An unsettling sense of foreboding runs throughout “Wild Like Us,” the A-side single from Brooklyn’s Courtship Ritual, who recently played their label GODMODE’s show at the Northside Fest. Evoking the spirit of 90’s era 4AD artists like His Name Is Alive and their disquieting “Can’t Go Wrong Without You,” ominous overtones emerge from within the spaces surrounding the song’s sparse arrangement. B-side “Biesenbach on the Beach (Klaus)” maintains a similar level of spaciousness, driven along a singular bassline and minimal slap percussion as vocals repeat the lines “grey fox grey – beach day.” Recorded by Colin Alexander and mastered by Joe Lambert, the tracks are available digitally worldwide and as a limited edition cassette on the GODMODE imprint. – Dave Cromwell

Here’s Small Black‘s new video for single "No Stranger" – is this nu new romanticism? The band will be hitting Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 30, at the end of a US tour that started a few days ago..

We are long time fans of The Dig – we booked them at one of our CMJ shows a few years ago before they started touring – and it’s great to see them back with a new track that challenges their established sound. ‘Angeline’ (streaming below), from the new EP "Tired Hearts," in the production department is vaguely reminiscent of The Pixies’ slower tracks from their mature period – think ‘Velouria’ or ‘This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven,’ with big, open, surfy guitar chords drenched in reverb and almost whispered melody lines… except, this tune switches pace (but not necessarily atmosphere) around three quarters of the way. The other track from the EP, "Without your Love" confirms a conversion to a sound more open and psych. The band, currently touring the US, will be at The Knit on July 12.

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

Indie rockers Raccoon Fighter are set to hit the stage at Cake Shop for a 2 day residency dubbed "Summer Soulstice" that begins this Thursday, 6.20. Formed in 2010, the Brooklyn-based trio is propelled by a raw yet coercing sound that we experienced and enjoyed live in more than one occasion. Their songs range anywhere from Nirvana-esque grungy material to underground Indie fusion to upbeat, alternative rock, making for an entertaining and versatile listen. Mount Carmel, The Teen Age, and Punks On Mars will open for them on the 20th and The Denzels, Aloud, and Dead Stars on the 21st. Listen to the song “Dear Big City” below and check them out at the Cake Shop this week! – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Alt Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Brooklyn rockers Nude Beach shared today the a-side from their upcoming 7" on Other Music, a rock and roll burner entitled "What Can Ya Do". They are also hitting the road this week for a string of dates ending with a show at The Knit on July 5th, and after that will be working on a new album.

We rarely get excited about bands devoted to classic rock or blues standards, but when we stumble upon a really good NYC act flirting with these genres we don’t shy away from highlighting it – and such is Sylvana Joyce & the Moment. Much more than a revival act, the band feeds itself with a wide variety of musical influences ranging from gypsy music to reggae and funk, allowing its charismatic front lady to showcase her remarkably versatile and expressive voice. Check out the video for single "The Break" here (although our favorite song from their latest album is ‘Life is Funny,’ streaming below) and see them live tonight (06.18) at The Cutting Room.

We are getting mixed information about where Foxygen is currently based – many blogs were saying they are now an LA band, and the line "You’re not in Brooklyn anymore" from one of the band’s latest single seemed to confirm that notion, but from this insightful comment to a recent post it sounds like the band is always on the road but keeps coming back to NYC, Rado in particular (his Facebook’s location is set to Manhattan). The 23 year old California native – lead guitarist and production guru in the band – just announced a solo album on Woodsis – check out the preview track ‘Faces,’ streaming below. Rado a couple of weeks ago also released on Bandcamp some kind of unfinished bedroom pop demo which can be heard in its entirety here.

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

It’s not easy running through three different directions in a song before you’ve even passed the first minute mark, but somehow Your Sister’s Canary pulls it off. Three guys with as much control over their groove as they do with their epic themes, the band’s smooth rock anthems make me think of Local Natives, if Local Natives had jazz chops. Latest record ‘Good and Alone’ takes the band to new heights, and might make you wonder why you’re still able to catch them at smaller venues. Speaking of which, you can see them at The Bitter End on Friday June 21. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

"Uptempo" and "Pop" are by themselves two concepts that – in the business of being an indie band – can take you quite far; but if on top of that you add to the equation also comparisons to The Smiths, then the hype can get out of control. Brooklyn’s Drowners have more than one similarity with Morrisey’s act, and although they will surely feel belittled by such comparison, they should not, because no artists really managed to be The Smiths’ worthy musical heir yet (like, for example, XTC were for The Beatles, Robin Hitchcock for Syd Barrett, and The Strokes for Lou Reed – uhm, maybe…).

The band’s 3 songs debut EP features the remarkable single "Between Us Girls" (streaming below) which immediately throws us back to the days of "Meat is Murder," with the electric guitar alternating between jangly parts and arpeggios, and Welsh frontman Matt Hitt singing semi-melancholically about some girls’ hair length – rather than about how big they are… The edge is slightly punkier, while the songwriting reveals an almost clinical concision (the song clocks in just under 2 minutes, with the first chorus coming in after 26" – A&R allergic to intros will dig that). 

The second song, "You’ve Got it All Wrong," beats a similar musical path, tackling the infinite well of inspiration that (for Brits) is life at the pub, with the difference of a slower bridge, which acts as a breather for the final chorus. Final track "A Shell Across the Tongue" is the punkier of the bunch, but also the one with the least memorable melody.

This is obviously a band with enormous songwriting potential. If they’ll manage to write songs as good as these and integrate their influences in a more mature and personal sound, the world can be theirs. – PDG

Though set in the year 43,000 BCE, The Vanderbuilts latest record ‘What We Forgot’ is really an exercise in timelessness. On the surface, the band is every bit a gesture to the joys of classic rock riffs, and long road trips, but listen to the album back to back, and quite a bit more is ahead for your journey.

From the barren landscape of ‘Moscow,’ to the resplendent ‘I’m Coming Home,’ this is a band that travels far and wide to feed their imaginations (half the record seems to take place in the stone age), but always comes back with a surprising knack for making all their stories sound like they just happened, or that they’re happening to you right now. And if you’re not careful, you’re liable to get wrapped up in all the drama…

It’s hard to keep track of all the things that are important to us in the rush of the day to day, but The Vanderbuilts’ ambitious new record helps remember them all over again. Watch their claymation ode to the Jurassic in the video to ‘I Wish I was a Saber Toothed Tiger’ below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

In the mood for some dark, brooding weirdness? NYC’s Zula – who last Wednesday opened for Deli Portland’s favorites Radiation City at Mercury Lounge – will definitely fix you up in that department. With a debut LP brewing for the summer, the band takes its cues from a variety of places, from Krautrock to acid house and everything in between. Check out their captivating psychedelic samples and swirling effects in the track streaming below, entitled "Make Contact" or on their bandcamp page here, or see them live at Silent Barn’s Block Party on June 21. – Zack Kraimer

Whatever happened to the independent ladies of the Lilith fair era, that golden time from the 90s when everyone re-learned how cool the piano and a great voice can be. Half Waif has some of that singer-songwriter sensibility setting off her emotions, but coupled with a scientist’s flair for sound design (check out the long and soaring intro to album opener ‘Wooden Horse’). New EP ‘Future Joys’ is at first an intimate journey told through her carefully wrought piano plays… but I’m continually surprised at how inventive the journey becomes as everything gets wound through her endlessly inventive sonic machinery.

So if you’ve ever wondered what kind of offspring Tori Amos might have had if she’d spent one stormy night with Brian Eno, check out Half Waif’s new record here. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)