Blending and often juxtaposing elements of pretty much any genre out there, from Pop to Doo-Wop, from Americana to Math Rock, and using all sorts of instruments to do so, Brooklyn’s In One Wind can be described as a big musical carousel. The band is about to release their debut album "How Bright a Shadow!" on August 16th and the 2 songs available for free preview (embedded below) are very promising. This is obviously a group of people belonging to the that category of musicians who are trying to find new musical paths within the pop realm, and these tracks succeed in being at once entertaining and interesting – something both pop and experimental music too often fail to achieve. Don’t miss their upcoming shows at Rockwood on 08.12 and Sycamore on August 19. We recently sent the band a few questions, you can read the full interview here.

The Royal Sea, Bellingham’s contribution to the surf-tinged pop boom, just put out their first album, The Royal Sea.  Timmy Sunshine and Jettie Lovette started playing their brand of beach jams together last summer and have recently rounded out the lineup with Evan Kuykendall on bass. This is music for the summer, so check it out before the rain starts again.  

On “Drive Your Car,” from its forthcoming debut EP, boy-girl duo Mister Melt sings about cars, sex, fighting, and dancing—the Big 4 of rock ‘n’ roll. Mickey, the band’s car-averse singer and guitarist, calls the tune “totally ironic,” but “escapist” is more like it. The sampled drums evoke Escape Club’s party-starting 1988 hit “Wild, Wild West” — still a highway howler, even if it’s a blatant Elvis Costello rip-off — and Mickey’s vocals suggest at least some affinity for ‘50s and ‘60s American pop culture. If nothing else, Mickey and Maria dig how Brits like the Jesus and Mary Chain recontextualized malt-shop memories. – See Mister Melt at Cake Shop on July 24 and at Bruar’s Fall on July 31. Read Ken Partridge interview with the band here.

The term "ghost" encapsulates a lot of ideas. Poltergeists, dead relatives, revenge bent evil spirits, lonely souls with unfinished business, Casper, pixilated Pac-Man enemies… anyway, Brooklyn band Ghost Ghost is like that, in a way. They encapsulate a lot of genres, though they choose  to define themselves as freak-folk. Kevin Peckham (vocals, bass, keys) and Karl Ward (vocals, percussion, guitar) lead a mixed bag of musicians and artists on a journey that is both strange and familiar.  It would be like seeing a phantom band led by Jeff Buckley and Jerry Garcia fronting a jammy, catchy blend of gentle spirits. Channeling influences as diverse as The Mountain Goats to Leonard Cohen, Ghost Ghost will be at The Knitting Factory on Saturday July 30. Check out their music here. – allison levin

There’s an interesting selection of rising Brooklyn bands a the House of Yes on Sat night, within the "Viva Vuvuzela" fest.
U SAY USA, coming off their recent residency at the Trash Bar and appearance at the Northside music festival will be one of the highlights of the night with their indie pop-rock . Also on the line up is Jangula, an excellent BK based band who made our "Best of 2010" list and has been building up their resume with lots of press. Event details here.

DC’s own rock & rollers US Royalty have been jamming out their hits off their debut album Mirrors all over the summer fest circuit with more to come, but most importantly- they’ll be hitting the 9:30 Club stage Friday July 29. And 9:30 wants to make sure you get in on it, so we’ve got some passes to this show! All you have to do is email us, and let us know what your favorite US Royalty song is and why, by 6 PM on Wednesday July 27. The winner will be chosen at random, emailed back, and announced on this blog.

Check out this sweet video for the track "Equestrian" off Mirrors, now available. Photo By: Geordy Pearson

Since DC’s the Vita Ruins recent departure from the stage (aw!!), mulit-instrumetalist Tim Kratzer has moved on to a new solo project called Honest Haloway. With this project, Kratzer can focus on sharing his art as soon as he finishes, rather than waiting to record, master, etc etc etc entire albums. With a foot in the world of music since age 11, he can pretty much do it all, and this debut video for "What I Leave Behind" off the upcoming EP The Towns makes us want to see and hear what awesomeness he’ll come up with next. (Shot and directed by Tim Kratzer and Sara Nabizadeh.) –Dawn

This year’s edition of Decibel Festival hits Seattle bars and live music establishments from September 28 until October 2.  The electronic music celebration is in its eighth year, and the recently announced lineup does not disappoint.  Big name acts are playing, such as Amon Tobin, Ladytron, Moby, and buzz-drenched mystery UK producer Zomby, playing one of his first dates on American soil.  Local acts include Truckasaurus, Beat Connection, Nordic Soul, Grym, and Jon McMillion, whose "Climbing Out" features below. Bring some earplugs!

The four-piece is fronted by lead singer, songwriter, former fashion designer and writer Daniel Blue along with collaborators Buddy Ross, Brantley Cady and Forrest Mauvais.  Glitch-folkers Motopony have been selected to have their song "King of Diamonds" featured as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week. Starting today, "King of Diamonds" will be offered as a free download at Starbucks locations in the United States. On July 29, the group kicks off their big summer tour sharing dates with Those Darlins and Daniel Johnston. The guys will also be performing at Bumbershoot Festival (9/5) and DeLuna Festival (10/16).

Bird Call, the work of Brooklyn musician (but San Francisco native) Chiara Angelicola, landed number 75 on the Deli’s Best New Emerging Artists of 2010 poll (the full results can be seen here). She grew up listening to her mother play music, serenading people with a plastic microphone throughout her childhood. Before moving to New York in 2009, Angelicola rocked the Bay Area scene, winning honors and showcasing at the International Folk Alliance in Memphis, Tennessee. Bird Call’s new EP of cover songs, "Other Creatures", was released in the spring, marking the second time Angelicola has collaborated with Joel Hamilton, producer of music giants such as Elvis Costello and Tom Waits. Haunting and nostalgic, endearingly sincere and mindblowingly creative, her music ranges from a warbling pop sound to morose and elegant pieces. The Deli is premiering here Bird Call’s new video for "Waltz in the Snow", the song that won her the International Songwriters Competition award as judged by Tom Waits and Peter Gabriel among others. Bird Call will kick off her summer tour with Johanna & The Dusty Floor with a show at The Knit on August 2.

To celebrate the launch of the brand new Bleach Blonde Records, Richard San Luis and crew will be hosting a party on Saturday July 23rd at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn. Scheduled to appear will be Bleach Blonde recording artists Telenovelas, Blemishes and Youth Castles. Non-label mates Young Boys and Dream Diary will also be playing later in the evening, with DJ sets from members of Young Boys as well.

Blemishes debut single release "Keep It Quiet" does anything but that. Squalls of harsh feedback eventually give way to pitch-bended guitar chords and cathedral hall vocals. The percussion is forward forceful, allowing the bass to slither a groove while layers of guitars and vocals float you down alleyways of pleasurable dreams.

Youth Castles take the dream vibe in more romantic directions. There is a soft soulfulness to "Sight Seeing" which finds patterned percussion segments deeply embedded against the swirling, reverberated vibe. It’s lush and dramatic, and could be the soundtrack of your wonderful summer, if you would just let it.

Host band Telenovelas in the picture) have progressively evolved over the last year. Since the release of their 3 song EP a year ago, their steady gigging has seen them grow more confident and dynamic with each successive show. The band will soon release a brand new studio track – "Lost in the Sand" via a split 7” single with Australian solo artist Colours on the other side. Hop on over to Bleach Blonde and check out other up and coming artists and stay tuned for future BB releases/showcases. – Dave Cromwell