It would be interesting to know how many people move in and out of NYC every year – hundreds of thousands we guess? This is a city that fuels all sorts of dreams only to crush them the minute you stop believing. In its scene, where new bands are born and not so old ones die on an hourly basis, the artists that manage to stick around for longer than a few years become the true pillar of the musical community. The same can be said for a venue that consistently promotes quality local acts like Glasslands. As you know, the Williamsburg spot will be closing its doors at the end of 2014, and, looking at its last few weeks of calendar, we couldn’t help but notice the Tuesday 12.23 bill, which features four quality local artists that we covered abundantly for years and that have earned the title of "NYC scene pillars." We are referring to psych folk collective Backwords (in the picture, playing Glasslands a few years ago), maudit rock songwriter Shilpa Ray, Economy Punk (ex Xray Eyeballs‘) and Dragons of Zynth, an indie soul act that has been around at least since we started this blog (that was 2005) and that occasionally comes back when you least expect it. Definitely a good opportunity to say goodbye to this legendary but short lived venue, and meet some familiar faces.

We stumbled upon Brooklyn Pale Lights‘ bandcamp profile and got tangled up with their charming and jangly indie pop. The band released two records in 2014, a full length entitled "Before There Were Pictures" and – a few weeks ago – the "Fourteen Storise Tall" EP, which takes their music to new peaks, featuring songwriting reminiscent of bands that touched our hearts in different eras, like Lloyd Cole & the Commotions and Belle and Sebastian. From what we heard, the EP’s title track (streaming below) is the band best song to date, check it out below. – photo by Timothy Krause

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

A lot of musicians wonder what it takes to get their band’s LP reviewed on Pitchfork – and some (maybe) even just to have a song posted on The Deli’s blog. The truth might be disappointing for many: music critics and bloggers constantly search for music they like, and that’s what they highlight, but they also miss a ton of stuff, because there’s just too much music to deal with out there – which by the way explains why having proper PR backing is important. Also, a record that gets a 7 from a reviewer might get a 4 or a 9 from another from the same publication, so the "random taste" factor is substantial. This being said, while OK records find both fans and detractors in the music reviewing community, really good ones always seem to build some consensus. This seems to be the case for Brooklyn’s punk pop quartet Chumped (a band we covered for the first time almost exactly one year ago), whose new album "Teenage Retirement" recently got a really good review from Pitchfork. The record belongs squarely to the "90s resurgence" wave that in recent years has been inspiring many in the Brooklyn’s DIY community of musicians, but it stands out from most other releases for consistency of the songwriting – always something quite rare to find. Check out track opener "December is the Longest Month" below, and don’t miss what promises to be an incredibly packed show at tiny Acheron on December 30.

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

Tomorrow, December 16, Boston Indie Rockers Elephants will be releasing their latest full-length album, "Strange Waves." The release comes about a year and a half after their self-titled first record. Their sophomore offering shows a lot more musical control, while still holding tight to their lo-fi preferences. It seems the band has finally found their sound (spoiler alert: lots of fuzzy guitars) and has figured exactly how to project it. The record has a great flow to it–all of the songs are very cohesive and compliment each other nicely. I was able to check a preview of the album and I particularly drawn to the fifth track, “Moving Pictures.” The song has a Dinosaur Jr.-ish feel with great guitar riffs and a smooth vocal performance from singer Lauren Garant. You can find some of these elements also in "The Turtles Were Right," the first single unveiled by the band, streaming below.

For updates about future shows and other band news, check out Elephants’ Facebook page. – Dan McMahon

There seems to be no end to the number of quality, undiscovered electronic NYC artists. Basic Shapes is a Brooklyn based trio that’s not that new (their older Soundcloud tracks date back from 2010) but that has recently reached maturity with a series of singles that show improved production and songwriting. Notwithstanding an unnecessarily long intro (yes, like most people buried by music submissions, we prefer songs that get to the point right away) single "Weird Kids" features a super cool, intricate web of electronic sounds that flirt with funk and big beat influences. While this track sports a seductive male tenor, a lot of the band’s recent material features vocals by Brooke Morrison. Their previous single "Stand Still" is one of them. The band is currently in the studio finishing up an album due for an early 2015 release. You can catch them live at Cake Shop on January 9th.