Berklee is known for pushing out a certain type of musician. The school is usually associated with the jazz-influenced, folk set you’ve heard in graduates like Julienne Dweck and Jen Hirsch. With Emily Greene however, something different found its way through the guitar and voice lessons. Unlike her peers, Greene’s songs work their way through to you on a much more visceral level, not unlike the how the ladies from Lucius do it, Emily’s old college roommates and go-to collaborators. In performance, ideas are thrown together and batted around until they work themselves into a frenzy. Broadcast through Emily’s powerhouse pipes and washed down with her intimate lyrical range, her shows are not a typical classroom experience. Come out and see what I mean when Emily supports Malaysian artist Yuna at SOB’s on Dec 11th. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

For some, the winter holidays are a time of warmth and togetherness, shared with friends and loved ones. For others, it is a time of acute anxiety, insecurity and, sometimes, even ostracism. If you (or perhaps someone on your gift-giving list) fall into the latter category, then the season might just be the perfect time for the release of Please, Please, Please, a new compilation of tributes to the masters of angst-ridden romanticism, the Smiths. Washington outfits Solvents and Telekinesis have lent their talents to the 20-track ode to Morrissey et al, performing “Is It Really So Strange?” and “Sheila Take a Bow”, respectively. The album is due for release on Dec. 13 from American Laundromat Records.

-Kate Shepherd

Latest tracks by solvents

Michael Benjamin Lerner and company will play their second show of a four-date northwest mini tour tonight at The Crocodile. After an appearance last night in Bellingham, they’ll appear with the Young Evils and Caveman before making their way north. Telekinesis wrapped up a 13-stop American tour supporting February’s 12 Desperate Straight Lines in October, with Death Cab for Cutie and the New Pornographers, and returned to the coast for their last appearance before the new year. They’ll end their abbreviated tour in Portland, rejoined by Death Cab for Cutie.

Doors: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $13 advance

-Kate Shepherd

Telekinesis by telekinesismusic

When they released their new video for "Jerk" three days ago, New Jersey based Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians made a pact with the Devil that if it hit 3,000 views they would buy him a bottle of champaign. They are now less than 1k hits away from committing a mortal sin (since – as you certainly know – "Thy shall not buy the Devil a bottle of French wine" is the 11th "lost" commandment). But you can’t blame this entirely on the Prince of Darkness’ appreciation for bubbly goodness. Inspired by the (super-awesome) show Mad Men, and directed by the expert hand of David Dutton (who did "Internet Killed the Video Star" by The Limousines) this is a great video for a great pop-rock song. Also, Stephie – who likes to flirt with nerdiness in her press pictures – showcases here a more aggressive side, and a series of hairstyles and slightly provocative outfits which will surely trigger a certain amount of impure thoughts among the non affiliated to the Tea Party movement. The band’s CD release show is going to be on 1/21/12 at Rockwood Music Hall, and we are already wondering what dress Stephie will wear for the occasion.

DC electro rock duo 16 Large are more than just a genre-bending producer of dance beats. They are an ever evolving sound machine that have collectively been rocking the scene in some form or another for nearly 20 years. This alone wasn’t the only reason that they skyrocketed to the top of last month’s Band of the Month poll. With a successful self-release, music video, performances at 9:30 Club, and WHFS Battle of the Bands final placement- their resume of rock continues to grow. So we caught up with Trevor Krainik (Vocals, Synths) and Allen McDaniel (Synths, Drums, Programming) to find out more. Here they tell us about influential siblings, DC’s dancefloor revival, and their upcoming new tracks. Now on to the interview…

Their debut EP Self released in April, is available for free download on their website right now! Check out the video for "Make Me Crazy" from the album below.

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After months of instrumental experimentation in a Ballard warehouse, indie bard Bryan John Appleby re-emerged with a host of emotive narratives, disguised as four-minute folk songs. Fire on the Vine, Appleby’s first full-length album, was released over two years after he first turned heads with the six-song EP Shoes for Men and Beasts in 2009. Using everything from conventional instruments to housewares, the songwriter creates a unified soundscape with a clarity that belies its complexity. Appleby’s delicate yet resonant voice drifts over carefully constructed guitar melodies, giving life to lyrics that suggest a restlessness only assuaged – or at least pacified – by the road. The culmination of that musical exploration is an album that should solidify his place in the region’s field of folkies.

Appleby will kick off a west coast tour in the new year, after an appearance at the Seattle Folk Festival on Dec. 10.

December 10 Seattle Folk Festival Seattle, WA

January 12 Neumo’s Crystal Ball Seattle, WA Reading Room

January 13 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR

January 15 Moe’s Alley Santa Cruz, CA

January 17 Slo Brew (all Ages) San Luis Obispo, CA

January 18 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, CA

January 20 Mia’s Lounge Flagstaff, AZ

February 17 Neptune Theater Seattle, WA

 -Kate Shepherd

Glory – Bryan John Appleby – Produced/Engineered by Alan Matley

November 30 saw garage pop trio Dude York release their third album in as many months. Dewark follows on the heels of the four-track-deep Satanic vs., and delivers much of the same raw, pulsating energy offered by its predecessor. Grounded by the propulsive opening track “Fuck City”, the album’s six songs bring to mind surf rockers without a sunny beach, instead confined to an echoing garage. Crunchy guitars and elastic, thrumming bass lines recall fellow west coast denizen Ty Segall’s lo-fi surf-twang. Dewark’s penultimate track, “Comics” is a pop-rock hymn, with fuzzy, organ-like guitars leading into the finale, “Comix”, an ode to the paperback bible of the American youth. Still, Dude York denies any nostalgic sentiment: “we’re through with 2011, see you in the future.” The upbeat noisemakers are set to close out the year at the Funhouse on Dec. 30.

 -Kate Shepherd

The musical landscape of Car on the Moon is breezy, soulful and stripped down. Somewhere in the center of a Venn diagram of blues, folk, Americana, chamber pop, and singer-songwriter-acoustic, you’d find the sounds that most clearly captivate Elias and his partner-in-crime/percussionist Danny Festa. With Orling’s carefully parsed melodies, and Fest’s understated playing, the songs have a quiet reverence about them, but with enough drive and instrumental diversity (banjos, ukuleles, all the percussion instruments that can fit in a barn in upstate NY) to keep the party going. – Read Charlie Davis’ interview with the band here. The band will be playing Union Hall on December 14.

Formed in NYC in 2010, after playing a handful of well-received shows at Mercury Lounge, The Cake Shop, and Cameo Gallery, droney and somewhat emotional indie rockers The Archive headed to Chinatown’s Mavericks Studio this spring to record their debut album. Working with producer Bobby Lurie (The Billy Nayer Show), engineer Allen Farmelo (Talk Normal, Glenn Kotche), and mixer Karl Derfler (Tom Waits, No Doubt, Roky Erickson). The song “Disarm” (streaming below) is a taste of The Archive’s debut record, expected to be released early next year. The band will be playing Pianos on December 18 with Oh My Blackbird, The Ravages and The End Men. – (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.

CHAPPO is coming off a busy summer/fall, playing an array of sweaty, confetti covered clubs, releasing their inner moon shamans on the regular, recording and self-releasing their second concept EP as well tracking their debut full length album, which is due out in the spring 2012. Their first EP Plastique Universe was touted for it’s "excellently overstuffed garage psyche sound" by Pitchfork and the lead off track "Come Home" was featured on an Ipod touch commercial last fall. CHAPPO has also received much praise for their lives shows – they played for The Deli at CMJ 2010. Intense and engaging their music combines psychedelic flourishes with funky lighting, fog, feathers and… confetti! They are headlining their first show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday, December 17th. Also on the bill are good Jeff Taylor, Monogold and Lucius. Hear the new track "Island Opiate" from their latest EP "Plastique Universe II: Pisces Princess," streaming below. – (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.

At first blush, Erika Spring‘s solo work is a bit lighter than her fare with Au Revoir Simone. There appears to be the beginnings of a dance beat, which could bode interestingly for the future. Of course, many of the same electro-chill elements remain, her voice, after all, is her voice: Breathy, girly, powerful in a whispering, vulnerable fashion. The lyrics are vague and sad, but "6 More Weeks" isn’t depressing. In fact, it seems to be a promising start for Spring’s solo endeavor. The song will be released on a split 7" in July, so if you want to hear more, you’ll have to see her live. And you’re in luck, since she’s playing two gigs within the next 5 days, at Grasslands and Mercury Lounge on December 4 and 5. Listen to the track on her facebook, presented in an endless loop. – allison levin