PENGUIN PRISON, M. H. OF WILLIAMSBURG 12/30

There are few better ways to end the year with a bang than to wiggle your tailfeathers off to the defiant synthpop beats of Penguin Prison. Like a male version of fellow dance bird Robyn, Chris Glover has that 'Sorry, I'm not sorry' tude that, nestled with a disco-funk-soul vibe, edgy hooks and a penchant for strutting into the crowd, are the makings of a downright glorious dance fest. Toboggan your way into 2012 with the rest of us at the Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight at 9PM.

SNOWMINE, GLASSLANDS 1/5

It's not very often you can listen to a song and fall in love with it on first listen. Not just a "this is good, lemme listen to this again." I'm talking "this is brilliant, life now makes sense" kind of song.  Snowmine, a Brooklyn five-piece with haunting vocals by the incredibly inspiring Grayson Sanders is a mystical band, a band whose echoey, celestial music charms listeners immediately. They're playing at Glasslands on January 5th, and we would recommend getting some tickets. Think of it as the best first purchase you'll make for 2012. Tickets

GHOST BEACH, PIANOS 12/20

Ghost Beach may be from the BK, but they're kindred spirits with the Cali shore vibe. Their waved out synth loops, defiant 90s punk-soul vocals and drifting bass lines are reminiscent of the laid back sun-kissed beach days-turned-nights by the bonfire. Youthful, raw and infectious--these dudes are ready to rock 2012. Add their newly released track "First Time" to your 'songs to play on repeat list' and jam with them at Pianos Tuesday at 8PM. Tickets.

NEWVILLAGER, JACK HANLEY GALLERY 12/16

"See the sky above you - up, where the roof should be" - NewVillager's All Saints Rooftop Session epitomizes their unparalleled musical artistry and creative genius. Earnestly revealing the porousness of any perceived boundary with each adaptation, interpretation and exploration of their dynamically layered and transcendent sound, the trio invite us to partake in that transformative process. There is something unequivocally musing and trancelike, yet cathartic and kinetic in the modulating cadence, reverberating keyboard and bass riffs cascading over syncopated drum beats, haunting chants, surging falsettos, and all opposing yet simultaneously complementing gradations thereof. This dialectic experience of fluidity, structure, progression, reversion, expansion, collapse, discovery and change that permeates all that is NewVillager is the precise reason you cannot miss their show at the Jack Hanley Gallery on Friday 12/16 at 8PM. Details. Previous NewVillager post

RADICAL DADS, 12/15 CAKE SHOP

 First off, can we comment on what an amazing band name that is? We love when bands with good band names are actually… a good band. Radical Dads has songs are pretty fast and energizing and are perfect for when you run (literally) to the liquor store or somewhere fun like that. This kinda zany, kinda strange-punk band takes you for a helluva ride—after listening to them for awhile, you almost feel exhausted for them. So. Much. Energy. They’re playing 12/15 at Cake Shop. Enjoy. 

BEAR HANDS 12/16 MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG

 We’ve been huge fans of Bear Hands for quite some time, so writing this post feels like a mere homage to this amazing band. Since they are signed to Cantora Records (the label that signed MGMT, nbd) you know they have got some serious talent. They has such a raw energy and organic sound, it's easy to cheer on this band's career. Whether belting glamorous sounding falsettos or charming you with those seductive vocals only the coolest rock dudes can pull off, every song is crazy catchy.  Like stuck in your head for a week catchy. Go to bed with it stuck in your head and wake up with it still stuck in your head catchy. (Watch "Crime Pays" and see exactly what we are talking about.) They’re playing December 16^th at Music Hall of Williamsburg and if you don't have plans you should go. Hell, even if you have plans, you should go.  Tickets. 

PARTY SUPPLIES, CAKE SHOP 12/8

It's about time we shed a little light on the freakishly talented djs spinning beats that have us nursing our sore feet well into the week until, well... time to repeat. Party Supplies aka Justin Nealis is no overstatement. Ingeniously recreating seemingly anything, from girl pop warbles, hip hop anthems, all tracks indie and even the grooviest jams into heel-thumping, body-werkin' electric dance mixes is just one of the tricks up his sleeve. Give this chico a mic and a beat machine and he'll throw you an epic original. Need something you can dance to? Cake Shop. Thursday, December 8 at 8PM. Be there, and peep this wondrous rework of Fitz' Money Grabber in the mean time.

FRIENDS, 12/12 BOWERY BALLROOM

Friends, also known as “that band that started from a bed infestation”, is sultry pop music cool enough to blast from your BK rooftop. There is a seeming trend in bands right now borrowing from the 80s scene, and Friends is no exception. Vocally speaking, Friends is breathy and seductive, with a hint of vulnerability. Artistically speaking, the music videos are a stunning display of colors, lights, and images that perfectly suit their (don’t say hipster, don’t say hipster) “hipster” image.  They’re opening for the lovely Oh Land 12/12 at Bowery Ballroom, so definitely check them out. Tickets.

TAB THE BAND, 12/6 MERCURY LOUNGE

With all the pretty electro bands we've been covering recently, we needed a return to gritty rock and roll roots. Mission accomplished, Tab The Band. These boys bring echoes of certain influential  British rock bands, but have a particular self-awareness that they were meant to be rock disciples for our generation. A little debauchery goes a long way as they reel you in with bluesy guitar riffs and seductive sound. These songs would have sounded right at home sung in the tour van in "Almost Famous", but we're actually happy we don't have to share them with any other decade in music. They're playing 12/6 at Mercury Lounge. Get ready to rock. Tickets 

She Said No (I Love You) by TAB the Band

LANA DEL REY, BOWERY BALLROOM 12/5

Lana del Rey has been causing more than a stir through the musical interweb lately, and with good reason - this self-proclaimed Hollywood pop/sad core vixen has talent and knows exactly what to do with it. Her sultry, velvety voice takes you in a old convertible and on a road trip out west, stopping at 1950s smokey rooms, gas stations, pawn shops, chrome trailers and ill-fated romances. Transport yourself to her seductive, retro-world on December 5th at Bowery Ballroom.