Our Best of NYC 2017 poll has begun last week with the Garage/Slack Rock category and, after you-the-people cast your vote, we have the results to share with you!

Overall Poll winner (Jurors vote + Readers’ vote): Baby Shakes

Readers’ Poll Winner (Readers’ Vote only): Stuyedeyed

We are superproud of these two NYC bands, that offer high octane garage rock inspired to completely different periods of the history of this genre. Stuyedeyed, with their insanely tense, obsessive tracks and screamed vocals, refer back to the proto-punk days of The Stooges, full of madness and debauchery – you can see them live at Alphaville on February 18th.

Baby Shakes, on the other hand, find inspiration in the melodic garage rock of NYC’s own The Ramones, infusing ultra-fun surf and doo-wop elements in it. Baby Shakes will be playing W’Burg Hall of Music on February 14th and then embark on a Japan tour in March.  

Honorable mentions go to Navy Gangs (second in the overall chart) and Thick (third in the Reader’s poll). The full list of nominees can be found under the streaming tracks.

About five years ago, NYC’s Ms Mr (now on an indefinite hiatus) were one of the first acts to kickstart the soul music reinassaince – single ‘Hurricane’ quite literally took the scene by storm, at the time. Lizzy Plapinger, the band’s singer (and co-founder of label Neon Gold), is now returning with a solo, self released and self produced project called LPX. First single "Tightrope" and press photos conjure up an image and sound a lot more aggressive than the one her break out band got us accustomed to: "I’m here to assert myself – harder, louder, and stronger – as a woman and an artist" – she states in the single’s press release. 

Recently released single “It Just Hits You” from appealingly named Brooklyn rockers Journalism recently made the Spotify’s Garage Jams and Fresh Finds Six Strings playlists. Structured around an open chord arpeggio over throbbing bass and driving drum beat, the song is an honest rumination on sobriety.  “Here I stand without a drink in hand,” immediately establish clear-eyed reflection on familiar social practices – now reined in. By the time the chorus hits with “I’m getting sober, but I’m getting so burnt out, it’s hard to act my age, when I can’t see through the haze,” rising melodic guitar lines deliver cathartic tension, with a final realization that such decisions come down to self-control and personal choice, because “sometimes it just hits you like a ton of bricks, and sometimes it just hits you.”  Journalism plays Sunnyvale on Friday 2/17 with DEF.Girls, Dumb Wolves + Fraidycat. – Dave Cromwell

Relying on a mix of stuttering club beats and spaced out chill jams, Southeast DC rapper NAPPYNAPPA puts on a convincing performance in his new EP “New Balance”. Released through indie DC label Babe City Records, NAPPA isn’t obsessed with looking hard, willing to show a more personal side on songs like “Shameless”. As far as flow goes, NAPPA is pretty smooth and does a rather good job channeling Kendrick Lamar on “DO MY DANCE”. Check out NAPPYNAPPA’s new EP “New Balance”.

Refreshingly original but still grounded in traditional post-punk sounds, Priests’ album “Nothing Feels Natural” is a commendable addition to the DC punk canon.  Like good post-punkers, Priests aren’t afraid to keep the sound sparse on songs like “Nothing Feels Natural” and “Leila 20”, letting the Sleater-Kinney vocals shine through over the rhythm section’s low Joy Division thing.  Other songs take a different instrumental approach, with the songs “JJ” and “Suck” even incorporating a piano and saxophone.  In total the band does a rather good job of bringing something new to post-punk’s trademark alienation.

Check out Priest’s new album "Nothing Feels Natural" now available on Bandcamp