Flagland is a NYC 3-piece self-described “panic rock” band. Despite some nihilist tendancies on their 2014 record, “Love Hard”, there is room for sweet hopefulness in the song “Sugarcube”: “When I’m feeling dark, you take me to the park. When I’m feeling black, you take me back. Yeah, my cup is bitter stuff, but you make it sweet.” The diverse 20-song album is comprised of this sweet diddy as well as head-bobbing rock songs, some glockenspiel action, sarcastic quips, and tracks that are the healthy alternative to kicking your foot into a wall. Flagland cites influences like Pixies, Nirvana, and Weezer and play with super gusto. They will be playing Brooklyn Night Bazaar on a way cool lineup with Teen Suicide/LVL UP/Crying/Amanda X/Washer March 27th and Aviv on April 3rd.

-Leora Mandel 

Although being human is a wonderful thing (at least most days), unfortunately it's a condition that implies imperfection - so hopefully you'll keep this in mind while reading the following post...

When tallying up the votes of the jurors, we unfortunately overlooked two of them. This led to six bands being excluded from the best of NYC readers poll. That sucks, we know, and we hope bands and jurors will accept our sincerest apology. Honest to God, running twelve of these polls is something we won't wish to our worst enemy, so many details, so many potential pitfalls. Anyway, to make up for our mistake not only we added the bands back in the Best of NYC 2014 list, but we'll post their streaming music right here, and we'll give them the opportunity to get their fans involved in our upcoming Artist of the Month Poll, whose results will be taken into account for the Best of NYC chart.

Needless to say, these artists will be featured in the Best of NYC issue in the spring.

Big Huge (Garage Pop)

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Black Diamondz - (Alt Soul)

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Feral Foster (Folk+Blues)

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Fern Mayo - (lo-fi)

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Flagland (Slacker Rock)

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Michael Daves (Folk)

Pull on that old grandma sweater, roll your own cigarette, put on the dirtiest jeans you can find. We're going to let Flagland take us back to a simpler time. A time when bands were just being bands. Playing music that meant something to them, not trying to please the entire world. The Brooklyn trio taps into a pocket once occupied by Mudhoney or Sebadoh and other secular acts from the 90's. It's a time we long for once again, and one that's definitely making a resurgence. We're all for it, let's throw caution to the wind, focus on the music, don't worry about anything else. Those were the days, and thanks to bands like Flagland, they may be coming back again.

Check out their latest release Lovehard, and see them live at The Twisted Shamrock on Feb. 22nd before they head on a mini tour in New England. But if you can't make it, don't worry about it, take it easy, crank up the music and dream on. - Joe Fish