NYC’s Bar Ceuse play feel-good indie rock that fits nicely into the tradition of everyday normal guy rockers like Superchunk and Husker Du. There’s an edge that’s just arty enough to make them sound interesting without sounding pretentious. You get the sense that they’re on your side. Check out “Entertain Me” (streaming, from the debut album "Don Domestique" released this past July), a track that sounds familiar in a nice way. See the band live at Union Hall on August 30.  – Jack McGovern

In addition to being Deli Mag’s San Francisco editor and a founder of the Process Records Media Group, bicostal Jordannah Elizabeth is also a psychedelic poet/songwriter committed to making soul via a one-man band approach, utilizing whatever is available to make it happen. And whether the warm comfort of ‘(I Know) You Try Your Best,’ or the blurred poetry of ‘Holiday‘ (streaming) from upcoming album ‘Harvest Time,’ she brings it to the surface. Listening to Elizabeth’s music can be a bit disarming at first, but after spending some time with her music, I’m already hearing things a bit differently. A woman who’s always blazed her own trail, come out and support her when – accompanied by guitarist Jacob Hales – she plays Lit Lounge on August 29th with NJ quirky rockers Working Class Hussies. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Union Pool on September 5th will host a perfect show to indulge your musical ADHD. With tribal sounding percussion, reminiscent of earlier Local Natives or Wild Beasts, Friend Roulette (pictured) mixes a plethora of genres, from pop to psych to folk, without ever sounding like a forced fusion. The band just released a new single entitled ViVa ZyPreXa (streaming below), belonging to the sparser and more experimental side of their repertoir. They’re playing with Xenia Rubinos, an eccentric and sultry vocalist who crafts jagged jumpy rhythms into danceable avant-pop tracks. Obscure post punk group Blanche Blanche Blanche will be joining the set as well, adding a dark flavor to this eclectic show. All bands are based in Brooklyn! – Paul Jordan Talbot

Shark? was one of the first bands to bring back at sound of the 90s in Brooklyn. Their music immediately draws you in – their laconic lyrics, filled with bizarre observations and poignant details, are as fun to anticipate and listen to as any Silver Jews song: “Oh, I hate California girls, they don’t believe in nothing,” or “No I don’t want any cake, well OK one small bite.” Like a lot of other slacker bands, there’s not an ounce of self-importance anywhere in their music, which is what we want in a band that never lets up the energy.

Shark? just announced a new album entitled "Savior," scheduled for a 10.01 release. Check out the new single "This is Living," streaming below.

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

You always knew it would happen someday. Brooklyn would get its own confessional heartland rock anthem. To that end, singer/songwriter Marco Argiro brings it all back home in latest video ‘Leave it Behind (Brooklynville).’ The super 8 look of the footage gives a feel for bygone memories and half-finished thoughts. Lyrically, the song tells the tale of moving from small-town America to New York, and all set over a grungy, three chord pulse.

The rootsy rock singer paints a west coast vibe all over upcoming, sophomore LP ‘Love.’ Marco’s been in and out of NY bands for several years now: from fronting Le Mood to filling in for Michael Graves of the Misfits in Marky Ramone’s group, Blitzkrieg. Look out for the record, releasing on September 24th. Or better, go to the release party yourself on September 25th at The Bowery Electric. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

I suppose now that technology is so portable, it was only a matter of time until someone tried incorporating electronic elements into gypsy jazz. But that’s not everything Mary Alouette does. With a voice that sounds wild but always in control, this ex opera student’s sound is too multifaceted to be pigeonholed in a few sentences. Gipsy/Jazz influences intersect with old style French ballads and wicked trip hop/ambient tracks – and sometimes all these ingredients get mixed together. This weekend she’s performing a live film scoring at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn – and we are pretty sure she’ll reveal her electronic/experimental side, rather than the jazzy/acoustic one. Her best track to date is ‘Angel’ (streaming) – a song that sounds like the bastard child of Funki Porcini and Portishead.

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

I’m not entirely sure what kind of effect The Pluto Moons have on the mood of humans or aliens, but I’m finding myself caught between wanting to either dance, or freak out… or both every time I play their new LP ‘Mannequin Legs.’ One second, the band is all soft dancefloor pop, the next … time to orbit the Earth with all manner of electronic warbles and twirks. With almost Zappa-like schitzophrenia, these Brooklynites manage to cover all this enormous ground in just a couple of minutes. Truly an unexpected surprise. Check out their just-released LP next time it comes time to blast off and get down at the same time. And see them live at Rock Shop on 09.03 or Silent Barn on 09.14. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

We’ve always had a thing for Brooklyn duo Hunters – definitely one of the best new Noise Rock acts to emerge from Brooklyn in recent years. The band recently released two singles from their upcoming album, scheduled to drop on September 24, that – compared to the wild debut EP – showcase a sound less primal and slightly more controlled. Seizure (video here) offers the signature alternating, litany-like male/female vocals and a wall of distorted power chords between the bluesy and the dissonant which could have well figured in an early Soundgarden record. The latest single "She’s So" (streaming below) features a clean guitar tone that’s quite unusual for the duo. It triggers immediate nostalgia for some Sonic Youth track from "Daydream Nation," The Smashing Pumpkins’ "1979" and maybe even the late Feelies (best NJ band ever by the way), building towards an explosive distorted chorus scarred by a crooked minor melody .

To hear other songs from Hunters’ debut album before 09.24, go see them live at Death by Audio on 09.24

Bedroom-pop at its finest comes form Nandi Rose Plunkett, otherwise known as Half Waif. Her EP "Future Joys" is charming and artfully crafted. Plunkett’s voice – slightly reminiscent of Grace Slick and Kate Bush at once – is powerful but never belting, and it gets you right where it hurts, through melodies that defy genres. Her vocal layering makes for dreamy clusters and swells, which float on a dark and ambient soundscape that would make Brian Eno proud. See Half Waif live tonight at Silent Barn. Check the new video from single Wooden Horse below. – Paul Jordan Talbot

We blogged about Foxygen guitarist Jonathan Rado‘s new upcoming solo album just a few weeks ago – here’s a new single that sounds very "Eno-esque" to us, although also a little psychedelic, which is an influence Brian Eno – one of the most brainy human beings to ever exist – would probably abhor. 

Brainchild of The Antlers’ producer/multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci (that’s a cute last name of probable Italian origins – that’s how some people call their lovers over there!), School of Night marries lyrical depth and intimate atmospheres with an imaginative electronic production ripe with textured sonics and interesting ideas. In preview single Lying (streaming below) Cicci’s vocals sing along to a cascade of arpeggiators and other more or less random (but extremely well organized) electronic sounds, while a ghostly counter melody successfully hijacks our attention from everything else. 

The group’s self-titled EP is out October 15 in the U.S. via Minus Green Records and October 14 in the rest of the world on Transgressive Records. We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best mellow songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out! – photo by  Shervin Lainez