At a recent "Blah Blah Basement Bugout" party in a LES hookah bar, Chinatown Hip Hop group Blahsum struggled, like most musicians with a sound too big for the room they are playing, to get their audio under control. Ironically, it worked for them. Squeals of feedback complimented distorted vocals over a live band of bass, guitar, and live MPC.  As the young crowd bounced around them, they hammered through a set with sounds that vacillated between Minor Threat and Public Enemy. With lines like "I’m sick to my stomach, the shit that they come up with, I wish somebody told it like it is," and track names like "New Guernica," the distortion only added to the package.  This coming Sunday (09.27.2015) at Leftfield the band will celebrate the release of “DEM02.”  Doors are at 2pm, it’s free, and the 11 artists on the bill will rattle the bones of Hip Hop as they mercilessly deconstruct it.  The Deli is proud to premier their new video for “New Guernica” – read our Q&A vith the band here. -BrokeMc

At the risk of making a cliched pun based on the name, DC’s post rock trio The Very Small has a big sound, one that conveys swagger and depth. Listening to their anthemic tracks lulls the newly converted fan into instant headbanging. The Very Small expertly capture the multi-instrumental essentials of post rock and the three-part vocals and unforgettable riffs slide the energetic melodies right along from start to finish. Since 2007, these guys have been honing maturing their sound, creating a tasty blend of alt, indie, funk, and post, evidenced by their new single The Worst Form of Violence. Catch their next show at DC9, 10/4, for some Sunday night thrills. -Jonathan Goodwin

Garage rock is a genre that some might find a little trite, but when approached the right way it can still blow minds. Like this song/video combo for single ‘Behind The Mouth’ by NYC scene mainstay Rich Guerzon and his band Broken Guru, a great track featuring an impressive overall production, in particular on the guitars – which have just the right amount of dissonance – and the vocals. The video well reflects the inclinations of the the genre: simple, tense, and kinda claustrophobic. We found them while browsing through our Garage Rock NYC charts – they currently sit in 10th position.

Call it art pop, call it psych pop, call it experimental. Call it whatever you want, but the music that Joaquin Pastor aka James Supercave puts out is not only aurally phenomenal — it’s first-world metaculture commentary. 

The singer/songwriter has been active since 2012, reaching seminal fame for his acoustic collaboration with filmmaker and Erhu player Evita YuePu Zhou in "Chairman Gou", a character perspective of the 2012 Foxxcon factory suicides. It was covered by the Chinese-American newspaper World Journal, illuminating labor abuse in the world’s largest contract tech manufacturer. But prosodic quality isn’t the only mark of James Supercave — the group’s sensual musicality, playfully bridging unorthodox timbres and progressions, definitively separates them from the myriad of emerging acts in the city. James Supercave asks that you don’t think too hard, and that sentiment resounds in "The Afternoon" EP. Released last year, the debut skillyfully pours levity over profound subjects of apocalypse, voicemails, the constant of change, and the self versus the society.

Percy Shelley once remarked: "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." Well it’s 2015, and now’s as good a time as ever to start.

James Supercave performs on Saturday at the Non Plus Ultra as part of their Fall Tour. Acclaimed dreampop/shoegaze band Winter and So Many Wizards side-project Crown Plaza will support. Watch the new music video for "The Right Thing", directed by James Kim, below. – Ryan Mo

A band eight years in the making, Brooklyn’s Twiga is obviously not in a hurry. Although complex in both structure and lyrics, their music is catchy indie pop full of lazy but beautiful melodies a little reminiscent of Grandaddy, minus the whacky synths – like in streaming track "Girls."  Check out their latest EP,  "Fledglings" and – if you dig their sound – don’t miss them at the upcoming CMJ Music Marathon, they are an official band!