NYC psych pop quartet Thieving Irons just released the first single from the album they just finished recording, "Behold, This Dreamer!", scheduled to be released early in 2012. The song, entitled "So Long" has already been picked up by KEXP as "song of the day" for today. With its interesting sonics, the beautiful melody drenched in reverb, and a rather quick, danceable pace, this is definitely an appetizing soundbite that makes us look forward to the full release. See Thieving Irons live at Zebulon on 11.28.

Toward the end of 2009, in a bedroom in Stockton, CA, a 21-year-old Justin Vallesteros began layering simple synth and guitar lines to create the sound that would become Craft Spells. What began as an experiment soon became a vibrant world of elegant guitar chords laced over looped rhythms, heavenly synth melodies, and pulsating bass. When Vallesteros recorded his first track "Party Talk," an outpouring of online enthusiasm led him to return to Seattle and flesh out a full band for the debut LP Idle Labor, released on Captured Tracks in Spring 2011. If you love Felt, The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, and the beautiful monotone drone of Ian Curtis, Craft Spells are right up your nuevo-new romantic alley.

Ambassadors, a Brooklyn based quartet, play a contemporary blend of Rock brought together by a strong pop-sensibility and dramatic flair. They have been active since 2008, quickly proving themselves with single, “Tropisms”, which was featured on MTV-U. Their music is full and energetic, but Ambassadors aren’t scared to slow things down and get sensitive with tracks like, “Bodybag”. Their sound emanates from drummer Adam Levin’s thunderous, open grooves, which allow brothers Sam and Casey Harris to fill out the band’s sound. Guitarist Noah Feldshuh’s powerful and catchy riffs on songs like, “Falls” provide a thoroughly refreshing surge of energy and power. Ambassadors music, despite their serious, professional presence and production value, is still fun. – Read Ed Guardaro’s interview with the band here.

Standing out from the crowd of eighties dance music revivalists, Brooklyn trio Psychobuildings pull from the darker side of the new wave cannon. Their music is a psychedelic blend of heavy bass lines, synthetic beats, funky guitar licks and leader Peter LaBier’s vigorous vocals. Sometimes sinister, but always danceable, the band have been showcasing their six track self-titled EP with an energetic live show that highlights not only their music, but LaBier’s impressive dance moves. It’s something he’s not afraid to speak about on the record, nor to put to good use for this brand new video of the single "Terror Management". – Read Dean Van Nguyen Q&A with the band here.

Finding out about a NYC artist we never heard about who has 10k+ friends on Facebook always makes us feel slightly incompetent – why were you hiding from us j.viewz? Yeah, deflecting guilt always helps, right? Anyway, this is the multi-genre electronica act of the Brooklyn-based producer & remixer Jonathan Dagan, who runs this project "Massive Attack-Style", i.e. inviting ever changing vocalists to sing on instrumental tracks he created – which is always a wise idea both for inspirational and promotional reasons. The musical style here is also reminiscent of the Bristol based Trip Hop duo, consisting mostly in sparsely and elegantly arranged down to mid tempo electronic ballads, with a strong alt-sould flavor and a slighty poppier edge. We really enjoyed this stunning (and rather sexy) video featuring talented Newyorker Kelli Scarr‘s vocals (DO NOT WATCH IF YOU ARE AT WORK!). CD release party at The Studio at Webster tonight, with ambient masters The American Dollar also on the bill.

Lead singer Jared Scott has a couple stories to tell, and having already served time as lead guitarist in Brooklyn-based Demander, he’s well prepared to bring his seasoned outlook from the axe to the mic in his latest power pop outfit, Northern Bells.
Bells aren’t exactly a new band. But while they used to be called In Cadeo until recently, a better way to get to know them is by listing some of the many bands their members have already been a part of: from The Hold Steady to The Spies to Oberhofer, they’ve run the gambit of mid-tempo power-pop outfits over the last decade.
But this quintet sounds a bit different than their previous groups. Bells doesn’t list its female backing vocals among its principal members, but it’s this boy-girl dynamic you hear in a lot of their songs that moves the music away from typical heartland confessional, and to a wider audience. Like in new single ‘Wake Up,’ a song that shares a couple things in common with Arcade Fire’s anthem, complete with boy-girl sing-along- ready chants over a story spanning the trials of growing up.
Having released two 7-inches already this year, they’ll be releasing a third EP early next, which will (hopefully) followed be followed closely by a debut full-length.
See them at Glasslands Gallery on Nov. 8th with Chappo, Bridges and Powerlines, and Dynasty Electric, an electro-dance group sure to get the booties shaking. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Sugary pop has never ranked high up in our genre preferences, but some bands are indeed able to take it to a whole new level, mostly by using infallible weapons like songwriting talent and charming voices. The Housemartins and Belle and Sebastian were two of those bands, and Swimclub seems to have learned their indie pop lesson by heart. The NYC band’s debut EP "Funhouse for Friends" showcases 5 cristalline pop gems, hummable but never banal melodies, and vocals that sound compassionate and sincere. This music has the potential to resonate with a lot of people. – Swimhouse submitted their music for review digitally here.

The Loom has been active in the NYC scene for quite a few years already, so it was kind of unexpected to find out that "Teeth", the album they released on 11.01, is actually their first full length. The band got (deserved) write ups in most music blogs, and was also covered by The New Yorker – which is actually not too surprising, since they can sound kind of highbrow at times. They play a very original brand of alt folk somewhat reminiscent of a more rustic version of early Gomez (see streaming track "Helen"). Their darker and tenser songs (which represent a good share of their output) bring to mind the powerfully moving spoken word singing style of Tindersticks, a phenomenal British band from the aughts not many Americans fell in love with. The Loom has already embarked on an east coast tour – there’s not a NYC date scheduled yet though.

Born in the Rio Grande Valley at the southern tip of Texas, Salina Sias fell in love with the stage as a young girl, and, like many of her peers with artistic ambitions, moved to Brooklyn in her 20s to pursue her passion. Salina has the voice, the confidence and the songs to impress at first listen. Her music is also very well produced, as you can hear for yourself in the embedded, track "Sugar Song".