When Arthur Eisele talks about himself as a kid, worshipping Michael Jackson and shopping at the mall, it sounds like he had a pretty typical American upbringing. The only difference is that Eisele lived this Americanized lifestyle in Puerto Rico. "Everything is in Spanish, but apart from that, it could be America," says the lead singer and guitarist for the somber synth trio Kordan. The island even has Gap stores. "I wore khakis," Eisele says. "Therefore, I am American." more

It's a Queen song from 1982, a Heidi Montag track circa 2009 and a Kylie Minogue album from 2003. But as Matt Young discovered in 2008, the phrase “Body Language” was not in use as a band name. “I wanted the name so bad,” Young says. Though a couple of artists had released tracks as Body Language on iTunes, these artists’ inactive MySpace accounts led Young to consider the title up for grabs. more

It is 8 p.m. on the first night of CMJ, and showcases have already invaded The Delancey. The stage in the low-lit, lowceilinged basement has been reserved for indie pop and psych acts. On it, Cristi Jo, 26, and Jessica Zambri, 28, along with their two live-show members, arrange drums, pedals, synthesizers and keyboards. more

Apache Beat’s drummer, Neil Westgate, and bassist, Michael Dossantos, are from Staten Island. Siblings Christina and Phillip Aceto, on synth and guitar respectively, grew up in the Bronx. And then there’s Ilirjana Alushaj. Though the dark-haired, throaty vocalist now lives in Brooklyn, she only defected from Sydney, Australia, in 2004, meaning she’s relatively fresh off the boat. “We’re one of the most New York bands,” Alushaj says, “if you don’t count me.” more

A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN resides near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He uses his words sparingly, but when he does talk, it is in a quiet voice with a slight lilt that reveals him as not from around these parts. He prefers it if you call him “Matthew,” and sometimes he plays guitar. No, he isn’t a displaced busker. This is Matthew Houck, formerly of Toney, Alabama, lover of Willie Nelson and founder of the band Phosphorescent. And he is pleased to be here. more

ALEX FRANKEL AND Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost! fit the profile of your typical Brooklyn musicians. They have a practice space off of the Montrose L stop, enjoy a good American Spirit or 12 and take pride in their hefty collection of instruments. more

THE FIVE MEMBERS of Brooklyn’s ArpLine stand onstage at the Mercury Lounge on a cold Wednesday night in January. They look guarded and skeptical tucked behind their instruments, until bassist Nathan Lithgow steps forward. “So thanks to everyone for skipping the State of the Union Address to come hear us,” he says.The comment momentarily lightens the mood before the group plunges back into the music’s frantic pulses and dark, synthbased melodies, created by keyboardist and saxophonist Oliver Edsforth, guitarist Adam De Rosa, drummer Michael Chap Resnick and vocalist, second guitarist and synthesizer captain Sam Tyndall. more

When you first arrive in New York City, the rats do not greet you with fruit baskets, the subway routes feel labyrinthian and the only knocks coming from your neighbors are the sounds of their headboards smacking against your walls. It is no surprise, then, that after arriving in New York from Boston in 2004,Todd Goldstein felt depressed. “I think my insides just realigned,” he says.The guitarist, who started out playing in folk, jazz and jam bands and moved to indie rock and power pop groups in college, began experimenting with a sound that was “a lot slower and a lot sadder.” He called his solo project ARMS, his inspiration being a British rapper named EARS. “I liked the idea of a plural body part as the name of your project.” more

You can buy an overpriced vintage perfume bottle on Craigslist or search for apartments in Bushwick disguised as East Williamsburg. Or, if you are Somer Bingham, you can find band members. That’s how the solo singer and guitarist met Dan LeMunyan, now the drummer in the Bingham-led band Clinical Trials. LeMunyan and Bingham met through Bingham’s online listing in the spring of 2009, and the inperson meeting that followed went better than either party could have anticipated. “We decided to get drunk, make music and be happy together,” LeMunyan says. more

On his worst days, Chris Otepka says it sounds like he’s standing under water. Most days though, his ears are just hypersensitive to sounds. Otepka, who turns 30 next week, is the former guitarist and lead singer of the now-defunct indie rock band Troubled Hubble, a group founded outside of Chicago in 1999. Otepka and the band played together for six years, performing more than a hundred shows a year at their peak. Troubled Hubble was never a quiet band, but Otepka says that as the years went on, the group got progressively louder in its live show, with the mentality being “crank [the volume] until the sound guy says it’s too loud.” more