It’s quite rare to find an artist who gives us a Christmas song on a record released during the warmer time of the year. But with The Devyl Nellys‘ latest release, you get ‘Hot Santa‘ along with plenty of other tracks.

All this from a band clearly rooted in Country Americana, but whose ambitions are far flung. The New York group’s debut full-length ‘Charm Land’ moves from James Bond-style riffing in the mysterious ‘Attracted,’ to a doo-wop chorus in radio-ready ‘Hush.’ Singer Nelly Levon handles most vocal duties, but guitarist James Mastro’s voice shines in the lush ‘Airport’.

For the Devyl Nellys, diversity is their strength. ‘Charm Land’ is a full-bodied debut to suit most tastes, and just might work equally well in any season. Stream the record here and see them when they play Gizzi’s Cafe on Jun 20. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Here is the new video from the world’s raddest raga-soul-pop lady Santigold – for the song "The Keepers." She just wrapped up her Spring US tour in support of Master of My Make-Believe, and she will be appearing at festivals internationally throughout the summer including Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds.

Special Explosion are on the bill for The Next Fifty Plays the First Fifty, an exciting event hosted at the Seattle Center to bring the community together to watch up and coming local bands. Appearing alongside acts like Fly Moon Royalty, Candysound, and Brothers From Another, the performers will be playing original material as well as covers written by some of Seattle’s most enduring musicians.

This young five piece will be a highlight, no questions about it. They self-released their debut EP this past February; the four songs included on the album depict a band electrified with creativity and enthusiasm. Lead track "Lifeguard" builds up its impact with the guitar line and drum beat locking in perfectly – from there, the vocals connect in passionate, soaring fashion. The six minute song flows seamlessly from moment to moment, thereby transcending its patchwork of parts to become a unified whole.

Special Explosion’s take on punk-infused indie rock is novel as it is optimistic: a perpetual positivity exudes from their material, in no small part thanks to their excellent guitar riffage."Two Mile Time Trial" is another six minute tune that decides to take an atmospheric turn two minutes in, showing the band’s ability to slow down and not lose the attention of listeners. Their judicious use of singing – when to let the vocals shine versus letting the instruments do the talking – lends it more thoughtfulness and force than words excessively thrown about.

Hosted at The Mural Amphitheater at Seattle Center, the show is this Saturday, July 7th from 2:00-8:00pm. Best of all, it is free! Eights bands in all are on the bill. For more information on the event, visit EMP Museum’s website. Give Special Explosion’s bandcamp a visit to stream their whole EP right here. 

– Cameron LaFlam

Los Encantados most likely write their music by forcefully giving each other high fives until the music spontaneously happens. This is just an uninformed guess of course, but with the band’s name loosely translating to ‘The Enchanted,’ it wouldn’t surprise me. The septet deals with the same chapters in life shared by most of us, city dwellers. Only when they do it… it’s actually uplifting!

Their latest EP ‘Same Damned Soul,’ opens with a barnburning athem to lost loves (‘Ghost’), and continues at this speed ’til you arrive at the beach in time for the party with closer ‘Maritime.’ This is quite a bit of fun to be sure, but nowhere near as good a time as seeing the six-piece live. So check them out on July 6th when they play the CBGB fest at The Delancey. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – Los Encantados submitted their music for review here.

Born in 2011 when Here We Go Magic’s keyboardist Teeny Lieberson left the band to pursue her own project, TEEN plays some kind of tribal trip-pop (trib-pop?) which is particularly fitting for the African weather we are experiencing. Maybe that’s why they got booked two days in a row in July (LPR on the 20th and Union Pool on the 21). Joined by sisters Lizzie and Katherine, and members Maia and Jane, this semi-family will release their debut album "In Limbo" on Carpark Records in August. In it, you’ll find catchy chants floating on a hazy sound alternately backed by synths and organs, and songs that fizz and drone through light arrangements in part reminiscent of Here We Go Magic’s impressionistic sound. – Kristina Tortoriello.

Man Bear seems to be taking orders from a higher power. First, bring back the loud. Second, focus on the short pop song.  Third, don’t work too hard at it.

This is what we got from Man Bear’s set Saturday at The Riot Room. The local power trio took us back to the early ’90s, when punk wasn’t shiny and clean but after it had been fully Americanized. Theirs is a style that retains its pop sensibility beneath waves of distortion. The number of bands to which Man Bear can be favorably compared might go on forever. It would be silly to even try to count them all, so I’ll just list the first 10 or so that come to mind:

Superchunk, The Replacements, The Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Archers of Loaf, The Meices, Seaweed, Soul Asylum, Goo Goo Dolls, Armchair Martian, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Husker Du . . . and on and on.

Man Bear’s set included slacked-out versions from its album Talking Drunk at 2 a.m. This is where the “not working too hard at it” part comes in. The band sounded big, it sounded loud, but it kind of sounded like Man Bear didn’t care too much about perfection, which is exactly how this sort of music is meant to be heard. Through the fuzz and mistakes the quality of the songwriting still managed to bubble to the surface, and that’s the great thing about bands like this. Good songs, powerful drums, loud guitars, and the rest takes care of itself. Or sometimes it falls off a cliff.

Either way, the trio went out at full volume and seemed to relish the gruesome moments as much as the times when they landed safely.

Now, if they could find a way to fund a decent setup for their bass player, they’d really be in business.

–Steven M. Garcia

Even though they’ve only been an outfit for little over two years, WAZU has received a lot of prodigious buzz in the blogosphere. But while the electroindustro-meets-grimy glam duo — that is guitarist/producer/vocalist Matt and vocalist/synth player Rizz — may have started their trek as WAZU in 2010 after moving to New York from their Sydney, Australia hometown, they’re no strangers to life as musicians. After all, while living in Sydney, the pair performed in different acts in the experimental and avant-garde scene in the Down Under city during the mid-2000s. And all that experience has paid off. With a full length in the works, and a series of east coast shows scheduled for August, WAZU is quickly climbing the sonic ladder, consuming all the pop culture America has to offer along the way. – Read Annamarya Scaccia’s interview with Wazu here.

Eighteen Individual Eyes are playing The Comet Tavern this Saturday, June 30th to celebrate the release of Crybaby studios’ new compilation album. Themed around the earth’s apocalypse, the unique collection of songs features twelve bands.

The band, made up of guitarists/singers Irene Barber and Jamie Aaron, bassist Samantha Wood, and drummer Andy King, put out their debut record Unnovae Nights back in March. Ten songs in all, the LP reflects a foursome swimming through a nebulous world of dreams and reality. Opening track "Unnovae Nights" is dynamic and pensive, illumined by the singer’s crystal clear voice over intermittent swells of distortion.

"Rosebud Youth" is a standout, with the guitar interplay slowly building as the drums pound out an assertive, rolling beat a la Helms Alee. The ferocity of the instrumentals also recalls the sounds of defunct group These Arms Are Snakes. The vocals are as powerful as they are airy; you can hear a trace of St. Vincent in there.

Elements of psychedelic rock, post-hardcore, and alternative seep out of their songs. Listening to the album in full is a journey worth traversing. On top of their impressive songwriting, producer and recording engineer Matt Bayles makes every track crisp and decisive; they speak to your ears with genuine authority.

Eighteen Individual Eyes are as authentic as they come – check them out at The Comet this Saturday for $7 as they headline alongside Royal Eyes, Murals and Nightmare Forest. They are also playing the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 20th. You may stream or purchase Unnovae Nights over at their bandcamp.

– Cameron LaFlam

 As anyone who’s spent some time on the Garden State Parkway knows, people from New Jersey come out a bit differently from the rest of us. There’s a particular blend of hometown pride and hard-earned bravado here that few states can match.

For Zak Smith, this attitude defines his world view, as much as it does his music. A man sympathetic to unifying causes like Occupy Wall Street, Smith has brought together his own unified front with his powerhouse band. Stocking a tight five-piece with soaring harmonies and thunderclap guitars, he’s created a unique blend of rock Americana that’s just as much a family as the colorful characters pointed to throughout his new album.

Over a voice coated with as much honey as it’s covered in grit, Smith has just released his debut full-length, collecting together a signature batch of tunes reflecting his outlook, both personally and politically. – Read Mike Levine’s interview with Zak Smith here.

The 100th anniversary of Liberty Hall in Lawrence was celebrated in a whirlwind of confetti, lasers, balloons, and two nights of incredible music from Deerhoof and The Flaming Lips. (Note: The Flaming Lips’ drummer Kliph Scurlock lives in Lawrence)

Our photographer Todd Zimmer captured some photos of both evenings. If you weren’t lucky enough to see the sights for yourself, here are a few great shots.

Deerhoof

The Flaming Lips

Photos © Todd Zimmer, 2012. Please do not use without permission.