This duo project between pitch perfect vocalist Julie Hardy and producer/guitarist Mike MacAllister is set to blow up. With Hardy becoming a most in-demand studio vocalist (she recently sang backups for Ellie Goulding on SNL and St. Vincent on The Letterman Show) it’s no wonder The Deli jurors have jumped to proclaim Clementine and the Galaxy one of 2012’s top emerging electronic bands. The duo’s version of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” sounds like the theme to Baz Lurhman’s next untitled project, while the song “Crying My Whole Heart Out” stretches the definition of synthpop ballad by being at once dreamy, experimental and fist-pumpingly clamorous. Their latest single, “Complication” is without classification, which is fine, because it’s addictive as shit. – Brian Chidester

On a Deli-organized June show at Williamsburg’s Cameo, a club on North 6th Street, local band AVAN LAVA sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy when they launched into their summer 2012 anthem, “It’s Never Over.” Formed by Fischerspooner multi-instrumentalists Michael “Le Chev” Cheever and Ian Pai, with new heart-throb singer Tom “TC” Hennes, AVAN LAVA blasted purple lasers and confetti over the audience, whilst on-stage dancers shimmied and shook in celebration of the band’s unabashed upbeat electro-pop. Mixing Prince with Rick Astley and Wham!, things never veer into irony, rather the entire affair feels both arty and jubilant in a way not often experienced in a live setting. – Brian Chidester

Indie, indie… what an exquisite word! These days so many bands call themselves "indie rock" even if they sound nothing like indie rock (before we ranked this category we had to filter out all the songwriters and straight rock bands who tried to re-brand themselves as "indie" – WE CAUGHT YOU!). Of course, the word originates from "independent" – not "Indian" like your clueless friends often assume – but it’s been used since the 80’s to describe "non-mainstream" rock music (and record labels). Think tense and/or dark and/or experimental-ish mostly guitar based rock. Needless to say, in the late aughts Indie became huge, and many NYC bands (paradoxically signed to majors) like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol had a crucial role in bringing this genre to the masses.

Total submissions in this category: 45

Artists Qualified to the Poll’s Next Stage (starting around 01.10):

1. Conveyor – 7.83 (out of 10)
2. ARMS – 7.66 
2. Modern Rivals – 7.66 

Honorable Mentions (above 7 out of 10):

Stone Cold Fox, These Animals, Wild International, Ballroom Jacks, No Shoes, Dear Comrade, ILLUMNTR, Their Planes Will Block Out The Sun

Jurors: Gracie Gutman (Deli SF), Jason Behrends (Deli Chicago), Lucy Sherman (Deli Seattle)

The Deli’s Staff

Four-piece indie band Conveyor may have left the heat of Florida for the colder Brooklyn NY, but they carried a warm sound with them. These quirky indie rockers dabble in pop melodies, folk harmonies, and electronic beats, with a light-hearted experimental rock result. They came in first in our indie rock open submissions with an average rating of 7.83, after enjoying a year filled with Deli coverage!

Starting as a side project and blooming into a full band, ARMS makes for a refreshing take on the indie rock genre. The band takes pop melodies and gives them a rock edge with noisy guitars, distorted backup vocals, and a grooving bass line. Check out the new version of their title track off their latest album "Summer Skills" streaming below.

Promising new Brooklyn band Modern Rivals comes at us with diverse instrumentation and lively vocals to create their spirited indie rock. With rolling pianos, playful “oohs,” dreamy keys and dynamic, often angular percussions, Modern Rivals bridge pop and rock genres in inventive new ways. Check out their latest EP “Sea Legs,” which they released this past May, here.

Anybody who writes songs is of course a songwriter, whether she plays in a folk or a metal band. In this category though we are referring to those artists who present themselves as solo performers (or accompanied by a band) and play music which finds inspiration in the tradition of folk giants like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, but also in the poppier vein of artists like Elton John and Suzanne Vega. And since most modern songwriters dwell between folk and pop, we added to this category also artists who belong to a genre we call "Rootsy Pop" – i.e. more uptempo acts who present themselves as a band rather than solo.

Total submissions in this category: 42

Artists Qualified to the Poll’s Next Stage (starting around 01.10)

1. Julian Fulton & the Zombie Gospel – 8
2. Lisa Jaeggi – 7.83
2. sami.the.great – 7.83

Honorable Mentions:

4. Chantilly – 7.5
4. Jessi Robertson – 7.5
4. Nicky Egan – 7.5
7. Frances Cone – 7.33
8. Jacob Jeffries Band – 7.00
8. Rachel Brown – 7.00
8. Bern & the Brights – 7.00

Jurors: Gracie Gutman (Deli SF), Brianne Turner (Deli Nashville), Paolo De Gregorio (Deli NYC)

The Deli’s Staff

Julian Fulton might be New Jersey’s answer to boyish lo-fi charm. Along with harmonies supported by his Zombie Gospel, the artist croons his way over bouncing piano lines (‘Junkie Song’), feedbacking guitar lines (‘Lie), and self-effacing lyrics (every track) that only makes his music sound even larger for its tortured honesty. New record ‘Heart & Arms’ includes all this and even a Zombie Survival Kit filled up with even more tracks… because zombies hate music. Julian Fulton topped our emerging NYC artists submissions in the Songwriter/Rootsy Pop category with an average rating of 8 out of 10. – Mike Levine

Lisa Jaeggi is that world-weary traveler who’s seen it all, and is ready to tell the story. Being adopted by a Kasmiri Sheep wrangler, and traveling to New York as a young auteur, she quickly began documenting her experiences as the peripatetic wanderer into a sound that reflects a variety of experiences. From "All Over Now"’s folksy jazz, to "The Difference Between"’s exotic tablas, Lisa breaks down boundaries everywhere she goes with her tireless spirit. Lisa placed 2nd in our Best of NYC for Emerging Artists Open Submissions together with sami.the.great (see below) with an average rating of 7.83 out of 10. – Mike Levine

sami.the.great should have added a "2.0" at the end of her new name, since her music sounds like a playful, semi-electronic evolution of the "pop singer songwriter" game. And we all know that versions 2 are always more intriguing than the first ones – kudos to learning and evolving! The lady doesn’t lack a fair share of sass and character either, which makes things even more intereting. She’ll be playing live at ZirZamin on February 5.

Psych Rock and related genres like Shoegaze and Dreampop belong to a very interesting musical niche with lots of loyal fans – NYC hosts a good share of them. Here is the list of bands from these categories who submitted to our Best of NYC 2012 poll and qualified to the next stage.

Total submissions in this category: 34

Artists Qualified to the Poll’s Next Stage (starting around 01.10)

1. Lazyeyes – Average rating: 8.33
2. Eastern Hollows – Average rating: 8.16
3. Napoleon – Average rating: 8

Honorable Mentions:

4. The Ugly Club – Average rating: 7.83
4. The Widest Smiling Faces – Average rating: 7.83
6. dead leaf echo – Average rating: 7.66 
6. Sunglasses – Average rating: 7.66 
6. The Midnight Hollow – Average rating: 7.66 
9. Cave Days – Average rating: 7.5
9. HOUNDSds – Average rating: 7.5

Jurors: Dawn Reed (Deli DC), Ben Toledo (Deli Portland), Lucy Sherman (Deli Seattle)

The Deli’s Staff

Brooklyn Lazyeyes does the shoegaze thing right. There is a spacious ambiance to the guitars and appealing cathedral qualities on the vocals. Solid straightforward percussion creates an unadorned anchor for all of the other cerebral qualities brought in by voices and guitars. Their lush melodies descend on us straight from the 7th heaven. The overall feel (and progression) brings to mind classic mid-90’s dreampop, one of the true golden ages of indie rock. If the streaming single "Wait" had been put out back then (and had been made in the UK) this band might have made the cover of NME (or good old Melody Maker). The band topped the list of Psych Rock/Dream Pop artists who submitted to be considered for our Year End Poll for emerging NYC artists, with an average rating of 8.33. See them live at Glasslands on February 1. – Dave Cromwell