See Not Blood, Paint play live, and you might find yourself falling for their quirky way of seeing the world. NBP don’t just re-arrange the stage for their engrossing performances, they inhabit the entire room filling the space up with anything from giant heads and mandatory facepaint, to choreographed guitar solos and random wardrobe malfunctions. After such an immersive experience, you’re left with a lot of questions and the only thing you can be sure of is that you want more. You don’t want to miss their Deli’s CMJ show at The Delancey on 10.22 with Yellow Ostrich, Sea of Bees, Monogold and more. – Read Mike Levine’s Q&A with Not Blood, Paint here.

Grimace, a.k.a. “Belly,” has reemerged from the subterranean caverns of his underground Brooklyn laboratory with a fresh collection of dirty beats and dirtier words. Though halcyon Indy Hip Hop label Def Jux has passed on into the ether, their vibe resonates strongly in this release. Collaborations with L.A.-based Cassettes Won’t Listen and upstate NY Slobber-slanger Dezmatic are highlights to please your discerning ears, and the beats are crunchy and throbbing in the best possible ways. Whether you choose to believe him or not, Grimace’s “Whole Lies and Half Truths” should at least be given the benefit of the doubt. – BrokeMC

I saw Sebastian the Crab playing his NORD keyboard in the subway tunnel and was immediately taken by the swelling harmonies reverberating throughout the expansive tile of the Canal Street station. The tone of his songs calls to mind images of robots drinking coffee, philosophizing over their distant origins at the hands of a fabled “human race.” Throughout "Hungry Heart," slightly blown-out keys and sparse electro drums titter and percolate, permeating your whole body with a warm buzz. There is an invigorating sense of inspiration teamed with a pinch of desolation in the way he plays comparable to Bibio and Mt. Eerie. For fans of lo-fi instrumentals, this Hungry Heart will leave you quite satiated. -=brokeMC

Slowly, Great Elk’s songs creep from a position of distance and unfamiliarity to a timeless groove, like something your parents would play on the first cold day of fall. Starting out sparse and confused, Vocalist Paul Basile carries the band as they gently layer their sound, adding minimalist drum and bass, with an ever-weeping pedal steel guitar. Bryan Trenis’s dramatic keyboards and, “approximate vegetarianism,” help to portray the lonesome yet confident quality of Great Elk’s sound. They have self- released two EP’s, handing out limited editions to lucky show-goers this past February, and are currently on tour in Portland, Oregon, but will soon return to their home of Brooklyn.

On September 27, Indiana-spawned Kid Savant, who now reside in Williamsburg, joined The Humans, an experimental dual-bass group featuring Bill Rieflin (RIP R.E.M) at Highline Ballroom. The unexpected sit-down dinner layout did not dampen Kid Savant’s set of danceable, nightclub-esque tracks, many of which will be included on their upcoming EP, “Drop it On the Stereo,” due out October 24. Strobes, flickering lights, and patterned projections enhanced the waves of synthesizer crescendos, swelling electro beats and live drums, and howling, melodic vocals of “4 Years” (see video), ethereal “Drop It On the Stereo,” ebullient and high-flying “What It’s Worth,” heartfelt, piano-driven “Better Side of Paradise,” and chromatic and dynamic “Cher aKido” . The electro-rock quartet will be celebrating the release of “Drop It On the Stereo” on October 14 at Brooklyn’s The Knitting Factory and will be hitting the stage at The Studio at Webster Hall on October 21 for CMJ. – Meijin Bruttomesso – photo by Deneka Peniston

New Seattle band Sad Face have an upcoming show at the Tractor Tavern on October 18th.  The five piece make introspective, well balanced tunes.  At their best, the band is actually reminiscent of Radiohead circa In Rainbows.  Melodic guitar interplay and general noise ambience coalesce into a fine ethereal sound for the group.  They are definitely worth keeping on your radar.  Their first release, Gosh Darn!, a multifarious 7 track compilation, is out now on Groovehouse Records.   

Postscript by wearesadface

NYC boy/girl power duo Naked Hearts just released this video of the song "Animals We Were", which will be featured in their upcoming sophomore album "New Growth", out in late October. The Mp3 of this song can be downloaded for free on the band’s website.

Pixie Brooklynite Danielle Johnson – better known as Danz – began cutting music little over a year ago under the moniker Computer Magic, but has already garnered some encouraging write ups, an enthusiastic fan base and a sturdy collection of tracks, all of which she’s made freely available online. Despite not charging for her music, the 21 year old’s vintage synth pop style already sounds fully formed. The arrangements bounce along efficiently, with Danz’s gentle voice cooing out the sweet melodies with candid optimism. In fact, there’s not yet a dud among her growing portfolio, which could easily fill a double album. A DJ, graphic designer and blogger to boot, you get the sense that this super-gifted Hunter College kid can do whatever she puts her mind to. Check out this new video and come to see her live at The Deli’s CMJ electronic stage at The Delancey on Tuesday October 18 with Psychobuildings, Pretty Good Dance Moves, Caged Animals and other awesome NYC electronic artists. – Dean Van Nguyen

Not be outdone by his drummer Tommy Gardner’s own awesome EP as Crush, Beach Fossils guitarist Cole Smith’s new band DIVE is an even more washy and atmospheric group than anything the Fossils have given us yet. Dive’s new single ‘Sometime’ is as catchy as it is haunting. Complete with moody guitars that only hit one string at a time, it’s Beach Fossils on a rainy afternoon. The song will be released as a single October 7 on Captured Tracks. They’ll be playing one of their first shows at Death By Audio next month, supporting Spanish Prisoners at the CD release party for their dreamy self-released full-length Gold Fools. See the show next Thursday October 6 with Caged Animals and Quiet Lights and look out for Dive’s EP to follow this December. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Folk rocker Bess Rogers returns on October 4th with her second full-length album, ‘Out of the Ocean,’ and a major U.S. tour. The CD’s inspiration came from a book entitled ‘Your Inner Fish,’ by Neil Shubin. Rogers comments: "The book is about our evolution from life as far back as prehistoric fish and microbes and how that has affected our bodies and our lives now. It really grabbed me and I found myself a bit obsessed. I started to look at everything we do in life as a product of evolution, and many of the songs on this record were inspired by that idea.” You can stream the album’s first single below and see Bess live in NYC on October 6 at Rockwood Music Hall.

The brand spankin’ new Warm Ghost video "G.T.W.S" just premiered on I Guess I’m Floating! Check the eerie yet amazing video out for yourself below. The Brooklyn band’s new LP, Narrows, is out today on Partisan Records. – Amanda F Dissinger

On September 29th Le Poisson Rouge will host Wax Poetics Records’ third monthly showcase in New York City, featuring their new signee Kendra Morris, a NYC based alt-soul artist The Deli has been covering and praising at least since 2008, when she played our "emerging NYC artists CMJ show". At the time she was playing solo, accompanied by just a… boom box – yes it was VERY lo-fi, and a little bit experimental as well. Today Kendra has expanded her lineup to include a full band, plus a horn section, while her sound and voice have married the Soul cause. This series teams legendary DJs from the pages of the Wax Poetics magazine with Wax Poetics recording artists – on Thursday it will be Brooklyn’s own DJ Premier‘s turn, who produced tracks for Jay-Z, Kanye West and The Notorious B.I.G. amongst others.