With their new EP "Bleed Me" the guitar/vocalist and drummer grrrl tandem Clinical Trials steps up the noise-rock formula through the addition of orchestral and industrial elements, boosted by confident performances and songwriting.
In the record’s highlight track, the suspenseful and almost scary "Whip It", the band takes the bold step of adding an unnerving brass section to the more traditional harsh guitar and rumble-crash drum sound. The soaring female vocals start out in a controlled manner but by song’s end have progressed to throat shredding screams, in an ever-growing, cathartic tension buildup. That’s what rock’n’roll is all about right there… The second track "American Girl" – as tense as the previous one – touches on middle-eastern rhythms for the verses, adding alienating low-toned synth bends to the mix. "Sweet Machine" is more bass guitar heavy, with a clean lively drum sound positioned against breathy come-hither vocals. References to "beauty queens" and "satisfaction guaranteed" completes the sex-for-whatever scenario. "White Fence" makes use of found audio vocal snippets (made to sound like radio transmissions) leading into a vocal delivery that pays homage to Kurt Cobain’s more confessional moments. Rich organ textures pad the sonic space as lyrical points are made about "cyanide moments." If only Frances Bean would make up with Courtney – they would probably enjoy checking out this band together.
Clinical Trials will be playing at The Studio at Webster Hall this Friday 11.11 in support of Texas indie grrls trio Girl In A Coma. – Dave Cromwell.

Sometimes a record hits you just at the right time to make you feel like writing about it. Lizard Kisses‘ music is the perfect listen at this time, 5.24pm, after a rather busy day. This is music so sparse and so slow that it could be discribed as "almost silence". But the few things that aren’t silence in here, the slowly plucked acustic guitar, the slide guitar effects in the background, the beautiful melody and filtered backing vocals, create a blissful aura you want to carry home with you. This seems like a very very new project (7 facebook friends, 8 now…) but one that deserves to be followed with interest. – Lizard Kisses submitted their music for consideration through this link.

Noise lovers, rejoice! The noisiest Brooklyn band is back with new material, and a free download that, after one listen, is already blowing our little minds. A Place to Bury Strangers will release the EP "Onwards to the Wall" – their debut on Dead Oceans Records – on February 7, but, if your can’t wait that long to ruing your eardums, you can download the single "So Far Away" (below) to your iPod and turn up the volume to exceptionally damaging levels… great song.

Download Mp3: A Place to Bury Strangers – "So Far Away"
Read an old interview with the band here.

Sounding like a mix of two of the most intriguing and beloved bands of the 90s (Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr.), Diehard‘s music triggers a mental trip back to youth for 30 and 40 somethings like us, while sounding like a breath of fresh air to the younger hipsters. Their new debut full length "The Times We Didn’t Have Fun" shows great improvement in all department, with casually sung catchy melodies floating on that awesome, powerful but unpretentious pre-grunge wall of guitars we grew up to love. Check them out live at Dead Herring (141 S. 5th St. 11211 Brooklyn) on 11.12.

Brooklyn born folk singer Daniel Goodman is playing The Living Room November 14th to celebrate the release of his latest LP "Cold Wind", out now. The album, produced by Anton Fier (Jeff Buckley, Mick Jagger, John Yorn) showcases Goodman’s trademark rootsy folk and Americana sound, but also shows a very NYC experimental and jazzy side of the artist, which according to his biography was developed while in college at Berklee School of Music. Nostalgic and powerful, Cold Wind features collaborations from Anton Fier on drums, guitarist Adam Levy (Norah Jones), jazz bassist Arthur Kell, and guitarist Larry Saltzman (Paul Simon). – Amanda F. Dissinger

We just stumbled upon this very cool cover of Tom Waits’ "Going Out West" by Brooklyn artist Seasick Mama and couldn’t help but blog about it. Seasick Mama is a self-described "intense creative go-getter […] curating gallery events, designing apparel and working on her new debut record…" – a release we are looking forward to.

Two years ago Brooklyn pop songwriter Ben Lear had an idea to write an album that tells the story of a young guy convinced that everything he’s ever lost in his life has drifted out to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This seed expanded into Lillian, "an edgy and experimental folk-opera blending acoustic guitar songs with percussive chamber and orchestral music" (LA Times). For the first time ever, a full-realization of Lillian came to Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 25, complete with a 20-piece band/orchestra, gospel choir, light sculptures made from plastic bottles, costumes, projected animation and more. Ben also plays more intimate shows, the next one will be at Rockwood Music Hall on December 26. – (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.

Emerging Brooklyn based music/art collective Pass Kontrol just released the video for the song "Gates", which features a dog and an interesting, almost funk bass line surrounded by avant-indie elements and thoughtful falsetto vocals. Their debut album is full of surprises, Check out their latest album here, and see them out live at Union Pool on 11.09. – (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.

Carl Creighton is nothing if not autobiographical. On the website of his boutique label, The Homesick Collective, you can read of his past 27 years in minute detail, and get the impression you’re witnessing an artist purge from an eventful past. Carl’s work as Howth similarly reads better as catharsis than concept. Truly a songwriter for our times, his emotional letting is rarely perfect, but maintains an almost embarrassing honesty when discussing topics ranging from Occupy Wall Street ("Belly of the Beast"), to kissing someone named David ("David"), to paying off his student loans ("Alexander Hamilton").
The past couple of years have found Carl traveling frequently across the US. Now living in Brooklyn, Creighton uses these geographical signifiers as touchstones through his ouevre. From describing the blinding lights of Bloomingdale’s, to the darkness found at Alexander Hamilton’s grave, there’s a hodgepodge of ideas here that reflects the bouncy journey of a twenty-something just beginning to discover life’s joys and disappoints. It’s the kind of America you find in Jeff Mangum and Paul Simon, where discovery meets disillusion, but the journey makes it worthwhile. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)