The idea of a jam-band entertaining Brooklyn crowds may seem like a difficult thing to conceive, but supposedly not when heavy effects and synthetic filth is introduced into the mix. Brooklyn-based Alien Whale – a side project of Talibam!’s Matt Mottel (on keys), Colin Langenus of USA is a Monster (on guitar) and Nick Lesley (on drums), creates a trip of a musical experience, with nightmarish, swirling keyboard tones, and jabby, screeching guitar, like a more drugged-up end of “Sister Ray,” that goes on and on. Like when you wake from a dream to find out you’re still in a dream. When you think it’s about to get stale, a new synth tone, or guitar hook is introduced, altered, and then transformed into something else entirely. The process works well, like you can tell that when these songs were conceived, the trio just understood each other, and everything they liked to create. The end result is exactly what the name sounds like: something otherworldly and huge. The band re-emerged recently to play a bunch of shows, check out opening track ‘Mikado’ from their 2010 album "Live on Tape." – JP Basileo

With its references to 2001: A Space Odissey‘s monolith, Mulholland Drive’s mysterious key, and Monsters Inc.’s door that opens to a different place (ok, there were a bunch of the last two, but hey…), the video of Brooklyn’s electronic one-man-band Varick for single "Boundless" manages to quote three of the best movies EVER in less than a minute! The song is a very well produced atmospheric electronic track reminiscent of a dronier and more epic version of early múm mixed with Radiohead and electro influences. Varick’s emotional alto ties together a track where disparate layers, consisting in a variety of drones, pulsing synths and other electronic sounds, overlap on top of each other, building slowly and progressively towards a chorus so charged and dense that things for a second almost sound like hite noise. Varick isn’t here for the fun, but for the intensity and for the contemplation of life’s mysteries, and this song/video combo is a very well crafted expression of his musical existentialism.

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

Every year, the NYC Popfest highlights some elegantly melodic NYC based artists worthy of attention. We blogged about psych-pop trio The New Lines when they first started releasing records back in 2011, and then kind of lost track of them. Admittedly it looks like the band took a break after a very inspired 2011, a year that saw the release of one LP, one EP and three singles (at least according to the chronology of their Bandcamp profile). The group returned in August of 2013 with a new record entitled "Fall in Line," which had the potential to delight many orfans of British band Broadcast (we belong), and deliver extra satisfaction to those who (like us) enjoy melodies that follow unpredictable paths but still sound memorable. Latest single "windimir and the gift of death" (streaming) wraps things in an even thicker aura of psychedelic mystery by introducing Gregorian sounding melodies reminiscent of some of the very very early Pink Floyd singles (check this out if you have Spotify), when Syd Barret’s wild imagination was still ruling. This new single manages to be at once incredibly sober and fun: the tamed vocals, perfectly devoted to this almost religious function, can’t be taken too seriously, while the unremitting, peaceful melody (whatever the lyrics say) is pure psychedelic bliss. See the band at Littlefield this Sunday (06.01) at 6pm).

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

Originating from upstate NY, and recently relocated to (you guessed it) Brooklyn, Yellerkin is a duo comprised of two childhood friends who’ve been knowning each other for twenty years (that’s always the best way to form a band). Their self-titled debut EP is a true hybrid of new and old sounds and atmoshperes, characterized by very melodious vocals and a predilection for vocal harmonies (if you like simplifications, think about a more Animal Collective-ish version of The Dodos). Their single Solar Laws (streaming) unconventionally blends benjos and a placid falsetto melody with brushed drums playing a frantic swinging bluegrass rhythm. The band was chosen by The Wild Honey Pie for their upcoming episode of their Welcome Camper series, which sounds like an awesome paid vacation for bands with extra filming and recording perks, and will also play the NYC blog’s upcoming Northside show at Brooklyn Bowl on June 14.

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

Muffled noise rockers Dead Tenants from Queens sound a little like Black Flag with an experimental edge. Their debut self-titled EP, which just dropped in April, is a jumble of twisting guitar riffs, melodramatic vocals, and loud noises. They’re set to play  The Deli’s B.E.A.F./Northside Punk Rock Stage on 06.12 at Silent Barn with Big Ups, Lost Boy ? and many others. Listen to their track "Syntax" via their Bandcamp below. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

Even though NYC is a hodgepodge of ethnicity, it’s certainly not famous for producing musical artists influenced by Middle Eastern music (at least as far as we know…). That’s a void filled in part by Sirma, a Turkish singer and producer currently based in NYC who mixes musical elements from her native land with Western pop, English lirycs, and electronic sounds. In her latest single, the opening sustained notes of a Yaylı Tanbur remind us that musical drones weren’t invented by The Velvet Underground. A wall of sound of synths unexpectedly explodes mid-song, giving the tune an edge that almost counteracts its open melodies. Check it out streaming below, and see Sirma live at Pianos on June 7 for the single’s release show.

Started as a project between friends, Brooklyn rock band Stone Cold Fox has slowly evolved into a fully form band. Kevin Olken and Ariel Loh met at SUNY Purchase and began working together on acoustic compositions, soon after adding guitar, bass and drums to their catchy alt pop tunes. With ‘Memory Palace,’ their first full-length and latest release, SCF seem to have fully rounded out their style. While most of their lyrics and sounds have a love lost, sentimental aspect, the band keeps things danceable and upbeat for most of the record. The quintet’s sound is reminiscent of the even paced style of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, with occasional excursions into electro-pop (‘Time’s Up’), not so occasional ones into sparser ballads (‘Graduation,’ ‘Memory Place’) while flirting with Americana and semi-epic pop overtones. Rather than looking back and being nostalgic, SCF seems to be growing and maturing with each track. Check their website for upcoming shows in NYC and listen to single ‘Seventeen’ – streaming. – Joe Fish

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

Dear Georgiana is the music of Brooklyn-based and Alabama-born Lauren Balthrop. If Patsy Kline had lived past 1963 and made a record produced by Barry Gordy, you would have probably been able to compare the two chanteuses. This is not the first musical project for Lauren, in fact, she is well seasoned in the NYC scene, having performed in numerous bands such as Balthrop, Alabama and The Bandana Splits. This is however her first solo endeavor, and possibly the most well conceived of all.

LINKS: Read Sam Kogon’s interview with Dear Georgiana.
EVENTS: See Dear Georgiana at The Deli’s B.E.A.F./Northside Rootsy Stage at Spike Hill on 06.13 with Weyes Blood, Bridget Davis, Great Caesar and Such Hounds among others.
 

Seizing on electro and drawing on the depths of consciousness, Leverage Models create deliciously vibrant music. A bubbling sonic palette doused in multiple dimensions, the band makes glorious glistening sounds, nuanced with commentary and clever perceptive notes, that pulse with passion, short pounds and reverberating rhythms adding a complexity that never digresses from what it is – pure pop. Churning and bristling with self-confessed dark emotions, there’s a restlessness to it all, a deliberate provocativeness that thrives. It’s the masterwork of producer and creator Shannon Fields, his inspired hand sketching and shifting through the sounds of the bandmates to build music to dance, shake, groove and live to.

LINKS: Francesca Baker’s interview with Leverage Models.
EVENTS: See Leverage Models at The Deli’s NYC B.E.A.F./Northside Electro Stage at Spike Hill on Saturday 06.14 with Wavves, Twintapes, Zula, Psychic Twins and more.

Thursday May 29th at 7pm, Brooklyn blunderbuss Warren Britt celebrates the release of his new EP ‘Awww, You Mad?’, available on Britt’s bandcamp page. Like the MC himself, it’s a record full of love. Producer Chaz Van Queen laces the 7 tracks with a wide array of style from the boom bap funk of “Off We Go Again” to the drum roll chaos of the title track. Like all of Britt’s work, the record takes you for a ride and at the end you’re inclined to start it over immediately. Also, I ain’t mad at all after listening to it! The release party at The Studio at Webster Hall on 5/29 features Tyquan Sounds, Teddy Faley, and Silent Knight. That’s almost too much good local hip hop for one night.

Low Fat Getting High is one of the most prominent Brooklyn bands riding the new wave of guitar rock inspired to the noisy 90s, although they predated this trend, since they’ve been releasing their first record in 2012. Their recent ‘Poor Circulation’ EP is their noisisest and darkest record to date, and also the best produced one. Reoccuring sonic references to noise rock, blues rock and even metal are framed within four wild punk rock nuggets. Also, ‘Poor Circulation’ is not just an EP but also a ‘zine, illustrated by the band’s lead singer/guitarist (and frequent Deli visual contributor) Michael Sincavage.

The band (which also made our latest Best of NYC list) will be opening for Titus Andronicus and Eagulls at Warsaw on June 12 during the Northside Festival, and is currently working on a full length scheduled for a fall 2014 release. Check out the EP opener Emasculator, streaming below.

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

We were at Baby’s All Right on 5/17/14 to check out a few interesting local artists. Opening act Juniper Rising started the night out with garage alt country, featuring a pedal steal player and twangy female vocal harmonies.  Up next, Bad Girlfriend, an all girl group with great fashion sense, fit the night of garage rock with style. The main treat of the night however, were New York City darlings Fletcher C. Johnson.  These boys filled the venue with their brand of jingle-jangle surf-rock, making it hard for the members of the audience not to bounce along to their tunes.  Frontman Johnson’s stage banter and lighthearted stage presence makes the downtime in-between songs as enjoyable as the group’s tunes, which are filled with fun references to the pop of the 60s that are perfect for the upcoming summer season.  Their songs include catchy melodies, clever lyrical content and dance inducing energy.  Their latest record “Salutations” is out on Burger Records. The band will be playing live again at the Bushwick Block Party on Troutman st at the Jefferson L train stop on Sunday June 1st. – by Jessica Louise Dye. More photos from Jonathon Bernstein can be found here.

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