The folks over at Stereogum have just published the list of their 40 favorite new bands, so here's a little round up of the local talent to be found on said list, led on the NYC front - no surprise there - by Harlem's loudmouth Azaelia Banks. But what NEXT?

Second in line (the list is organize alphabetically) comes new Brooklyn four-piece DIIV (formerly Dive) who after three singles and a full-length has found itself a decent crowd and a place under the spotlight with its dream pop delights, followed by Ice Choir's punchy synthpop straight from an 80s flashback. After a cast of four up-and-coming rappers (who'll be covered shortly by brokeMc) we find two of the city's hardworking young rock&roll trios Nude Beach and Sleepies (pictured) – both of which released new albums this year and are gradually attracting their well deserved lot of attention. Finally we get to TEEN, new indie pop project by ex-Here We Go Magic keyboard player Kristina Lieberson, which only emerged on the radar about a month ago ago with a debut album 'In Limbo' and clotures the list - that's what you get when you pick a band name starting with "T". Ten out of 40, with a list that spreads over to Europe? Not bad at all New York - check these bands out on the playlist below! 

Do I detect a slight English-twang to Kurt Feldman’s singing voice on ‘Two Rings’? It’s hardly surprising. Judging from the track’s complex array of keyboard riffs and dramatic synth swoons, The Pains of Being Pure of Heart’s drummer is clearly a major new wave enthusiast. And if you’re going to try to emulate genre heavyweights like Prefab Sprout and The Pet Shop Boys, why not sing like them too right? Released as a single, the track and its B-side are thus far Feldman’s only ventures as Ice Choir (who placed at #58 in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll), but still deserving of a mention because, originality be damned, ‘Two Rings’ and the new freshly released single "Telestrips" (streaming below) are absolutely brilliant. The band just announced the release their of debut album "Afar" on July 31 via Underwater Peoples. - Dean Van Nguyen