Yes, it’s true: on August 17, 2011 the Heineken billboard on Lafayette and Great Jones Streets in New York became occasionally perfect. Don’t believe us? Check this video out.

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New York’s The Phenomenal Handclap Band have put their exceptional 2009 debut album in the hands of some of today’s finest remixers to see what they’d come up with. The result is a Remixes LP, which will be out on November 16 through Friendly Fire Recordings.
[audio:http://friendlyfirerecordings.com/mp3s/phb-fujiya-miyagi-rmx.mp3]

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I love the glitchy electro-pop of Saratoga band Phantogram, whose album Eyelid Movies is out now on Ghostly. Josh Carter, one half of the duo, says: ‘Daydreams, the spots you see moving around when your eyes are closed tight, and the shapes you see in the world, those are the kinds of things we want to surface in your mind when you hear a Phantogram song.’ And you do, as you spin to its gloriously wistful intonations. [Listen to When I'm Small]
[audio:http://www.thesoundofindie.com/archive/2010/20100128/Phantogram_WhenImSmall.mp3]

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This awesome video for the new Chiddy Bang single Opposite Of Adults, and taken from his forthcoming EP, Opposite Of Adults, samples MGMT. Spot it?

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Releasing the single and video for their track ‘Math‘, New York’s Demander have impressed with their unique infusion of punk, metal and rock. It clearly worked on clothing brand, Levi’s: they recently picked the new album as the soundtrack to their latest European ad campaign.
[audio:http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/demander/mp3/demander-math.mp3]

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On September 2, New York duo Cocorosie will kick of their first North American tour in over two years. Sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady will be joined by bassist Josh Werner and beatboxer Spleen on fourteen shows, playing a mix of old and new material from their forthcoming album, slated for a 2010 release. We checked in with Bianca and asked her how things were progressing with the new recording: ‘The album is getting very hot. Like a glowing piece of glass in a fiery kiln. A roasting apple ready to burst’. When asked what they’ll be playing on the tour, Bianca said: ‘We go back to before we were born. We steal old songs of our Mother, family songs, old gospel, opera … lots of La Maison, little parts mostly, like the first toys and tapes and broken things’.
[audio:http://www.moteldemoka.com/squashed/Cocorosie-Raphael.mp3]

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We asked Ham and Pete, from New York band The Walkmen, to give us the rundown on the music that is inspiring them right now and they started off with a track from that elder statesmen of indie folk, Bonnie Prince Billy, Goin’ to Acapulco: ‘He did a remarkable job of putting a unique spin on a classic. It’s no small feat, and it’s a really impressive version’. Read more of The Walkmen’s Secret Playlist.
[audio:http://www.pinkteeth.com/fuckyeahgoteam/mp3s/096-Bonnie%27Prince%27Billy-Goin%27toAcapulco.mp3]

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Gogol Bordello’s frontman, Eugene Hutz, was born in Kiev to a Romany family which fled their home following the Chernobyl disaster when he was a teenager. He spent years travelling through Eastern European refugee camps before arriving in Vermont, in the north-east American region of New England, as a political refugee. He eventually established himself in New York as a musician and artist, and became the resident DJ at the Bulgarian Bar, Mehanata, which, thanks to Eugene’s ‘kidnapping’ of touring Romany and Gypsy bands and artists to perform there after their official seated concert hall shows, helped turn it into the ‘CBGBs of Gypsy Punk. Gogol Bordello formed after its original members met at a Russian wedding in Vermont, and soon snow-balled into a fully-fledged immigrant orchestra. Debut shows at famous New York venues, including the Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom, saw them banned for performances that were ‘too over the top’.

It was around the release of the band’s second album, Gypsy Punks – Underdog World Strike, in 2005, and ‘starting fires in all the backyards from Moscow to Vancouver with tours’, that the mainstream press really started to embrace Gogol Bordello and their hyperactive, charismatic, chaotic frontman. It was around this time also that Madonna started turning up to Gogol Bordello’s gigs.

While working on Gogol Bordello’s third album, Super Taranta, that Hutz woke one morning to find a message from Madonna on his answering machine: ‘I’m calling from London. Let’s get in touch, I’ve got some projects in mind’.

The projects were the main role in Madonna’s directorial debut, the short film, Filth and Wisdom, and that Live Earth performance. Hutz says he took on the projects not because of Madonna’s fame or furtune — ‘I don’t come from a family or social type that worships any kind of celebrity culture. So to me, it was irrelevant if she’s famous or not famous’ — but for her artistic determination and respect for his band: ‘The essence of is it the person’s creative power, whether they really have a love for what they do. That’s what I look for and it’s easy for me to connect with people who are determined and willing. It was unchartered territory, but there was a lot of independent spirit. It didn’t reek with a huge campaign and promotional thing. Stuff clicked and it felt right. I knew that I would have quite a liberty with Filth and Wisdom. And I did’.

Much of the music on the soundtrack is written and performed by Gogol Bordello.

‘Madonna was very supportive of our band. She’d known about us for some years. It was very flattering and inspiring. She really was great with our band’.

Next will come the release of Gogol Bordello’s fourth, as yet untitled, album.

‘The material is all basically written. I wrote it in Brazil, where I’ve been living for about a year. It was always a romantic place for me and it’s also a music heaven. But that doesn’t mean the new album is going to be samba. It’s a lot more textured. It doesn’t stink of a flavour that’s cheap. It’s more a spirit. And for that you have to spend time there and get to know it’.

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The Naked Hearts formed in New York City in January, 2008. Their distinct poppy sound combines the grungy, stripped down style of early 90s bands such as The Breeders and The Lemonheads with the structured elegance of a Blonde Redhead or Autolux. Songwriters Amy Cooper and Noah Wheeler first met in New York while both playing the same club night. Soon after Noah joined Amy on the road promoting her second solo release and while on the road, they began writing songs together, recording them onto a Tascam 246 4-track. Hooray for old-school! In July 2008 they recorded These Knees, their debut EP, with producer and engineer Dan Long (Film School, The Jealous Girlfriends). The recording is set be released on 12-inch vinyl and as a digital download later this month.
[audio:http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/thenakedhearts/mp3/thenakedhearts-catandmouse.mp3]

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I love the blissed-out electro funk of New York band Ratatat. They’ve been kicking around for some years now, and toured with the likes of Mogwai and Daft Punk, but only now are getting attention on the UK festival scene. Why they took so long over here, it’s hard to say. The music is perfect for those heady summer days, clutching a can of cider and wistfully mincing around in a field: just two (sometimes three) guys, a guitar and some heavy synth. The recent album, LP3, takes a slightly more ambient turn but still retains that f-ing cool swagger so addictive on their past releases.
[audio:http://radioexile.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ratatat_shempi.mp3]

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Part time poet, part time musician, Stewart Lupton fronts surly New York rockers The Child Ballads. Their latest release, the Cheekbone Hollows EP, is a mesmerising, at times powerful trip through Lupton’s lyrical wanderings, backed by some great songwriting. There are moments in the music reminiscent of the intensity of Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York sessions: the vocals often carry the same agonised weight to them, the sound of someone perhaps too bent on introspection and escaping into their own world. Their performances are often interspersed with readings of Lupton’s poetry, just to lighten the mood. Ahem.

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New York vintage rockers Young Lords release their debut full-length album, Rodeo Songs [title track below], on October 7th. Since forming two years ago, the band has toured with The Fratellis, The Willowz, and VietNam, as well as landing in John Varvatos’ Converse ad campaigns and in iTunes ads — as those dancing silhouettes (no joke!) All without a label. Go figure!
[audio:http://www.onesevensevensix.com/younglords_rodeosongs.mp3]

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We asked New York-based duo, Kurt Feldman and Christoph Hocheim, who collectively make up the stunningly originally and creative glitchy pop group The Depreciation Guild (who play the Mercury Lounge next Thursday night), to tell us about eight songs that’s been spinning on their iPods lately.
End Of The Affair by Weekend
‘This was Alison Statton’s band after Young Marble Giants, but it’s a far cry from anything you might have heard on Colossal Youth. I like this track in particular because it’s really jazzy and it has a great nylon string guitar part, but it also hasn’t lost its pop charm. Alison’s voice will be adorable, eternally. This one is perfect for springtime’.

Motion by Days
‘I really could have picked any track off their recent release from Shelflife because they’re all great. This one often gets stuck in my head the most. I’m not going to compare them to anyone specifically because I think most bands find that annoying, but if you liked any of the classier Sarah Records releases you will probably love this band. Which brings me to the next one …’

She Can Wait Forever by St. Christopher
‘This was on the Bacharach EP on Sarah in 1990 but you can get the whole collection of all the Sarah singles now on one CD that Plastilina Records put out – I highly recommend it. This song is especially good because of the rollicking rhythm section and endlessly jangling guitars. It reminds me of riding a horse alongside a moving train or something, which I haven’t actually done’.

Frozen by Curve
This is from the early EP of the same title and it’s also on the Pubic Fruit compilation. The beats in pretty much every Curve song play along that ‘madchester’ vibe, but they are so absurdly massive, that somehow I can never get sick of them. And yeah, Dean does that slidey overdriven bass line a lot but it’s so hazy and perfectly behind the beat that you would swear you were on E, which is not a bad thing at all.

For Kate I Wait by Ariel Pink
For Kate I Wait is a perfect gateway into the twisted world of Ariel Pink: androgynous vocals croon longingly for a woman named Kate (Bush perhaps? One can only hope) over a bed of warped synths washed out with waves of tapes hiss and reverb. It wasn’t until I saw Ariel Pink’s disjointed performance with Lilys at Spaceland a few months ago that I became completely obsessed with his lo-fi, acid-fried pop aesthetic. This track has been on repeat ever since.

Silence by Portishead
Wherever Portishead has been hibernating for the past ten years must have been a pretty dismal place. This is one of the most unsettling tracks Portishead has ever released and hands down one of best things I’ve heard all year. The first track on their release, Third, Silence is uncharacteristically driving, featuring an almost Prodigy-esque beat and a haunting chord progression that would keep even die hard ‘self-titled’ fans up at night.

My Clown by Belong
Imagine if William Basinski’s Disintegration Loops had featured the corroded recordings of Syd Barrett, Tintern Abbey, Billy Nicholls, and July instead of his own? Nuff said. This vinyl-only EP by my favorite duo from New Orleans features stunning electronic-ambient covers of 60’s psych-pop songs, most of which I admit I had never heard before. Not that it really matters. Belong tarnish and obscure the pop compositions until only a semblance of the original tune remains. Simply gorgeous.

Each Dream Is An Example by Gastr Del Sol
Featured on Gastr Del Sol’s final album entitled Camoufleur, this track has all the pop charm of anything you’ll find on Pet Sounds (baritone sax and all!) But this isn’t just a shameless tribute to Mr. Wilson and boys. Each Dream Is An Example has a familiar yet contemporary sound thanks to guitarist, composer, and tape manipulation extraordinaire Jim O’Rourke, whose intricate laptop processing beautifully compliments this stripped-down ballad.

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The glut of pretentious art rock bands in New York has been getting me down and making me hate going to shows. That is, until I got to catch Extra Life a couple weeks ago. These guys obviously listen to everything Tzadik puts out, but as challenging and off-kilter as their angular squall can get, they’re not averse to, you know, making music. Their intricately-composed songs are almost operatic in their structure, and feature hints of everything from Arther Russell to Meshuggah. They even break into some pleasant and jaunty folk moments. Plus, they have a violinist, and violins in rock music is rad.

Listen to Extra Life’s track, The Refrain.

[audio:http://www.musicisart.ws/music/june/extral.mp3]

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We launch our new newsletter, My Secret Playlist next Tuesday — with Moby’s selections — and as a teaser for it, we asked Brooklyn power pop group Hello Tokyo to tell us about eight of their favourite songs right now.

1. Parts and Labor — The Gold We Are Digging (SAM).
The beautifully mangled and powerfully driving beat lured me in, the dirty/glitchy undertones kept me interested, and the anthem-esque lyrics and melody sold me. Don’t even get me started on their new video.

2. God Only Knows — The Beach Boys (VINCE).
If songs represented NFL teams, this one would be the 1985 Bears. The melody in the opening vocal line alone capture everything you can possibly intend to express in a love song, before the lyrics (and mind-blowing ones at that) were even added. This is coupled with a masterpiece arrangement: offence, defense, coaching, and special teams in perfect harmony.

3. Beck — Timebomb (KAT).
Any song that can instantly make me happy and want to dance goes to the top of my playlist. Beck has been and continues to be a major influence, particularly on our next album.

4. Cake — Short Skirt/Long Jacket (KAT).
This is the only band I’m into that knows how to use a Vibraslap tastefully. The melody and lyrics are very unique, one of those songs you know as soon as it starts. A short skirt and a long jacket is my favorite outfit anyways. I’m pretty sure this song is about me.

5. Oingo Boingo — Grey Matter (JOHN).
Not only is Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo genius, this song saved my life. Honestly! While driving overnight from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh on tour (somewhere around Zanesville, Ohio, at 4:30am), I was one Chris Isaak song away from falling asleep behind the wheel. Lucky for me, the MP3 player was on shuffle and Grey Matter popped on. It was way better than coffee or Red Bull or any other stupid wannabe 80s band. Oingo Boingo kills it, and they existed so you don’t have to.

6. Big Country — Close Action (JOHN).
Rad song by my alltime favorite band. They’re basically the reason I started playing music. In my opinion, this song has the greatest bass line ever (Tony Butler rules). This is the first time a song made me feel nostalgic, before I even knew what nostalgia meant. Not only is this song full of longing, it’s full of awesome guitar riffs, sick drum beats, and e-bow mastery. I wish I could write a song with one-thousandth the sweetness of Close Action.

7. The Wrens — Happy (EAVVON).
As one of my favorite bands from New Jersey, this song means the most to me at this point in my life. The development of the tension, yet the lack of real structure, builds this song more into a confessional instead of a thought out projection of emotion. Charles even kicks the attitude of the track into an optimistic conclusion free of words, form, or logic in a streamlined transition that appears as a further justification of his own personal happiness.

8. Ol’ Dirty Bastard — Shimmy Shimmy Ya (EAVVON).
One of my favorite rappers, Ol’ Dirty Bastard does for Hip-Hop what Iggy Pop did for punk rock. His energy and foolishness not only tells its own tragic story, but also ironically provides joy to its listeners and acts as a true testament to the relationship between entertainer and fan.

Sign up to receive My Secret Playlist emailed to you each Tuesday.

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The Weight are a Brooklyn-based quintet that makes sincere-sounding Waylon Jennings-David Allen Coe inspired outlaw country and Creedence-Skynyrd-tinged Southern rock. These guys take their name from a song by The Band, so they’re not exactly shy about their influences. But there’s not a tinge of irony here, which is what makes this five-piece stand out from the derivative dreck clogging Bedford Ave these days, even if they’re not that original in the context of rock history as a whole.

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Several years after they disbanded, one of indie rock’s brightest sparks — Ambulance Ltd — are back. During their hiatus, some members went onto form New York group Red Romance, while mainman Marcus Congleton moved to Los Angeles, where he worked with John Cale on a yet unreleased album. We spoke with Congleton on the eve of the band’s East Coast tour of America and asked him how he feels about relocating back to New York: ‘It’s easier to live and work, practice, and record in LA cause space is cheaper. But I’d rather pay way too much for a tiny room on a loud street in New York. I feel better when there’s cafes and shops open at all hours of the night’. What did the experience of working with John Cale teach you about songwriting, and what do you think you taught him? ‘Working with JC taught me to be prepared going into the studio. I didn’t have much of a plan to begin with and just kind of hoped things would work out. Unfortunately, I taught him not to work with TVT Records’. [catch Ambulance Ltd in New York on April 11]

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Those bowled over by Yeasayer’s debut, All Hour Cymbals, would take a true battering at one of their live shows. The band’s recent string of gigs at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London may well rank among the top performances the venue has hosted in recent years. Pounding the crowd with a barrage of swirling synths, deep kicks and the apocalyptic vocals of frontman Chris Keating, Yeasayer create a massive wall of sound that climbs and climbs like a tidal wave threatening to crash down on your head. Keating swaggers around the stage in a faux whiskey-induced stupor, howling down the mic with a combination of agonised cries and measured harmonising. A subsequent listen to their album drills home the idea that to truly understand the point of it — the concept that wasn’t justifiably realised on All Hour Cymbals — one needs to experience it in the flesh.

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This New York indie-rock outfit won our hearts with the Kaiser Chiefs-esque single Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt off their acclaimed debut album. One man down, and with a sound that comfortably straddles indie and pop, the duo seem to be mourning the departure of former drummer and friend, Michael Tapper. Describing themselves as rock music of the thoughtful, sometimes epic, often loud, vaguely danceable, implicitly humanist variety, the trio-turn-duo bring a darker, more intense variation of goods to the table on Brain Thrust Mastery. Without the sunshine of their debut, With Love And Squalor, We Are Scientists’ sophomore release is gritty, angry and filled with what critics have claimed is an excessive amount of self-doubt. In their defence, when did riff driven, 80’s-infused pop-rock ever come without a teaspoon or two of self-loathing?

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We featured red hot Brooklyn band Yeasayer on Lost At E Minor a few months back, so we thought it was time we checked in with keyboardist-sampler, Chris Keating. There’s a flurry of bands emerging from Brooklyn who are crafting some of the finest music around at the moment. What is it about the area that fuels this creativity? ‘Brooklyn is just a giant neighborhood where many different creative people have come and decided for some reason or another to try and make a home. New York’s proximity to many other major cities and cultural centres as well as its abundance of musical venues and opportunities seems to draw a lot of interesting people and plenty of herbs as well’. It’s claimed in reviews and biogs that you shot to prominence largely because of a live performance at SXSW festival. Did this make you nervous about how your record would be received coming out of a stereo? ‘I don’t really know that this is true. There weren’t very many people at either of our SXSW shows and we toured twice after that without very many people coming to our shows. Our record is what got us any attention in the first place’. Songs like 2080 sound like a party until your ears tune into the near-apocalyptic lyrics. What’s the deal here, are you anticipating the end with big drums and duelling guitars? ‘With so many politicians preaching end-timer ideologies the only option we have is to dance frantically on the titanic’. A number of this year’s most promising bands, including you, borrow from — or even base their music on — indigenous sounds from far flung countries. Why is this becoming such a fad? ‘We just draw on any sounds that inspire us at the time. I feel like we draw more inspiration from David Bowie or A Tribe Called Quest than indigenous sounds but we are happy to pilfer any sonic textures that are exciting to us at any given moment’. Is the ‘Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel’ genre you’ve coined a way of avoiding being pigeon-holed into a mainstream category? ‘That’s just something we wrote for MySpace. I wouldn’t mind someone coming up with something better. Maybe Disco-Rock?’

Listen to the Yeasayer song, Wait for the summer.

[audio:http://lablogo.free.fr/julien/yeasayer-waitforthesummer.mp3]

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