New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Sometimes I feel like I’ve missed the boat when I finally come across certain bands. It’s especially the case with Letting Up Despite Great Faults, considering I use to work with their drummer many, many moons ago (those are stories for another day). This four piece’s shoegaze sound stay upbeat, never getting too dark or artificial. Their collection of songs lift you up and bring you down at the same time, it’s the fodder for a coastal drive in the winter.
-Angelo Lorenzo
Deli-rious readership,
We gave bands a week to apply for free to our Year End Best of NYC 2010 Poll, but submissions aren’t closed – we are now still accepting them until 12.31 HERE, through SonicBids, with a $5 submission fee. It’s the first time we charge musicians for anything, but these polls take so much of our time that we needed to find a way to offset some of the personal effort we put in them, we hope you understand.
The Deli’s Polls’ mission is to highlight the best local bands that emerged in 2010 in the 10 scenes we cover – the full list of cities we cover can be found here.
Our polling system (based on the votes of a local jury of scene makers and partially on our readers vote) has rewarded in the past artists like Local Natives, Yeasayer, Girls, Chairlift, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Freelance Whales, Sleigh Bells and Neon Indian (among others) before they hit it big.
The summary of last year’s polls (each city’s top 3 + readers poll winner) can be found here. A full explanation of the polling system can be found here.
We hope you’ll submit your music, because the more bands submit, the more accurate our poll is – we will consider any band!
Good luck, and… we swear that we will listen to your music!
The Deli’s Staff
David Byrne’s label Luaka Bop had a very good 2010, with the raise to semi-stardom of their signees Javelin, and the end of year "buzzification" of Delicate Steve. The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! is the third NYC based band recently signed by the ex Talking Head, which promises to have an interesting 2011, when they are scheduled to release their sophomore album. This collective of musicians shares with Javelin and Steve a similar DIY attitude, but has a scruffier, "post-punk-ier" approach to music, alternatively reminiscent of a drunk, chanting version of Animal Collective and The Pogues stripped of their Irish music influences. Their shows are like a big party, so if you are looking for a fun night, head to Silent Barn on December 18.
It’s really amazing how these days indie and even DIY bands are literally infiltrating quality music into many aspects of the entertainment and art worlds, in particular in NYC. This phenomenon is perfectly exemplified by the 2 day "Rock and Roll Circus" event, which will take place at Lincoln Center on January 3 and 4 and involve the Big Apple Circus together with many fantastic emerging indie bands including NYC’s own Japanther, The So So Glos, Electric Tickle Machine, Amazing Baby, and Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing with LA’s Aska. Japanther’s fun DIY pop aesthetics, as you can see from the video below, seems an especially good fit here.
Harvest the Beast was an end-of-summer release, and it’s high time it got a shout from The Deli as it’s the first album and last testament of the former Bad Cop lineup. With vocalist Adam Moult the only remaining original, there are mixed feelings out there concerning the member swap. But let’s move past it. Throughout the course of 10 tracks, the band displays lyrical brazenness and complete confidence in the formulaic approach, and that makes all the difference. Beneath the loud, comic-book cover art is an album churned and mashed with rock and pop influences and steeped in psychedelia. It starts off deceptively with some pretty chords à la Death Cab for Cutie as Moult declares, “You can’t love someone who doesn’t love themselves” in “Amorres Perros” but then delves into the harder, fleshier tracks.
Crunchy guitars break down into prolonged, whining chords over rumbling drum beats, transitioning from hyper grit-rock to meandering psych-rock in a matter of minutes, as found on “Tonight Only.” Moult’s alternation of frightening yells and stern, commanding proclamations mimic Jim Morrison’s vocal style, but the real intrigue is in the guitar parts, which putter, squeal and grate relentlessly even when Moult’s vocal assault gets tiresome. Definitive guitar melodies pull Bad Cop out of any slump – not that they’re in one – as “One in the Same” illustrates, or “Judas the Snake,” in which drilling riffs devour thundering bass and a clashing high-hat. “I Ask Questions” opens with the repetition of “We don’t know where we go when we die,” an assertion that makes no attempt at obscurity. But then, nothing about the album is trying to keep quiet. Bad Cop has ambition, and they’re so sure of Harvest the Beast, the listener is, too. – Jessica Pace
With the release of their debut album, MIRRORS, Washington D.C.-based U.S. Royalty delivers on capturing the volatility and explosiveness that define their live performances. Early comparisons have been made to Local Natives, The Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, and early Kings of Leon.
"With this record we wanted to present a body of work, a complete thought," says singer John Thornley. To achieve this, the band wrote and rewrote songs for a year, demoing and dissecting while on the road and at home. John continues, "Because we traveled for about a year and a half before we recorded the album, there is definitely a travel vibe to the record."
In March 2010, the band teamed up with engineer Gus Oberg (The Strokes, Albert Hammond Jr., Bloc Party) and Justin Long to begin recording the album. The band recently released the first single off the album, "Equestrian," and set a release date for the debut album, January 25th 2011.
Catch U.S. Royalty live at the 9:30 Club on Dec. 17.
The Smith Westerns have released a video for their track "Weekend" which appears on their sophomore LP, Dye It Blonde, which will be released on Fat Possum on Jan. 18.
The band will be performing at Empty Bottle on Feb. 26th.
The And Company will be headlining a special holiday show at the Lizard Lounge on Thursday the 23rd. Opening for them will be Tom Smith. The And Company is releasing a much anticipated debut LP Look Up on January 16th at the Burren. Deli recommends both shows! The And Company plays upbeat, quirky folk and always gets the audience involved. I have a feeling their new LP is going to be awesome.
Doors are at 8:30
Tom @ 9:15
The And Company @ 10:15
$7 at the door +21
–The Deli Staff
Deli readers,
The new issue of The Deli LA is out! Lots of articles, reviews and interviews with awesome LA based artists, plus a hilarious piece on "How To Become a Rockstar" penned by We Are Scientists bass player Chris Cain. Check out the pdf version of it here.
The Deli Staff
Los Angelinos and Los Angelinas,
The new issue of The Deli LA is out! Lots of articles, reviews and interviews with awesome LA based artists, plus a hilarious piece on "How To Become a Rockstar" penned by We Are Scientists bass player Chris Cain. Check out the pdf version of it here.
The Deli Staff
Travis Knight transcends the singer/songwriter category by tapping into a variety of influences for his melodic roots, reggae-inspired sound. Perhaps it’s because the proficient musician—who will play all instruments on his early 2011 solo release Risky Calm Oddity—considers himself a bassist at heart. Knight formed Moss Bluff in Los Angeles in 2005, and has released two full-length albums featuring contributions from Ben Harper’s drummer Jordan Richardson, William Ryan Fritch, and former Matisyahu drummer Jonah David. Songs such as “Elegant DEMO” recall the pre-1980’s basslines of The Police. “Ribbons” is another modern reggae ditty, perfect for a sexy, slow dance. Pulsing with an energetic, memorable chorus, “Arm in the Sun” delights with its lush strings and heavy personal vocals. Knight starts a regular gig at the Viper Room this Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 10:15 pm, and will play every Wednesday at 8:15 pm through January.
-Whitney Phaneuf