Our Year End Poll for Emerging NYC Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!
Kudos to punk rock hell raisers BIG UPS (pictured and streaming) for winning the poll and – with it – the cover of our Spring 2014 issue!
Here is 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+ NYC scene expert (our jury) 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 NYC produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
BEST OF 2013 POLL FOR EMERGING NYC ARTISTS
****** FINAL RESULTS ******
Fresh off the release of its latest album, Held in Splendor, Quilt has unveiled the video for the track “Tie up the Tides.” The clip is a trippy accompaniment to the catchy indie pop number, with shots that slowly fade into one another and a full array of color. Feathers, strings of confetti and colored sand fall as Anna Rochinski sings amidst a sea of guitar stabs and restrained drums. Take a look at “Tie up the Tides” now and catch the band at the Great Scott in Boston on March 1 before they head to Europe for a spring tour. – Jake Reed
For an EP that’s just under twenty minutes, textbookcopilot’s Arrivals // Departures throws you right into Boston’s post-hardcore scene and proves that just because it’s short, that doesn’t mean it can’t pack a punch. The set’s instrumental intro is filled with melodic guitar riffs and a drum beat that falls into the second track, "North Pole No. 1 is Down,” which sounds like a solid mix of Rancid and Finch. “Coming Home,” another instrumental, slows down the pace, offering a glimpse into the softer side of the genre. On Arrivals // Departures, the band shows that despite Dom Mariano’s powerful pipes, they are not all vocals – they are some killer instrumentalists as well. The band has no tour dates lined up at the moment, but in the meantime, the new EP is available to download for free on Bandcamp now. – Samantha McCormick
Supreme Cuts have released a video for their track "Envision" which appears on their recent release Divine Ecstasy. The track features vocals from Channy of Polica.
"One Way Ticket" is the first single from the new album from Nick Van Horn. The track is quality, noisy, garage rock and shows a lot of promise for the March release.
You can catch Nick Van Horn at Reggie’s with Mona Feel on March 9th.
JDVBBS‘ first album is exciting and engaging. So much so that he’s the Deli DC’s Artist of the month for February. His tracks expose a wide variety of influences, interests, and skill. It’s a superlative introduction, and we can’t wait for more. We had to know how he did it. Here he explains how a boy from the suburbs has so much control over urban sound.
Below is the first single and music video, "In Remission," from The Menzinger‘s upcoming LP Rented World. The album is set to drop on April 22 via Epitaph Records. You can pre-order it HERE.
Tonight, PhilaMOCA’s very own Chip Schwartz will continue his curation of this month’s Tuesday Tune-Out. Joining him as the musical entertainment for the evening will be Air is Human. The duo of Jeff Lucci and Josh Aptner provide a beautiful ebb and flow of serene tranquility and pure aggression, building off what they so eloquently describe as "a musical journey derived from a form of thought broadcasting." They’ll also be bringing this journey to Ortlieb’s in March for a Tuesday night residency. Come out and discover your zone(s)! PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $5, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
Brooklyn duo Beverly – recently signed to Kanine Records – is the collaboration between Frankie Rose and Drew Citron. Debut single “Honey Do” presents rough-hewn guitars merged with sugary sweet vocals. Iconic 90’s female-fronted dreamgaze pioneers Lush comes to mind, as creative vocal harmonies establish an appealing minor chord feel on the chorus. Discovering that scene veteran Frankie Rose is involved goes a long way in explaining this band’s already mature sound. However it is relative newcomer Drew Citron who takes the lead here, exhibiting an impressive ability at capturing this classic genre. A fuller version of the song will be included on their debut full length to be released this summer. Until then, you can get this track on Kanine’s upcoming compilation “Not Violent Femmes,” which features 11 tracks from their roster of female fronted bands. To be released on Record Store Day, the comp will come on pink vinyl in a limited to 1,000 copy edition. – Dave Cromwell
What started as a six-track vinyl release for Pink Skull, who now consist of Julian Grefe, Justin Geller and Joe Lentini, has expanded to a thirteen-song digital full-length album entitled Huitlacoche, which is available via Canadian outpost My Favorite Robot Records. You can stream the LP as well as purchase and download it below. Enjoy!
Mouth Reader released their self-titled EP January 16th of this year. Fast, fuzzy, and raw, they’re everything a garage band should be. The gnarly guitar tone and rapid-fire cymbal hits edge their sound towards surf rock. Kudos to the band for managing to get a sandy, salty crust on their songs despite Tennessee being about as landlocked as they come. The track, “Inside You” hits with the same swift and mesmerizing arc as the first brick hurled in a riot. The band is preparing for a mini-tour that goes nowhere near the ocean at the beginning of March; stay updated on their whereabouts here. –Terra James-Jura
For The Can’t Tells first full-length ‘No Television,’ the highly energetic rock band powers their way through a set of turbulent emotions: revealing a wealth of insecurities and anxieties set to an insistently pounding block of anthemic eagerness. From the title track’s rocking buoyancy, to the somewhat creepy, angular closer ‘Real Imitator,’ these guys lay out their inner demons for all to see. It’s an album that will keep you guessing to the finish. Just like their name implies, these are guys whose intentions may not be clear, but that’s half the fun. Watch the hilarious video for ‘Insincere’ below and find out why they may be missing a band member when you see them play at Pianos on Feb 25. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
