♪ Salem - "Redlights"

This band was introduced to me by my impossibly fabulous brother, Connor. There seem to be several bands that go by the same name, so to be clear this is not the Israeli extreme metal band, nor the post-hardcore Florida-based band.

From what I can gather (details are almost non-existent; this is all based on word-of-mouth...from Connor) Salem is a three-piece based out of New York. They've only played three shows–all in New York–and there is quite the buzz about them in the NYC art scene.

My initial response was that they sounded like a darker version of My Bloody Valentine. "Redlights" is probably my favorite track (listen to it above), and sounds a bit like a more subdued version of M.I.A.'s smash hit Paper Planes.

For more images and sounds, visit Salem's MySpace page here, and perhaps you can Agatha Christie a few additional morsels of information from this mysterious, gorgeous-sounding group.

UPDATE: To read the Salem Pitchfork review chalk full of more details about the band, click here. To see their new video for the song "Skullcrush" about disposing of a girl's dead body click here. Happiness.