David Strange is delightfully weird, devilshly hypnotic, and guaranteed to pull you down into his personal rabbit hole. With psych rock leanings, it’s easy to say that the ex-session musician’s sound belongs to a different era, but there’s a hard-to-place oddness pumping through the twisted heart of his self-titled EP–so much so that it’s perhaps more fitting to say Strange’s music belongs to a different dimension. Stand out track "Aztec Corn" pulses with the grit and glam of old-school rock n’ roll, but has a jaunty, sinsiter quality that feels as if Strange is edging closer and closer to becoming wildly unhinged. The result is a delirously delicious aural treat, especially for those craving something a bit more unusal. You can catch him at the Knitting Factory 1/30 with ZEBEDEE, Logan X, and Toot Sweet, but in the meantime, be sure to stream him below. – Olivia Sisinni

So maybe you gave up on wearing your sister’s jeans, but your heart was never were able to fully give up on your middle-school-era emo music phase. Free Throw may be just the band for you. The Nashville natives serve up songs busting with visceral punches, and primed to cut right through your gut and leave you screaming the lyrics along to your car radio. The band’s currenly revving up for a national tour (dates here) but in the meantime, stream them below.-Olivia Sisinni

We’ve always been fan of NYC’s songstress Niia, whose sensuous song "Last Night in Los Feliz" was recently chosen by Kylie Jenner & Tyga as soundtrack for a risque` video unveiled on Christmas day. Needless to say, this got Niia a fair amount of exposure, and her name popped up in our Best of NYC Top 10 for emerging artists on this same page…

Having spent 3 years working inside a corporate music store, I can personally attest that the sounds you hear all day are not exactly the most musical. It’s pretty common to be asked by wide eyed customers how you can possibly deal with all the noise while kids who have never touched a drum set before wail on the heads with reckless abandon. Honestly though, after a couple of months of working against all the clamor, the constant set of squeals, squawks and crashes tends to bleed into the background, and answering a hush-toned phone call takes no real effort. 

But this is why I was instantly interested in Glassine’s (aka Danny Greenwald) latest release. No Stairway is made up solely of manipulated field recordings from the artist’s local Guitar Center, and before you write it off as a weirdo, novelty album take a listen–the LP is a bona fide avant-ambient record that stands even without its premise. With 7 tracks of vaporwave vibes that feel warm, hazy and exceptionally human, Glassine forces the take-for-granted din of music retail into the forfront of his work. How he’s managed to transform the cacophony of middle aged men stumbling through three chord songs on thousand dollar guitars into emotive ambiance is beyond me, but it’s a creative tour de force that will have you questioning the line that lies between music and noise. Check out No Stairway streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

Literary rockers Modern Diet, our fresh artist of the month, have released an imaginative animated video for their latest track “Red Eye” (streaming below).  Visual artist Jaron Lionel depicts dreamlike scenarios based on lyrics which juxtapose relationship struggles against a doomed airline flight.  Initially sparse and moody, the track develops on top of a dynamic bass guitar phrase, while sustained guitar atmospherics hold steady over softer shuffling percussion.  Reaching the central hook, lyrics detail being “on a nonstop with nowhere to go” as they’re “asleep in the eye of the storm,” leaving little doubt this is a troubled ride. The slow burn builds to a majestic coda of reverberated “ooooh wah” vocals, forceful guitar chord accents and jazz-styled drum fills. “Wake up in a cold sweat, Not coming back to bed, Plane crash and a wet dream, 747 under fitted sheets, Where she’s waiting for me, I will not go to sleep.”  It’s a powerful track and video that incorporates the grand storytelling of Arcade Fire with the jazzy touches of Steely Dan. – Dave Cromwell