1- SLEEPiES "Hard to come back on these guys without either repeating myself or going into too much detail, which I am saving for a Q&A to be posted soon. So for now, I'll stick to a couple of comments, starting with the fact that I finally got to hear the Hot Singles played all in one go, which, despite understanding where the hesitation would come from (Feelers, with its sprightly clean-cut sprightly punk, tying far less into the new album's aesthetics (or even those of their earlier records) than would Sludge River Mouth,), I'd been wanting to hear for a while."

2- Unstoppable Death Machines "Queens-bred sibling power duo, UDM is 'a noise-punk tour-de-force built upon menacing riffs and insanely fast smashing drumbeats that threaten to break the sticks or drums themselves any second, with vocals passed through effects via a microphone strapped right onto Mike Tucci's mouth– one of the most satisfying acts caught during the day"

3- Mykki Blanco "NYC's own potty-mouthed 'acid punk rapper' Mykki Blanco (pictured), androgynous style icon on the rise, entertained the tiny jam-packed Cake Shop basement with half an hour of nasty raps turning into [...] one hell of a frantic spoken word performance." 

To understand how much of a treat this Friday was, I guess it makes sense to first explain how major a let-down Thursday turned out to be. With a tight schedule sorted for the last two stretches, I'd gambled on the fact that, venturing from one venue to the next, I'd eventually find a few good NYC bands to write about, or at least some that worked with the scenes we cover. But no. Not in the slightest. A complete failure. - Read Tracy Mamoun's report of CMJ's Day 3-4 here. - In the picture and Streaming: Unstoppable Death Machines.

This week-end, courtesy of Heard, Paper Box is partying itself into fall with two sweet six-act line-ups in two days - nice one! After a hip hop showcase on Friday, you get as Saturday's (9.29) headliners Brooklyn's notorious art-punk duo Japanther  (who, on Halloween, will be opening for The Misfits!), sharing the spotlight with recent Deli NYC 'Artist of the Month' Team Spirit, and Unstoppable Death Machines, another mighty pair, who came crashing onto the radar in August with the release of their full-length 'We Come In Peace'. Also on stage that night, Cool Serbia and Malcom, as well as New Jersey's The Static Jacks who were added to the bill a little later. If some you're not familiar with, check out Heard's Youtube mix teaser - everything else you need to know, you'll find here. 

Hold on tight, 'cause it's about to get loud up in Brooklyn. On Tuesday (8.21), sibling duo Unstoppable Death Machines will be releasing its first full-length album, the (ironically) named 'We Come In Peace', and as it drills through your skull I can already picture it tipping your neighbours over the edge. Mine anyway (perfect!). Now, if amateurs might create hardly more than inaudible cacophony out of such a surge of sonic aggression where punk, metal, gritty industrial and pounding dance beats converge, the Tucci brothers are dexterous and experienced noisesmiths; their loud basslines and smashing drums have brought a unique sound to the city's messy DIY parties for a couple of years now, and they sure know how to skilfully turn such a cocktail into a terrifically stimulating and abrasive burst of decibels that'll get you grinding your teeth and banging your head at once.

You can already find a taste of it on their Bandcamp page, but for the full effect, get down to XPO 929 on Saturday (8.18) for the pre-release party, followed next Thursday (8.23) by the official release party at Shea Stadium.