It’s always great to see our Artists of the Month moving on to bigger and better things… Slothrust – who won our biweekly poll in September 2012 and placed at #30 in last year’s Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists – is about to release a new album under BaDaBing Records on February 18. The Brooklyn based trio was an early subscriber to the NYC grunge revival that’s now in its peak, and Leah Wellbaum’s quality vocals, lyrics and songwriting put this band on the forefront of this scene. Check out the first single "Crockpot," streaming below, and if you want more check out their 2012 debut, self released album "Feels Your Pain" here.

After bouncing around the world for inspiration, Echo Blooms’ founder Kyle Evans has finally made his way to Brooklyn, where he’s released three different records, for three different colors, and three different genres. Latest release ‘Blue’ has an orchestral folk feel, reminiscent of The Swell Season’s moving confessionals, and it’s all set to the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, in a cosmic journey of self-discovery. The septet is supporting the release with two upcoming dates. Join the group at The Way Station Feb 7 at 9pm, and at Rockwood Music Hall Feb 16th at 4pm. Check out leading track ‘Cedar Beach’ below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Northern Virginia’s JDVBBS released his first full length, subURBAN, this January. JDVBBS background includes classical piano, DJing, and A Cappella, and he lists influences as diverse as Kanye West and Bjork. The eclectic nature of JDVBBS is apparent in each of the 10 distinct tracks on his new album, which constantly surprises, forcing one to go through each track wondering “what’s next?” Self-produced, the album is indeed a “self-made symphony, ‘bout to change the industry.” The album is fun, engaging and impressive, and JDVBBS is a welcome addition to the DMV’s adventurous hip-hop scene. –Natan Press

Before you make plans for the evening, you might want to consider heading over to The Bitter End to see Anya Skidan back from her cross-country travels and ready to premiere some new tracks from her upcoming full-length release. While best known for carving a unique niche into psychedelic folk’s headspace, lately she’s been pummeling her soundscapes with noisy electronica and restless beats. It’s an unexpected change for a Brooklyn-by-Moscow artist always taking us somewhere we’ve never journeyed before. I’m excited to hear the new material when it drops next month – in the meantime, check out an old, out there track, streaming below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging Los Angeles Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair! Kudos to Moses Sumney for winning it! 2013 was an exciting and inspiring year for LA’s music scene. No one encompassed that more fully than Moses Sumney. We are glad to be able to give him the honor of winning the title. 

Here’s how it all went down. First, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Los Angeles scene experts (our jury, list at the bottom) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Los Angeles produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2013 POLL FOR EMERGING LA ARTISTS – FINAL RESULTS –

ARTIST J W R OS TOT   1 Moses Sumney 9   0.002   9.002 2 Body Parts 5 2 0.011   7.011 3 Fever The Ghost 6   0.004   6.004 4 So Many Wizards     1.5 3 4.5 5 Dream Boys 3 1 0.003   4.003 6 Youth Code 4   0.002   4.002 7 The Cold and Lovely 3   1   4 8 Javier Dunn 3   0.055   3.055 9 Criminal Hygiene 1 2 0.011   3.011 10 Holychild 3   0.007   3.007 11  Traps PS 3   0.006   3.006 12 Cosmonauts 3   0.004   3.004   Kelela 3   0.004   3.004   Mike Kijanski 3   0.004   3.004   Tropic Of Cancer 3   0.004   3.004 16 The Black Tibetans 3   0.003   3.003 17 Avid Dancer   3 0.002   3.002   Marvel the GR8 3   0.002   3.002 19 Gavin Turek 3   0.001   3.001   Rough City 3   0.001   3.001   Sanglorians   3 0.001   3.001 22 Blind Owl 3   0   3   Inner Wave 1   2   3 24 The Futures League     0.5 2 2.5 25 The Filthy Souls 2   0.031   2.031 26 Alessandro Cortini 2   0.007   2.007   Ballerina Black 2   0.007   2.007 28 LA Font 2   0.006   2.006 29 VUM 1 1 0.004   2.004   Wide Streets 2   0.004   2.004 31  Among Savages 2   0.002   2.002 32 Cayucas 2   0.001   2.001   Clear Plastic 2   0.001   2.001   The Alarm Science 2   0.001   2.001 35 Lo-Fang 2   0   2   May McDonough & Company     0.5 1.5 2 37 Queen Caveat 1   0.12   1.12 38 Mina Knock     0.112 1 1.112 39 Ivory Deville 1   0.067   1.067 40 Diane Coffee 1   0.043   1.043   Froth 1   0.043   1.043 42 Spaceships 1   0.015   1.015 43 Dark Furs San Francisco Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah The Love Dimension Down and Outlaws and The Spiral Electric Play the Elbo Room TONIGHT Posted on: January 29, 2014 The Elbo Room in San Francisco is hosting an awesome line up TONIGHT!  With Lee Gallagher on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Jacob Landry on Guitar and Joe Miller on Drums, create a dynamic and comfortable sound as they incorporate folk and traditional music into psych-rock. Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah are also straightforward, commanding and urgent in their lyrical content. Gallagher’s tall, enigmatic presence, excellent songwriting ability and perfectly high-pitched vocals are guaranteed to garner attention. While The Hallelujah’s sound can have an acoustic folk influence as well as modern psych, they are sure to be a promising act to go see and listen to in the coming year.  The Love Dimension has been rocking clubs here in the Bay Area for the better part of six years. Led by the powerful vocal duo of Jimmy Dias and Celeste Obamsawin, the group is rounded out by one of the scene’s most respected and best rhythm sections, Sonny Pearce (Electric Shepherd) on drums and Tommy Anderson (MoonFox, Electric Shepherd) on bass, along with Devon Farney on Keys. Described as “sacred psychedelic country garage punk country surf,” they are a live force not to be reckoned with, rhythmically intense, with a heavy dose of spirituality and introspection both lyrically and in their performances. Led by Clay Andrews, one of the local rock scene’s strongest advocates, The Spiral Electric has been recording together since 2010, and premiered live in 2012. The band quickly evolved into a five-piece, and their current lineup of Andrews and Percy along with Sonny Pearce on Drums and Ty Gerhardt on Bass, has played to captive audiences at venues such as The Chapel, Brick and Mortar and Oakland’s Uptown. The Spiral Electric has toured the US West Coast of recent and they are currently recording their first full length LP. Down and Outlaws have a perspective on rock n’ roll that rings true: “Rock n’ Roll isn’t a sound. It’s not an attitude. It’s a need, it’s a fight, it’s the saving grace in the wake of a broken heart or something lost.” With influences that range from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Tom Petty, the San Francisco based band led by Peter Danzig on Vocals, Kyle Luck on Guitar, and the “gut-busting” rhythm section of Jon Carr and Chris Danzig, aims to save their audiences with rock n’ roll the same way they were saved by it. – Tyler Weeks Philadelphia Ticket Giveaway: Brazilian Girls w/Night Panther & El Malito at Underground Arts This Friday Posted on: January 29, 2014 NYC alt-dance outfit Brazilian Girls are back from a hiatus, and we have tickets for you to see them this Friday at Underground Arts with locals Night Panther and El Malito & the 33rd Century. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line “Pussy, Pussy, Pussy Marijuana.” Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). L.A. Inner Wave Win The Deli’s 2013 Best of LA Year End Readers’ Poll Posted on: January 29, 2014 Congratulations to Inner Wave for winning the Reader’s Poll portion of our LA 2013 Best Emerging Band Poll. The fans have spoken, and Inner Wave has risen to the top. Delicately walking the line between experimental psychedelia and indie pop, Inner Wave encompasses that youthful free-spirited ocean-splashing west coast sound. The all male quintet fill their songs with layers of guitars and quirky synth melodies, all while lead singer, Pablo Sotelo croons with raw passion like his voice is being beamed in from a bygone era. Their debut EP, III, is an impressive offering filled with pop gems and mature musical ideas. I’d give their potential for blowing up in 2014 a "Local Natives," you know, on a scale from "Your Dorm-Mate’s Ableton Side Project" to "Lorde." Stream III below from bandcamp. L.A. So Many Wizards Runner-Up in The Deli’s 2013 Best of LA Year End Readers’ Poll Posted on: January 29, 2014 LA, your unconditional, undying love for So Many Wizards has been made official. Winners of our Open Submissions and placing Second in the Reader’s Poll, it’s clear that if there was a prom king of the LA indie scene, So Many Wizards would be accepting the crown. Here’s to hoping the rest of the world catches on this year. Maybe they’ll be the first band to play on the moon! Until then, they will continue to rock our local socks off. So Many Wizards will be playing the Echoplex for Part Time Punks’ My Bloody Valentine Night on Feb. 9 along with Sisu, Tennis System, Heaven and Nightmare Air. An incredible line-up, that I’m sure will be a sweaty, noisy mess well-worth the Monday morning struggle. For now, continue streaming the band’s Lollipop Records released 7", which sounds delightfully more like Bradford Cox-style ramblings upon my third listen.