For their second album, ‘Funky Was The State Of Affairs‘ (out tomorrow, August 7th), Brooklyn-based band Fergus & Geronimo brought in two new members and left behind the sixties background of their debut, to find in the 80s the foundations of a new sonic flavour. Truthfully though, the various New Wave, dance rock and pop-punk influences are hardly the most interesting thing about this record. Amidst fast beats and freaky skits, they’re playing their very own ‘tale of idiots’, halfway between social satire and pure nonsense. Don’t be misled by that strange Northern-Cockney hybrid on the opening ‘No Parties’, the English aren’t a prime target here. Consumerism, paranoia, passivity and other defects of our kind, extraterrestrial fantasies and complex relationships: those are the main themes approached in this weird, gripping album which, agreed, is varied in sounds, but should certainly get as much credit for its coherence. The release show will be on Friday (8.10) at 285 Kent. – Tracy Mamoun

A lot of people don’t know this, but New York has a pretty strong Country scene. Mixed in with popular of-the-moment singers like Azelia Banks and Alexis Krauss, where people usually think to look for our city’s strong frontwomen, are some of the fiercest young honky-tonk women around. Enter Anna Krantz. An NYC singer with roots in London, (and musical roots in Nashville) her voice could light a fire every bit as explosive as any of these other leading women. Take ‘Flesh and Blood’ off her new EP ‘Foundation.’ Here’s a track that finds its way to its target with nothing but a strong voice and a story. It’s a traditional diva style from the school of Dusty Springfield that works well for someone this talented. While her brand of intimate pop songwriting isn’t for everyone, no one this capable can be easily dismissed either. You can see Anna live at Rockwood Music Hall on Sunday August 12 – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Need we say more? The full length "Sheilds" will be released on September 18th.

P.S. Don’t forget who put them on the cover of its rag back in 2004 (issue #1!)

Splitting their time between NYC and Olympia (apparently they live 6 months here, 6 months there), Foxygen is a band that’s only devoted to its crazy musical intuition. Besides the insane mash up of influences that can almost all be traced back to the sound of the 70s (we hear early Roxy Music, early Bowie, Captain Beefheart, John Lennon, Motown…) the most astounding thing about their music is how it flows (in this regard, check out the streaming track). It flows like… a record from the 70s! This, after we spent 30+ years listening to new records produced with a click track (or directly with a drum machine), feels incredibly refreshing.

The band also possesses great songwriting chops, which definitely helped them snatch a 7.9 grade from Pitchfork – that’s great, but if this is not "Best New Music" material, we have no idea what else can be. That is why their debut album "Take The Kids Off Broadway" was The Deli NYC’s Record of the Month in May. – We featured Foxygen in print in our latest NYC issue, you can read Mike Levine’s full interview here.

Lauren Zettler is better known these days as I Am Lightyear, the name of musical project she leads, which offers sweet pop melodies from a soft, inquiring voice.I Am Light Year was a Deli Artist of the Month earlier this year and you’ll get a chance to see them live Pianos on Saturday August 4th. – Read Devon Antonetti’s interview with Lauren here.

In case you didn’t realize it yet, the music industry is rapidly marching from the home recording revolution to the home made music video making one – it is truly amazing what indie directors can do these days for indie bands with tiny budgets. We covered avant-dream-pop Brooklyn duo Shy Hunters back in March, and with this video of the song "Time Bomb" they are now giving us another good excuse to write about them  The song itself is pretty impressive: its complex melodic structure is made accessible by a clean and jumpy drum patter, and by singer Indigo Street’s gorgeous vocals, while brooding, distorted and repetitive guitar riffs (somehow reminiscent of early King Krimson) flood the sonic background. This is not a band for everybody, but those who like us enjoy intensity should keep an ear on them. Shy Hunters will be playing Glasslands on August 9. –Time Bomb was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.

It’s great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they’re trying to express. Who they most look up to. That’s the magic of what they do. But then there’s the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments?

For this week’s edition of Grinding Gears, we sit down with multi-talented multi-instrumentalist Jason Beers, who plays with The Brannock Device, Dead Voices, and Rural Grit. If you want to hear from someone who plays bass, clawhammer banjo, musical saw, trumpet, and more, Jason is someone you want to hear from.

Read our interview at the link here!

-Michelle Bacon

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Brooklyn-based producer Michna has been flying quietly under the radar for the past few years since releasing his debut album "Magic Monday" in 2008. Born Adrian Michna, the artist has kept busy painting, doing remixes for everyone from Joy Orbison to Kelis, and even producing for the NBA. But with his forthcoming EP "Moving Mountians," Michna returns with his own pulsating club beats. The hip-hop and electric infusion embraces his dual New York and Miami upbringing, combing the two worlds for another trans-inducing collection that picks up where "Magic Monday" (and a few remixes in between) left off. The premier track “Wanted Exotic” is streaming below, and the entire "Moving Mountains" EP is set for release on September 18 on Ghostly. – Devon Antonetti

One of the best things about New York is how so many people, hailing from the world over, can congregate in the same place, and somehow they (we) all end up calling this land home for one reason or another. One of the most intriguing things about this situation is how good a lot of people from overseas have become in producing the "indie rock" music originally coming from the U.S. Take The Clox for example. Hailing from Kazakhstan, the group has set up shop here in Manhattan to show us all how a lot of this heavy rock business is supposed to be done.

Listen to the anthem ‘Jules Verne’ off their latest EP of the same name, and tell me these guys don’t know how to do it. Their unique cross between bands like INXS and Oasis does what this band is good at: sounding familiar and exotic at the same time. The rest of the EP follows this formula closely, leaving almost no stone unturned in carving out a large sound that just might work anywhere in the world.

After performing at Santos Party House on July 27, the band will take over The Living Room on August 11. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Transitshop could be that missing band from your favorite John Hughes movie. Songs like ‘Life Goes On’ act as the perfect way to close any ’80s prom, and ‘Pick Me’ gives a perfect stage to that warm chorus effect I haven’t heard on guitars in far too long. But if any of this reminds you of ironic retro-pop, don’t be alarmed. Producer Chris O’Brien has invested the project with his passion and sincerity, even when singing about irony on tracks like ‘Irony Kills.’ – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This artist submitted music for review here