Office Space is a great movie, because anyone that’s ever had an office job can relate to most – if not all – of Peter Gibbons’ quandaries and one is left wondering, “How did I get here?” Built By Animals explores that precise question on Corporate Syndrome. The opener, “Teenage Rampage,” begins with a jewel-toned, jerky guitar that has garnered the band comparisons to Vampire Weekend’s westernized afrobeat style. The rest of the EP also references early Weezer, Guster and Modest Mouse. “Spreadsheets” may just become the unofficial anthem of the tired, repressed office worker with its true-to-life lyrics. The band is playing the Economy Bites culinary TV show 1-yr anniversary party on 10.09 and then a CMJ show on October 23 at the Lit Lounge. -N.C.

MiniBoone come from a world where the Talking Heads reign supreme, and where people have attention spans that last longer than 30 seconds. These guys excel at packaging remarkable musical complexities into feverishly catchy pop songs, so much so that it’s easy to breeze through their 7-inch without fully appreciating how difficult it is to produce something both quirky and impetuous that doesn’t necessarily come across as such. “Devil In Your Eyes” should have a little sticker on it that says “Caution: This song comes spring-loaded.” Each unison chorus propels the next verse forward with such energy that by 2:23 it’s got no place left to go and pulls a Layla, dropping us off into an extended guitar solo and outro that’s at least as memorable as the song itself. I haven’t seen MiniBoone live (yet), but I imagine the experience would be something like freebasing cocaine while doing windsprints on a rollercoaster. The most exciting music isn’t always the most frenetic, and MiniBoone is a case in point. MiniBoone manages to overwhelm the senses without taking up every last inch of the musical soundscape–there’s space to breathe, to ponder the music as it’s happening. But not too much. It’s a carefully (and perfectly) constructed balance that most bands struggle to find and never quite achieve. – Ben Heller – Read Dale Eisenger’s Q&A with the band here.

NYC electro-dance and pop duo (and dating couple?) The Hundred in the Hands, “came together” on the road, “playing one another tracks in a van,” that ranged from disco, to French house to post punk music gods like New Order and The Cure. Call it Kerouacian inspiration because upon returning home they wrote the upbeat, guitar-screeching “Dressed in Dresden.” These two will be making their self-titled LP debut today (!) with dance heavy tracks that offer energy and clap happy, basement-feel sounds. Starting off with the slower-building “Young Aren’t Young,” and progressing into the catchy “Pigeons,” it’s clear that THITH are doing that DIY thing and doing it well. They are also good at making tracks that really make you just wanna dance. – Read Vann Alex’s interview about their recording experience on Delicious Audio.

When we were young, some of us now thirty somethings fell in love with a record label called 4AD (pre Pixies-Throwing Muses period) and with the intriguing and liquid sounds of some of its dark, dreamy, suspenseful and at times even mystic records. Bands like Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Cranes and This Mortal Coil were in different but parallel ways incredibly original innovators, and extremely influential in the UK scene that was about to produce the shoegazer movement. Brand new NYC based project Quiet Lights seems to be inspired by the subtler, more atmospheric sounds this scene produced in the mid 80s: liquid guitar drones and tribal drums create an ever changing sonic carpet on which dreamy female melodies float with hypnotizing effect. All the dreamers out there should check this band out at Bowery Electric on 10.03 (it’s free if you RSVP here).

Sometimes the most brilliant ideas are really really simple ones: NYC punksters The So So Glos announced that, to promote the release of their new EP "Low Back Chain Shift", they will be touring… the 5 NYC boroughs! The news might not be particularly exciting for Brooklynites and Manhattanites, but I bet you some kids are getting quite excited in The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, places rarely "blessed" by good indie shows. The So So Glos – whose sound is very reminiscent of the more "mature" punk sound of The Clash of the "London Calling" period – will kick off their tour in Staten Island with a show on October 21, and play in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and The Bronx in the 4 following days. Check out the free single from their new EP.

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Guitars’ first full-length album “Soundtrack to Your Future Nostalgia” could also be named “Soundtrack for Your Future Guru.” Meditation and chanting and bell ringing should be sing-along requirements for this release from the Brooklyn couple (Kenric McDowell and Shanna Hill-McDowell) that often plays live as a quartet. As a matter of fact the album was inspired by a trip in the jungles of Peru` after Shanna was attacked after performing at an art show. It’s heartfelt folk with strummed guitar, haunting vocals, and a toe-tapping echo that stirs from a Himalayan peak of enlightenment.

If you followed us in the last year and a half or so you should know by now that we’ve been covering Buke and Gass in all possible ways since we found out about them (they have been our CD of the month in early 2009, they graced the cover of our summer issue 2009 and they placed 9th in our "Year End Best of 2009" Poll.) It’s great to see them do well finally – the band signed to Brassland Record earlier this year (label run by some of the guys in The National), and has been touring with Danish sensation Efterklang (by the way, you can catch their last date of this tour on Friday 10.01 at Santos Party House). The duo recently released their debut full length "Riposte", and are going to be be playing at one of the Deli organized CMJ show at The Living Room on 10.21.

It is an exciting time at the moment for Brooklyn’s Dead Leaf Echo. In addition to a select placement of CMJ shows (including a Deli Showcase) and a trip up to Boston in November, the band find themselves supporting the much ballyhooed reunited Chapterhouse at their Bell House show this Sunday 10.03. All of this ties in perfectly with the October 12 release of their latest recording “Truth.” This 7 song follow up to their debut “Pale Fire” boast the mixing talents of noted studio guru John Fryer. The single "Half-Truth" weaves together luxuriant keyboard textures, three-quarter time guitar arpeggios and marching band rat-a-tat snare drum as accompaniment for LG’s relaxed vocals. "Pale Fire" is over seven minutes of atmospheric guitars, distinct percussive momentum, cathedral inspired vocal harmonies and dramatic build-ups. With all that’s currently happening around this band, it appears Dead Leaf Echo plans on taking things to the next level. –Dave Cromwell

Even though exuberance can be a little heavy on the eye (admittedly, this video is making our heads spin), we cannot deny that it’s also very contagious, and a fitting attitude for the "You Only Live Once" theme (this is the song’s title.) Unsolved Mysteries is a chameleon-like NYC band that plays bouncy and fun indie rock with electronic and pop elements. I can see how their shows are gaining word of mouth for being like crazy musical parties – these guys are able to let things go, even on a sonic level. Upcoming plans include a collaboration with weirdo rappers Das Racist and the finishing touches to their third album – release date TBD.

New York City band Lucinda Black Bear (whose leader C. Gibbs will be remembered by us for playing the very first Deli Mag fundraiser at Asterisk in the Fall of 2004) will release KNIVES, the second full-length CD of what NPR Music calls their "carefully written folk rock with stunning sonic arrangements" on Tuesday, November 2nd. To mark the occasion, the band will play three New York-area shows throughout the fall: 92nd Street Y Tribeca on November 5th, Maxwell’s on November 11th and Rockwood Music Hall on December 9th. The lead single, the CD’s title track, was released yesterday.

Dead Till Tuesday, recently winner of the "Citymeals" Battle of The Band (a fundraising event involving a competition between emerging artists), is celebrating the release of their new EP "What’s That Sound?" with a show at Public Assembly on October 6. The band is the brainchild of Joe Pepitone (although it performs live as a trio), and produces rather chilled electronic pop with big choruses somewhat reminiscent the melodic electronic scene of the 80s (think a slightly darker and mellower version of Erasure). The EP was actually produced by Mark Saunders, who worked with Erasure, The Cure and Depeche Mode among others. There will be an open bar at the show from 8 to 9 pm – we know you want to know that!