Brooklyn-bred band We Are Augustines’ debut album ‘Rise Ye Sunken Ships’ was just named “Best Alternative Album” of 2011 in the iTunes "REWIND" Year End Round Up. Guitarist and lead vocalist Billy McCarthy (ex Pela) and bassist and keyboardist Eric Sanderson poured incredible amounts of emotion into the band’s debut album — which tells the story of McCarthy’s difficult past. We Are Augustines is scheduled to perform at the Xfm Winter Wonderland concert in London alongside The Horrors, Band of Skulls and more on Wednesday, December 14. – Christine Cauthen

Self described as "orchestral space-pop," Miracles of Modern Science present themselves through a press picture that looks like a kids guide to the string section. Although they play violin, mandolin, cello, and double bass, the quintet’s music has nothing classical about it – besides the instrumentation of course. Two highlights from their first LP "Dog Year" (out now) are the fast paced opener "MOMS AWAY!," with throbbing drums and raw-ish vocals, and "Tensity," with its contained, intricately plucked verse which unexpectedly explodes in a rock-estral chorus. Check out also "Eating Me Alive, streaming below. – Molly Horan

Folk rock group The Wooden Birds, led by Andrew Kenny (American Analog Set, Broken Social Scene), and also featuring NYC songwriter Matt Pond (of Matt Pond PA fame) just released the video for “Criminals Win,” the second from their sophomore effort "Two Matchsticks." Directed by Alex R. Johnson, the video depicts life in the Wooden Birds hometown of Austin, TX, while simultaneously paying homage to the 1977 Burt Reynolds beer-running classic "Smokey & The Bandit." The band is offering a free download of this single and a previously unreleased cover of Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby” on their website.

Matthew Dear‘s latest audio/video excursion combines the upbeat title track from his new ‘Headcage EP’ with mesmerizing abstraction from London-based director Morgan Beringer. The video looks like vintage footing of the creation of the universe, while the song sounds like early Japan somehow enhanced electronically – very cool indeed. Oh and check out the "wtf" ending! This single is the title-track of Matthew Dear’s upcoming "Headcage" EP, out on January 17.

Post-punk dissidents Virgin Islands will embark on another tour in the New Year, after spending much of 2011 on the road in support of their first full-length release, Ernie Chambers v. God. Singer/guitarist Mike Jaworski, drummer Aaron Ball, guitarist Chris Meyer and bassist Chuck Keller deliver a one-two of rumbling bass lines and searing guitar play that compliments the band’s frequently provocative lyrical bent. Punctuated by Ball’s driving rhythm, Virgin Islands’ first EP lives up to the promise of their four-track 2009 debut, The Age of Anxiety, which turned heads and teased palates eager for a taste of gritty, blistering and most of all, insurgent new music. The band will kick off their next 11-date tour in Seattle early in 2012.

February 17              Neumo’s (with Cursive and Ume)

Doors: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $15

-Kate Shepherd

Up-and-coming indie act Smokey Brights will bring their folky, soul-tinged rock to The Comet Tavern tomorrow night. After releasing their debut album, Can’t Rightly Say, this May, the band garnered the attention of local critics and concertgoers alike. They wrapped their first tour in November, which they documented in a series of postcards from the road, and are once again playing shows in town – including a sold out appearance at The Tractor on Nov. 23. Experimental duo Fort Union, the latest project from Friday Mile founder Jace Krause will also share the stage. Krause and Jake Rohr released Solstice Day Parade, their first single featuring ethereal melodies and rippling guitars, back in March, and have been building a following ever since.

Doors: 9 p.m.

Tickets: $8

-Kate Shepherd

"Resolved dissonance" is one of the very cool things about music – Sonic Youth mastered it to perfection. But honestly I have a hard time thinking about a "clean sounding" band that uses dissonance as purposefully as Brooklyn based super-obscure (but not for long) "The Hot Holy Mess". These guys only have two songs available online at this stage, but they are both satisfying my originality AND poppiness needs at once, which happens very rarely. Most importantly, they don’t sound anything like Animal Collective, which these days is a major plus for any experimental-ish indie band. The song "Focus Focus," streaming here, is some kind of zany experimental psych-pop collage that bounces from a beatles-y verse (circa 1967) to an atmospheric bridge reminiscent of French band Air, to a circusy chorus involving harp, violin stabs and almost comical falsetto parts. What’s hard to convey in writing is the band’s flair and overall smoothness of the operation. Bravo! The second song "Long Ride Down" develops in a folkier and more intimate direction, with acoustic guitars and hand claps. Dissonance again pays visits in the vocals and guitar parts, and later on in super-psychedelic distorted violin solos, adding layers of tension and alienation to an otherwise mellow song. These songs are part of a 7" called "Red Wild Eye", which will be released on 01.26 with a party at Rock Shhop. The songs are available for free download here.

Honky tonk surfers Boom Chick return home to NYC after a three month American tour, playing a homecoming show at Pianos Dec. 9th. This rabble rousing duo plays early 50’s inspired original rock & roll with a primal punk urgency. Lead singer/guitarist Frank Hoier sounds as if John Lennon were born a surfer in the 80s. Moselle Spiller may dress like Loretta Lynn at the Grand Ole Opry, but she’s a wild woman on the drums and will kick Meg White around. – (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.

As an encore to his recent Laid Off Tour across the northeast, Danny Ross along with his 9 piece band and horns will headline Mercury Lounge this Saturday 12/10 at 8pm, followed by NYC favorites The Shake and The Parlor Mob (see following entry). This week’s New Yorker Magazine highlights Saturday’s performance as "a blast of good-time, R. & B.-tinged rock and roll." Ross recently played official CMJ showcases, and was NYC Deli Magazine Artist of the Month this time last year. – (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.

Neo-soul buzz band Pickwick will make their final live appearance in Seattle tomorrow night, before a New Year’s Eve show in Wenatchee and a three-date circuit in Oregon to start 2012. Along with Campfire OK, the band will play to a full house at the Neptune Theater. Coming off a free show at Easy Street Records on Dec. 6, and an a cappella announcement for Thursday’s event, the six-piece former folk band promises to fill the one-time cinema with the moody keyboards, minimalistic guitar and swinging rhythms that have made them one of the city’s bands to watch over the past year. Pickwick is set to head into the studio to record their first full-length album, following a successful year for Myths, a compilation of EPs that helped affirm the band’s growing popularity.

Doors: 7 p.m.

Tickets: SOLD OUT

-Kate Shepherd

The Crocodile will play host to a benefit for Northwest Center Kids tomorrow night, featuring a handful of local acts. Colonies, the Icarus Kid, Ghost Town Riot and Smile for Diamonds will take the stage in support of the center’s child development program, which helps kids between six weeks to 12 years old, both with and without developmental disabilities. Relative newcomers Ghost Town Riot, who are currently in the process of recording a new full-length album, and the Icarus Kid, who released his self-titled debut album in September, will be joined by established indie rockers, Colonies. The mix of electronic and instrumental artists should ensure that concertgoers with varied tastes can have a great time while supporting an even better cause.

Doors: 8 pm

Tickets: $10

21+

-Kate Shepherd

Maru Mari (Metroid) by The Icarus Kid