Next Tuesday, August 12th, Folding Legs will unleash their second EP, simply entitled “Glorious”. The collection will follow their debut “Drown in Light,” which was released last year and received a lot of attention from the ‘indie’ blogs, Deli included. Fronted by songstress Katharina Stenbeck and her arresting vocals, the band is a worldly bunch – they hail from NYC, Stockholm, and Vienna, and manage to incorporate influences from each region into their sophisticated, borderline decadent pop sound. Their newest release comes complete with 80’s dance beats, grungy bass lines, and some charming vocal shrieks from the front lady. Listen to the preview single ‘Grounding’ and be sure to watch out for the release of the remaining tracks next week. Catch the band live at Pianos on August 19. – Jillian Dooley

The Almond Butters‘ debut EP, From The Grave, is my new favorite thing in local music (they’re from Williamsburg, VA). I’m a really big fan of psych-rock, and roots music, and crazy psychedelic rootsy music. Captain Beefheart’s Safe As Milk. I’m trying to think of other good examples, but my mind is busy being blown by this new EP I finally got around to listening to. If you know how amazing Safe As Milk is, then you know why I’m so mesmerized by From The Grave. I’m so happy this exists. I’m so sad that this was released on July 8th and I only got around to it now. I’m truly sorry that I’m a month late sharing this, and that we haven’t all been enjoying it from the second it came out. 

Every track is a different idea. There’s blues, and rock, and jazz but in a super psych-rock kinda way, and rap (yes, rap–Crackbilly, dude. Hell Yes). All kinds of fuzziness and echo and electricity and them changes coming at you from all directions. But it’s not messy. This is not some Trout Mask Replica bullshit. Every song is a tight and forceful statement. It’s a bit lo-fi, which is cool, but I’d love to hear what these guys put together in a serious analog studio. I can’t find any upcoming live dates and this makes me sad. For now we’ll have to settle for these 6 songs streaming below (and a bunch of other worthwhile stuff on their soundcloud). –Natan Press

As The Gradients are gearing up for their debut LP, they’ve been pumping out singles which have tickled our fancies.  Their latest release is "Shelf", another indicator of the band’s continued development.  One of the interesting things about this band is how accurately they depict the anxieties of an age not just lyrically, but musically.  The attention deficit riffs and melodies come from multiple directions at once, and provide consistently compelling and unexpected structures. They sing about an age and a situation where nothing is certain, and often times the only place to look for support, recognition, and reassurance is in others around you.  "Am I the only one?" is the line that rings out from this track, and it’s a question that everyone is oh so familiar with. East coasters will have the chance to see The Gradients live as they tour those lands next week (dates here). Last date in NYC at the Studio on 08.15 – Jake Saunders

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

The Due Diligence‘s new record, Are You Down?, is something of a throw back, taking the concept of revival a step further.  The songs on the album – with their gritty guitars, simple three chord structures, fun lyrics and charismatic attitude – seem to be almost fighting the current trend of taking influences from scattered pieces of music history, and just put you smack dab in the middle of 1960’s garage rock era. Indeed, this is a sonic environment that suits lead singer Sir Isaac Diligence, who has a wonderful presence on the record, and has become somewhat of a character thanks to his wimsical, playful, feel-good attitude.

However, the band takes this outdatedness and uses it to its advantage, turning it into a comment about what’s "cool," a word that – for better or worse – in recent years has been monopolized by our good old borogh of Brooklyn, where the group resides.  In a place that is so romanticized as a setting where you can be unique and "cool" in your own way, Sir Isaac Diligence and The Due Diligence have found a way to kick all that bullshit out the window, and simultaneously celebrate it in a way that’s not contrived nor pretentious, but mostly just… fun.  We recommended hitting up their album release party at Shea Stadium tomorrow (8/07) with support from Zula, Slonk Donkerson, and Pinegrove.  -Jake Saunders