Low fidelity swagger. That’s what Laughing Man’s debut album, The Lovings (’63-’69), exudes. It’s a short album that spans only seven tracks, but it is dense with artistic potential. The first thing you will notice when listening to this album is the unique sound of the production. The vocals of singer Brandon Moses are quivering and distorted, hiding just below the surface in a way that convinces your ears they are listening to antique vinyl. The guitar and drums manage to be both tastefully understated and sonically raunchy. The song structures are simple but based around the sophisticated voices of jazz chords and a wide range of tonality.

I feel tempted to write about this album in a way that suggests that its very genius is founded on a perfectly balanced merge between classic blues and soul and the leading edge of rock music; that the juxtaposition between post-modern soundscapes (such as the lovely minimalist droning on "Swirl") and dripping-with-attitude blues manages to adeptly cross musical boundaries in style as well as in the audience that appreciates and supports it. I’d like to go on and on about those things – about how a whole history of music that has thrived in D.C. is somehow apparent in seven short songs. I’d really like to point out that the last track on the album, "Mood and Dress," manages to consolidate all of those points the strongest. This is possibly the most self-aware track on the album with Moses’s emotion filled vocals ringing in the fuzzy background as bubbly supporting voices are brought to the very front of the song in perfect clarity.

However, I feel pretty sure that the band would cringe at reading that sort of review. Getting back to my original thesis, I’m reasonably confident that Laughing Man really just took all the music that they grew up loving and stirred it up into a really great debut. It’s lo-fi without pretention and an homage to the early days of soul without sounding geriatric (despite what the album’s aging title may imply…) 

–Jarrett

This Saturday Cara Bella presents the Brain-Cave Festival, which will feature some of Brooklyn’s finest emerging bands, artists and DJs at Shea Stadium. Some of the bands include Dinowalrus, Shark?, She Keeps Bees, Mr. Dream, Natureboy, and Dpony (mem of Hooray For Earth).  There will be 17 bands total and four DJs showcased alongside live painting and artwork. Brain-Cave promises to be a 12-hour explosion of artistic stimuli that is not be missed!
Shea Stadium (20 Meadow St. Brooklyn NY, 11206)
April 9th, 2011 – 2pm-2am – $10
Food by donation from 6-8pm

Bands: Dinowalrus, Mr.Dream, She Keeps Bees, Natureboy, Dpony (members of Hooray for Earth), Shark?, Gunfight!, quiet Loudly, pet ghost project, El Jezel, Mussels, Datadog, Quilty, Magnetic Island, Blast Off!!!, The Rex Complex, Flotilla
Art: Riener Gamboa, Gabriel Correa. Portions of artwork curated by Paper Garden Records.
DJ’s: Chris of The Battering Room  Neon Brown, DJ T.O.N.Y, Selector F Yes (Afuche).
Facebook: brain-cave fb page or brain-cave fb invite

Apart from the creeptastic image they’ve come to adopt, the Xray Eyeballs are actually a relatively fun, garage rockin’ group.
While a lot of this Brooklyn band’s imagery consists of skulls, crystal meth and other touchy subjects… deep down, the band’s songwriter O.J. San Felipe is a hopeless romantic, and it shows on catchy songs like "Escape From That Girl" and "Fake Wedding". Helping tug at the heartstrings are accompanying vocalists Carly Rabalais and Jay High, lending soulful ooh’s and aah’s that help round out Felipe’s strung out whine.
Like The Beets and Deerhunter, Xray Eyeballs revel in the lo-fi. If you’d never heard of this band before, you might be convinced they were a lost 7-inch-only garage band from your dad’s youth. While they do share much in common with Nuggets-style jangle and 4-track charm, they have a Misfits-style gore that leads to some spooky results in the video for the LP’s first single Crystal.
Pre-order the record here and see them play at Shea Stadium on April 14 with tribal noisemakers Zulus. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets) – Read Chuck Davis’ interview with the band here.

Atlantic/Pacific began their career in a half hazard manner with a basic desire for the band, which then mainly consisted of Garret Klahn and John Herguth, to take a trip through Europe. The duo performed material that existed from their previous bands, Texas is the Reason, and House & Perish. After having success in Europe, “somewhere between Prague and Germany” said John “we decided to become a band”. – Read Michele McMannon’s feature on the band here.

Coming from a very Vermont background of jam band music, the Rubblebucket crew has slowly morphed its sound into an extremely original avant-pop direction, reminiscent of a funkier and less contrived version of Dirty Projector, also armed with an unobtrusive but always fun horn section.
Recently relocated to Brooklyn, the band is about to release a new full length entitled "Omega La La", realized with producer/mixer Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair) – the track "Silly Fathers" is available for free listen and downnload at the end of this blog entry.
Rubblebucket is currently on an extensive US tour and will be back in NYC for a Deli sponsored show with Com Truise at Le Poisson Rouge on April 20. Fun is guaranteed so we hope to see you all there!

Rubblebucket – Silly Fathers

Even though the forgetters like their name without capital letters (our editor has a serious prejudice against bands that do that) they placed 96th in our Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll. Their formula is simple: punk rock done well, i.e. energy, provocative lyrics and some memorable chords. Yet where so many bands have failed, burning their cookies, so to speak, The Forgetters have whipped up a pretty tasty batch. And they even made a baker’s dozen. Led by Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil and a bunch of other bands, the band’s experience shines through in their tight performances. It’s loud, but not messy. This is punk rock with both a heart and a brain. While Schwarzenbach’s lyrics can sometimes be hard to understand (especially at a live show), they are earnest and intellectual, a good contrast to the somewhat aggressive instrumentals behind them. This is music with backbone, no bones about it. P.S. The band doesn’t have music online, but you can see some videos of their live shows here. – allison levin

Those of you who are into the sound of the early goth rock (like Nick Cave’s original band The Birthday Party) might be interested in knowing that San Francisco trio The Tunnel is celebrating the release of their new album "Fathoms Deep" with two hometown shows. The album was recorded at Studio SQ in San Francisco, produced by the group and engineered by Chris Crawford (drummer for French Miami, the Downer Party) and is being released by the Glorious Alchemial Co. label. The first show will be on Thursday, Apr 7 at Hemlock Tavern, the second on Sunday, Apr 24 at the Make-Out Room.

Sounding like a hybrid of early NIN and The The, NYC’s Hussle Club is one of those bands with a sound that doesn’t go unnoticed – you could actually say the same for their singer’s look. The band just released this video of the single "Quaranteenegers".

Arlington’s IOTA Club is about to get taken over by a swarm of DC’s rock’n’roll purists in Death by Sexy this Saturday. DxS (pictured above) have been on the DL for a bit, but thanks to a recent twitter update, it’s been brought to our attention that some good "rock squats" are in order! Hot tracks like "Neverending Love" and "BTO" inevitably do get you moving, and moved the Washington Post enough to say "one of the city’s sure-to-please acts."

Also on the bill are Nunchucks who recently had a CD release show at the Rock’n’Roll Hotel for their latest EP Eat Your Moneys, 6 songs full of classic raw guitars, bass, drums, and chant along lyrics. One of our fav standout tracks is "U.S.S. Cassin-Young", a high-energy tune ready to be on the next Jackass soundtrack as it’s Kinks meets Turbonegro essence can get your adrenaline pumping and ready to handle a shopping cart to the moon. Check it out below.

Completing the DC rock line-up: Cobra Collective, and Triggers (from Pittsburgh). $10, starts at 9 PM.

Radical Dads are a Brooklyn based trio of non-fathers (there is also a girl in the band) who play abrasive, guitar based, sans bass post punk that makes us think of how Janes Addiction might have sounded if Perry Farrel had formed the band in DC rather than LA. At least, that’s what the embedded song "Recklessness" from their debut 7 inch makes us think of. The guys are obviously fans of the sound of the 90s, as B side "I Am the Father of Myself", besides explaining what kind of fathers these dudes are, references Sonic Youth’s droney noise-rock aural attacks. The band has just announced the release of their debut full length, out in mid June on Inhabitable Mansions. See them live at The Rock Shop on April 9.

The Golden Filter, one of the 3 bands taking 99th place in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artist Poll, puts a hazy layer – you may say, for lack of better wording, some kind of "golden filter" – over their music. The synth lines channel a bit of disco, although we’re not talking "The Hustle" territory. It’s a throwback, not an homage. Penelope Trappe, the vocalist, is stuck in permanent femme-fatale mode; she half-whispers half-sighs her words over the sleek backing tracks. "Solid Gold," their lead single (it even references their band name!) is probably THE example of what The Golden Filter is all about. Retro synth lines, Trappes’ voice, and the melding of the two into a golden-tinted outlook on the world. – allison levin

If, like me, you enjoyed Broken Social Scene’s virtuoso productions but found their music to be a little too rigorous and melody deprived, you should have a listen to this new Brooklyn based band Soft Spot. Their recording are still a little rough, but there’s definitely something interesting about their sound. The music is reminiscent of the aforementioned Canadian band, led though by a female singer that lends warmth and emotion to it with ethereal melodies and a voice that could be described as a mix of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. Soft Spot is playing Death By Audio on April 6 and then leaving for a rather extensive south east coast tour.