Remember how big and scary everything looked when you were a kid? Well, either Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow never grew up, or things really are that big and scary. From ‘Red Riding Hood’s big bad wolf, to the ‘Old, Old Wood, Elysian Fields paint a vivid series of grownup myths with steep shadows and forbidding proportions.

Personal fave ‘Villian On The Run‘ from new record ‘Last Night On Earth‘ takes Jennifer through a twelve-bar blues form that links her casual sexiness to a Lynchian darkness. Admittedly setting a unique mood, this band makes it work by possessing their settings intimately and immediately. You might even find yourself forgetting this really hasn’t been done like this before. Definiftely recommended for anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale or bedtime story. See the band September 7th when they play Le Poisson Rouge. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Channeling the unholy trinity of deceived youths, i.e incomprehension, anger and boredom through the raw force of strong 90s indie rock female leads – think Deal twins – Brooklyn-based pop punk quartet Swearin‘ came forward barely a year ago with the oh-so-self-explanatory first EP ‘What A Dump‘. As a follow-up that saw them off on an extensive US tour, they released last June their first self-titled full-length, twelve-track burst of laid-back energy fuelled with loud guitars, leaning at one extreme towards pathetic stripped-down ballads, diving on the other right into hardcore tendencies for rabid drumbeats and shreds-a-go-go, with in mind one goal: getting the local crowds shaking to some effective, effervescent r’n’r in the broader cathartic sense. An act on the rise which you can catch at Cameo Gallery on September 21st. – Tracy Mamoun

There’s a surprise ’round every corner and corners in plenty to be found on Brooklyn-via-New Orleans duo Callers‘ third album ‘Reviver‘. When you think you’re about to comfortably dive into some light-hearted pop the skippy beat breaks down; once you’re settled in the groove, Sara Lucas’ soulful R’n’B vocals pierce through and you’re heading towards memories of Motown classics but then, as you begin to be seduced by her sultry tones, a barely-there punk cadence or jerky rhythm kicks in and you’re in for ‘something completely different‘.

Fact is though, all twists and turns flow seamlessly, and the experimental dexterity with which Sara & Ryan drift back and forth between one another’s influences would make any middle-ground, if they were to seek one… well to put it bluntly, a waste of creative potential. The album only comes out October 9th via Partisan Records, but here’s a teaser for you, streaming below; meanwhile, you can catch Callers as they head back to NYC in the course of their current tour, on September 20th at The Music Hall Of Williamsburg. – Tracy Mamoun

Brooklyn based trio Life Size Maps have amped up the oddities on their new EP,”Weird Luck”.  Venturing off from their more traditional indie pop debut, “Magnifier,” Life Size Maps’ sound has come into its own, establishing the band in the noise pop genre.  The new, three-song record shows us a band that can employ random sounds and seamlessly incorporate them into their music, which is also fed with impressive hooks and moderate and occasional doses of math rock. They’ll be on stage at Brooklyn’s Public Assembly on Wednesday (8.22), Big Show Buffalo Lodge on Thursday (8,23), Cheap Storage next Saturday (8.25) and finally, Shea Stadium the following Friday (8.31). And that’s it (for August!). Read Jen Mergott’s interview with Life Size Maps here. 

Spirit Family Reunion released their ‘proper‘ debut album “No Separation” on June 15th , a follow-up to their widely celebrated self-titled EP. “No Separation” highlights the band’s infectious sound with a blend of bluegrass and gospel revival, poised with soulful honesty. Marked in traditional roots, few New York-based bands can achieve an authentic, banjo-laden country sound while maintaining such an effortless appeal. As of August 31st, they’ll be playing a series of shows across Northern Ireland & Ireland, kicking off at Omagh’s Bluegrass Festival; however, before they leave, you can catch a last NYC show at Brooklyn’s Sycamore on Tuesday (8.21). Read Devon Antonetti’s interview with the band here. 

Like a gospel music for urban atheists, Weeknight has created a spiritual haven for arpeggiated synths, retro drum machines and roof-raising vocals to co-exist together. It’s somewhat unclear what GOD it’s lead monks, Holly and Andy are worshipping, but it’s pretty clear it’s not far from where The Raveonettes go to church.

Their first EP ‘Dark Dark Lights‘ (the band’s less than a year old) contains three hard-hitting meditations geared toward this sort of dark transcendence. Equally appropriate in the dark or with the lights on, this is a mysterious and heavy band whose path will be interesting to chart. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

It’s the height of summer, and you know what that means. Time for some high life, and Sinkane‘s got exactly what you need. To this end, new single ‘Jeeper Creeper‘ does a fantastic job of negotiating a place for Nigeria within the psychedelic trappings of Brooklyn. The song takes its time, building a wall of endless groove before settling into a warped guitar path that slithers its way across layers of buzz and characteristically Malian delay. All this from an artist originating from Omdurman, Sudan and finding a place all his own in our humble neck of the world. You can see him every Monday for the month of August at Zebulon where he landed a residency, and when he plays with Tanlines on Tuesday (8.21) at Mercury Lounge for…drumroll please… the official 2012 CMJ ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT PARTY!! – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Now that I’ve got the story straight, Parquet Courts is a NYC-based ‘three-quarter Texan‘ four-piece, one member of which (Andrew) is also part of Fergus&Geronimo, another (Austin) of The Keepsies. The thing about their first album ‘Light Up Gold’ is that sure, they haven’t exactly tried to reinvent the wheel, but see, I’ve played it over the last week or so more times than I’ll admit; ergo it’s about time to spread the word.

On one side, there are the many influences of punk & co they’ve squeezed into these ten tracks each more nonchalantly catchy than the next, which range from Buzzcocks-style fuzzy pop-punk to groovy post-punk and stoner-folk-…well, punk, excuse the repetition. On the other, there’s the lyrical appeal of these contemporary flâneurs wandering ‘Stoned and Starving‘ the streets of NYC, who translate their observations, experiences and social critiques as mundane as they may be into prose poetry, in the simple subjective flow of some 60s Beat and New Journalism writers. That’s two thumbs up in my books. Released on Saturday (8.18) via Dull Tools, ‘Light Up Gold’ will be welcomed with a show that same evening at Death By Audio. – Tracy Mamoun

Fitting snuggly within a loosely defined set of epic-minded solo troubadours is the solo project of Richard Aufrichtig, The Lost Shores. Constructing narratives from very personal material, tracks like ‘Blue Skies in the Afternoon’ and my fave ‘I’ll Surround You’ from his full-length ‘Green Leaves,’ attach lush but simple folk arrangements under his heartbreaking tenor. A reluctant protagonist, you know Richard’s never going to get everything he wants, but you’ll find yourself rooting for him anyway.

See him on Sundays when he plays at his residency at Pete’s Candy Store this month. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Hold on tight, ’cause it’s about to get loud up in Brooklyn. On Tuesday (8.21), sibling duo Unstoppable Death Machines will be releasing its first full-length album, the (ironically) named ‘We Come In Peace‘, and as it drills through your skull I can already picture it tipping your neighbours over the edge. Mine anyway (perfect!). Now, if amateurs might create hardly more than inaudible cacophony out of such a surge of sonic aggression where punk, metal, gritty industrial and pounding dance beats converge, the Tucci brothers are dexterous and experienced noisesmiths; their loud basslines and smashing drums have brought a unique sound to the city’s messy DIY parties for a couple of years now, and they sure know how to skilfully turn such a cocktail into a terrifically stimulating and abrasive burst of decibels that’ll get you grinding your teeth and banging your head at once.

You can already find a taste of it on their Bandcamp page, but for the full effect, get down to XPO 929 on Saturday (8.18) for the pre-release party, followed next Thursday (8.23) by the official release party at Shea Stadium.

The Brixton Riot is the kind of good natured power pop that could only come out of my home state of New Jersey. Like the bands I used to see at Birch Hill back in the day, before it turned into a country club of sorts, Brixton Riot finds the heart in otherwise embarrassing experiences, tying together these experiences into relatable anthems so you don’t have to.

From ‘Hipster Turns 30,’ to ‘Strange Matter,’ singer Jerry Lardieri echoes his awkward journey into adulthood for all to hear. No matter if he prefers to ‘Keep It Like A Secret,’ as their album’s closing track implies with its peaks and valleys reminiscent of some of the Lemonheads’ best work. Check out the quartet’s debut full-length ‘Palace Amusements’ on their Soundcloud page and see them when they play at Maxwell’s (Hoboken, NJ) on August 25th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Night Creep is the seventh in a series of twelve songs that Brooklyn-based electro-pop band Rarechild began releasing each month via Dimension Arts at the start of 2012. From the first few seconds there’s definitely something creepy about it, that something being an eerie high-pitched synth melody that is just a little off, a little twisted, you’ve entered the haunted house, what next? Well, it all tunnels in, the synth parts get denser, that strange melody still subtly echoes in the back but by that time you’re already so familiar with the track and its big beat that you’re quite possibly dancing to it. Below, the video to Night Creep, directed by Steve Nolan and Eddie Costas; expect strobes, ghostly apparitions, and furry tails hanging out of little black shorts.

Rarechild’s next show will be at the Big Snow Buffalo Lodge on August 28th, with Treasure Teeth & Shad[]wB[]x.