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.

There are many cheap shortcuts to define Brooklyn’s Punks On Mars‘ latest EP, Hey! Tiffany, but no short way to get it right. First, referencing, to lay a base. A glittery touch of 70s proto-punk, topped with a fusing 80’s power-pop sound and its high-pitched prominent guitars, a few Ramones beats…that’s a start. Then, analogies. Even easier! Cartoon-esque atmospheres, padded bubbles, chipmunks on psychedelics and bad trips at the fun fair, get it? Finally, oxymorons and other contradictions. Hyperglycaemic punk, oppressively pop, carefully produced as a satyrical take on a lo-fi frenzy, seemingly unmastered sharp fuzz…it’s at once any critic’s dream playground and worst nightmare! You’ll want to decorticate, reveal a form of institutional critique, yet you’ll refrain from being that guy, the enemy, the downer. You’ll then be tempted to stick to the fun side but can palp the two thirds of the iceberg lying beneath the colourful surface… it’s a tricky one! Ultimately, it may be best to admit any label to be reductive, and see that it may precisely be a clever distortion of many familiar patterns that set front man Ryan Howe’s catchy sound right on the edge of any mainstream, thus defining it as unique in its genre(s)-  whatever it may resemble! – Tracy Mamoun

Tonight, several of the best artists in Kansas City and beyond will be at the recordBar to help celebrate the birthday of Ink Magazine’s Chris Haghirian. Haghirian is one of the biggest proponents and supporters of the Kansas City music scene, co-establishing the Middle of the Map Fest, which has helped get national acts on the Kansas City stage. He’s spearheaded a number of events to get regional and national exposure for Kansas City acts, including MidCoast Takeover at SXSW, MidCoast Cares: A Benefit for Joplin, the Ink Music Stage at the Plaza Art Fair, and Ink’s Local Music Showcase at Kauffman Stadium. Most notably coming up, he and Ink have teamed up with the MLB host an All-Star FanFest for the MLB All-Star Game at Bartle Hall on July 8-9.

Here’s the video for "Green City" from Stephen Paul Smoker:

"Vega" by Olassa:

And something off Hearts of Darkness’s upcoming release:

Erez and the End’s music combines the elegant intensity of Classic Rock with the rich lyrical tradition of singer-songwriters, in ways reminiscent of that weird hybrid of traditional styles called Dire Straits. Erez And The End debuted live at Rockwood Music Hall and will will perform songs from their new EP "Silent Mountains" and other original songs at Spike Hill on Sunday July 29. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building and APS Mastering.

MS MR headlined a packed Santos Party House on Wednesday with support from punk rockers Beast Make Bomb.

Brooklyn’s Beast Make Bomb backed up some catchy tunes with undeniable stage presence. Lead singer Ceci G radiated swagger as she led the four-piece band through a fast, loud, and downright fun set. The highlight of BMB’s performance was a song that sounded like the punk rock cousin of “Kashmir.”

MS Mr’s sound was an entirely different animal, but the four-piece band was just as entertaining as it’s opener. All of the focus was on the gorgeous vocals of their lead singer, the eponymous MS. Her powerful voice combined with the indie-pop sensibilities of her band resulted in what I imagine Adele would sound like on Matador Records. MS MR ended its set with the buzzy single “Hurricane,” which received the biggest reaction from the crowd.

Beast Make Bomb will play NYC again on July 13th at the Bushwick Walkabout Fest and on July 30th at the Studio at Webster Hall. MS MR won’t be back until August when they play with Marina & the Diamonds on the 16th and 18th. – Joshua S. Johnson.

Though she was probably still touring around her home turf of Twin lakes-area Minnesota at the time, singer/songwriter Nina Yasmineh harkens back to NYC’s anti-folk scene from the early aughts. Like other artists hailing from that background (Regina Spector, Elizabeth Devlin), Yasmineh delivers satisfied pop that sounds like she’s just gotten up in the morning and made her mind up about something important. Tracks like ‘Hollow’ and ‘Bitterwsweet’ from latest record ‘Strange,’ dramatize this sense of resolution as weighty indictments thrown at lovers past and future. It’s an interesting journey for the artist, and instantly relatable.

Though her touring schedule seems to be giving a lot of love to Minnesota this summer, join her when she flies back to her NYC home this Fall. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This artist submit her music for review here.