Boasting the perfect name for a (rather) dissonant indie rock band, Troubled Sleep is a young Brooklyn based trio whose songs take us on a trip back to the days when guitars still ruled the rock realm. These fellas – who judging from the pictures available seem too young to even enter a bar – already have 1 demo and two EPs under their belt. The trio forges the kind of "underdeveloped" songs we learned to appreciate listening to artists like early Pavement and (also early) Modest Mouse, replacing those bands’ pop element with a preference for droney, borderline depressed and "closed" melodies. The contrasting voices of the lead singer’s alto and the backing vocalist’s tenor add an intriguing element to the band’s sound. There’s definitely a noteworthy amount of talent at work here, and the quality of the material is consistently good, which is always an important sign.

Jeff Litman is having some trouble getting older… he’s spying on his beautiful (and married) ex-girlfriend in his new record ‘Outside,’ taking reckless chances, and rolling in the dirt ’til Someone Got Hurt’. The album finds Litman attempting to move on from the relationship that was the focus of his last record. But like he says in the album closer: ‘Time Heals Nothing.’ Time does however, seem to produce some solid tunes…

Sounding sometimes like Bright Eyes, and sometimes like a mix of Elvis Costello and Tom Petty, Litman borrows liberally from the ghosts of confessional singer-songwriters past, while still retaining a deeply personal reality channeled by his own experiences in and around NYC. Or at least I assume that’s what he’s referring to when discussing chance encounters with the ‘Girl Down I95.’

Check out his new record ‘Outside’ here and see him when he plays at The Bitter End with Mark Radcliffe on June 26, in occasion of the release of his new video for single "Over and Over" (streaming below). – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This record was submitted digitally to The Deli here.

If Dr. Jeckyll’s ferocious alter-ego Mr. Hyde were to take an interest in Hip Hop, Super King Armor would be his favorite rapper. Off-stage King is unassuming, soft-spoken, and quick to laugh. On-Stage, however, he amazes audiences with a transformation into a beast of pure rap magnificence. Performing with “The Werewolf Lullabies Band,” King will bark and howl at you with expert delivery of storytime raps with venomous bravado, at Sullivan Hall on June 20th. The show is “Wrath of the Written,” but knowing this bill, there will be some phenomenal freestyles as well. Stop shaving now, and dig up your plastic fangs. -=brokeMC

(Pictured above: Brodie Rush of Be/Non)

Friday night The Riot Room saw two of Kansas City’s finest take the stage in preparation for the music of Broncho, the evening’s headliner. This reporter didn’t stay long enough to hear their set, but judging by the sound check, they killed it. Without a doubt.

After patiently waiting for Nik Wallenda to complete his historic tightrope walk over Niagara Falls, Soft Reeds took little time to re-establish themselves as one of the area’s leading practitioners of danceable indie rock. Their sound has gotten tighter and more radio-ready with each gig, their covers of Talking Heads and David Bowie songs were most enjoyable, and the new material they presented proved once again to be a tantalizing tease of that which is yet to come. Their next record is being tentatively targeted for an October-ish release date, so in order to save time this reporter highly recommends that you go ahead and put "buy the new Soft Reeds album" on your autumn to-do list. Judging by how they sounded Friday, it’s going to be a monster.

Following this opening set would be a formidable task for any band, but Be/Non was more than up to the challenge. Be/Non led off with "Space," the music behind the brilliant three-and-a-half-minute animated preview of A Mountain of Yeses, the movie based on the album of the same name. Performing their first gig with their new guitarist (who this reporter will refer to as "Nate" because … well, that’s his name), there didn’t seem to be any hesitation about tackling a set filled with Be/Non’s usual grandiose approach to avant-garde rock, with a heavy dose of psychedelic sounds that Messrs Rush, Ruth, and Shank tackled as a three-piece in last month’s KC Psychfest. These two bands targeted their audience with two different brands of music which had the same goal: get the people moving. Judging by the dancing that this reporter witnessed in front of the stage, that mission was successfully accomplished twofold.

Check out Soft Reeds’ video for "This Affair," off Soft Reeds Are Bastards: 

And the animatic for "Space," off Brodie Rush’s upcoming film A Mountain of Yeses. Song performed by Be/Non under this album.

-Michael Byars

We remember how painful it was, when we were in bands, to organize press photo shots: the ones we did ourselves always looked kind of bad… Now that we are in magazines, we know how a great picture can open doors to bigger features! So, to help NYC bands deal with this basic need, The Deli and The Music Building (legendary rehearsal space in Manhattan used by anybody from The New York Dolls to The Strokes) last week organized a free professional photo shoot for local artists. "Where?" we hear you ask? But in The Music Building of course! We now have the final shots, check them out here! (In the picture: NYC band Boy Girl Party)

Saadi is a swirling, vibrant portal into Boshra AlSaadi’s eclectic musical mind. The former Looker vocalist brings together a cornucopia of influences that transport listeners through her musical metamorphosis. Born in Syria, AlSaadi tastefully carries over an Arabic feel to her sultry beat-driven electro pop tunes that also calls on post punk, reggae, dancehall, rock and no wave. Delicate Steve, Prince Rama, Lemonade and The Soundmen have all had their hands in reimagining the songs while maintaining the intoxicating exotic essence and integrity of the originals. See Saadi on Sunday June 17 at Cameo at The Deli’s Northside Electronic Stage. Saadi’s song is included in The Deli’s playlist of Best NYC songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out! – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with Saadi here.

 As summer quickly approaches, there are a number of shows going on this weekend (luckily, our concert calendar will tell you where you should be!). But before the night gets kicked into full gear, go check out Erik Voeks and The Quivers (pictured above) doing an in-store performance at Vinyl Renaissance and Audio on 39th Street.

Voeks, the reigning power pop prince of Kansas City, kicks off the set at 6 pm with some of his solo tunes. He’s collaborated with about every reputable musician in Kansas City, and has shared the stage with numerous national acts. Being a veteran of the pop music scene, Voeks has mastered and trademarked the art of the hook and placement of dynamics. And since he doesn’t play solo shows around town too often, this set will be one to catch.

The Quivers’ first EP is our CD of the month, so we’re a bit biased. But still, this high-energy Motown-influenced rock group is not to be missed live. Vocalist and bassist Terra Peal commands the stage with a muscular vocal presence tinged with sex appeal and booming bass lines. Her partners in crime (Todd Grantham, Abe Haddad, and Bernard Dugan) drive and provide more color to a series of quick tunes. Tonight, the four piece will be performing songs off this EP as well as the one they just wrapped up recording on.

This is a free, all-ages show. Go early and buy some records at Vinyl Renaissance. Then you still have time to fit in a nap and go see some more great gigs tonight. How’s that for a plan?

Tall Tall Trees (who placed at #12 in our latest Best of NYC for Emerging Artists Poll) may have long hair, beards, and a natural, earthly charm, but they also have the musical chops to back it up. With jazz, bluegrass, and world music backgrounds, the band began with a scattered sound than their recent, more focused work. Their sophomore album “Moment,” recorded in a church, sets the band on their path of refined, banjo-heavy folk rock. Still showing some quirky elements of their debut release, however, “Moment” conjures the image of a giant glowing moon over the Alaskan woods the band claims as inspiration for much of the album. – Read Devon Antonetti’s interview with the band here.

Let me introduce you to one of the most unlikely dance groups around New York. Made up of four-on-floor drum patterns, contrabass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Moon Hooch is just as likely to start a rave on an A train’s platform, as they are to light up Brooklyn Bowl next month.

Whether you call it Jazz music for house fans, or house music for hipsters, the band’s natural settings give the project an organic touch too often missed in the club atmosphere. Their latest track ‘Contra’ neatly occupies both worlds, featuring lovely guest vocals by local jazzcat Alena Spanger, coupled with an equally brutal house mix by Wenzl McGowen.

Whether you call yourself a dance fan or not, it’s time you started respecting these fantastic horn players. Get yourself over to Brooklyn Bowl on Friday, July 6 to hear more, and also check out this video. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

There are plenty of noisy and loud bands out there, but few of them are also tight, fun and… insane. These 5 things combined can conjure up some outstanding rock madness. Zulus is a Brooklyn band that should be forbidden to adults or something… Their songs sound like a tribal celebration of chaos. Although respectful of the genre’s typical droney-ness, these guys are actually very inventive, in some kind of quirky way. We hear that in "Black Out," the song that ends and starts 4-5 times; or in the signature never ending delay on their vocals. They also don’t disdain to introduce some melodic lines here and there, mostly in form of backing vocals. They are playing Cake Shop tonight June 15 and announcing the release of their full length record on July 10th. Noise lovers, be there, buy that.

Mp3: Zulus – "Heatwave"

Xenia Rubinos (who played our NYC B.E.A.F. fest a couple of weeks ago) sure isn’t afraid to sound different. She just released this video for the single "Hair Receding," which properly translates visually her kaleidoscopic sound.

When you read the descript “prehistoric rock,” your mind may cue up a picture of The Way-Outs, a Beatles-esque band that appeared on The Flintstones back in the day. On the other hand, you might think of primal guitars and hard-hitting drums with band members donning ragged, wild cat-skin smocks. Enter The Cave Girls, an all-girl trio that sounds like they highjacked a time machine from prehistory to the late 1970s and happened to time jump right into CBGBs while The Ramones were playing. They’ve since shown up in Kansas City and have released a set of short, fun, no-frills rock ‘n‘ roll for us modern types.

The band’s theme song kicks off the album a la a punkier B-52s: hand claps, raw guitar, and sing-along vocals telling the tale of how The Cave Girls got to KC: via I-435. A surprising twist in the song is when they kick it into overdrive and show off some old-school punk rock chops. This is also the band’s longest song on the album, coming in at 5:29, with the others trailing in length by at least 2-3 minutes. 

The ability to get straight to the point is one of the more refreshing things about this release. The Cave Girls don’t mess around. The songs themselves aren’t reinventing rock by any means, but they find a solid home within the context these girls are putting them in. For instance, the song “The Maid” starts out with killer guitar that sounds like it was birthed in T.Rex’s garage. The song ranges from mid-tempo burn to intense thrashing all the while the lyrics describe the job at hand for a maid that just wants to get paid. No tongue-in-cheek innuendos, just a straight-up description of the occupation’s ups and downs. While this would never work for other bands, it does for them and the result is a fun romp through the swamplands of prehistoric bad-assness. 

-Mike Tipton