Hot New Band: Thao With the Get Down Stay Down

The winsome rocker knows good things come to those who wait -- in airports.
Photograph by Jonathan Ratcliff

Thao Nguyen has a strange feeling about loitering in airports. "I love it!" exclaims the sweet-voiced singer-guitarist. "You can even ask the dudes" -- bassist-keyboardist Adam Thompson, 25, and drummer Willis Thompson, 26 (no relation).

Real Estate, 'Real Estate' (Woodsist)

Life's a beach for Google-unfriendly band.

As evidenced by song titles like "Pool Swimmers" and "Let's Rock the Beach," New Jersey–based foursome Real Estate traffic in placid, self-consciously coastal summertime jams.

Just Us Girls

After surviving a religious cult and years of druggy disarray, Christopher Owens emerges with Girls, the best new band of the year.
Girls: Christopher Owens & Chet JR White / Photo by Guy Aroch

"This is what I'm talking about!"

Woods, 'Songs of Shame' (Shrimper/Woodsist)

Heartfelt, homespun warblers stomp freak pedal.

Woods may move in fuzzy lo-fi circles (frontman Jeremy Earl runs the Fuckittapes and Woodsist labels, which have released records by Wavves, Psychedelic Horseshit, and Blank Dogs), but the Brooklyn foursome’s classic melodies don’t take a Dustbuster to uncover.

Box Elders, 'Alice and Friends' (Goner)

Garage-pop shouters go for endearing brashness.

On their debut album’s title track, Nebraska brothers Clayton and Jeremiah McIntyre describe a slap-dash neighborhood band who sings that “anything you wanna do should be all right!” And what this trio wanna do is blast through buoyant, unruly singalongs about necrophilia (“Necro”), staying up all night (“Stay”), and savage beasts (ahem, “Cougars”) like they’re the Black Lip

Various Artists, 'The World's Lousy With Ideas Vol. 8' (Almost Ready)

Proudly sounding like shit for nearly two years.

Since 2007, the World's Lousy series, compiled by Brooklyn obsessive Harry Howes, has excavated worthy punk/garage/shitgaze lesser-knowns (including Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Pink Noise) on three- or four-song, limited-run seven-inches. The inaugural full-length gathers exclusive cuts from more prominent, scene-making groups.

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