BLOOD ON THE WALL, HORNET LEG, PHANTOM JAMS (Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th) Brooklyn’s Blood on the Wall are one of the better things to have happened to indie rock this decade. And I’m not talking your Death Cab and Shins indie here: I’m talking the bombast and balls-to-the-wall-edness of classic late ’80s, early ’90s indie rock. Their sound runs the gamut of everything from Pixies to Superchunk to Pavement to Archers of Loaf to Sonic Youth, and manages to do so without ever really sounding derivative of any of them. Their recently released disc Liferz is possibly their best yet, and they’re bound to recruit a legion of die-hard fans (much in the same way they’re probably die-hard fans of their influences) because of it. In other words, there’s a good chance BotW are your new favorite band, whether you know it yet or not. ROB SIMONSEN

Hear a slight Pixies influence in the song below? Ok, so it’s a heavy Pixies influence, and no, that line isn’t going to lead to a “Frank Black is fat” joke. I’m saving those for his celebrity roast.

MP3:
Blood on the Wall - Mary Susan