It's been about a year since Wye Oak's very fine album Civilian surfaced on many a "Best Of 2011" list. And while the Baltimore duo has remained somewhat dormant besides touring this summer and fall, they've hardly sat on their hands. Jenn Wasner, the band's singer and guitarist has been especially busy, performing, writing, and teasing us with new music from her solo project Flock Of Dimes. 

Back in early February, I had a chance to catch Wasner performing as Flock Of Dimes at Washington D.C.'s Black Cat Backstage, where she debuted and road-tested a batch of new songs. Some of these songs were so brand new, she told us, that they were only written in the last week, or, in one case, the lyrics were finished on the ride from Baltimore to D.C. that day. Alone on stage with simply her guitar and a laptop playing densely layered pre-recorded backing tracks, it was like catching a comedian try out brand new material and seeing what worked in front of a live audience in some tiny club.

It was one of those special, intimate shows that demystified some of the creative process of a musician pushing out of a comfort zone and into uncharted territory. All these months later, as a huge fan of Wye Oak, it's been exciting to see that much of that music is beginning to see the light of day.

Flock of Dimes has released a handful of those songs as singles and B-sides: "Prison Bride", "Curtain" b/w "Apparition", and, just last week "(This Is Why) I Can't Wear White" b/w "15". All these songs have displayed a different side to Wasner's music with Wye Oak, more focused on those blankets of guitars and synths, choppy electronic drums, and of course, her beguiling voice. 

Now, yet another side project has been announced: Dungeonesse, a sparkly dance pop collaboration with Jon Ehrens of White Life. And based on the first single, "Drive You Crazy," Dungeonesse promises to further evolve what we've come to expect from Wasner or Wye Oak. Gone is brooding guitar distortion and washes of noise. In its place, there's plenty of carefree pop hooks, shimmering synths, and a club-ready R&B groove that sounds straight outta the early 90s. Wasner's voice also remarkably fits into this song's silky smooth surroundings.

The duo says they have a proper album in the works, but in the meantime, check out the video for "Drive You Crazy," (out Dec. 4th via Secretly Canadian). If these new songs are any indication of where Wasner or Wye Oak may be heading, I can't wait to hear what's next.

Today on Soundcheck: In 1972, members of a Bronx street gang called the Ghetto Brothers released the record Power-Fuerza. Now, this once-rare nugget is being reissued. Ghetto Brothers founder and lead singer Benjy Melendez and DJ and hip hop journalist Jeff "Chairman" Mao join to discuss the album.

Then, Pinback performs songs from its latest album Information Retrieved.

And Billboard editor Joe Levy drops by to talk about the business of The Rolling Stones.

The 20-year-old British singer-songwriter Lewis Watson is an unfamiliar name to American audiences -- but that may be about to change.

Watson's story begins as many distinctly 21st century discovery tales do -- with the uploading of videos to YouTube. The first, from the summer of 2010, is a charmingly self-conscious cover of Bombay Bicycle Club's "Swansea." What followed over the next few months were renditions of songs by Bon Iver, Mumford and Sons, Tears for Fears -- all with views in the thousands.

Yet it's his original tunes, which he began posting in the fall of 2010, that have attracted the most attention -- from the BBC, The Independent, and listeners who bumped his self-released debut EP, It's Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW, to the top of the singer-songwriter iTunes chart in the U.K. It also attracted Warner Brothers, which has just released his second EP, called Another Four Sad Songs.

"Even If," which appears on Another Four Sad Songs, is a perfect introduction to the young singer's personal lyrical style ("even if I apologize / I know / there's still a hill to climb") and his lightly quavering voice. Word is that he's been collaborating with producers and writers including Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys), Richard Wilkinson (Kaiser Chiefs) and Kid Harpoon (Florence + The Machine) -- and he's barely out of his teens. Should be interesting to see what hills Watson climbs next.

Eliane Elias
"B is for Butterfly"
Playing on Wednesday at Birdland
Get: Tickets ($30-40) | Directions

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake."

Yikes. Voiceover from a horror film trailer? No! Those are just some mildly disturbing lyrics from the beloved Christmas classic, "Santa Claus is Coming To Town." Ah, the holidays. Filled with good tidings, joy, presents -- and plenty of unintentionally dark and disconcerting musical lyrics disguised under a blanket of cheery major chords. 

This Thursday, Soundcheck contributor Faith Salie joins us to share three holiday songs that give her the willies. We want to know: What holiday songs freak you out?

Leave a comment below, or call us to sing your creepy carol at 866.939.1612. 

Today on Soundcheck: Author Peter Ames Carlin joins us to talk about his new biography, Bruce, which delves into the life and career of rock legend Bruce Springsteen.

Then, singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell performs a lovely set of songs from her latest album Young Man In America in the Soundcheck studio.

Have you heard this one? Q: How do you make a trombone sound better? A: Run it over with a lawnmower.

There are a few instruments that are consistently the butt of jokes. There's viola, for one: Q: What's the difference between a viola and an onion? A: No one cries when you cut up a viola. There's the bassoon, for another: Q: What is better, bassoon or oboe? A: Bassoon, you can use it as a toilet plunger. 

And most definitely the trombone: Q: What is the dynamic range of a bass trombone? A: On or off. 

Yet the Brooklyn Afro-Dub band Super Hi-Fi is hardly concerned with trombone take-downs. The group, led by songwriter-producer-bassist Ezra Gale -- previously of the band Aphrodesia -- features two full time trombone players in Alex Asher and Ryan Snow. And their debut album Dub To The Bone, (out Dec. 4) is pretty consistently on. 

The album is a highly textured affair, full of warm analog sounds and classic dub tape delay. But where dub was born out of instrumental remixes of previously existing recordings, the compositions here are all original and demonstrate a deep knowledge of the genre, both its roots and branches.

The opening track, "Washingtonian," bears hints of ska, while the song "Tri Tro Tro" pushes guitarist Will Grafe's gentle strumming to the forefront (though the trombones are never far behind). And the at-times menacing "Neolithic" treads ever so slightly into the realm of spy music. And, in a further nod to the traditions of the genre, Dub To The Bone features several remixes, from the likes of Prince Polo, Victor Rice and Subatomic Soundsystem.

Dub To The Bone makes a convincing case to spare the trombone the fate of lawnmower, instead feeding it straight into the Echoplex and to all the spacey realms beyond.

Delta Spirit
"California"
Playing on Tuesday at Irving Plaza
Get: Tickets ($25) | Directions

Today on Soundcheck: Dr. Oliver Sacks discusses why we hallucinate sounds, from voices to cell phone ringers to music -- even when we're completely sane. 

Plus, we hear a live performance in the studio from the band RNDM -- the trio made up of singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur, bassist Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, and drummer Richard Stuverud. 

And, just in time for those endless holiday shopping lines, Evolver.fm founder Eliot Van Buskirk  delivers some boredom-slaying musical apps. 

Sleepies
"Combat"
Show has been cancelled.