Active Child. And check out the band's (one man = a band? I don't know) debut album. It's called Forget the Mantra and it... what's the word... rules.

Nightlands play Bowery Ballroom, on Saturday, June 4th.

Get up-to-the-second show updates and oh so much more.

Delicate Steve is the work of New Jersey's Steve Marion (he's got a band for the stage stuff). Word on the street is that this guy plays over 40 instruments. I believe it. Listen to Delicate Steve and you will not be able to say this guy sounds even remotely like any other band that has ever lived EVER.

Sounds like hyperbole? If you think so, you didn't do what I just told you to do and listen to them. Instead, you stayed here reading this boring profile.

I could describe Delicate Steve's music for you... if I were a poet. But I'm not. Or perhaps I could describe them if I were more in tune with the unseen spiritual side of life. But mostly I'm just in tune with bacon. So I'll just leave it at "listen to Delicate Steve for yourself" and call it a day.

But I probably would be remiss and shirking my duties as "Band We Like" bro if I didn't say that Delicate Steve plays some of the most engaging music I've heard in a long time. Actually, screw a long time. I'm sticking with "ever." Delicate Steve plays some of the most engaging music I've heard, EVER.

Delicate Steve plays The Deli Magazine Festival at Brooklyn Bowl, on Saturday, May 28th.

Brooklyn's BELL is a band led by Alaska's own Olga Bell. Bell (as in the person, not the band) gets compared often to Bjork. I think this is because she has a really nice almost other-worldly voice and combines that with super melodic synth-ness.

And those synths float over some seriously hyper & scattered machine-made beats. Bjork still does all that too, right? Unless Matthew Barney mellowed her out?

Anyway, I also hear some Dirty Projectors similarities going on with BELL too. But BELL goes more electro than the D to the P. This is super good. Did I say that already?

This band should tour with another one of our new favs, Zambri. I'd pay to see that show. But then again, I'd also pay to just see BELL. So everyone is a winner here.

If you have to start somewhere, go treat yourself and check out BELL's big time remix of Phoenix' modern day classic jam "1901." It's good stuff. They have other good songs too though... just in case that wasn't implied. BTW, how is this band still unsigned? That's messed up, yo.

BELL plays Knitting Factory, on Thursday, May 26th.

6/04 School of Seven Bells @ Brooklyn Bowl
6/16 Best Coast @ (le) poisson rouge (A Planned Parenthood of NYC Action Fund Benefit)
7/22 Death From Above 1979 @ Williamsburg Waterfront
7/29 The Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom
7/30 Christie Front Drive @ The Bell House (Presale Code: InstantRomance)
8/11 M. Ward, Kurt Vile & the Violators @ The Wellmont Theatre
8/13 Woods, Ducktails @ Bowery Ballroom
8/22 Deerhunter @ Webster Hall
9/08 TV on the Radio @ Williamsburg Waterfront
9/14 Toro y Moi @ Webster Hall
AND LOTS MORE...

Brooklyn's The Hairs is Kelvin Alvir and his friends (including sometimes Alex Naidus of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart... WOW! OMG! LUV!). Alvir is in Knight School. Knight School is a good band too.

The Hairs play catchy and kinda quirky indie pop that goes all lo-fi and comes with lots of fuzz. It's bouncy and happy and funny and borders on being "twee." And it's good. Dare I say this is almost whistling worthy, too?

This band has been compared to other bands like Guided by Voices, Cloud Nothings, Daniel Johnston and U2. Ok, only I compare them to U2... and that's only because both U2 and The Hairs are bands that use guitars.

So anyway, The Hairs are a perfectly likeable band that sounds charmingly budget. But there're some strong songs going on here. These aren't just some kids messing around thinking it would be fun to be in a band and stuff. It may sound that way to you at times, but during those times, you would be wrong. (Love telling people I don't know that they're wrong).

Go see The Hairs. It sometimes features Alex Naidus of The Pains. WOW! OMG! LUV!

The Hairs play Brooklyn Fireproof, on Tuesday, May 17th, at Death by Audio, on Saturday, May 21st, and at The Rock Shop, on Sunday, May 22nd.

Ok, this whole Glen Rock vs. Ridgewood, NJ thing is getting out of control. The neighboring towns keep dueling it out by dishing out good pop band after good pop band. For every Titus Andronicus and Liam the Younger and Average Girl that Glen Rock delivers, Ridgewood answers back ferociously with Real Estate and Ducktails and Fluffy Lumbers and now... Family Portrait.

Sure, it's all fun and games between these two towns now... but these types of things can easily turn volatile. And hey, I don't want another Tupac vs. Biggie situation brewing. Keep it clean, Ridgewood and Glen Rock. Keep. It. Clean.

Any-who... if you like the beach-y sounds of... Real Estate and... Ducktails and... Fluffy Lumbers... you'll like Family Portrait! Yeah-whooo! I'm joking when I make those comparisons, but it's a double joke on me because it's true.

Anyway, I really think it's up to Underwater Peoples to make sure this rivalry stays friendly and doesn't get out of control. They put themselves squarely in the middle of this "friendly" pop fight, after all. Make sure no one gets hurt out there.

Family Portrait plays The Bell House, on Friday, May 20th, and Maxwell's, on Saturday, May 21st.

6/17 The Books, Doveman @ Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
6/30 Justin Townes Earle @ Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
7/23 The Feelies, Real Estate, Times New Viking @ Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
8/05 Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, Buke and Gass @ Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
8/09 Bon Iver @ United Palace Theatre
AND MORE...

Atlanta's Gold-Bears are a four-piece that plays super catchy (and super fuzzy) ramshackle (whatever that means) indie-pop that really tries to make you happy to be alive (whether or not they succeed in making you happy to be alive is more up to you and your issues).

Gold-Bears' snappy guitar pop with plenty of jangle has been compared to bands such as The Wedding Present (the jingle) and The Pains (the cheery distortion) and Boy Racer (I don't know, I just kinda work here). And I compare them to Superchunk (because they sound like Superchunk).

There's really no way a reasonable person would not like Gold-Bears. So if you stand to the left on crowded escalators, and text while walking through crosswalks, and eat fast food on trains, and never use your turn signal, and start a deli order by saying "I need" rather than "Can I have" (or better yet "May I please have?") you will NOT like Gold-Bears... because you are not a reasonable person.

For the rest of you normal people, perhaps you've found the next pop band to cuddle and love and hug and swaddle. Get it, Gold-Bears. You go out and GET IT!

Gold-Bears play Cake Shop, on Thursday, May 19th.

Porcelain Raft plays pretty, low key mood music that makes you feel sad (but not too sad) and nostalgic and probably bittersweet about past things known only unto you. And it's all the work of one Londoner (by way of Italy) named Mauro Remiddi. He used to be in that band Sunny Day Sets Fire (which I thought was one of the most derivative band names of recent years... but who asked me).

Porcelain Raft kind of reminds me of a more lo-fi Youth Group. Remember them? This is just kind of fragile (Porcelain) easy-going pop with choruses that slowly float around (Raft). It's also kind of hazy, but not in that overly layered sort of way.

Hell, I don't know. It's mellow. That's all it is. It's mellow. And I like it. Because I've always been prone to stewing about the things done that can't be undone. Stewing about the things done that can't be undone is SO PUNK ROCK! Actually, it's not. It's Porcelain Raft.

Porcelain Raft plays Mercury Lounge, on Saturday, May 14th.

Reggie Watts is a musician/comedian (or comedian/musician) who is quite possibly the funniest man on the planet. And he's funny on all sorts of levels. The musical loops, samples, big time beats and reverb heavy vocals he incorporates into his performance are really, really funny. And his scattered, all-over-the-place delivery is extremely funny too.

But what makes Reggie Watts REALLY funny is this whole sub-layer thing he's got going on. He's basically doing a concealed shtick on being a stand-up comedian/performer, even if he'll never admit that's what he's doing. And he buries this shtick so deep into his act that you really have to dig for it to unearth the comedic jewels of the performance.

Reggie Watts disguises the parody so well many audiences may not "get it." Yet this isn't exclusionary comedy, by any means. What makes Reggie Watts' act so wonderful is that even if you don't "get" his hidden, transcendent layer of brilliance (and it IS brilliant), you'll still 100% be able to enjoy his performance; because even on the surface of things, this dude is just straight-up FUNNY.

When Reggie Watts performs in your town, you GO. I recently saw him at Highline Ballroom and my ribs and abs literally hurt for days after from laughing so hard. Seriously. It felt like I did 10,000 crunches with a barrel of bricks resting on my chest. It was worth it though. Pain never felt so inspiring.

(Reggie Watts....can I be you for a night? Just so I can know what it feels like to completely take over a room and kill 'em with comedy? Come on. Just one night. I promise I'll give you your mind and body back right after the show. What's the big deal?)

Reggie Watts and co-collaborator Tommy Smith perform a multi-night show called Radio Play. Click on that link to find out all about it. I'll be there FOR SURE.

Reggie Watts plays The Fonda Theater, on Wednesday, May 30th.

5/20 Dan Deacon @ Museum of Natural History
5/25 Matt & Kim @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/14 Junior Boys, Miracle Fortress @ Webster Hall
6/16 Atlas Sound @ St. Cecilia's RC Church (Northside Festival)
7/13 Ratatat @ Central Park Summerstage
8/08 The Kills @ Terminal 5
and more...

Hilly Eye is a duo featuring guitarist/vocalist Amy Klein (violinist/guitarist of Titus Andronicus) and drummer/vocalist Catherine Tung. Klein has been quoted as saying Hilly Eye sounds like "Sleater Kinney meets Lightning Bolt." Sounds nice and right to me.

This band's songs are powerful and percussive and raw and ragged. It rocks the "riot grrrrl" thing and the "noise thing" and the "psych thing" (and the "good songs thing," too).

This is super stripped down (they are a duo, after all), which makes the power generated all the more impressive. You've got all sorts of super nice guitar jam-outs at work here via Klein (that go SCREECH WAHHHH WEEEEE... you know, things like that) that play out nicely over all the BOOM BOOM BAH BOOMS of Tung.

I'm into it. Nice and gritty times for Hilly Eye, who just released their debut EP Fireworks. It's full of them... fireworks, that is.

Hilly Eye plays Knitting Factory, on Saturday, May 7th, and at Death by Audio, on Sunday, May 8th.

Computer Magic is the superbly addictive electro-synth-pop project of Danz (guess she only has one name... like The Fonz... well, minus his whole "Arthur" and "Fonzarelli" thing).

I don't know much about Danz, except that she lives in Brooklyn and makes all of this music herself. I know that live she has two other guys helping her realize this beat-driven, swirling, synth-y sound.

I know that she kind of sounds like Blondie. I know you probably shouldn't compare someone to Blondie just because they are a blonde woman who sings nice jams over electro beats. I know, but I do it anyway.

I know with catchy melodies like these, Danz is probably going to be an indie rock star someday. And I know going to see Computer Magic will most definitely be worth your $8 or $10 or $15 or however much the kids pay at shows these days.

Check out this new Computer Magic jam!

Computer Magic plays Coco 66, on Thursday, May 5th.

Including Wavves, The Radio Dept., Deer Tick and more...

Check out our FREE SUMMER SHOW LIST!

Brooklyn's Mr. Dream is the type of band that would write a song and call it "Knuckle Sandwich." Actually, Mr. Dream IS a band that wrote a song and called it "Knuckle Sandwich." Imagine what a song that's called "Knuckle Sandwich" would sound like. Imagining? Ok, good news! Your imagination is right! That sounds exactly like Mr. Dream!

But in case you had a brain cramp, Mr. Dream sounds like heavy hitting old bands like The Jesus Lizard and Shellac and, more recently, that band Double Dagger. You know, bands that come at you high, hard and tight. And raw. And angular. And oh yeah, really bass-y too. And DEFINITELY not chill-wave.

Mr. Dream won't synth you up. They'll rip your heart out and eat it... and maybe even slather some Tabasco sauce all over it before they do. Dang, Mr. Dream! Why you gotta go eat my heart like that?

One final thought. Mr. Dream has a song called "Crime." Imagine what a song like that would sound like and... yep, you got it again! Your imagination is getting pretty good at this.

Mr. Dream plays Pianos, on Saturday, April 30th.

Lower Dens is a new band out of Baltimore, but you may already be in love with their smoky, folk-y and psych-y singer. Her name is Jana Hunter. I thought you would know that name.

She has been playing stripped-down, eccentro-folk to enchanted fans for a while now, and has released some critically acclaimed albums for friend Devendra Banhart's Gnomonsong record label. She's not huge, but the people that like her REALLY like her.

With her band, Lower Dens, Hunter still has that same slow, hazy swirl thing going on, but add a little more drone-punk-lo-fi jam-outs to the mix and you get something much more rocking than her solo stuff.

If you like Beach House, I bet you like Lower Dens. And I bet I'm not the first nor the last to say such a risk-free statement. Both bands have the same haunting-yet-rocking type of vibe.

To start, might I suggest you check out Lower Den's song "A Dog's Dick." Or, perhaps "Two Cocks" is more up your alley. Sheesh, when did Jana Hunter turn into Luther Campbell?

Lower Dens play Mercury Lounge, on Sunday, May 1st.

San Francisco's Grass Widow are three women who rock the swirling and surf-y lo-fi sound that's kind of like Stereolab crossed with Vivian Girls crossed with The Kinks. Ok, perhaps that's reductive and kind of a stretch. But it sure looks nice on paper.

Their complex, interwoven songs meld intricate vocal harmonies with hints of the beach. No, not the nouveau beach rock that started circa 2009. This beach rock comes without the synths and without the glow and without the chill. This beach rock comes straight from the year 1961, but with some riptide.

Grass Widow recently put out some super solid records for Captured Tracks (Craft Spells, Beach Fossils, Blank Dogs and lots more good bands) and Kill Rock Stars (don't need to tell you about Kill Rock Stars). On the scene since 2007, they've played shows with Sonic Youth, The Thermals, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall and countless other OMR faves.

We're gobbling Grass Widow up like a good, greasy plate lunch. And if you don't know what a plate lunch is, I'm sorry you've never been to Hawaii. Hawaii is pretty dope. So is Grass Widow.

Grass Widow plays Glasslands, on Saturday, April 23rd, and Death by Audio, on Sunday, April 24th.

San Francisco's The Fresh & Onlys are yet another really good garage-pop band from the Bay Area, riding the recent wave that includes Girls, Ty Segall, Weekend, and Thee Oh Sees to name but a few.

The four guys play nice guitar jingle-jangle that comes at you with a little twist of reverb darkness and a dab of... Spaghetti Western twang? Yep, all sorts of weird stuff going on here. But I'm not done yet, because sometimes this pop morphs into something extremely sunny, and sometimes the band just hunkers down and goes all psych-y.

So what's going on? Who knows. It's kind of hard to pin this sound down, because a band like this apparently grabs their influences from all over the place. But whatever they choose to sound like, they always choose to make it go POP. And we always support the pop.

I definitely hear a bit of The Dodos, so if you like them (or any of those SF bands I just mentioned) you'll probably be into The Fresh & Onlys. People are calling their record Play It Strange one of the best records of 2010, too. Records rule. So do people.

The Fresh & Onlys play Music Hall of Williamsburg, on Saturday, April 23rd.

Follow us for up-to-the-second show updates.

Most music videos that are "funny" aren't really that funny. Jamaica's "I Think I Like U 2" video is the exception. That video is funny. It chronicles the Paris pop duo's rise (and fall) to superstardom as they take over the world with their catchy choruses. It's all tongue-in-cheek of course, since no one has ever really heard of Jamaica. Yet.

But these two dudes better be careful about what they're making fun of, because with sticky pop songs like the ones they've been cranking out, this band very well might take over the world. At the very least, the radio waves.

If you like Phoenix, you will certainly like Jamaica. If you don't like Phoenix, you're weird. Who doesn't like Phoenix? What, you don't like happiness?

Anyway, go see this band sooner rather than later. You don't have too much longer to see someone like Phoenix at Jamaica prices. And oh yeah, Jamaica don't play reggae.

Jamaica play Knitting Factory, on Thursday, April 14th, at Mercury Lounge, on Friday, April 15th, and a Kidrockers show at The Living Room, on Saturday, April 16th.

Delicate Steve is the work of New Jersey's Steve Marion (he's got a band for the stage stuff). Word on the street is that this guy plays over 40 instruments. I believe it. Listen to Delicate Steve and you will not be able to say this guy sounds even remotely like any other band that has ever lived EVER.

Sounds like hyperbole? If you think so, you didn't do what I just told you to do and listen to them. Instead, you stayed here reading this boring profile.

I could describe Delicate Steve's music for you... if I were a poet. But I'm not. Or perhaps I could describe them if I were more in tune with the unseen spiritual side of life. But mostly I'm just in tune with bacon. So I'll just leave it at "listen to Delicate Steve for yourself" and call it a day.

But I probably would be remiss and shirking my duties as "Band We Like" bro if I didn't say that Delicate Steve plays some of the most engaging music I've heard in a long time. Actually, screw a long time. I'm sticking with "ever." Delicate Steve plays some of the most engaging music I've heard, EVER.

Delicate Steve - Butterfly by monstermo

Delicate Steve plays The Echo, on Tuesday, July 3rd.

4/12 TV on the Radio @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/18 Girl Talk, Neon Indian, Passion Pit, Miami Horror @ Governors Island (Governors Ball)
6/18 Guided By Voices, Wavves @ McCarren Park (Northside Festival)
8/02 Sufjan Stevens @ Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn)
AND MORE...

Wham City strikes its magical electro pop attack again! Baltimore's Adventure is the sweet 8-bit work from the magical mind of Benny Boeldt, a one man instant party. If you were into those old Super Nintendo video games and if you like the synth sounds that often came with them, there's a very good chance you're going to like this.

Adventure creates super melodic pop jams born in influence from a gaming screen and now sprung to life on the stage. Using cheerful synth blips, happy glitches and clicks, and super smooth vocals, Boeldt creates an atmosphere of joyful nostalgia. Well, nostalgia if you're approximately 25-35 in age.

And during their shows, Adventure goes all out; an explosion of bubbles... brightly colored full body suits... crazy lights and swirling projections. In other words, it's kind of like you're watching a live action video game unfold right before your eyes. There won't be any staring at laptops with dazed indifference to the audience at an Adventure show. They make it A SHOW.

Man, I should bust out the old Nintendo again. It probably won't be as fun as Adventure though. And it DEFINITELY won't rock out as much.

Adventure plays (with Toro y Moi + Braids) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, on Sunday, April 10th, and at Bowery Ballroom, on Monday, April 11th.

Seattle's Craft Spells (led by Justin Vallesteros) play shiny lo-fi that leans heavily on the '80s-influenced synth-ness. Young Judd Nelson could have been rocking out to this as he made one poor decision after another, only for everything ultimately to end up ok with him in the end. I mean, he could have been listening to Craft Spells when he wasn't busy listening to New Order and Simple Minds, of course.

This band likes to tread the line between sounding both bright and also sort of gloomy. Maybe it's just a goth-pop thing or something. But when those keys start twinkling and that electro drum pad starts tapping, this music is more happy than not.

And ho-hum, Craft Spells are just another solid band signed to Captured Tracks (Blank Dogs, Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing).

A good band. I'm going to listen to this the next time I have detention fo r sure.

Craft Spells plays (with Beach Fossils) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, on Friday, April 8th, and at Glasslands, on Saturday, April 9th.

NYC's Zambri is the strangely compelling electro industrial pop project of sisters Cristi Jo and Jessica. I bet you can guess what their last name is. No? Fine, I'll just tell you. It's Zambri.

Zambri's songs are songs that make you "feel" something. And that feeling isn't emo. That feeling is, "This is kind of magical, but I'm also slightly freaked out." Zambri's music makes me feel kind of how that band Austra makes me feel. Maybe it's the twisted distorted noise. Maybe it’s the all those minor keys swooping down like low flying predators to meet the beats. Maybe it's the sisters' haunting harmonies. Hell, maybe it's just the layers. Layers have always frightened me.

I can't really explain Zambri. I can only feel it. And I feel it by feeling the goose-bumps on the back of my neck when I hear these songs. Alright, I just made that up. I don't actually have goose-bumps. I thought it would just be a fun thing to say. But I don't back down from any of the haunting creepy "feelings" this duo gives me.

If you want to see and/or listen to something that's magically creepy in a poppy industrial sort of way, Zambri just might be the band for you. And probably is the only band for you. Who else sounds like this? Well, Kate Bush kinda I guess.

Zambri does a residency at Pianos every Tuesday in April.

4/5 Ra Ra Riot, 4/27 Low, 5/4 Gang Gang Dance, 5/7 Yuck, 5/12 & 5/13 Dirty Beaches, 5/19 & 5/20 The Antlers, 6/2 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, 6/9 & 6/10 The Dodos and more...

This band might have been the best band we saw at this year's SXSW. Just saying....

San Francisco's Weekend play noisy fuzz-pop that shines with strong melodies, however buried they appear to be under the deafening din. Weekend's songs often start as clean jingle strums in that lo-fi mode we've all come to know and love (or hate), and end up in a wall of deliciously crushing shoegaze distortion. Yes! I love it when those swirly bands tap that pedal!

As for "sounds like" bands, think the obvious comparisons like Jesus & Mary Chain meets No Age meets Sonic Youth meets their Slumberland labelmates and touring mates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

(BTW, I say "obvious comparisons" to absolve myself from any responsibility of coming up with original band comparisons or, better yet, no band comparisons at all that unfairly pigeonhole a band based on a lazy writer's whims... just so we're on the same page.) Anyway, this band kind of rules.

Weekend play (with Wire!) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, on Tuesday, April 5th, and Mercury Lounge (with Little Girls!), on Wednesday, April 6th.

(Dark Wave / Rising Sun Japan Benefit Poster by Shepard Fairey - Buy Here)

Japan Benefit Concerts:
3/27 Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Cibo Matto and more @ Miller Theatre
3/29 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, Patti Smith, Cibo Matto @ (le) poisson rouge
4/08 Thurston Moore, Erik Friedlander and more @ Abrons Art Center
4/08 Norah Jones, Buke and Gass and more @ Abrons Art Center
4/09 Philip Glass, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and more @ Japan Society

New Concerts Added This Week:
3/31 !!! (chik chik chik) @ NYU's E&L Auditorium
5/06 Minus the Bear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/08 Interpol, Blonde Redhead @ Terminal 5
6/01 Death Cab For Cutie @ Bowery Ballroom
AND MORE JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE...

Another master remixer making good on his own, Miami Horror is the production/band project of Melbourne's Benjamin Plant.

Before getting this full-on neon party band together, Plant made his name remixing for other bands, like The Presets, Bloc Party and Datarock. But this dude has too many sweet original beats to keep attaching them to other people's jams.

So as the band Miami Horror (which has live instruments and stuff... not just laptops), Plant and three other dudes create electro-disco-soul-hop-pop. It's party music that doesn't suck. And that's not an easy thing to create.

Miami Horror is for fans of LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Don Johnson, lovers of drinks with plastic umbrellas in them, and Jacko.

You will also be particularly drawn to Miami Horror if you like lots of machine-made hand claps in your songs. And who doesn't like machine-made hand claps, really? Sad sacks. That's who.

Miami Horror plays Knitting Factory Brooklyn, on Monday, March 28th, and Mercury Lounge, on Tuesday, March 29th.

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New York's (via Wisconsin) Yellow Ostrich is the work of the forever prolific Alex Shaaf. He's self-released a TON of stuff (six records in 2010 alone!) so I wasn't just saying "prolific" to say "prolific," know what I'm saying?

Live, Shaaf works with drummer Michael Tapper (of course that's his last name) who is (was?) in We Are Scientists and Bishop Allen.

Together, Yellow Ostrich creates mostly mellow music that's looped and layered and kind of lo-fi folk-y. It's also got a pleasant eccentric vibe about it that makes you want to listen to these well-crafted songs with wide, bemused eyes.

I don't know what other bands Yellow Ostrich sounds like, so don't ask me. I will say that if you like your melodic pop to come with texture and substance and just a bit of off-kilter-ness, Yellow Ostrich might be the band for you.

Yellow Ostrich plays The Echo, on Friday, March 25th.

Ontario's PS I Love You sounds a lot like Wolf Parade. Like, kind of a lot. Maybe Wolf Parade meets Oberhofer, if you want to throw another band comparison in there for comparison's sake.

Or we can just stick with Wolf Parade. Same catchy distorted guitar-driven melodies. Same throaty vocals. Same sparingly eccentro-electro. You know how it is. Oh, but this band is a duo. So boom. Boom goes the dynamite.

But anyway, PS I Love You writes some pretty damn good songs. I like to rock out to them. Have you ever rocked out? It's fun to do that sometimes. You can find this duo's debut full-length on Paper Bag records. Thought I was going to say Sub Pop, didn't you?

As of this writing PS I Love You is on tour with Diamond Rings. Hey, we wrote about them once!

In conclusion, PS I Love You is a band we can ALL get behind. Thank you.

PS I Love You play Mercury Lounge, on Wednesday, March 30th, and at Glasslands, on Thursday, March 31st.

I don't know where these guys have been hiding, but I'm sure glad I stumbled on them. Actually, many people probably already love these guys. I'm admittedly not that plugged into the metal scene. And that's my bad. But I found out about East of the Wall when they toured with Goes Cube last year.

Now, we've said for years that Goes Cube SLAYS HARD, so anyone they tour with is worth at least a listen. But East of the Wall are worth a whole lot more than just a listen, because guess what? These five dudes SLAY TOO! This is METAL, man. Metal.

If you don't like big time riffs and growling vocal shrieks and drum pummeling that rip your ears off, East of the Wall is not the band for you. If you like all that stuff but think most metal today sucks anyway, East of the Wall is the band for you. Because this metal doesn't suck.

Man, I wish I was in a band like this. How sweet would it be to go on stage and let it rip and know you totally destroy everything and everybody in the room? One day I'll know that feeling. One day. But between now and then (first I'll need to learn an instrument) I can always channel those feelings vicariously by seeing East of the Wall shred.

They're for those metal fans who are convinced there's no good metal out there anymore. Yes, there is! Yes, we can!

East of the Wall play Union Pool, on Thursday, March 24th.

Michigan/Chicago band Salem creates a musical vibe that's definitely creepy (their name is Salem, after all). And the creepiness is coupled with these big-time scattered break beats which add to this overall feeling of skittishness.

But just to mix things up, there's this really full, lush shoegaze situation going on in these songs too, which makes things sometimes sound kind of almost pretty and epic. But alas, that prettiness quickly fades when the slo-mo distorted and slightly deranged Southern-style rapping comes into play. I don't know what that is, but pretty it's not.

So yeah, I'm not sure I totally get Salem. But I keep listening to them to find out why I don't really get them. And that's usually a good sign that a band is at least onto something interesting. I'll keep listening and let you know if I come to any great revelations, but I'll be honest with you, Salem still creeps me out.

Salem plays Santos Party House, on Saturday, March 19th.

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Brooklyn's Blondes is the duo of Zach Steinman and Sam Haar. We feel this. We FEEL it. These two dudes sure know how to write straight-up dance jams (you know, for people who don't really go out dancing... this is more for people who like to pretend they are dancing when, in actuality, they're working on their laptop at a coffee shop).

Yes, this is more electro-something (dance? rock? pants?), a genre we always seem to be writing about. But who cares! Blondes rule! Why wouldn't we want to write about their sweet, synth-y club hits (it would have to be the right club of course... if the place has a coat check and/or an aquarium of some sort, it's probably not the best spot to jam out to Blondes)?

So what makes Blondes so good? I don't know, what makes any electro awesome-ness so good? Maybe if it makes your body slither like a snake trying to stand up that means it is good electro? Maybe if it gives you the courage to jump over on one leg in front of nightlife strangers, a la Kid 'n Play, it is good electro? Look, I'm not here to solve what makes an electro JAM; I just know it when I hear it. And I hear it in Blondes.

Whatever. Go see them play and you'll know what I mean. Then go home, put on their jams, and pretend you're dancing as you work on that screenplay.

Blondes play The Mid (with Simian Mobile Disco), on Wednesday, March 16th.

Pepper Rabbit is a duo from L.A. who play that hazy, swirly, reverb-y, psych-y stuff that gets all Fleet Foxes-y meets Grizzly Bear-y meets Animal Collective-y meets cliche band comparisons by Oh My Rockness-y. It's very poppy and mandolin-y (or ukulele-y?) and horn-y (ew, gross... not that kind of horny... we're not that kind of website) and overall just kind of campfire-y (in that hot SEX sort of way).

Oh yeah, there are a lot of synths, samples and loops going on too... so that's when things get all cerebral-y and dreamy. If I took drugs I would take drugs to this, too. I don't take drugs though. I stay in school because there is no dope in hope.

Get Pepper Rabbit's debut full-length record-y on always exceptional Kanine Records (Surfer Blood, Dinowalrus, The Depreciation Guild). It's super melodic, so I think most of you will be into it-y. D.A.R.E. to be different, guys. D.A.R.E. to be different.

Pepper Rabbit play Bowery Ballroom, on Thursday, March 10th, and at Knitting Factory, on Saturday, March 12th.

London's James Blake (not to be confused with James "The Ferocious Forehand from Fairfield" Blake) is a singer/producer that makes some super sweet soulful electro. Oh hell, let's just call this what it is; Alt 'n B. Alt 'n B like this can be cool sometimes, even (or especially?) when it veers from glitchy-clicky into Peabo Bryson (or is it Aaron Neville?) territory.

Blake's well crafted jams rock all slow and syrupy. Plus, they're all sexy and stuff. So if you're expecting that big time club beats kind of electro, you're probably going to be pretty disappointed when you listen to this.

If you're expecting smooth songs that take their time to seduce your senses, you'll be into it for sure. You see, Blake is more inspired by Joni Mitchell than, say, LCD Soundsystem. Just throwing that out there so you are warned.

Blake's live shows don't feature any laptops, only "real" honest-to-god instruments, which is as nice in electro as it is rare.

Anyway, enough about this Alt 'n B. Let's talk about what's next for the other James Blake, now that his career seems to have taken a downswing. I'm thinking broadcasting.

James Blake plays Dim Mak Studios, Saturday, May 26th.

4/27 Battles, 6/14 The Decemberists and Best Coast, 6/29 Matt & Kim and The Thermals, 11/6 Jeff Mangum and more...

Headless Horseman is a Brooklyn duo comprised of Connor O'Neill and Fareed Sajan (so HorseMEN, really). This wonderfully wacked-out band takes its name from one of The Microphones' songs. So if you like that band as much as they do, maybe you'll like Headless Horseman as much as they like The Microphones. Is that what you call a "circular" argument?

Sajan has been quoted as saying "headless" is also a reference to the type of music the band likes to recreate... "headless" as in "not overanalyzing" the process of the music's creation. Kinda like Kerouac's rapid-fire approach with his scroll, perhaps. The headless results are extremely eclectic pop (probably a more PC term than "wacked out") that crosses over into all sorts of genres.

Maybe this is kind of like lo-fi folk with some druggy drone-y rhythmic undertones and glockenspiel-y pop reverb overtones. Huh? Headless Horseman also likes to bang on a lot of percussive stuff that aren't drums. It's all varied, weird and pretty; which is very different than being pretty weird.

Headless Horseman's first ever show was opening for Avey Tare of this band, Animal Collective. Never heard of 'em, but people tell me they're a really cool band. So if you like AC, maybe you'll like Headless Horseman. I like pickles.

Headless Horseman plays Empty Bottle, on Sunday, March 6th.

New York's Devin Therriault rocks the good old dirty classic garage with some raspy punk rockabilly thrown in. This guy looks like he could be the undisputed leader of The T-Birds gang. Don't mess with The T-Birds, especially when they’re singing and dancing about their girls and Grease Lightnin'.

And using that sweat, swagger and saucy slickness, Therriault takes snarling command of his band and the stage. He's a sure showman intent on reaching star status by channeling rock's history.

Therriault's lightning-charged live shows have received comparisons to the legends of old like Iggy Pop and New York Dolls' David Johansen. Those were some pretty brutal boys back in the day. (Iggy Pop is still brutal, but Buster Poindexter? Not so much.)

This distorted, guitar-driven garage seems fueled by whisky and determination, and is fronted by a dude who wants to rock you out all down and dirty like. For greasers, hustlers and grifters... and, of course, fans of classic rock 'n roll.

Devin Therriault plays Shea Stadium, on Saturday, February 26th, at Littlefield, on Wednesday, March 2nd, and Mercury Lounge, on Tuesday, March 8th.

Vancouver's Dirty Beaches is Alex Zhang Hungtai. That guy is definitely down with the lo-fi. So lo-fi, I can't really hear what's going on at times. It's all minimal and muffled and stuff. And Hungtai has one of those low voices that kind of vibrates your bowels a bit (in a good way, of course!).

There's something about Dirty Beaches that sticks with you. It evokes... what's the word... mood. Yes, mood. You know, I bet this is kind of what the Velvet Underground would have sounded like if they started in 2011 and were Canadian (yes, I realize that means absolutely nothing... oh well, it happens).

There is definitely a spooky, haunting vibe hovering around this music. I'm not sure if it's that Hungtai feels kind of sad, or he's just really serious, or what. But as I say, it's pretty damn great no matter what the guy's feeling.

My favorite Dirty Beaches song (so far) is "Lord Knows Best." So if you want to quickly check the band out, I recommended you check out that track first. It's kind of haunting and sad right? But those piano plucks give it some nice levity. Get down with Dirty Beaches if you get down with the (sad) (serious) lo-fi that kind of sounds like a 2011 version of Velvet Underground.

Dirty Beaches plays Glasslands, on Thursday, March 3rd.

3/25 Queens of the Stone Age, 4/1 The Strokes, 6/18 Yeasayer, 10/29 Jeff Mangum and more...

Brooklyn's Soft Landing is a happy guitar-centric trio that features two members of Beirut. So there's a little bit of Beirut going on here. But not THAT much Beirut.

Soft Landing's orchestral songs seem to sway towards the optimistic side of things (that's what happens when your band uses a Moog, I guess). And we like optimism with our pop. Hope is something we can get behind here at Oh My Rockness.

I definitely can see a Soft Landing song being used in a car commercial very soon. Actually, I'd bet on it (if I didn't spend my last dime on a mini pack of banana Now 'n Laters). Something about Soft Landing's melodic brightness just screams sedans cruising down a closed course to me.

Anyway, check these guys out. And try to be friends with them too. Who knows, maybe one day they can hook you up with a sweet discount on a super sweet 4x4.

Soft Landing plays Glasslands, on Tuesday, February 22nd.

NYC's Sweet Bulbs are one of those lo-fi bands that like to cover up their exceptionally strong melodies in the name of genre. They do what they can to conceal their super catchiness by using all the standard lo-fi tricks: distortion, fuzz, general messiness.

But if your choruses are going to be this sticky, and you're going to have these kind of crazy solid songwriting skills, the pop is going to shine through... despite your attempts at deception. Sorry, guys.

Fronted by Inna Mkrtycheva, Sweet Bulbs features members of Michael Jordan (best band name ever, and I'm not kidding), The Crayons, and Le Rug. Sweet Bulbs are a very fine new group with very well-crafted pop songs. Don't let the fuzz and distortion and messiness fool you. I'm onto your skillz, Sweet Bulbs. I'm onto your skillz.

Sweet Bulbs play Bruar Falls, on Saturday, February 19th.

4/2 LCD Soundsystem, 4/12 The Go! Team, 4/13 TV On The Radio, 6/7 Okkervil River and more...

New York's (via Wisconsin) Yellow Ostrich is the work of the forever prolific Alex Shaaf. He's self-released a TON of stuff (six records in 2010 alone!) so I wasn't just saying "prolific" to say "prolific," know what I'm saying?

Live, Shaaf works with drummer Michael Tapper (of course that's his last name) who is (was?) in We Are Scientists and Bishop Allen.

Together, Yellow Ostrich creates mostly mellow music that's looped and layered and kind of lo-fi folk-y. It's also got a pleasant eccentric vibe about it that makes you want to listen to these well-crafted songs with wide, bemused eyes.

I don't know what other bands Yellow Ostrich sounds like, so don't ask me. I will say that if you like your melodic pop to come with texture and substance and just a bit of off-kilter-ness, Yellow Ostrich might be the band for you.

Yellow Ostrich plays Pianos every Thursday night in February.

Nightlands is Philadelphia's Dave Hartley. He plays bass in The War on Drugs, which we like a lot. But we're not here to talk about them some more.

Nightlands makes machine-made orchestral dream-pop goodness. There are lots of brightly ethereal loops, textured multi-instrumental layers, and all sorts of angelic vocals and harmonies going on here.

The result is that one quick listen to Nightlands will have everything around you seem, dare I say, beatific. It's certainly not a buzzkill. This is the shit angels listen to... the cool angels who want to cut class and smoke grass... but decide not to because... they're angels.

Nightlands is for fans of Animal Collective, Panda Bear, A Lull and Active Child. And check out the band's (one man = a band? I don't know) debut album. It's called Forget the Mantra and it... what's the word... rules.

Nightlands play Glasslands, on Saturday, February 12th

Star Slinger is a UK beat dude/remix ruler named Darren Williams (not to be confused with Deron Williams, who rules too). Star Slinger stands behind a bunch of machines and makes some of the most slamming electro-dance jams you'll hear all year (depending on what year you read this).

Star Slinger makes madly eccentric samples and mash-ups that work in tandem to get your body moving, especially if your body responds particularly well to the rhythms that go BASS.

These are jams to put on when you want to get up. If you want to get all low, go listen to Low or something. As of this writing, Star Slinger is about to do a bunch of dates with Baths and Braids (both also rule).

So yeah, if I had a party, I would play Star Slinger. And then I'd cry that I was the only one at my party and I was listening to dance music by myself. Then I'd probably just turn on the Illini basketball game and cry myself to sleep.

Star Slinger is for fans of Teengirl Fantasy + Pictureplane + Gold Panda. Boom.

Star Slinger plays Knitting Factory, on Saturday, February 12th, and Glasslands, on Tuesday, February 15th.

2/16 Les Savy Fav, 4/20 PJ Harvey, 4/29 Pinback, 5/18 Fleet Foxes and more.

Golden Girls are a rip-roaring ramshackle band from Massachusetts. And that first sentence means absolutely nothing, doesn't it? Let's try again: Golden Girls are a gritty lo-fi band from Worcester that likes to lay 'em down and mix 'em up. Nah, that doesn't work either. How about: Golden Girls rock the super-energetic, scratchy, oddball punk that reminds me of Deerhoof. Maybe that's closer, but who are WE to pigeonhole any band as sounding like Deerhoof? Who are WE?

Ok, forget all that stuff. Really, Golden Girls are just a fun band to rock out to. Their amps and microphones could explode in our faces at any moment. And electric danger often = fun, especially at shows.

These four guys have recently toured with DOM (one of our other new favorites) and are slated (as of this writing) to play shows with High Places, Oneida, and Lightning Bolt (definitely hear some of LB in Golden Girls too... can we go back and say this band is like "Deerhoof meets a tamer Lightning Bolt?" WHO ARE WE TO TURN BACK TIME?! CHER COULDN'T EVEN DO IT!).

BTW, Golden Girls' finest song to date is called "Amateur Teen Sex Attics." Just thought that was worth mentioning. Somewhere, Blanche would be salivating. Rock out, Golden Girls. Rock out. (P.S. Tour with Japandroids... er... please).

Golden Girls play Death by Audio, on Thursday, February 10th.

Headless Horseman is a Brooklyn duo comprised of Connor O'Neill and Fareed Sajan (so HorseMEN, really). This wonderfully wacked-out band takes its name from one of The Microphones' songs. So if you like that band as much as they do, maybe you'll like Headless Horseman as much as they like The Microphones. Is that what you call a "circular" argument?

Sajan has been quoted as saying "headless" is also a reference to the type of music the band likes to recreate... "headless" as in "not overanalyzing" the process of the music's creation. Kinda like Kerouac's rapid-fire approach with his scroll, perhaps. The headless results are extremely eclectic pop (probably a more PC term than "wacked out") that crosses over into all sorts of genres.

Maybe this is kind of like lo-fi folk with some druggy drone-y rhythmic undertones and glockenspiel-y pop reverb overtones. Huh? Headless Horseman also likes to bang on a lot of percussive stuff that aren't drums. It's all varied, weird and pretty; which is very different than being pretty weird.

Headless Horseman's first ever show was opening for Avey Tare of this band, Animal Collective. Never heard of 'em, but people tell me they're a really cool band. So if you like AC, maybe you'll like Headless Horseman. I like pickles.

Headless Horseman begins their February residency at Pianos, on Friday, February 4th.

3/5 Miike Snow, 4/12 Black Lips, 5/11 & 5/12 Sleigh Bells & CSS, 9/30 & 10/3 Jeff Mangum, 10/1 & 10/2 Portishead and more...

Denton's Fergus & Geronimo (recently relocated to Brooklyn) are a duo that plays an eccentric blend of garage, lo-fi fuzz, a dash of soul, perhaps some punk, some sock-hop '50s-inspired stuff (seriously), and a whole smattering of slightly oddball pop straight from the year 2011. 2011 is the year of the oddballs... we've just decided that right now.

These guys don't really stick to one sound. They're clearly influenced by a lot of different genres and their disparate songs reflect that musical well-roundedness (these guys are like the liberal arts college of bands). Though their songs pull from all over the place, an overall aesthetic pervades: messy.

Is messy an aesthetic? I don't know. But I do know that Fergus & Geronimo's rock always comes at you kind of sloppy and... messy. But the disorganized melodies are definitely catchy and sticky anyway (in that slightly surreal sort of way). Fergus & Geronimo have their debut full-length album out now on Hardly Art (The Dutchess & the Duke, Woven Bones).

This band will be fun to see live. Messy makes for some of the best shows. Beer helps, too.

Fergus & Geronimo play Cake Shop, on Friday, January 28th.

I first heard about this wonderfully crazy electro Canadian madman through Gobble Gobble (a partner in wacky jam crimes). Rich Aucoin is a guy who synced up his first album Personal Publication to exactly match the visual action of the animated holiday classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (you know, like Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz, style). Man, I need to see that.

Using a whole slew of instruments, Aucoin writes, plays, and sings happy dance party songs. They're supposed to make you smile... and dance. His insane live shows are slowly gaining buzz beyond Halifax and the borders of Canada for their festive (i.e. crazy) atmosphere and hallucinogenic hijinx.

Aucoin has played tons of shows with heavy hitting people like Dan Deacon, Girl Talk, Neon Indian and Of Montreal. So his stage craft is straight-up honed.

If this guy comes to your town, SEE him. And don't be surprised if you leave saying the words that are all too rare in the show-going business these days, "Woah, that was fun."

Rich Aucoin begins his weekly February residency at Pianos, on Tuesday, February 1st.

This British band is about to blow up (over there, anyway). Who knows if that means The Vaccines are going to blow up here in America (also know as the "USA," or "The States."). But with super quick and catchy guitar riffs like this, they'll certainly explode (and possibly implode) somewhere.

These four guys play upbeat jams that mix up elements of garage rock, punk, straight-up pop, and a little bit of epically swirling synth-ness. The Vaccines sound kind of like a sunnier Interpol meets The Ponys meets The Ramones meets Jesus and Mary Chain.

And is it really going to turn you off if I say the singer Jay Jay Pistolet's voice sometimes sounds like Chris Martin from Coldplay on certain songs? Probably.

These songs make you feel good when you listen to them, and will make your normal night out turn into a punk rock sock hop. So yes, these guys are getting a lot of hype over there in the U.K. based on only a few demo songs. And The Vaccines hype train is chugging.

See them now so you can say you saw that chugging train before it became a barreling runaway freighter. Or who knows. Maybe the chug will quickly turn into a sputter. Too early to tell, no? Hype... you can be a bitch.

The Vaccines play Bowery Ballroom, on Thursday, January 20th, and at Glasslands, on Saturday, January 22nd.

London's Yuck is a band that plays shiny, shimmering shoegaze with light and airy male/female vocal harmonies. This band reminds me of the good times I've had listening to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Good, good times with that band.

Yuck also features a couple members of the now-defunct band Cajun Dance Party. Remember them? They were really buzzy for a moment. Ah buzz, if only we knew how to sustain you, we'd all be rich rock stars.

One of the people in Yuck (the drummer, I do believe) is from New Jersey. I thought that was worth mentioning for some reason. Anyway, Yuck is a very good band that plays perfectly pleasant pop (sorta sounds like Yo La Tengo, too).

In closing, I refuse to say something like "Yuck's music isn't yuck at all," or something like that. But dang it, now that I called attention to it, I just went and said it without saying it. How do we get around this conundrum?! Maybe just by quietly ending this band profile and turning up my stereo... which happens to be playing Yuck.

Yuck play Mercury Lounge, on Tuesday, January 25, and Glasslands, on Wednesday, January 26th.

3/28 & 3/29 The Mountain Goats, 4/2 Cut Copy with Holy Ghost!, 4/29 The Kills with Cold Cave, 5/4 Foals with Freelance Whales and more.

1/30, 1/31 & 4/8 The Hold Steady, 4/29 & 5/13 Surfer Blood, 4/30 Of Montreal, 5/6 The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and more.

Cleveland's Cloud Nothings is buzzing 19-year-old Dylan Baldi. Man, this dude knows how to write a good pop song... and we are certainly not the first to tell you that.

With his live band, Baldi rocks up-tempo DIY lo-fi that veers towards the punk side of the bedroom pop spectrum. His short and snappy songs have that nice, messy feeling that make you want to dance all down and dirty.

And if you claw and scratch away through the layers of Cloud Nothings ample use of distortion, you'll find some remarkably catchy melodies that form the core of these exceptionally fun songs. Cloud Nothings is really just fuzzed up power-pop with swagger, something I can always get behind.

This is for fans of Oberhofer, Gross Relations, The Thermals, Wild Nothing, Magic Kids, and maybe even Wavves.

Cloud Nothings makes writing good pop songs seem so simple. But boy, is it hard.

Cloud Nothings play Mercury Lounge, on Wednesday, January 19th.

Brooklyn's Dream Diary is a (dream) pop trio that fits in nicely with the sound The Pains of Being Depreciation Guild have been tenderly rocking lately. Dream Diary's music is sweet (their myspace url is /dreamdiarylovesyou for goodness sake... someone I've never met loves me... now that's what I call sweet), it's swirly, it's shimmery, and it's certainly sticky.

These are good jams to listen to as you happily launch a bunch of shiny helium balloons up into the cloudless sky with childlike glee (launching balloons is bad for the environment, don't do it). Dream Diary's music is like a fragile music box. You like the sound that comes out of it, but you're also kind of afraid you'll break it. So you only handle when you're in a careful and gentle mood.

Look for a Dream Diary record on Kanine (Surfer Blood, Eternal Summers, Braids). (And WTF was all that music box stuff all about anyway?)

Dream Diary plays Mercury Lounge, on Tuesday, January 18th.

Tamaryn (don't know her last name... maybe it's Prince...or Madonna) is a smokey voiced lady from San Francisco who sings/plays a wonderfully eclectic mix of psych and noise-rock and lo-fi and haze and, hell, even a little bit of summer pop. Oh, and all of it is driven by guitars and pedals. Lots and lots of guitars and pedals.

Tamaryn is similar in swirling sound to bands like Autolux and Serena-Maneesh and that Pinkshinyultrablast band from Russia we wrote about recently. And, of course, throw in My Bloody Valentine too. It wouldn't be a Rockness profile if we didn't go for the low hanging fruit and mention MBV, now would it?

This is good heavy pop. So check out Tamaryn's debut full-length on Mexican Summer (Real Estate, Best Coast, Washed Out) and also get her 7" on the always exceptional True Panther Sounds label (Girls, Lemonade, Delorean). And see her play. I mean, that's why we're writing this thing. Right?

Tamaryn plays Glasslands, on Thursday, January 13th.
UPDATE: Tamaryn is no longer on the bill for 1/13 - see her/them with the Raveonettes!

3/19 Simian Mobile Disco, 3/30 & 3/31 Cults, 4/2 Obits, 4/3 Destroyer, 4/6 Explosions In The Sky and more.

Can you say a band plays indie Americana if they're from Canada? Is there such a genre as Canadiacana? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. And the only way to do that is by listening to The Rural Alberta Advantage a lot more. There are worse things in life.

These three play roots-y indie rock that's meant for long car drives to the middle of nowhere. And since they all come from rural Alberta, perhaps they know a thing or two about long car drives to nowhere.

Singer/songwriting/guitarist Nils Edenloff (often backed by keyboardist/percussionist/other random instrumentalist Amy Cole's pretty harmonies) belts his heart out about love and wishing for things and needs not being met and general longing. It's all very emo in a Canadiacana kind of way.

The band had their debut recently reissued by Saddle Creek, a label that knows a thing or two about roots-y indie rock. Before we forget, if you decide you like The Rural Alberta Advantage you also might like this band Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, too. Anyway, this is a good band to cozy up to and let them let it all out for you.

The Rural Alberta Advantage plays Mercury Lounge, on Wednesday, January 12th.

1/28 Blank Dogs, 2/4 Woods w/ Ducktails, 3/8 Ty Segall, 3/31 JEFF The Brotherhood and more.

As a radical dad myself, I'm prone to liking this band. But this isn't about me and how radical I am. It's about a great new band from Brooklyn.

In case you haven't caught it already, this band's name is Radical Dads. They make happy, snappy lo-fi fuzz pop that walks that high-wire line somewhere between twee and punk and just straight up old school indie-rock.

Oh yeah, this band features Robbie of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Uninhabitable Mansions. He's the drummer/singer. We love drummer slash singers! (Remember: before anyone did anything, Karen Carpenter did EVERYTHING.) Also, Chris of just Uninhabitable Mansions is in this band, too.

Radical Dads have played shows with DOM, Islands, Golden Girls, Hooray for Earth, and oh a whole lot more. This is a very likable band. And I would know. I'm a radical dad myself.

Radical Dads play Glasslands, on Saturday, December 18th

This is the silkiness! Brooklyn's Twin Shadow is the smooth, soulful indie-pop project of singer/guitarist/composer George Lewis Jr. If you're down with the downy melodic-ness with a little '80s new wave synths/beats and a singer who brings serious showmanship, then this is the band for you.

Along with the whole pop and new wave thing, Twin Shadow also dips their toes into that 'Alt 'n B' genre (a genre Dirty Projectors have dipped their whole torso into). After all, that's the genre you want to rock when you want to rock smooth. Twin Shadow's jams are so smooth and silky that these songs make me want to take some big time bubble baths.

Lewis and his stage crew have played lots of smooth shows lately, including recent ones with Twin Sister, The Morning Benders and Class Actress. He has also done a bunch of exceptional remixes for fine bands like Lemonade, Bear in Heaven, and Hooray for Earth. Check out Twin Shadow's debut record on Chris Taylor's (of Grizzly Bear) label, Terrible Records.

Go see this band and feel those rough edges of yours melt away.

Twin Shadow plays Don Hills, on Friday, December 17th.

1/18 Broken Social Scene, 3/2 Tennis, 3/2 & 3/3 The Get Up Kids, 3/8 Bright Eyes.

You're going to like Sebastian Blanck's songs. It doesn't matter where your musical tastes lie; goth, punk, rap, country, alt-country-rap-goth... it doesn't matter. You're going to like this.

Sebastian Blanck writes super pretty and warm pop acoustic-ish songs that make you feel both sad and happy. Now tell me, who doesn't like listening to songs like that? It's just good old folk. You will especially like this if you like stuff like Band of Horses, Grand Archives, The Shins, etc. But, as mentioned, if you like any band in the world, you'll like this guy.

Interesting note about Sebastian Blanck: he was in Black Dice way early on. Now that's a band NOT everyone will love. Another interesting note: Sebastian Blank is an accomplished professional painter. You can check out his nice visuals on his website.

As of this writing, Sebastian Blanck is on tour with the similarly lovely Perfume Genius. That's going to be a damn good happy-sad pop pairing. (If you write and say you don't like Sebastian Blanck's songs after listening to them, I won't believe... just saying that now.)

Sebastian Blanck plays Mercury Lounge, on Tuesday, December 14th.

Brooklyn's Web Dating is a furiously fun (don't know what furiously fun means... mad you're having so much fun?) foursome that plays super quick and super catchy garage-pop. These melodies (though buried a bit under distorted messiness and lo-fi's lax attitude towards tune-age) pop with stickiness. It's all very jubilant and stuff.

If you like bands like Total Slacker, Magic Kids, Oberhofer, Gross Relations, etc. you will like Web Dating.

If you like music that makes you feel all sad, don't get into Web Dating. And don't do web dating either. That won't make you feel better. It'll just make you feel more depressed about how many single people misrepresent themselves. Just love you for being you! Don't you dare think of being anyone other than who you are.

Anyway, Web Dating = fun band. And I'm not at all mad about that.

Web Dating play Death by Audio, on Wednesday, December 8th, and at Glasslands, on Friday, December 10th.

Brooklyn's Web Dating is a furiously fun (don't know what furiously fun means... mad you're having so much fun?) foursome that plays super quick and super catchy garage-pop. These melodies (though buried a bit under distorted messiness and lo-fi's lax attitude towards tune-age) pop with stickiness. It's all very jubilant and stuff.

If you like bands like Total Slacker, Magic Kids, Oberhofer, Gross Relations, etc. you will like Web Dating.

If you like music that makes you feel all sad, don't get into Web Dating. And don't do web dating either. That won't make you feel better. It'll just make you feel more depressed about how many single people misrepresent themselves. Just love you for being you! Don't you dare think of being anyone other than who you are.

Anyway, Web Dating = fun band. And I'm not at all mad about that.

Web Dating play Death by Audio, on Wednesday, December 8th, and at Glasslands, on Friday, December 10th.

Diamond Rings is Toronto's John O'Regan. This flamboyantly fun front man creates perfect synth-pop songs that sound totally budget and are the better because of it. This is definitely D.I.Y. It's almost as if O'Regan recorded these jams by plunking on a cheap Casio in between bites of Frosted Flakes or something.

Of course, the chintzy-ness is part of the fun. These are down-to-earth jam outs, so to speak. Diamond Rings also has a really good baritone croon thing going on over these '80s dance beats... which is also fun. Can't keep a good baritone down, that's what I always say.

The overall feel of this kind of reminds me of Baby Dayliner... remember that dude? Anyway, after seeing this guy play, you'll probably feel happier. And happiness is always fun. So are cheap dance beats. So is Canada.

Diamond Rings plays Glasslands, on Saturday, December 4th, and at Mercury Lounge, on Monday, December 6th.

Toronto's Austra is epically haunting electro that darkly throbs with thunderously rich club beats... the kind of booming beats that go creep in the night.

The trio is comprised of Katie Stelmanis, Maya Postepski and Dorian Wolf, and together they make those kinds of sounds that get under your skin and cling to your bones.

Their recent release, The Beat and the Pulse, is not only a perfect title for what this band sounds like, but it's also super solid in its dark, ambient awesomeness. It's got a mighty good goth-y groove going on... maybe The Knife meets Cold Cave or something.

Oh yeah, that 12" was put out by One Big Silence (also home to Diamond Rings), the record label run by Mike Haliechuk of Fucked Up. Anyway, you should check out Austra. They'll change your mood.

Austra opens for Diamond Rings at Glasslands, on Saturday, December 4th, and at Mercury Lounge, on Monday, December 6th.

It takes some balls to name your band Braids. Not that Braid was the biggest band in the world, but still... a fairly popular band from back in the day named Braid and you go and name your band Braids?

I'm going to start a band and call it Interpols. Maybe just go really big time and call it The Beatless. Oh well, maybe '90s emo didn't make that big of a splash up there in Montreal (that's where Braids is from).

Anyway we're not here to talk names. We're here to talk music. And you know what? Braids is pretty darn good at making music. This pop (with more than just a touch of classical tendencies) builds long and slow into something, well, pretty epic. I can see why they get comparisons to bands like Broken Social Scene.

All four members sing, but it is Katie Lee's versatile soprano that really propels these climactic melodies. She can sing sweet, and she can sing fierce. She also backs that up with some serious piano playing skills. It's all very... emotional?

Hmmm... the more I think about it, maybe this is emo like Braid after all? Guess they knew what they were doing when choosing that moniker, eh?

Braids play Mercury Lounge, Monday, November 29th, at Knitting Factory, on Tuesday, November 30th, and Bowery Ballroom, on Wednesday, December 1st.

Phoenix's (editor's note: now they live in NYC) The Young Friends are indeed young. Both members are 17 years old to be exact (which won't be exact should you find yourself reading this in 2011 or something). No word on whether they're actually friends too, as all too often collaborative bands are comprised of mortal enemies (we've seen Behind the Music, so we know how it goes).

Here's what you need to know about these two teens: if you like clean guitar jingle-jangle with plenty of pop pep and just the right amount of messiness, you will like The Young Friends. If you like your three-minute songs to feel just like a laid-back sunny summer day, you will also like The Young Friends.

If you are a fan of Knight School, Surfer Blood, the singer of The Ponys, The Drums and/or Tyvek, you will probably like The Young Friends. If you like twee, or even punk, there's a chance you will like The Young Friends.

If you like rip-roaring riffs and feedback straight from the harrowing depths of HADES, you probably won't like The Young Friends. But then again, metal-heads have more varied tastes than people think. Don't sell them short.

Anyway, just like any good peppy pop band, these songs blow by fast. So pay attention. You don't want to miss all the good jingle-jangle. Jingle-jangle foreva! <(editor's note: i like pizza!)

The Young Friends play Glasslands, on Wednesday, December 1st.

I'm ashamed to admit I resisted this duo for a long time because of their name. How superficially judgmental. My loss. Buke and Gass are actually named after their crazy modified instruments -- instruments from the straight-up future.

A buke, pronounced "byook," is a bass ukulele played by Arone Dyer (she does the singing too). A gass, pronounced "gase," is a bass guitar with guitar strings that go to two different pickups and amps... or something... that's played by Aron Sanchez (he also drums the heck out of lots of things... that's what happens when your other job is building instruments for The Blue Man Group).

You've definitely not seen a buke and a gass being played by any other band before, because these two created them. But Buke and Gass are more than a novelty act. They rock out too. Their wonderfully weird rapid-fire music can best be described as noise-pop, I guess. But melodic.

There are all sorts of scattershot rhythms at play here, they stop and start and go up and down. And when Arone Dyer gets to shrieking, things get really fun.

Live, Aron and Arone are doing too many things at once, so they sit. You try playing a buke and a gass and a drum and a tambourine and some bells and whatever else percussive that's around and stand at the same time. It takes your breath away watching these guys try to keep up with their own deranged creation. They even get some crazy foot percussion action in the mix.

Buke and Gass are set to play a few dates with their neighbors, The National. That should bring them some of the bigger exposure they deserve.

Buke and Gass play le poisson rouge, on Monday, November 22nd.

Computer Magic is the superbly addictive electro-synth-pop project of Danz (guess she only has one name... like The Fonz... well, minus his whole "Arthur" and "Fonzarelli" thing).

I don't know much about Danz, except that she lives in Brooklyn and makes all of this music herself. I know that live she has two other guys helping her realize this beat-driven, swirling, synth-y sound.

I know that she kind of sounds like Blondie. I know you probably shouldn't compare someone to Blondie just because they are a blonde woman who sings nice jams over electro beats. I know, but I do it anyway.

I know with catchy melodies like these, Danz is probably going to be an indie rock star someday. And I know going to see Computer Magic will most definitely be worth your $8 or $10 or $15 or however much the kids pay at shows these days.

Check out this new Computer Magic jam!

Computer Magic play Pianos, on Wednesday, November 24th

These guys sound British, but they're not. Actually, they are New Jersey-ish. Get ready, because there is yet another good band coming out of Ridgewood, NJ. Sheesh! Who would've thought Ridgewood would be the next Brooklyn which was the next Chicago which was the next Seattle which was the next Manchester?

This band features two dudes from another good band, Fluffy Lumbers. Big Troubles play '90s inspired indie rock shoegaze jams that are nice and fuzzy and most melodically distorted. It's instantly likable and completely accessible.

Big Troubles is for fans of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Black Tambourine, Velocity Girl, Yuck, Jesus & Mary Chain (light), and of course, all those bands from Ridgewood, NJ (Ducktails, Real Estate, Julian Lynch). Wow. Ridgewood, NJ now firmly on the musical map... who knew?

Big Troubles play Mercury Lounge, on Friday, November 12th, and Shea Stadium, on Saturday, November 13th.

Australia's Tame Impala do that heavily layered classic/groovy/garage rock thing that their countrymen, Wolfmother, also do. But the way they do it is a little fuzzier, just a little more psych-y, and a little less metal Black Sabbath-y.

Tame Impala definitely likes to go all dirty and gritty and stuff. And when that bass gets booming and those guitars get soloing and that distortion kicks, well, this just rocks the hell out.

They top the rock off with lots of harmonious vocals and pretty hazy melodies. Those vocals make Tame Impala sound like (later) Beatles in parts, for sure. And you can also hear a whole slew of other old bands in these extended rock-outs: Jefferson Airplane, Cream, The Doors etc...

Maybe this just sounds like a drug trip that starts at the beach and ends in outer space. Who knows. But I know it rocks. And what else do you really need to know?

Tame Impala play Bowery Ballroom, on Thursday, November 18th, and again on Friday, November 19th.

Perfect name for this band. Grandchildren are a constant, crazy this-way-then-that-way flurry of motion after all, right? Well, so my Grandma says. I think she's still catching her breath from when we were eight. So we liked to climb up doorframes and squawk like a monkey in our under-roos? Spank us.

Philadelphia's Grandchildren are a really good, interesting band with an entirely engaging sound. What the hell does that mean, engaging? I guess it means that when I listen to these guys their overall energy pulls me in: the uplifting math rhythms and caffeinated tempos and scattershot glitch-y click-ness. You know, they "engage" me.

But I guess I should attempt a better job at musical description here. How to describe this... hmmmm. Well, if you like, imagine if The Dodos were a band of six, instead of a band of two. Now imagine that those extra members provided more noise and all-over-the-place scattered sonic gusto. Your imagination might leave you with Grandchildren. Or maybe not.

I guess it's just the fast-stop-start-go acoustic guitars that remind me of The Dodos (I'm thinking specifically of the song, "Saturn Returns.") When they get all electro, they don't sound much like The Dodos at all. But they do kinda sound like Animal Collective when those pretty harmonies come in. Yoinks!

Not really though. Ultimately, this band just sounds like Grandchildren. They've recently played shows with Toro y Moi, Battles, and The War on Drugs. And they're going to play a lot more shows, too. Grandchildren are just too good (i.e. "engaging") to stay at home and climb up doorframes.

Grandchildren play Glasslands, on Thursday, November 11th.

OOOOOHHHH. LAAH. LAH. Now this is FER REALZ power pop. You know, the FER REALZ power pop of, say, the '70s. Big Star power pop. Cheap Trick power pop. Even Badfinger power pop. We're not talking Weezer big production power pop. Or Miley "even I sound good in the studio" Cyrus power pop. We're talking about the FER REALZ power pop that's made with brightly strummed guitars offset by crystal clear vocals.

There's a purity to FER REALZ power pop and Memphis' Magic Kids have captured that purity. Their music sounds just like the sun. Yes, this sounds like the sun as it reflects off the dew drop resting on a brilliantly green leaf. Magic Kids sound just like that.

These songs are so snappy and happy and, well, everyone knows that snappy and happy are two other things that go into FER REALZ power pop. If you don't like this band, you were never loved as a child. Oh, and Magic Kids don't sound like The Beach Boys.

Magic Kids play Mercury Lounge, on Friday, November 12th, and Silent Barn, on Saturday, November 13th.

The Front Bottoms are three young New Jersey guys that kind of sound like Frightened Rabbit. Actually, it's really just this band's singer (Brian Sella) that sounds a lot like that singer from Frightened Rabbit (minus that whole massive Scottish accent thing, of course).

But this infectious (the non-diseased kind of infection) band has also received some Matt & Kim comparisons too. So maybe The Front Bottoms are Frightened Rabbit meets Matt & Kim? That sure looks good on paper, but that's not really what I'm hearing. Oh well. I have failed.

Anyway, I don't know a whole lot more about The Front Bottoms, but I know this is good peppy pop with smart lyrics and sticky melodies that are played with an acoustic guitar, drums, and a keyboard. So that's enough to recommend that people go check them out, right?

Also, I have a favor to ask of you. Listen to them and tell me who else this singer reminds me of... I mean, besides the Frightened Rabbit dude. It's driving me nuts. Maybe The Mountain Goats guy? Killer parties almost killed me guy? No. Getting closer with those, but no... those aren't it. Oh wait! Ben Folds? Maybe it's Ben Folds. No, of course it's not Ben Folds... GOD!

The Front Bottoms were playing a show this week...but now they're not.

My name is Oh My Rockness and I like to dance! Sorry, watching way too much Yo Gabba Gabba lately. That show rules though. Anyway, Pictureplane is the electro-dance project of Denver's Travis Egedy.

Like other electro men and women before him, Egedy gained initial notoriety primarily for his remix work. He has snipped and pasted it up for Crystal Castles, Future Islands, and HEALTH among others. And all the remixes I've heard from him are even better than the originals. Sorry, HEALTH. We love you, but Pictureplane's "Die Slow" remix is just better.

We should mention that Lovepump Records released Pictureplane's most recent album, Dark Rift. And you know why we feel we should mention that? Well, because Lovepump rules.

Pictureplane has played shows recently with Teengirl Fantasy, Washed Out, Small Black, Tanlines and Lemonade. Man, we like all those bands!

So if you want to go to a show and "have a good time" (not in the graffiti-on-the-bathroom-stall sort of way) you should go see Pictureplane. My name is Oh My Rockness and I don't know how to explain dance music very well! Pictureplane plays Ridgewood Temple, on Sunday, October 31st.

The 13 Bands We Are Most Excited To See During CMJ 2010 ("Why 13, Rockness? So random." Well Johnny, it's 13 because everyone does 10 and we're feeling lucky!

As the title suggests (actually, it pretty much states), here are the 13 bands we are most excited to see at this year's CMJ. Click on their band name to get a full rundown of the shows they are playing in the next week.

Oh, and if your favorite band that's playing CMJ didn't make this list, it's not because we don't love them. It's because we don't like them.

(Actually, it's because there are too many good bands playing this thing.)

Gobble Gobble- Wonderfully weird synth pop. And Gobble Gobble's Wrinklecarver just may be our favorite song of the year. Just sayin'.

Teen Daze - Staying with the whole electro-pop thing... Teen Daze sounds like Junior Boys Jr., according to some tweeter on Twitter. Warmness.

Gold Panda - About that electro... here's more electro! But these beats aren't as warm as Teen Daze... these beats are more like BEATS. You know, club style.

Braids - Classical-pop like Broken Social Scene, perhaps? I don't know... I just (don't) work here. I do know they aren't from Urbana though.

Unremarkable People - Scratchy, happy pop. If you don't like scratchy, happy pop then what kind of sick, twisted person are you? I bet you don't like scratch 'n sniff stickers too, eh? You even detest the kind that smell JUST like bananas. Sick and twisted, that's what you are.

Jaill - Bar pop. What, The Hold Steady is the only band that can rock bar pop? Screw The Hold Steady! And screw NPR! Just kidding. We like both of those things. We also like bars. And pop.

Cloud Nothings - Young DIY pop wonderkind. Sort of like Wild Nothing, but more punk rock.

Mathemagic - Swirly, hazy, shoegaze-y jams made possible by an abacus and a Moleskine.

Wild Nothing - Young DIY pop wonderkind. Sort of like Cloud Nothings, but more beach-y.

CoolRunnings - How many people before me (and after me) will make bobsledding jokes when talking about this noisy eccentro-pop band? By the way, bobsledding jokes are the best kind of joke because they are so hard to pull off... and turn. Aye, mon!

Greatest Hits - We love wacky jams. We also love beef jerkey. But not that kind that comes in plastic. The kind that comes from a glass jar next to those brown workman gloves with tread on the palms.

Computer Magic - Future star alert is in order for this one woman synthness. Then again, Chris Sabo was a future star and look how he turned out.

Restless People - Restless People rides the subway. I wonder how they feel about the fare increase? Probably stresses them out.

Check out our entire list of CMJ Show Picks here!

The 13 Bands We Are Most Excited To See During CMJ 2010 ("Why 13, Rockness? So random." Well Johnny, it's 13 because everyone does 10 and we're feeling lucky!

As the title suggests (actually, it pretty much states), here are the 13 bands we are most excited to see at this year's CMJ. Click on their band name to get a full rundown of the shows they are playing in the next week.

Oh, and if your favorite band that's playing CMJ didn't make this list, it's not because we don't love them. It's because we don't like them.

(Actually, it's because there are too many good bands playing this thing.)

Gobble Gobble- Wonderfully weird synth pop. And Gobble Gobble's Wrinklecarver just may be our favorite song of the year. Just sayin'.

Teen Daze - Staying with the whole electro-pop thing... Teen Daze sounds like Junior Boys Jr., according to some tweeter on Twitter. Warmness.

Gold Panda - About that electro... here's more electro! But these beats aren't as warm as Teen Daze... these beats are more like BEATS. You know, club style.

Braids - Classical-pop like Broken Social Scene, perhaps? I don't know... I just (don't) work here. I do know they aren't from Urbana though.

Unremarkable People - Scratchy, happy pop. If you don't like scratchy, happy pop then what kind of sick, twisted person are you? I bet you don't like scratch 'n sniff stickers too, eh? You even detest the kind that smell JUST like bananas. Sick and twisted, that's what you are.

Jaill - Bar pop. What, The Hold Steady is the only band that can rock bar pop? Screw The Hold Steady! And screw NPR! Just kidding. We like both of those things. We also like bars. And pop.

Cloud Nothings - Young DIY pop wonderkind. Sort of like Wild Nothing, but more punk rock.

Mathemagic - Swirly, hazy, shoegaze-y jams made possible by an abacus and a Moleskine.

Wild Nothing - Young DIY pop wonderkind. Sort of like Cloud Nothings, but more beach-y.

CoolRunnings - How many people before me (and after me) will make bobsledding jokes when talking about this noisy eccentro-pop band? By the way, bobsledding jokes are the best kind of joke because they are so hard to pull off... and turn. Aye, mon!

Greatest Hits - We love wacky jams. We also love beef jerkey. But not that kind that comes in plastic. The kind that comes from a glass jar next to those brown workman gloves with tread on the palms.

Computer Magic - Future star alert is in order for this one woman synthness. Then again, Chris Sabo was a future star and look how he turned out.

Restless People - Restless People rides the subway. I wonder how they feel about the fare increase? Probably stresses them out.

Check out our entire list of CMJ Show Picks here!

These dudes get better every time I see them. If you're unaware, Brooklyn's Small Black create synth-y lo-fi love songs (it sounds like love, anyway --- maybe they're singing about hate, but I doubt it) using a couple of casios and some beat machines. The vocals are the kind that, again, sounds like they're sung from a Fisher-Price microphone. But here, that sound definitely works (sometimes that sound is definitely annoying, as I'm sure you know).

Small Black works better than a lot of the other people rocking the "hot new old sound" of lo-fi because their melodies are just so damn pretty. Sure, there's some roughness and scratchiness with the way it's recorded (an aesthetic choice), but really when we talk about Small Black we're talking about beauty.

So just saying "lo-fi" doesn't give these guys a whole lot of credit. Gosh, I love pretty songs. Seriously, is there anything better in this life? Pizza is pretty good, but not as good as a pretty song.

Small Black play Shea Stadium, on Friday, October 15th.

Oh, boo-hoo, another indie super-group... of sorts (YOINKS... just did what every other music writer does and attached "of sorts" right after mentioning a somewhat super band that has members of other bands in that band... YOINKS! But we've talked about this problem of ours extensively on these pages... enough is enough, wasn't remotely funny the eighth time).

The Babies are a super-group OF SORTS (YEEE HAWWW!) featuring Kevin from that band Woods, Cassie from that band Vivian Girls, and Justin from that band Bossy.

I like The Babies. They've got that nice, lo-fi sunny swirling '60s sound you've heard from some of the members' other bands, and they've also got that muffled punk thing going on too. You know, muffled booze punk. Not the punk that goes "ARF! ARF! ARF!" but the kind of punk that goes "YELP! YELP! YELP!"

Yep, The Babies are just what you want sometimes. My biggest complaint with this band though, is that that no matter HOW MANY TIMES I tell them not to play with Daddy's records, they STILL pull them all out and stomp and spin and dance all over the gatefolds. And I won't even begin to help you imagine what 180 grams of vinyl looks like after it's served as a giant teething ring. GOD!

The Babies play Cake Shop, on Saturday, October 16th.

Brooklyn's The Tony Castles are a new-ish band (is 2008 new... I don't know) that kinda give off a worldly math-y rock vibe. But here's what this band all up and does. This band douses all that worldly math-rock stuff with a good dollop of serious soul. And hell, with the world rock and the math-rock and the soul, they maybe even thrown in a little bit of... GASP... funk. Funk is kinda funky these days.

The trio reminds me of another band I recently talked about, Twin Shadow. Twin Shadow is pretty cool, but that's a topic best left to an older band profile. And The Tony Castles also have a few noodle-y guitar parts that sound a little like Foals. Oh, and you know, sometimes when their rhythms get their most wacky, the band sounds just a little bit like Deerhoof. Just a little bit.

Finally, singer/bassist Paul Sicilian has received some Prince comparisons. Prince is pretty cool too. You should check this new-ish band out (assuming we agree 2008 is still new-ish). They'll rock you out and make you feel all saucy at the same time. Rocking out in a kinda saucy way really just kinda rules.

BUY TICKETS TO SEE THE TONY CASTLES AT SANTOS PARTY HOUSE!

The Tony Castles play Santos Party House, on Thursday, October 14th

Andrew Cedermark used to be in Titus Androncius (way back when they played Oh My Rockness' birthday party at The Annex in 2005... or was it 2006?) and he was also a part of the whole burgeoning Glen "don't-call-me-Ridgewood" Rock, NJ scene.

But now Andrew Cedermark lives in Virginia. And in that fine state, he writes and records sprawling and distorted bar pop that has a little bit of a psych-y and hazy Elephant 6 thing going on, with just a hint of country (like Glen Rock's Average Girl). And like Titus, I do hear hints of an Irish influence, but that may just be my imagination.

These fully realized rock songs sound very rich in orchestral texture; Cedermark definitely knows the power of layers and loops. So this technically may be D.I.Y. (since he did do it all himself), but it definitely doesn't sound D.I.Y.

Get Andrew Cedermark's critically acclaimed debut record on Underwater Peoples (Tennis, Real Estate, Julian Lynch, Frat Dad). And, of course, go see him shred this from the stage.

BUY TICKETS TO SEE ANDREW CEDERMARK AT GLASSLANDS!

Andrew Cedermark plays Glasslands, on Saturday, October 9th

If I ever meet the two guys in Brooklyn's Games I'll tell them one thing, and one thing only: quit playin' games with my heart. And then I'd pause and say, "with my heart... my heart." Maybe this gets my heart all mixed up because these beats are so instantly likeable and, dare I say, danceable. That always throws my heart for loops and bleeps and clicks.

This fantastically catchy electro duo is longtime pals, Joel Ford (also in Tigercity) and Daniel Lopatin (who does Oneohtrix Point Never). Here's one thing you need to know about Games: samples. Here's another you need to know: synths. Here's one final thing you need to know: these two like to get DOWN... they like to get DOWNTOWN like Julie BROWN.

If you want some funk in your stuff, I suggest going out and seeing Games do their button pushing, lever pulling, mixtape making thing. I want to see Games play on a stage with Javelin and Gold Panda. Just so I can walk up to them afterwards and tell them my heart can't take all the games, Games. My head says no, but my hips say DANCE.

Games play Coco 66, on Friday, October 8th.

I bet you haven't heard of this band, but I bet someday soon you will. Like, errr, right now (the above lines will be hopelessly outdated soon). Brooklyn's Unremarkable People plays jubilant lo-fi pop that sort of sound like a mix between Titus Andronicus and Matt & Kim.

These songs are scratchy and happy. And woah, this big ass band features eight members (wait, maybe nine), and all those guys seem to like snappy rhythms and tempos that pop and prefer to go UP. It's good stuff. Everyone needs a little happy rock in their lives every now and then, right?

This (as of now) relatively unknown band spent the summer of 2010 releasing some EPs (five, actually... what is it with this band and big numbers?), so if you do a little digging you should be able to hear plenty of new Unremarkable People jams. And I bet you like what you hear, too. What can I say? I'm a betting man.

Unremarkable People play Tommy's Tavern, on Thursday, September 30th.

My first reaction to Capillary Action was that their music reminded me of that first Storm & Stress album. That was the album that, when I first played it, I was like, "What the hell is going on here?" I sort of hated it at first... and then it became one of my favorite albums.

Capillary Action makes music that you have never heard before. Boy, is it all over the place. I read that this band lists Shudder to Think as an influence. Exactly! That was another band like Storm & Stress where I was all, "What?!"

Anyway, THIS band is led by Jonathan Pfeffer and I won't even get into all the other members that roll with him at any given time. The count is always changing. But at any given time, expect lots of horns and strings and percussion and, well, just a lot of stuff.

And that stuff goes all over the place. Is it pop? I guess? Is it punk? I guess? Is it classical? I guess? You're not going to get this right away. But if and when you get it, I bet you get really into it. Like Storm & Stress. Like Shudder to Think. Like Capillary Action.

BUY TICKETS TO SEE CAPILLARY ACTION AT THE HIDEOUT!

Capillary Action plays Hideout, on Thursday, September 23rd.

Gimme noise! Lots and lots of noise. Japan's Merzbow (a.k.a. Masami Akita) is the quintessential pioneer of the "extreme" noise scene. Using computers and other hi-tech gadgets, Merzbow creates Surrealist- and Dadaist-inspired sounds that will destroy your ears in ways never before thought possible. This guy is also one of the most prolific artists EVER. He has released over 50 records, and has shown no signs of slowing down (he worked on a 50+ CD box set!).

At a Merzbow show, a big bucket of earplugs is often provided free of charge at the door. If these weren't so prominently provided, the clubs owners could probably be sued (with good cause) for negligence. There's loud like Lightning Bolt, and then there's LOUD like Merzbow. It's an aural experience that's challenging at best, and punishing at worst. Like some of the best art, be prepared for pain.

Merzbow plays two shows at Issue Project Room, on Thursday, September 23rd, and at (le) poisson rouge, on Sunday, September 26th.

If you've never had the pleasure of hearing or seeing San Francisco's Tycho, but you just so happened to glance upon his song titles (I don't know why this would happen, but just go with it) --- "Adrift" and "Cascade" and "The Daydream," to name a few of these titles ---- you'd pretty much know what kind of listening experience you'd be in for. Relaxing, ambient, low key, pleasant electro-chill that doesn't suck; that's what you're in for. Ah, I'm much calmer simply after writing that sentence fragment.

Tycho is Scott Hansen, who's also made a big name for himself in the design world as ISO50. When he's not rocking the visuals, he's making pretty, machine melodies and beats that immediately remind me of Ulrich Schnauss, one of the foremost Master Relaxers currently in electronic music.

Yet what's particularly nice about Tycho specifically is how all of his songs flow together effortlessly. His set is like one long smooth wave of electronic warmth. Watch and listen and observe the rough edges around your mood smoothing out. Your once abrasive day will slowly turn to silk with each Tycho bleep, click and soft snare tap. I guarantee it.

Oh, and I want to make this statement too: this is that rare "mellow" electro music that is NOT boring. Who knew there could be such a thing! Pretty, pretty stuff.



Tycho plays Troubadour, on Friday, June 1st, and a FREE show at Amoeba, on Sunday, June 3rd.

Colorado's Candy Claws composed their acclaimed new album Hidden Lands on keyboards. No big deal, right? Everyone is doing the synth thing these days, yes? Well, kinda. But the two people in Candy Claws (Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf) didn't really know how to play the keyboard. So there's that.

Of course, they are fine musicians so they figured it out and produced a sound most people who know how to play the keyboard wouldn't think to produce. And it sounds, well, just darn right dream-y in a strange sort of way.

Live, this band has eight members. So this keyboard wonderment sounds even bigger and even... weirder. This is a very orchestrated and calculated listening/viewing experience. There's craftsmanship going on here that even non-musicians can sense. Kind of the same feeling you get when seeing Animal Collective do their thing.

I guess you can call this pop, but it's not traditional pop. It's more like pop that makes you feel kind of out of sorts. Like a funhouse mirror. Everything is just a bit off. Perfectly planned that way by Candy Claws, of course.

Fans of A Lull would be into this. And wow, if I tried to make an album using an instrument I didn't know how to play it would sound GOD AWFUL. So props to Candy Claws.

BUY TICKETS TO SEE CANDY CLAWS AT THE ROCK SHOP!

BUY TICKETS TO SEE CANDY CLAWS AT MERCURY LOUNGE!

Candy Claws plays The Rock Shop, on Tuesday, September 21st, and Mercury Lounge, on Wednesday, September 22nd.

Bands have been experimenting with punctuation for some time now, but they always seem to go for the easy exclamation mark. I much prefer Shark?'s approach to punctuation. Do we rock? Do we not? Let's leave it open ended, shall we?

Anyway, Shark? is a very nice fuzzy lo-fi band that make short, concise songs that, yes, rock. The singer also does a little Ian Curtis thing, if you're into those low vocals. Although Shark?'s (man, that's hard to write) music is much more snappy and happy than Joy(less) Division ever was.

Think of this music as optimistic garage with a little bit of new wave weirdness (courtesy of a synth) going on. Shark? lists some of their influences as Pavement, Talking Heads, Dinosaur Jr and Guided by Voices. So if you like any of those bands, you, along with 95% of the indie-rock population, would do well to give Shark? a try. They're definitely an enjoyable listen. No question about it.

Shark? play Spike Hill, on Saturday, September 18th.