Not Blood Paint might be The Beatles of glam rock. Seth, Mark, George and Joe can each claim equal credit when it comes to the toothy electricity of their cultish and creepy dance rock. See them live and you feel your eyes pulled from one member’s blood-soaked choreography to the next, never quite deciding who the leader is… which is exactly how some of the best cults function. This kind of representative democracy, a liability in local acts with less personality, is a major asset on NBP’s self-released debut full-length.

Taken together, the sum of their parts means full-throttle vocals, dueling guitar lines, and inspirational one-liners like ‘I want your daughter’ from opener ‘Maxwell’s Daughter.’ But that’s not all they want.’ ‘La Normalidad’ is about as epic as you could reasonably expect a record to climb. ‘Watch Your Mouth’ propels you headfirst into their demented little world, before leaving you to wander alone in its wilderness. ‘The Shape of a Brain’ and the 9 minute ‘Triple bypass’ similarly compete for interesting ways to trick metalheads into dancing.

Most of these are songs forged in the fire of their tremendous live performances, so you’ll be sure to hear previously released crowd favorites ‘Tommy’ and ‘Army’ on here as well. The album has a very live sound in fact. Guitarist Joe Stratton kept the focus on the band with his production, and things don’t depart much from what this band usually brings directly from their amps, with certain exceptions. ‘Birdstrike,’ somewhat a departure from the rest of the record, takes the listener to a space between Strawberry Fields and Marc Bolan with it’s swirling echoes and cross-talk banter, and the anthemic ‘Shooter’ gets re-made to sound like you’re overhearing a private conversation from the band while attending some late night dance party in hell (trust me).

This is a band that firmly occupies their own space, and apparently they have the money to stay there. Evidenced by their Spanish-speaking billionaire philanthropist Poncio Vicario, who alone funded their album premiere show last weekend. Apparently, ‘La Normalidad’ is named for a research center of the same name that is investigating the power of orgones as a means to fuel clean energy. So ummm….. try thinking about all that next time you trip out to ‘Solar Body.’

See them when you can (next show at The Studio on April 11th) and check out their record here. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

For their full-length debut “Dare Me,” Oh! My Blackbird explore sweet folk pop melodies, creating a sound that’s inspired without being referential. “Dare Me” is not only both brooding and upbeat, but simple while still carrying the weight of heartache and let downs. And the NYC trio’s musical background of jazz, classical, and, of course, folk is manifested throughout each song. Oh! My Blackbird’s force comes through the sincerity in the vocals of Annie Sullivan and Verionca Kohl, which play agaisnt the energy of bassist and cellist Nick Jozwiak. The band will next appear at the “Dare Me” release party at Pete’s Candy Shop of April 7. – Devon Anotnetti

Brooklyn based “pop cock-rock” band, Mother Feather, played Santos Party House on March 28^th, along with a number of unconventional groups. The openers for the evening, Dolchnakov Brigade, set a wild tone for the night, handing out onions while having a gas masked man rub the pungent vegetables against members of the audience. When Mother Feather took the stage the crowd was ready for anything and Ann Courtney’s sequined and flower-chested dress kept the audience hypnotized.  The third song of the night, “Beach House” off their recently released EP displayed a softer and more pop-driven side to the group, but Courtney made sure to complement every moment of vulnerability with raw energy and spit water into the audience twice, screaming and writhing. The song “Trampoline” had the crowd jumping and dancing (rare for a NYC show) and mimicking the singers’ dance moves. The power, precision, punk and glam of this group makes their live performance incredible, but manages to also translate well to their studio polished EP because of such insatiably catchy vocals and beats. – Chelsea Eriksen

MP3: Mother Feather – Trampoline

Crafting catchy lo-fi indie rock songs in the vein of Pavement and Lemonheads, recent Deli Artist of the Month The Can’t Tells released their latest self-titled album in February via their bandcamp and since then have been performing all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. The trio’s simple approach to indie rock music (and killer live show) makes them easy to instantly connect with and get excited by, which is rare for a new band. Their newest EP will be self-released later in the year, but the band put out the single from it, entitled "Lying to Myself, streaming below. See these at The Delancey on April 4th with Boveda, Zula, The Regulars, or at The Deli’s B.E.A.F. fest in late May. – Read Amanda Dissinger’s interview with the band here.

There was a time, largely consigned to memory now, when lead guitar players were not like the rest of us. They were gods; long-haired supermen who strode over the sod with giant platform shoes, despoiling women and melting faces with equal impunity. Thunder crashed in their wake and lightning burst forth from their guitars. The plucking of but a few mere notes by an experienced lead guitarist was enough to summon beasts to defy description, demons from the very banks of the River Styx, and, in some cases, The Devil himself. In recent times, the role of the lead guitarist has dwindled in much of popular music. Pot-luck dinners and intimate evenings have taken the place of conquest and pillage, and a typical axeman these days is undoubtedly more comfortable ordering a cup of organic fair-trade coffee than shredding for the future of mankind, atop a snow-covered mountain peak somewhere deep in the former Soviet Union. It’s deplorable. That’s where Ellis Ashbrook comes into the fold… – Andrew Jeromski. – Read Meijin Bruttomesso’s interview with the band here.

Anyone out there who remembers those fantastic voyages Thom Yorke used to take in his vocalized trances on ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’ will appreciate hearing the journeys Public Speaking is planning on taking you on.
This is soul music functioning as 21st century meditation. Jason Anthony Harris has taken the defining objects of our modern age, and imported hidden meaning to their status. From re-purposed kitchen utensils in ‘Funny You Ask,’ to the percussive cold comfort of ‘Isn’t Fair,’ to the chilling range of the processed harmonium in album closer ‘Subtraction,’ Public Speaking is what happens when an artist personally realizes the sound of his environment, and puts it to use. For everyone a little tired of James Blake, come back home to Brooklyn and experience the intimate soul croon of Public Speaking, and see him when he plays at Theaterlab March 31st. – Mike Levine

YOU NEED MORE FUNK IN YOUR LIFE! It’s an undeniable fact. It’s why you’re so pale and your Mom keeps calling and telling you how tired you sound. Well, worry not; a healthy dose of righteous funk is right around the corner. Brooklyn’s Underground Horns (in the picture) and NYC’s PitchBlak Brass Band are entering the ring at Brooklyn Bowl to battle for free-range brass-fed horn-ganic superiority in a no-holds-barred funkfest. April 12 someone’s trumpet is going to explode. -=brokeMC

big beat by underground horns

The Suzan is an indie pop band from New York with Japanese roots. Their bouncy pop and fun attitude earned them a tour with party bands Chromeo and MNDR in 2011. We won’t say that songs like “Hahaha” and “High and Low” stand out as lyrical masterpieces, but they can surely induce even the most adamant of wallflowers to tap their toes to the driving beat. Our favorite track “Devils” (see awesome video below) has a more serious undertone, with the internal conflict between The Devil and Jesus addressed, but still manages to cause an uncontrollable urge to shake your booty. The Suzan will be performing Thursday, March 29th at The Delancey in NYC. – Christine Cauthen

Brooklyn based, somewhat Beatlesque Americana-Pop mainstays Robbers on High Street will be releasing a new EP, “Anything Could Happen” on April 21st 2012. In honor of this effort, the band will be playing a record release party with Diamond Doves (who used to be Elvis Perkins’ backing band) at the Mercury Lounge on the day of the release. The doors will be opening at 7:30 PM with Diamond Doves set to play immediately, so get a good spot. Both bands are known for their exciting live shows so this promises to be a fun evening. Streaming below "Didn’t Wanna Know" from the new EP. – Chelsea Eriksen

We wrote about Frankie Rose’s new album and video of "Gospel/Race" just over a month ago, and the lady already has a new sonic and visual treat for us: the video for "Night Swim". We’ve been digging Frankie’s new album, and music fans in the US and Canada will be able to hear these songs live this spring during her tour with Dive. Newyorkers should mark May 5th, date of the homecoming show at The Mercury Lounge

Though they claim The Roots as a major musical influence, B.Funk is rocking the party with a vibe all their own. MC B.C. flips every verse with practiced flows and conscious lyrics, and the band blazes beats that would meet even the late great James Brown’s approval. With their presence firmly established in the NE from Philly to Maine, they are planning an expansive national tour this summer. In the mean time, they just dropped a video for their single “Check Yo Mind,” and you probably should take their advice. B.Funk are on a roll. – Broke MC