NYC

Yankee Bang Bang wins The Deli’s Battle of the Vans + releases new EP on June 12

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Last week we fired off an email blast to all the NYC bands in our email database in search for a man/woman with a van who could help us distribute the Spring 2013 issue of The Deli. After a careful analysis of each band’s music and van, we decided to go for Brooklyn lo-fi poppers Yankee Bang Bang and their  2006 Dodge Grand Caravan! Not too old + perfect size to fit 8k copies of The Deli + chilled dudes (we imagine).

The band will be releasing a new EP on June 12 with a show at Grand Vicotry. In the meantime, enjoy this track from an older rlease.

Chicago

Smith Westerns “3am Spiritual”

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Smith Westerns have released another track, "3am Spiritual", from their forthcoming album "Soft Will" out June 25th on Mom + Pop. The band’s sound still has elements of surf rock, but they seemed to have toned down the garage and lo-fi components completely. This new track is a wonderful departure from their sound with it’s light, pop-filled melody.

Chicago

Fort Frances

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Fort Frances released their new ep Harbour late last month, and have now released a very cool cover of Ryan Adams’ track "New York, New York". The track lead up to a show last weekend in The Big Apple. The trio, lead by vocalist David McMillin, play a passionate brand of roots rock.

NYC

Dirty Fences plays west coast gigs after Irving Plaza show with Turbonegro

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The next step in hot rod hard rock is here. Dirty Fences have combined the joys of smoke-filled biker bars into songs that last at most 2 and a half minutes. New EP ‘Too Kind to Kross’ is two jams designed especially for speed and abandon. This is the kind of sunset strip metal that celebrates the roots of hardcore, and the future of good old fashioned, dirty ass hard rock is here. Grab the new record here, and if you missed your show at Irvin Plaza last Saturday (opening for Turbonegro), check them out when they head back to NY for shows later this year. The band will play three gigs in the West coast in late May/early June. – Mike Levine (@Goldnugets)

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Alt Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Philadelphia

Tuesday Tune-Out w/Neighborhood Choir & Avery Rosewater at PhilaMOCA May 21

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YVYNYL, a.k.a. Mark Schoneveld, continues his curation of this month’s Tuesday Tune-Out at PhilaMOCA tonight with a one-two combination of lesser-known, talented local artists. Neighborhood Choir is the dream-pop project from Bennett Daniels, who is the bassist for Laser Background as well as a number of Philly acts such as Brendan Codey, Hippy Johnny, etc. Avery Rosewater is an impressive fledgling band led by Julien Rossow-Greenberg (formerly of Arches). This evening will be a good opportunity to hear the groups’ yet-to-be-released material and how their tunes transfer over into a live setting. Daniels has also chosen the film that will be screened after their performances so stick around for that too. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $5, All Ages (Photo by Tiffany Yoon) – H.M. Kauffman 


New England

Pretty & Nice are Just That

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 I can’t vouch for the former, but this three-piece Boston outfit is certainly pretty– their  latest, Golden Rules for Golden People, has been slowly gaining critical acclaim that their long-standing Beantown fans can cheer for. Often compared to early new wave from Elvis Costello to Squeeze, don’t listen to the blogs that tell you Pretty and Nice are merely influenced performers. In their single “Hibernate”, you hear snippets of the Kinks and a snatch of electronic, but the blend is completely unique to the group. Holden Lewis and Jeremy Mendicino have been playing the New England scene since 2004 and are finally gaining some clout in the community. Golden Rules is terrific, but for even more Pretty and Nice fun take a listen to their earlier recordings– their current sound is a careful blend of everything they’ve done to date, and it’s a cool journey to take. Catch them at the Sinclair on Thursday with the Thermals. – Jamie Loftus

NYC

NYC duo ASTR debut single and video for “Operate”

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Keeping secret identities, rising R&B electropop artists ASTR are testing the waters with slick, slightly sinister club bangers. The “NYC Duo” mixes processed vocals, 808s and heavy bass drops, producing dance tracks that sound like they came from a seasoned hit factory. Dark undertones ground their handful of high-gloss tracks, but they never dive into the creep-pop or drug-stupor of influences like Purity Ring and The Weeknd. The pair’s latest single is a radio-friendly earworm called “Operate.” The twitchy, washed-out companion video borrows from NIN’s, “Closer,” with blood, guts and silent film footage spliced between shots of the glam, unknown singer, whose “Operate, Oh-oh” has a tinge of Caribbean accent. The sleuth behind the buttons remains a mystery. – Bianca Seidman

L.A.

Stream: Lee Noble, “Remind Me”

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What is merely a tease to his upcoming full length release, “Remind Me,” is the first single off of experimentalist Lee Noble’s ‘Ruiner’ LP. With a touch of drone-y atmospherics, the song dishes out a heavy does of mood while managing to maintain a sense of rhythm and melody that is more often neglected in this genre for the sake of boundary-pushing. Crunchy guitar swells drift atop lo-fi drum machine loops and ambient sound design as Noble moans with the emotional inflection found on Thom York’s ‘Eraser,’ and the affected lethargy of early Atlas Sound. Dappled with homespun distortions and hiss, “Remind Me” never ambles too far out of reach yet stays rooted in the authenticity of it’s derivatives. ‘Ruiner’ is set for release September 5 on Bathetic Records. – Jacqueline Caruso