Remember when Tyson had that rant where he talked about how great he was and how he wanted to eat your babies? Ever wanted to hear that sample sliced up and laced into a slammin beat? Well look no further, your prayers have been answered on the track “Supreme” by Keon Supreme. Despite his questionable taste in cover art, Be Still’s selection of tasteful modern beats are slathered with a natural buttery flow reminiscent of K-OS. There are a couple gems on this album; “(R)Evolution” is a Kanye-worthy beat, and Keon’s delivery is confident and optimistic. It’s hard to spout inspiration raps without being preachy and overly didactic, but he does it well. Though relatively new to the scene, Keon has been busy churning out material and honing his skills. As long as he maintains his current trajectory, he’ll find his audiences increasingly reluctant to “Be Still.” – brokeMC

The boys of psych-pop duo USF have reason to celebrate this season, with two releases in the running for KEXP’s year-end best-of poll, a new collaboration receiving critical praise, and several recent performances under their belts. Nearly a year after its release in January, their Jamaica Plain EP, rife with danceable beats, humming synths and swooping string loops, drew crowds to The Comet and The Neptune over the past month. A newly released track that saw USF team up with former Deli Band of the Month, Witch Gardens, has also been attracting attention. “I’m Not Dead, I’m Having Fun” combines USF’s typically out-there synth-play with Witch Gardens’ singsong vocals for a spacey tune defiant of mortality. USF will cap an eventful year on Dec. 29 with their first ever show at Neumo’s, along with Glitterbang, Vox Mod and DJ Self-Actualized.

Doors: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $7

-Kate Shepherd

Two Lights, upon first glance, is just another trio of (rather) cute boys who play music that makes many girls swoon. However, if you give them a second glance – and a listen – you’ll realize that the catchy pop songs crafted by these NYU students have the magical power to obliterate wintery thoughts – something a helluva lot of people desperately need in December. The band started in Maine with two brothers, Abner and Harper Willis and their childhood friend Ryan Gross, as the three musicians played songs about high school, love and growing older. The band then ended up at NYU and released their first single “Summer” in September 2011. Since then, they have added a drummer, Benny Brown, as well as garnered praise for their tracks on Consequence of Sound, Verbicide Magazine and CMJ.
Their bittersweet, sugary indie pop songs tie the future of careers and relationships with the past of high school and teen angst. Their debut EP will be released in early 2012 followed by a series of U.S. tour dates. – Amanda Dissinger

When Brooklyn based artist Doe Paoro will play Pianos on January 3rd there will be demons in the room. The artist describes the kind of music she plays as “ghost soul”, i.e. “a sound that echoes the resurrection of a choir of ghosts who haven’t completely detached from the human experience”. We’ll add that those ghosts have a beautiful and soulful voice. Doe Paoro – fronted by Sonia Kreitzer, who used to sing in the Brooklyn collective Sonia’s Party – will play tracks from her first album, "Slow to Love," which will be released in early 2012. Her music has garnered comparisons to artists like Lykke Li and James Blake and also features classical influences the singer was exposed to through her classical training. In the meantime, enjoy her first single "Can’t Leave you", streaming here, or this cover of Future Islands’ “Little Dreamers”. – Amanda Dissinger