Dirty Projectors - "Gun Has No Trigger"

Brooklyn psych-pop wizards Dirty Projectors will release the follow-up to one of my favorite albums from 2009 this coming Spring (supposedly). To get you in the mood, the band has posted a new track "Gun Has No Trigger" to their SoundCloud page. You can check it out below:

Japandroids - "The House That Heaven Built"

Fuzzy/noise-rocking Canadian duo Japandroids are set to follow up their smashing debut on May 15th with a new album entitled Celebration Rock (how fitting). Check out the lead single "The House That Heaven Built" which provides plenty of "whoa-oh-oh" opportunities for you to scream along to until the album drops.

Squarepusher played Webster Hall

Squarepusher descended upon Manhattan's Webster Hall for his first American appearance in over six years and one of only two shows scheduled in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. Standing dead center stage, Jenkinson was backed by a wall, surrounded by a force field, and donned a helmet that would make Daft Punk envious, all of which were comprised entirely of LEDs and dispensed mind bending visuals to accompany the deafening volume of sound produced by the electronic mastermind. Presenting his unique fusion of classic kraut-y electronica, drum n bass, and acid jazz, Jenkinson appeared sans bass and yet he was still able to rattle Webster and raise the volume to My Bloody Valentine levels of extreme all while only showing a simple smile between jams. As the man dazzling the crowd was hard at work, many fans found it hard to resist the urge to capture photos and videos of this rare electric performance, but after just over an hour Jenkinson left the stage while shouts for "more bass" were left only with the echo of the house music as the relatively short set came to a somewhat abrupt end.

The Men played 285 Kent

Brooklyn noise/hardcore/punk quartet the Men packed 285 Kent to the brim as they unleashed some sonic fury for the record release show of their rocking new album Open Your Heart. The night exploded with the epic assault of "Turn It Around", "Open Your Heart", and Leave Home standout "Bataille" before heading into an annihilating drone jam. While the Men, are not breaking ground with a unique sound (hell, "Turn It Around" is almost a copy and paste tribute to Stiff Little Finger's "Suspect Device) their ability to combine thrashing classic riffs, ear bleeding guitar solos, and pulsating drum fills brings out an intensity lost on most bands. The raw rage built to such intensity through the opening tracks and strengthened the hostility of the crowd that as the set wore on, fists and beers were sent flying. Perhaps it might have been best to save one of their most aggressive and exuberant songs for the finale, instead of kicking things off with such a gigantic thrust of sound, but the Men have now proven that their ability to rock out leaves no room for questions.

Beach House - "Myth"

Beach House will release the follow-up to my favorite album of 2010 with Bloom, out May 15th via Sub Pop. In anticipation, the band has posted a new track, "Myth", on their site and this beautiful luscious track seems to pick up right where the band left off.

Widowspeak played Glasslands

Retro dream-pop sensations Widowspeak packed Glasslands last night for a hometown thriller and expanded their lineup to four, as they were joined by bass played Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh, and oozed their way through a great set of soft, slow burning songs. The always gorgeous Molly Hamilton led the quintet with her forever compared Hope Sandoval-esque voice and ethereal guitar tones that should really be exemplified for their true unique beauty. Despite Glasslands' soft tones, the band was still able to propel beauty and grace through their elegant tracks of blissful guitar melodies and simple rhythms. Favorites from their debut record "In the Pines" and "Puritan" were paired with world debuting new tracks that retain the same poised allure that makes the band so endearing. With full smiles in tact throughout the show, the band's pure joy easily transfered to the mesmerized crowd and set a euphoric tone for the entire evening. The group's charm is the heart of what they do as their tracks are not overly complex and Hamilton's voice can sometimes seem to be barely above a whisper, yet it is the delicate finesse that makes the tracks worth coming back to for repeated listens. "Harsh Realm" closed out the evening of fantastic celestial tunes as the band bashfully thanked all for coming.

Screaming Females - "It All Means Nothing"

New Jersey punk trio Screaming Females will drop the follow up to their awesome record from 2010, Castle Talk, on April 4. The record, Ugly, was produced by Steve Albini and you can check out the video for the lead single "It All Means Nothing" above.

Sleigh Bells played Terminal 5

Get More: Sleigh Bells, Comeback Kid, Music, More Music Videos

Bros were out in full force for Sleigh Bells' biggest headlining show to date in New York last night. Backed with a full wall of Marshall stacks, Derek and Alexis kicked things off with the first two tracks from Reign of Terror before blasting into "Riot Rhythm" which sparked a powder keg of energy that propelled vivacity through the crowd that would not let up until the show ended. Alexis' vocals soared to new heights and even were able to overpower Derek's metal/post-hardcore riffs which were intensified by the addition of a second guitarist backing the duo onstage. While newer tracks fell a little flat, save for singles "Born to Lose" and "Comeback Kid", dance anthems "A/B Machines", "Tell 'Em", and a superb "Infinity Guitars" ignited the crowd and with the help of some blinding strobes and demonstrated that Sleigh Bells' noise-pop attitude is not something to be taken slightly and the duo can certainly hold their own amongst the bigger names of the electronica/dance scene. Despite a less than impressive stage presence, the quality of the songs and enthusiasm from the crowd made it clear that this was more of an experience than a show. Alexis dove into a jubilant crowd to start the encore with a dynamite version of "Rill Rill" and ended the night with a head-banging rendition of "Crown on the Ground". However even as the band left the stage and the house lights came on, the late Whitney Houston's "Dance with Somebody" came over the speakers and continued the dance party for just one more song. Even if the tribute to the late diva was not intentional, it seemed like a fitting end to the evening.

Setlist:
01 Shred Guitar
02 Born to Lose
03 Riot Rhythm
04 A/B Machines
05 Kids
06 End of the Line
07 Comeback Kid
08 Tell 'Em
09 Leader of the Pack
10 Straight A's
11 Treats
12 Infinity Guitars
--
13 Rill Rill
14 Demons
15 Crown on the Ground

Cults - "You Know What I Mean"

Retro-pop duo Cults are back with another beautifully shot video and this time it's for one of my favorite tracks from 2011, "You Know What I Mean". Watch it above via Pitchfork.

Hop Along - "Tibetan Pop Stars"

The Philly trio Hop Along will release their first album (as a full band) Get Disowned this coming Spring and have shared a new track, "Tibetan Pop Stars", via their bandcamp page. Frances' vocals sound as strong as ever on this one and the tune is certainly one of their rockingest tracks to date! [via yvynyl]