A couple weeks ago, I went to a Todd P.-organized concert deep in Brooklyn. It ended up being shut down by the cops, which was a surreal experience in itself, but I had a chance to get introduced to the Smith Westerns. They're from Chicago, really young, and have a knack for catchy melodies.
I saw The Drums and Surfer Blood at Webster Hall during the CMJ Music Festival, and their opener happened to be some guys from Arizona/California called The Young Friends. I didn't make much of them at the time--they probably aren't much older than me. But I got their album (you can stream it here) and it's great. I actually ran into them outside this Trouble & Bass showcase I went to! That was pretty absurd.
Lastly, the openers for Neon Indian at Brooklyn Bowl were these guys called Prince Rama. Apparently they grew up in a Hare Krishna tribe and now make drone electro worship music? Very trippy but interesting. Some of these prayers and melodies I actually remember my grandmother singing to me when I was a child, which makes it doubly weird for me.
