New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
NYC scene mainstays ARMS (a band we love and booked several times, also at CMJ and SXSW) announced a new EP (called "EP2") for a September release, and unveiled single "Comfort" – streaming below. See the band live at Glasslands on 07.27.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best NYC songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
With cello reminiscent of T-Rex from the "Electric Warrior" era), and clean, dry vocals similar to those found on The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and "SMiLE", there’s no denying that orchestral pop band Met City must be huge fans of Brian Wilson and Marc Bolan. Songs like "Chess Street" (streaming) and "Mother Goose" have heart warming lyrics and chord progressions. Verging on operatic at times, you can’t help but smile at the light-hearted yet earnest songs these nouveau-baroquer’s come up with. The recordings themselves are just as interesting as the arrangements, incorporating both lo fi and hi fidelity at the same time. Be sure to catch them on July 28th at Spike Hill with… The Lighthearted (Boston), at 10pm. – Sam Kogon (@samkogon)
This band submitted their music for coverage here.
Baroness‘ new in-studio BBC session release Live at Maide Vale is available for streaming (below). You can also purchase the 4-song EP on limited edition vinyl via Relapse Records.
The experimental jazz-punk trio Evasive Backflip have released their debut ep, and are working on a full-length. The trio mixes garage rock with a funk and jazz mentality that is truly unique.
You can catch Evasive Backflip at Quencher’s with Andrew Kent Wittler and NYC’s En Dolphins and DC’s Double Saginaw Familiarity tomorrow night, July 25th at 9pm.
Gentle Speed is an exciting new collaboration between Matt Engers and visual artist Jessie Winslow. The duo recently released their first single, "All of the Below", which blends haunting melodies and an array of mysterious sounds. It is lush and beautiful on its own, but it does make want to witness the performance art aspect in person as well.
Last year at Art Outside, I walked into the biggest crowd I’d seen for a daytime show to find out what all the fuss was about… and then I heard it. Dani Neff, lead singer and guitarist of Megafauna, is one of the best shredders I’ve seen in all my life. And the best part is, she makes it look so easy! Her dainty fingers seem to effortlessly glide over the strings as this hard but intricately melodious sound oozes from her guitar.
Quickly on the rise, their latest music video, "Precious Blood", was directed by David Bellarosa of Lonely Giant. It also stars Laurie Gallardo of KUTX and The Good Music Club. This is an Austin music video that can’t be missed. Click here to watch. –Written by Charise Sowells
"The first time I saw Carter Tanton perform was at T.T. the Bear’s in Cambridge, MA, circa 2002, with his Bard College band Catch A Fly. At one point the bass player lost a string. Not missing a beat, Carter covered a Nirvana song solo. His voice was perfect; he carried the audience, made us forget the rest of the band. At the end of the show he fell down, and crawled slowly off stage. I thought it was a bit of theatrics. He’d been singing and playing with transfixing passion and the abrupt and dramatic exit seemed fitting, and entertaining. After the show, I introduced myself to him. He was pale and drenched in sweat. I asked him with a wry smile why he ended the show like that. He said he didn’t even remember falling down. It wasn’t an act. He was exhausted. He had given everything to the performance at the small club with the college band…" [Continue reading about Carter Tanton and Luxury Liners here] –Natan
Catch Luxury Liners this Friday (7/26) at Black Cat (with Future Bible Heroes). We at the Deli are so excited about this show that we’re giving away a pair of passes to one lucky winner! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM on 7/25 and tell us your favorite Luxury Liner song. Please include your first and last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back.
Daytrotter just posted their session with Philly’s own DRGN KING, which you can listen to and download for free (w/membership) HERE. The band will performing this Sunday in Camden at XPonential Music Fest. (Illustration by Johnnie Cluney)
Gold Lake, a psych rock trio we highlighted in this blog a few weeks ago, is an emerging NYC band that deserves more attention. This single "We Already Exist," and in particular the "Hello Sequence" remix streaming below, is a powerful tune that showcases a group of mature musicians and an outstanding female vocalist. The remix, which is really more like an alternate vision in the production department, accentuates tension and dissonance, making the song so much more powerful and dramatic. They’ll be playing tonight at Bowery Electric, it will be interesting to hear the rest of their material.
Pink Mexico is the project of Robert Preston, dripping the colors of grunge into a beautifully mixed album that truly identifies with the punk rock/ garage band style. It surpasses the abstract by putting in a notional array of deep transitions, heavy guitar strums, and at times, an occasional piano. Listeners of Pink Mexico have compared his music to others like The Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Wavves and Thee Oh Sees. But when asked about any form of influence towards his music, Preston had this to say, “ A friend of mine is a part of a renegade dance group called 1,2,3 Party and it is a lot of street dancing, taxi cab humping and basically just going insane. They even dance in the streets in these tiny shorts.” He’s laughing as he reminisces on the time he watched his friend take part, “Even though some of it is inappropriate, it’s inspirational because he’s not afraid to do what he loves and that’s huge.”
Many artists take inspiration from other artists, bands, and writers, or maybe even family or friends, but it is true that creativity can arise from the strangest of places. Layers create the psychedelic track "Daisyface" (one of my personal favorites), setting you back into what feels like another dimension of music. But with no person of interest in mind, a lot of Preston’s material in terms of lyrical content is fictional. “Most of the songs are loosely based on real life, sometimes foreshadowing the future or remembering the past,” says Preston. He is much more than a lyrical genius, but a stamp on the generation of music that is now filled with the clash of alternative rock and hard punk. People don’t understand how hard it is to be living in this day and age, but Preston’s music helps transform us into something we all long to be: ourselves. – Kayla Hay
Highly conceptual, the debut album from Body Parts is apparently inspired by a terrible nightmare frontman, Ryder Bach had of a close friend murdering his parents. The album explores these themes of life vs. death, dream vs. reality with the songwriting prowess of mature, seasoned technicians. With the first single, “Desperation,” the band explores even deeper textures and more complex rhythms mined from late 80s/early 90s art pop that has inspired their work to this point. ‘Fire Dream’ is set for release October 29 on Father/Daughter Records. Stream the single below and check out their August tour dates for a chance to see this impressive act live. – Jacqueline Caruso
07/27 Palm Springs, CA – Ace Hotel w/ Tropical Popsicle
08/09 San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods w/ Maston
08/10 Davis, CA – Sophia’s Thai Kitchen w/ Maston
08/11 Oakland, CA – Night Light
08/12 Boise, ID – The Crux
08/14 Portland, OR – Holocene
08/15 Seattle, WA – Columbia City Theater
08/18 Los Angeles, CA – Echo Park Rising
08/18 Orange County, CA – Constellation Room w/ Mt. Ossa
08/30 Los Angeles, CA – Skirball Cultural Center w/ Jenny O
Frequenting the giant stages of DC such as Merriweather Post Pavillion and the 9:30 Club, this September 7 rock & rollers U.S. Royalty are getting intimate in their hometown with a gig lined up at U Street Music Hall. Recently the foursome unleashed new tracks from their upcoming LP Blue Sunshine (out this Fall) at Industry Gallery. They also took to the streets to perform a cover of Marvin Gaye’s "What’s Going On" in front of the Lincoln Memorial for One.org, check it out below. Meanwhile, want to check them out at U Street Music Hall?
We’ve teamed up with them to get one lucky Deli reader in to this rare event! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM on 7/26 and tell us about your favorite U.S. Royalty song. Please include your first and last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back. Tickets are still up for sale here.
