Beech Creeps is a new, very noisy NYC based trio featuring members previously active with the likes of Yeasayer, Pterodactyl, People Get Ready and Ex Models among otheres (wow!). Their music has the immediacy of garage rock but sports a sound that’s more tense and explosive, reminiscent at time of Sonic Youth’s noise rock. Considering the talent behind the instruments, we highly recommend their upcoming shows, in particular the (self titled) record release party at Union Pool on March 3rd. If you are going to Austin for SXSW you may stumble upon them there…

We’ve been following The Parlour Tricks for quite some time (check out this 2011 interview when they were still called Lily and the Parlour Tricks), and admittedly we’ve had our up and downs with them (last year they didn’t appreciate our sarcasm about them premiering a video with the Wall Street Journal). But politics never affect our music appreciation, and this stylish indie pop band has been proving to have  the talent, the song and the commitment to thrive in what’s probably the toughest music scene in the world. We are therefore happy to celebrate their recent signing with super-awesome label Bar / None, home – among others – of pop luminaries such as Yo La Tengo, Of Montreal and Alex Chilton. The band was selected to play an officials SXSW show this coming March.

Coney Island rapper Your Old Droog (featured in our recent Best of NYC Emerging Artists list) derives his name from “Droog,” the Russian word for friend. Indeed, his music is like a walk down rap’s memory lane back to 1994. Initially coming off as another gravel-voiced rapper fresh out the gravel-voiced rapper factory, Droog quickly overcomes initial prejudice with his rapidly evolving rhyme patterns and sardonic wordplay. In “Porno for Pyros” (streaming) from the Kinison EP, Droog emphasizes his relevance saying, “Back in the line of fire. Sayin my style’s dated is like sayin’ wine has expired.” Cheers to that. – BrokeMc

LA just got a big ole gift from the city of Austin, Texas, as rocker pair Gal Pals has made the big jump further west. Gal Pals makes stripped-down, up-energy summer pop that’s a good bit garage, and also a good bit of bubblegum and fun. Y’get the feeling listening to their music that these two ladies moved to Cali just to put their music in the right setting, which is undoubtedly a beach party in the warm day, with the Gal Pals’ lazer-bright clothes and sunglasses standing out against the blue sky as they blast out their guitar-and-drums-and-nothin’-else pop music. The band will be playing official shows at SXSW this coming March.