When you listen to Free Time, you’ll think you’re occupying a space in lead singer Dion Nania’s mind, and are hearing the song directly from there. For the video to the latest track in the band’s odyssey of slowly moving beach rock, ‘I Lost Again’ (song streaming below) you’re journeying with him as he picks up bandmates scattered over various floors on a large freight elevator. His mind works in mysterious ways… check it out here and see the band when they play Shea Stadium on June 21. The band is schedule to release their self titled debut album on Underwater Peoples on June, and tour the East Coast that same month. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Erik Meier’s signature plangent wail could be heard echoing up the stairs from Union Hall’s small basement venue. Even over the crowd chatter Bird Courage’s songs sailed above the din creating an ethereal nostalgia. The band looked like they might have just rolled out of a boxcar together, and their stripped-down instrumentation complemented the aesthetic. From the melodica to the bowed acoustic guitar or glockenspiel to the muted floor tom and tambourine, bandmates Sam Saffery and Sean McMahon offered emotive and chaotic accompaniment to Erik’s acoustic guitar and ukulele compositions. By the middle of the set the crowd patter had extinguished entirely, and at the end when the band left the stage to form a circle in the middle of the crowd for their finale, even newcomers joined in the heartwarming refrain, “Home sweet home is the lonely road if your only home is the lonely road.” I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them followed the band back to their boxcar. – BrokeMc

Safety Scissors, aka Matthew Curry, has been exploring with experimental electronic and dance music since 1999, releasing on labels such as ~scape and Plug Research. He recently relocated from San Francisco to Brooklyn, signed to the venerable Berlin based electro label BPitch Control and announced the release of the project’s third LP, ‘In A Manner Of Sleeping,’ scheduled for early June in North America. Curry will also be taking Safety Scissors on the road throughout the Spring and Summer, with the first batch of tour dates announced, including New York on May 24th (TBA location, a reSOLUTE party). Anybody interested in electronica, minimal house or avant-pop with lush atmospherics shouldn’t miss out this artist’s upcoming album and shows. – Trista Hou

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

Avidya and the Kleshas comes at you with a series of well-timed explosions. With her big band in tow (including rhodes, wurlitzer and all kinds of percussion), Avidya manages to attack life’s dissatisfactions with a torrent of folk-jazz truth, all in the pursuit of her unique spiritual journey in tracks like ‘Mother and God’ (streaming) and ‘Body of Lead.’ With new record in tow, the band’s set to release debut ‘Tree of Series’ June 5 at Rockwood Music Hall. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Desert Stars might have an unwavering penchant for Beach House and their ilk, but don’t mistake that for the entirety of their sound. These Brooklyn upstarts have been bringing their shoe-gazing pop to the masses since 2008, plenty of time to refine a particularly hooky and accessible take on the style. The band is currently mixing their new album, and recently released promising single "Past in the Trash" (streaming). The Stars’ Thursday, May 25 date at Cameo Gallery with Howth isn’t one to miss — they might not have such intimate performances before long, and the show’s great lineup is sure to make for a good time. – Zack Kraimer

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

Philly emcee Gliss just premiered a new single earlier today via VIBE called “Inner Visions,” which was produced by Chigz. The track will appear on his forthcoming LP High on a Weekday due out this summer, but you can listen to and download it for free below. We’d also like to congratulate Gliss on his recent nuptials this past weekend – wishing him and his lovely wife Tiara all the best! Cheers!

Preston Spurlock and Neil Kelly make experimental electronica under the moniker Tunetown Philharmonic, regularly uploading scattered tracks complete with Windows Media Player-esque swirling visuals directly to their Facebook page. The duo’s work has been somewhat ramshackle in nature thus far, but their finest and most fully realized composition to date is the haunting and futuristic ‘A Suckers Saturday’ (orange alert for those of you who are at work or with their ladies: more than some nudity after minute 2) which Kelly uploaded to YouTube as an alternative soundtrack to The Prodigy’s famous ‘Smack Your Bitch Up’ video. The band placed 73rd in our latest Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists. – Dean Van Nguyen

If you’re a fan of TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb’s garage folk-blues and Bukowski- esque tales, then you definitely should come out to Johnny Brenda’s tonight. The band will be performing two sets this evening so you know that they’ll be leaving it all on stage to help raise funds for Brat Productions, “a theatre company that produces both contemporary material and re-envisioned classics, working with new artists, working in non-traditional venues, and working to keep ticket prices low.” The Brat Cabaret will be on hand displaying their unique theatrics with a drag performance and two rock medleys, and Andrew Bird-inspired Brooklyn outfit Isadora will also be donating their time and talents. Help keep art alive and weird in Philly! Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 8pm, $12 – $30, 21+ – Alexis V.

The Brooklyn based Indie duo that is now Steel Phantoms (the band lately went through some line up changes) has just announced that they are set to self-release a new 7-track EP on July 16th. Former Islands drummer Aaron Harris pairs with Jessie Newkirk to bring you a special sect of Post-punk/Indie Rock that plays back like a catchy flood of dissonant guitar riffs, pleasant vocals and an ironically balanced composure. Listen/download the song “Curtain Call” (not an Eminem cover) from their upcoming EP below. Check them out at Muchmores on the 18th and Cameo Gallery on the 31st. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

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

Under the guise Port St Willow, native New Yorker Nicholas Principe creates spacious, ambient music led by roving guitar lines and the artist’s lingering falsetto, all showcased on his fine debut full-length record Holiday. The record’s conception was inspired by a three year period living in the Pacific Northwest, and the region’s grand, mountainous terrain seeps into the compositions which veer from soaring anthems to crushing ballads, all of which is draped in layers of atmospheric resonance as Principe assembles his arrangements with meticulous care. Met by critics with rapturous approval, the album has recently been re-released by Downtown Records with new 25 minute composition "Soft Light Rush" as a companion piece. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s interview with Nicholas Principe here.

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

Brooklyn’s Vassals released their first full length "In My Dreams I Am A Sailor" this past fall. Stand out tracks like "Informers" utilize sparse bass guitar patterns and tom tom driven beats, allowing for a change to clearly understand the vocals. Singing about "ghosts" by way of their "father," the song builds from quiet levels to a bombastic finish. Another track we like, "Dark Circles" initially moves things into further solemn ground, before (again) rising to a dramatic sonic peak. There are references to "dead little stars" that "used to burn so bright." "Tambourines" presents itself as a start-to-finish rave up rocker, and finding the album title embedded within these lyrics positions it as a signature track. Album closer "The River" makes effective use of bended guitar notes to create a sonic image of water in motion. – Read Dave Cromwell‘s interview with the bands here.