In early 2014, Expert Alterations self-released a self-titled cassette EP. Now they’ve teamed up with Slumberland Records for a limited edition vinyl release. It’s as solid a collection of contemporary post-punk as you can hope to hear. It’s got jangle and drone, energetic guitars and lackadaisical vocals. The low-fi sound and vocal delivery are reminiscent of Sebadoh, but the songs are quick, their structure and the rhythm section, alternately bouncy and insistent, channel punk like Minutemen and Wire. They jam econo, and the EP is over much too fast, prompting repeated listens.  

You can pre-order now for a June 1st release. In the meantime, Expert Alterations are going on a short tour, starting April 18th at Baltimore Soundstage (where they will be opening for The Buzzcocks–Yes!). You can also catch them April 21st at Metro Gallery (w/ Peach Kelli Pop–also Yes!–along with Baltimore’s Boy Spit and Moist–mmmmm), before they head to the boroughs of NY for some Fests.  –Natan Press

Brian Eno says that sequencers, because of the way they function, push electronic musicians to work "vertically" on music, i.e. by adding layer upon layer of sounds to a looped bar or two, and then slowly move horizontally to the next section of the arrangement. This is fundamentally different from the typical way songwriters work, consisting in creating first the "horizontal" structure of the song (verse, chrous, etc), and then focusing on the arrangement. From this perspective, NYC electronic artist Gracie sounds actually like a singer-songwriter, his songs flowing effortlessly from verse to chorus, and featuring several chord changes, which are often limited in electronic music. His music is a little reminiscent of legendary British apocalyptic pop project The The, although much more mellow both in attitude and sound. Gracie has a few shows coming up in NYC, the first one of which is at Union Pool on April 30th with Nicholas Nicholas.

Psychedelia is having a huge influence on today’s NYC rock scene, but there aren’t that many bands able to recreate the genre’s original mistical aura and semi-virtuoso performances. Enter Brooklyn’s own IYEZ, a band we just found out about, even though they’ve been actively releasing records since 2011. Their lates creation is the full length Psychic Jungle, a multi dimensional psych rock record featuring this incredible tune "Purity" (streaming below), which is bound to console those of you disappointed with Tame Impala’s rather… tame latest single.

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