Photo Source: Alex’s Hand

Alex’s Hand are going to be performing at The Morgue, a DIY venue in Georgetown, on Oct. 27th with Zander Yates and Fang Chia.

Their self-released debut effort Madame Psychosis features the trio (now a foursome) grappling with a wild spread of musical flavors. The album name itself invites interpretations of conflicting sounds and desires; a veil of manners covering a unpredictable body beneath. Or perhaps the title is simply a fun play with words.

"Stalker" opens with possibly the most delicate passage of the entire EP. A softly strummed guitar, haunting piano chords, occasional ticks of sticks, a chime or two – and then wammo – a poignant pop song lurches forward that would not be out place in a circle of 1980’s post-punk ballads. The guitar solo near the close foreshadows harsher reveries to come, while it bizzarely ends with a Captain Beefheart-esque collapse.

The second track "Laura" erupts with a metal-tinged reverberation, peeling into drum rolls and odd UFO noises. Its three-part structure is exceedingly catchy and becomes hopeless to erase from one’s brain. Equally unsettling and groovy, this is prime evidence for Alex’s Hand’s penchant for avant-pop experimentation. Bonus points for writing a song that pertains to David Lynch’s classic series Twin Peaks.

"Reception," features Kellen Mills’ most convincing vocal performance. Arguably the best all-around written song on the EP, it offers something of value for most listeners’ predilections: big sweeping guitar melodies, gentle whispers of piano, loud emphatic drums, and otherwordly, baritone vocals.

At last, the closer "Robot," a two and a half minute spill of crunchy mania. The song is effortless in its raw energy and gives the impression of being played off-the-cuff in one take. For fans of bass so fat you can sink your teeth into and ’80s and ’90’s noise rock a la The Jesus Lizard and Big Black. And oh my, the feedback into guitar solo in the last minute: part metal, part progressive rock, part space groove.

Alex’s Hand are playing live at The Morgue in Georgetown on Saturday, October 27th. Catch them there with doors at 8:30pm and music beginning at 9pm. Listen to "Laura" below and visit their bandcamp to stream all of Madame Psychosis. It is available through the webpage or in person at Easy Street Records and Sonic Boom.

– Cameron LaFlam

DETAILS ABOUT THIS SHOW & STREAMING COMPILATION OF ALL FEATURED ARTISTS HERE. 

Those looking for a little escape from the craze of the CMJ week will find an ideal refuge at the East Village’s Sidewalk Cafe, where on Friday, we’ll be showcasing seven local singer/songwriters and anti-folk outfits for a free evening of intimate performances and sharp-tongued poetry. We’ ve got the funny, quirky ones like headliner Mal Blum, Luke Kelly & acolytes, a.k.a Kung Fu Crimewave, with their far-fetched stories, Crazy & The Brains, self-defined party-punk four-piece every bit as frantic as the name suggests, and Ben Pagano who touched at a true contemporary issue in one of his latest releases – yes, hipsters. We’ve got the emotional performances, courtesy of St. Lenox, and Bird to Prey who will be releasing her ‘Saved By The Storm’ album, and finally, we’ve got Go Love, eclectic collective of artists revolving around Ray Brown and whatever/whoever may tickle his fancy. Literally most everything we could file under ‘Anti-Folk’ – that is, expect some acts that may change your perception of this fairly versatile label. In the picture: Crazy & The Brains.

Once in awhile I get to listen to a band so ambitious, so full of ideas… it both drives me crazy with envy, and appreciation for what a fabulous scene we have around here. Plumes’ self-titled LP is a carefully constructed Baroque masterpiece, filled with orchestrated meditations on the peaks and valleys of love. This duo have written life’s epic soundtrack, and their vision can’t be overstated. ‘Hero & Leander’ finds you perched to an epic cinematic moment, ‘Kalimba Mountain Song’ luxuriates in a woodwind dreamscape, and album opener ‘Your Train of Thought, through Tunnels’ begins a journey through this feature film. It’s a large statement, and I’m excited to hear how they might possibly take this over to a live situation. I suggest you park yourself immediately and pop this magic in your ears. Plumes… I don’t know where you came from, but thank you. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Cosmonaut is one of those bands that almost seem too good to be true. When I first listened to them, the first thing I thought was… ok, which one of these guys was in a supergroup and is now starting over fresh? Turns out, these guys are all starting fresh. Just out of school, the quartet sounds like they’ve been at this for years, displaying a maturity in their songwriting far beyond their lean years. Sounding something like Pavement’s slack tied together with Cymbals Eat Guitars’ epic emotionalism, Cosmonaut has ‘hype’ written all over them. Just listen to ‘Hurry Up‘ EP opener ‘Your Knife (My Side)’ and hear what could be the envy of Julian Casablancas, coming through singer John Paul Manley’s tenor. Produced by Kyle “Slick” Johnson (Wavves, Modest Mouse), the band’s debut album is everything you want to hear from a young band in line with age old expectations of how classic rock songs is supposed to sound. Their next show is on Friday October 19th at Legion Bar, with Fast Years, The N’ere Dowells, & others. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) 

Frankly, it was hard not to fall for the bar-fly folk-punk frenzies of Wild Yaks‘ last full-length ’10 Ships (Don’t Die Yet)’; all were far too generous & genuine to be overlooked. Yet for any left on the fence after the first effort, the Brooklyn four-piece is back hitting harder, with a new album, the first single off which they debuted yesterday via Brooklyn Vegan. Title track ‘A Million Years‘ (follow the link), coming at you invasively passionate, pushes hazardous harmonies overflowing with soul through crunching waves of dissonances and ever-changing rhythms, channeling the spirit of their debut in thrice as impactive an output that offers a most inviting glimpse into upcoming album ‘Million Years’ (to be released November 20th via Ernest Jennings Rec. Company). Booked for a couple of CMJ shows next week, the band will be setting off on a series of dates with O’Death and The World Inferno Friendship Society right after the album release, starting on November 23rd in Amityville. – Tracy Mamoun 

People who hold firm that the late 80s/early 90s is the golden era of hip hop, Progressive Era is still providing that timeless style. Tune in for lo-fi beats, gunshot samples, and lyrics covering the range from Public Enemy’s revolutionary raps to Nas’ smooth staccato pontifications. Where many new-schoolers lean on post-rap production trickery, Progressive Era struts over their stripped down beats showcasing strong writing and masterful delivery. They make the type of tracks that’ll have people running up to your car asking who you’re listening to. -=bMC

What started out as an acoustic bedroom project in NYC soon morphed into a full-on group and solidified its presence with feel-good elements of rock and pop. Founders Kevin Olken (lead vocalist/guitarist) and Ariel Loh (producer/synth) draw their musical influences from Radiohead, The Walkmen, Andrew Bird and more. Stone Cold Fox‘s exceptional musicianship grew from a place of deep-seeded knowledge, rooted in the members’ early experimentation with a variety of genres. The group’s debut EP, The Young, is a thematic declaration of nostalgia that reflects on tales of loneliness and of leaving home too soon, an all-too-familiar chapter in life that’s perfectly captured with its emotionally-charged lyrics. Don’t miss Stone Cold Fox’s dreamy, folk-inspired tunes at Union Pool on Friday October 12, where they will be debuting two new songs! The boys will join Shake The Baron and These Animals for a night of good times and great music. (As posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building

New York City’s Savoir Adore has a new album out, the duo’s third, whose overt theme of eros transmits simply enough. Yet first impressions can be deceiving, as we’ll soon learn. Titled Our Nature, the album’s noisy indie-electro sound feels a cleaner, more fully-realized version of the drowsy bedroom synthpop that has dominated Brooklyn dance music for the past five years. Our Nature’s lead single, “Dreamers,” works something like a dialogue between two star-crossed lovers in a romantic dreamscape, the duo singing to eachother as one might expect Orpheus to Eurydice, Abelard to Heloise or, ahem, Sonny to Cher.Yet as The Deli found out in our interview with Savoir Adore, the duo are neither a real-life couple, nor are the lovers in the album’s larger narrative both fully human.The duo played tonight (10.9) at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory, for the release of their album ‘Our Nature’, which is available to pre-order on iTunes, and will officially come out on October 16th. Read Brian Chidester’s interview with Savoir Adore here. 

Brooklyn so-called ‘supergroup’ The Babies, having wandered the globe’s roads for a good couple of years, acquiring probably as much notoriety overseas as at home, are now getting closer to the release of their second LP, ‘Our House On The Hill’, announced for November 13th via Woodsist. Following the introduction started a couple of months ago with a first single ‘Moonlight Mile’, new track ‘Get Lost’ (streaming below) finds Kevin Morby taking the lead once again on a nonchalant dream-folk romance that brings us back to the slower tracks of their last full-length, with some ear-tickling guitars peeping through the fog as they did on Wild 2. Getting geared up to promote the album – first one with new bassist Brian Schleyer – The Babies have announced their upcoming tour dates, kicking off with the record release show at Knitting Factory on 11.13, and stretching right up until Christmas time when they finally head back to NYC after a last show in Philadelphia. – Tracy Mamoun

Port St. Willow, originating in Portland, OR, is the mesmerizing ambient project of songwriter Nick Principe. Evolving solo, Principe has to this date released an EP and a full-length album – both recorded and self-produced in the artist’s hometown – revealing an impressive ability to articulate therapeutic escapades around an expert use of silence. Most striking on the ‘Holiday’ album’s opening track ‘Two Five Five Two’, this aesthetic is developed throughout the record, punctuated in times by subtle dissonances, those more accentuated, or the horns and crystal-clear vocals emerging suddenly from the calm, soothing depths of hypnosis. Now based in Brooklyn, debuting a three-piece line-up this week, Port St Willow will be playing The Deli’s CMJ Mostly Psych show, alongside Foxygen, Snowmine, Young Magic and more, on Friday October 19th at Pianos.