Like a gospel version of Olivia Tremor Control, Ghost Pal uses psychedelia to illuminate a spiritual energy hidden just behind life’s ups-and-downs. From the death of singer Oliver Ignatius’s beloved dog (Raja’s Song), to a rollicking ode to new studio Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen in ‘God Save Mama Coco’s,’ to a brassy cover of Dylan’s ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,’ the Brooklyn band covers all their bases, using pennywhistles, glockenspiels, Beach Boys harmonies, and crooked guitars in a way that would make Syd Barrett proud.

That’s the same Mama Coco’s referred to in their latest EP title ‘God Save MCFK’ by the way. A place that’s become home to many interesting artists that include also The Harmonica Lewinskies and Sam Davison among others. The record is an impressive start for this psych-spiritual act, whose debut album  ‘Nathan Jones Is Dead’ was listed in Magnet’s Top 25 of 2012. See where they bring those glockenspiels next when they play this Friday, April 19 at Free Candy Gallery in Brooklyn. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Austin, Texas-born Martin Crane (brainchild of Brazos) blends perfectly into the NYC Indie scene. Since his debut album in 2009, Crane fell out of touch with his purpose but reclaims it with “Saltwater,” an album dedicated to self-reflection and spirituality (due out May 28, 2013). I guess that can happen after flooding your veins with booze for a few years, as the artist claimed he did. The mellow vocals paired with quiet guitar chords and well-crafted percussion fuse together to make for a peaceful listen. Check them out during their residency at NYC’s Cameo Gallery tonight, or every Tuesday until May 7th. Streaming below, a song from the upcoming record, video here. – Michael Haskoor 

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

Chainwave is a duo composed by a musical blood brother and sister if you will. Ian Jacobs (vocals/guitar) and Michelle Feliciano (vocals/drums) craft their own brand of dark, melodic rock and roll, infusing it with surf undertones and psychedelia, casually referencing The Pixies’ catchy embers, Deerhunter’s indie dreamscapes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Clubs’ chugging earthen grooves. Check out their new single "Wrap Me Up". – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building.

If you don’t like rappers who rap better than you then Ratking might rub you the wrong way. MF Doom-reminiscent production gives an ethereal beatscape to frame the staccato street blather MCs Wiki and Hak procure. There’s a good deal of angst, but only as much as you’d expect from three cats from Harlem. It’s like Wu-Tang and Camp-Lo’s conjoined rapchild; abrasive but not inaccurate assessments of the Harlem day-to-day with a good dose of Krylon-fumed dementia. – BrokeMC

Like a laser-light show, watching Port St. Willow live last Saturday at The Knit was an audio/visual spectacle. The band created true post-rock performance art — a sleek production equally suited to a large theater.
Port St. Willow is often compared to The Antlers, similarities born of the long collaboration between Principe and Antlers’ frontman Peter Silberman (who was at the show). But the sound felt more like Mogwai’s instrumentals, Bon Iver and slowcore Smoky Robinson. With rock drums and prominent audio/visual effects, Principe added energy to the introspective, ambient jam sessions on "Holiday," Port St. Willow’s first full-length, reissued this month.
His expressions and Siren-like falsetto translated the melancholic mood of the hard-to-hear lyrics. Live trombone doubled as sax and experimental noise manipulated via pedals. The trombonist also played small percussion with shells, clackers and castanets. Every stop-start break was perfectly timed, the band watching each other in anticipation.

Colored light and star projections often camouflaged the band. Principe asked the audience if they liked the visuals he called, “a Northern Lights thing.”
Port St. Willow played about an hour, without monster 25-minute bonus track, “Soft Light Rush.” The loud final crescendo was the definitive peak that said, “No encore necessary.” – Bianca Seidman

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

For anyone missing the endless summer, Basinger (previously known as Makeout Room) is here to bring the beach. Just try and not get lost in the skyscraper crooning of tracks ‘Rehobeth’ or ‘Going to California.’ The Brooklyn quartet describes their music as ethereal sounds, and are set to release their debut EP later this year. Hoping the good weather keeps up until then. – Mike Levine

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

Carving out the sounds of almost any instrument or style from her powerful voice, Xenia Rubinos (who made it in our list of Best emerging NYC artists in the last two editions) takes on the world with her take on soca, punk, soul and even beaty dubstep. From the heaviness of ‘Hair Receding’ (streaming) to the expansive flight of ‘Cherry Tree,’ EP ‘Magic Trix’ will keep you guessing at how large her imagination is. See her live at Cameo Gallery May 3rd. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Vinnie Caruana, the Long Island native frontman of now defunct The Movielife, has been involved in another band called I Am The Avalanche for some time now. Although not as well-known, they have the potential to do even better than Caruana’s former project. Now based in NYC, their latest album ‘Avalanche United’ stormed the local punk/emo scene with energetic and catchy tunes. Known for having an electrifying live show, the quintet recently announced that they are demoing songs for their next album, which – according to the band’s Twitter feed – is “going to be insane." A due date has yet to be announced, we are looking forward to checking it out. Hear the single "Brooklyn Dodgers" from ‘Avalanche United’ streaming below. – Michael Haskoor

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

Brooklyn based trio Sleepies is some kind of hidden treasure of the NYC punk-rock scene – although we agree "treasure" is not a word that should be used for anything related to punk… Filthy-case-full-of-gold-buried-under-a-mountain-of s**t – maybe? Tracy Mamoun had the chance to interact with the band, check out the resulting interview here. (photo credit gimmetinnitus.com)

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

Record releases are really what The Deli’s staff spends most of its time researching, so it’s always a bonus when we find a double release like the one scheduled at Glasslands for April 18:

Cassandra Jenkins – who is currently being crushed in our Artist of the Month poll by her little brother’s band Morningsiders (little we knew…) – put a spell on us with the beatiful and lush mellowness of the preview track from the upcoming EP "Up in Flames" (streaming below). She will get her revenge over the daring sibiling when she’ll play the huge Music Hall of Williasburg stage on June 28, opening for Teen and Eleanor Friedberger. So it sounds like Bowery noticed her already, which can’t be a bad thing.

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

Cardboard is a slightly more upbeat (and also more lo-fi) trio that seems infatuated with Syd Barret’s deranged but genius musical mind (and we say: incompetent music fans are those who are not!). We’ve been actively looking for the new Syd Barret since we started The Deli (that’s why we had Grizzly Bear on the cover of our 1st issue back in 2004). May this be it?

Brooklyn’s Electro-Rock trio Rarechild put out one single per month in 2012, and just released this video of the December track, entitled "Hybrid." Channeling the darker side of the 80’s and the sparse angular electro sound of teutonic origins, the single is based on sober melodies and simple buzzy synth lines reminiscent early Depech Mode.

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

Shanda Woods exists in two different places at once. There’s the realist: a character that wears the hard-bitten reality of hometown Brooklyn in her comforting soprano. At the same time, all of this is pumped through an electro rock blur that wraps an artificial atmosphere around her charged energy. One half of We Are The Wilderness, latest video ‘Just For Now’ (song streaming below) plays with these alternating realities by placing Shanda as a coin-collecting, body-suit wearing heroine in an adventure that needs to be seen to be believed. All part of upcoming record ‘Descending From Paramount,’ slated for May. Perfect for any fan of boundary-breaking soul… or of old-school video games. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of "mellow" emerging NYC artists here.