It may surprise you to learn that Brooklyn’s Ishmael operates as a trio, considering the kinetic charge of their latest LP “Lotic.” There’s Andy Werle’s sinewy guitar part, the insistent and shapeshifting drumming of Aaron Silberstein, and the leading melodies of Nick Otte, bassist and vocalist, tying it all together. Each member is an avalanche onto himself, but they do a great job not burying one another. And while “Lotic” is ostensibly a prog album, the band never looses a sense of subtlety. The songs are split into different instrumental sections, interludes of angular movement, but the transitions within the songs are never jarring. Instead they melt into each other. The result is a tastefully arranged foray into the genre, both its light and darker sides. Ishmael plays it’s tour kickoff show tonight at Muchomre’s (8.14) with Slim Charles, Mosey Jones, and Lost Love. – Emilio Herce

Mother Falcon’s presence is creative, it’s assertive and it’s tight.  They’re an orchestral indie band with enough technique for them to have their own band camp for kids, where kids can learn about writing songs, orchestrating bands and practicing their instruments; sounds like a sweet alternative to School of Rock.  Their sound is incredibly rich, combining rock n roll energies with orchestral instruments and structures.  Particularly worth listening to is their live album of their performance of Radiohead’s, OK Computer, in it’s entirety which they appropriately titled MF Computer.  It’s a successful re-imagination; the closing of Paranoid Android in particular gave me goose pimples.  You can catch Mother Falcon live on August 27th at the long Center Concert Club and then again on the 30th at The Mohawk.  Don’t miss it.  -Jake Saunders

Cantina is the Italian word for "cellar," the dark and rather cold place where time, wood, air and silence magically transorfm tedious grape juice into inebriating, delicious wine. Cantina is also the name of Renata Zeiguer’s growing musical project, a band so quiet that one could say it flirts with silence, and so charming and dreamy to sound magic. Their seven track debut EP ‘Horizons‘ opens with airy ballad ‘When Your Eyes,’ that sounds like an irresistible siren call coming out of an old wooden gramophone, where a lush, acoustic arrangement slowly overwhelms a melody so pristine it could only be conceived in the the squalid corners of Bushwick. All we can gather from the lyrics is: "and if you ask me to…" – which is really all a siren should say to a hungover NYC-life sailor. The rest of the record offers similar atmospheres, althought at times more upbeat (‘Stay Like This’) and more electric (‘Fields’) but always dominated by Renata’s celestial soprano and her otherworldly melodies, and well supported by an unobtrusive musical background that perfectly serves each song.

The band has gathered some serious attention from local bookers: Cantina is schedlued to play Glasslands on 08.16, Palisades on 09.18 and Mercury Lounge on 10.16. 

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

After an initial burst on the local music scene in the mid-to-late 2000’s, New York’s The Dead Betties went on a lengthy hiatus in pursuit of individual growth. They now return with a new EP featuring single “The Way We Live Now” (streaming below). Crunchy guitar chords over a busy kick and resonant snare drum pattern create an immediate sense of urgency. “Never ever going to let you hold me down” is the initial vocal declaration, as guitars drop out and shift focus on a solid bass rumble. Lead singer–bassist Joshua Ackley’s original melody and impressive vocal range helps the band move beyond the constraints of the punk rock genre. Thematically the song draws its inspiration from Susan Sontag’s short story about the struggle for civil rights. The single release also contains two original b-sides as well as three unique cover versions of songs by Babes in Toyland, Britney Spears and Madonna! Not what you’d expect from a hard rock band, but the interpretations actually work. – Dave Cromwell