It would be too easy to compare Phil Hummer’s baritone to anyone obvious, like Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley. Instead, I heard immediate parallels to the low tone of Adam Turla of Murder by Death, albeit oiled up with a bit more twang. Their 4th album, Pour Me One More, was released May 2013, and provides a refreshingly deliberate and spare take on rockabilly. Get a double dose of upright bass (as slapped by the lovely Ray Doll Hummer) at the Basement this Thursday, or Dino’s this Friday. Caw! – Terra James-Jura

Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club are doing for alt rock in the 21st century what confessional artists like The Counting Crows did in the 90s. The Brooklyn band lets it all out on their self-titled LP, but with a much wider palette than expected. From Country to epic ambient jams, this band has a huge range. Surrounded by concern for friends and family (‘Approach’) and the promise of the night (‘Midnight’), Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club – who made their debut at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 11 – have the potential to bring a whole new mode of confessional rock to the forefront in Brooklyn’s crowded scene. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets

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

A virtuoso acoustic guitar finger-picker and a traveling troubadour, Christopher Paul Stelling can come across both as a restless soul and an inward looking poet. His new single "You Can Make It" – streaming below – showcases the latter side, and it’s the second single off his latest album "False Cities." The Brooklyn based songwriter will be kicking off the second leg of his summer 2013 tour which starting with the Newport Folk Festival kickoff show with The Low Anthem and Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons. 

Canon Logic recently unveiled this video for their song "Mountain," a song that perfectly exmplifies the Brooklyn quintet’s brand of intense pop-rock with African melodic and percussive tendencies. The band will be appearing live on July 25th at SubCulture on Bleeker Street, bringing out backup singers, horns, and extra percussionists. 

Slick is a Nashville foursome that identifies as more of a “gang” rather than “band.” They share an affinity for glam rock and The Stooges, and have weathered members moving to New York and back again. They also put on an amazing live show. The opportunity to see them doing what they do best is on Thursday, July 25th at the Stone Fox, when they open for the Blackfoot Gypsies and The Ghost Wolves. Wet your whistle for that evening here, and make sure you reclaim your girlfriend’s panties from their glove compartment before you leave. – Terra James-Jura

Many people are annoyed by frowns, or they just can’t tolerate negativity altogether in any form, art included. But art has never been only about positive feelings and harmonious balance – as a matter of fact, some of the most compelling works of art are incredibly negative and irrational: a comedy might make you laugh, a love story might move you, but a tragedy can tear you to frigging pieces.

Tearing listeners to pieces is high on the priority list of NYC’s Zulus, a band keeping NYC’s glorious Noise Rock and No Wave torches burning. Their new video for the single "Kisses" (streaming below) is a merciless exercise in sonic and visual insanity. But art can make even the most terrible feelings sublime so… if you don’t get it, it may be your loss in the end. 

See Zulus live at Death By Audio with as noisy and as Brooklyn based pals YVETTE on July 13.

Haunting, evocative, dangerous, rootsy and futuristic at once, Natureboy has the ability to pull synthetic designs and lay them down beside folksy intimacies, which gives her an otherworldly charm like no other artist today.

Available July 23rd, her new record ‘The Sweep’ challenges these worlds to come together like nothing the mysterious singer-songwriter has made yet. Complete with featured vocals from Sharon Van Etten, tracks like ‘Never Better’ and ‘Sugar’ bring intimate acoustic folk alongside samples galore, and make it sound as if it’s the most natural thing in the world to hear.

Fave song and preview single ‘Lexies’ gives you a direct portal to singer Sara Kermanshahi’s soul. Check it out below and see her crazy live performance (Natureboy has to be seen on stage to experience her properly) on July 27th when she plays Cameo Gallery. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This song was added to our Soundcloud compilation of best tracks by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

You know what they say: the longer the hair, the better equipped you are to be a spiritual leader. So for Avidya and the Kleshas‘ latest single ”Mother and God," singer Stephanie Carlin’s long locks certainly come in handy.

The video showcases a valiant effort at burning through destructive inner forces like ego and ignorance, all set to the Brooklyn quintent’s inventive interplay between folk truth and Jazz meanderings. This is one of our fave tracks from latest LP ‘Tree of Series.’ Catch Stephanie beating out all the demons from her acoustic steel string in the new video below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

As the summer continues to heat up, so does The Split. With their smooth yet raw, summery and bluesy sound, the jamming quartet recently released a new garage-rock style track titled “No Sleep Blues” reminiscent of the good old pre-punk party tunes from the early 70s – hear it below via their Bandcamp page. This sort-of ode to insomnia is part of a series of 5 free digital singles that they’ll be releasing, one per month. It rocks pretty hard. The band is set to play Bowery Electric this Wednesday, July 10th with Macellus Hall. –Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

Clementine & the Galaxy were amongst the critical darlings of last year’s underground music polls in NYC. Lately, however, the group’s tight electropop sound has evolved in a vibrant techno direction, which obscured singer Julie Hardy’s soaring vocals on the band’s newest material debuted last month at their Spike Hill show for The Deli’s electro showcase. Clementine continue the transformation in a Knitting Factory show on Wednesday July 10th with Vandana Jain, Kodachrome and Virginia Plain opening. The mere fact that they are taking chances with their sound bodes well for the act and the larger venue should give them an exciting opportunity to earn their stripes. No pressure! – Brian Chidester

Though relatively new to the local psych-rock scene, Brooklyn’s Spires have already begun to garner some well-deserved attention. Their song “Candy Flip” (streaming) takes direct aim at the late 1980’s “Madchester” era, capturing that vibe and sound with impressive results. Much like the Gallagher brothers looked to The Beatles for a framework to expand on, Spires takes The Stone Roses lead and builds their own playground out of it. “Comic Book” keeps the Manc-style vibe intact, pushing things forward with bigger production values like handclaps, big chorus ambiance and a solid percussive base. Sweet pop background vocals make this track perfect for the next coming-of-age film or tv soundtrack. The band is now in residency at Pianos, with shows every Tuesday this month. – Dave Cromwell

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