THIS WEEK IN SHOWS

MON, DEC. 14

Keren Ann, Clare and the Reasons
Knitting Factory Brooklyn
8:00 PM, $15, ALL AGES

Funny, compared to 2009’s wave of bedroom pop with a melancholy undertow, artists like Keren Ann and Clare and the Reasons sound like such sparkling romantics. But let’s not forget that we need these, too – songs you can imagine slowdancing to, like Clare and the Reasons’ weepy “Pluton,” or classic pieces of seduction like Keren Ann’s “It Ain’t No Crime.” Maybe Monday at the Knitting Factory won’t push the limits of pop music to any new ground, but it should be a good showcase of tight bands with serious vocal talent.

TUES, DEC. 15

Cold Cave, Small Black
Music Hall of Williamsburg
10:00 PM, FREE, 21+

Go 18 Dummy at the FREE VBS.tv holiday party this Tuesday. Talk about a good end-of-the-aughts set; Cold Cave and Small Black have had a persistent presence in both the blog world and the real live world of shows this year, and they’ve really proved their meddle. Small Black’s more like the other sandy lo-fi bedroom stuff that the internet’s been hemorraghing lately, and Cold Cave is more of a crispy ’80s throwback, but they both exude a foggy longing that we can’t get enough of. The show’s sponsored by 1800 Tequila, which isn’t important really, but you should check out this cool special edition bottle Vice produced for the party. RSVP REQUIRED! If you wanna go, click here.
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LOCAL SPOTLIGHT NYC

Photo by Katelyn Roof

Brooklyn-based band The Depreciation Guild have brought back two late 80s artifacts: reverberating synth-pop and the Nintendo Entertainment System. Using guitars and a Famicon (the 8-bit sound chip from the NES), they create innovative, energetic dreamscapes, a novel combination of shoegaze and chip-tune music.

The band’s first incarnation was in 2005, when members Kurt Feldman and Akira Hashizume started experimenting with the Famicon as the source for their lush synth sounds and intricate, heavy drum beats. They released their first EP, entitled Nautilus, in 2006 on chip-tune label, 8-Bit Peoples. The next year, the band’s lineup and instrumentation changed considerably: Hashizume left, and twin brothers Anton and Christoph Hochheim joined and brought live drums and guitar with them, respectively.
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