Lost Boy ? – that question mark is part of the name – might be a bunch of lost souls but as long as they don’t lose those Pixies references they are a found asset to the NYC scene. Those Bostonian bad asses were so unique that to this day no band really managed to reference them without falling into plagiarism. Lost Boy ? manages to avoid this thanks to the added character brought by their lo-fi approach and some psych influences Kim Deal and co. didn’t venture into. These guys have some really good songs, and should be fun live: check them out on 12.09 at Death By Audio and/or the day after at Spike Hill.
New CD of the Month! Faces on Film – Some Weather
Faces on Film’s Some Weather is the Deli CD of the Month, just look over to the right column under the poll to check out the review. In the meantime consider checking Faces on Film out IRL at Great Scott this Saturday.
12/11 — Faces On Film
Marconi
Birds & Batteries
St. Claire
21+ 10bux 9pm
Color Me Indie new concert series, starts Dec. 11th at Space 2710
Live music, local art, and barrels of free hot cocoa make up the pieces of Color Me Indie’s first concert event at Space 2710. Live music will be colored rock n roll by the likes of Blonde Summer (or catch them tomorrow with Kitty), Twin Suns, and The Pocket Rockets. Live art will be provided by the Artcade Collective. It’s an all ages show for $5 with, I have to say it again, free hot cocoa. Don’t be a scrooge!
-Angelo Lorenzo
A new super-folk-band is born: Middle Brother
Partisan Records announced the spring 2011 release of Middle Brother‘s debut album – a new supergroup comprised of the lead singers of NYC’s own Deer Tick, and LA based Dawes and Delta Spirit. Middle Brother came together in mid-2009 when the three songsmiths realized, after several on-stage collaborations, that they shared a unique vision and wanted to take it one step further, into the studio. They first played their anthemic, soulful, passionate and confessional at 2010’s SXSW – a tiny, late-night, unannounced event under the moniker “MG&V”. Since then they have been busy in the studio preparing next year’s debut release. The band will be playing a one-off show December 20 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Here’s a preview of one of the songs featured in the upcoming record, performed live.
Merry Monkmas
The Loneliest Monk have found their holiday cheer, and recorded a version of "Carol of the Bells". You can download it by visiting their website.
Noise Floor Crew WWCD Mix
Noise Floor Crew have released a new mixtape called WWCD?. The mix feature 27 tracks including two originals and two remixes from the crew. If you need something more upbeat to get you through the holiday than this mix is for you.
Sad Brad Smith
Today marks the release of the debut album from Sad Brad Smith, Love Is Not What You Need. This lonely and heartbroken troubadour may have a his tongue slightly planted in his cheek, but his music pure and genuine. Whether sincere or in jest these tracks are well-constructed capture a mood of the helpless romantic and takes it to the extreme.
Take the track "Everyone Knows That I’m Still In Love With You". It is a simple premise, but in the hands of Sad Brad Smith it becomes a near comical adventure. "I told a dirty joke, the room stay quiet." It’s nearly nonsense, but still beautiful. Although this is an independent release SBS has managed to get his track "Help Yourself" on the "Up In The Air" soundtrack. He has that near universal appeal while keeping the audience at bay with his mixture of humor, heartache, and romance.
New Release: Skeletal System – Small Talk/Static Eyes
With jagged guitar strikes piercing a harrowing and portentous synth-drone, Skeletal System’s “Small Talk” opens their just recently released two-track EP. A vast and reverberating chamber of sound engulfing eerie and despondent lyrics, “Small Talk’s” pensive mood begs to be played at high volume so that the listener can be consumed by its resonance, sending chills in a fascinating way.
Like a thick cloud punctured by the blips of a falling satellite, “Static Eyes” fills the second side of the single with additional ominous intensity. Marked by its sharp arpeggio-ed synthesizer tones, “Static Eyes” (all though certainly dark in its own right), functions as a lovely bridge out of the utter despair that characterized the previous track.
All in all this EP (or single, however you choose to define it) is a brief but enthralling release by one of San Francisco’s great synth-rock bands. Hopefully, it is a herald of more in-depth things to come. It is available for free at Bandcamp and comes highly recommended.
–Ada Lann
Hard Nips celebrate CD release at Cake Shop on 12.07.
Don’t ask us why, but we feel like no month could be more appropriate than a freezing December for Brooklyn-via-Japan all female quartet Hard Nips‘ CD release party. The band plays rather spartan punk pop, with what I would call "classic female Japanese rock vocals" – a style of singing that I would describe as high in pitch, super-simple in the choice of melodies, and non-dramatic in the delivery. I’m sure there is a deep cultural reason behind what I’m hearing and associating with Japanese singing (and if not, then perhaps it’s just a coincidence), but for now I’ll just be happy to coin a new genre, by the name of "Nip-Pop". Hard Nips will bring their punky Nip-Pop to Cake Shop on 12.07 to celebreate the release of their debut CD.
Yuck album in early 2011, NYC show with Teenage Fanclub on 12.08
Yuck, a band comprised by musicians spread in 3 different continents (NJ, London and Japan), have been getting a decent amount of buzz lately with their alternatively clean and fuzzy dream pop. After signing to Fat Possum Records (The Walkmen, Wavves, Andrew Bird), the band announced their full lenght debut for February 2011, and released a first free mp3 you can check out down here. Definitely a band to watch for 2011 – don’t miss the show at Electric Ballroom on 12.08 with… Teenage Funclub!!!
Join Us at The Deli Magazine’s Final Showcases of the Year!
Gold Motel
Gold Motel has released a new 7inch single called "Talking Fiction". The single includes two tracks, Side A track ‘Cold Shoulders’ and Side B track "Slow Emergency’, and a digital download.