Indie folk-pop seems like too simple a categorization for a band like Landlady, even though that is the core of their sound, which is slightly reminiscent of Luke Temple’s rather obscure but beautiful debut album, before he started Here We Go Magic. Adam Schatz, the Brooklyn based lead singer/songwriter for this six-piece pop collective, pulls the talent he needs from a pool of 11 musicians, all of whom have the chance to sing and have their turn at different instruments. Their newest single “Above my Ground” (streaming below) exemplifies their mid-tempo, lo-fi take on the genre. The song slowly builds on meandering guitars and languid backup vocals, spiraling to a noisy climax that quickly dissolves on the songs consistently steady drum line. This pop is not to be taken lightly. – Lucy Sherman

The Blakes released album "Art of Losses" this summer, which blends dreamy pop, electro-tinged rock, moody post-punk and lo-fi guitars mixed with big harmonies. They are now unveiling the video for “Narwhal, the first clip from their recent album, Art of Losses, check it out here – video-less song streaming below.

There aren’t many front ladies (or gentlemen, for that matter) as convincing and seducing on stage as Stephonik Youth, who sings and looks a little like a reinvention of those intriguingly dark pop stars of the 80s – from Robert Smith to Siouxie. The Deli featured and booked her electro-rock band Living Days several times a couple of years ago, and we are excited to hear they will be back with a new record in early 2013. As an appetizer to the full release, the band just unveiled a video on IFC of their cover of Pete Townshend’s "Let My Love Open the Door" (the song is also streaming below). The sound seems more electro than the previous material, check out other tracks here.

This song was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.

St. Claire is a band that deserves the folk label. Hailing from across the globe, the members of this quartet have chosen to build their home atop the muddy waters of rustic guitars and banjos, and solid foundations of wide open spaces of love-weary lyrics. Indeed, while other ‘folk’ performers don traditional instruments but keep the melodies as radio-friendly pop fodder, (Mumford and Sons anyone?) St. Claire isn’t afraid to tell a story of heartbroken pain, rooted in tradition, but sounding like the first time it’s been told. Like the beautifully haunting ‘He is a Ghost,’ where a repeated ode to love becomes an anthemic act of desperation. But you’ll have to listen to these pleas yourself to really appreciate the fact that the band’s now settled into Brooklyn. See them when they play Piano’s on Tuesday, December 11th (tonight) or at Rock Shop on January 6. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

The song "He is a Ghost" was added to our Soundcloud playlist of folk NYC based artists here.

Dream pop met 80’s electronic revival and became the Brooklyn based duo Color War. Lindsay Mound’s sweetly spacy vocals keep the mood dreamy, and Billy J’s inimalist beats and electronic arpeggiators give the sound a "technical" edge while moving the music forward. This is a softer side of electro pop that favors simplicity and clarity of sound over layered synthesizers and full-bodied noise. Color War has a few songs available online in "The Prismatic Collection," including a cover of Lee Hazelwood’s “Some Velvet Morning,” and are currently busy writing the soundtrack for the film "Night and a Switchblade" by director Ben Finer. – Lucy Sherman