TWIN SHADOW is The Deli’s Best NYC Emerging Artists of 2010!

Deli readers,

At the bottom of this blog entry you can find the final chart of our Best of NYC Emerging Artists 2010 poll. Congrats to Twin Shadow, who won the poll and will therefore grace the cover of the Spring issue of The Deli!

All the artists in this list will get some kind of print coverage in that same issue (if we can fit them!), and we’ll book as many as we can for our Best of NYC 2011 Fest (here’s the poster from last year’s edition).

1. TWIN SHADOW

When you think eighties, you think big hair. You think dance tracks, sequins and hot pants. Eighties music doesn’t ooze with emotionality, and when it does, it usually comes off as borderline cheesy. Yet for Twin Shadow’s full length debut, Forget, George Lewis Jr. takes the eighties sound and makes it emotional, sans cheesiness. This is quite a feat: it requires careful production, sincerely-felt lyrics, and beautifully, yet subtly, fueled instrumentals. Twin Shadow succeeds quite nicely on all three counts. With savvy production work by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, dark and complex lyrical language (“you hold the line, a bullet soul/it’s just that sometimes, time’s so slow”), and casual-smooth interludes of a piano, some strings, and other delicate synth work, Lewis captures what nostalgic music is all about. The track list is tight, infused with fluidity and synchronicity, and produces a sound we have likely heard before. Yet at the same time, while Lewis’ music comes off as familiar, the moments of innocence, shimmer and feeling layered within bring about something new, fresh and all around awesome. – Read Alexandra Vann’s Q&A with George Lewis Jr.from last year here.

2. BUKE AND GASS

Our Deli Summer 2009 cover band won’t please those who love music that conveys delicate emotions and a sparse sound, nor the traditional alt rockers and their epic needs. Buke and Gass is a band that lives in a parallel musical world, where originality, for once, is not a wasted word. The duo builds their own instrument and pedals and master them to perfection, creating a huge wall of wonderful distorted sound that can’t be compared to any band we are aware of. Arone Dyer’s vocals are amongst the most powerful and versatile in the NYC scene, ranging from PJ Harveyish full aggression to the Bjorky "I’m-a-helpless-baby" kinda thing (she is also cute by the way). The songs are complex but not inaccessible, full of memorable melodies and intricate rhythms that have the power to get even lazy NYC legs to jump manically. Their debut album Riposte (Brassland) came out in 2009 and will be remembered for generations – notwithstanding what Pitchfork says. – Read a Delicious Audio interview with Buke and Gass here.

3. GAMES

f I ever meet the two guys in Brooklyn’s Games I’ll tell them one thing, and one thing only: quit playin’ games with my heart. And then I’d pause and say, "with my heart… my heart." Maybe this gets my heart all mixed up because these beats are so instantly likeable and, dare I say, danceable. That always throws my heart for loops and bleeps and clicks.
This fantastically catchy electro duo is longtime pals, Joel Ford (also in Tigercity) and Daniel Lopatin (who does Oneohtrix Point Never). Here’s one thing you need to know about Games: samples. Here’s another you need to know: synths. Here’s one final thing you need to know: these two like to get DOWN… they like to get DOWNTOWN like Julie BROWN.
If you want some funk in your stuff, I suggest going out and seeing Games do their button pushing, lever pulling, mixtape making thing. I want to see Games play on a stage with Javelin and Gold Panda. Just so I can walk up to them afterwards and tell them my heart can’t take all the games, Games. My head says no, but my hips say DANCE. – Oh My Rockness

Best of NYC Emerging Artists 2010 poll – FINAL RESULTS

Artist J OS W F TOTAL   1 Twin Shadow 6   3 0.02 9.02 2 Buke and Gass 4   2 0.013 6.013 3 Games 6     0.002 6.002 4 Turkuaz 3   1 1.5 5.5 5 Oh Land 4 1   0.124 5.124 6 Oberhofer 5     0.008 5.008 7 Lia Ices 5     0.001 5.001 8 Norman Vladimir 3   1 0.11 4.11 9 Yankee Bang Bang 3   1 0.106 4.106 10 Fang Island 4     0.067 4.067 11 The London Souls 3   1 0.048 4.048 12 Devin Therriault 3 1   0.012 4.012   Twin Sister 2   2 0.012 4.012 14 Ava Luna 4     0.008 4.008 15 Darwin Deez 3   1 0.007 4.007 16 The Dig 3   1 0.003 4.003 17 Dream Diary 4     0 4   Ravens & Chimes 1     3 4 19 The Loom   1.5   2 3.5 20 Milagres 3     0.106 3.106 21 Superhuman Happiness 3     0.039 3.039 22 Hussle Club 3     0.019 3.019 23 Yellowbirds 3     0.018 3.018 24 Rubblebucket 2   1 0.009 3.009 25 Acrylics 3     0.007 3.007 26 Big Troubles 3     0.006 3.006   Zs 3     0.006 3.006   Cults 2   1 0.006 3.006 29 Kendra Morris 3     0.005 3.005 30 Julian Lynch 3     0.004 3.004 31 Tanlines 3     0.003 3.003 32 Air Waves 2   1 0.003 3.003 33 Regal Degal 3     0.002 3.002   The Knocks 3     0.002 3.002 35 Snake Dudes 3     0.001 3.001 36 Pillow Theory 3     0 3   Coasting 3     0 3   Leah Siegel 3     0 3   My Radio 3     0 3 40 Black Taxi   1.5 1 0.062 2.562 41 French Horn Rebellion   1.5 1 0.026 2.526 42 Hannibal Montana 2     0.47 2.47 43 Zongo Junction 2     0.287 2.287 44 The Yes Way 2     0.064 2.064 45 Miracles of Modern… 2     0.045 2.045 46 Daniel Wayne 1   1 0.044 2.044 47 Das Racist 2     0.023 2.023 48 Fifth Nation 2     0.014 2.014   The Static Jacks 2     0.014 2.014 50 Harper Blynn 1   1 0.011 2.011 51 Alex Winston 2     0.009 2.009   Sam Amidon 2     0.009 2.009 53 Delicate Steve 2     0.006 2.006   Holy Ghost! 1   1 0.006 2.006 55 Caveman 2     0.005 2.005   Dinosaur Feathers 1   1 0.005 2.005   Tony Castles 1   1 0.005 2.005 58 Further Reductions 2     0.004 2.004 59 French Camp 2     0.003 2.003   Gatekeeper 2     0.003 2.003   Thieving Irons 2     0.003 2.003   YC The Cynic 2     0.003 2.003   North Highlands 1   1 0.003 2.003 64 Lacrymosa 2     0.002 2.002   Pink & Noseworthy 2     0.002 2.002   The Surprisers 2     0.002 2.002   Theophilus London 2     0.002 2.002 68 Dirty Fences 2     0.001 2.001   Red Dawn II 2     0.001 2.001 70 Lily & The Parlour Tricks   1.5   0.461 1.961 71 MiniBoone   0.75 1 0.014 1.764 72 Shake The Baron   0.75   1 1.75 73 Kagero   1.5   0.231 1.731 74 Arpline   1.5   0.18 1.68 75 Bird Call   1.5   0.147 1.647 76 Dede   1.5   0.124 1.624 77 Bear Hands   1.5   0.037 1.537 78 Invisible Days   1.5   0.01 1.51 79 Pearl and The Beard   1.5   0.01 1.51 80 Amber Rubarth   1.5   0.005 1.505 81 Waking Lights   1   0.348 1.348 82 Huff This   1   0.16 1.16 83 Submarine Bells 1     0.132 1.132 84 Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshé 1     0.102 1.102 85 Sonia’s Party 1     0.071 1.071 86 Lucius   1   0.049 1.049 87 Living Days 1     0.043 1.043 88 Gung Ho 1     0.027 1.027 89 Alberta Cross 1     0.025 1.025 90 The Rassle 1     0.013 1.013   We Are All Romans 1     0.013 1.013 93 Jangula 1     0.01 1.01 94 Tony Scherr 1     0.006 1.006 95 Pablo Picasso 1     0.005 1.005 96 Forgetters 1     0.003 1.003   Taurus 1     0.003 1.003   Kordan   1   0.003 1.003 99 Diamond Doves 1     0.002 1.002   The Golden Filter 1     0.002 1.002   Twin Stumps 1     0.002 1.002 102 Mary Halvorson Trio 1     0.001 1.001   Melati Malay 1     0.001 1.001   MNDR 1     0.001 1.001 105 Blondes 1     0 1   Blues 1     0 1 107 Steve Shiffman & The…   0.75   0.008 0.758 Legend: J = Jury – OS = Open Submissions – W = Deli Writers – F = Fans

The Deli’s Staff