We've always had a thing for Brooklyn duo Hunters - definitely one of the best new Noise Rock acts to emerge from Brooklyn in recent years. The band recently released two singles from their upcoming album, scheduled to drop on September 24, that - compared to the wild debut EP - showcase a sound less primal and slightly more controlled. Seizure (video here) offers the signature alternating, litany-like male/female vocals and a wall of distorted power chords between the bluesy and the dissonant which could have well figured in an early Soundgarden record. The latest single "She's So" (streaming below) features a clean guitar tone that's quite unusual for the duo. It triggers immediate nostalgia for some Sonic Youth track from "Daydream Nation," The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" and maybe even the late Feelies (best NJ band ever by the way), building towards an explosive distorted chorus scarred by a crooked minor melody .

To hear other songs from Hunters' debut album before 09.24, go see them live at Death by Audio on 09.24

For a third consecutive year at its present South Street Seaport location, the 4Knots music fest continues to highlight New York City’s free summertime music season. Taking place on Saturday June 29 from 1-8 pm, local homegrown talent is fully represented once again this year, with 3 bands (The Babies, Hunters and Parquet Courts) not too recently highlighted by The Deli as NYC Album of the Month.

Brooklyn’s noise rock duo Hunters are one of the most dynamic and exciting live bands out there. Guitar guru Derek Watson’s tonal quality and rhythmic style fluctuates between the tangled jungle stomp of The Cramps and all out mayhem of Sonic Youth. Lead vocalist Isabel Almeida twists and contorts her pliable limbs as she purrs and coos about deadbeats and acid trips.

Parquet Courts have come to embody the disenchanted vibe of today’s slacker generation. Their full-length LP “Light Up Gold” (blessed by a Pitchfork 'Best New Music" tag) takes on the post-punk, indie rock vibe in a loose and jammy way. Tightly honed rhythms lay the groundwork for a more rambling style of guitar fretwork. Their lyrics skewer towards recognizable observation over obscure metaphors.

Brooklyn's Heliotropes have been extremely busy over the last few months. Having just released their debut full length record “A Constant Sea” to critical acclaim, the band continues to play significant showcases, culminating with their appearances at this very festival. The heavier aspects of their sound has gotten a lot of deserved attention, however their album also reveals a softer side. Tracks like “Everyone Else” and “Awake” emphasize stark vocals with acoustic guitar accompaniment, as opposed to any kind of explosive guitar bombast. Deeper cut “Moonlite” features violin string textures.

The whole day event will be headlined by Philly's own Kurt Vile & the Violators and will also include performances by other more established locals rockers The Men, The Babies and Marnie Stern. - Dave Cromwell

Brooklyn noise devotees Hunters have been pulling out the big guns as of late. The duo is slated to release a debut LP via Mom + Pop this summer and will be touring with Bleached and Jeff the Brotherhood in the meantime. Guitarist/vocalist Derek Watson and cotton candy pink-coiffed vocalist Izzy Almeida feed off each other, growing intensity with fierce, instinctive on-stage rapport. And they go all out – there’s uncensored drama in every wave of distortion and punchy yowl. This hasn’t gone unnoticed; these press sweethearts recently graced the cover of the Village Voice and have been featured in Spin and The New York Times. You could say The Deli was an early convert; we awarded Hunters’ debut EP (mixed by mixed by Yeah Yeah Yeah's guitarist Nick Zinner) album of the month in February 2012. - Check out a live video of "Deadbeat" below, and read a Deli interview with the band from early 2012 here. - Corinne Bagish

A not to be missed Valentine’s Day show is slated to go down at Webster Hall’s Studio in Manhattan on 2/14. Presented by Kristina Tequila, the star studded night will be headlined by scene veterans Total Slacker (pictured and streaming below). Their classic track “Crystal Necklace” set a standard for that low down, creep-along groove with appropriately reverberated boy-girl tandem vocals. Expect more of that and surely some bowl-cut fueled guitar jam-outs too. Hunters have been making waves all over the place this year, and one would expect their performance on this night to be just as punk-rock manic as recent shows of theirs have demonstrated. XRay Eyeballs spent a good portion of last year touring all through Europe. That kind of road-honed experience will surely be on display as they continue to showcase songs from their latest album “Splendor Squalor.” Opening the night will be none other than the tireless Cassie Ramone, who appears to be effortlessly juggling gigs between her bands The Babies, Vivian Girls and now these solo acoustic shows. -Dave Cromwell

This year 28 NYC "scene experts" helped us with our Best of NYC Poll 2012 for Emerging Artists by choosing their 3 favorite up and coming NYC acts. These jurors are comprised of local venue agents and other industry people who work with many local bands throughout the year (full list coming soon). Their votes this year produced a list of 68 artists, which means that - as always - most jurors voted for different bands. But some bands appeared more thans once in the "ballots": below we compiled a list of the artists who accumulated more points through the jurors vote only. Kudos to Foxygen (already on the cover of our 2012 CMJ issue) for getting the top spot.

The Best of NYC 2012 Readers and Fans' Poll - including all the nominees - will start in a few days - stay tuned (since we have one of these polls happening in each scene we cover, we need to schedule them carefully to avoid to overload our server - thanks for your patience!).

ARTIST     1 Foxygen   2 Spirit Family Reunion   3 DIIV   4 Ambassadors   4 Ghost Beach   4 MS MR   7 Hunters