Best new bands in NYC

NYC music mag The Deli asked some trustworthy people in their city what bands they think we should listen more to. List is here

Gig of 2006

Obviously there's music and there's music. Some music makes your heart bleed and some music stimulates your brain. Then there's music that makes you wanna dance like an idiot, rip off your clothes and throw yourself in a nearby canal. Music which makes your arms explode or melt. To me that mostly happens when I listen to lobotomized rock. And last time it happened was when Awesome Color played a gig in a tiny basement under a gallery on Brick Lane. Best gig of the year, if you ask me.

I saw them another couple of times in London after that but this was how they're meant to be seen. Insanely hot and sweaty venue with lots of people dancing. Everything on the border of breaking down, speakers almost blowing, microphones screaming. The drummer girl going mental and Derek, the singer and guitar player, creating some weird noises. It makes you understand why Thurston Moore signed them to his label Ecstatic Peace. The album doesn't tell what's going on here though - you have to see them live.

Information

Pitchfork gave Deerhunter a fine review. I agree and want to nominate them for best heavy rock album of this week.

Hurry hurry! Buy tix for Deerhoof and Band of Horses. Both are playing London in May.

A very great song that I've listened lots to lately is "Southern Comfort" off the Burial album. Dark dubstep which makes you wanna walk around Hackney in a hoodie under a heavy February rain for two weeks nonstop.

Must see the Draytones. Ideally you should listen to this type of garage rock when drinking too much beer and tequila. Dance Dance Dance.

Music to consider this week

Brightblack Morning Light. Listen to the gorgeous organ-based stoner shoegaze ballad on their myspace. They are from New Mexico. Hence peyote, sunsets and too much tequila and flutes.

Santa Maria. New album from former Concrete Maria Eriksson plus some other Swedes straight out of the Moomin forest. I never liked more than one or two of the Concretes songs but agree with Rough Trade honcho Geoff Travis - their cover of Stones "Miss You" is awesome. Also check out ex-Concretes singer Victoria Bergman's new stuff on Rough Trade here.

Lavender Diamond. On Rough Trade too. Beautiful but slightly boring folk music that sounds a bit like that old woman who traveled by horse carriage for five years to Donovan's commune on Isle of Skye, only to discover that all the hippies had left. Shame she didn't have a mobile phone.

The Foals. Not sure about the term "The nu-rave Battles" but they have some fine post/artrock tunes with nice guitars and efficient drumming. And they sound pretty intelligent. Maybe cause they're from Oxford.

Nudes. London rockers drinking Stella in the backseat of Jamie T's battered Opel Corsa. I like the singing.

Pacific! More brilliant gay disco from Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Apostrophes. Their song Eliot is as comforting as crawling under the stuffed tiger in that alpine chalet in the first Pink Panther film.