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.

Dude York are issuing Escape from Dude York on July 10th courtesy of UK label The Sound of Sweet Nothing. This release will be followed up shortly thereafter with an appearance at Capitol Hill Block Party on July 22nd.

The band – a rowdy three piece that writes self-proclaimed teenpop jams – is comprised of Alex Cassidy, Andrew Hall, and Peter Richards. Together, they created the material for Escape from Dude York, a five song document which reveals their predilection for the two minute long song.

The brevity of these pieces works in their favor; they ramp up the energy quickly in the track "And Andrew Too" with a Fugazi-like riff and thumping drum beat before tearing into more straightfowardly garage ‘n’ roll territory. The vocals are mature and emphatic, drawing comparisons to Jail Weddings and The Black Lips.

Your bones are going to bounce to the beat instinctively, so be prepared for the head-bobbing and dancing their music induces. Their song "Fuck City" becomes an irresistible anthem by the time it is halfway through its two minute, twenty three second running time.

Dude York will be performing on The Vera stage at 8:20pm on Sunday, July 22nd at the Capitol Hill Block Party. You can stream three of the five tunes off Dude York’s upcoming 7 inch on their bandcamp. Make sure to visit the page for The Sound of Sweet Nothing to order Escape from Dude York digitally or on vinyl.

– Cameron LaFlam

Eytan Oren could probably be accused of many things, but unmotivated would not be one of them. After winning one of our studio giveaways last year, Eytan and his band The Embassy used the occasion to record song ‘Everything Changes’ at Stratosphere Sound, showcasing a fantastic band in the process.

In the video for the song, (which has received 420,000 views in just one week), Eytan and The Embassy express an appeal to adaptation, set to music that vaguely references ‘Cruel to be Kind.’ The video goes through a startling 18 costume changes with no editing, and this achievement has been noticed by Record Setter who gave Eytan an award for the most costume changes in a one-take music video.

As one insightful Youtube poster remarked: “Damn you got such a distinctive face, but still manage to show off so many different personalities!.” Indeed. Eytan wears a lot of hats in this band, both musically and literally. His new record ‘The Perfect Breakup,’ finds the Brooklyn singer constantly reinventing himself. From the consoling dance fever of opener ‘No Reason to Cry,’ to the mid-tempo ‘Good Morning Marilyn,’ Eytan has a knack for reclaiming classic rock styles as his own.

See Eytan and the Embassy when they play the CBGB fest at Central Park’s Summerstage on July 6th with The Pains, and check out his head jarring new video below.

Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

The Future of What is a new project featuring Brooklyn singer songwriter Blair, whose previous band was just know as… "Blair," and toured with Neon Indian and Say Hi amongst others. Their music could be considered as the perfect archetype of the bedroom-pop genre, which is becoming a staple of the NYC scene (think Friends, Ms Mr, Oberhofer). The simple, mostly electronic arrangements betray hours spent creating on a laptop at home rather than in a rehearsal or recording studio, while the "mid-‘fi" approach to recording is often due to a combination of artistic choice, budget limitations, and limited equipment; Blair’s delicate, borderline shy vocal delivery is another recurring trait of this genre, and likely to be due to the fact that not many people want to be heard by neighbors while they are cutting a vocal track.

But as we often mention, notwithstanding our obvious obsession with genres and categorizations, it’s always the songwriting that matters the most, and Future of What offers personal, ethereal and enjoyable pop tunes, which – considering their front lady’s touring past – can also be exported successfully in a live show environment.Check out the video for "Back to the City" here.

New York indie folk quartet Swear and Shake played the Hillstock fest last week, and will cement their status with a CD release party at Mercury Lounge on Friday July 6 with These Animals and Tall Tall Trees.

The moniker itself captures a certain quality to the group’s vibe, evoking the rhythmic and fitful, but most distinctly their togetherness – as if these four, somewhere on a playground long ago, entered into a pact of musical dimensions. Undoubtedly there is a spirit of play to the music, resulting in songs that toss between childlike vulnerability and wonder, and resounding harmonies that beautifully elevate the stuff of good old indie-folk – The vocals alone, shared between Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey, are fodder for obsession.

Yet don’t be fooled. If we are to start on the playground, “Maple Ridge” maps the art of growing up. That is, despite its homespun feel, the album achieves definite sophistication. From the first track, the delightfully singsong “Marbles” (streaming below), the band looks to the future with all the tenderness of youthful promise: “I swear I’ll clean up good/I bought us a piano so our kids would grow up smart”. “White Walls”, on the other hand, displays an early world-weariness- an acknowledgment that relationships seem to impact our personal growth more than we’d like. Still, the wistful “Wrecking Ball” addresses our craving for such (literal) impact. The group freely admits another reality of adulthood: that sometimes, though we’ve sworn a person off, we ultimately can’t shake them. – Kristina Tortoriello

The poppy 5-piece Hidden Pictures has been signed to Kansas City’s Golden Sound Records, just announced in anticipation of their upcoming full-length release Rainbow Records. The crisp, melodic, polite vocal combination of Richard Gintowt and Michelle Sanders mixed with bright retro pop sounds is a perfect fit for Golden Sound, whose current artist roster includes the ’50s-style rockabilly group The Empty Spaces, folk outfit Oriole Post, and ambient noise rockers Everyday/Everynight.

Rainbow Records will be available on July 17 in print/digital formats. The CD release show will be July 20 at The Brick with labelmates Fullbloods. 

In addition, Golden Sound Records is hosting the Crossroads Summer Block Party next Friday, July 6. Food, festivities, and music from bands on the label, as well as bands on The Record Machine.

–Michelle Bacon

Someone get Zach Braff on the phone. He is going to want to get in on She’s a Keeper before someone else does. Having already packed local clubs to capacity and having performed at Midcoast Takeover this year at South by Southwest, if you haven’t heard of this band yet, you damn well should have. And assuming the band keeps making albums like this one, you will hear of She’s a Keeper whether you want to or not.

She’s A Keeper really hit the purposefully rusted nail on the head with this effort. These cool kids got off the bus in some random Kentucky town and quickly put the from-the-jug drinking locals to shame. It makes me wonder which one offered up his or her poor young soul to the devil to comprehend and create alt folk rock so well. It is really, really good. As a fellow local musician, I have to admit it is angry good. It is jealous good. It is damn impressive.

She’s a Keeper pulls off this click of music to near perfection. The more rock moments tinge on the metronomic energy of Phoenix. The upbeat songs are a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time, reminiscent of the Avett Brothers’ early work. The slower, “purtier” efforts tenderly kick you in the stomach and leave you wanting to thank the boot.

Songs like “Guidance” and “Love Me Like a Summer” carry a consistent yet dynamic energy. As is typical in this modern-folk-rock genre, She’s a Keeper enjoys being playful with song structures, often utilizing beat and meter changes to keep the ears surprised.

In “Branches,” my favorite tune of this bunch, the band shows a masterful control of its music. The song is built up and torn down many times in many unique ways, yet it never seems excessive. It features a grand range of instrumentation, but, impressively, each instrument is used in exactly the right amount and way. The restraint and respect shown to the song as a whole is something from which even the most seasoned songwriters could take a cue.

The following two tracks showcase the other side of what She’s A Keeper can do. “Hometown” is a stripped-down effort overflowing with honesty and emotion. It produces the power and impact of the previous track, but with 20 percent of the instrumentation. “Show Me State” starts out very much the same, featuring only the comforting flicker of a xylophone to accompany the spot-on harmony vocals and layered guitar. But just when you think they’re losing their steam, the rest of the band return and bring the track to an exciting and dynamic conclusion. I would say without reservation it is the best three-song stretch I have heard on an album (local or not) in quite a while.

And so it continues over the 12 songs. There are not a lot of criticisms to be had here. The album does lack an obvious radio single, but as soon as She’s A Keeper stumbles upon its “Caring is Creepy” or “Lisztomania,” all bets are off.

Do yourself a favor. Go “like” this band now. Go get this record. She’s a Keeper is doing it right, and you should know about it.

She’s A Keeper will be performing this Friday, June 29 at recordBar for Chris Haghirian’s birthday bonanza, which begins at 9:00 p.m. with Georgia Gordon, Stephen Paul Smoker and Hearts of Darkness. Tickets are $10 and are available here.

 -Zach Hodson

Editor’s note: This album was released in 2011 and followed up by a live recording performed at Midwestern Musical Co earlier this year. She’s A Keeper will be releasing a follow-up studio album in August.

Lazer Kitty released their debut album Ruins earlier this month. They are now gearing up for a performance at The Vera Project, this Friday, June 29th.

The group bypasses the traditional rock trio mold built on guitar, bass and drums, opting instead for the sweeping, evocative tones of a synth in their compositions. The music is instrumental and governed by a penchant for improvisation; they do not needlessly meander or squander their aural explorations though.

They evoke the sounds of a number of dynamic bands upon listening – God is an Astronaut, Mogwai and Boards of Canada are a few that spring to mind. Lazer Kitty blends the climatic build-ups of post-rock with more tempered and celestial moments of rock, such as the track "Magnetic Rose." The album is never content to occupy one space for too long, yet they do not rush the process either, rewarding the listener with eerie, fully-formed soundscapes.

Lazer Kitty’s self-released album is streaming in its entirety over at their bandcamp and is also available for purchase. You can watch the band open for The Humans and Young Empires this Friday at The Vera Project. Doors are at 7:30pm. 

– Cameron LaFlam