Ora Cogan plays a unique blend of psychedelic folk, dark wave ambient and experimental dream pop.  Her new album Crickets is scheduled for a full release later this year, but is currently sharing two tracks to listen to now.  Title track “Crickets” presents a circular time signature via cascading guitar figure and bell chime percussion.  Ms. Cogan’s vocals emerge unexpectedly and float above the defined rhythm, adhering to a much looser structure.  A variety of keyboard synths are employed, creating pulsating textures underneath changing segments.  There are elements of Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny and Renaissance’s Annie Haslam in the sweetly powerful vocal phrasing and loose psych-folk performance.  Second track “The Light” builds off of a tambourine and snare percussion pattern with syncopated counter strikes.  Ora’s vocals feel more intimate here, leaning closer to the ethereal charm of Kate Bush.  Ms. Cogan will be appearing at Union Pool on 05/14. – Dave Cromwell

May is apparently International Masturbation Month (even though July 21st is International Masturbation Day, according to Wikipedia). It’s also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month—a celebration worth having with friends beside (or along with) your JO buddy.

Asian American & Pacific Islander voices have historically been reduced and marginalized in Western-centric music culture, but this month the voices of AAPI artists coalesce in a resounding cheer of affirmation. Enter Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Showcase: a series of events spanning six dates, 24 artists, and several venues across Orange County, Long Beach, and Los Angeles as a collaboration between organizers [Redacted] and Moon Room, with support from KXLU, Allies in Arts, Center for Asian American Media, Color Study Zine, and more. Earnest in conception and DIY in approach, the showcase will feature AAPI solo artists and groups of the Southland breaking new ground with compelling sounds and shattering tired stereotypes as they face systemic issues of cultural (mis)representation head-on.

This Sunday, catch the first free 21+ showcase at Fullerton’s Continental Room featuring Polartropica, Lions!, PAST HYPE, and Phoebe’s Guitar. – Ryan Mo, flyer credit: Roger Hallaway

We heard talent when we heard Dolly Spartans‘ debut EP by Dolly Spartans in the spring of 2015 – and that’s why we named it our record of the month. We are glad to see other local blogs covering the young NYC quartet: The Wild Honey Pie just posted a very flattering review of their latest single "It’s not Easy" (streaming below). The group just released sophomore EP ‘Time Sides With No One‘ and it’s scheduled to perform at the new Shea Stadium location on June 1st, which we are not entirely sure is defined yet, although the venue recently more than succeeded in funding a Kickstarter campaign for its new spot.

Maybird, a Brooklyn based four-piece band from Rochester NY, recently released their newest single, "Keep In Line" produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. It’s a song that the band’s songwriter’s Josh Netsky wrote about that "feeling of restlessness [felt] when someone you’re used to having around is out being productive and you’re not, but wish you were." A paradoxical thought that ended up becoming a productive one, since it inspired this song. With its plodding tempo and lazy psych-pop melody, the single expresses Josh’s desire to travel and make music. That desire will be soon fulfilled through a short North East tour and a performance at Union Pool on June 3rd.

Elisa‘s sound may be light and twinkly, but her voice carries an unexpected weight and wiseness. Her latest release, "Morning Again" begins with a minimalistic, ethereal soundscape but bleeds into an upbeat drum kit infused with differently textured samples. And then there’s that guttural feeling you get when Elisa belts, as if every word were breaking out of her chest. Elisa plays The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on May 16th.-Geena Kloeppel

Irreverently quirky, with a slurred, seemingly codeine influenced flow, DMV producer Mike of Doom’s latest album, MICHAEL, is an amusing and at times semi-serious collection of songs about Mike’s life. The strongest element of this album is its genre bending. Mike of Doom explores everything from vaporwave to punk to trap without ever losing a sense of playfulness and confidence. The genre bending keeps the album fresh, and despite the sometimes stale subject matter of the songs, the music is truly entertaining to listen to.

A pleasing and ambitious release from DMV’s own Mike of Doom.

-Written by Michael Dranove

Catcalling is one of the more frustrating aspects of living in the big apple, and being on the receiving end of incessant lines of creepy comments can be uncomfortable if not downright terrifying. What’s a girl to do? In the case of Lucy Marie Horton, one half of electro-pop duo, Eugene Marie, you turn it into music. The group’s newest track, “Nice Smell,” features lyrics exclusively culled from the mouths of her street harassers. Though transforming predatory phrases into a pointed pop hit is a feat, Eugene Marie pulls it off seamlessly; crafting a piece that is playful and melodic, but also thrusts the dialogue surrounding catcalling further into the public realm. Stream “Nice Smell” below.-Olivia Sisinni

NYC-based indie rockers NØMADS describe themselves as "two people in a room hitting things hard and trying to communicate life," and if that doesn’t sound like the perfect way of navigating through all the things life hurls at you, then I don’t know what does. With understated vocals and catchy riffs, the duo crafts tracks with strong hooks and engaging verses, but there’s a decidedly noisy streak that creates the real magic in the band’s songs. The band will have a May residency at Pianos starting on the 9th. Check out NØMADS’s new track, "ATAXOPHOBIA" streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni 

Brooklyn-based Peaer crafts understated indie rock songs that feel raw and unpolished enough to reflect the types of real-life concepts wrestled with in their lyrics. A highly dynamic band with a lot of heart, Peaer is tight enough to flirt with the wildness of coming undone, without ever succumbing to it. Active since the beginning of the decade, the band in 2016 released a noteworthy 7 track record, one of our favorite within the genre, check out "single Cliff Song," below, and opener "Pink Spit," here. – Olivia Sisinni

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best garagey/punky songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

With a name like Heavy Traffic, you have to ensure that you’re a band that’s bringing down the heavy jams, and the Brooklyn-based four-piece definitely does not disappoint. Delivering stoner/doomy riffs layered with fuzz and grit, the band’s psych-influenced vocals and blunted percussion make them a driving, unadulterated display of sludgy metal that stands out from the pack. With tunes this heavy, you can practically smell the oil pits and diesel fumes from here. Check out single "Medicated Bed, streaming below, and – if you dig it – mark your calendar for September 23rd, when they are scheduled to play Arlene’s Grocery. – Olivia Sisinni

Sometimes the simple things are best. That’s true for the music of Fraidycat, an indie rock group who play no-nonsense songs about — as their Facebook page professes — "stuff that came up in therapy." For anyone needing a good dose of catharsis in the form of some upbeat tunes, Fraidycat will play ALPHAVILLE on May 6th, along with True Dreams, Yucky Duster, and Haybaby. It’s all to celebrate the release of Other Better Places, their debut LP, which includes short bursts of poppy emotion in the form of tracks like "Best Pie" and "Fortune Cookies." You can stream the latter below. – Will Sisskind

Lost in Society is an alternative rock band from New Jersey that fosters a punk ethos – both sonically and lyrically. Their songs take an almost Marxist lingual approach by critiquing dominant cultural narratives and power structures. “All these people working / just to live check by check / sinking down into a hopeless death” a Linkin Park-esque voice screams in the first verse of the outfit’s most recent release, “I Want To Know”. With the themes Lost In Society tackles becoming increasingly relevant in the authoritarian direction taken by our politics, it’s no surprise they’re starting to gain a lot more local and national attention. What makes this band special is that they refresh a punk tradition with leftist roots by immersing it in the circumstances of the present. Don’t miss their next performance on Thursday, May 11th at the Knitting Factory.