You know when you’re at a house-show in DC, for a "DIT" festival, and you run into that special someone? That someone who plays some sort of custom-looking 6-string with flatwounds as a bass (when he’s not on the pedal steel) in a band with a killer cellist? It’s one of those "at first sight" things you hear about from the motion pictures. 

Ahren Buchheister isn’t the only member of Pompeii Graffiti, Pony Bones (the band I saw at The Paperhaus on that glorious day), or Black Rhinoceros, but he’s the common factor that binds this Annapolis supergroup, like (dare I say it?) heartstrings, together in this lovely video. Ahren himself is on lead vox and guitar. Fret not, Ahren, I dig you "not only for your music skills."

But they are, like, a huge deal. Happy Valentine’s Deli readers! –Natan Press

While many bands attempt to take on an entire sonic spectrum, Leaping’s latest, Vacant Page, zeros in on a narrower landscape, and in no way is that a limitation. By focusing on a certain mood, fixating on a rhythm, Leapling uncovers hypnotic hooks in the most unexpected places. From a delicately orchestrated minimalism of “Going Nowhere” to the dark and lush psychedelia of “Silent Stone”, the songs carry an energy that approaches meditative. This isn’t to say that the album is at all listless. Leapling’s songs leverage a budding energy into elated and kinetic peaks. There’s an underlying timbre on most of them, lapping at song’s shore, defying any expected swell, but overtaking the song, adding a complex wash to the song’s skeleton. This ultimately makes for an incredibly complete and focused album, powerfully dynamic but also deeply contemplative. Leapling will play a release show tonight at Shea Stadium, with Cloud Becomes Your Hand, Palm, Cantina, and Felicia Douglass. – Emilio Herce

There’s something immediately charming about New York based indie-pop act Edith Pop. Their single “Money” (streaming) is a financially aware love song (?) that sucks you in with its simplicity, catching that soothing summer breeze right in a bottle. Their songs off their self titled 2014 EP have the power to make you feel lighthearted, thanks to Laura Hajek’s unassuming vocals and songs that are simple and fun without being banal – we are digging the almost atonal guitar parts in opening track "Mall." The band is comprised of one part former member of Phantogram (Tim Oakley) and one part member of pandha piranha (Hajek) along with Oscar Allen on guitar and Miles Lally on bass. You can check them out at The Silent Barn in Brooklyn on March 3. – Robert Frezza

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging Chicago Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!

Kudos to funk collective Zaramela (pictured and streaming) for winning the poll and – with it – a blurb with picture in The Deli’s upcoming SXSW issue, they’ll actually be going to Austin to play!

Thumbs up to wicked old timey quintet The Way Down Wanderers, who earned second place thanks to their win in the Readers’ Poll, and avant-funk group Gramps the Vamp, winners of the Open Submissions. Lots of funk in this year’s Chicago’s top 3!

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 Chicago 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 Chicago produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING CHICAGO ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS ******

ARTIST   J OS R TOT   1 Zaramela   4.5   0.063 4.563 2 The Way Down Wanderers   2   2 4 3 Gramps the Vamp     3 0.5 3.5 4 Bailiff   3   0.078 3.078 5 Gia Margaret   3   0.025 3.025 6 Bleach Party   3   0.009 3.009 7 Marrow   3   0.008 3.008 8 PM Buys   3   0.006 3.006 9 Sarah Marie Young   3   0.004 3.004 10 The Kickback   3   0.004 3.004 11 Daniel Knox   3   0.003 3.003 12 Hollows   3   0.003 3.003 13 Evasive Backflip   3   0.002 3.002 14 Last False Hope   3   0.001 3.001 15 J Fernandez   3   0 3 16 Twin Peaks   3   0 3 17 Secret Colours     2 0.5 2.5 18 Werewolves At Hour 30   1   1.5 2.5 19 Hand Practices   2   0.085 2.085 20 Joyeux   2   0.042 2.042 21 Danna Devore   2   0.041 2.041 22 Tijuana Hercules   2   0.018 2.018 23 The Orwells   2   0.006 2.006 24 Al Scorch   2   0.004 2.004 25 Sidewalk Chalk   2   0.004 2.004 26 Kellen & Me   2   0.003 2.003 27 Angela James   2   0.002 2.002 28 Exit Ghost   2   0.002 2.002 29 Forgotten Species   2   0.002 2.002 30 Lou Shields   2   0.002 2.002 31 Nick Astro   2   0.002 2.002 32 Matchess   2   0.001 2.001 33 Ne-Hi   2   0.001 2.001 34 Burnside & Hooker   1   1 2 35 Flesh Panthers   2   0 2 36 Hide   2   0 2 37 Ryley Walker   2   0 2 38 Sunjacket     1.5 0.003 1.503 39 American Wolf   1   0.067 1.067 40 LWKY     1 0.048 1.048