Tei Shi is one of the most popular NYC "electro ladies" (there’s a bunch of them, see our article in the latest printed issue of The Deli). Her 2014 track Bassically took her popularity to new heights. The Brooklyn based artists just unveiled this video for that single, and also announced the upcoming release of an EP entitled "Verde," out on April 14, and her participation in SXSW.

Read The Deli’s interview with Tei Shi from March 2014.

We’ve always liked Pianos’ continued support of emerging NYC bands through residencies, so we couldn’t be happier to report that lately their number seems to have multiplied exponentially. We literally just blogged about the Jaguar Club’s February residency, and here we are already, telling you about another one involving the Brooklyn garage pop outfit that goes under the name of Dances. The trio’s four track 2014 debut EP " Whiter Sands" features a mixed range of flavours, from the melodic but fuzzy mid tempo tracks Doc Youth and Holy Fool – both exploding into way noisier choruses – to the relentless speed-garage of "Rat" (video streaming below). The EP’s closing title track is a menacing blues featuring a crescendo of guitars that’s somewhat reminiscent of The Pixies from the Tromp Le Monde era. Check out Dances live at Pianos tomorrow February 12.

Mike Wilson’s album "Fenix" shows an MC of venerable versatility. While many rappers discover they have a flow and stick to a single application of it, Wilson explores his flow from track to track. Hailing from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, his Native Tongue roots often show, but he also conjures equal parts LA and ATL. His new video for the track “Red Matter” is pretty much a single verse laying out his mission statement as an MC. He boasts, “I hash tag three sixes and steal police sketches to hire new priests based on police records. My goal is to implode the world. That’s one method to see your soul suffer and get one off the checklist.” From hooks borrowed from Broadway musicals to Star Trek references, Mike Wilson is reflecting on the whole spectrum. – BrokeMC

Brooklyn based duo Chargaux is one of the most intriguing artists we discovered through our Best of NYC Poll this year. The moniker originates from the fusion of the names of the two main band members (and violin players) Charly and Margaux. Violins (plucked or bowed) are front and center in their music, often – but not always – joined by their soulful vocals. There’s a lot of tasteful and sparse electronic programming in their music, which seems to be the product of collaborations with external musicians, probably the dude in this picture. Single "I’m So Pretty" (streaming), is their poppiest tune, in a repertoire that features mostly instrumental excercises flirting with eastern influences, jazz, and classical music – like the noteorthy "Lullaby." You can catch Chargeaux live at Coco 66 on February 22nd.

The sweet, rebellious sentiment of yesteryear’s sound is alive Jeremy & The Harlequins’ new album, "American Dreamer," out Tuesday, February 10. The record, their follow-up to their self-titled EP, and debut full-length, is a raw continuation of their throwback rockabilly sound, with recurrent nods to everything from beach-rock slow jams to the rolling acoustic rhythms of Americana to dance hall swing tunes, all penetrated by Jeremy Fury’s even more heavily reverbed vocals, to give the ghostly effect of the past returning to present. The record starts with the previously released “Step into the Light,” perhaps a little more polished here, and each of the ensuing nine songs is a step further into rock ‘n roll history, and a more pronounced denunciation of modern conventions of music. The first single, “You’re My Halo” is a slow, dreamy rocker that shows the full extent of Fury’s vocal dexterity, belting out mid-range verses, entering into falsetto in the chorus, and even quieting down entirely to hush out some quiet love murmurs. Stream the full album below. – JP Basileo

One of the most serious problems of the music industry, today, is that it’s incredibly hard for musicians to cultivate their compositional skills for long enough to reach their full potential: since the mp3 induced collapse of record sales, funds for artist development have vanished, and artists have no choice but to develop themselves, with little funds and – often – time. It really takes a lot of mental strength and self discipline to grow as an artist, in particular in a city as merciless as the Big Apple. Brooklyn Davey Jones and his indie rock project Lost Boy ?, with that name that perfectly sums up the challanges of being an "indie" musician, has been keeping at it for quite some time (at least since 2010, when we booked them at Pianos with Quilty, which then moved back to Boston and became Speedy Ortiz). In the last few weeks Lost Boy ? has been unveiling two new songs from their upcoming album (due in April), which reveal a growing songwriting confidence and an improved sound. The album, entitled "Canned" is the first release recorded as a band. Judging from these first two singles, dwelling in a sea of influences ranging from The Pixies to The Flaming Lips, it’s likely to propell the band to the next level in their musical career – they would deserve it.

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging Portland Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!

A huge congratulations to The Domestics for becoming The Deli Portland’s Artist of 2014. For a group who seemed to materialize out of nowhere in early 2014, they recorded easily one of the best albums in recent Portland history. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Through and through, these guys are pure musicians and true song writers. Here’s looking forward to more soul-crushingly beautiful folk-friendly indy rock from them to come in the near future.

Sama Dams were not far behind, securing the Number 2 seat. Their 2014 sophomore release, Comfort in Doubt, underscores Adams ability to craft unique and heartfelt avant indie rock that both gently draws the listener in and challenges them with intelligent rhythms and out-there guitar solos.

It’s also no surprise to see Talkative at the top of this list. Their 2014 debut studio lp, Hot Fruit Barbeque, was the culmination of four years of relentless high-energy gigging and self-recorded demos, and is one of the strongest recent contributions to the realm of Pacific NW psych rock. 

Here is how it all went down: first we let the local bands submit their music, and had various Deli editors to pick their favorites as nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Portland music scene experts (our jury) asking them each to nominate 3 more bands of their choice. Then we polled our writers. And finally we polled our readers. We tried our damdest to keep things open and inclusive across all genres, from Indie to folk to Hip Hop.

If you care to geek out on all the subtelties of how this poll works, you can check out the rules in depth here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music that Portland produced in 2014, then the following list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING PORTLAND ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS ******

ARTIST J OS W R TOT   1 The Domestics 11   1 0.036 12.036 2 Sama Dams 9   1 0.017 10.017 3 Talkative 7   1 0.027 8.027 4 The Tamed West 6     0.013 6.013 5 Psychomagic 3   3 0.008 6.008 6 Summer Cannibals 6     0.006 6.006 7 The Ghost Ease 4   1 0.033 5.033 8 Grandparents 2   3 0.021 5.021 9 Like A Villain 4   1 0.014 5.014 10 Aan 3   2 0.011 5.011 11 The Lower 48   3 1 0.004 4.004 12 Big Haunt 4     0.002 4.002   Thanks 3   1 0.002 4.002 14 Mermaid in China   1 1 2 4 15 Bubble Cats 3     0.023 3.023 16 Lunch 2   1 0.013 3.013 17 Fanno Creek 2   1 0.006 3.006 18 Swansea 3     0.003 3.003 19 The Shivas 3     0.002 3.002 20 Blesst Chest 3     0.001 3.001   Chanterelles 3     0.001 3.001   Musee Mechanique 3     0.001 3.001 23 And And And 3     0 3   The Woolen Men 3     0 3 25 Kool Stuff Katie   1   1.5 2.5   Jackson Boone   2   0.5 2.5   Just Lions   2   0.5 2.5 28 Fringe Class 2     0.018 2.018 29 Minden 2     0.016 2.016 30 Eidolons 1   1 0.013 2.013 31 Golden Hour 2     0.009 2.009 32 Comm 2     0.007 2.007 33 Bed. 2     0.004 2.004 34 Lost Lander 2     0.001 2.001   Mothertapes   1 1 0.001 2.001   Sons of Huns 2     0.001 2.001 37 Dirty Revival   1   1 2 38 The Fourth Wall 1     0.027 1.027 39 Arlo Indigo 1     0.019 1.019 40 Jeffrey Martin   1   0.004 1.004   Landlines 1     0.004 1.004 42 Anna Tivel   1   0.001 1.001   Renaissance Coalition 1  < NYC Best of Portland Readers and Fans’ Choice: 1. Mermaid in China, 2. Kool Stuff Katie 3.Dirty Revival Posted on: February 10, 2015 Deli Readers, The Deli Portland’s Best of 2014 Readers and Fans’ Poll for local emerging artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees.  We happily announce our top three local emerging artists Mermaid in China, Kool Stuff Katie and Dirty Revival! Stay tuned for the composite chart, to be released soon, which will include details about the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers’ votes, and will crown The Deli’s Best Emerging Portland Artist of 2014. 1. Mermaid in China — 2. Kool Stuff Katie — 3. Dirty Revival — Here’s this poll’s top 10 chart, full results can be found here.  BEST OF PORTLAND 2014 – READERS’ POLL RESULTS   Artists Votes   1 Mermaid in China 683 2 Kool Stuff Katie 623 3 Dirty Revival 274 4 Jackson Boone 98 5 Just Lions 73 6 The Domestics 36 7 The Ghost Ease 33 8 Talkative 27 9 The Fourth Wall 27 10 Bubble Cats 23   The Deli’s Staff NYC Brooklyn lo-fi for a better now: Baifan – live at Silent Barn on 02.10 Posted on: February 9, 2015 Humans should always be appreciative of how lucky they are to have pop music, with its ability to lift spirits and create invisible suns of hope – even in the middle of this insane NYC winter. Today, pop music itself didn’t shy away from reminding us of this, when a few minutes ago it unexpectedly showed up in our speakers in the shape of this gem by lo-fi Brooklyn band Baifan, entitled "Running in Slow Motion." A few carefully chosen chords and an airy melody neutralize the grittiness of the recordings, while a wailing, distorted guitar note, following the alternating chords, adds that droney element that’s always a plus for true indie addicts. They’ll be playing at Silent Barn tomorrow (02.10) on a bill put together by 1989 Recordings, check them out! NYC From the NYC Submissions: Songwriter Carrie Ashley Hill plays Baby’s All Right tonight (02.09) Posted on: February 9, 2015 Recently featured on the Village Voice’s music blog for her new video ‘Broke Up, Broke Down," NYC songwriter Carrie Ashley Hill will be playing Baby’s All Right tonight (02.09). Inspired by the fortuitous meeting with NYC stylist April Barton (who saw her perform live), the video was shot in Suite 303 of Manhattan’s legendary Chelsea Hotel, which was April’s apartment and – we assume – salon, and was conceived as a swan song for the "old version" of the Hotel, which recently evicted all its tennants and should be reopening later in 2015 after a full renovation. The song actually pre-dated the video’s concept, which recycled (very effectively) the emotions of loss and uncertainty the songwriter went through when she wrote it, while stranded in Trinidad, Colorado, which obviously resonated with the stylist. This artist submitted their music for coverage here. NYC The Jaguar Club reunites, plays Pianos residency + announces new March release Posted on: February 9, 2015 Reuniting this past summer after a four year break to work on other projects, Massachusetts and Brooklyn based The Jaguar Club prepare to release their latest EP “Close” on March 3rd. Currently hosting a weekly Wednesday night residency at Pianos, the band has recently released digitally some new tracks that continue to expand on its signature sound. “Heat Of The Sun” (streaming) pairs crooner vocals with distinct guitar lines, echoing the Morrissey/Marr relationship. The lyrical mood is more positive, however, as heartache goes “bouncing off the ceiling,” giving way to the appreciation of the light (and heat) produced by the sun. Spacious instrumental interludes emphasize ambient keyboards, jingly tambourine and brightly strummed guitar chords. The Jaguar Club’s residency show on February 11 also features Leave The Planet, Mariko, Cosmonaut & Night Squirrel. – Dave Cromwell NYC A great electronic track: Pink Murder’s “Set Her Free” Posted on: February 6, 2015 I’m not sure if our readers realize how many hours music bloggers spend every day listening to music they – for a reason or another – don’t want to write about. So, stumbling upon a track that gets our juices flowing pretty much gives a meaning to our existence. It just happened with this song by very new NYC/Philly band Pink Murder. The synth pop trio plays a danceable version of what some critics of the 80s used to call "sophisti-pop," i.e. light but tasteful melodic music featuring a touch of soul and lounge influences. Many treats are to be found in this track, but Jennifer Pague’s beautifully full voice stands out by a mile. Her melody sounds as if it was cunjured up by a mddle easern siren, while the electronic production is intriguingly synchopated and textured, in pure 80’s disco pop style, but better. The band released their debut EP in November, you can listen to it here. We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Electronic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!