Making their way into the hard hitting Long Island scene’s spotlight are indie alt-rockers and buzzing up-and-comers Sainthood Reps. Their heavy riffs and overall sheer power, along with the raw vocals of Francesco Montesanto come full circle, especially on their new record titled ‘Headswell,’ which was just released via No Sleep Records on 10/22. They are currently on an east coast tour with I Am The Avalanche and show no signs of slowing down with a post-tour record release show planned for 11/7 at Amityville Music Hall. Listen to the track "Run Like Hell" from the new record below! – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

You might have heard this already a couple of times, but one of the secrets to improvement and – eventually (maybe) – success, is keeping at it, for a very long time. We booked Chris Kittrell’s brainchild Baby Alpaca for one of our 2010 CMJ shows – he was playing solo at the time – and it was great to see him with a full band, improved confidence and a great new EP at Pianos on CMJ Wednesday. With their charmingly dark melodies, tasteful arrangements, and a voice to fall for, Baby Alpaca come across as some kind of new Roxy Music from the "Avalon" years, and earn extra points for being managed by an ex (awesome) Deli intern – we weren’t aware of it when we started to write this blurb.Check out the video for "Sea of Dreams" here, and listen to preview single "Wild Child" below.

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

If you think about it, dream music shouldn’t really be "pop". That genre’s structure is too organized and predictable to be associated with dreaming, which takes our brain for a ride through anomalous associations, buried memories and curious twists and turns. Also, pop songs are intrinsically "built" to be remembered – while most dreams are forgotten. This is why jazz feels like the more appropriate genre to match the essence of dreams, and some bands actually did try something that – Dif Juz anybody? 

Brooklyn Empty Chairs don’t really play "Dream Jazz," but their approach to songwriting is not as straight nor as upbeat as required by the "pop" format. Reflective, suspended and impressionistic, the band’s songs flow like a stream of unconscious thoughts, full of gentle but still disorienting unpredictability, immersed in an atmosphere that conjures up another important quality of dreams: depth of meaning – or at least the perception of it.

Empty Chairs will celebrate the release of their debut album "Caveat Emptor" at Pianos on Friday November 1st.

NYC quartet Motive is one of those bands that rocks with nonchalance, which is a quality Lou Reed (and David Bowie) mastered to perfection. Their new single ‘Mammals’ (streaming below) also features a climbing melody that’s at once elegant and catchy. The band has a self-title debut album scheduled for early 2014.

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

We’ve been writing quite a lot about NYC indie popsters Coastgaard this past summer, and we are glad to hear that the US college radios have been enjoying their music too: the band recently rose to #64 on CMJ’s top 200 radio charts. They just released a new dreamy single "Beach 3 (Ocean Blue)" from their self titled debut album, check it out below.

For certain genres of music, the quality of the live show resides largely on the performance of the lead vocalist. Big Ups play some kind of post-hardcore that cannot be easily described – it must be experienced. We live vicariously through the bands we see; they go mad so that we can satisfy our need to go mad. In this respect, Big Ups deliver, and their songs, with their short, Minutemen-like lengths, venture far beyond the typical hardcore shtick. We saw them again at the OhMyRockness CMJ show last week, after booking them at Spike Hill at our 2012 NYC B.E.A.F. fest. The band has perfected their own loud/quiet dynamic, and they take all sorts of wild divergences, even dabbling a bit in funk and psych, with absurd lyrics to add further to the chaos. Check out the preview single ‘Wool’ from their upcoming album "Eighteen Hours of Static" streaming below, or the more aggressive title track here.

Just in from this side of prog rock and jam band fun, comes Les Racquet, the power rock trio devoted to bringing jams to epic proportion.

Latest record ‘Whale Hail’ celebrates these touchstones, with verbal shoutouts to all the themes that make long-form rock so much fun. ‘Queen’ screams Blue Oyster Cult, and ‘Zumi’ is a singalong reminiscent of Phish’s jams, if Phish had record scratching in their music. It’s an ultra-ambitious genre buster, and I hear the band rocks headbands pretty well too. See them at Bowery Electric on November 2nd, when they return from their east coast tour. Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

As of late, New Jersey’s punk scene has been known for its pop-punk and emo revival, but their newest addition Night Birds have roughed up the locals and by kicking it old school. We’re not too sure what their fascination with Seinfeld has to do with their music, but their claim of the punk rock genre is undeniable, aside from their slight surf influences and complex song structures. Their association with Fat Wreck Chords is well earned. Their most recent July release, Born to Die in Suburbia, has caught the Deli’s eye (and ear). You can listen to the power title track below via Bandcamp, or take a trip to The Brighton Bar in Long Branch on November 1st to see them live.  – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

There is a playful element running through the speedy punk music of New York City’s Butter The Children. Revealing themselves to be keenly aware of the irony all around us (as well as outright fans of classic comedy) vocalist Inna, guitarist Ray, Drummer Jordyn and bassist Jon bring an intelligent approach to an often maligned genre. The more amusing elements of our television culture serve as a catalyst for the lyrical content running through much of the band’s self-titled seven song EP. Angular guitar lines snake behind straightforward progressions, proving ample sonic hooks for your ears to latch on to. Having recently signed to the prestigious Downtown Records, expect to see the bands profile continue to expand in the coming months, and see them live at Kent 285 on October 30.
LNKS: Dave Cromwell‘s interview with Butter the Children

The six members of Great Caesar, a big band with brass to spare, are tristate area connoisseurs. They hail from Connecticut, they’ve recently re-located to Brooklyn, and their recent release ‘Scattered Air’ was recorded with Eric Bennett (credentials include Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson & the Cans) in New Jersey. Great Caesar talks to us about crowds in New York versus Connecticut and the "vast universe" that is the Brooklyn music scene. See them live at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on 10.31.
LINK: Corinne Bagish’s interview with Great Caesar.

Here’s something to consider: How can one be kickass and loud, and still keep a cool, new wave posture at the same time? Those are just two of the sides that make up the chilling electronic rock in Of The Opera. A band with a mysterious way of merging these opposing postures into something entirely original. Latest track ‘Widow’ puts these contradictions on display, where the mysteries of love collide with an electronic pyrotechnics display. Check it out below. Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.