It was just a matter of time before one of these indie-electro bands out of Brooklyn tackled old school Italo-Disco. What never ceases to amaze, however, is the way these throwaway ‘80s genres, with their mildly sexy undertones, get recycled into explicitly tripped-out underground anthems in the hands of bands like Loveskills. Their latest single, “Cover Me,” manages to be both melodically loose and dreamy, whilst highly danceable and tighter than a gnat’s ass, production-wise. All of which makes for an exhilarating track invisible to its source material. Never mind its epicurean video, which feels almost like Daft Punk decided to take off their helmets and start hanging around at beer gardens and local house parties. Viva! – Brian Chidester

With instruments such as banjos, mandolins, and twangy acoustic guitars it’s surprising that Adios Ghost isn’t more of a new grass band. Instead this Brooklyn quartet goes the rout of experimental indie folk, including varied percussion, hollow harmonies, and echo-like vocals. Some tracks start with a mellow, classic sound before breaking down on a unique beat like "October Snow" or an electric frenzy like "Fernseher." This music is the rebellious teenager of Bluegrass and Folk, throwing away old traditions and embracing the Brooklyn indie scene. Their latest self-titled EP is available here. – Lucy Sherman

No one ever taught Gracie and Rachel how to hide their feelings away, and we’re the beneficiaries of that innocence. Soaring tracks like ‘(un)comfortable’ and ‘faster’ will challenge the heights you’ve come to expect from an otherwise soft-spoken piano/singing duo, and ease you into the apparent comfort the duo has in expressing vulnerabilities. The girls may suffer through life’s travais, but these gorgeous textures transcend any question of calling them victims. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

SlothRust is the brain child of guitarist/vocalist Leah Wellbaum, bassist Kyle Bann, and drummer Will Gorin. Wellbaum blazes through her lyrics with emotional rawness that sounds like it’s voiced over a static megaphone. The trio is made up of graduates from the prestigious Sarah Lawrence, and if you’ve seen “10 Things I hate about you” you know how big of a deal that school is. Between studying and connecting through their blues and jazz classes, the group formed a distinctly new age punk band. Despite common band issues; such as a broken van, very little capital and no practice space; the motivated group is working on their latest EP at Spaceman Sound with the working title, “Of Course You Do”.  The band is excited to offer more diversity in terms of style on the next EP. SlothRust’s sound is intricate and woven into careful patterns like grandma’s favorite quilt. Leah’s aggressive and slightly Nico monotone vocals coupled with melodic guitar parts and funky bass lines offer a dazzling balance of Rock and Blues.  We were lucky enough to catch up with the lead singer, Leah, and ask a few questions about the group.

Read full interview here. 

I think if Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) was a New York resident, preferred biking, and was just a wee big younger, he might sound something like Allison Weiss. The sentimental songstress charts her own misadventures in growing up, growing older, and getting over all the dramas you otherwise might not hear from the girl next door. New record ‘The Teenage Years’ charts these upsets through the battles fought out in ‘Here’s the Plan,’ and a chilling duet with Chris Mansfield (Fences) in ‘Boston.’ See her live when she plays Public Assembly on Feb 1. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

What began as a solo project of Ryan Cline, Kladruby Gold turned into a full-fledged band here in Seattle. Teaming up with the likes of Gary Thorstensen on lead guitar, Dustin Miller on drums, and Steve Melle on bass, the quartet began producing music with more of a rock edge. These ‘ameri-gaze’ rockers bring a southern flare to their music that gives them a rootsy edge. The band is getting ready to release their full length “Wilderness” due out this spring, with their promising single OBC available on their website. – Lucy Sherman

Read the full interview here.  

In the future, one has every reason to expect things like sausage-making will take place in colourful pop storefronts decorated minimally and sterilized to the point of maximum hygiene (think Pinkberry). And when that day comes, Octo Octa has just the soundtrack. Brooklyn’s Michael Bouldry-Morrison leads this loop-happy lo-fi house music project to highly polished results. Readymade for the Standard Hotel’s poolside lounge or, well, the inside of your nearest Pinkberry, songs like “High Reflection” still feel somewhat derived from the bedroom synthpop style connected ineffably to Williamsburg. Yet sometimes the loop-making experiment becomes so transparent that it sounds like the audio equivalent of watching sausage made. – Brian Chidester

Combining a rumbling, metallic percussive undercurrent with passionate vocals and mysterious lyrics, Brooklyn electronic duo The Mast‘s lastest release "Nuclear Dragon" is both hypnotic and inviting. In this track – available as a free download on their bandcamp – their exotic psychedelic journey weaves through a land of turtle bays, grazing elephants and dragons, where dreams made of bronze and stone are frozen under the sun (but still alive within). Propulsive tribal patterns are woven within dramatic vocal placement that rise in cascading swells as this story unfolds. The Mast will be appearing at Glasslands on January 29. – Dave Cromwell

New York needs a band like this. While Chicago has its share of insane math musician geniuses on Thrill Jockey, NY isn’t known for this kind of showmanship. With No Shoes, you get all this along with a determined interest in such topics as Werewolves and honeycombs. The quartet can play their asses off, while making sure you’re having filthy fun at the same time. Check out their half of a split EP made with Basal Gang. on their Bandcamp. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Brooklyn’s Lorely Rodriguez (a.k.a. Empress Of) describes her augustan moniker as “a project of sight and sound,” which, last year took the form of 13 one-minute bursts of exhilarating pop uploaded to her YouTube account. Dubbed “colorminutes,” these arresting nuggets of colour-filled background music set the stage for Empress Of’s first single, “Don’t Tell Me,” an aching electro ballad that recently played on The Fader’s “Yours Truly” online TV show. Think Portishead meets Sinead O’Connor at her most breathless and you’ll get the idea. – Brian Chidester

Oh the power and glory of over-driven drums. There’s really nothing quite like it when you’re looking for that crunch to get you out of bed. For Happy Lives, the band seems to broadcast an especially large sound using the barest of materials. From thrown-together harmonies that somehow reach their mark, to sideways guitar shredding, funky drum machines and yes.. destructively large drum samples, this is a band goes as far as they can towards a messy good time, before falling back into the catchiest groove you can imagine in tracks like ‘Brutus’ and my fave ‘Slacks and Slippers’ from their self-titled EP. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) 

The debut single "Love Hits" by Brooklyn’s Young Boys begins with a bass line that finds the centerpoint between The Sisters of Mercy’s "Lucretia, My Reflection" and "A Forest" by The Cure. A wall of guitar fuzz is then introduced in tandem with vocals that additionally evoke Andrew Eldrich’s peak era Sisters recordings. Unique keyboard elements emerge, pulling the track up from its 90’s era beginnings to more current sonics. So much so that the central instrumental keyboard segment creates the sensation of some future alien landscape. It’s a beautifully executed transition that culminates in otherworldly textures reminiscent of the work of David Bowie’s more experimental pop tracks. – Dave Cromwell