Chicago natives, Brooklyn-based, modestly named Pretty Good Dance Moves are more than pretty good music makers. Their self titled album, rather than recreating, reinterprets the electronic dance music of the 80s in a way that’s personal, quirky and compelling at once. Lead vocalist, Jimmy Giannopoulos and multi-instrumentalist, Aaron Allieta created a 6- track EP that fuses the fun of Disco with Javelin’s playfulness, sporadically venturing into loungy territories reminiscent of extinguished UK duo Lamb. Collaborations with Heather Christian on 600 Days and Angelina Lucero on Sample Your Body add variety to the band’s sound and leave us nostalgic for Of Montreal’s first albums. The band is playing free shows every Thursday of July at Pianos at 12 am – be there! – Madison Silver.

Rock’n’Roll basterds Raccoon Fighter blew us away at our recent Deli/Northside show at Spike Hill. These guys’ punchy tunes are delivered live with lethal precision and dangerous power. The band just release the 7" Butcherette (stream it here), including the single "Dear Big City" – check it out in the video below. But what you really want to see is Raccoon Fighter live with Locksley at Brooklyn Bowl on July 13 (tonight).

Grooms received The Deli’s indie rock stamp of approval ages ago, when they were still called "Muggabears". But what we are happy to report today is that this is a band that, throughout the years, has been able to grow musically like few others. Coming from a "Pavement influenced" background, Grooms have developed in a more personal direction through the years – the tracks on the album "Prom" (released today on Kanine )showcase a band that has found a very personal balance between sonic experimentation and songwriting values. The group possesses an edgy sound that combines raw, often dissonant guitar parts, driving drum lines, and melodic but tense vocals for a terrific set of songs. Make sure to check out this album, and don’t miss their show in… Union Square (!?) on July 21.

Take two brothers from the U.K. with some serious swagger and a multi-instrumentalist femme fatale from Los Angeles, and you already have an interesting recipe. Add soaring melodies, catchy lyrics, and explosive live performances, and you have a band with serious potential. That’s pretty much the case with Nightmare and The Cat. Besides, Sam and Django Stewart are the sons of Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and Bananarama’s Siobhan Fahey, so not only they have lived and breathed music since a very young age, but they also are pretty well connected in the business. They’ve recently wrapped up some talked about shows at SXSW, a residency at 3 Clubs, and a performance at Pamela Des Barres’ (author of “I‘m With The Band“) garden party in L.A. They’re in NYC at the moment, and I was lucky enough to hear about them just in time to catch their performance at Glasslands in Brooklyn.

From the moment Nightmare and The Cat hit the stage, saying “feel free to come closer”, the crowd was hanging on their every move. I immediately recognized the sex-charged dance moves of Django, and remembered the performances from his previous gigs with Django James and The Midnight Squires. But this was much different, more mature, more refined. Their music is a mixture of the upbeat sounds of Cold War Kids, the deep melodic vocals of Jeff Buckley, and the wailing guitars and attitude of The Pixies. After the encore(and we all know that an encore in Brooklyn is as hard to come by as the G train at night), kids were dancing onstage and it was one big party.

Nightmare and The Cat’s self-titled debut EP came out on July 12. Composed of 5 songs produced by Dan Burns (Surfer Blood, Andrew WK) and Glen Ballard (Alanis Morrisette, Dave Matthews Band), it’s the perfect mixture of youthful, danceable tracks, and spine-tingling harmonies that don’t miss a beat. There are 5 bonus live performance videos and some amazing album art from L.A.’s Gary Baseman as well, so pick it up! – Jenna Putnam

On Thursday, July 14, Speaker Geeks presents the first of a new series of shows at the Studio at Webster Hall featuring the melodic surf-punk stylings of the ambiguously-punctuated Shark? the country-punk growl of the exclamatory Gunfight! (pictured while rocking out in the living room) and the blissed-out shoegazer pop of the un-punctuated Autodrone. Also on hand is DJ Steve Morehouse, who will spin between sets. The show begins at 6pm with an open bar ’til 7, so don’t be late!

I guess some musical genres are supposed to be enjoyed in the summer, and the ubiquitous "chill wave" is one of those…
After Woods released their sophomore album in June, it’s now Real Estate‘s turn to give us some new music: the NJ based band just announced that their new album, "Days" will be released in October. To get your chillaxation going they are streaming a track from the new album on their label’s website, here. Don’t miss their show at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park on July 23.

One difficult feat of good music is its ability to transport listeners into a different and engaging world. Most New Yorkers live in cramped spaces that are often stifling; a reprieve is highly coveted. On Monogold’s debut full length, “The Softest Glow,” the trio guides listeners through multiple musical destinations. The band’s sound lies somewhere in the chaotic and unlikely intersection between Yeasayer, The Antlers and Animal Collective. As a three-piece band, Monogold can support catchy songs that extend beyond confined spaces or genres. Keith Kelly’s falsetto flirtatiously glides through twinkling keys in the album’s starting track, “Ivory Teeth Golden Tusk,” a cherubic welcome to the trio’s sensational, epic voyage through “The Softest Glow.” The energy of the album is raw — almost animalistic — in the sense that the direction of the songs appears to be driven by mood and spontaneity. This speaks of the band’s capability to play together very well, feeding off each other’s strengths and collectively moving as one. The tribalesque, frenetic rhythms feel exotic but ground the different sounds and textures. The album is an impressive debut that feels both foreign and familiar at the same time. Get out of your cramped quarters and witness Monogold’s teleportation skills at Pianos tonight for free! – Nancy Chow

American folk music has long been about a splattering of influences re-arranged. The best of the current crop of songwriters is that they smartly merge the ongoing progression of rock and popular music with rootsy inflections, while claiming no title other than their own. Gabriel Birnbaum’s brainchild Boy Without God is a strong example of this process. The formerly lo-fi centric songwriter proves that he doesn’t need grit to add novelty or cover deficiencies in his recently released album “God Bless The Hunger.” While his adept guitar work draws heavily from the bass-melody sounds present since Maybelle Carter, Birnbaum’s keen sense of layering shifts quickly from strings to horns, from sweet harmonies to avant-garde dissonance. Check out “Boy Without God” on July 31st at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. – Jason Bertone

Gentle Brooklyn lo-fi-shoegaze-poppers Dream Diary just released this home made video of their single "El Lissitzky", the band recently released their debut CD, "You Are The Beat" on Kanine records.