Tickley Feather is the musical endeavor of Annie Sachs. Upon first listen, she might not sound too different from the rest of the blissfully reverbed low-fi chicks emerging today. But despite her simple aural beginnings, Tickley Feather is much more than that. Some songs are haunting, others are an enchanting invitation to the spacey fun that lives within the depths of her simplistic tracks. Annie recently educated me on tasty Hors D’oeuvres, magical mushrooms, and West Philadelphia (born and raised, etc).

It was a particularly chilly December night as the xx entered the Newbury Comics store on Newbury Street in the Back Bay district of Boston. Once I had gotten past their low key entrance, free of any amount of attitude or entitlement that I had expected from anyone of their status, I waited patiently as the store cleared out. After about twenty minutes of prep, Sim, Croft and Smith made their way back into the cramped corner of the store where they began to rehearse.

Phil is a busy man. Between multiple projects and travels, he manages not only to sneak an extra ‘e’ into his last name, but to never lose track of his place in the world. Perhaps best known as the man behind The Microphones and Mount Eerie, Elverum is also knee-deep in the works of others and actively involved in his own visual art. We are very excited to have gotten the chance to speak to such a versed individual.

Eric Copeland makes some music– primarily as part of the 3-piece band Black Dice, but also under the elusive solo moniker “Eric Copeland”. Seeing Black Dice live, you will probably observe some people in a sort of trance (partly thanks to the volume) alongside others covering their ears (definitely thanks to the volume). Wherever you fall within that spectrum, dancing is highly recommended.

One of the most fascinating things about amiina is not their talent, but instead the band’s creative versatility. On stage, they constantly rotate instruments, some of which are barely intended for musical purposes [saws and handbells]. Since their early international touring with Sigur Rós, these ladies have polished up their English and enlisted a few good men in the band as well. Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir introduces us to a new amiina we will grow to love in 2010.

Atlas Sound is the name Bradford Cox has used since he started playing music, the band from which his most lauded project was spawned. Logos haunts itself so well that it will make you forget that deer hunting exists. Cox gets some help from Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear of Animal Collective, and Lætitia Sadier of Stereolab. The pieces blend together and burn like a pit of fire in Cox’s sunken chest.

Real Estate is a band that could bear the brand of “surf,” even though they’re from the Garden State. An aquatic vibe pervades the music. Their lyrics and song titles make a lot of references to beaches, lakes, pools and rivers. Their sound is a necromancer conjuring the slide and pop of The Beach Boys from out of the cosmos. Their vocals swim (and sometimes drown) is an ocean of reverb.