The Music Slut's CMJ 2008 Showcase: Downstairs Pictorial

Chairlift, Bryan Scary, Pattern Is Movement, Au, Rumspringa & A Brief Smile.











MP3: Chairlift - Make Your Mind Up (Live On WOXY)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #834

A Brief Smile - Count Me Out

A flawless track from 2006's R.E.S.T. EP.

Catch ABS on 10/21 @ TMS's CMJ showcase!

Visit A Brief Smile on MySpace.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Count Me Out

A Brief Smile Hints At New EPs, Unmasks New Track

3 as-yet-untitled short players will see daylight by year's end.

Be sure to grab 'Bigger Lies' over at RCRD LBL.

Visit ABS on MySpace.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Never Have The Time

A Brief Smile Releases Live Clip From San Diego

Enjoy their take on 'Vicious' (as aired on CBS) in the video below. MP3 at bottom.


MP3: A Brief Smile - Never Have The Time

A Brief Smile Announces Pair Of NYC Gigs

Catch one of my favorite quintets at:

6/22: The Delancey
7/24: Mercury Lounge

Visit ABS on MySpace.

A new as-yet-untitled EP is due this fall.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Vicious

Cassettes Won't Listen & A Brief Smile Interviewed By Limewire

Watch two great Q&A sessions from last week's TMS sponsored gig at NYC's Crash Mansion.


MP3: A Brief Smile - Big Sky

The Music Slut And Limewire Make Out

This Friday night, The Music Slut is proud to be sponsoring the Limewire Music Blog party at NYC's Crash Mansion. Dear friends of this site, Cassettes Won't Listen and A Brief Smile will be playing.

Make sure and come early for the free booze at 9pm and remember to RSVP (rsvp@newyorkunderbelly.com) for free entry as well.

This shit is hot, so come out and say hi to your sluts.

We'll be the drunks in the corner berating the Limewire DJs to play '9-5'!

A Brief Smile Debuts New Video

Enjoy the first single from Now We All Have Horns entitled 'Never Have The Time' below.


MP3: A Brief Smile - Never Have The Time

Jukebox The Ghost & A Brief Smile & Hymns @ Union Hall

It was just under a year ago that I first saw Jukebox The Ghost in the flesh at NYC's Pianos. On that evening, they performed to roughly two dozen ardent attendees with poise, precision and passion. Fast-forward to last night's sold out gig at Brooklyn's Union Hall and it's painfully obvious to see that JTG's journey has translated into a bona fide indie success story. The DC-based trio has garnered a healthy (and spry) fanbase thanks to a bevy of blog love, repeated plays on WOXY and ridiculously positive word of mouth. It's rare that I make bold predictions, but if Jukebox The Ghost isn't on the tip of everybody's tongues by Independence Day, then there is simply no justice in this world. Learn all about the band's forthcoming debut LP, Let Live & Let Ghosts, here. Visit JTG at their MySpace page.

MP3: Jukebox The Ghost - Fire In The Sky [alt link]

Last night marked my fifth time experiencing the magic that is A Brief Smile's live show. As intense, immediate and feral as ever, the quintet put on a damn near perfect set highlighting tracks from their full-length, Now We All Have Horns. Read my extensive interview with A Brief Smile (circa 2006) here. Visit the band at their official site.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Never Have The Time

I was first introduced to Hymns sometime late last week. The band's sound can be summarized as a grand amalgamation of indie pop, alt country & neo folk, with an unambiguous Southern tinge. Highly enjoyable. Learn more about Hymns on MySpace.

MP3: Hymns - Brother/Sister

A Brief Smile Hints At New EP

According to the band's official blog, this year's MLK weekend was spent in Martha's Vineyard throwing around ideas for a forthcoming short-player. Enjoy a snippet of A Brief Smile's tomfoolery below. Read my review of their debut LP, Now We All Have Horns, here.


MP3: A Brief Smile - Vicious

A Brief Smile Gets 'Vicious' In The Studio

Check out an intense performance of the Now We All Have Horns fave in the clip below. Learn more about A Brief Smile here at their official site. ABS MP3 at bottom.


MP3: A Brief Smile - Vicious

A Brief Smile Offers Free Download Of Debut LP!

Hear first-hand why I'm consistently praising the NY-based band. Download one of this year's finest albums here. Additionally, check out my review of the spectacular record via this link. Enjoy a lone MP3 from Horns at bottom.

Upcoming ABS tour dates:
October 25th @ Delancey w/ Charles Bissell (NYC)
November 3rd @ Pianos w/ The Antlers (NYC)
December 5th @ The Annex w/ Cruel Black Doves (NYC)

MP3: A Brief Smile - Big Sky

CMJ Marathon 2007: Day 3 Pictorial

Eagle*Seagull @ CMJ Lounge
Official Music Slut Ranking: 8/10

MP3: 'Death Could Be At The Door'

A Brief Smile @ Indaba Loft
Official Music Slut Ranking: 8/10

MP3: 'Vicious'

We Are Wolves @ The Fader House
Official Music Slut Ranking: 9/10

MP3: 'Fight & Kiss'

Cut Off Your Hands @ The Fader House
Official Music Slut Ranking: 8/10

MP3: 'You And I'

Imperial Teen @ The Fader House
Official Music Slut Ranking: 7/10

MP3: 'Million Dollar Man'

I Like Trains @ White Rabbit
Official Music Slut Ranking: 7/10

MP3: 'The Deception'

Cadence Weapon @ Fat Baby
Official Music Slut Ranking: 8/10

MP3: 'Black Hand'

A Brief Smile @ Midway: Escape Artists

Battling a host of venue-related problems (including but not limited to: an expired liquor license, a broken promise of BYOB, a truncated capacity, an unhelpful/unpleasant staff and a fire hazard waiting to happen), A Brief Smile shimmered at the record release show for their debut long-player, Now We All Have Horns, last night at (the much-dreaded) Midway.

Performing the record's opener ('Escape Art'), closer ('Vicious') and various others in between, the night only served as further confirmation of the band's foreseeable leap to indie stardom over the course of the next few months. New Yorkers: I strongly urge you to catch ABS this Monday night with Lame Drivers at Knitting Factory (curated by The Limewire Blog). Learn more about A Brief Smile here at their official site.

Check out my review of A Brief Smile's Now We All Have Horns via this link.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Never Have The Time

Review: A Brief Smile - Now We All Have Horns

Instantly epic. Those are the first two words that come to mind when attempting to review A Brief Smile's stellar debut full-length, Now We All Have Horns. From the opening My Bloody Valentine-esque slow-burner, 'Escape Art', to the electrifying and downright breathtaking closing track, 'Vicious' (download the MP3 below), Horns somehow manages to greatly exceed my irrefutably atmospheric expectations.

For fifty-seven minutes, A Brief Smile's Now We All Have Horns plays like an astral roller coaster to the moon. With a flawless balance between vocal melody and instrumental distortion, I could tout the album for an eternity if given the opportunity.

Learn more about A Brief Smile and stream Now We All Have Horns, in its entirety, right here.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Vicious

A Brief Smile Readies 'Horns'

Music Slut favorites, A Brief Smile, have just unleashed the accompanying cover art to their debut record, Now We All Have Horns, due out by Christmastime. Track listing and exact release date to come shortly. Catch the band debut some of the album's (stellar) material at their upcoming visit to New York's Pianos on September 14th. Download an ABS MP3 at the bottom of this post. Learn more about A Brief Smile here at their official site.

MP3: A Brief Smile - This Machine

A Brief Smile Drops Hints & Titles Debut LP

TMS faves, A Brief Smile, have just released the following message, via their official site. *we finished mixing the songs for our new album. it has 12 tracks. we are finishing up the order of them now. we are also doing artwork and getting it mastered. also, we have made movies of our adventures. the album is going to be called now we all have horns.*

Can't wait! Check out a track from their magnificent EP, R.E.S.T., below.

Read our '8 Questions With' the band here.

MP3: A Brief Smile - This Machine

A Brief Smile Drops Hints On Forthcoming EP

Via the band's official site & blog: *in may 2006, while still finishing up the record that became r.e.s.t., we started to record the songs that were written while we were recording r.e.s.t…….a year later we found ourselves with 10 new tracks, some completely finished, others skeletons waiting for us to find time to add all the remaining parts. from the start, the idea was to record, produce and engineer the project entirely on our own, with the intention of making something that was, for better or for worse, exactly how we wanted it. and that is what it will be.

right now, we probably couldn’t be happier with what we’ve done so far and are in the process of finishing what is left. you may have heard some of the songs that will be on the album, either at our shows or on our myspace…we’ll have more up soon. also, this past weekend, our friends carter and jamie directed us in a music video for one of the new songs. it should be out around the same time as the album. hopefully you’ll be surprised by how incredibly hard we rock out…*

Check out The Music Slut's exclusive interview with ABS HERE!

MP3: A Brief Smile - This Machine

A Brief Smile @ Knitting Factory: Louder Than Bombs

With all the planning, hoopla and overall good time associated with our Spring Fling back in March, I failed to post a proper review of the show. Without a doubt, one my personal highlights of the evening was finally getting the chance to see NYC's very own, A Brief Smile, in the flesh. I've been going on about this 5-piece for some time now (read The Music Slut's interview with the band here). After stunning our Spring Flingers with their bombastic yet shoegaze-y sound, I couldn't wait to check out the band's Knitting Factory debut last night.

Focusing primarily on their upcoming EP, due out this summer, the band performed a whirlwind of a set, demonstrating their unique hybrid of harmony & dissonance for the better part of an hour. In spite of the bevy of new tunes, their debut short-player wasn't completely ignored; the band opted for 'Kitchen Floor' as the lone track to be performed from '06's R.E.S.T. (MP3 below). With a sound that falls somewhere between Mogwai's Young Team, Spiritualized's Ladies & Gentlemen... and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, it's no wonder that A Brief Smile is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite local acts.

A Brief Smile will be opening the Pop Tarts Suck Toasted-curated show next Saturday night at The Delancey. More info on that gig can be found here.

Check out A Brief Smile's MySpace page for tunes, photos and further glowing reviews.

MP3: A Brief Smile - Kitchen Floor (via Free Indie)

Photos from The Music Slut's Spring Fling 3/24: A Brief Smile & The Midnight Hours

Matt chatting with A Brief Smile before the show. Unfortunately, this is the only shot I have of them. They were AMAZING, but I was bit occupied behind the dj booth. For further verification of this, please see Rachael's post about the show on The Underrated Blog.

The openers for the evening were the young geniuses of The Midnight Hours. I think it surprised everybody in the audience when a group of youthful college students climbed up on stage and threw so much passion and soul into a performance so good, that it soon became clear it was meant for a bigger stage.

I wish these guys nothing but luck. I am highly anticipating their new album. It's going to be foot stomping, heart-wrenchingly good.

A thank you is due here to our good friend Erin for taking the first three amazing shots. The last crappy one is mine.