Sleepless Saints makes note of their resemblance to ’60s britpop in much of their press, but after listening through to their debut LP ‘Sleep on It,’ I’m finding a lot more in common with a genre popular in their home state of New Jersey. There was a time in the ’80s when Bruce, Jovi and Southside Johnny rocked the Heartland just as well as that Australian Rick Springfield, and this quartet picks up right where these rockers left off.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. True, there’s a couple throwback rockers here. ‘The Last Time’ for instance, could have poured out of The Peppermint Lounge’s speaker system back in the day. But otherwise, the majority of these mid-temp rockers, like title-track ‘Meditate On It,’ has the driving momentum and sweet harmonies I usually associate with bands like The Heartbreakers and The Attractions. A powerful blend to be sure, and a task these guys are more than up to delivering – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

(above: The Doo-Dads)

 …and if you have more releases we need to know about, email us here.

The Brannock Device: Into the Witness Chamber, 5.15.12

Antennas Up: The Awkward Phase, 5.15.12

The Doo-Dads: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, 5.11.12

The Rumblejetts: Motor Honey, 5.9.12

Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats: Lather Rinse Repeat, 5.4.12

Dr. Wizard: Dr. Wizard, 5.4.12

 Genessee: Genessee, 5.4.12 

 In Back of a Black Car has released its newest song, "Lips," and it’s available on CDBaby. This sexy, dancey new wave track comes from a band with former members of Lovers in Transit, Five Star Crush, and Monta At Odds.

Alice Sweet Alice has released an updated version of its 2008 song "Alone" in celebration of the second leg of its 2012 Singularity Tour to New Orleans, Memphis, and Little Rock. Available to stream at their Bandcamp website.

Here’s the video for "A Mirror, A Torch," the new single from The Slowdown, who has a full-length album due out toward the end of summer. 

Yes, it’s true. Nude Beach likes that old time rock n’ roll. With their style of throwback jams, the band is bound to conjure comparisons with heartland rockers like ‘The River’ era Springsteen and Tom Petty. You’ll hear plenty of comparisons like this in reviews of their sophomore record ‘II,’ but mostly from folks who forget how hard it really is to make this kind of music sound right.

For this sound to work, there’s a couple of ingredients you need to get right: the swagger needs to look like you don’t care much about anything, but the lyrics need to come across as passionate. In the fast-stepping rocker ‘Walkin’ Down My Street,’ or the lonely hearts anthem ‘Some Kinda Love,’ both marks are hit. And you have to sound as large as possible, but still have the lyrics be easy enough to hear and comprehend, as singer/guitarist Chuck Betz also manages to deliver well.

For just being a three piece, the group has somehow managed to sound like the Heartbreakers, the E Street Band, Bob Seeger and Rick Springfield all rolled up into one. It’s quite an accomplishment. So perhaps the best comparison for the Brooklyn-based group is the Ramones, a band that also remade classic rock as their own.

See them when they play Wed, June 6 with Babies and Marvin Berry at Glasslands Gallery. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Chevy has chosen to highlight the KC music scene with a short documentary series, focusing on 8 local bands and sponsored by local Chevy dealers. Starting May 30, the documentaries will air Wednesdays on KCWE between 9:40-9:50p during Entertainment Tonight and again between 10:40-10:45p during The Office. On Thursdays, episodes will air on KMBC between 11:29-11:34p during The Big Bang Theory and again between 12:58-1:03a during Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On Fridays, episodes will air on KMBC between 12:58-1:03 a.m. during Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Here’s the schedule:

• Maps for Travelers, May 30
• David Burchfield and the Great Stop, June 6
• Sons of Great Dane, June 13
• The Dead Girls, June 20
• Making Movies, June 27
• The Silver Maggies, July 4
• Margo May, July 11
• Soft Reeds, July 18

And here’s a video from Maps for Travelers, the first band featured in the series!

From moody folk and gospel, to unexpected marches and screaming fireworks, Kim Krans & Family Band moves its way through some heavy material in new EP ‘Cold Songs.’ Though she could reasonably be accused of the kind of drawl singing usually associated with folksy singers like Chan Marshall, Kim Krans is no direct descendant of Cat Power either. She uses her powers in quite different ways. In track "Beg" for instance, there are plenty of twists and turns reminiscent of Radiohead’s moodier journeys. Likewise, album opener ‘Cold Song’ begins innocently enough, before knocking you over the head with its drumlins midway through. For this band, it’s the unexpected unfolding of these songs that makes it really come together.

This is a record that abandons you in the middle of the forest for an evening, and comes to find you joyous in the morning, after experiencing the full range of that journey. See Family Band live at Brooklyn Bowl on June 4 within the Levon Helm celebration party, and check back in July for a full length.- Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

As you may know here at The Deli we don’t do much photo coverage of live events if any (Brooklyn Vegan has that market cornered), but since Kassandra Balli offered to take pictures at our NYC B.E.A.F. 2012 shows, this time around we have something to show you! Check out Kassandra’s photos here, there are a lot of great shots. Thanks Kassy! – (In the picture: Big Ups)

Antennas Up is one of our favorite Kansas City bands. Formed in 2008, the quartet showcases a range of genres in its music: funk, hip-hop, dance, electronic, and radio-friendly pop. The band is not afraid to take risks, but can execute its craft better than most bands in Kansas City, let alone around the nation.

The group’s latest album, The Awkward Phase, was released on May 15 to favorable reviews.

The band also recently completed a successful Kickstarter project to get the album on airwaves across the country and more than exceeded the goal. Cheers!

Check out the first single from The Awkward Phase, "December."

Antennas Up is:

• Kyle Akers: lead vox, bass
• Bo McCall: guitar, vox
• The Ryantist: drums, vox
• Jonny Universe: guitar, keys, vox