Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers have been hustling and grinding on the underground NYC circuits sans official releases for quite some time now and it’s great to see that Knitting Factory Records is about to release their debut album "Teenage And Torture". This Friday the 21st the band will play Brooklyn Bowl to celebrate its release with Soft Black and She Keeps Bees. Shilpa is a spirited performer, so if you like original music that’s intriguingly in your face you should not miss this CD release party.

Baltimore’s trio Thank You are releasing their 3rd album, Golden Worry, with Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey on January 25th. The album was recorded by engineer Chris Coady, who’s known for his work with Beach House and Gang Gang Dance. Check out this stellar track "1-2-3 Bad" and pre-order Golden Worry here. Thank you – 1-2-3 Bad by The Drift Record Shop

A.M. Breakups seems like a suitable name for this Brooklyn-based producer. Each beat is so well crafted and mixed, that he undoubtedly neglects countless girlfriends in the creation of any given project. His album “Clink Pieces,” downloadable for free on bandcamp, showcases his dynamic beatmaking prowess paired with a diverse array of underground rap talent. The beats swell triumphantly and jitter with glitchy goodness matching the varying energy of each rapper involved with interspersed moments of cacophony adding a pleasant juxtaposition to the otherwise sweet electronic-edged programming. Be wary that unregulated listening may result in attention starved loved- ones and potentially heartbreaking text messages. – Broke MC

Shoegaze Dream Pop is something we’ll never get tired of – and as we are dudes, we’ll add that we find the genre particularly enticing when lady singers with beautiful voices are involved… Brooklyn’s own The Culfield Sisters have been at it for quite some time, but they haven’t lost their verve for gorgeous pop melodies disguised in a thick layer of distortion. The trio just released two new songs – “Caterwauling”, streaming here, and “I See Your Face”, the first new original tracks from this all-girl trio since their debut EP “Say It With Fire” was released several years back. Shows in support of this release will be announced soon. Tracks can be purchased here.

The Caulfield Sisters – "Caterwauling"

Last week at The Studio at Webster Hall, Long Island-based trio, Nature of City, masterminded by bassist/vocalist Josh Pillbox, played their first show of 2011. NOC donned rubber Nixon masks as the whispering chants and swirls of dissonance of “American Dream” radiated from the stage. The band revealed their faces for the avant-garde take on funk, jazz, and metal, “Big Tommy”, and took a turn for the eerily melodic of “Binomial Pharmaclature,” the ticking time bomb of heavy distortion and haunting vocals of “Daddy Alarm Clock,” and the polyrhythmic duals between syncopated bass lines and shredding guitar solos of “Six Kinds of Wednesday”. Closing with the nightmarish and intricate interplay of pitch-shifting vocals and echoing instrumentation of “Ugly Like Me,” NOC’s set left the audience craving more. The good news is that Nature of City plan to release their debut LP, “Spacemen Need Earthsuits,” (in the picture) in April of this year. – Meijin Bruttomesso

DC’s True Womanhood have released the first song in their series REEL TOO REAL. Here’s what Thomas had to say about it. "The song is called MINAJAH and it was inspired by the recent creation of the Moombahton dance craze, right here in DC.  We didn’t use Ableton like everyone else because we are idiots and we thought we could make electronic music using live instruments patched through effects pedals.  Also, Stevie Wonder shook our hands the day we bought the synth that this song was played on and told us it was a good choice.  His magic apparently rubbed off.   (We are not kidding.  This is a true story.  His hands smell like sandalwood.)"

REEL TOO REAL by truewomanhood

The Debutante Hour sounds like Tom Waits and Bjork singing harmonies together at a 1910 variety show. Susan, Mia and Maria are the eclectic trio who perform everything from singing public service announcements to theatrical reinterpretations of Sumerian mythology. The ladies recent release, “The Birth and Death of Meaning,” is a bouncing, old-timey album with a heavy helping of sarcasm. The songs alternate an accordion, cello, piano and baritone ukulele. The girls share songwriting assignments, so each track has a different personality. “For Myself” is a smokey tune for a lounge singer, while “Scheherazade” is like a bubbling, wry Frank Zappa track. The Debutantes lyrics and phrasing are quirky like Weezer but their buttery, close harmonies abate the humor with a barber-shop edge. Now on tour in eastern Europe, look for them in this city later this fall. – Read Jenny Luczak’s interview with the band here.

If you’re into Spanish soap operas then Telenovelas are your cup of tea. If your into surf thrash pop then Telenovelas are going to tickle you rock bone. Started last summer by 2 members of Black Swan Green and ex-Dane drummer from Darling Don’t Dance, Telenovelas can co-exist contently in 2 situations. Either holding hands strolling down the beach and reliving memories of Brian Wilson melodies or holding tightly to their fuzz pedals while dancing a little too close to the eye of a hurricane. Either way a strong obsession with Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk” hasn’t stopped them from stepping out from the usual pack of Brooklyn bands and offered Brooklyn a new take on Surfadelia. Look for them to be playing out a lot this summer and working hard to release their first album. – Read Simon Heggie’s interview with the band here.

Caveman, native to Brooklyn, are headlining the Mercury Lounge Wednesday, January 12th. Cavemen’s music is casual with a certain charm to it, and has been termed as the type of music that will stop people in their tracks. They have recently recorded songs with both Converse and Fader. Both songs reinforce Cavemen’s unique style, a mellow indie pop reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and Beta Band without electronic quirks. Expect this band to be around for a while and to conquer many harts. Tickets for the Mercury Lounge show on January 12th are just over $12 and you can get yours here. -LT

The Death Set is a trio of crazy "almost kids" from Brooklyn, Sydney, Baltimore and Philly who seem interested in picking up where the Beastie Boys left off – at least in this song entitled after a handshake that Brooklyn bands like Ninjasonik and Cerebral Ballzy (featured in the instructional video here) apparently use to greet each other. The rest of the band repertoire is more electro-punk but as incendiary and fun.

Brooklyn folk poppers Freak Owls are bringing in the new year with a slew of upcoming shows, including a Winter East Coast Tour – they played at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village a few days ago. Check out this pretty B&W video of their song "Little Things". – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Shenandoah and the Night is a band with en plein air picnics on its mind and a nightingale in its heart. Steeped in the tradition of American folk with elements of doo-wop, and haunting vocals, their music maps out cinematic landscapes and nostalgic love scenes. Come see them live at Bar 4 in Park Slope on January 21. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

So Fine by Shenandoah and the Night