Brahms

I may sound like a broken record mentioning another promising band out of Brooklyn, but that's not gonna stop me from sharing Brahms with you. They've opened for Dirty Projectors, Passion Pit, Neon Indian, et al, so it looks like they're on fast track to Pitchfork adoration. Good for them I say... as long as they can live up to it. They only have demos at this stage, but they already sound pretty full formed. My favorite is Brought it Out which you can download for free at rcrdlbl.com. A second track Toward the Ghost is also available.

Hot Chip

For those who like their dance music a little bit quirky there exists London's Hot Chip. A lot of people seemed disappointed by their last release (Made in the Dark), which I will attribute to their giving up on it too early... it's definitely a grower. Right now I'm listening to their new single (via Hype Machine), for just the second time, and it's grown all over me already. It's called Take it In and I suggest you do what they say. Their new album One Life Stand is scheduled for a February 9th release on Astralwerks.

Suckers

Please welcome the newest buzz band from Brooklyn. Their self-titled EP has four songs which seem to progressively outdo each other. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah fans will surely dig this. I hear heavy Modest Mouse influence and a not too subtle vocal likeness to David Byrne. Also, I'm not surprised to hear that the set was produced by one of the guys from Yeasayer, since similarities abound. In my book, these are all very good things. I couldn't pick a favorite track, so went with the one that has a video. Enjoy.

Spoon

In the world of indie rock, news of a new Spoon album is about as big as it gets. Big news everyone! Transference is slated to drop on January 26th, and, lucky for us, the first single is already out there in the blogosphere. Hear Mystery Zone on Hype Machine.

Yeasayer

Last year I picked up a used copy of Yeasayer's debut album All Hour Cymbals after hearing one or two of their songs on internet radio and reading a lot of positive press. It has turned out to be one of my favorite releases of the past few years. If you haven't heard it, I implore you to do it now. The good news here is that they have set a date to drop their sophomore full length. Odd Blood will come out on February 9th of next year on Secretly Canadian. They have yet to preview any of the tracks yet, but you can listen to Tightrope, their contribution, and one of the highlights from the Dark Was the Night compilation (which you should own for two reasons, it's excellent and it's proceeds benefit AIDS).

Tightrope - Yeasayer

ADDENDUM:

The new single is out!

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Frightened Rabbit

Here we have a band from Scotland who a year ago were but a blip on my radar. They showed up on enough 2008 year end lists for me to finally give them some real attention and their album The Midnight Organ Fight turned out to be one of my after-the-fact favorites of the year. So word of a follow up (which will actually be their third) album is welcome news. It won't be out until next Spring, but the first single (and it's b-side) are already streaming on their label's website, Fat Cat Records. Go have a listen.

Devendra Banhart

The quirky Venezuelan/American will release his newest studio album on October 27th and the first single Baby is now online. His popularity has been growing steadily over the course of his five LP's, and I see the trajectory continuing in an upward direction with What Will We Be, his first on a major label (Warner/Reprise).

Hear the new song on Myspace.