NYC’s We Are The Woods (not to be confused with Brooklyn’s band Woods) will release a new album this October. Their previous release was a Deli Record of the Month in 2011. Entitled “Whales & Roses,” the new album features the band’s signature vocal harmonies courtesy of singers Jessie Murphy and Marcia Webb. The vocal duo is accompanied by the band’s ornate instrumentation, which includes, among others, acoustic guitars, strings, flutes and tubas. We Are The Woods will hit NYC this fall at the Rockwood Music Hall September 5th and at the Living Room September 30th. Check out the title track to the upcoming album streaming below. – Read a recent Deli interview with the band here.

As the clock ticks away, there’s a fragility to every existence that Brooklyn’s experimental quintet In One Wind has captured with an admirable dramatic intensity. Drifting from the aesthetic innovations of their debut towards something more conceptual, they developed for their first EP Lean six narratives built upon an unstable structure, where each voice, with a warm candor, struggles to find its place, and pace itself to the rhythm of the song. Some find a note, a glimpse of a hook on which to rest, if only for a second; some find a partner, and as a solo turns to duet, gain a strength that can settle a tempo, or turn acoustic melancholia into distorted noise-rock; only the poor Drunkard finds nothing, and until the end of his sad tale sways uncertain as a subtle cymbal going crescendo suggests the weight of his time rushing by. Despite nuances of folk, jazz and rock, Lean defines an expressionist world of its own, where the textures and arrangements hold as much narrative power as the words themselves, if not more.  – Tracy Mamoun

The evolution of Vivian Girls’ founding member Cassie Ramone’s other project known as The Babies takes another step forward with the release of the 7" "Moonlight Mile," presented as an appetizer for the band’s upcoming new album. Started as a very DIY psych-pop band, the group in the last year has morphed its sound towards a new, more defined direction, which finds inspiration in the American Roots Rock of the 80s filtered through Frank Black’s odd chord progressions and relentlessly tense pop anthems.

Lead vocals handled this time by writing partner (and Woods’ bassist) Kevin Morby, a cautionary tale is laid out about the perils traveling down an uncertain road. Cassie contributes significantly with the hook-laden background vocals, which at times almost sounds like a horn section. A piercing lead guitar riff emerges, echoing the train metaphor that culminates the song’s lyrical statement. The track can be streamed now and will be released as the first single by the Woodsist label on August 14. The full album titled "Our House On The Hill" will be released in the fall. The 7" release will feature an exclusive B-side and is limited to 1,000 copies. The band will be playing multiple shows in Brooklyn, beginning with Public Assembly on 7/25, Union Pool on 7/28, Secret Project Robot on 7/31, McCarren Park on 8/15 and Union Pool again that same night. – Dave Cromwell

The man behind Seaflower must have listened to at least a little Black Sabbath during his teenage years. Ozzy’s tradition of nightmare guitar riffs and psychotically warped vocals is continued with rare aggression by Jersey native Joseph Biondi’s dizzying brand of hard rock.

But if anything, the solo project of Joseph Biondi is much more to the point than many of his influences. It seems when Seaflower needs to make a point, he prefers the axe to the scalpel. ‘Opossum Dreams’ (streaming below) has a hook and enough dissonance to justifies any amount of blank, while ‘Fuck You, Steve‘ is about well…. maybe just listen to the song yourself. Biondi’s brand of hyper-intense passion is bound to scare off some, for those left behind… it may be exactly what you need after a long week at the office. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This bandsubmitted their music for review here.

So it looks like Emily Wells (who recently relocated from LA to NYC) has finally let her guard down. After several records spent experimenting with her sample-based mix of chamber instruments and rock attitude, gypsy vocals and even some brief rapping interludes, she has released the first single to her new record ‘Mama,’ and it is something far bolder than expected.

‘Passenger’ contains that rare sort of rapture which is as surprising as it is comforting. With this track, Emily Wells may very well have crafted one of the best songs of the year, while proving the theory that to be a true badass, you have to be vulnerable.

Emily on tour will be supporting Minneapolis folk band Dark Dark Dark, a group that should help let the holy ghost in before Ms. Wells comes out. Join the bands when they return from national tours to play Friday, October 12th at The Knitting Factory. – Mike Levine

Darrin Bradbury (http://darrinbradbury.bandcamp.com/), the front-man for the North Jersey thrash-folk outfit Big Wilson River, will play a solo show at The Studio at Webster Hall on July 31st. In preparation for the show, Bradbury has organized his back catalog to chronicle his eight-year (and counting) career. Included among the traditionally recorded EPs are live tracks and demo tapes. One such demo is “Biscuits and Gravy,” which sounds reminiscent of a long-lost John Prine track. Check out Bradbury at the Studio Tuesday next week, and listen to “Biscuits and Gravy” streaming below. –

Joshua S.Johnson

At a DIY junction between industrial, goth rock and contemporary noise, Brooklyn’s Dolores Boys introduced themselves at the start of the year with a dark self-titled debut (Psychic Mule). Drilling, screeching, rasping sounds, distortion, bad recording and ominous drumbeats, inspired by ‘sado-masochism’ and ‘confusion’… neither techniques nor influences matter much as long as the sum is unhinging. Even ‘Jesus Gave Up On Blues Singers’, filled with silence and minor tones, is somewhat a soft torture of a blues track. Recording in ‘a claustrophobic coffin of a box 6 steps down’ with a balance of pedal effects and odd electronic noises, the duo sustains the angst as the soundtrack to their horror scenario drifts from chaos to eerie calm. On July 19th they played a noise rock party at Xpo929 with Insect, Hot Tub Panorama and Ice Balloons. Tracy Mamoun

Anya Skidan is a young Brooklyn based singer songwriter who’s not afraid to charge her tunes with melancholy and sadness. Haunted with emotion, her voice floats on a layer of sparse, dreamy tracks. In the first song off of her LP ‘Shine the Brightest,’ her raw, natural voice has an eerie vibe reminiscent of a darker Kimya Dawson. The track, “Spiritual”, sets an interesting tone for the whole album, and showcases Skidan’s knack for portraying deep emotions and drastic tones. "Hidden Treasures" (streaming below) and “Soft and Gentle” have a more up-tempo feel, while “Summer is Gone” sounds like some kind of nightmarish litany where the singing-in-the-round technique is used, in conjunction with a an arrangement full of mallets and other percussions, to enanche the loss of the warm season. This is a budding artist we should keep an ear on. Anya Skidan will be performing on July 26 at Bowery Electric in New York, NY.

Brooklyn’s music Conveyor presents an intriguing blend of styles and influences. Combining the percussion of afropop with moody electronics and rhythmic patterned vocal placement, their sound is bouncy and creative. Many of the songs are the result of a collaborative writing process, giving the defined sections an air of intricacy. Time signatures that break out of the 4/4 mold suggest artists not content to rely on the safety of familiar patterns. The band released their debut full-length album on Paper Garden Records and is currently touring the US. – Read Dave Cromwell‘s interview with the band here.

Upbeat, catchy and serenely produced, Skaters‘ debut EP Schemers is a refreshing return to groove in an otherwise frenetic aural genre. Their songs call to grand truths of times past. They sing love songs shrouded in clairvoyant wisdom. Skaters’sound teeters on the edge of two musical genres – one foot in the up-tempo pop-punk world, the other knee deep in worldly grooves that feel timeless. Their live shows feature impromptu improvisations and unexpected interludes – proof that they are competent musicians, masterful in their ways. Three different people, hailing from three different places (Boston, LA and the UK), Skaters come together with a coherent melancholy that harkens back to The Strokes when they were cool. Schemers has the exciting feeling of the start to something beautiful. – Read Ed Guardaros’ interview with the band here.

In the latest installment of his ongoing IPhone videos – five parts, and something of an iSeries –  New York City producer and songwriter Jessie Harris has released this video for “I Won’t Wait” from his upcoming full-length album “Sub Rosa,” due out on July 31. Once again, the focus is on Harris’ friend Dulcinea Del Dolorosa dancing in a role described as “The Succubus,” was shot on director Lyle Owerko’s iPhone, and later edited on iMovie. The song is a mellow, but driving, blend of Harris’ pop and folk stylings, and features Bright Eyes main man Conor Oberst and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Norah Jones also appears in several songs on “Sub Rosa.” The album release party will be hosted at record store Tropicalia in Furs on July 30th at 6pm. – Devon Antonetti

As they introduce a first full-length album to come with a clear second take on the fuzzy, poorly recorded ‘Dance Only (Only Dance)’ of their debut EP, NYC-via-New-Jersey septet The Everymen prove that they’ve come a long way in two years. Subtly supported in this soulful effort, amid heavy basslines and low sax tones, by the only female voice of the band, frontman and founder Mike V follows the melody with the clumsiness of both punks and macho rockers indulging in kitchy love songs that makes them sound all the more genuine.

Rough ’round the edges with no more need for noise, the track sees New Jersey Hardcore as a potential turning point in the band’s recording career. We will however have to wait until October to confirm, so meanwhile, I suggest you get a taste of the new sounds at Brooklyn’s House of Vans next Thursday (07.26), where they will be opening for psychedelic garage big band King Khan & His Shrines. That should be loads of fun. – Tracy Mamoun