Tiny Victories has a gravity in its music that’s been out of fashion for a while in the Brooklyn scene – with some rare and successful exceptions (read: The National). The band just released this unusual single, entitled "Drinking with Your Ghost," which mixes electronic elements like buzzy keyboards and effects with the cleanest of acoustic guitars. The sober, deep and uneffected sounding vocals also work in a direction that’s kind of anti-electronic, contributing to a sound that’s hard to grab – like the demons they sing about. Tiny Victory announced the release of debut LP "Haunts" and will be playing live in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right with Big Data on May 8.

The first time I heard Boston/NYC based, funk-jazz-gypsy band Evolfo Doofeht I had one thought: the sax back! And it’s about time too. In songs like ‘You Light Me Up,’ the tenor horn solo has enough energy to pull you out into satellite orbit.

Sometimes sounding fast and furious, almost like a metal group with a horn line, other times smoother like high line klezmer jazz with a highly energetic frontman, this band never lets you down on the brass section department, and – as they say in their self-titled track – ‘You need to get down with Evolfo Doofeht.’ Solid advice. You can see these guys live on Friday, May 16th at Radio Bushwick with Bad Credit No Credit or the day after at Boston’s Harpoon Brewery – it will be fun. Check out their most recent single ‘Mechanicals’ below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

Dots Will Echo (who placed 44th in our Year End Poll for Emerging NYC Artists) hails from Ridgewood, New Jersey, and put out one of the best records of 2012 – at least according to… me. But my opinion must be also shared by Mr. Sufjan Stevens, since he released their LP "Drunk Is The New Sober / Stupid Is The New Dumb" on his label Asthmatic Kitty. This is a double-length masterpiece that combines Neil Young balladry and riffage, the ragged, earnest pop-sensibilities of the Replacements, and the dense psychedelia of peak Yes. Frontman and main songwriter Nick Berry tackled romantic loss and apocalyptic depression with a healthy dose of Zen. I wonder if Sufjan – when he heard the band for the first time – started with “Rocket Girls” (streaming). Dots Will Echo is working on their follow-up now. – Ben Krieger

A busy year of touring has taken NYC based “future rock” quintet Outernational through Europe, South America, and most recently SXSW and Mexico for the Vive Latino Festival. Before their Mexican debut, Outernational impressed at SXSW in Austin, TX, garnering attention with their Latin-infused heavy hitting rock ‘n roll, interspersed with Spanish lyrics amongst trumpet fanfare, shredding guitar solos, and fiery revolutionary lyrics. Back in their home territory, the five-piece celebrates the most radical of holidays, May Day (May 1) at Mercury Lounge – presented by TJO Presents, Rocker Stalker, and Rockass Producciones. This is the only New York show before this band without borders heads to Europe again this summer. Check out Outernational in all their “Spanglish” glory in “Todos Somos Illegales,” (streaming, we discourage the view to those affiliated with the Tea Party) and don’t miss their show at Mercury – they have a powerful presence on stage! The band just announced that it will spend most of June touring Europe.

So here I am in the UK, obsessed with the idea of moving to New York, and stuck without a visa unless I become a running, funny nun, and New York keeps pounding out bands like Walking Shapes. Not only are the Brooklyn five piece really bloody good, they gig as frequently as the tube is delayed (often), with a run of 24 gigs in different NYC locations in 24 hours coming up – on April 24th no less! Stop teasing me!

New album “Taka Come On” features thirteen songs of varying styles and sounds, exploring different routes to kick off a whole chain of neural responses that end in fizzing contentedness, via undulating emotional trajectory. Fuzzed geometric guitars wend under a melodic contour of clean keys, and there are jangly pop moments in counterbalance to darker EDM sounds. Opener and latest single “Woah Tiger” sees complex twiddling keys from Jake Generalli and a spoken singing style from Nathaniel Hoto, a pick’n’mix of sonic refractions and experiments that never veers into chaos, evoking comparisons with Late of the Pier. “Winter Fell” (see the video streaming below) hints at the busy yet lonely dynamic of the city, with what sounds like morphed emergency service sirens, while “Mussolini” suggests from its delicate chords and rolling rhymes that it should be a love song – but of course things are never so straight forward. The addition of a violin via Jessie Kotansky is genius, and the instrument is given a prominent position where least expecting, adding a haunting delineation and softening the sometimes caustic blows. – Francesca Baker

There doesn’t seem to be very much that singer-songwriter-storyteller Kate Vargas is too afraid to reveal. Listen as her tales of love (‘If You Lose Me’) and the devil (‘Throw the Devil Back’) weave their way through a riotous brew of folk, blues and rock, delivered by an undeniably unique voice, and arrangements that sound old timey but – at a close listen – are not. It’s like the sound of a favorite bourbon come to life: gritty, but with loads of personality to spare. Check out fave track (and also title track) from debut record ‘Down To My Soul’ below, and check her out when she announces new dates soon. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets), photo by Jan La Salle

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

Keep an ear out for Gowanus fuzz rock trio, Mount Sharp, who just announced a residency at Pianos, playing every Tuesday in May at 10pm. The band has been together for nearly two years, creating what they call “songs about science and bad decisions,” perfecting their sound as they go. A mixture of distant and echoed vocals drift in and out of ghostly, sometimes eerie pop guitar, displaying a plethora of influences, and making for an uncomfortably enjoyable (or enjoyably uncomfortable) listening experience. THey are also about to announce a summer release, so stay tuned. – JP Basileo

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

"I don’t believe in demons but sometimes I think I should." (Apples From Your Tree) Ok, so maybe new Brooklyn residents (via Philly) Penrose is just a tad scary. And yes, they can get very loud and insane when they want to… but more often than not, they’re just as likely to bask in a snaking classical guitar every bit as eerie as any music referred to by the words ‘screaming’ or ‘core.’

Latest record ‘Circe’ goes from heavy blues (‘Every River Goes to Hell’), to piano ballads (‘The Murder of Basin Street’) and even calliope! (‘Hades’). But it’s not as heavy as it sounds.’Circe’ is a concept album full of innuendo and mystery (and quite a bit of murder), but it’s also easy to groove out to and perfect for any road trip… especially if that road trip brings you to hell. See them when they play The Marlin Room at Webster Hall on Sat, April 26th and listen below to ‘Every River Goes to Hell,’ a song reminiscent of one of the most underrated desert rock bands of the 90s, Thin White Rope. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

Sounding like a faster punk version of the Arctic Monkeys or a mind-blowing Deerhunter/Sex Pistols fusion, Honduras (another band that’s playing a lot these days) have really been stepping it up lately, especially with their latest single “Borders” (check out the video below). The Brit-sounding muffled vocals of Pat Phillips combined with the band’s knack for clean, well-tempered guitar work and percussion makes for a wild listen. Known for their energetic live performances, Honduras have a heavy Brooklyn presence and appear to be expanding pretty quickly, embracing the punk ideology without pretension while still letting you know they’re here. See them live at Radio Bushwick on April 26 and then at Pianos on May 10.

LINKS: Michael Haskoor interview with Honduras from The Deli’s issue #37 (Winter 2014).

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

Erin Barra is a musician who thinks – at least in  part – also as a technician, of the musical kind. An accomplished programmer, producer and sound engineer, Erin plays soulful pop that’s at times electronic, and at others not – like in her new single ‘Dear John’ (listen to it here) released a few days ago. Since she’s very well connected with the community of remixers, and staying true to her multi-faceted musical personality, Erin decided to make available, through a site called Blend, also the "stems" of the entire EP, i.e. not the single tracks of the recording but rather the mixed versions of the separate sections (like drums, bass, guitars, vocals, backing vocals, percussions, keys). 
You’ll have a chance to see Erin Barra live at the New School on April 26 and 27.

LINK: Read Bianca Seidman’s interview with Erin Barra from the 36th issue of The Deli NYC.

We all know how hard it is for emerging musical acts to get any kind of recognition, and it’s safe to say that making music that can be described as "mournful" doesn’t help trigger word of mouth nor buzz. But then there’s that crucial component that changes everything: the moving power of music – live music in particular. That’s probably why these days – in spite of the mournfulness of her music – it seems like everybody wants to book Weyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering, who placed 34th in our latest year end Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists). 

In 2011 the then Baltimore based songstress released "The Outside Room,"a heavyhearted sounding 6 tracks mini-album filled with songs that had their ideal ambiance in decadent medieval churces – or even catacombs. After a recent move to Brooklyn, Natalie struck a deal with powerful label Mexican Summer, and now keeps landing on really good bills on an almost weekly basis. She’ll be opening for Liam Finn tonight at Union Pool (where she’ll be performing her soon to be released new record in its entirety), and then she’ll be opening for Woods at the Red Bull sponsored show at Baby’s All Right on April 22. More dates are on the horizon at The Rock Shop, Mercury Lounge and Northside Fest.

If this is not an emerging artist you want to check out now – what is? Here’s a track from Weyes Blood debut album.

With their sharp guitar riffs and pounding drums, fraught with sexy attitude and soulful edginess, Brooklyn-based The VeeVees epitomize rock ‘n roll in its most strict definition. The duo’s sound and presence will be growing by 33.3%, officially transitioning from a two-piece to a trio, since Garrett Cillo (vocals/guitar) and Andrea Belfiore (drums) are welcomimg bombshell Sophia Urista on vocals. The inaugural show is slated for May 2 at Pianos NYC, where The VeeVees will take the stage for a special hour-plus set, sharing the stage with local bluesy rockers Butchers of Sky Valley. Check out The VeeVees’ newest, “Groovin’ Swoon” – and imagine a female vocalist on it!