Dots Will Echo (who placed 44th in our Year End Poll for Emerging NYC Artists) hails from Ridgewood, New Jersey, and put out one of the best records of 2012 – at least according to… me. But my opinion must be also shared by Mr. Sufjan Stevens, since he released their LP "Drunk Is The New Sober / Stupid Is The New Dumb" on his label Asthmatic Kitty. This is a double-length masterpiece that combines Neil Young balladry and riffage, the ragged, earnest pop-sensibilities of the Replacements, and the dense psychedelia of peak Yes. Frontman and main songwriter Nick Berry tackled romantic loss and apocalyptic depression with a healthy dose of Zen. I wonder if Sufjan – when he heard the band for the first time – started with “Rocket Girls” (streaming). Dots Will Echo is working on their follow-up now. – Ben Krieger
