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Alan! Astor! is quite possibly the future of music as we know it– just don't call him a laptop gigger. Skirting the rails set to the best backbeat we've heard in ages, A!A! hops from MC, to composer, to DJ (plus producer) and back again. He's steered the most blase crowds to fever pitch, establishing him as a true showman amongst live electronic acts. And there's more to it than the raw enthusiasm combined with electric sax and mp3 ghetto blaster: it takes a real man to sing along to Lionel Richie.

Special thanks to Club 205 and the Music Sluts

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Math Rock is as complex as its name implies. But have no fear. If the
principles are followed, the asymmetrical rhythms and lyrics
(secondary to the incongruent chord structures) will align in the
indie cosmos and render logical crystal clear compositions.

Foals, a 5-piece group out of Oxford,
are being hailed as the new incarnation of Math Rock. Playing an
intimate gig in the basement of Union Hall, the audience prepared to
"geek out" for a good ol' fashioned post-rock revival. Pandemonium
ensued upon the opening chords of "Cassius," as lead singer Yannis
spun uncontrollably and collapsed on the floor, knocking the amp onto
someone's foot.

Such is the contradiction of a Foals gig: the band members play
facing each other, if only to communicate how they plan to burn the
house down, and they charge into the audience, rendering their
guitars like weapons. Their echoing melodies-- best demonstrated on
'Electric Bloom'-- make it clear they've absorbed the rules of Math
Rock and made it their own.

Their new album Antidotes is out on Subpop now.

Thanks to Subpop and Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

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In a market flooded with the infinite reverb of lazer-bass booming out of Paris, Brooklyn the band couldn't come at a better time. Their appearance at the Annex was their first gig in NYC, and they played it like their last. Taking the 3 chords-and-a-bridge garage aesthetic to new heights, this youthful quintet dove head first into such songs as 'Clandestine' and 'A Car In A Tree' with a vengeance. Alarmingly wise beyond their years in songwriting, their enthusiasm and showmanship elevate the sacred and classic genre of pop-punk to fresh new heights. Perhaps this is best demonstrated by the thundering drumrolls and fist pump worthy chorus of 'Volcanology' which hits it straight outta the park. Rock and Roll will indeed save the day, if these guys (and a girl!) have anything to say about it. Revenir bientôt!

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Riding high on the release of their debut LP, Blood Moon, Apes and Androids took the stage in front of a tightly packed audience at Hiro Ballroom. Anyone familiar with the NYC band’s live show can tell you that the inimitable experience is a bit like rolling a rave, Studio 54 circa 1978 and an art camp sing-a-long all into one. More often than not glitter, glo-sticks and loads of sweat, thanks to gyrating bodies, abound; and, without a doubt, lead vocalists Brian Jacobs and David Tobias can be seen sporting their respective staple green skeleton tee and black and white ensemble. All this was the case, with a few masked dancers thrown in for good measure, as Apes and Androids lit a figurative fire under the asses of all in attendance at the aforementioned Hiro show. The eclectic crowd seemed so convinced by the band’s flawless performance of soon-to-be hits like Golden Prize and Nights of the Week, you got the feeling most were meanwhile perfecting their ‘I knew them when’ claim-to-fame.

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If there is one thing we are a sucker for, it's a killer live gig by an electronic band. If there is a second thing we are a sucker for, it's French disco. Both things materialized at Studio B when Joakim, our fave uber producer/composer extraordinaire, took the stage with his merry crew of tricksters, the Ectoplasmic Band. We are obsessed with the single "Lonely Hearts," yet it was the track "I Wish You Were Gone" that kicked off his epic 8-bit jam session that made the audience fall head-over-heels into the groove. Joakim exists in a dimension where Simple Minds meet Ray Lynch, shag Sheila E, and share a post-coital cigarette with Michael Nyman in some modern-art installation. Hearing his songs in their entirety, rather than incorporated into DJ sets, has taken our respect even higher.

The album 'Monsters and Silly Songs' is out now on K7! Records.

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