Following the day in the life of a motel maid, played by Mary Timony, “Peace of Mind,” is the latest video off of Mikal Cronin’s MCII. Cronin’s ability to expertly craft pop melodies while subtly tugging at your heartstrings pulls you into the cinematic experience. Feeling more like an indie short film, the video leaves you with a complexity of unsettled enigmatic emotions. Paired with the song’s folk influenced underpinnings, you’re left wanting to follow the maid on her decisive journey through the parking lot as the strings strum on. Mikal Cronin plays the El Rey Dec. 3 with Redd Kross. – Jacqueline Caruso

The spacious, guitar-driven songs of Clues and Codes unfold with a delicate pace, pronounced with a tone that sounds detached from its surroundings. The duo of Alex Aleco and Natalie White conjure a primal response with each terse chord strum, providing somewhat fractured rhythms that fluctuate between plucked guitars and primal percussive beats. But even if they’re penned with a minimalist mindset, they’re never kept within bounds – Aleco’s striking vocals are full of emotional heft, made all the more ghostly as they’re set forth against their sparse arrangements. The mood is especially affecting when they implement mandolin to the proceedings, which actually provides some of their bounciest, sweetest moments. Their debut EP K I N is simple yet full of complexity, brushed with a dark hue that allows for silent reflection. You’ll be able to see the duo live at El Cid this next Saturday, October 5th, followed by an appearance at The Smell in November. – Juan Rodríguez

Unabashedly flaunting the striking synths of the eighties, Tic Tic Boom!, are bringing some life to the party with "These Motions". The duo of real-life couple Mike DeLay and Leilani Francisco illuminate the dance floor with sprightly, pulsing beats and jovial choruses, and they’re intent on making sure that no one leaves the night with a frown. They’re just about to release Their 4th EP It’s the Heart That’s a Fool on October 8, which should make any house gathering playlist all the more colorful.

Upon the release of his self-made video for “Wring the Rag,” I caught up with Lo-Fi, Ambient solo artist Lee Noble to discuss his process. Along with crafting his own recordings, he also creates the cover art for the cassettes released on his label, No Kings. There isn’t much he can’t do – including making zines. Let the layered textures of his music and the esoteric images of the video posted below wash over you like a warm bath as he explains how it all comes together. – Jacqueline Caruso

The Deli: When did you first start performing your own music?

Lee Noble: I made some recordings in high school, but didn’t really play music solo much until later. I was in a band with my best friends throughout high school and college, and most of my musical effort was put into that. In 2008, I moved to Los Angeles and played a few shows alone with tape loops and a drum machine. I was later given a broken harmonium, and I patched it up with some sticky tack. That was sort of the impetus for making ambient music. It played very slowly because it had air leaks.

The Deli: Do you find more satisfaction/artistic fulfillment in the writing/recording process or performing live?

LN: The recordings are my statements, performing live is more like an experiment. Trying set-ups, being present. Not so much like a resume of songs. Each live performance is different, usually. Sometimes that means they don’t work. But it’s almost like 2 separate projects that meet somewhere in the middle. Recording is the priority.

The Deli: Tell us a bit about your recording process. Is it completely solitary? 

LN: I record alone in my room using a digital 8-track deck with one hour of recording memory. I use small tape recorders as something like a notebook for ideas, taking down melodies or riffs. Then I build up from those pieces. My deck is on it’s last legs though, so I’m trying to work out a new way to record. 

The Deli: You created the video for "Wring the Rag" yourself, and are also an accomplished visual artist – as you create the artwork for your releases and those you put out on your label, No Kings Records. How do these different art forms inform each other? 

LN: Trying to translate ideas into different mediums is always a fruitful effort I think. Video ideas into graphic ideas, different types of design language used as cassette j-cards or record sleeves. I just like to try my hand at anything visual, even if I have very little technical skill. 

The Deli: Any upcoming events, releases or news to share?

LN: I’m playing in Denver at the Gold Rush festival this weekend, and next month on the 18th I’m very excited to be playing at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn with Tony Conrad and Amen Dunes. 

"Wring the Rag" by Lee Noble from Bathetic on Vimeo.

Talent usually goes unnoticed, and that’s certainly the case for alt-rock trio The Moth & the Flame, whose electronic-tinged pop songs caught the attention of Ultraista drummer Joey Waronker [credits include Beck, R.E.M, & Atoms of Peace]  to produce their six song EP &. Structured around a rhyhtmic backbeat, the lead single off their latest EP "Sorry" confidently hovers with limber guitars alongside a prominent keyboard arrangement that gives the song a palpable sense of atmosphere. But the shuffling electronic textures never get in the way of maintaining a song-oriented approach, and its in their willingness to emphasize a keening melody where they demonstrate an ability to retain creative control while aspiring to take things to a grander scale. & comes out on October 29th via Hidden Records, and to support the release they’re making a stop at Bootleg Bar on October 25th.

Brothers Giovan and Mario Polanco, aka Moons of Mars, are bringing their guitar-driven, indie electro-pop to The Echo tonight in celebration of the release of their debut EP, ‘Loser.’ Stream the title track below with its slick pop production and R&B influenced swagger. The unquestionably catchy tune gives you the impression the brotherly duo are embracing the donning of the suit and tie. They still maintain that rebellious JMSN attitude towards pop music that infuses just the right amount of grit into the arrangement. While the hook will be running through my head all day, it’s those sultry guitar licks that I’ll be dreaming about. Catch them with a full band live tonight at The Echo with Pop Noir and Beat Club. – Jacqueline Caruso

Robert Fleming has brought the ocean view, the breeze and everything beautiful about a beach day right to your ears. The Beach Boys would be proud with this twist on Fleming’s guitar melodies and the psychedelic sparks that were the 1960’s. This catchy tune could make its way to the top of Billboards charts, with everyone singing and rockin’ out in their cars to this West Coast vibe sensation. The newly premiered video, "This, That or This", has a variety of brunette women dancing and singing in rhythm to the song. His skillful lyrics seem to brighten up the negatives of a partner in a relationship; all the girls are cheerful while singing about their significant other never being right and how they’re ‘jammin me out.’ That is one thing the song – and album for that matter – does not do; Victory is a new age style of seaside music that will gather a lot of buzz around the water cooler. – Kayla Hay

There’s nothing more entrancing than a buoyant, harmony-drenched sound that lights up a room with a welcome warm glow. LA-based guitarists and singers Trevon Bahnson, Ethan Glazer and Daniel Wright, who make up folk-pop trio Song Preservation Society, did just that with last year’s excellent EP “Ready Room”, which displayed three musicians with a deft touch for vibrant melodies and ever-changing rhythmic chord changes. Though they’re currently touring all across America supporting He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, they’re setting an anchor on their hometown with what should be a wholesome set at El Rey on October 26th. 

Rife with nostalgia, and decked out with a horn section and backing harmonies that would make The Supremes swoon, The Rebel Light create surf pop that’s been baked in the desert sun. “Jukebox Dream,” will shamelessly make you want to don your poodle skirt and hurry down to the beach. Having recorded the track live themselves, the trio captured the true spirit of this bygone era by managing to make it seem like a lost tape hidden away in someone’s attic for too long, finally unearthed at a garage sale and spread throughout the interweb to our modern ears’ delight. The Rebel Light join Free Energy at the closing night of their Echo Residency Sept. 30. – Jacqueline Caruso

Though The Little Ones released their latest album, “The Dawn Sang Along,” earlier this year, their buzz has been building to a roar. Standout tracks like “Argonaut,” and “AWOL” wrap their infectious tentacles around your brainwaves with enthusiastic tenacity. You won’t be able to resist their sonic rays of sunshine as they wash all your troubles away. It’s good to know that Paul Simon continues to inspire young, surf-bound, indie rockers like this sextet. Each song dances between layered harmonies and percussive polyrhythmic sections like waves rolling in steady synchronicity far out in the deepest blue. Their live set during the Chinatown Moon Festival this Saturday, Sept. 21 is sure to be a sea of dancing grins. – Jacqueline Caruso

If you carefully observe the images in Boardwalk’s video for "I’m To Blame", you see the enchanting quality of Los Angeles – the sun-drenched hills, the balmy weather, and the flora and fauna that surrounds the outer sights of the city. But these images are transposed with a translucent purple hue, obscuring the duo as they lazily frolic and ride on swings. It seems to portray the perfect Sunday afternoon, as the swirling, low-key organ effects and gossamer guitar lines dull your senses in a narcotic state. 

Electro-funk-pop neo-soul singer, Zak Waters, will be celebrating the release of his new album, “Lip Service,” every Monday, starting tonight, during his residency at The Satellite. His first single, “Penelope,” is a radio-ready dance-inducing pop explosion that is sure to set the room on fire. It’s a light-hearted, sugary teen-pop tune with an autotuned breakdown and one of the catchiest choruses of the summer. The charismatic energy transmitted through Waters’ vocal stylings is palpable as he trills out runs like a seasoned pro ready to take on the world of stadium-filling and VMA presenting. Stream the song below as you put on your dancing shoes to head to The Satellite every Monday this month. – Jacqueline Caruso