Songwriter Sam Amidon is single-handedly re-defining the boundaries of American folk music. His songs succeed in using grooves and melodies familiar to alt-folk listeners as the backbone that supports all-but-forgotten lyrics from early American folk tunes. Sam’s music gives cultural weight to otherwise outdated, seemingly irrelevant lyrics, bringing new life and accessibility to old American hymns. Not a simple feat, but one that his background uniquely prepares him for. Growing up in a family of folk musicians in Brattleboro, Vermont, Amidon was immersed in a rich musical tradition from a young age. Now based in NY, Amidon, along with his fellow Bedroom Community colleagues, is classing up Brooklyn’s indie scene, one folk tune at a time. With his ambitious new record I See The Sign (Bedroom Community), Amidon furthers his folk revival mission, bringing in guest stars like Beth Orton and Nico Muhlry to help out, as well as adding R. Kelly’s ‘Relief’ to his eclectic Americana catalog. – Read Mike Levine’s Q&A with the artist here.

 

Tanlines are a hard one to pin down. They’re perfectly suited for Brooklyn though. A place that values pastiche world music acts like Yeasayer and Dirty Projectors is a perfect breeding ground for the crazy imaginative, All-of-Epcot-on-a-Record approach to songwriting this duo has come up with. Songwriters/production team Eric Emm and Jesse Cohen have been working together for awhile, (each with their own impressive resumes as ex-members of The Brothers and Professor Murder respectively) but because of their DIY distribution model that includes releasing singles, remixes, videos and other takeaways at entirely random times, they still feel much like a new band. WIth their last EP about a year old, (and who remembers anything from that long ago?) I’m hoping to hear some new tracks soon. This is a band very hard on themselves, searching out new sounds with every song. So where most bands find themselves placing years of pent-up 7-inches on their eventual LP, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of brand new material coming from Tanlines for their first full-length, rumored for release later this year. Here’s hoping! – Read Mike Levine’s interview with the band here.

Uuuuuh… we like this combination of words: "playful psych pop with an experimental edge". That’s our attempt at describing the music of Brooklyn based band Celestial Shore. These guys follow on the bizarre and elaborate "avant-pop" steps of acts like Dirty Projector and Deerhoof, with a slightly "mathy-er" approach, and vocal melodies and harmonies that will get Beach Boys fans excited. The way "Pals" – a perfect pop gem – gets truncated and pretty much sacrificed as a "song" to the god of experimentation might irritate the many pop purists out there. Instead, it makes us smile with complicity. Boring song structures are for later in life… 
Check out Celestial Shore with Body Language live at Glasslands on July 1st and at Shea Stadium on July 14.

With a handful of singles and a full length cassette under their belt, Baltimore’s Romantic States are releasing a new six song EP, Still Petals, on July 4 via BEKO-DSL. Romantic States is the creation of Jim Triplett with keyboardist Ilenia Madelaire joining in on live performances. The long-awaited (on my part) album features gorgeous tracks of echoing melodies which can be heard in this preview clip on Youtube- well worth the click!

And for a taste of their past gems, here’s one of their stellar singles…-Dawn

Baltimore’s Small Sur released their new LP Tones this week, currently streaming in full on AOL Spinner, and are currently on tour in support of it around the Northeast.

"Small Sur is the primary musical alias of South Dakota-born, now-Baltimore-based songwriter Bob Keal and current collaborators Austin Stahl and Andy Abelow. The project was born during the spring of 2005 in a friend’s Southern California bedroom, where Keal recorded the self-titled Small Sur EP shortly before relocating to Baltimore. 2008 marked the release of the band’s full-length debut, We Live in Houses Made of Wood, which garnered critical praise from the likes of Tiny Mix Tapes and NPR. With the addition of 2010’s Bare Black EP and 2011’s Tones, Small Sur’s gracefully growing discography emerges as the next great discovery to spring forth from the lauded and active Baltimore scene—refining the band’s singular, understated ability to capture and extend life’s fleeting moments of breathtaking beauty." – Team Clermont

Pick the album up at the official Album Release Show at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore on July 7.

Small Sur – Prettyboy by 1146miles

D.C.’s Beauty Pill (multi-instrumentalists Basla Andolsun, Jean Cook, Drew Doucette, Devin Ocampo and founding member Abram Goodrich) return with their work cut out for themselves. Not content simply putting out a record, they will be embarking on the Immersive Ideal project. Inspired in part by the famous Abbey Road Studio Two window, the group will be creating its new album in full view of the public eye at the Artisphere. Curated by Artisphere’s New Media Curator Ryan Holladay, one half of longtime Beauty Pill pal Bluebrain, the residency runs July 16 to August 2 , with the installation slated for December/January of this year.

"Artisphere is excited to be partnering with Beauty Pill on this groundbreaking project. As far as I know, there really hasnt been a band to do something like this nor can I think of a place better suited for this kind of artistic experiment," says Holladay. "This is exactly the sort of thing we want to be doing. We’re not sure what will happen but we’re glad it’s going to be happening at Artisphere."

Beauty Pill’s Chad Clark says this about the Immersive Ideal project, "The way that we make music involves a lot of stumbling in the dark." Clark adds, "Making that process accessible and visible to the outside world will, if nothing else, be an exercise in vulnerability.” – Courtesy of Terrorbird

Beauty Pill "Anacostia Blue Heron" (detail) by beautypill

Placing at #55 in our Best NYC Emerging Artists 2010 Poll, Caveman grew their reputation the old fashioned way. Forming just two years back, this Brooklyn quintet earned their growing fanbase after catching the interest of the local bartender. Though they don’t remember how the Manhattan tavern got their demo, this bar has made it their mission to broadcast Caveman’s songs to the happy hour crowd… and it’s worked. The bar’s patrons have shown up at Caveman’s shows as converted evangelists, singing along and spreading the gospel.
The enormous potential of this group’s tribal-inspired sound is evident in singer Matthew Iwanusa’s soulful voice. Sounding like Jim James singing intimately over afro-beats, with harmonies to rival LA’s Local Natives, we are looking forward to seeing the band’s first full-length "Coco Beware" out in September, and see them tour with The War On Drugs later in the summer. – Mike Levine

Sounding like an alt-soul version of Chairlift playing late Roxy Music songs, Blood Orange‘s musical recipe sure has a lot of potential. By the way it must be specified that this is the solo project of a guy (in case the Chairlift reference confused you about his sex) called Dev Hynes, also known as Lightspeed Champion, and that his debut 7" is on Terrible Records, a buzzworthy NYC label run by Grizzly Bears’ Chris Bear, which also launched the band that landed on our latest cover – Twin Shadow. Dev enjoyed international recognition with his previous project, but had to go through throat surgery after a prolonged touring period in 2008, after which he took a 2 and a half year hiatus from touring. The Blood Orange moniker has been used since 2009, but never for a release until this 7", out in January. A full length is also expected to be released soon on Domino Records. So we guess that this is a new beginning for Dev – you may want to see him live at Bowery Ballroom on July 11 for one of the first performances as Blood Orange.

Shenandoah Ableman has the rare ability to turn any genre into a voluptuous experience. Comfortable singing in front of styles ranging from German cabaret to doo wop, her quintet Shenandoah & the Night are bringing sexy back… one sultry style at a time. The band’s new self-titled debut EP showcases this sensuality with deep confidence through a series of songs steeped in the tradition of American folk, but featuring a very un-American, almost overwhelming, nostalgic power – in the most literal and decadent definition of "romanticism". These songs ("So Fine" and "All The Beautiful Ladies" deserve a honorable mention) make us flirt with "dangerous" thoughts like the fragility of love, the desire for the lost past, the unreachability of perfect happiness, our vain but primary quest for beauty. They might not make us jump or feel happy – but the do make us feel alive. Can you afford to ignore it? – See Shenandoah & the Night live at Southpaw on June 30th.

 

Beige is definitely one of the colors least likely to be associated with rock music – and Brooklyn’s own Beige aren’t exactly a rock band. Their mostly electronic tunes blend the obsession for percussive, somewhat intricate repetition of the German Kraut Rock scene of the 70s with a more modern dream pop aesthetic. Playing with static arpeggios that serve more than one chord, almost fading their verses into choruses, Beige’s music is anything but assertive, but it’s consistent, wise, slightly abstract, definitely mystic – like the color that names them. See them live at Glasslands on Tuesday July 5th.

Of all the wonderful shows happening here in New York over the fourth of July weekend, one particular event is sure to get the psych rock and dream pop crowd’s attention. On Sunday July 3, The Vandelles, Heaven, Dead Leaf Echo and visiting psych-rock nobility Ringo Deathstarr will all be taking the stage (in that order) at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn. The Vandelles have been touring their “Summer Fling” EP since its release earlier this year. Their strong vocals, complimentary dual guitar textures, drum ruckus and melodic bass all contribute to a sound that pays homage as much to Tommy James & the Shondelles as it does to The Cramps. Dark fuzz-pop trio Heaven (pictured) add buzzy synths to their romantic chord progressions and emotive vocals. Rock solid drumming gives this trio a cut above propulsion (especially live) further enhanced by their unique light show. Songs like “Mountains Move,” “Centuries” and “Once The Heartache” keep the dream-gaze vibe very much alive. Brooklyn ’s Dead Leaf Echo weave together luxuriant keyboard textures and three-quarter time guitar arpeggios to accompany a relaxed vocal style. The emphasis is frequently on atmospheric guitars, distinct percussive momentum, cathedral inspired vocal harmonies and dramatic build-ups. All 4 bands for 8 bucks. A bargain. – Dave Cromwell

Nate Martiznez’s dream-folk brainchild Thieving Irons, who made out Best of NYC 2010 list this past january in 59th place, just released this video for the song "Pale Blue Dots". The man is currently busy in upstate NY recording the project’s sophomore release. We like this music so much that w’ll also paste here a stream of their song "Ashes on the Riverbank.

Thieving Irons- Pale Blue Dots from Thieving Irons on Vimeo.