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We haven’t felt this sort of quirky down-home, jazz-infused Americana blues since, well, our grandpapas frequented 1920s red-velour smoking lounges. In "Beautiful Once" you imagine William F. Gibbs floating from guitar to piano effortlessly, throwing instruments in the air and catching them with bravado, while still stirring his martini. In his album "My Fellow Sophisticates" (to be released in June), the Alabama native proves he's undoubtedly talented- in the way he’d probably still figure out how to churn out music if his palms were tied behind his back. He describes his guitar as his “gateway drug to songwriting, arranging, singing, and exploring music” with long fingernails and non-standard tuning. Keep an eye on this maverick…..his music is a precious drug.

SOUNDS LIKE: Jeff Buckley, M. Ward, Ferraby Lionheart

DOWNLOAD: William F. Gibbs - Beautiful Once

William F. Gibbs @ Myspace

EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Lykke Li - Everybody But Me (diskJokke Remix)

DOWNLOAD: Lykke Li - Dance. Dance. Dance.

The dudes in Hybrasil come from a tiny seaside town in Ireland called Wicklow, known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’ because of its picturesque green plains and rolling hills (read: golfer's paradise). The band name too is quite mystical- Hy-Brasil is a phantom island in old Irish myths, one that is covered in perpetual mist. But don’t expect these dudes to churn out murky shoe-gaze music. Hybrasil creates energy-potent, spit-sung pop rock songs with electronic fringes. Think energy of Artic Monkeys and 1980s goth pop, with some finicky electronic gadgetry in the background ala Atlas Sound. Oh and the lead singer Spud Murphy, yeah Spud Murphy, sounds a bit like James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. Yeah. That’s a lot of allusions  though so you may be best testing what’s myth and what’s reality by listening to the track below.

SOUNDS LIKE: Atlas Sound, The Rakes, LCD Soundsystem, Artic Monkeys

Download: Hybrasil - Heads Up

Hybrasil @ Myspace

Hybrasil's Website

Not to name drop or anything, but during recent conversations with the likes of Larry from the very wonderful Tyvek as well as that punk rascal Jay Reatard, one band continued to come up: Detroit's Terrible Two. And if those ringing endorsements weren't enough, it just so happens that Terrible Twos' synth-bolstered garage furor  a) rules, and b) like, that Mudhoney show I mentioned earlier this week, put a lot of new, definitely much-needed hair on my chest.

This is starting to get embarrassing.

Download: Terrible Twos - Chinky Glass Eyes

What do Jesus And The Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand, Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura have in common? Though they span the musical spectrum, they all hail from Glasglow. As do Sons and Daughters and Frightened Rabbit. Ok enough with the freakin’ musical geography lesson you say. Let us introduce a new member of this Glaswegian musical posse, Martin & James, aptly named after Martin Kelly and James O’Neill (Scottish much?) These two create weighty acoustic hymns and introspective odes of love and tears. Lyrics delivered over raw acoustic like Simon and Garfunkel. Their song “Crashing” cathartically relies on a heavy bass drum, while “Not Alone” is simple, unadorned acoustic love song with haunting flickers of reverb.

SOUNDS LIKE: Simon & Garfunkel, Damien Rice

Ever gargle chopped glass or rock candy with lighter fluid? No? Weird. Aside from boasting a percussionist named Sexual Chocolate as well as a growing armada of similarly epic, devil-horned psych adventures worth checking out as soon as you possibly can, Long Beach's Crystal Antler even fuck with organ. Sort of like your favorite post-harcore bands from the 90s on acid. LOTS of acid.

And again, they've got a percussionist named Sexual Chocolate, which is exactly what my brother always asked to go by growing up. What a weird little dude.

Sounds Like: The Stooges, Awesome Color, Blood Brothers, Comets on Fire

Download: Crystal Antlers - Until The Sun Dies (Part 2)

I used to be a huge sissy. Last December the almighty Mudhoney came to New York to play their classic album Superfuzz Bigmuff (20th Anniversary re-release and new album, Lucky Ones, due 5/20) at Bowery Ballroom and throughout their most gnarly of sets, a large pit consumed much of the floor just in front of the stage. Somehow I've been been able to avoid moshing most of my life, but there was a moment (and it could have been the many man sodas that night) during "Here Comes Sickness" where I decided it was time to put some hair on my chest and finally check things out. Everything was going really well until my sneaker caught a slick spot on the hardwood and I hit the deck preeeeetty hard. A dude helped me up right away, looked me in the eye and said, "You are wearing the most amazing windbreaker I have ever seen." Bros forever and sissy no more.

I'd like to believe that moment is distilled in all of these tracks. I'm so excited to post them.

Sounds Like: Mudhoney

Download: Mudhoney - I'm Now

Download: Mudhoney - In 'n' Out of Grace

Stream: Mudhoney - Mudride (Live From Berlin - 10/10/88)

Stream: Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick (Live From Berlin - 10/10/88)

The New York-based Earl Greyhound first grabbed my attention when they rocked me out of my seat during CMJ last fall. I was buying time between beer sips and London's The Noisettes when they pounced on stage - loud, ribald & beastly. Matt Whyte railed electric riffs while slurring out lyrics, Kamara Thomas followed up sticking her tongue out on the reverb, and Ricc Sheridan bolstered it all with crashing cymbals & mad bass drum beats. (see proof here).

So while reminding you of their Spring/Summer tour, starting May 28th in Baltimore, we kick off with "I'm The One" - which is hard rock at its crawling-on-shag-carpet sexiest. It's also a great example of their Zeppelin likeness; asides from the obvious hark rock tonality, they too monopolize the space between each chord and expertly build a slower tempo bridge towards a bombastic end.

SOUNDS LIKE : Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath

DOWNLOAD: Earl Greyhound - I'm The One

Earl Greyhound @ Myspace

Earl Greyhound's Website

British blues-rock band the Heavy piece together the best parts of the Stooges, Sam Cooke and the White Stripes to create songs that are as soulful as they are, erm, heavy. They’re in the middle of a US tour at the moment, and their new album Great Vengeance and Furious Fire was released to rave reviews. Their track “Coleen” oozes sex appeal and the shared knowledge of dirty deeds done cheap like nothing in the history of rock for quite some time. We sat down with the band recently and lobbed a few questions their way. Check out their answers and an MP3 of “Coleen” below.

Interview after the jump

Download: The Heavy - Coleen