You know how I always say their shows make you think you’re on some sort of a boat? Well prepare to sway and float on imaginary waves of far-reaching and heart-crunching dark-chocolate flavors of bitterness and sweetness of melodies and words (!), because it’ll be Nona Marie’s and Marshall’s already superbly complimentary and forlorn voices booming in that boat of a room to the tides and yearnings of Walt’s trumpet and the murmurs of Todd’s bass! Come on out with an emotionally able heart then, won’t you? It’s $10 at the door.

Download “Colors”
Download “New York Song”

July 9 | $10 | 9:30 PM | Sycamore, 1118 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11218

20. Those Darlins

This is the sound I was looking for when I clicked on far too many terrible country bands from the SXSW official artist list. I’m sticking with Those Darlins instead.

Download “Wild One“

19. Hurray for the Riff Raff

When Walt McClements plays that accordion and Alynda Lee sings her sad songs, there’s no sense at all in leaving the room.
Watch their “Secret Garden” video.

Download “Grocery (Live at the Secret Garden)“

18. Fanfarlo

I really dislike the high synth lines in this particular song, and there’s one track in their album Reservoir that sounds a little too much like its arrangement was modeled after Beirut, but this voice is too good to resist.

Download “Harold T. Wilkins“

17. Liz Green

What a hauntingly magnificent voice. In her live performances she is joined by the fabulous Gus Fairbairn and John Fairhurst (whose solo set itself is sure to be awesome). Liz doesn’t have any unofficial shows planned as of now, but you can follow my twitter if you’re interested in keeping up with any last-minute performances and/or house shows she’s sure to play.

Download “Midnight Blues“

16. Sharon Van Etten

One of a kind, and best paired with whiskey. She’s only playing unofficial shows.
Watch her “Secret Garden” video.

Download “It’s Not Like“

15. Left Lane Cruiser

This just sounds like an enormous amount of fun.

Download “Big Momma“

14. Cotton Jones

Paranoid Cocoon is a fine album, and Cotton Jones is one of the most graceful bands today.

Download “Blood Sentimental Blues“

13. Motel Motel

Motel Motel is easily one of the more interesting bands to have recently come out of Brooklyn.

Download “Coffee“

12. Dark Dark Dark

Their sea-bound traveling songs are always a treat. They’re only playing unofficial shows.
Watch their “Secret Garden” video.

Download “New York Song“

11. Adam Arcuragi

I love Adam’s wholesome voice; there’s just the right combination of swagger and heartbreak in it. He’s only playing unofficial shows.
Watch a video of him playing with his friends from These United States.

Download “The Bottom of the River (Live at IOTA)“

10. Lonnie Walker

It doesn’t look like there’s been much recorded, yet there’s an unmistakable and likable personality that comes through in the few songs available.

Download “Compass Comforts“

9. Micachu

This is probably the band in this list that intrigues me the most.

Download “Golden Phone“

8. Callers

When Sara Lucas sings, you can be sure that it’s to your benefit. It probably even makes your heart healthier. Callers is from Brooklyn.
Watch their “Secret Garden” video.

Download “More Than Right“

7. Suckers

Suckers is equipped with a great drummer and a fantastic combination of two very distinct voices; hopefully Quinn Walker has recovered his by now, after losing it temporarily. Suckers is also from Brooklyn.

Download “Afterthoughts and TV (Demo)“

6. Drink Up Buttercup

These guys seem to deliver engaging shows without a fail; probably because they’re some of the most confident and assertive performers I’ve ever seen, and they’re totally bent on making the shows fun for themselves.
Watch their “Secret Garden” video.

Download “Sosey Dosey (Live at Earfarm’s CMJ show)“

5. Floating Action

My favorite new band. Their upcoming self-titled is already one of my best-loved of the year.

Download “50 Lashes“

4. The Tallest Man on Earth

I guess Kristian Matsson must lead at least two lives, because he most certainly leads one in my dreams!

Download “The Gardener“

3. These United States

It’s a good thing These United States plays so many shows so very often, because I’m pretty close to becoming dependent on seeing them perform every now and then. I’d like to think that I’ve seen many great bands who are brilliant on stage, but not all of them have the dangerous effect of acting like a magnetic field to what you consider important and what you don’t. In your life, I mean.
Watch their “Secret Garden” video.

Download “Honor Amongst Thieves“

2. Tune Yards

Some of the most important songs I’ve heard recently are from Tune Yards’ album, Bird-Brains. Merrill Garbus, the woman behind it, is a rare jewel; her songs have nine lives, and her voice is their overarching, irreplaceable mother-ship. You’re gonna have to be driven if you want to catch her though: I was told she’ll most definitely be playing only one show, that being the Force Field PR + Asthmatic Kitty party. I’m guessing her other band Sister Suvi’s multiple-show schedule has something to do with it.
Watch her “Secret Garden” video.

Download “Hatari“

1. White Denim

Badass! Their album Exposion is one of my absolute favorites from the last two years, but I’ve never seen them play before. I’m on a high-priority mission to catch at least one White Denim show while in Austin this week.

Download “Don’t Look That Way at It“

On a side note, there will be no Secret Garden shows for the next two Tuesdays, but there will be daily updates from Austin, and there will be new videos after I return. If any of the twenty artists listed here interest you, you should follow me on Twitter.

We were supposed to meet somewhere in the woods of Brooklyn, but it was far colder than the day we strolled through the Botanic Garden with These United States. The wind was harsher and entirely inhospitable to the idea of an outdoor performance. Instead, we met at a warm apartment in Park Slope with colorful walls. Part 1 features two performances by Hurray for the Riff Raff inside the bathroom: Aubrey Freeman and his upright bass in the bathtub, Alynda Lee on the sink, Walt McClements on the toilet seat, and Shae Freeman on the ledge of the tub. They sang “Daniella” and “Skin & Bones” there. Part 2 was shot in the kitchen, where my favorite performance came up as sort of an afterthought: after playing “Bricks”, Alynda asked, “Is it possible to do one more?” They played “Grocery”, which rocked so much that I’ve made an mp3 out of it. | Download “Grocery (Live at the Secret Garden)“

Please link to this page if embedding these videos.

Part 1: “Daniella” and “Skin & Bones”

Part 2: “Bricks” and “Grocery”

Website: Hurray for the Riff Raff

Download “Daniella” by Hurray for The Riff Raff

Download “Another World” by Antony & The Johnsons
Atony Hegarty sings an elegiac song, and what do you expect, the result is nothing short of apocalyptic. Just listen to that voice, it has Mercury Prize winner written all over it. He sings about missing the sea, the bees and the trees; about needing another world because “this one’s nearly gone”. But even if he were singing  about unicorns, I say this one would still be a pretty sad song. “Another World” is taken from The Crying Light, coming out on January 20th.

Download “Boom” by Anjulie
This song is so damn sassy, from the phrasing of the lyrics to the smooth eruptions of the horns, that if you don’t like it, it probably means your body’s natural music receptors have long been impaired by cerebral overdose. Besides, there’s a wide variety of oddly nasal voices I adore, especially in women, and Anjulie’s is one of them. As is the case with artists who deliver a strong first impression, there’s always a looming fear of possible future disappointments, but for now, this Toronto-raised daughter of immigrant parents from Guyana is rock solid. A three-song digital EP, Boom, came out last week.

Download “Daniella” by Hurray for The Riff Raff
Yes. Here we have the magical marriage of a banjo and an accordion, and the magical mood of the wistful. But the reason I loved this song on the first listen is far more elemental: the way singer Alynda Lee breaks the name into “Dan…. Yella” and rhymes it with “Why you’re with that fella?” It’s worth mentioning that the band’s name, Hurray for the Riff Raff, is of course an accurate representation of my most preferred musical lifestyle. The band is from New Orleans, and is scheduled to play several New York City dates, including a free show with Sharon Van Etten on December 8 at Pianos.

Download “Beruset og Forhadt” by Sune Rose Wagner
Sune Rose Wagner of Denmark’s The Raveonettes has an upcoming self-titled solo album, from which this track is taken. The danceability of it in all its airiness begs for a long drive at dusk. I like that it’s quite simple. There’s perpetual motion, a soft voice that bounces off a labyrinth of rhythms, and a whole lot of reverb.

Download “Long Time” by Deer Tick
Deer Tick’s debut, War Elephant, which singer John McCauley III wrote at the age of twenty, was reissued last week on CD as well as a limited edition of double vinyl. Taken from that album, “Long Time” is a song dotted with iconic elements of the past that come together in somewhat of a reinterpretation of the classic. The instrumentation is minimal, most of which is a restrained arrangement of guitar layers, which seems to serve McCauley’s fiery voice.

Photo Credits: Sune Rose Wagner by Davey Wilson