Gondola is an ambiguous name for an indie band – if on one hand it conjures up images of mainstream tourism in Venice (yours truly knows something about that, since he lived there for 8 years), on the other it’s also true that those darn little boats rock like no other. Brooklyn band Gondola doesn’t rock particularly hard though, if not occasionally. Their tunes are propelled by strummed acoustic guitars, but they are not really folky. They are indie pop tunes featuring an element of blue thoughtfulness that falls somewhere in the middle between The Shins’ early lo-fi gems, Belle and Sebastian’s suggestive storytelling and the Beta Band’s quirky pop experiments. Charming. We are premiering the single "We Are the Map" – streaming below – from their debut EP. The band will celebrate its release tonight (04.11) with a show at Brooklyn’s Muchmore with Vensaire, Tica Douglas, and Bill Bartholomew.

Wondering what our generation’s yacht rock is going to sound like? Look no further than Midnight Magic – the band made our most recent list of Best Emerging NYC Artists at #66. These guys take the smoothness of Captain & Tennille and mix it down with a disco-funk shot of Olivia Newton-John. A perfect cocktail to go with your next night out, check out latest record ‘Walking the Midnight Streets’ and get the party started. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Now that the warm weather has finally thawed New York’s frozen core and melted away everyone’s collective doldrums, it’s time for the city’s countless music festivals to start popping up, and one of them – perhaps one of the city’s most unique – is about to hit this Thursday night.  The Brain-Cave Festival, now in its third year and taking place at Europa in Greenpoint from April 11 – 14, bills itself as something of a music and multimedia extravaganza, and will feature a ton of NYC acts like Hooray for Earth, Peelander-Z, Lemonade, The Suzan, Monogold, Eula, Zongo Junction, Forgetters (mems. of Jawbreaker/Jets to Brazil/Against Me!) GunFight!, Quiet Loudly and more, plus live art, video projections, DJs and other surprises (not to mention an open bar each night!). For festival founder Luis Velasquez (CaraBella Presents) and co-producer Gabo Rodriguez (Supercrush Studio), Brain-Cave is a chance to showcase a wide variety of musical acts alongside art – a combination of ear and eye-candy guaranteed to mess with your senses and rattle your own brain cave.  The festival has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings at Shea Stadium in 2011 and its stint at the Bell House last year, and now boasts four nights of music and art. For only $12 a night (or $40 for the whole festival – advance pricing), you’ll get four days of Brain-Cave, including a day show at the Greenpointers.com Spring Market on Saturday.  Get more info on the fest here.

With the spring flowers of April comes Dead Leaf Echo‘s long awaited full length album release "Thought and Language." An ambitious literary work of dreamy and lyrical beauty and meticulously crafted sonics, the record was impeccably mixed by legendary 4 AD master John Fryer, who worked with Love & Rockets’ Daniel Ash, Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode among others. The band has been keeping a relentless touring schedule in support of this album over the last few months and they will bring their live show back to Brooklyn for the first time in over 6 months on April 18th at Public Assembly. Stream single "Kingmaker" in SoundCloud and Video format below. – Dave Cromwell

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.

Like a jack-in-the-box about to fall off the rails, Blanche Blanche Blanche keeps you guessing what’s coming next, the entire way through. Utilizing their penchant for 4-track and melodic approximation to produce an out of this world, grim inducing experience, this new-to-Brooklyn duo is crafting Ween influcenced lo-fi madness for a new generation. Listen to new LP ‘Wooden Ball’ and just try to make sense this robo-rock assault if you can. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m as infatuated with shoegaze as any skinny-black-jeans-wearing-hipster out there, but it’s refreshing when a band incorporates other elements into the genre instead of just serving straight up 90’s nostalgia. Brooklyn’s Cool Serbia has the sound of a psych rock band, but digs a little deeper into music history, pulling out qualities of the bubbly pop of the 60’s. The first track off of their self-titled EP “Dream Lover” sounds like a (dirty) surfer doo-wop number, until in the chorus heavy doses of noise and feedback bring out the blokes’ shoegazer soul in full display. Their track “Kill Yourself” is much more straight shoegaze, keeping their pop influence to catchy guitars and tambourines. They only just released their debut EP this past March, and they’re already gaining some heat, opening for Andrew WK a couple of weeks ago at Kent Ave. We expect to be seeing more from these guys. – Lucille Sherman

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.

The Harmonica Lewinskies aren’t the kind of band you usually expect to find over here in NY. The funk and blues group channels Clinton-era sexual intrigue in their name, and hard-driving horn sections in tunes like ‘The Ghost Pal Song’ and ‘Harlem River Valley.’ Ok… so perhaps they’re not the most serious guys in the world, but if second EP ‘Salad Days’ leaves you with anything… it’s that these guys know how to f***ing play. And that’s not something I can say about enough local bands. The band just ended a residency at Pianos – and almost won the latest Deli Artist of the Month poll gathering more than one thousand votes! See them live at Bowery Electric on April 13 with fellow Newyorkers Man in a Crowd. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

I’m not sure what you said… but Big Ups (who made our Best of Emerging NYC artists list for the 2nd year in a row) is pissed off. Maybe not at you, but definitely at things like fresh meat and crappy basses too (at least according to their facebook). The band is probably one of the most ambitious screaming punk acts this side of the Hudson, basically clamoring to knock the doors off of any and all venues (and will probably sleep on your couch while they’re at it too). But don’t worry. These guys are so much fun, you won’t even mind getting hit by a sweat bomb or two when you see them play Shea Stadium on Wednesday, April 10th.

For those who don’t find the 80s electro-cheese backlash particularly riveting, NYC trio Cascading Slopes may be a more interesting (and stylish) electronic alternative. A project started by The Drums’ keyboardist Jacob Graham, Cascading Slopes is a "purist’s project" (not even samples are allowed in their tracks) that doesn’t distance itself from the pop format, but approaches it with a minimalistic attitude that references the rigorous German ancestors of the genre, rather than the many artists who climbed the charts in the 80s with their baroque tunes. See them live at Cameo on April 27.

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging electronic NYC artists here.

As far as backstories go, The Dust Engineers have a rather unique one. Originally conceived by Zachary Meyer as the fictional home recordings of an imaginary South Dekotan teenager, The Dust Engineers’ are in fact a five-piece project based out of NYC. Teaming up with Sara Maeder, Erik Rosenbuerg, Jared Harel, and Ryan Egan, the band debuted as more than fantasy in 2011. Their brand of lo-fi roots rock with 90’s lo-fi influences gives them the sort of nostalgia and charm that would make their original backstory seem plausible, and in a way their music brings it to life. See them live at Rockwood Music Hall on April 19. – Read Devon Antonetti’s interview with the band here.

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.

New York based avant-indie band, DT ROTBOT are slated to perform twice in NYC this month. On April 8th, they will play Glasslands with Camadrone & Snark and Marble Fawn for an evening of super strange music to drink and sway to. On April 12th, DT ROTBOT will perform their compositional tales of love and woe, as they play “Two Song Cycles”, both of which are musical reenactments or interpretations of the classic stories of "A Place in the Sun" and "House of Mirth" at New York University. DT ROTBOT is an out of the box, and completely unique band.

You’re going to want to check them out. If you’re a DIY art house scene type of person check out Glasslands, and if you prefer a more intellectual environment, enjoy the free show at NYU. – @lovejordannah

Stephen Malkmus is apparently a huge fan of New Zealand’s Flying Nun Records scene, and Craig Dermody – the Australian native now New York based man behind Scott and Charlene’s Wedding  must have found similar influences in these groups’ approach to life and song. The way his band expresses mundane details in tracks like "Two Weeks" (streaming below) and new track "Epping Line" are part and parcel what makes for timeless slacker anthems.

Check out latest LP ‘Para Vista Social Club’ to learn all about Craig’s rejections, battles with train stations, and some of the best jangly guitar pop in years. The band placed at #74 in our Best of 2012 Poll for emerging NYC artists. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.