NYC

Deli Best of NYC 2011 – Submission Results for INDIE POP/LO-FI: Caveman, Chappo, The Bandana Splits, Indyns

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It’s time to unveil the results of the very popular INDIE POP/LO-FI category, relative to the submissions we received for our Best of NYC 2011 Year End Poll.

NYC YEAR END POLL 2011 OPEN SUBMISSIONS RESULTS FOR INDIE POP
Jurors: Mike Harper (Deli Portland), Kate Shepherd (Deli Seattle), QD Tran (Deli Philly)

– QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
The artists in this list qualify for the next phase of the poll, and will be added to the bands nominated by our jury of local scenemakers.

1. Caveman

We weren’t expecting NYC psych-pop masters Caveman – who graced our NYC mag’s cover in last summer’s issue – to submit for our year end poll, considering how much buzz they managed to drum up since their debut record was released. But that’s what down to earth musicians who self-release and self-produce their music do – they look for opportunities for exposure knowing that every little bit adds up. It’s obviously working for them, also because they are undeniably one of the best NYC emerging bands of 2011, whatever this poll’s results will end up being. By the way, what’s wrong with Pitchfork.com? It doesn’t look like they reviewed their album yet!!! – Read The Deli’s cover feature on Caveman here.

2. Starlight Girls

Spooky, sexy, at times psychedelic, Starlight Girls imposes a carefully constructed facade built from French cabaret, soulful ’60s nuggets and downtempo sultriness. Their songs are are invitingly simple, but hold you fast until you’re caught up in the depth of their sinister and artful dance party. Vocalists Christina B and Karys may have adopted their name from the band featured on ’80s cartoon Jem, but their sound is built from another place entirely.

3a. Chappo

Do you believe in doppelgangers? Alex Chappo does. In his zonked out debut Plastique Universe, Chappo and band embody sci-fi bandits that screw with their doppelgangers and rock out the way Wayne Coyne fights aliens. Don’t even try to stop them. These guys are on a mission to make sure you visit their dimension, and eat their hard rocking acid while you’re out there.


3b. The Bandana Splits

This infectious girl group reminds us of the sweet simplicity that can come from three great voices. We could just as easily see Lauren Balthrop, Annie Nero and Dawn Landes doo-wop’ing a Phil Spector Ronettes session as ending the second episode of this season’s Bored to Death (best one of the year). Either way, The Bandana Spilt‘s brand of catchy pop is far too much fun to ignore.

3c. Indyns

 

Indyns makes dance music for people who like spending time alone in the bedroom. Moody and atmospheric, singer/songwriter Adam Jones and band produce a dream state formed from the simplest of elements: synth, beats and reverb-drenched guitars. Somehow these elements come together to produce catchy fog machine dance anthems perfect for your next pillow party.



– ALMOST QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
These artists had good ratings from our jurors but won’t qualify to the next round of our year end poll.

6. These Animals
For anyone wondering where all the guitar groups have gone, look no further than These Animals. Four guys who met at art school and came together to bounce and groove their way around some of the catchiest power pop since The Dismemberment Plan, These Animals have catchy hooks as locked down as their dense harmonies and flashy basslines.


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7. Schocholautte
Schocholautte borrows Violent Femmes’ upbeat enthusiasm, Guided By Voices’ casual melodies and Dinosaur Junior’s explosive guitar parts to concoct one of the most fun NYC records of the year so far.

8a. dDiILliIAaNn
dDiILliIAaNn scares me a little… but that’s a good thing. Sounding like Beck got a little rowdy with Ariel Pink, this maniac brings the party to the freaks. Too crazy to turn your back on, but too catchy to forget, dDiILliIAaNn might be one of the more interesting of Brooklyn’s recent psych-pop party acts.

8b. The Tablets
Who knew toy drums could sound this sexy? Liz Godoy’s deadpan dreaminess brings the love out of otherwise tin can percussion in songs like Sugar Coated and Armistice, all with the help of her power-stomping nine piece band. Godoy has fronted more than a couple great bands in her time, but The Tablets brings out her inner dancer more than anything I’ve heard yet.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These artists also had really good ratings from our jurors and deserve to be mentioned: Overlord, Baby Teardrop, The Smoking Jackets
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NYC

My Goodness to Play The Wild Buffalo, Snowball Music Fest

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Fans of muscly rock riffs and gritty, unapologetic vocals should head to The Wild Buffalo in Bellingham tomorrow night, as high-impact duo My Goodness take the stage with the First Times, and Sam Cooley. Guitarist and vocalist Joel Schneider (also of Absolute Monarchs, who are set to play at Chop Suey on Jan. 14), and drummer Ethan Jacobsen have been setting the standard in Seattle for hard-hitting rockers since 2010, and the release of their self-titled debut last April helped to solidify their place in the collective consciousness of the city’s critics. The band will take to the road again soon, for a March 3 appearance at the Snowball Music Festival in Vail, Colorado.

My Goodness w/ the First Times, Sam Cooley @ The Wild Buffalo

Doors at 8:00 p.m.

Cover $6

– Kate Shepherd

NYC

Illuminator releases split 7″ with Conveyor + plays Glasslands on 01.05

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Self-proclaimed electro-orchestral-psychedelic-gospel group Illuminator (Deli record of the month in July 2011) is one of the Brooklyn bands you want to keep an ear on in 2012. The group just released a single titled “Gulf Hymn” (streaming below) which will be officially released as a split 7” vinyl with another psych band, Conveyor, and they also announced a new full length, out later this year. The band’s music has about the same busy feel as their city of origin. The single’s piercing lyrics handle the sting of someone leaving, using dreamy electronic effects to enforce the emotion. Illuminator will be performing with Conveyor at Glasslands with Snowmine and Telextile this Thursday, January 5th at 8:45pm. This is a bill not to miss for all the nu-psychedelia lovers. – Christine Cauthen

Philadelphia

Free Download: “Barbarians” – Drgn King

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Check out the new psychedelic electro-pop track from Dominic Angelella’s Drgn King called “Barbarians” that was dropped yesterday. The synth-heavy jam gets aggressive with a hint of angst, but mellows outs in the end stoney style-y. You can take a listen and download the song for free below.
 

Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Marielle” – Market East

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Maybe it’s the sudden chill in the air, and the longing for sun-drenched beach weather to come back already. Or could it be that intense week-long summer fling that we had always wished to experience while on vacation with our families? Whatever it is – fledgling lo-fi, acoustic trio Market East seems to have captured the innocent bygone days and feelings of lost summer love in their new music video for the track “Marielle,” which wades on the shores of classic pop. The song will appear on their debut self-titled EP coming out on January 9.

Chicago

Magicks New Single

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Magicks has released a new single called "Ohaider;)". On the bandcamp page for the single he writes, "At 1:25 close your eyes and imagine your first time kissing someone. Maybe it already happened maybe it didn’t.". This track is a part of Magicks forthcoming ep Musicks which will be released on Jan. 26th.

NYC

DC Metal Band Gauchiste To Release Debut Album 1/17

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Gauchiste, a metal trio composed of Tannon Penland (of Loincloth), Tomas Phillips and Craig Hilton, will be releasing their self-titled debut album on Little Black Cloud Records. The band, though based in black metal, describes the album and their music as more of a sonic exploration of the “otherness” or other types of music in the world. After meeting in North Carolina, the three members of Gauchiste created the band and made it into their “everyday routine” , adding composing and making the music into a crucial part of their lives.

Gauchiste will be released on January 17th digitally and with a limited edition physical run of 100 records and 100 CDs. Go to gauchiste.bandcamp.com for more info. -Amanda

New England

Kid Chocolate — Greatest Hits

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If you’re searching for some new songs to add to that ipod you got for Christmas, look no further than Kid Chocolate’s latest release, Greatest Hits. The ten-track album is a brilliant mix of both laid back and upbeat tunes. The opening track, Hardly Ever, reaches out and pulls the listener into a sea of churning guitars and hypnotizing melodies. The entire song sounds like it could be a B-side from some early Black Keys recording, if Dan Auerbach had five too many beers and decided to lay down some vocal tracks.

Upon moving to the second track, the album completely changes direction and breaks out into a rockin’ song reminiscent of the early Kings of Leon days (remember when they actually sounded good?). The songs continue to evolve and change shape as the album progresses, as one can hear in Sea Monster, with its catchy keyboard riffs and reverb-laden vocals that dominate the track.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with Kid Chocolate’s efforts. The band manages to provide an eclectic, yet cohesive, collection of songs that are sure to appeal to a wide range of listeners. You can stream (and download!) all of Greatest Hits for free on Kid Chocolate’s bandcamp site. Be sure to vote for the band in this month’s The Deli New England Artist of the Month Poll as well!

–Daniel McMahon

New England

Llama Tsunami — Get Serious

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Llama Tsunami want to dance with you. If their music doesn’t make you want to stand up and jam with all nine members of this Connecticut ska band, it may be that either A. you take yourself too seriously, or B. you’re intimidated by vocalist Nick Perry’s dance skills, a staple to any show they play. If the answer happens to be A., Llama Tsunami’s album Get Serious is aimed specifically at you. Get Serious isn’t about pretense or obscurity, it’s about keeping it upbeat and fun and Llama Tsunami’s twelve-song album reaches a level of fun that’s on-par with The Aquabats— maybe it comes with their shared affinity for writing pirate songs. That said, sea bandits aren’t even the most peculiar song subjects on the album. Ernest may be the first song about a gay shark ever to be recorded, and more power to the band for filling that niche.

The lighthearted attitude found in most of their song lyrics pairs well with their catchy riffs and impressive four-piece horn section (two trumpets, a trombone, and a baritone sax), giving the album an all-around happy-go-lucky vibe. The album also keeps a good-natured, sassy sense of humor as it pokes fun at man thongs, emo kids, and themselves, like in the title track lyric: “And our biggest fans are our biggest fans because your mom can’t hate your band.”

Get Serious does have a few changes of pace, though, as in Unraveling, When It’s Over, Swing, and Bite My Thumb, all of which demonstrate more reflective songwriting and moods.

Llama Tsunami are constantly playing shows around New England, their next show is  Sunday, Jan 15, 2012 @ the Waterford VFW in Waterford, CT.

–Sarah Ruggiero

L.A.

Advocators of Fun: Putting the fun back in metal

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Have you ever wondered what party metal enthusiast Andrew W.K. would sound like if he were in college? Fear no more, thanks to Luc Fevrier-Silberman and his metal music making merry men. Known to the public as Advocators of Fun, Silberman leads the trio, which consists of himself, Curran Kiel, and Aamir Mauladad. Hailing from San Diego, these jolly music makers will not let anything get in their way of performing. Silberman broke his leg weeks prior to their show at the San Diego Epicenter, a venue, where Los Angeles based rap collective, Odd Future, played only a week before. They believe that music should be fun, and have gone so far to call their first EP, “The Fun EP”. – Ryan Bussard

NYC

Deli Best of NYC 2011 – Submission Results for ALT ROCK/REVIVAL ROCK: Black Taxi, Pass Kontrol, The Courtesy Tier

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After the NYC Electronic and the Traditional Roots Music results published last week, we begin 2012 with the names of the bands that qualified to the next phase of our Year End Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists from the Alt Rock/Revival Rock category. What do we mean by "Alt Rock/Revival" you may wonder? We mean bands that play modern rock music with a strong, often bluesy, melodic element, or any other rock genre that faithfully recreates a sound from the past like Garage Rock or Glam Rock (hence "Revival").

P.S. If you are interested in understanding how our Year End Poll for Emerging Artists works, please go here. 

NYC YEAR END POLL 2011 OPEN SUBMISSIONS RESULTS FOR ALT ROCK/REVIVAL
Jurors: Juan Rodriguez (Deli LA), Chrissy Prisco (Deli Boston), QD Tran (Deli Philly)

– QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
The artists in this list qualify for the next phase of the poll, and will be added to the bands nominated by our jury of local scenemakers.

 
Black Taxi sure got a whole lotta love from The Deli, mainly because our "Alt Rock contributor" Meijin is completely obsessed with them – she once famously wrote: "If New York’s music scene were summed up in two words, they would be Black Taxi". Our non-NYC jurors proved her right, by giving these guys an overwhelming win in our Alt Rock category. Kind of dirty, a little poppy, and VERY danceable, these Brooklynites fashion some of the most undeniably fun rock music around. 

Blending African American elements like funk rhythms and soulful melodies with the urgency and distorted sound of rock music, Pass Kontrol follows on the steps of other NYC "makers of bastardized music" like Talking Heads and TV on the Radio. There’s really a little bit of everything in their debut record "B38", including noise rock attacks and airy keyboard parts, as well as a revival element in the form of various garage references and crooning ballads. Listening to it will send you on a time trip through the history of Rock’n’Roll.

3. The Courtesy Tier

Not new to our blog and year end polls, The Courtesy Tier before 2011 belonged to the ever expanding category of "prolific rock-blues duos that sound as loud as full bands". Then, in their 2011 EP "Holy Hot Fire" (which followed a full album released earlier in the year) they re-discovered acoustic guitars, suddenly sounding like… an actual duo! This exemplifies The Courtesy Tier’s songwriting and performing range.


– ALMOST QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
These artists had good ratings from our jurors but won’t qualify to the next round of our year end poll.

4.a Ellis Ashbrook
The intertwining and harmonizing vocals of Natalie Lowe and guitarist John Barber create the foundation of Ellis Ashbrook’s atmospheric and encompassing sound. The Brooklyn quartet’s melodic vocals command the listener’s attention while the backing band offers a spectrum of sonic options embracing hard rock, rock-pop and in some cases even funk-metal a la Rage Against the Machine (sans-raping, though).


4.b The Nico Blues
These New Jersey based youngsters surely know how to bring on the rawk in their distortion powered pop gems, equally inspired by the belligerance of punk rock and by the layered distorted guitars and attention to the melody typical of the grunge period. Their songs expand the "loud-quite-loud" trick of the indie rock from the 90s in an interesting "noisy-melodic-noisy" direction.
 

 
Drawing from the tradition of hard rock as well as from the more emotional and melodic indie guitar rock of the 90s, NYC’s The Killing Floor forge a sound that’s at once powerful and impassioned. What stands out though is their proficient songwriting, that allows them to write tracks that rise above the average.


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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These artists also had really good ratings from our jurors: The Shake, Shy Around Strangers, Black Suit Youth.

Philadelphia

Free Download: Kominas – The Kominas

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NYC/Philly taqwacore four-piece The Kominas is made up of Basim Usmani on bass, Imran Ali Malik on guitar, Hassan Ali Malik (Sunny Ali) on guitar, and Abdullah Saeed (The Kid) on drums. They recently dropped a new 10-song LP Kominas (a followup to last year’s 7-song EP Escape to Blackout Beach) over the holidays that we’ve been groovin’ out to – hardcore. You can download it for free HERE. Enjoy!