The Spirit of the Beehive’s long-awaited new album, Pleasure Suck, is set for release on March 24 via Tiny Engines. As we lie in wait, Federico Casanova’s video for “Twenty First Road Trip" has emerged. A blitz of ever-morphing, creepy/nostalgic imagery is displayed as the song’s soothing, grunge-psych marriage charges ahead. You can catch the gang in the flesh tomorrow night at Underground Arts, before they head out next week on an extensive tour across the U.S. in support of Pleasure Suck. (Photo by Emily Burtner)
New England
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Choke Up: Juror’s Pick for Best Emerging New England Punk/Metal Act of 2016
Taking home the Juror’s prize for Best Emerging New England Punk/Metal Artist of 2016 is Boston punk quartet Choke Up. Their latest, Black Coffee, Bad Habits, is 14 tracks of anthemic emo-hardcore that will have fans in the pit, screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs. Dynamic and tight, the quartet flexes their range, seamlessly transitioning from folksy slow jams like "Polka Dots" to blistering punk in "Woke Up Drunk", both standout tracks on the record. Check them out below. Special shout-out to Tigerman Woah for keeping it a close race in the poll. –Brian Varneke
New England
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Polluter Named Reader’s Pick for Best Emerging New England Punk/Metal Artist of 2016
Connecticut natives, Polluter, have been named Best Emerging New England Punk/Metal Artist of 2016 by our reader’s poll. One of the tougher candidates to categorize, Polluter fits uneasily within the ranks of their punk and metal colleagues. Showcasing elements of both genres, with splashes of jazz, R&B, spoken word poetry, and more, the six piece band creates their own definition of modern rock. Their latest, Live Decay, is a potpourri of driving guitar riffs, sultry sax interjections, tight grooves, and pretty much anything else you could think of. –Brian Varneke
NYC
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Twiga to release cassette of ‘Million $$$ Dream’ at The Gateway on 3/17
Physical media fans, rejoice: After releasing Million $$$ Dream online last October, Brooklyn’s alt-pop quartet Twiga are about to drop that album in tape format via the label Effortless Crush. The glittering gold cassette comes with a digital download code for the album, so that regular people (i.e. those who don’t own a cassette player) can actually listen to it. To celebrate the release of Million $$$ Dream on cassette, Twiga will play a show at The Gateway on March 17th. The event, called "Write Your Reps!" also features fellow Brooklyn bands Fat Heaven, Narc Twain, Medium Mystic, and Debbie Downer. – Will Sisskind
EDIT: A previous version of this article noted the location of this show as Shea Stadium. Due to the recent closure of Shea Stadium, this show has changed its location to The Gateway. – WS
Portland
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PREMIERE: Ashley Xtina – “Gone”
Portland via Queens, NY songstress Ashley Xtina is veering from her usual piano ballad beat to try her hand at a more dancier genre, and the outcome is ripe for repeated play.
The Game is Ashley Xtina’s electropop endeavor that’s already given us the incredibly catchy "Frozen In Time," which has received much deserved attention from radio stations from here to Sweden. On this International Women’s Day, she’s dropping the second single from the album, titled "Gone," and the way its synthy ’90s dance styles showcase her vocal ability is sure to make this one another hit to add to her list.
Give "Gone" a listen below, and be sure to catch Ashley Xtina’s next performance at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser at Portland Saturday Market July 8-9. You could also meet Ashley at any of her #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday) events, which are monthly showcases at the Jade Lounge that feature Portland’s, and soon to be New York’s and Nashville’s, diverse and talented female musicians.
NYC
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Adiós Ghost unveils new single “Uncanny Valley,” plays Knockdown Center tomorrow (03.09)
Brooklyn’s Adiós Ghost just unveiled the first single off of their upcoming debut LP, Fade Out With Your Phantoms, which is set to come out in April. While Adiós Ghost continues to embrace the West African-inspired sounds of their past, they’ve introduced influences of new wave and funk into "Uncanny Valley", referencing the groove-centered rock of early-80s art-rock legends such as Peter Gabriel. Those familiar with the band’s 2016 release Endless Return will hear more of the signature driven vocals from Ben Sigerson, as well as other familiar voices through featured guests C.F. Watkins and Half Waif‘s Nandi Plunkett. The track itself was recorded at the studio of Drew Vandenberg, who’s done production work for Of Montreal and Futurebirds, among others.
To celebrate the release of "Uncanny Valley", Adiós Ghost will perform at the Knockdown Center in Queens on March 9th with Shy Layers and Faten Kanaan. Stay tuned for details of Adiós Ghost’s Eastern U.S. tour, which will happen this spring after the release of Fade Out With Your Phantoms. – Will Sisskind
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s Yearly Readers’/Fans’ Hip Hop/Funk/Electronica Poll Winner: Wax Future
We just wrapped up our final Readers’/Fans’ Poll for this year with the categories of Hip Hop/Funk/Electronica. Thank you to all who participated and voted! We wouldn’t be able to this without you.
Congrats to the prolific production collective of Connor Hansell, Keith Wadsworth, and Jamal Rab, better known as Wax Future! Incorporating beloved, traditional sounds of the past while continuing to push the boundaries of our pleasure sensories, the trio came to get down on its latest release Make Me Feel Again. Upon first listen, it’s pretty obvious to assume that a party is a brewin’ whenever these three gents come together for their groove-filled, expansive, improvisational live performances. Consume whateva ya need to get ya goin’, and make it out to their next show!
Philadelphia
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New Track: “The Electric Step” – Ecstatic Vision
Raw Rock Fury, the new album from Ecstatic Vision, is slated for released on April 7 via Relapse. “The Electric Step” cultivates a heavy, hazy, rhythmic air of anticipation, before the guttural ooze of sorcerer-style vocals descend from the mountaintop. The long-form nature shifts you into the band’s fire-breathing, axe-wielding ferocity. And before the crew heads down to SXSW, catch them this Friday, March 10 at Underground Arts as part of an epic bill that also includes upcoming tourmates Creepoid as well as Purling Hiss and The Spirit of the Beehive!
NYC
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Seez Mics is quality rap from Kensington, MD
Kensington, MD is definitely not known for hip-hop, and yet, in a city defined by office buildings and a quaint, elderly feel, rapper Seez Mics has been slowly honing his craft for more than twenty years. The result of his steady musical output is his latest release, WITH, and it is pretty sweet. WITH two other rappers featured on every song (hence the title of the album), and the help of producer Scott Kuzner, Nicholas Policy (Seez Mics) and Co. have brought some serious poetic flow to this albm. On top of the pleasing beats and rhythm, clever rhymes and personal touches give this album a real sense of honesty.
Here’s "Won’t You" from Steez’s new album WITH.
-Written by Michael Dranove
NYC
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DC indie shoegaze outfit Venn drops a great EP
The first song on Venn‘s self-titled EP, "Surreal", starts out on solid ground, but before you know it the dreampop kicks in and this EP never comes down again. The textures of the album, to put it simply, are pretty. The sounds of shoegaze, dreampop, and indie psychedelia blend nicely. Specifically, the vocals sound almost like what might happen if Morrisey did shoegaze, insolent but cool as heck and full of passion.
All in all a great first original release from these DC youngsters.
-Written by Michael Dranove
Philadelphia
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New Port Arthur Album Available for Streaming & Download
Serene Americana welded within an experimental organ/synth-anchored platform, Fall of Man, the new EP from Port Arthur, toes the threshold between trippy and traditional. The Luke Shefsk-led ensemble crafts a union between a folk proximity marinated in inviting strings and sustaining backing vocals. However, that backyard bonfire vibe is contrasted by surging searches of outer auras.
Nashville
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Latasha Alcindor is the Best of NYC in Electronic/Hip Hop category
We are ready to declare Latasha Alcindor, popularly known as “LA,” the winner of both our Readers’ Poll and the overall Best of NYC chart (which includes votes from our jurors).
The rapper has created a solid trajectory for herself. From SXSW to NY Fashion Week to NYLON, she is garnering attention for her sharp delivery and feminist message. On the recent NYLON rap session, LA raps, “I switch up to this bigger picture. These ladies ain’t my competition, this is all militia. We switching up the paradigm to a femme state of mind, only reason Trump is here, God tellin ‘This is time.’” In her new video for “Revoke Thee,” LA unleashes a torrent of warnings against the smack talkers out there. It’s an old school boom bap banger perfect to test the bass on those new headphones. Latasha is currently an ‘Artist in Residence‘ at Williamsburg’s National Sawdust.
Kudos also to Ela Minus and Raycee Jones, who placed second respectively in the overall chart and in the readers’ poll – you can stream them below!
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Here’s the full list of the finalists in the Electronic/Hip Hop category.
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Akinyemi |
   |
6% | 81 votes |
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Argonaut and Wasp |
|
0% | 10 votes |
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Ben Talmi |
|
0% | 9 votes |
|
Cafune |
|
0% | 3 votes |
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Ela Minus |
|
0% | 6 votes |
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Glassio |
|
1% | 24 votes |
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King Neptune |
|
3% | 44 votes |
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Latasha Alcindor |
|
46% | 555 votes |
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Macula Dog |
|
0% | 1 vote |
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Maggie Rogers |
|
0% | 5 votes |
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NOLIFE |
|
0% | 1 vote |
|
Pronoun |
|
1% | 17 votes |
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Raycee Jones |
|
36% | 444 votes |
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True Blue |
|
0% | 2 votes |
|
Von Sell |
|
0% | 2 votes |