When you normally think of bands that hail from Brooklyn, you probably just assume them to make experimental indie electro-pop rock (ala MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, etc). At least I do. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this band I had checked out at the Comet a couple months ago were from that very place.

Naam is a heavy, drone psych-rock trio that released its first self-titled full length album back in October on Tee Pee Records. The record features hypnotic and doomy vocals and sweet transitions from heavy slow percussion and bass lines to up-tempo, almost danceable (in a drunk hippie kinda way) beats fueled by speedy guitar riffs. Along with really chilled out, dreamy moments highlighted with organ, theramin, and lap steel. An awesome album all around from these dudes. I look forward to hearing more from them. Favorite tracks: "Skyling Slip," "Icy Row."

Analog Africa steps outside of their usual releases of little-known African music and brings us the surprising Mambo Loco. Colombian born Anibal Velasquez started his band in the '60s out of a love for traditional Cuban music. He is one the main innovators of the Musica Tropical movement in Colombia, experimenting with different instruments and musical traditions to create a sound all his own. Fusing Puerto Rican and Cuban music with cumbia, merecumbe, Pompo, Rumba, and other elements all played with the then less popular accordion, he created a new and exciting style of Cuban Guaracha, later called the Guaracha de Anibal Velasquez. The tone of the album is set with the first track, “Carusseles.” You’re immediately compelled to dance with the rapid rhythms of Velasquez’s playful accordion and La Caja drums. It’s almost impossible not to get moving once you hear this album. Even shitty salsa dancers like me have to groove to this. Another impressive release by this German label.

I absolutely love it when a record comes out that is so uniquely different from anything I’ve been listening to recently, and makes me keep it on repeat for days and days. This really only happens every once in a while for me, and this album is included on that list. Gonjasufi is the creation of Sumach Ecks, a hip-hop artist and yoga instructor from Las Vegas. Produced by Gaslamp Killer (mainly), Main Frame and Flying Lotus, this record is a warp of sexy R&B, hip-hop beats, trippy Eastern world, funk, jazz, and druggy psych music, framed by Ecks’ scraggily, disorienting, poetic vocals. No two songs sound alike, and he definitely doesn’t fail to keep it interesting. You can hear how each track was carefully and beautifully thought out. It took eight months to mix and complete the album after it was recorded, and it paid off. Count this as my favorite album of the month.