Upbeat, catchy and serenely produced, Skaters‘ debut EP Schemers is a refreshing return to groove in an otherwise frenetic aural genre. Their songs call to grand truths of times past. They sing love songs shrouded in clairvoyant wisdom. Skaters’sound teeters on the edge of two musical genres – one foot in the up-tempo pop-punk world, the other knee deep in worldly grooves that feel timeless. Their live shows feature impromptu improvisations and unexpected interludes – proof that they are competent musicians, masterful in their ways. Three different people, hailing from three different places (Boston, LA and the UK), Skaters come together with a coherent melancholy that harkens back to The Strokes when they were cool. Schemers has the exciting feeling of the start to something beautiful. – Read Ed Guardaros’ interview with the band here.

One of my pet peeves as a lover of all types of music is when you mention a band to someone and their immediate reaction is, "Oh yeah, those guys sound like…" I mean, I get it. Our culture is full of musical references. I, for one, don’t think it’s a bad thing. To be influenced by other people’s art is natural for an artist. Most of the music we grew up listening to was a direct descendent from something else; we just don’t know about it, so we think it’s “totally original.” No one on the planet can convince me they are playing something that isn’t derivative of something else. All that being said, I admire bands that wear their influences on their sleeves. Not to replicate it, but to push it along and give it new life in a new context. Dream Wolf’s three-song EP, Learn To Survive, does exactly that and does it well.

"Future Man" is a really the perfect opener for this set because it sums up the band’s idiosyncratic take on ’70s prog-glam rock. Pushed along by Kansas-ish keyboard tones and some laser-focus guitar playing, the song sets the pace while spinning a Bowie-like lyrical yarn ("Circle now, around the Sun/What you’re seeing now, son, are things you don’t understand/But they will make you a man").

"All Time" starts off with an on-the-verge waltz feel, highlighted by chimes and terrific vocal work by Megan Zander and Katelyn Boone. Around 1:13, the song takes a veer into a shuffle hook, reminiscent of Meatloaf or Hedwig and The Angry Inch, before falling off into a quiet vocal round that builds back into a climax that should prove at least one member of Dream Wolf is related to Freddie Mercury.

Rounding out Learn to Survive is "The Water is Full of Lead," which invites us to join them in a swimming pool full of disease. However, it may be safer to stand around the pool and bask in the band’s ability to shift into more jazz-oriented playing styles, with a very nice piano solo to boot. Although stylistically these songs are obviously pure Dream Wolf, each one has an ability to spotlight the diversity of the band without losing track of what it is at the core.

I saw Dream Wolf play last fall and their live show was filled with thematic, over-the-top melodies and grooves that made me an instant fan. The expert musicianship of every member is evident on this recording as well as their exuberant imaginations that take the listener into strange situations. With another album coming up in the near future, this band will be one to watch as they reinvent their own versions of operatic rock and take it in new directions.

You can catch Dream Wolf tonight at Coda, headlining the show with guests Modern Arsonists and Sundiver. .

-Mike Tipton

In the latest installment of his ongoing IPhone videos – five parts, and something of an iSeries –  New York City producer and songwriter Jessie Harris has released this video for “I Won’t Wait” from his upcoming full-length album “Sub Rosa,” due out on July 31. Once again, the focus is on Harris’ friend Dulcinea Del Dolorosa dancing in a role described as “The Succubus,” was shot on director Lyle Owerko’s iPhone, and later edited on iMovie. The song is a mellow, but driving, blend of Harris’ pop and folk stylings, and features Bright Eyes main man Conor Oberst and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Norah Jones also appears in several songs on “Sub Rosa.” The album release party will be hosted at record store Tropicalia in Furs on July 30th at 6pm. – Devon Antonetti

As they introduce a first full-length album to come with a clear second take on the fuzzy, poorly recorded ‘Dance Only (Only Dance)’ of their debut EP, NYC-via-New-Jersey septet The Everymen prove that they’ve come a long way in two years. Subtly supported in this soulful effort, amid heavy basslines and low sax tones, by the only female voice of the band, frontman and founder Mike V follows the melody with the clumsiness of both punks and macho rockers indulging in kitchy love songs that makes them sound all the more genuine.

Rough ’round the edges with no more need for noise, the track sees New Jersey Hardcore as a potential turning point in the band’s recording career. We will however have to wait until October to confirm, so meanwhile, I suggest you get a taste of the new sounds at Brooklyn’s House of Vans next Thursday (07.26), where they will be opening for psychedelic garage big band King Khan & His Shrines. That should be loads of fun. – Tracy Mamoun

With their good old-fashioned folk‘n’roll and a new video to match, The Bottom Dollars (who placed at #35 in our 2011 Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists) have premiered “Prizefighter” this week. The video was shot around iconic New York landmarks like the Coney Island boardwalk and Washington Square Park, and includes, yes, plenty of people having fun and fighting. The band, dressed dapper in 1920’s attires, duke it out in a series of brawls, though not always proving their claimed “prizefighter” status. The elusive single-named Seeley directed the video, which features appearances from a few friends, members of The Nuclears and the frizzy-haired W.M.D. DuBois of Deathrow Tull and Strings for Truth. See The Bottom Dollars live at Mercury Lounge on August 7. – Devon Antonetti