"Uptempo" and "Pop" are by themselves two concepts that - in the business of being an indie band - can take you quite far; but if on top of that you add to the equation also comparisons to The Smiths, then the hype can get out of control. Brooklyn's Drowners have more than one similarity with Morrisey's act, and although they will surely feel belittled by such comparison, they should not, because no artists really managed to be The Smiths' worthy musical heir yet (like, for example, XTC were for The Beatles, Robin Hitchcock for Syd Barrett, and The Strokes for Lou Reed - uhm, maybe...).

The band's 3 songs debut EP features the remarkable single "Between Us Girls" (streaming below) which immediately throws us back to the days of "Meat is Murder," with the electric guitar alternating between jangly parts and arpeggios, and Welsh frontman Matt Hitt singing semi-melancholically about some girls' hair length - rather than about how big they are... The edge is slightly punkier, while the songwriting reveals an almost clinical concision (the song clocks in just under 2 minutes, with the first chorus coming in after 26" - A&R allergic to intros will dig that). 

The second song, "You've Got it All Wrong," beats a similar musical path, tackling the infinite well of inspiration that (for Brits) is life at the pub, with the difference of a slower bridge, which acts as a breather for the final chorus. Final track "A Shell Across the Tongue" is the punkier of the bunch, but also the one with the least memorable melody.

This is obviously a band with enormous songwriting potential. If they'll manage to write songs as good as these and integrate their influences in a more mature and personal sound, the world can be theirs. - PDG

Ambient and slightly androgynous, the duo Belle Mare released their dreamy debut EP “The Boat of the Fragile Mind” earlier this spring. The EP resonates with somber tones and almost whale-like howls, unraveling soft acoustic guitar, simple piano melodies, and occasional subtle drones. The title track features the quivering vocals of Amelia Bushell, one half of the Belle Mare duo with guitarist Thomas Servidone, painting a dreamscape portrait of longing. Charade (streaming below) gently develops an unexpected blue melody that can lull you into the deepest of sleeps - I've heard of people dreaming of sleeping, in NYC. The duo met at an open mic night in Brooklyn and recorded the album in Servidone’s apartment, but notwithstanding the DIY approach, the record is full of character and the sound mature. With their mix of rich surrealism and an almost gothic aura, these song sounds as if played through an antique phonograph inside a parlor room... located in the deepest of our subconscious. While “The Boat” could easily draw comparisons to other dream-poppers Beach House, Belle Mare’s subtleties and extreme sparsness create a stronger emotional drive and more nostalgic appeal. - Devon Antonetti

Touchstones come easily for Parquet Courts. While a lot of Brooklyn bands try desperately to shed historical reference, songwriters Austin Brown and A. Savage seem to revel in finding common ground with those that have come before them. Doing their homework, they've managed to flirt heavily with the noise-rock expectations of Sonic Youth, the late, angular punk of The Stranglers, and the slacker torch passed over from Pavement for their much-discussed LP 'Light Up Gold.'

But there's also something uniquely New York in how they've channeled their frustrations through punk freakouts in 'Master of My Craft,' or when they're talking about nothing in the universal truths of 'Donuts Only.' This is part of a timeless link in a chain heading back to Velvet Underground, but cutting its teeth in the grunge noise of the '90s. - Mike Levine @Goldnuggets)

Vuvuzela doesn't play it safe - their quirky chamber-rock is an "all-in" kind of thing. And by "all" here we mean any musical element you can conceive, ranging from celestial harp parts to dissonant rock assaults. Music is obviously a super-fun playground for these talented musicians, who have the ability to juggle a wide range of influences while create what could be described as an orchestral (and therefore more complex) version of the "split personality pop" previously nailed by B52s and Sugarcubes. The female muse here is harpist Stephanie Babirak, whose gentle melodic presence emerges on occasion... but in most cases gets carelessly abused by her three band mates' more violent musical instincts. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of insane monster-songs that - against all odds - function flawlessly.