New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
The aggressive rock band Romantic Rebel are about to release their self-titled debut album via Pavement Entertainment. The album is a thunderous assault filled with stadium anthems and blazing guitar solos including one from Brendon Small of Metalocalypse fame.
You can catch Romantic Rebel at Double Door on April 18th in support of Last Vegas.
Ghost to Falco have been shaping and re-shaping their experimental psych/prog rock sound in Portland since 2001, under the guiding hand of Eric Crespo. Friday night at Bunk Bar, the band will release their fourth album Soft Shield through Itialian based Fooltribe Records. GTF will be joined by the brilliant experimental popsters Aan, whose February release Amor Ad Nauseum was featured as the Deli Portland’s last Album of the Month (view our current Album of the Month, Polyester Itch by Hands In here). Seattle’s Dragging an Ox through Water open the night at 9pm. The cover is $7 and worth every penny.
Check out GTF’s video for their first single, ‘Born to Win,’ off Soft Shield.
– Chandler Strutz
Here is a new video from Aunt Dracula for “Statue of Gordon” off of their upcoming remix LP Peel Face. The churning, industrial remix by EXCEPTER is hypnotic and relentless, while the trippy, lo-fi VHS clips twist and warp with the eight minute freak-pop epic.
Was there a better way to start a week than with a lineup of female leads? The East Room hosted "The Ladies of Rock" on Monday, April 7th, and among them were New York transplants The French Lips. Vocalist Sophie Kadow possesses a smoky voice that has a strong capacity to kick ass. The East Room lent the kind of dirty that Monday night drinking calls for with a stellar line-up including Kelly Ruth, The Dead Deads, and Lady E and the Blacklight. All of these groups deserve greater attention, but the slow burn of "Stray Dogs" warrants your immediate concentration, so you can pick up on the nuances of Kadow’s exchanges with the growing guitar noise in the track. Those lucky enough to catch the show (and ignore the thought of working on Tuesday morning) will agree how phenomenal the song was live. -Amanda Aydelott
Boston’s High Def falls somewhere between jazz, R&B and hip hop – and they proved they can captivate an audience at Emerson College’s Cabaret this past Tuesday, alongside other R&B up-and-comers like Raquel Rodriguez and Anthony Hall. The band is currently prepping its debut EP, Milk and Honey, but you can take a listen to its latest release below. “Definition” shows the band at its best; although vocalist Brandon Donick can croon, the track’s rap-along chorus was undeniably an audience favorite. And those keys! As an added bonus, you can check out a live cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” on the group’s SoundCloud page. – Jake Reed, @jakejreed
denitia and sene. – besides being an editor’s nightmare, with their lower case name and period at the end of it – were probably the best live act at our 2013 CMJ Marathon electronic showcase at The Delancey. The Brooklyn duo plays music that – if hard pressed – we would label as "trip’n’b," with many similarities to Tricky’s early records without the rap component or the British artist’s insane ‘bakedness’. They just unveiled this dark video for single "Divided," a single that was produced by twin brother producers Christian Rich (Pharrell Williams/N.E.R.D, Pusha T, Lupe Fiasco) as part of a Red Bull Sound Select mentor collaboration.
Tonight at Thee Parkside, it’s all about manifestations of bands from the past. Break Anchor is headlining the event with ToyGuitar and Civil War Rust.
Civil War Rust is a pop-punk band from the East Bay. Drawing from contemporary and not-so-contemporary bands such as Dead To Me, Jawbreaker and Crimpshrine, they play music containing equal parts of self deprecation, positivity and snottiness (we mean that in he most respectful way!). Also playing is Toyguitar, who is reconfiguration of ’90s East Bay punk band, One Man Army. They have a self-titled 7-inch on Adeline Records that leans more in the direction of power pop. And last but certainly not least is Break Anchor, a Detroit-based band and the product of former Suicide Machines vocalist Jason Navarro. This project is seen as a Navarro’s saving grace from depression and addiction that he endured. It’s melodic, heartfelt, and most definitely influenced by 924 Gilman bands of the ’90s. –Erin Dage
Acoustic punk duo, Girlpool, write unapologetically gut-punching songs with razor-sharp harmonies. Their debut release, the 7 song self-titled album recently released on cassette, has more depth than most over-produced rock albums that are sent straight to commercial radio. Each song clocks in at under 3 minutes, defining "leave them wanting more." Despite their lo-fi approach and punk aesthetic, the recordings are crystal clear, but still full of grit; creating punchy rhythms and plenty of groove without the use of drums. An impressive feat, these two are not to be ignored. And without sounding trite, it’s impossible not to recognize the eery resemblance to an unplugged Nirvana. Standout tracks, "Paint Me Colors, and "Slutmouth," prove there is a new generation of feminists. Pulling together pieces of 80s and 90s female punk/Riot-grrrl trailblazers, Girlpool is rightfully claiming them as their own, and joining their voices to create a collective mouthpiece for gender-redefining millennials. Stream the entire album on bandcamp below and see them live tonight at The Bootleg, or April 12 at The Smell. – Jacqueline Caruso
Notwithstanding a name that – alone – will confine them to the deepest layers of the underground for the rest of their days, NJ/Brooklyn punks Vomitface aren’t actually that revolting. The power trio celebrated the release of their debut 4 song EP at Cake Shop on March 28, and we are diggin’ it. Single "Bill Me Later" is an enjoyable punk-pop tune that manages to blend (or rather skillfully juxtapose) diametrically opposite genres like math rock (see verse in 6/4) and slacker rock (see the melodic verse reminiscent of early Pavement) with a grunge chorus in there to wrap up the 90s references. The other track available for streaming, "P.S. I Hate You" follows a more traditional modern-punk-rock script, with incessant power chords and growingly angry vocals feeding a crescendo of tension that lasts a whopping one minute and 15 seconds. These guys should be fun live and you have many opportunities to check them out locally in the near future. Next shows are at Lamp Post in Jersey City on 04.24 and Shea Stadium the day after.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best guitar rock/punk rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Filter Magazine recently shared this video of Bleeding Rainbow performing two songs “Images” and “Out of Line”. Filmed at Four Foot Studios, in Brooklyn, “Images” immediately pounces with force, while “Out of Line “ drifts in, through a haze, gradually building its’ powerful punch.
