Hailing from Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Impossible Hair have been quietly constructing pop songs, conspicuously jumping up and down on stages, and convincing rooms of people that it’s OK to move at rock’n’roll show.

As is to be expected from a horse racing record, their latest release, Toast a Dozen (on the outside), is a high-energy, fast-paced affair with fifteen songs flying by in just over thirty minutes. Song titles like “High Official,” “The Girl & the Echo” and “White Knuckle Flyer” would seem as at home on a Preakness Stakes exacta as they do on the back of this record.

“The band’s sound hearkens back to those indie rock glory days of the ‘90s, but with more precision than disheveledness; think hi-fi Guided By Voices production…” – Washington Post

More Halloween madness, this Sunday at the Black Cat get a triple dose of Yeah Gates Records with America Hearts, Foul Swoops, and the Cheniers, with two of these label mates releasing 7"s that very night.  America Hearts spout cute and quirky pop on Be My Jones, featuring a tune with lyrics inspired by vocalist Jess Matthew’s 3 year old nephew.  Then on the gritty side of the rock spectrum, Foul Swoops churn out the rough and raw sounds of traditional DIY recording, bound to sound most excellent on vinyl.

After literally and figuratively creating an impressive amount of buzz with their debut album and two follow up EPs, Baltimore’s up and comers Weekends have recently released their first full length record, titled Strange Cultures. Like similar two-man guitar-drums bands No Age and Japandroids, Weekends’ Brendan Sullivan and Adam Lempel produce a chaos of sound, full of texture and depth that would make many other larger bands painfully jealous. In their newest collection of songs, Weekends splash a thin shimmery veil of tropical vibes over a mess of noise rock, transforming a seemingly schizophrenic cacophony of guitar wails into something melodic, foot stompingly powerful, and entirely enjoyable. Strange Cultures finds the band bringing all facets of their sound to the table, making for an eclectic combination of head-swirling fuzz that sees the vocals taking a back seat to the scorching guitar lines and rock solid drum licks. The mostly instrumental closer, "Raingirls" is emblematic of their sun-soaked, axe-thrashing sound, part surfer-brah, part punk rocker. -Brooks

Allie Alvarado (formerly of Blood Lines and Telepathe) , a DC transplant with Brooklyn blood, has teamed up with her dance music producer brother Alvin Risk, spawning Painted Face; an electro pop solo project that is easily, the next best thing in DC. The debut EP Undreamt recently released, is bound to get some serious spins on dance nights for sure; with a gorgeous track like "Undreamt" providing swirling beats and lushy vocals reminiscent of Kate Bush and Bat For Lashes.  So download it, and perfect your moves!
Alvarado recently gigged it up at Rock & Roll hotel with School of Seven Bells.  BYT was there to cover it, check out their review.

Every Halloween, Velvet Lounge knows how to throw down.  This year they’ll bring back the legendary Latino punk band The Zeros, who once upon a time played "Beat Your Heart Out" 8 times in a row in San Francisco, then called it a night.  This Halloween they are joined by DC’s The Shirks, Beasts of No Nation, and Maybe Baby.  Beasts have risen fast in the DC hardcore scene since their first show barely two months ago.  But with an incredible line-up consisting of members from notable acts Darkest Hour, Trial by Fire, the Explosion, and Majority Rule, it was inevitable.  They’ll have a 7" out in a few weeks so we’ll check in with them again.  Right now, Maybe Baby’s S/T EP is available through Windian Records, and after this show, they’re hitting the road for a cross country tour. So get dressed up- it’s the Legendary Velvet Lounge Halloween Bash!

Baltimore’s Future Islands returned from a tour abroad last week, having completed some awesome firsts: first show in Greece, and their first show in Spain.   They’ve already embarked on a stateside tour with a record release show coming up at the Black Cat on November 4 (w/ Romantic States). The new 7" split (out on Friends Records) features a new Future Islands song "The Ink Well", written and recorded this summer, with life-long friends Lonnie Walker on the flip (and in the 11/4 line-up).  Earlier this month, Thrill Jockey Records released Undressed, an acoustic EP of their earlier recordings.  Check it out here.

If you’ve ever seen Bluebrain live, you’ll know that their aesthetic endeavors have the two brothers exploring and pushing both sonic boundaries and the visual landscape. When performing live, their haunting and multilayered electronic music, rich in deep tones and timbres, textured with interesting instrumentals and various string arrangements, and characterized by dynamic transitions in pace and rhythm, is often accompanied with strange and mystifying visual effects, making them just as much of a performance art act as it is a music show. So if you’re looking to be wholly stimulated this Saturday night, check out their interactive live performance at the recently opened venue Artisphere in Rosslyn. They’ll be teaming up with other artists like the revered Geologist (of Animal Collective) and a few super secret acts yet to be announced.  Make sure you’re there to check out this interesting new gallery-meets-theater and watch as some serious musical brainpower assembles to produce plenty of killer tunes and dynamic art. Who knew dancing to electro music could be so intellectual.