New York indie folk quartet Swear and Shake played the Hillstock fest last week, and will cement their status with a CD release party at Mercury Lounge on Friday July 6 with These Animals and Tall Tall Trees.

The moniker itself captures a certain quality to the group’s vibe, evoking the rhythmic and fitful, but most distinctly their togetherness – as if these four, somewhere on a playground long ago, entered into a pact of musical dimensions. Undoubtedly there is a spirit of play to the music, resulting in songs that toss between childlike vulnerability and wonder, and resounding harmonies that beautifully elevate the stuff of good old indie-folk – The vocals alone, shared between Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey, are fodder for obsession.

Yet don’t be fooled. If we are to start on the playground, “Maple Ridge” maps the art of growing up. That is, despite its homespun feel, the album achieves definite sophistication. From the first track, the delightfully singsong “Marbles” (streaming below), the band looks to the future with all the tenderness of youthful promise: “I swear I’ll clean up good/I bought us a piano so our kids would grow up smart”. “White Walls”, on the other hand, displays an early world-weariness- an acknowledgment that relationships seem to impact our personal growth more than we’d like. Still, the wistful “Wrecking Ball” addresses our craving for such (literal) impact. The group freely admits another reality of adulthood: that sometimes, though we’ve sworn a person off, we ultimately can’t shake them. – Kristina Tortoriello

The poppy 5-piece Hidden Pictures has been signed to Kansas City’s Golden Sound Records, just announced in anticipation of their upcoming full-length release Rainbow Records. The crisp, melodic, polite vocal combination of Richard Gintowt and Michelle Sanders mixed with bright retro pop sounds is a perfect fit for Golden Sound, whose current artist roster includes the ’50s-style rockabilly group The Empty Spaces, folk outfit Oriole Post, and ambient noise rockers Everyday/Everynight.

Rainbow Records will be available on July 17 in print/digital formats. The CD release show will be July 20 at The Brick with labelmates Fullbloods. 

In addition, Golden Sound Records is hosting the Crossroads Summer Block Party next Friday, July 6. Food, festivities, and music from bands on the label, as well as bands on The Record Machine.

–Michelle Bacon

Someone get Zach Braff on the phone. He is going to want to get in on She’s a Keeper before someone else does. Having already packed local clubs to capacity and having performed at Midcoast Takeover this year at South by Southwest, if you haven’t heard of this band yet, you damn well should have. And assuming the band keeps making albums like this one, you will hear of She’s a Keeper whether you want to or not.

She’s A Keeper really hit the purposefully rusted nail on the head with this effort. These cool kids got off the bus in some random Kentucky town and quickly put the from-the-jug drinking locals to shame. It makes me wonder which one offered up his or her poor young soul to the devil to comprehend and create alt folk rock so well. It is really, really good. As a fellow local musician, I have to admit it is angry good. It is jealous good. It is damn impressive.

She’s a Keeper pulls off this click of music to near perfection. The more rock moments tinge on the metronomic energy of Phoenix. The upbeat songs are a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time, reminiscent of the Avett Brothers’ early work. The slower, “purtier” efforts tenderly kick you in the stomach and leave you wanting to thank the boot.

Songs like “Guidance” and “Love Me Like a Summer” carry a consistent yet dynamic energy. As is typical in this modern-folk-rock genre, She’s a Keeper enjoys being playful with song structures, often utilizing beat and meter changes to keep the ears surprised.

In “Branches,” my favorite tune of this bunch, the band shows a masterful control of its music. The song is built up and torn down many times in many unique ways, yet it never seems excessive. It features a grand range of instrumentation, but, impressively, each instrument is used in exactly the right amount and way. The restraint and respect shown to the song as a whole is something from which even the most seasoned songwriters could take a cue.

The following two tracks showcase the other side of what She’s A Keeper can do. “Hometown” is a stripped-down effort overflowing with honesty and emotion. It produces the power and impact of the previous track, but with 20 percent of the instrumentation. “Show Me State” starts out very much the same, featuring only the comforting flicker of a xylophone to accompany the spot-on harmony vocals and layered guitar. But just when you think they’re losing their steam, the rest of the band return and bring the track to an exciting and dynamic conclusion. I would say without reservation it is the best three-song stretch I have heard on an album (local or not) in quite a while.

And so it continues over the 12 songs. There are not a lot of criticisms to be had here. The album does lack an obvious radio single, but as soon as She’s A Keeper stumbles upon its “Caring is Creepy” or “Lisztomania,” all bets are off.

Do yourself a favor. Go “like” this band now. Go get this record. She’s a Keeper is doing it right, and you should know about it.

She’s A Keeper will be performing this Friday, June 29 at recordBar for Chris Haghirian’s birthday bonanza, which begins at 9:00 p.m. with Georgia Gordon, Stephen Paul Smoker and Hearts of Darkness. Tickets are $10 and are available here.

 -Zach Hodson

Editor’s note: This album was released in 2011 and followed up by a live recording performed at Midwestern Musical Co earlier this year. She’s A Keeper will be releasing a follow-up studio album in August.

Lazer Kitty released their debut album Ruins earlier this month. They are now gearing up for a performance at The Vera Project, this Friday, June 29th.

The group bypasses the traditional rock trio mold built on guitar, bass and drums, opting instead for the sweeping, evocative tones of a synth in their compositions. The music is instrumental and governed by a penchant for improvisation; they do not needlessly meander or squander their aural explorations though.

They evoke the sounds of a number of dynamic bands upon listening – God is an Astronaut, Mogwai and Boards of Canada are a few that spring to mind. Lazer Kitty blends the climatic build-ups of post-rock with more tempered and celestial moments of rock, such as the track "Magnetic Rose." The album is never content to occupy one space for too long, yet they do not rush the process either, rewarding the listener with eerie, fully-formed soundscapes.

Lazer Kitty’s self-released album is streaming in its entirety over at their bandcamp and is also available for purchase. You can watch the band open for The Humans and Young Empires this Friday at The Vera Project. Doors are at 7:30pm. 

– Cameron LaFlam

This week, we sit down with Stephanie Williams, who plays in nearly every band in Kansas City, it seems. She plays with The Prolific, The Clementines, The Cave Girls, Claire and the Crowded Stage, Adam Evolving, and by the time of this posting, there’s no telling who else. Catch the beat right here!

On The Beat is a weekly interview brought to you by drummer Sergio Moreno (of Hillary Watts Riot and Alacartoona), and features some of the many talented drummers in the Kansas City area.

Since their recent transformation from Vermont jam band to NYC experimental-ish indie collective (with some residue jam band influences) The Deli has become a big fan of Brooklyn octet Rubblebucket. These guys have another busy summer ahead, and this is understandable considering what a great party band they are. After releasing their fist live album and DVD this spring, “Rubblebucket: Live in Chicago” (see a video from it here) the band announced a summer tour with Athens “disco dust” rockers Reptar and their upcoming late night debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Vocalist and sax player Kalmia Traver and trumpeter Alex Troth met during college in Vermont, forming the band shortly after and enlisting an entire range of musicians and instruments that include anything from a Moog synth to an n’goni, an African banjo-predecessor. Rubblebucket will tour into fall, and are a set appear on “Jimmy Kimmel” on July 18. – Devon Antonetti

In Make Out’s new single ‘Maybe I’m the One (For Me)’ (video here) singer Leah Hennessey rushes at you with the kind of bouncy, frenetic energy usually associated with NYC bands from the 70s, like say… The New York Dolls, a band this group actually opened for in the past. Hennessey just happens to be the step-daughter of singer New York Dolls’ David Johansen, and Jesper Mortensen (my favorite half of Junior Senior) provides the dancehall ready beats you’ve probably been missing ever since you saw an animated squirrel dance to his last band’s most famous single.

Anyone who’s listened to the band before will probably recall fashionable ‘80s power chicks like Annie Lennox, Tiffany and even… Madonna. These are few and proud ladies who manage to make the dance floor their play thing. As Mortensen explains: “it’s instant excitement.” Indeed, we should all be making out, and this band knows it.- Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

In 2012, it’s not quite clear anymore what someone means when they say they are a DJ. With electronic dance music soaring, Electro-rock continuing its steady march of dominance in the indie scene, hip hop DJs holding strong, and experimental DJs as weird and out there as ever, anyone from Deadmau5 to your neighbor who figured out how to hack his old Gameboy Color can claim the moniker. Not to mention The Drums on their night off or the guy who scratches records behind 50 Cent and grew up idolizing Jam Master Jay . But what about someone who combines elements of all four DJ ideologies? Last Saturday, NYC DJs Obey City (pictured) and Quam took over a Williamsburg’s Mezz packed with hipsters and showed us what that one might look like. With hip-hop beats and EDM-style chords, voices and sounds thrown in just to keep you off guard, and a steady, chill vibe to it, DJs like these guys are not only doing it right, they are doing it all. – Max Lefkowitz

If you’ve ever seen a Bollywood film, you may be familiar with some of the cacophony in Brooklyn’s Trabajo. Lending an otherworldly dimension to their brand of psychedlia, in in "Black Practice" swirling vocals are projected through a Bombay percussion and horn arrangement, while the washing machine of the world’s folk instruments are blended even further in their latest single ‘Monk.’ For how strange this band’s palette is, you’ll find yourself unexpectedly sucked into their peculiar collages. A lot of freaks talk a big game, but Trabajo works it in a way that might have made Olivia Tremor Control proud. See them when they play Brooklyn Fireproof on May 5th. – Mike Levine – Trabajo submitted their music to The Deli for review here.

The Wilders are one of the most successful bands to emerge from Kansas City in the past decade. The 4-piece string band has been around for over 15 years (13 years with the same lineup), has churned out 10 quality albums, and has had a successful run around the continent and in Europe. With such an impressive resumé and a huge catalog of music, there was no question that this would be our show of the week.

After 15 years of constant touring and playing, the group has decided to take a well-deserved hiatus. The show at Knuckleheads on Saturday will give fans a chance to hear The Wilders’ entire catalog, ranging from their beginnings of playing old country and folk standards to original alt-country Americana songs of the past few years. Though they have never been a cover band, they’ve been careful to pay homage to their influences throughout the years and use them to create their own material. Their latest album (2011, The Wilders) was the first that contained all original songs, and was well received by fans and critics alike, winning an Independent Music Award for best alt-country album.

Though Saturday’s show is being billed as a "farewell show" of sorts, fiddler Betse Ellis was quick to explain that the band was not breaking up.

"We love each other too much to break up," said Ellis. "We’re not ready to call it quits but we don’t know when we’ll play next."

Either way, this is a rare chance to see The Wilders perform in their hometown. The group’s exuberant live show is not to be missed, containing an energy that many bands simply cannot achieve. Frontman and guitarist Ike Sheldon is an otherworldly force on stage, with riffs and a voice that could destroy almost any heavy rocker. “He can go from biting your head off to stabbing you in the gut quietly within 30 seconds of the same song,” explained Ellis.

In the same turn, Ellis’s fierce fiddle work ensnares audiences. Bass player Nate Gawron lays down a solid foundation for the controlled chaos the band is known to create. Phil Wade rounds out the 4-piece as the multi-instrumentalist, often switching from mandolin to banjo to any number of stringed instruments. And all of this is done without a drummer, yet The Wilders’ music has a propulsion that often rivals that of a marching band.

The show begins at 9:00 p.m. The Wilders will play for the entire evening, providing a retrospective of their successful and diverse career. Tickets are $15 and available here.

–Michelle Bacon

NYC electro-pop duo Dinasty Electric has built a good amount of momentum in the last few months, culminating with today’s release of their new self-titled full length. The band’s rather accessible material is enhanced by sophisticated electronic elements both in the audio and video realms. We have some goods for you to watch and listen to: here‘s the video from their softer single "Eye Wide Open,"  while below you’ll find a stream of their new and more upbeat single "Oasis". Dinasty Electric will celebrate the CD release tonight (06.27) with a show at Glasslands, and then leave for a 10 day east coast tour.

The recently revived CBGB legacy celebrates its return to New York with a four day festival from July 5th to 8th, 2012. Focusing on both legendary acts and emerging young bands, the event will not only feature music, but film premieres and screenings, as well as industry panels for musicians. The highlight show is a free concert at Summerstage in Central Park on July 7 featuring Guided By Voices, The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart, War On Drugs and Cloud Nothings. Lots of "original regulars" of the old CBGB’s will be performing, including Liv Tyler’s mother, ex model, Playboy Playmate and queen of groupies Bebe Buell and her band at Highline Ballroom on July 5, and NY Dolls’ frontman David Johansen at Sullivan Hall on that same night. Lots of emerging NYC artists will be involved too, more about this in the next few days. For detailed information on line up schedules and to purchase festival passes go here. – Dave Cromwell