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

Here’s The Drums‘ new video (from Stereogum). The band’s album, currently available for digital download, will be released in CD on September 14.

The Walkmen‘s sixth studio album, entitled "Lisbon", is currently streaming on NPR and available for pre-order on iTunes. The record will be officially release on September 14 on Fat Possum Records. The band also announced a world tour starting in early September and ending in late November. As far as we can tell, there are no NYC dates in the list.

Folk music lovers, do yourself a favor and immediately go to iTunes to download The Whispering Tree’s latest album, "Go Call the Captain," and then spend the afternoon listening to all ten tracks start to finish. Rich in lyrics, music, and vocals each song outdoes the next, gorgeously drawing you and sweeping you off your feet like the first few months of a summer romance. Comprised of vocalist Eleanor Kleiner and bassist Ellie Brangbour, The Whispering Tree is easily one of the strongest bands to emerge from the New York indie music scene. “The Tallest,” a standout song on the album, literally breaks your heart and strings it back together again with hauntingly beautiful vocals backed by piano and drums that encourage you to close your eyes and get lost in the music. Exquisitely produced and powerfully delivered, The Whispering Tree has burst through the glass ceiling, demanding the respect they deserve as one of the most talented duos to take stage in NYC. – CM

Brooklyn trio Dead Stars, a constellation of J’s, Jeff (Guitar, Vocals), Jay (Drums), and John (Bass), introduce themselves to the music scene with their full-length release “Break the Tide.” Several tracks – “The Party’s Over,” “What It Is,” and “The Black Swan” – embody influences from noise pop (if that’s how you call Dinosaur Jr,) grunge, folk, and psychedelia, while the title track “Break the Tide” breaks into heavy chords before settling into smooth arpeggios relaxing into a familiar reflective rock cadence. – Meijin Bruttomesso

Defecting from Queens, the dynamic brother combo Unstoppable Death Machines have made the move over the Greenpoint Bridge official, becoming influential Brooklyn underground wheeler dealers in the process. This two-man tornado has released a spastic four-track EP that captures their raw intensity with a hearty slice of the untamed nature this tandem’s music delivers. Sculpting their noise rock meanderings from grunge skeletons with oodles of chances to groove out, this act specializes in servicing ears with dollops of heavily-effected guitars with off-kilter rhythms that sound like a cross between Jesus Lizard, Lightning Bolt, Hella, and Butthole Surfers, comfortably making uncomfortable and unconventional rock music. www.myspace.com/theunstoppabledeathmachines. – Mike SOS