Although New Jersey’s Big Troubles point to bands like Lilys, Swirlies and even pre-Loveless MBV as influences, one could make the case for them being the love child of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. "Freudian Slips" has the bouncy happy hooks, head bobbing good vibe with just the right deviation into Reid Brothers sugary "Just Like Honey" smooth vocal textures. "Drastic and Difficult" amps up the sonics, as it all gets bigger and a bit noisier with more upfront and urgent vocals. The band’s dissonance kisses the edges of Sonic Youth’s abrasiveness, without completely teetering over the edge. "Bite Yr Tongue" drives home the truism that a great hooky guitar lick as the centerpiece of your song is always a win. It careens forward with Pains-like glee until the over-reverberated vocals and MBV style guitar fuzz makes sure there is no confusion with anything twee. "Modern Intimacy" is twisted surf pop that has Annette Funicello dancing with a Zombie, while "Former Selves" is the slow and lush sound providing the blueprint for the current wave of "new gaze" bands. Big Troubles will play as part of the upcoming CMJ showcase at Bruar Falls on October 19. – Dave Cromwell

The Depreciation Guild – currently the flagship shoegazer act in the Big Apple – have just premiered this new video of their single "My Chariot" on Stereogum. The band just released their 2nd full length on Kanine and is in the middle of a busy touring schedule that will see them open for Film School in late September. See them in NYC At Glasslands On 9.30 & Mercury Lounge On 10.1.

We like Backwords‘ chilled and poli-instrumental approach to psych-folk-pop, and we also appreciate their not too lo-fi recordings (we feel like this "ultra-lo-fi" thing is getting a little out of hand here in NYC… it’s time to make things sound decent!). The band will celebrate the release of ther debut full length album "Quilt" (which can be downloaded for free here) with a party at Union Hall on 09.02, and then embark on a East coast tour.

Since 1998, avant-garde instrumental technical metal trio Dysrhythmia have been producing angular and dissonant forms of heavy music where jazz, metal and progressive tendencies collide. Now hailing from Brooklyn since 2005 by way of Philadelphia, this eclectic unit is currently out on the road touring in support of their latest album, the dizzying six-track release entitled PSYCHIC MAPS. Featuring the talents of Kevin Hufnagel on guitar, Colin Marston on bass and Jeff Eber on drums, this squad of seasoned veterans are no stranger to the rigors of the rock ‘n roll lifestyle, as they’ve been on countless tours sharing stages with the likes of Isis, Mastodon, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, all the while fulfilling their own solo efforts, such as Marston’s countless other musical endeavors (Behold the Arctopus and his recording studio in Queens, NY) as well as Marston’s and Hufnagel’s latest outside interest of backing up Canadian tech death metal pioneers Gorguts. Combining well-versed musicianship, a daring sense of adventure, and a love for left of center instrumental music, Dysrhythmia shred the blueprint and break the boundaries to create an organically-bred strand of menacing and malevolent metallic madness intertwining the precision of math metal and the limitless possibilities art metal possess. – Mike SOS

Amy Bezunartea (the better half of Clint Mitchigan)  music belongs of that tradition of songwriters who make you feel like you’re dancing in a high school gym or – better yet – driving a group of friends through a Volkswagen commercial. The ten tracks on her upcoming album, “Restaurants and Bars,” are patient, waltzing tunes performed with Bezunartea on banjo, guitar and piano. Her songwriting on the record’s single, “Doubles,” is reminiscent of Mazzy Star, while Bezunartea’s graceful and dainty vocals sound like Sarah Martin of Belle and Sebastian. “Restaurants and Bars” is a cupcake pop album; like a kid’s birthday party, or the final moments of a network sitcom where everyone says they’re sorry even when they don’t mean it. Amy’s debut CD "Restaurants & Bars" will be released on November 2nd on Jennifer O’Connor’s Kiam Records! Download "Doubles" mp3 here.

When a mainstream rapper features indie bands like MGMT and Ratatat on his album, it’s a good indication that he is comfortable to rock outside the boombox. Kid Cudi has received copious press since his single “Day n’ Night” ravaged the blogosphere and Rolling Stone magazine shouted him out as one of the Top Five best indie hip-hop artists of 2008. He’s playful and introspective in his raps, and his beat selection shows an indie mentality that is a rare and welcome change. “Erase me” featuring Kanye West, the first single from his soon-to-be-released second studio album, sounds like a remix of a Weezer song. It’ll sound great at your next BBQ, download it before the summer’s over. – BrokeMC

While this week’s scorching heat reminds us that summer isn’t over just yet, our calendars say otherwise – it’s September, people! While fall is just around the corner, Neon Indian (now officially a partly Brooklyn based band) is keeping our summer endless. Starting today, you can download a newly remastered version of Psychic Chasms, to be released with a deluxe edition bonus disc called Mind Cntrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed, on Spinner (the deluxe includes some pretty trippy live tracks and a remix by Au Revoir Simone)! FADER is also giving away the Anoraak remix of “Psychic Chasms” fo’ free on their site. The album art is also pretty cool (just imagine looking at the original with some hippie stunnah shades). Hey, Neon Indian, remember that song “Should’ve Taken Acid with You”? Are you sureeeeee you never tried it at least once? – Alex Daly

The Rhodes, rock quartet hailing from Brooklyn and New Paltz, show a little soft side with a release of all acoustic material on “The Acoustic.” Subdued and sentimental, The Rhodes’ record boasts vocal richness and instrumental nuance. Despite its muddy quality, a live, in-studio version of the band’s gypsy-style “Sweet Shady Lady” remains charming BECAUSE of its unprocessed form. The cleverly titled, “When She Ghost,” and its catching, temperate bossa nova beat, segues into “She Had to Leave,” which channels doo-wop harmonies and lovesick lyrics. “Lauretta” carries on as a charming serenade until the end when it trails off into spooky vocal repetitions. The tracks promptly shift to the musically uplifting, lyrically somber “After It’s Over” and ethereal, poetic “I’ll Be Around,” which drifts into a few measures of unexplained tribal drumming. “Don’t Be Late” embarks with loops of the melody gone backwards and settles into The Rhodes’ cheery saunter before closing the array of acoustics. Rest easy with The Rhodes and check them out live at their New Paltz show on September 10. – Meijin Bruttomesso

Electronica and Shoegaze are genres that have a lot in common – in a few words: the inclination to toy around with equipment to forge new and interesting soundscapes. Brooklyn based (via Puerto Rico) Kordan bring these two genres together beautifully in the few songs we are hearing from the band’s upcoming debut album, entitled "The Longing" and scheduled for an early October release. If the fuzz-drenched guitars and the droney melodies are reminiscent of late 80s/early 90s shoegazer, the various electronic elements take the genre to a new dimension. "Mirror" is definitely the strongest track here, with a pulsating Roland 808-style drum machine, a synth arpeggiator melody that carries throughout the tune (sometimes floating, sometime drowning) and the occasionally use of the vocoder on the vocals. See them at The Lit Lounge on 09.23.

Curtis Eller has proclaimed he is "New York City’s angriest yodeling banjo player,” but if you saw the fella you might agree his black, converse high tops and Chaplin moustache are doing nothing for his surly reputation. He plucks his banjo like an old bluesman but sings with the voice of a good-ol-boy. Eller is angry like a gentleman who knows that a well sung song is the best solution for a difficult situation. He mirrors Woody Guthrie’s union ballads with a side show slant: spins tales about a man on death row and a pack of drunken nerdowells. His politics shine on songs like “Sweathop Fire” which gracefully weaves a dirge for the sweatshop workers, comparing the fire to Ulysess S. Grant and the 1929 stock market crash. Eller’s banjo drives his one-man outfit like a freight train and if this doesn’t win your heart, his Mic Jagger dance moves sure will. See him live at the Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island on 09.04. – Jenny Luczak

The Gay Blades’ October 5 release, “Savages,” is as eccentric and memorable as their aliases, “Clark Westfield” (vocals/guitar) and “Puppy Mills” (drums). A cross-pollination of genres, this sophomore record begins with aggressive, distorted “Rock N’ Roll (Part I).” The mood lightens up with “Try to Understand,” available to download for free in exchange for a tweet, and bounces with quivering vocals and peppy horns. “Puppy Mills Presents’” cabaret cadence is intensified by crunching guitars and transitions into the sultry and infectious track, “Mick Jagger,” to which the man himself would surely strut along. The melancholy of “Why Winter in Detroit?” and folksy “November Fight Song” culminates in the yearning and heartfelt “Too Cool to Quit.” “Shadow’s Like A Ghost” and “Wasted on the Youth’s” howling leads and unusual melodic progressions create haunting tracks, contrasting with the frantic pace of the punky pop “Burns and Shakes.” Last but not least, “Every Night Is Like a Revival’s” lilt converts to a ballad with string embellishments, fading into a unexpectedly tranquil close. For maximum appreciation, these guys’ music must be experienced live, so don’t miss their show when you have the opportunity (they have no upcoming dates in NYC at this moment). -Meijin Bruttomesso