Brooklyn duo Steel Phantoms (ex-Islands) have a new S/T EP in the works (their second) of which the catchy indie rock and roll of “Curtain Call” is the lead single. Reminiscent a bit of a heavier (instrumentally) yet less Rod Stewart-y (vocals) Walkmen, “Curtain Call” brings the pace, energy and joyousness as well as sound songwriting execution to its genre that in 2013, etc that has been all and too well missed/missing.
Steel Phantoms 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
“Calm Now” from London collective Low Moon Low is RnR that makes you feel alive. The band’s unique concoction of rock is both abrasive and soothing, making for a mix that has found its way into heavy rotation at b3sci hq this morning. Sample “Calm Now” below and keep Low Moon Low on your radar.
Low Moon Low – Calm NowLow Moon Low 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Check out the new EP, Watching Every Channel At Once, from “ultimate parlor room name game” winner Slonk Donkerson. It approaches that Foo territory without ever getting too Foo. The title track could be a lost Slothbear cut, as they’re both very much of that same slacker vein and NYC sound. Slonk tags Dylan, Husker Du and The Replacements on their Soundcloud, and indeed there’s something Midwestern about them, an ethos borne from the garages of middle-America. I’d be hard pressed to find a band of this particular breed in LA, but the fact is that any coast, whether it be best or not, would greatly benefit from a band with such a clear sense of what they want to accomplish. By Chris Gedos
Slonk Donkerson – Watching Every Channel At OnceSlonk Donkerson (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.4
Just signed to Stones’ Throw, Boardwalk are the L.A. duo of singer Amber Quintero and Mike Edge. First single “I’m To Blame” is like something so beautiful in it’s space and element, like a rose at its peak bloom or a very pretty music box that to touch it or to engage with it would somehow sully it/interrupt it as it is. The dusty perfectly reverbed guitars, the tin-toned organ drones & Quintero’s warm & easy vocal are just a few of the track’s highlights. Sample “I’m To Blame” below.
Boardwalk 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
“Billy In The Lowground” is previewed here from the anticipated sophomore release from Goldheart Assembly, aptly titled Long Distance Song Effects. The timeless sounding orchestration and harmonies in “Billy” have that classic British pop allure that you could almost expect from a lost Beatles track, like a song that The Neighbourhood, or maybe even the late Elliot Smith, had been holding on lock-down in their own record collections for __ long. Check out the equally bold video for “Billy In The Lowground” below as well.
Goldheart Assembly (Official)
Rating 8.4
Thee Oh Sees haven’t wasted any creative time with a quick return for their latest Floating Coffin album. “Toe Cutter-Thumb Buster” works as a fuzzy mid-tempo tune with melodic hooks all over, including the bass line and guitar work. Over sixteen years, this is the twelfth full-length for the various incarnations of this band (not including various EPs). Thee Of Sees retain a youthful vibe that is obviously serving them well. By Bruce Rave
Thee Oh Sees – Toe Cutter Thumb Buster (Facebook)
* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
Their Thr!!!er album dropped on Tuesday of this week, and this track shows a new side of the !!! guys. It’s got another fine !!! groove but is less-funky and more melodic than most of their work. See Chk Chik Chick live if you can this year. Their shows definitely bring the goods. By Bruce Rave
!!! – Thr!!!er (Official)
* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!
Heavy Deeds out of Minneapolis manage the rather daunting task of making guitar-driven psychedelia sound interesting (as opposed to nostalgia-sniffing drivel) quite well with “One Drum”. Excerpted from the band’s upcoming “Light Lunch” EP, “One Drum”, by it’s very psychedelic definition, sounds like a lot of things; but the track is so good (and this is really the mark of great retro-referencing music) that none of that is nearly as concerning than just how very strong the song actually is on its own. Sort of fashioned like a very groove-intensive hymn, complete with organ and dusty midnight-on-the-open-highway guitars, “One Drum” is hypnotic, transportive beautiful & really really addicting.
Heavy Deeds – One Drum Heavy Deeds – Wrong NumberHeavy Deeds 
(Bandcamp)
Rating 8.5
Team 1975 flip Chris Malinchak’s great “So Good To Me” track to a beautiful bit of piano-driven electronic rhythm-supported balladry. Cut for Radio 1’s Live Lounge Late , what’s on record here is not quite what you’d expect, necessarily of this band or this song but that’s what we really love here and what makes for a very rewarding listen.
The 1975 – So Good To Me (Chris Malinchak Cover)Rating 8.1
Yes, of course we love this. “Heart Heart Head” is as dramatic-sounding as it’s title might suggest. Frantic electronics & synth swells build tension & cinema into the 2:48 mark where Ms. Myers goes bananas all over the track, taking to task everyone & everything all at once (but especially one very pivotal person to her life). The cathartic screams in the last bit of the track wipe you out and what’s left remaining only is that repeat button. Cheers to Doctor Rosen Rosen on the A+ production. How you do it.
Meg Myers (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Brooklyn’s Nude Beach offer up a folk-y stomper with “I’m Giving Up”, new from the band’s upcoming 7″ for Other Music. Look for the band this summer as they tour the North American continent in June and July.
Tour
06/20/13 – Northhampton, MA – Sierra Grille
06/21/13 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore
06/22/13 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Explosion
06/23/13 Toronto, ON – Silver Dollar
06/24/13 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick Lounge
06/25/13 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
06/26/13 – Milwaukee, WI – Quarters
06/27/13 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
06/28/13 – Omaha, NE – Oleaver’s
06/29/13 – Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
06/30/13 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird
07/01/13 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
07/02/13 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class
07/03/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
07/04/13 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
07/05/13 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
Nude Beach (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
