Even though they’ve only been an outfit for little over two years, WAZU has received a lot of prodigious buzz in the blogosphere. But while the electroindustro-meets-grimy glam duo — that is guitarist/producer/vocalist Matt and vocalist/synth player Rizz — may have started their trek as WAZU in 2010 after moving to New York from their Sydney, Australia hometown, they’re no strangers to life as musicians. After all, while living in Sydney, the pair performed in different acts in the experimental and avant-garde scene in the Down Under city during the mid-2000s. And all that experience has paid off. With a full length in the works, and a series of east coast shows scheduled for August, WAZU is quickly climbing the sonic ladder, consuming all the pop culture America has to offer along the way. – Read Annamarya Scaccia’s interview with Wazu here.

Eighteen Individual Eyes are playing The Comet Tavern this Saturday, June 30th to celebrate the release of Crybaby studios’ new compilation album. Themed around the earth’s apocalypse, the unique collection of songs features twelve bands.

The band, made up of guitarists/singers Irene Barber and Jamie Aaron, bassist Samantha Wood, and drummer Andy King, put out their debut record Unnovae Nights back in March. Ten songs in all, the LP reflects a foursome swimming through a nebulous world of dreams and reality. Opening track "Unnovae Nights" is dynamic and pensive, illumined by the singer’s crystal clear voice over intermittent swells of distortion.

"Rosebud Youth" is a standout, with the guitar interplay slowly building as the drums pound out an assertive, rolling beat a la Helms Alee. The ferocity of the instrumentals also recalls the sounds of defunct group These Arms Are Snakes. The vocals are as powerful as they are airy; you can hear a trace of St. Vincent in there.

Elements of psychedelic rock, post-hardcore, and alternative seep out of their songs. Listening to the album in full is a journey worth traversing. On top of their impressive songwriting, producer and recording engineer Matt Bayles makes every track crisp and decisive; they speak to your ears with genuine authority.

Eighteen Individual Eyes are as authentic as they come – check them out at The Comet this Saturday for $7 as they headline alongside Royal Eyes, Murals and Nightmare Forest. They are also playing the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 20th. You may stream or purchase Unnovae Nights over at their bandcamp.

– Cameron LaFlam

 As anyone who’s spent some time on the Garden State Parkway knows, people from New Jersey come out a bit differently from the rest of us. There’s a particular blend of hometown pride and hard-earned bravado here that few states can match.

For Zak Smith, this attitude defines his world view, as much as it does his music. A man sympathetic to unifying causes like Occupy Wall Street, Smith has brought together his own unified front with his powerhouse band. Stocking a tight five-piece with soaring harmonies and thunderclap guitars, he’s created a unique blend of rock Americana that’s just as much a family as the colorful characters pointed to throughout his new album.

Over a voice coated with as much honey as it’s covered in grit, Smith has just released his debut full-length, collecting together a signature batch of tunes reflecting his outlook, both personally and politically. – Read Mike Levine’s interview with Zak Smith here.

The 100th anniversary of Liberty Hall in Lawrence was celebrated in a whirlwind of confetti, lasers, balloons, and two nights of incredible music from Deerhoof and The Flaming Lips. (Note: The Flaming Lips’ drummer Kliph Scurlock lives in Lawrence)

Our photographer Todd Zimmer captured some photos of both evenings. If you weren’t lucky enough to see the sights for yourself, here are a few great shots.

Deerhoof

The Flaming Lips

Photos © Todd Zimmer, 2012. Please do not use without permission.

There are many cheap shortcuts to define Brooklyn’s Punks On Mars‘ latest EP, Hey! Tiffany, but no short way to get it right. First, referencing, to lay a base. A glittery touch of 70s proto-punk, topped with a fusing 80’s power-pop sound and its high-pitched prominent guitars, a few Ramones beats…that’s a start. Then, analogies. Even easier! Cartoon-esque atmospheres, padded bubbles, chipmunks on psychedelics and bad trips at the fun fair, get it? Finally, oxymorons and other contradictions. Hyperglycaemic punk, oppressively pop, carefully produced as a satyrical take on a lo-fi frenzy, seemingly unmastered sharp fuzz…it’s at once any critic’s dream playground and worst nightmare! You’ll want to decorticate, reveal a form of institutional critique, yet you’ll refrain from being that guy, the enemy, the downer. You’ll then be tempted to stick to the fun side but can palp the two thirds of the iceberg lying beneath the colourful surface… it’s a tricky one! Ultimately, it may be best to admit any label to be reductive, and see that it may precisely be a clever distortion of many familiar patterns that set front man Ryan Howe’s catchy sound right on the edge of any mainstream, thus defining it as unique in its genre(s)-  whatever it may resemble! – Tracy Mamoun

Tonight, several of the best artists in Kansas City and beyond will be at the recordBar to help celebrate the birthday of Ink Magazine’s Chris Haghirian. Haghirian is one of the biggest proponents and supporters of the Kansas City music scene, co-establishing the Middle of the Map Fest, which has helped get national acts on the Kansas City stage. He’s spearheaded a number of events to get regional and national exposure for Kansas City acts, including MidCoast Takeover at SXSW, MidCoast Cares: A Benefit for Joplin, the Ink Music Stage at the Plaza Art Fair, and Ink’s Local Music Showcase at Kauffman Stadium. Most notably coming up, he and Ink have teamed up with the MLB host an All-Star FanFest for the MLB All-Star Game at Bartle Hall on July 8-9.

Here’s the video for "Green City" from Stephen Paul Smoker:

"Vega" by Olassa:

And something off Hearts of Darkness’s upcoming release:

Erez and the End’s music combines the elegant intensity of Classic Rock with the rich lyrical tradition of singer-songwriters, in ways reminiscent of that weird hybrid of traditional styles called Dire Straits. Erez And The End debuted live at Rockwood Music Hall and will will perform songs from their new EP "Silent Mountains" and other original songs at Spike Hill on Sunday July 29. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building and APS Mastering.

MS MR headlined a packed Santos Party House on Wednesday with support from punk rockers Beast Make Bomb.

Brooklyn’s Beast Make Bomb backed up some catchy tunes with undeniable stage presence. Lead singer Ceci G radiated swagger as she led the four-piece band through a fast, loud, and downright fun set. The highlight of BMB’s performance was a song that sounded like the punk rock cousin of “Kashmir.”

MS Mr’s sound was an entirely different animal, but the four-piece band was just as entertaining as it’s opener. All of the focus was on the gorgeous vocals of their lead singer, the eponymous MS. Her powerful voice combined with the indie-pop sensibilities of her band resulted in what I imagine Adele would sound like on Matador Records. MS MR ended its set with the buzzy single “Hurricane,” which received the biggest reaction from the crowd.

Beast Make Bomb will play NYC again on July 13th at the Bushwick Walkabout Fest and on July 30th at the Studio at Webster Hall. MS MR won’t be back until August when they play with Marina & the Diamonds on the 16th and 18th. – Joshua S. Johnson.

Though she was probably still touring around her home turf of Twin lakes-area Minnesota at the time, singer/songwriter Nina Yasmineh harkens back to NYC’s anti-folk scene from the early aughts. Like other artists hailing from that background (Regina Spector, Elizabeth Devlin), Yasmineh delivers satisfied pop that sounds like she’s just gotten up in the morning and made her mind up about something important. Tracks like ‘Hollow’ and ‘Bitterwsweet’ from latest record ‘Strange,’ dramatize this sense of resolution as weighty indictments thrown at lovers past and future. It’s an interesting journey for the artist, and instantly relatable.

Though her touring schedule seems to be giving a lot of love to Minnesota this summer, join her when she flies back to her NYC home this Fall. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This artist submit her music for review here.

Dude York are issuing Escape from Dude York on July 10th courtesy of UK label The Sound of Sweet Nothing. This release will be followed up shortly thereafter with an appearance at Capitol Hill Block Party on July 22nd.

The band – a rowdy three piece that writes self-proclaimed teenpop jams – is comprised of Alex Cassidy, Andrew Hall, and Peter Richards. Together, they created the material for Escape from Dude York, a five song document which reveals their predilection for the two minute long song.

The brevity of these pieces works in their favor; they ramp up the energy quickly in the track "And Andrew Too" with a Fugazi-like riff and thumping drum beat before tearing into more straightfowardly garage ‘n’ roll territory. The vocals are mature and emphatic, drawing comparisons to Jail Weddings and The Black Lips.

Your bones are going to bounce to the beat instinctively, so be prepared for the head-bobbing and dancing their music induces. Their song "Fuck City" becomes an irresistible anthem by the time it is halfway through its two minute, twenty three second running time.

Dude York will be performing on The Vera stage at 8:20pm on Sunday, July 22nd at the Capitol Hill Block Party. You can stream three of the five tunes off Dude York’s upcoming 7 inch on their bandcamp. Make sure to visit the page for The Sound of Sweet Nothing to order Escape from Dude York digitally or on vinyl.

– Cameron LaFlam

Eytan Oren could probably be accused of many things, but unmotivated would not be one of them. After winning one of our studio giveaways last year, Eytan and his band The Embassy used the occasion to record song ‘Everything Changes’ at Stratosphere Sound, showcasing a fantastic band in the process.

In the video for the song, (which has received 420,000 views in just one week), Eytan and The Embassy express an appeal to adaptation, set to music that vaguely references ‘Cruel to be Kind.’ The video goes through a startling 18 costume changes with no editing, and this achievement has been noticed by Record Setter who gave Eytan an award for the most costume changes in a one-take music video.

As one insightful Youtube poster remarked: “Damn you got such a distinctive face, but still manage to show off so many different personalities!.” Indeed. Eytan wears a lot of hats in this band, both musically and literally. His new record ‘The Perfect Breakup,’ finds the Brooklyn singer constantly reinventing himself. From the consoling dance fever of opener ‘No Reason to Cry,’ to the mid-tempo ‘Good Morning Marilyn,’ Eytan has a knack for reclaiming classic rock styles as his own.

See Eytan and the Embassy when they play the CBGB fest at Central Park’s Summerstage on July 6th with The Pains, and check out his head jarring new video below.

Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

The Future of What is a new project featuring Brooklyn singer songwriter Blair, whose previous band was just know as… "Blair," and toured with Neon Indian and Say Hi amongst others. Their music could be considered as the perfect archetype of the bedroom-pop genre, which is becoming a staple of the NYC scene (think Friends, Ms Mr, Oberhofer). The simple, mostly electronic arrangements betray hours spent creating on a laptop at home rather than in a rehearsal or recording studio, while the "mid-‘fi" approach to recording is often due to a combination of artistic choice, budget limitations, and limited equipment; Blair’s delicate, borderline shy vocal delivery is another recurring trait of this genre, and likely to be due to the fact that not many people want to be heard by neighbors while they are cutting a vocal track.

But as we often mention, notwithstanding our obvious obsession with genres and categorizations, it’s always the songwriting that matters the most, and Future of What offers personal, ethereal and enjoyable pop tunes, which – considering their front lady’s touring past – can also be exported successfully in a live show environment.Check out the video for "Back to the City" here.