Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, VHS or BETA is now based in Brooklyn. The band’s intricate sound, which combines elements of rock, house and disco, and their name, inspired to obsolete video tape formats, are a welcome addition to the NYC electronic scene. Here’s some band history directly from Wikipedia: "Their self-released debut EP Le Funk found some success on the charts, but the band became better known in the wake of the 2004 album Night on Fire. After two and half years of touring, VHS or Beta recorded 2007’s Bring on the Comets in Asheville, NC, marking a slight change in direction towards a more straightforward pop sound, achieved without sacrificing their trademark dance sensibility. […] The band’s third album "Diamond and Death" is scheduled for September 2011 release."
VHS or BETA have two upcoming shows in NYC: Cameo Gallery in W’burg on 08.05 and The Studio at Webster Hall on 08.25.

Jay Giampietro, of Daylight’s for The Birds (a psych band we liked) is about to release his debut EP "Breezes" with new group Mighty Moon. This five-tracker is a solid  dream-folk debut. Songs like Vampire Plans and Love Ocean, possess a carefree spirit and are seriously tempting us to call in sick and take a train to Rockaway Beach. Our favorite track though is Pretend – embedded here – which channels the intensity of Leonard Cohen and the melodic openings reminiscent of Robin Hitchcock’s acoustic masterpiece "I Often Dream of Trains". Mighty Moon will perform their first live show at The Delancey on July 31. – Madi Silvers

Musical troupe/trio, Fan-Tan welcome this week with the release of their new single "1989". Although the Williamsburg-ers don’t plan to drop their full-length until the air begins to cool, Fan-Tan fans out there can preview the impending album’s single down here and on their bandcamp profile page. Mixing vintage, new wave influences with a modern twist, the single’s sound resembles a sophisticated alloy of late Roxy Music meets Echo and The Bunnymen meets The Cure – aren’t these 3 of your favorite bands ever? – Madi Silvers

Blending and often juxtaposing elements of pretty much any genre out there, from Pop to Doo-Wop, from Americana to Math Rock, and using all sorts of instruments to do so, Brooklyn’s In One Wind can be described as a big musical carousel. The band is about to release their debut album "How Bright a Shadow!" on August 16th and the 2 songs available for free preview (embedded below) are very promising. This is obviously a group of people belonging to the that category of musicians who are trying to find new musical paths within the pop realm, and these tracks succeed in being at once entertaining and interesting – something both pop and experimental music too often fail to achieve. Don’t miss their upcoming shows at Rockwood on 08.12 and Sycamore on August 19. We recently sent the band a few questions, you can read the full interview here.

The Royal Sea, Bellingham’s contribution to the surf-tinged pop boom, just put out their first album, The Royal Sea.  Timmy Sunshine and Jettie Lovette started playing their brand of beach jams together last summer and have recently rounded out the lineup with Evan Kuykendall on bass. This is music for the summer, so check it out before the rain starts again.  

On “Drive Your Car,” from its forthcoming debut EP, boy-girl duo Mister Melt sings about cars, sex, fighting, and dancing—the Big 4 of rock ‘n’ roll. Mickey, the band’s car-averse singer and guitarist, calls the tune “totally ironic,” but “escapist” is more like it. The sampled drums evoke Escape Club’s party-starting 1988 hit “Wild, Wild West” — still a highway howler, even if it’s a blatant Elvis Costello rip-off — and Mickey’s vocals suggest at least some affinity for ‘50s and ‘60s American pop culture. If nothing else, Mickey and Maria dig how Brits like the Jesus and Mary Chain recontextualized malt-shop memories. – See Mister Melt at Cake Shop on July 24 and at Bruar’s Fall on July 31. Read Ken Partridge interview with the band here.

The term "ghost" encapsulates a lot of ideas. Poltergeists, dead relatives, revenge bent evil spirits, lonely souls with unfinished business, Casper, pixilated Pac-Man enemies… anyway, Brooklyn band Ghost Ghost is like that, in a way. They encapsulate a lot of genres, though they choose  to define themselves as freak-folk. Kevin Peckham (vocals, bass, keys) and Karl Ward (vocals, percussion, guitar) lead a mixed bag of musicians and artists on a journey that is both strange and familiar.  It would be like seeing a phantom band led by Jeff Buckley and Jerry Garcia fronting a jammy, catchy blend of gentle spirits. Channeling influences as diverse as The Mountain Goats to Leonard Cohen, Ghost Ghost will be at The Knitting Factory on Saturday July 30. Check out their music here. – allison levin

There’s an interesting selection of rising Brooklyn bands a the House of Yes on Sat night, within the "Viva Vuvuzela" fest.
U SAY USA, coming off their recent residency at the Trash Bar and appearance at the Northside music festival will be one of the highlights of the night with their indie pop-rock . Also on the line up is Jangula, an excellent BK based band who made our "Best of 2010" list and has been building up their resume with lots of press. Event details here.

DC’s own rock & rollers US Royalty have been jamming out their hits off their debut album Mirrors all over the summer fest circuit with more to come, but most importantly- they’ll be hitting the 9:30 Club stage Friday July 29. And 9:30 wants to make sure you get in on it, so we’ve got some passes to this show! All you have to do is email us, and let us know what your favorite US Royalty song is and why, by 6 PM on Wednesday July 27. The winner will be chosen at random, emailed back, and announced on this blog.

Check out this sweet video for the track "Equestrian" off Mirrors, now available. Photo By: Geordy Pearson

Since DC’s the Vita Ruins recent departure from the stage (aw!!), mulit-instrumetalist Tim Kratzer has moved on to a new solo project called Honest Haloway. With this project, Kratzer can focus on sharing his art as soon as he finishes, rather than waiting to record, master, etc etc etc entire albums. With a foot in the world of music since age 11, he can pretty much do it all, and this debut video for "What I Leave Behind" off the upcoming EP The Towns makes us want to see and hear what awesomeness he’ll come up with next. (Shot and directed by Tim Kratzer and Sara Nabizadeh.) –Dawn

This year’s edition of Decibel Festival hits Seattle bars and live music establishments from September 28 until October 2.  The electronic music celebration is in its eighth year, and the recently announced lineup does not disappoint.  Big name acts are playing, such as Amon Tobin, Ladytron, Moby, and buzz-drenched mystery UK producer Zomby, playing one of his first dates on American soil.  Local acts include Truckasaurus, Beat Connection, Nordic Soul, Grym, and Jon McMillion, whose "Climbing Out" features below. Bring some earplugs!