Boys and girls, we have the feeling that a quirky psychedelic wave is about to flood the streets of NYC – how awesome! After Jerry Paper and Jib Kidder, Company of Selves is another really talented (presumably) Brooklyn based artist who released in September an intriguingly unique record entitled ‘Butterfly Handlers & Memory Travelers.’ The LP features heavy psychedelic influences and imaginative arrangements and lyrics blended with an intimate "bedroom pop" sound reminiscent of early Momus – a modus operandy that seems reflected in the band’s name. We are streaming below single "Presidential Model," but we recommend giving a listen to the entire album. We are digging in particular third song "Pyramid Schemes," where things get a lot more noisy and upbeat.

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

Bringing jazz to the masses is a complicated task. In most cases, to be accepted and enjoyed by a multitude of people, the genre needs to be heavily processed and (like KFC’s chicken) reformed within a more traditional pop structure. Also, this is music that most young fans (the main consumers of popular music) don’t really get, which doesn’t help. Sade managed to accomplish this task with a mix of beautiful songs, great voice and her uniquely discreet sex appeal. NYC (via Woodstock) Lindsey Webster seems to follow in her footsteps with music that charms in very sophisticated ways. Check out single "Fool Me Once," from her sophomore album "You Change" (out in the summer of 2015), to be enjoyed while lounging in the company of your favorite human being – or simply of a good scotch and cigar combo.

I wonder how many musicians move to NYC just because of their love for The Ramones. It feels like garage rock has been in vogue in NYC since the beginning of time, and Baby’s All Right tomorrow night will celebrate the most NYC centric of all genres with a trio of quality local artists. The Britanys (Deli Artist of the Month earlier this year and recently part of our CMJ shows) will headline the bill, sharing the stage with psych-garage rockers Acid Dad, another band that’s getting some deserved buzz these days. But in this post we’ll focus our attention on opening artist Tall Juan (pictured), since he just released a new EP entitled "Why Not?," where his mercurial and whimsical songwriting reaches new heights. The Queens via Buenos Aires artist got his EP recorded and mixed by Mac DeMarco, with whom he shares a bizarre attitude, an uninhibited vocal delivery and a preference for clean guitar sounds. 

The world of music lovers is divided in two categories: those who love pretty songs, and those who seek aural insanity. For the latter, we recommend Spray Paint, an Austin based trio whose sole purpose seems to be creating the most relentlessly tense music conceivable – edgy stuff! The group is also very prolific, having released five LPs in total, two this year alone, the latter (entitled "Doper") while touring the US. Fully dedicated to the cause, that’s how you find your audience.

On November 9, Controller, another band with a great live show we booked at CMJ 2015 (they actually packed Pianos that night), will be celebrating the release of their sophomore EP "No Future," which will gather singles released separately in 2015, including their best known tracks "Flame" and "Midnight Man." These two tracks illustrate the musical coordinates the band operates within, i.e. a dark sounding, tense rock sound with post punk influences, and a sunnier pop side that references radio friendly bands from the ’90s like The New Radicals. Title-track "No Future," the latest single, errs on the darker side big time – needless to say we dig that – and it’s probably their edgiest single to date, notwithstanding the signature pop explosion in the chorus. Thir show, originally scheduled at Elvis Guesthouse, will actually be at Berlin a few blocks down (yes, never heard of it!).

We are not sure if traces of Puerto Rico and Columbia can be found in Balancer‘s music (that’s where the band’s members hail from). There’s a certain "chill factor" in their music one wouldn’t instinctively associate with hustling NYC, hadn’t the Big Apple produced a recent musical phenomenon called "chill wave" and an invasion of mellow dream pop acts led by Real Estate – a scene the band squarely belongs to. But there is a certain romantic quality in their melodies and lyrics that is exquisitely Latin, and that contributes to making their songs so charming and appealing. The trio was one of the best live acts we saw (and booked) at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon, thanks to a performance oozing with flair and instrumental confidence (we were particularly impressed with drummer Gabriela Jimeno). We are proud to premiere their newest single "Clarity" (streaming below), recorded in Seattle at the end of 2014 with long time collaborator Garrett Reynolds, during a session that also produced their previous single "Waves Remain."

Bl_nk Sp_ces‘ songs marry the austere simplicity of early synth pop (Kraftwerk, Gary Numan) with a more modern melodic sensibility. The British born, NYC raised act released their debut album ‘Memory Man‘ in 2014, and since then have played regularly in NYC, including at the latest CMJ show. Check out their single The Great Shark Hunt (streaming below) and see them live at one of the last shows at Cameo Gallery on November 9th.

Those who fell in love with the arresting intensity of Jeff Buckley’s "Grace" should familiarize with Port St. Willow, the brainchild of NYC composer Nicholas Principe. The two artists share a beautifully expressive falsetto and preference for sparse atmospheres, but come from completely different places in terms of musicianship: you’ll rarely hear a plain guitar sound in Port St. Willow, since Principe is a keyboardist/sound designer. His music’s central elements are ambiance, melody and drone. Ghostly new single "Ordinary Pleasure," released on his brand new imprint People Teeth, reinforces this notion – it’s part of a full length entitled "Syncope," to be released in the near future. Written and recorded with a focus on improvisation, the album features guest appearances by Will Epstein (Nicolas Jaar, High Water), Peter Silberman (The Antlers), and David Moore (Bing & Ruth) among others.

Port St. Willow’s debut album earned some praise from none other than legendary producer Brian Eno – check out our 2013 post about it here. You can see the band live at Le Poisson Rouge on 11.17 and at Trans Pecos the day after.

Bicoastal synth-pop duo Painted Palms released their sophomore album Horizons in September, shorly after embarking in an intensive (and still ongoing) five week tour with Brooklyn like-minded band Small Black. The project’s latest effort elegantly blends conflicting ’80s electronic influences, including Soft Cell’s light pop attitude and darker tendencies reminiscent of bands like Depeche Mode and Wire. Baby’s All Right will be hosting the NYC leg of their tour on November 20. Check out their brand new video for single "Refractor."

It’s no secret that, over the last decade, nightlife in NYC has migrated east. By the late ‘90s, Brooklyn had become a new epicenter of the city’s electronic music culture, where some still argue it started over three decades back. The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival (BEMF, scheduled for November 6th and 7th) gave definite voice to this shift when it debuted eight years ago. This year the fest’s organizers once again curate a series of shows across multiple venues in Williamsburg, involving the cutting-edge of emerging live and DJ talent. Bookings include MK, Laidback Luke, Floating Points, Eats Everything, Snakehips, Daniel Avery, Django Django, George Fitzgerald, Matrixx Mann, Luke Hess, and Soul Clap among others.

Newark’s own Nadus, a rather hard to classify electronic artist whose 2014 record, "Broke City," was recently re-released, will be one of the local artists performing at this year’s BEMF, together with – among others – Julia Govor and Gina Turner, who were featured in our latest print issue. Check out Nadus’ electro ode to his home town, streaming below, and – if that’s your cup of tea – don’t miss his show at BEMF on Friday November 6th.

We’ll be sad to say goodbye to Brooklyn dark and loud psych rock quintet Ancient Sky, a band whose dense and tense songs would be the perfect soundtrack for anybody’s weirdest nightmares. The group released three full length albums since 2012, slowly transitioning from post punk influences (we hear one of our favorite early ’80s bands – Echo and the Bunnymen – in songs like Wishing Well) to the bleaker, bluesier psycedelia of their 2015 release, entitled "Mosaic." Check out the record’s titletrack streaming below. Ancient Sky will be celebrating their last show at Shea Stadium on 11.21.

Redcast is a Portland based quartet that never fails to supply upbeat and uplifting pop rock tunes. The band released their debut EP, appropriately titled "The Look Up," just a month ago, and PDX Spotlight took notice right away, inviting them for a live taping. Check out opening track "Corduroy" below, and – if it improves your mood – keep checking their Facebook profile for upcoming live shows.