Paul Baribeau

“Paul Baribeau’s warm, witty sounds and gnarly beard bring something truly unique and interesting to the folk-punk table. The South Central Michigan native collaborates often with friends such as Matty Pop Chart and Kimya Dawson, but has two self-released (“25” and “Unbearable”) and two Plan-It-X released (“Paul Baribeau” and “Grand Ledge”) solo albums, plus a very interesting Bruce Springsteen covers album.” Last.FM

► vid ||| here
► listen ||| here
► releases ||| here

Kate Ferencz

“Nikola Tesla, werewolves and self-help manuals stir together in a prehistoric world where guitars sound gross and words are always fast. Peter Pan is usually played by a girl, right? Kate Ferencz is Peter Pan stuck in The Dark Crystal. Does that make sense? It’s hard to keep one’s wits when discussing this young lady. Endlessly charming, equally off-putting music from New York, New Orleans and beyond.” -Single Girl, Married Girl

►listen to a live WFMU set w. interview ||| here
►stream or download a live session||| here
►download mp3 ||| here [at bottom]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

“Somewhere between chilling alone in his bedroom, excavating forgotten memories, and hypnotic deep sleeping, FMLY’s own Philip Seymour Hoffman has taken an adventure into a realm of experimental folky goodness.  While listening to this New York based artist’s debut cassette release the lighthouse itself is the rocket (Breakfast of Champs 2009) it becomes unclear whether you are awake or asleep.” -thefmly

► vid ||| here
► releases ||| here

Turbo Meat

Four rambunctious dudes from Tennessee.

Sartoreality: “The guys killed it, buried it, dug it up and then rocked it right back to death! These Nashville natives certainly know how to throw it down. From start to finish they pummelled the crowd with potential hit after hit, each song performed with relentless intensity and energy. And the best thing about them is that they just look like they’re having the most fun ever and doing something they love. That kind of spirit spreads to the crowd and raises it for everyone.”

Ex-humans

“The two songs on the first single, “Chicane” b/w “Detector” (Full Breach Kicks), trade hateful rants with confessions of damaged love and regret over pounding rhythms. The record harkens to the Aussie school of wistful/cynical punk catharsis laid down by such acts as the Saints, Victims, and Radio Birdman. Each song balances an impressive equation of rhythms and songwriting filtered through a noisy din. But there’s no formula to Ex Humans approach, Martin adds. “We just kind of do it.”" -creative loafing

► vid ||| here
►purchase ||| here

Liquor Store

“Not only does Liquor Store really kickass with their songs, but they’re the most entertaining funniest band we’ve ever seen … Some people would describe Liquor Store’s live show as a religious experience. Let’s leave the religious experiences to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Ok? Liquor Store’s show is more like the absolute absence of a religious experience. Tears your fuckin’ heart out, girl.” -Nashville’s Dead

► vid |||  here

Thank God

Maturity seems to be the right word, too. Ice/Age’s dynamic shifts serve to make the album stronger, building tension within songs and making the band’s ballistic frenzies all the more intense when they’re finally released. Slowing some parts down has made Thank God more refined, more confident-sounding and, somehow, even more volatile. -FreeTimes

► releases ||| here

White Suns

“White Suns sound like Wolf Eyes covering ‘Confusion Is Sex’-era Sonic Youth but with an outcome that is a hundred times more primal and exciting than you could possibly imagine.” NME

►get all their records and see a bunch of videos on their site ||| here

The Dreebs

download s/t record for free via Lewallet Tapes ►►► here

Vaz

This New York City duo (by way of Minnesota by way of Los Angeles) culls the energy of SST and Amphetamine Reptile records with ease. That may be because its two members, vocalist/guitarist Paul Erickson  and drummer Jeff Mooridian were in post-hardcore noise rockers Hammerhead … Vaz produces the dynamics of early Sonic Youth on “Blue Lip Special” while coughing up the type of experimental noise rock shared by Hella and Lightning Bolt.”-Allmusicpreview /

purchase Dying to Meet You ►►► here

Pygmy Shrews

“Pygmy Shrews produce brief, violent outbursts that balance out their pitch-black fury and atonality-flirting sludge with sudden, focused leaps of anthemic melody. It’s almost like a glimpse of an alternate history where early grunge managed to keep its fist-pumping universality, but dodged celebrity and nu metal back into the underground and further innovation.” -Impose

►purchase The Egyptian LP via Wantage ||| here
►download mp3s ||| here & here

DadFag

“”On Scenic Abuse , the San Francisco, CA trio, Dadfag strive for a straight up No-Wave ethic full of driving bass, with just the right guitar noise assault. Scenic Abuse presents the right marriage between blistering guitars with very precise minimal noise and frenetic 50s acid Jazz -laden vocals. Dadfag sounds like a streamlined version of NY City’s iconic duo, God Is My Co-Pilot, working to be a moodier version of Bush Tetras. The album opens with the Glenn Branca –esques track “Interrogation” and then swoons into 12 pure tracks of solid Lydia-Lunch-inpired gold. Dadfag includes Eva Hanan, Danielle Benson and Alan Mikinis. The slow blistering track, “Water” is the most memorable on the album, which showcases Dadfag’s anger, beauty and passion at their height. All together, Scenic Abuse is a dark, swirling frenzy that makes the listener continuously beg for more. It’s the perfect escape from the average Run-of –the mill post-punk ethic, delving more into art and visions.” -Gary S. Angelo

► vid ||| here

Dope Body

“”Enemy Outta Me” begins with a testament as to why this band is a must, as a guitar is twisted and morphed to produce sounds typically heard in industrial graveyards. It’s a scorching reminder as to how Dope Body is doing something totally new, yet are still paying homage to their predecessors with sounds of endearment.”

► listen |||  here
► download |||  here

Get the People

“Storm & Stress (Touch&Go) stopped at the end of the 90’s: Ian Williams (guitar) move to play with Battles (Warp), and Kevin Shea started Get the People, avant rock music band developped by Ben Simon – voice/guitar – (ex-Great Lakes) and Kyle Forester (bass).  Three crazy minds and…Get the People is born! Avant-rock music band with pop lo-fi parts broke by free drums paterns or chorus about love and spirit world.” -RuminanCe

►purchase s/t CD via RuminanCe Records [and download 1 free mp3] |||  here

Neo

“The project Neo continues to grow. It’s the trio of Terracina led by guitarist Manlio Maresca, which debuted in 2005 under the aegis of a really tight nu-jazz.(…) The sound is more and more rapturous, the interloching rhythmics are more and more perfect, and their claustrophobic expressive alphabet (which spans from Z of Zappa to Z of Zu, going … for Z of Zorn!) has been expanded to accommodate Primus’s avant-noise and Slyer’s trash, free rock and jazz tout court, in a seething cauldron but minutely structured. Playful, virtuous, however, destined to leave its mark. “ (Enrico Ramunni, Rockerilla)

►watch ||| here

Tribraco

The creativity of the four tight-rope walkers musicians is expressed in the balance between the structured composition and free improvisation, syncopated and pressing rhythms, joint themes, creating goliardic and visionary atmospheres which leave ample room to the viewer’s imagination, guided by effective and amusing introductions to the tracks.

►listen ||| here

PAK

The creativity of the four tight-rope walkers musicians is expressed in the balance between the structured composition and free improvisation, syncopated and pressing rhythms, joint themes, creating goliardic and visionary atmospheres which leave ample room to the viewer’s imagination, guided by effective and amusing introductions to the tracks.

►vids and downloads ||| here

Liquor Store

“Not only does Liquor Store really kickass with their songs, but they’re the most entertaining funniest band we’ve ever seen … Some people would describe Liquor Store’s live show as a religious experience. Let’s leave the religious experiences to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Ok? Liquor Store’s show is more like the absolute absence of a religious experience. Tears your fuckin’ heart out, girl.” -Nashville’s Dead

► vid |||  here

Heavy Cream

“Up next were Heavy Cream, Infinity Cat’s answer to The Runaways — not just sonically, but physically, sort of. Those babes (and dude) have most definitely tightened up since we last caught them a couple months back, though their M.O. hasn’t changed much: quick, straightforward, Ramones-y numbers with plenty of bopping energy and little pretense.” -Nashville Scene

►purchase s/t digital EP via Infinity Cat Records |||  here
►download mp3 |||  here
►watch ||| here

Grooms

photo by Julian Gilbert

[Grooms] do what most noise pop bands fail to do…and that’s the pop side to it. They layer cacaphonic distorted guitars and wild sharp drums into fully realized and sometimes melodic pop songs.” -PastaPrima

►purchase full-length debut Rejoicer via Death By Audio Records |||  here
►new video for “Dreamsucker” |||  here
►mp3s for download |||  here here & here

Hunters

www.aliyanaumoff.com

“Hardcore rightfully gets a lot of flak for being one big sausage vortex, but Brooklyn’s Hunters are our new preferred counter-argument. They’re not really a hardcore band, but that guttural guitar chug you hear pacing throughout “Do It” (from a recent self-titled EP) sounds a lot like Sick Of It All (or Anthrax, for that matter) and singer Isabel Ibsen is murderously killing the wild womanimal banshee vibes. Also, how can you not love a band that enters “steely dan pouring champagne into the liberty bell” into the “Sounds like” category of their MySpace, even though that is the most misleading description ever? So bilious; so rad.” Samuel Duke

►vid ||| here
►listen ||| here

Thank God

Maturity seems to be the right word, too. Ice/Age’s dynamic shifts serve to make the album stronger, building tension within songs and making the band’s ballistic frenzies all the more intense when they’re finally released. Slowing some parts down has made Thank God more refined, more confident-sounding and, somehow, even more volatile. -FreeTimes

► releases |||  here

White Suns

“White Suns sound like Wolf Eyes covering ‘Confusion Is Sex’-era Sonic Youth but with an outcome that is a hundred times more primal and exciting than you could possibly imagine.” NME

►get all their records and see a bunch of videos on their site ||| here

The Dreebs

download s/t record for free via Lewallet Tapes ►►► here