There is an enjoyable ease found in the latest EP from Queen Jesus, Tar Ranch. Now, we’re not exactly sure if the "tar" in the title is a reference to heroin (with the pill on the cover possibly representing its pharmaceutical equivalent – oxycontin), but the languid five-song album feels awfully fitting to zone out to under the influence of the powerful opiates. Or maybe, our minds are generally just hardwired towards drugs. Whatever the case might be; Tar Ranch, which was recorded and mixed by Matt Schimelfenig, is an impressive sophomore release from the Philly quintet, and it will be available on cassette via Uncle Rats. Queen Jesus are also celebrating their release this Thursday, November 10 at The Storefront with DARK MTNS, Nina Ryser, and Madalean Gauze.
New Music Video: “Least Important Most Important” – Career Crooks
Emcee/producer Zilla Rocca and beat-maker Small Professor haved teamed up for a new poject, dubbed Career Crooks. The duo shared an incendiary new single, "Least Important Most Important," which draws inspiration from Mad Men‘s Don Draper. ("We’re going to sit at our desks and keep typing while the walls fall down around us because we’re creative – the least important, most important thing there is.") It was also accompanied by a new music video that was directed by Bob Sweeney, and you’ll be able to find the track on their upcoming full-length album, scheduled for release in early 2017.
denitia and sene to release ‘love and noir’ LP at Mercury Lounge on 11/18
Back in 2013, when they released their his and hers LP, denitia and sene was one of The Deli’s most written about artists (heck, we even booked them at our 2013 electronic CMJ stage!). We simply couldn’t get enough of the singer/producer pair’s obscure yet very poiginant electro-RnB. Three years later, the pair is back with a new album titled love and noir, and judging from the two singles, "favourite." and "Open Wide," the record should be as richly textured and spell-binding as the group’s first full length. "Open Wide" has a glitchy, industrial beat with distorted synth glissandos and robotic backup vocals that clash perfectly with denitia’s pristine vocals. With "Favourite," on the other hand, less is truly more. Denitia’s vocals and lovesick lyrics carry the track, occasionally aided by a horn blast and modulated synths. It’s a song of few elements, sure, but each is crafted, curated and utilised to its fullest extent. Catch the duo live at Mercury Lounge on 11/18 for their release party. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber
Be Charmed by Sea Charms
We appreciate the talents of anyone that breaks through the typical mold of an art form. Our latest outside-of-the-music-box thinkers to praise come as a pair who takes two instruments predominately used as accents to the standard guitar/bass/drums format and make them the focus, in a way that can’t be ignored.
Crystal Cortez and Jess McFadden are Sea Charms, a duo that dynamically uses keys and a sax, respectively, to create large scapes blending jazz, electronic and hip hop. It’s nearly impossible not to get lost in McFadden’s sax tones, while Cortez’s slick moves on the keys lay the base for the grooves to move on.
The two started out mainly as a live act, procuring news fans with every set played. With the release of their official self-titled recorded debut last year and a live album documenting their tour of the Midwest, we just can’t get enough.
And it’s with our insatiable desire for these two they’ve become our latest Artists of the Month and we congratulate them. Let’s hope there’s another chance to see them live again soon!
Ticket Giveaway: Jesu/Sun Kil Moon at the TLA Next Saturday
Experimental British act Jesu and singer-songwriter Sun Kil Moon, a.k.a. Mark Kozelek (ex-Red House Painters), released a collaborative album, Jesu/Sun Kil Moon, earlier this year, which also features the likes of Will Odham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy), Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, and members of Low. They’ll be bringing it to the TLA next Friday, November 11, and you can join them as our guest. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line "America’s Most Wanted". Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). Good luck!
The Deli NYC’s issue #48 is online! Brooklyn Synth Expo / Electronic Music issue!
Ladies and Gents,
We are proud to unveil (for now just digitally) issue #48 of The Deli Magazine NYC. It’s an issue entirely focused on Electronic music, featuring a gear section focused on our upcoming Brooklyn Synth Expo, and many Q&As with the most promising emerging electronic bands about their favorite synths. On the cover, EDM-World duo SOFI TUKKER; inside, a feature about NYC’s LGBT Hip Hop scene and a two page article about nu-soul up and coming diva Cruel Youth.
The print version of it will hit the streets of NYC on Friday November 4th.
Hope you enjoy it!
The Folks at The Deli
P.S. Check out Sofi Tukker’s new video for ‘Awoo,’ streaming below.
PREMIERE: The Secret Sea – “My Beautiful Hell”
*photo by Sean Gutierrez
Today we’re premiering the third single from The Secret Sea‘s U.S. debut and 7th album, Everest, which was recorded and mixed by Larry Crane of Jackpot! Studios.
His previous singles "Army of Souls" and "Canada" opened the door to the intimate confines of Amit Erez’s soft acoustic world, but it’s the thoughtful lyrics and imagery of "My Beautiful Hell" that takes us further and deeper into the revelation of his story.
Steadily rolling forward in a lush full-band arrangement, this song is the journey of a protagonist through his past and present, reflecting on events that shaped his life as an artist and as a person with haunting visuals and metaphors. Lyrically heavy, "My Beautiful Hell" pulls the listener into a hallucination, questioning the perceptions of home, happiness, and the endless chase after one’s own calling.
The track also features guest musicians Gil Assayas of GLASYS on keys and former Elliott Smith and current Eyelids drummer Paul Pulvirenti.
Amit will be joined by a full band for the first time onstage for the album release show for Everest, taking place at the Liquor Store on November 16th. The show will also be a single release for Arrows in Orbit, along with a performance from GLASYS.
Limited edition cassettes with download codes from Dazzleships Records will also be sold at the show and Everest will be digitally available on all known platforms on Nov 15th, with a pre-order on iTunes from Nov 12th.
KPSU and Lola’s Room Team Up for All Ages
In the first of what is sure to be a successful slew, KPSU has teamed up with McMenamins Lola’s Room for a series of all-ages shows that begins with a perfectly curated lineup promising strong hints of shoegaze, dream pop and a touch of 90’s revival.
We have no doubt in our minds that Lubec will bring yet another good set, since the Portland vets have played and shared consistently great music for the last five years. Cosmic Debt, their September release, continues on in that same vein, but the other bands on the bill add an extra bit of intrigue to the show.
Alien Boy has done a lot with their poppy post punk in the last year and it’s something that can’t be missed, while Helens take on the genre is a bit heavier and gazed out. Floating Room, the newest endeavor musically bringing together drowse‘s Kyle Bates and Maya Stoner of Sabonis, could not offer a better representation of both bands’ sound fused into one. Their debut Sunless is due out in just a couple weeks and sees the glum echo of comfort found in drowse’s production while giving another platform for the signature gossamer tone Stoner’s voice provides to Sabonis.
Doors for this KPSU/Lola’s Room show tomorrow open at 7pm, with music starting at 8pm. Tickets are only $5 will any Student ID and just $8. Get excited, there are a couple more KPSU and Lola’s Room shows this Fall that are just as promising.
YIKES the ZERO Album Release Show at KFN Nov. 5
Celebrating his latest album, The Animal Box, released via local label Extra Lovely Records, YIKES the ZERO steps into a late evening affair at Kung Fu Necktie. Riding wide-ranging experimental beats that encompass electro, psych, jazz, etc., YIKES drops the gauntlet on the spectrum of hip hop, shifting between the drama of cinematic tones – the dial-tuning merger of juxtaposing genres and transmissions from another galaxy. A pair of local emcees (whom he collaborated with on the single “Gauntlet”) in the eloquent, white-hot experimentations of Raj Haldar, a.k.a. Lushlife (providing a DJ set), and like-minded labelmate Stainless Steele (whose album, Escapism, was produced by another of tonight’s performers Josh Hey) will be joining in the festivities. And crisscrossing between electro-folk-R&B among others, the upbeat vibes of Tamar Dart, a.k.a. Little Strike, will also aid in fortifying this late-burning night. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 11pm, $6, 21+ – Michael Colavita
A Benefit for Orlando Pulse Shooting Victims at FUC Nov. 5
Max Fite share video for “The Devil in Me”, new EP out now
Upcoming L.A. rock group Max Fite has recently released a new EP called Shake It On Down. Lead singer and guitarist Max Fitelson paints a beautiful, visual picture on the video for “Devil In Me”, a single off of the new album. The song opens with Fitelson emerging from a shipwrecked boat on the beach with a woman walking along the shore. “Devil In Me” has an amazing rock ballad, similar to that of The Killers or Gaslight Anthem. With beautiful guitar solos to back up Fitelson’s imaginary lyrics, this lively rock group creates a scene of incredible yearning for something that is no longer there, the innocence of childhood: “Then we get to grow up old, learn about the worlds disease. They said gods with you, he’s no where to be seen.”
If you missed out on their release party, don’t fret! They will be playing at The Viper Room on December 5th, or pick up Shake Me On Down from iTunes. – Kayla Hay
