With regret, members are pulling the plug on Cruelty Code in two more shows. Known for their mixture of trepanating timbres and rusted-scalpel lyrics, the paragon of IE coldwave exemplified Salope Cassette‘s nursery of whispered auteurs including Contraciel, Shojo Winter, and Ambersmoke. The departure of Cruelty Code comes as a tragedy to Southern California’s close-knit and supportive communities of noise — the project is survived by The Victoriana and Pornography Ethics.

Their three-date send-off began last night in Riverside with Shitgiver, Band Aparte, and Sashcloth & Axes. Kevin McVey (Shojo Winter, ex-Crisis Arm) fills in synth for Kevin Martin (ex-Apathean, Eisenhower). – Ryan Mo, photo credit: Shojo Winter

1/30 Temecula @ The Dial with MATH, Wreckage and Black Cat, Shojo Winter

2/05 Los Angeles @ Timewarp with OCD, Toner, Shojo Winter, The Unending Thread

As hinted at in its regal name, New York’s The Next Great American Novelist purveys an impressive literariness on its nerd rock-inflected song, "Wicked" (streaming below). Starting out with drum thuds that pleasantly hearken back to Queen’s "We Will Rock You," the guitar-tightened track shows project mastermind and singer/songwriter Sean Cahill as an unabashed romantic. Like Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo on the contemporary classic “Say It Ain’t So,” the warm-voiced Cahill may wear his heart on his sleeve but only because he has so much love to give. The Next Great American Novelist plays The Hall MP in Williamsburg, February 19th at 7pm. – Zach Weg

Leland Sundries is the portmanteau under which frontman Nick Loss-Eaton and an ever-evolving roster of Brooklyn, NYC musicians produce music that imagionatevly expands on Americana in ways reminiscent of the poppy and slightly psychedelic storytelling of Camper Van Beethoven later records – or at least that’s what we hear in preview single "Studebaker," out of upcoming debut album "Music for Outcasts," (preorder here) scheduled for a Februyary 5 release. Mostly written before overcoming alcoholism and survuivuing open heart surgery, and finalized during the resulting, forced "time off," partly spent in Europe, the record focuses on personal tales related to seeing the world through new, sober eyes, and feeling it through a finally healed body. Check out also the video for "Apocalypse Love Song" here. Leland Sundries plays Muchmore’s on 02,26.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Rootsy songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

The ever expanding universe that is Brooklyn’s dreampop scene seemingly knows no bounds. While numerous bands explore that style’s noisier side, the recently released debut EP “Sea White Salt” by Joseph Sant (a "Honorable Mention" in our recent Best of NYC Psych Open Submission results) takes a more introspective approach. Although a prominent drum track initially propels featured single cut “Nor’easter” along, the emergence of soft surf-rock guitar lines and whisper-sung vocals establish an unmistakable ambient mindset. Textured guitar melodies appear within the tracks instrumental second minute, creating the sonic equivalent of swelling wind and ocean. A denser, layered crescendo explodes just after the 2:00 minute mark, and you get the sense that the storm has now peaked. The feeling is poetic without actually being able to pinpoint any clearly defined storyline. In fact, only at the very end when the instruments go quiet can you make out the lyric “all that I hated and struck at – lost its hold over me.” While readily acknowledging Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing as initial developers of this sound, emerging bands like Lazyeyes and now Joseph Sant continue its forward progression. – Dave Cromwell