What do Rubblebucket, Bear In Heaven, and Delicate Steve have in common, besides being based in NYC? Each of these musical projects contributes to new "super-group" Alexander F with a band member. Thankfully, this new musical project doesn’t sound like a mix of those three break out artists, but rather like a devastatingly fun version of the loud/quiet/loud rock of the ’90s, updated in a direction that’s more modern and more punk at once. We are digging their two Bandcamp songs (streaming below), which bode very well indeed for a night of abandon and debauchery at Union Pool on December 18. Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket will be DJing. 

Rock’n’Roll, folks… will it ever get old? Not if keeps churning out bands with the attitude and chutzpah of Brooklyn’s Junk Boys, a garage’n’roll quartet that will be celebrating the release of their debut, self titled LP at Baby’s All Right on 12.16. Channeling at once rockabilly riffage and the fuzz-worthy sound of garage all New Yorkers should be able to appreciate, this is a band that can write and deliver punchy ol’ rock tunes without sounding passe’ and, at least on record, knows how to pull off the genre’s antics. If they can replicate this live (we bet they can), fun should be had in great amounts – you can experience this on your skin on December 16 at Baby’s All Right. Check out our favorite song "Sad But True," streaming below.

We stumbled upon Birch (not to be confused with songwriter Diane Birch) a couple of times while blogging about other artists (and that’s a good thing in itself), so finding the band’s debut EP among the digital NYC submissions allowed us for a more in depth exposure to their music. Led by singer-songwriter/synth player Michelle Birsky and her expressive alto, the trio plays an edgy brand of electro pop, where buzzy synths and fuzzy guitars contribute in equal measure to a sound that’s as full as it is articulated. Opener ‘Fighting Words’ (streaming) marries a Devoesque drum/buzzy synth pattern with Eastern sounding guitar riffs and Michelle’s saturated vocals, while featuring a structure that delays the pop explosion until minute 1’40". Fans of early Best Coast will enjoy the evocative second and third tracks "Carolyn" and ‘Halfway.’ Birch just released a cover song/video combo of Pixies’ ‘Where is my mind?"

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

Sometimes, random circumstances make a video, or a song, or a movie, particularly significant for the times we are living. Watching this simple, beautifully shot video for single "Aleph," by dark pop band Battle Ave, we immediately started longing for snow, while wondering if we’ll ever experience it again in NYC – after an insanely warm fall and a week in December with temperatures averaging 60 degrees. But the development of the video’s story line also introduced another extremely current, even more stirring issue, related to carrying weapons, the temptation to actually use them, and the endless regret coming after that. But then again, on top of these already powerful thoughts, came the realization that this is a song about solitude and the insanity it can potentially trigger: the track develops along comfortingly catchy electric guitar arpeggios and an orderly rhythm section, but Jesse Alexander’s subtly deranged vocal tone bears and almost announces the seed of madness, in a pop environment that, otherwise, almost exudes domestic tranquility. This paradox is eerily reminiscent of the strident familiarity screamed by the images of the house of the San Bernardino terrorists, and in particular the absurd and disturbing thought of a young couple, teaching their six month old "manners" from a book, a few hours before committing a mass murder…

As disturbing as art like this might be, when it’s this well executed, it’s certainly more powerful and intellectually rewarding than your average escapist pop – even though recent episodes certainly contributed in making this video more relevant (the song was released in May 2015, as part of the band’s debut full length "Year of Nod"). Our feeling is that our times require a renewed attention to reality, and that art should serve that purpose.

P.S. Battle Ave is mostly based in upstate NY, but their NYC based drummer makes them eligible for coverage in this blog.

Winter is upon us (although it doesn’t feel so), and all across New York City radiators are supposed to shudder to life. Their cold metal skeletons, dormant for so many months, hiss under windows cracked to combat their intrepid magnitude. Koncept, of Brown Bag All Star fame, has teamed up with fellow MC/Producer J57 to bring a similar heat to the season. For these hustlers who have been cranking out work for years now, it’s a deliberately self-conscious release. Like Koncept raps in the title track, “I been kickstarting my engine far too long now, seen too many planes in the sky fall down. I’m fuel for this cross country drive, with some water and supplies, see the fuel in his heart, in his eyes.” The radiator is fueled up and people are already feeling the heat. Check out their video for "Porcelain" and listen to other tracks on Koncept & J57‘s Soundcloud page. – BrokeMc

Hailing from Brooklyn and Philadelphia, psych-pop trio Museyroom, now featured on the Philly-based label Grindselect, just put out a self-described “future nostalgia” single entitled “Ballad,” which features a set of thoughtful narrative lyrics, lush guitar tones a la Morning Benders, and a reminiscent vibe evocative of Atlas Sound. The vocals are pleasantly processed and harmoniously layered with a touch of Crosby, Still, Nash & Young, while the laidback drums work with the punchy bassline to build up complex rhythms under an epic soundscape, all leading to an uplifting, emotional release. If this single is any indication, Museyroom has great things in store for 2016. You can catch Museyroom at the Fulton Street Market in Manhattan this Friday, December 11 or at Boot & Saddle in Philly on December 29. Their debut LP, “Pearly Whites,” is set to drop on March 25. – Dan Rome

When you stumble upon a band name like Antarctigo Vespucci, you immediately gather you are dealing with qurky minds with silly inclinations. The Brooklyn band that goes under that moniker, however, is not as quirky as we expected. After releasing two EPs in 2014, they put out a full length in May entitled "Leavin’ La Vida Loca," recorded with a $300 budget (it sounds pretty good, hurrah for DIY!). It features a variety of charming songs ranging for power pop number a la Weezer like streaming track "Impossible to Place" to thoughtful sparse folky ballads like opener 2 Days and Losing my Mind, which also features drum machine and synth sounds. You’ll be able to catch them at Shea Stadium on 12.14.

Born in NYC to a Colombian father and a French mother, Gabriel Garzón-Montano spent his early years mastering all sorts of instruments, from the violin to guitar and drums, before turning to the piano and bass guitar to better complete his compositions. His music surely reflects both his roots and vast musical skills. Gabriel’s debut EP "Alma Del Huila," released in 2013, is a gem of minimalistic, superchilled alt soul, check out single "Keep on Running," which gathered more than a million plays on Spotify.

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

In anticipation of the release of her new video, soulstress Adesuwa dropped the single “Wild Light” on OkayPlayer yesterday. Adesuwa, formerly of Denitia and Sene, refines and smoothes out her solo sound with lush harmonics and velvet cream vocals. Co-produced by Brad Williams, the sound is bigger, fuller, and more immersive than her previous work. “Adesuwa,” a Nigerian name which means “Surrounded by Prosperity,” may prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Help her celebrate the video release at Exile @ Berlin, 25 Ave A at 7:30 on Friday December 18th. – BrokeMc photo by E. Springer

If you’ve never been on tour, the new video from Brooklyn quintet, The Jaguar Club, might offer some insight into the vibrant, audacious, and, at times, exhausting intricacies of time spent on the road with your best friends, playing music every night. The visuals for their song, "The Last of the Night," a new single following last year’s debut album CLOSE, were shot, and, consequentially directed by the band, on tour in July and August of this year, including England, a few festivals, and full slew of US dates in support of Idlewild. Shots alternate in schizophrenic juggling fashion between hotel rooms and lobbies, parking lots, gorgeous city shots, bridges and roads, and breathtaking beachscapes, with tons of footage of the band in their various car rentals thrown in between. Aside from appearing like an absolute blast, the video depicts five friends who know each other better than most, travel together, spend countless hours together, and still manage to play energetically the music that they love, every night, thus speaking volumes for the binding power of life on tour, both for camaraderie, and musicianship.

The track itself is a lush ballad of catchy hooks and driving, shakeable rhythms, with enough synth fills and vocal reverb to instill that inspirational mysticism mirrored in the Kerouac romance of the road. Included in the visuals are plenty of shots of hometown favorite spot, The Knitting Factory, where The Jaguar Club will be headlining a pretty stacked bill on December 15th. Playing alongside them will be Dead Leaf Echo, Dinowalrus, and Decorum. It should be a fine time! -JP Basileo

If you wonder why so much electronic music is invading the web-waves, the answer is bifold: portability, and user friendliness (as in: you don’t really need to learn to play an instrument to make electronic music). These two features certainly helped NYC based electronic songriter Amanda Steckler (of Blonde Maze) write songs while traveling back and forth between NYC and London. Tos songs were christallized in four track debut EP "Oceans," which is a sonic diary of the contrasting feelings and thoughts of an transatlantic traveler – always an ocean away from someone or something dear to them, asleep while the loved ones are awake and vice-versa, as single "Awake / Asleep" (streaming) points out. Blonde Maze will perform at Pianos on New Year’s Eve (which is always a lot of fun, with Great Caesar and Controller.

We were pretty impressed with Brooklyn power pop band Downies’ first single "Widow" back in May, but then silence fell – we even tried to book them for our CMJ show but no reply was had (by the way, here’s an almost absolute truth for you: distorted guitar based bands tend to be horrible at replying to emails, while acoustic musicians tend to be great at it – go figure!). But let’s not digress. Downies is now dead, because it has tramsitioned into something else identical to itself in everything but its name, which is now "Cende." They are about to release a debut, self titled EP scheduled for January 2016, but available for full streaming on their bandcamp page. "Is it good?" – you ask. "It’s good" we answer. It’s fast, distorted grunge-pop, featuring melodies that anybody will have a hard time purging from their system. Five good songs out of five, with the fourth one being not poppy at all, but very Pixies-ish in an extreme and concentrated way. For the record, you’ll never get a complaint from us with the word "Pixies" in it; even "they sound too much like The Pixies" should always be interpreted as a huge compliment, as long as it’s referred to the band’s early years. Listen again to "Widow," and enjoy the speedy catchiness of second track "End," streaming below.

;