New York City welcomes Icona Pop, the Swedish electro-punk duo whose new single “I Love It” (streaming below) is blowing up. “We just moved here,” declared IP’s Aino Jawo online last week, “so everyone out there who wants to show us a good time, please come and dance with us!” Actually, no sooner did they touchdown, than Icona Pop went right back to Europe for a brief tour where they’ll debut material from their upcoming EP, "The Iconic" (out October 16). Despite their penchant for big choruses and crystal-clear vocals, “I Love It” seems to de-bunk early comparisons to Abba with the line, “You’re from the ‘70s, but I’m a ‘90s bitch.”

Jawo and fellow Stockholm-native bandmate Caroline Hjelt moved from London to New York following last year’s guest appearance on Chiddy Bang’s underground hip-hop charter, “Mind Your Manners,” which took off on both sides of the Atlantic (and was included on last year’s Now That’s What I Call Music 39). Lyrically, their next single, “Ready for the Weekend,” sticks pretty close to the formula, but according to Jawo, “It’s kind of more up-tempo, dance-ier,” which she says owes its vibe to the London scene. “It’s not the same punk feeling that ‘I Love It’ (streaming below) has.” With that in mind, we look forward to how NYC will help shape the duo’s next phase. – Brian Chidester 

In case you were planning on dressing as a folk singer for this Halloween, then We Are The Woods will happily provide the soundtrack. The new album from NYC folk trio, the peculiarly titled “Whales & Roses,” will be released on the eve of the year’s scariest and most sugar-filled day, October 30th. One month before the record’s release, the band will treat NYC with a hometown concert at The Living Room September 30th. The show will allow fans the pleasure of witnessing the fantastic harmonies of singers Jessie Murphy and Marcia Webb, who are backed by percussionist Tyler Beckwith. Listen to the upcoming album’s title track below. Josh Johnson

Looking for dark disco with a tinge of sexuality and a double dose of David Byrne? Look no further than the three-piece Kansas City group Molly Picture Club. This week we sit down with all 3 members to find out their views on gun control, Nickelback and disco balls.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

Molly Picture Club: Matt: Gun in your ass and I’d tell ya.

Mike: Why the fuck do you need a gun, dude?

Aniko: Giant exploding disco balls from the future are cooler than guns any day.

The Deli: Tell us about your latest release or upcoming shows. What can we expect?

MPC: Mike: We’ve been writing pretty consistently since May, so I think you should expect new songs to be coming up either at shows or somewhere on the Information Superhighway. We want to keep evolving into the next version of ourselves and I think the songs we have in the cooker show that natural progression of us becoming more aware of what we’re doing.

Aniko: We’ve been in the sandbox, just playing with whatever toys we find. We want to open our insides to experiment with cool sounds, conceptual ideas, sweet-ass dance grooves, and basically just shake off any preconceptions we may have made about ourselves. Wow, that sounds super pretentious! I just mean that we’re trying to stay free in what we do, have fun, and hopefully people will like it, like we like it. In September, look for new songs, new ideas, and a surprise or two here and there.

Matt: New song, fall shows, blah blah blah.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

MPC: Matt: It seems pretty simple; If you want to be supported, then you better support me and we will all be happy with lots of people at everyone’s shows. It’s a community thing. You grow the tomatoes, I’ll grow the peppers, she will grow the onion and he can make the salsa. It works together.

Mike: Every band in the world was a “local” band at one point, with the exception of Nickelback, who came straight from Satan’s asshole.

Aniko: Well, Satan’s asshole is sort of a "locality"… but I digress. I think supporting local music means getting away from the egos—in other words, give it your all and don’t be trying to always compete for local darling status. Look at what cool stuff people are doing, and let yourself be inspired. Clap for the other team if they just pulled off something crazy, even if that made your shit look just a little less shiny. Then, go and put on the kind of show you’d want to go to. Every time you play, whether it’s to a big crowd or just your band mates and the bartender dude. KC represent!

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

MPC: Aniko: I can always trust Cherokee Rock Rifle to rattle me to my core, and Actors and Actresses to soothe my savage soul afterwards.

Mike: I really dig what Parts of Speech has going on, always interested in what Amy Farrand is doing, The B’Dinas, Ghosty, and I’m intrigued at what Soft Reeds could pull off on their next album.

Matt: I like the Snuff Jazz crew, Go-Go Ray‘s projects, London Transit, Hearts of Darkness, Sons of Brazil, and Miles Bonny.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

MPC: Mike: Metronomy, Handsome Furs, Turnpike Troubadours, Louis Armstrong.

Aniko: Lately, I’ve been digging on Metronomy, RJD2, Hard-Fi, St. Vincent, Gogol Bordello, and on and on it goes.

Matt: Donald Byrd, Afrolicious, Antibalas, Freddie Hubbard, Jorge Ben, Gil Scott Heron, Cedric Im Brooks.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy bill to play on?

MPC: Aniko: Hmm. There are lots of musicians on my fantasy list. With this band, I would melt over a bill with Metric, David Byrne, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, and the Gorillaz. It’d be a super duper dance party!

Mike: David Byrne, Brian Eno, Polyphonic Spree, Wolf Parade, and Tiny Tim.

Matt: David Byrne would do for sure. David Bowie, David Gilmore, Fernando David.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

MPC: Matt: Love recording and will definitely do that forever, but playing live is a special experience as well.

Mike: I don’t think I’ll ever not be on stage. I’ll be 60 and playing Talking Heads covers in a diaper. I’ve already got the Facebook invite up.

Aniko: 60 seems early for a diaper. I hope to still be just discreetly peeing my pants while playing at that age. But seriously, both please! I am in love with being in the studio and I absolutely love playing shows. That’s like trying to choose between your two babies. I guess who you love just a little bit more depends on the day.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

MPC: Mike: Wow. That’s the most awesome question I’ve ever been asked. Charlie Parker for revolutionizing jazz, Bob Wills for bringing country swing, jazz, and pop together, Michael Jackson because he was fucking Michael Jackson, and Ringo Starr as long as he has a moustache.

Matt: Easy. James Brown (USA), Bob Marley (Jamaica), Fela Kuti (Africa), Jorge Ben (Brazil) of course.

Aniko: Joan Jett for being a bad ass chick, one of the guys from Kraftwerk, and let’s be honest, no one can really tell them apart, for being pioneers in electronic music and also from another planet, ditto for mutha-f’ing Michael Jackson, and Mozart because inside of me lives a giant nerd who played violin since she was little tiny nerd.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

MPC: Just Google “Molly Picture Club." We’ve got that market cornered on the web. We’re all over the web, in your face, and behind your neighbor’s bushes.

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for The Deli audience?

MPC: Mike: Don’t fart in an elevator.

Aniko: Make sure you have a box of disco balls with you, wherever you go.

Matt: "I am the Walrus."

Molly Picture Club is (L to R above):
Aniko Adany
Matthew Hayden
Michael Tipton

This Saturday, September 22, Molly Picture Club will be throwing a big dance party along with London Transit and La Resistance at the recordBar. The show will be interactive, with an overhead projector allowing the audience to draw on the band while it plays (Facebook event page here). Don’t miss it! The group also recently formed Talking Heads’ tribute Found A Job, and they’ll be performing with other special guests at the recordBar on Tuesday, October 30 (Facebook event page here).

–-Zach Hodson

Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black and Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects.  He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn’t want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato).

Share this story on Facebook

(Photo by Leah O’Connor)

With the very first chord struck in a melancholy minor tone, you can place a safe bet of what you are getting yourself in to. The next thirteen minutes of your life will be consumed by a capivating acoustic attack on the establishment. Of course we all love occasionally raging against the machine, but the outstanding level of grace and finesse portrayed by Folkicide in The Genocide is Mean EP remains incomparable.

The 5 songs included on this EP explore the glass half-empty side of the human condition. There is an overwhelming sense of pessimism that embodies the album. The mellow, acoustic chords and simplistic drumming raise the distinct vocal sounds to a pedestal. It becomes clear that the guitar and percussion are simply there to follow the lyrics—which are the true center of attention in all 5 songs.

Bold statements like "I worship the devil," in "Black Metal" and “Power to the people, a recipe for evil,” from "Power to the People" accurately depict the EP’s tone. It seems as though Folkicide is offering up an alternate way to think about lifeperhaps in a form that is easier to swallow.

Catchy lyrical hooks find themselves anchored in the brain, almost forcing you to think of the deeper meaning. Before long, you will find yourself singing along with Folkicide, raging along side him in his journey to discover what is wrong (or right) with society.

The Genocide is Mean was recorded by Chubby Smith at his Magical Tractor Shed in Perry, Kansas. The EP was released in July. Songs performed by Folkicide on guitar/vocals, and Zach Turner on drums. Folkicide recently released a video for one of the tracks on the EP, "Unleash The Young." Watch it and read our take on it at the link here. You can see Folkicide perform on Friday, Saturday 28 at The Riot Room for Schwervon!‘s CD release party with them and The Lucky.

–-Steven Ervay

Steven is intern for The Deli Magazine – Kansas City and Midwest Music Foundation, and he’s awesome!

Share this story on Facebook 

If you just haven’t received enough kisses in your day, The Empty Spaces‘ brand-new video, "Holidays Are Nice and Warm," is sure to provide you with plenty in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Along with a healthy, carefree dose of melodious pop. Follow the band’s exploits attempting to get kissing booth smooches in Westport. Guaranteed Optimus Prime helmets, lampshade drumming, and most of all, fun. Video directed by Micki Hadley.

Listen to tracks from Party Line at the band’s page on here at Golden Sound Records.

"Holidays Are Nice and Warm" is on the band’s EP Party Line, released earlier this year by Golden Sound Records and was The Deli KC’s July CD of the month. The trio will be playing next at The Brick on Friday, September 21 with Shy Boys and Desodean. Facebook event page here. They will also be at the Plaza Art Fair on the Ink stage at noon on Saturday, September 22.

The Empty Spaces are (L to R above):
Mat Shoare
William Brent Wright
Ross Brown

–Michelle Bacon

Share this story on Facebook

Every time I try to review this album, I get distracted by something shiny. It’s like my mind goes on a little “this one time, at band camp …” journey to some weird place where I have fierce opinions on those that demand I wear shoes and the only important thing to me is contemplating if my head could fit inside the Styrofoam cup I’m drinking from. I’m pretty sure I’d make it, but my face contends otherwise. This argument goes on for at least twenty-five minutes before I remember I was intently listening to a new album. Fortunately for me, this is the perfect music for that sort of thing.

My new found ADHD aside, Gemini Revolution is an LP from Gemini Revolution, a psychedelic KC jazz rock outfit. I had originally heard the material in the form of two separate EPs, but it comes across as a much stronger effort in the full album form. Whereas in shorter doses it was difficult to determine which direction this group was going in, the album provides a perfect layout of its style. Oceans of swirling synthesizers crash amongst the sparse jazzy rhythm section. Along comes the occasional island of sandy white vocals, reverberating near and far in the high-sky sun, but soon once again you are left swimming in the moody psychedelic depths.

The songs seem very loose form at first listen, bordering absent-minded at times, often extending into seemingly bottomless jams, but start to exude consistent melody and intent as you go deeper down the rabbit hole. Whereas trends in pop music usually dictate a song lives or dies by its beat and vocals, Gemini Revolution seems to take pride in the fact it uses both of those things as just another tool in the box.

The opening track features the strongest sense of songwriting and vocal variety. The female background "ahs" provide a soothing and serene balance to the almost-too-harshly-reverbed main vocal. This song features the most accessible hook on the record and is passed effortlessly amongst the various instrumentation. The song trails out with a well orchestrated guitar/keyboard outro that leaves a pleasant pop taste in your mouth.

Another standout is "Through the Woods." The vocals are reverbed to the point I can’t really understand them (and even my most skilled “Gemini Revolution lyrics” Google searches don’t turn anything up), but this song exudes an aura of adventure and exploration. It really hits home during the sections in which the female vocal teases back and forth with a lush collaboration of keyboards. These sections are probably my favorite moments from the entire record. This would be a great song to zone out to while enjoying a nice leisurely Sunday afternoon space flight, just throw your hair back and enjoy the solar flares.

All in all, Gemini Revolution really hammer home who they are with this effort. There are no pop pretenses here, no playbooks or rules they choose to follow. It is pure music exploration into the cosmos. Solid and unconfined.

Gemini Revolution is (L to R above):
Dedric Moore
Mika Tayana
Delaney Moore

Gemini Revolution’s new self-titled album was released by Upstairs Recordings (Canada) and is now available on iTunes. The band will be performing at POP Montreal on Thursday, September 20. If you want to see them a little closer to home, they’ll be playing at 7:00 pm Sunday, September 23 for the release of the local compilation CD from Midwest Music Foundation. Double CDs are free at the door. 

–-Zach Hodson

Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black and Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects.  He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn’t want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato).

Share this story on Facebook