Born in 2011 when Here We Go Magic’s keyboardist Teeny Lieberson left the band to pursue her own project, TEEN plays some kind of tribal trip-pop (trib-pop?) which is particularly fitting for the African weather we are experiencing. Maybe that’s why they got booked two days in a row in July (LPR on the 20th and Union Pool on the 21). Joined by sisters Lizzie and Katherine, and members Maia and Jane, this semi-family will release their debut album "In Limbo" on Carpark Records in August. In it, you’ll find catchy chants floating on a hazy sound alternately backed by synths and organs, and songs that fizz and drone through light arrangements in part reminiscent of Here We Go Magic’s impressionistic sound. – Kristina Tortoriello.

Even though they’ve only been an outfit for little over two years, WAZU has received a lot of prodigious buzz in the blogosphere. But while the electroindustro-meets-grimy glam duo — that is guitarist/producer/vocalist Matt and vocalist/synth player Rizz — may have started their trek as WAZU in 2010 after moving to New York from their Sydney, Australia hometown, they’re no strangers to life as musicians. After all, while living in Sydney, the pair performed in different acts in the experimental and avant-garde scene in the Down Under city during the mid-2000s. And all that experience has paid off. With a full length in the works, and a series of east coast shows scheduled for August, WAZU is quickly climbing the sonic ladder, consuming all the pop culture America has to offer along the way. – Read Annamarya Scaccia’s interview with Wazu here.

 As anyone who’s spent some time on the Garden State Parkway knows, people from New Jersey come out a bit differently from the rest of us. There’s a particular blend of hometown pride and hard-earned bravado here that few states can match.

For Zak Smith, this attitude defines his world view, as much as it does his music. A man sympathetic to unifying causes like Occupy Wall Street, Smith has brought together his own unified front with his powerhouse band. Stocking a tight five-piece with soaring harmonies and thunderclap guitars, he’s created a unique blend of rock Americana that’s just as much a family as the colorful characters pointed to throughout his new album.

Over a voice coated with as much honey as it’s covered in grit, Smith has just released his debut full-length, collecting together a signature batch of tunes reflecting his outlook, both personally and politically. – Read Mike Levine’s interview with Zak Smith here.

There are many cheap shortcuts to define Brooklyn’s Punks On Mars‘ latest EP, Hey! Tiffany, but no short way to get it right. First, referencing, to lay a base. A glittery touch of 70s proto-punk, topped with a fusing 80’s power-pop sound and its high-pitched prominent guitars, a few Ramones beats…that’s a start. Then, analogies. Even easier! Cartoon-esque atmospheres, padded bubbles, chipmunks on psychedelics and bad trips at the fun fair, get it? Finally, oxymorons and other contradictions. Hyperglycaemic punk, oppressively pop, carefully produced as a satyrical take on a lo-fi frenzy, seemingly unmastered sharp fuzz…it’s at once any critic’s dream playground and worst nightmare! You’ll want to decorticate, reveal a form of institutional critique, yet you’ll refrain from being that guy, the enemy, the downer. You’ll then be tempted to stick to the fun side but can palp the two thirds of the iceberg lying beneath the colourful surface… it’s a tricky one! Ultimately, it may be best to admit any label to be reductive, and see that it may precisely be a clever distortion of many familiar patterns that set front man Ryan Howe’s catchy sound right on the edge of any mainstream, thus defining it as unique in its genre(s)-  whatever it may resemble! – Tracy Mamoun

Erez and the End’s music combines the elegant intensity of Classic Rock with the rich lyrical tradition of singer-songwriters, in ways reminiscent of that weird hybrid of traditional styles called Dire Straits. Erez And The End debuted live at Rockwood Music Hall and will will perform songs from their new EP "Silent Mountains" and other original songs at Spike Hill on Sunday July 29. – (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 and APS Mastering.

MS MR headlined a packed Santos Party House on Wednesday with support from punk rockers Beast Make Bomb.

Brooklyn’s Beast Make Bomb backed up some catchy tunes with undeniable stage presence. Lead singer Ceci G radiated swagger as she led the four-piece band through a fast, loud, and downright fun set. The highlight of BMB’s performance was a song that sounded like the punk rock cousin of “Kashmir.”

MS Mr’s sound was an entirely different animal, but the four-piece band was just as entertaining as it’s opener. All of the focus was on the gorgeous vocals of their lead singer, the eponymous MS. Her powerful voice combined with the indie-pop sensibilities of her band resulted in what I imagine Adele would sound like on Matador Records. MS MR ended its set with the buzzy single “Hurricane,” which received the biggest reaction from the crowd.

Beast Make Bomb will play NYC again on July 13th at the Bushwick Walkabout Fest and on July 30th at the Studio at Webster Hall. MS MR won’t be back until August when they play with Marina & the Diamonds on the 16th and 18th. – Joshua S. Johnson.

Though she was probably still touring around her home turf of Twin lakes-area Minnesota at the time, singer/songwriter Nina Yasmineh harkens back to NYC’s anti-folk scene from the early aughts. Like other artists hailing from that background (Regina Spector, Elizabeth Devlin), Yasmineh delivers satisfied pop that sounds like she’s just gotten up in the morning and made her mind up about something important. Tracks like ‘Hollow’ and ‘Bitterwsweet’ from latest record ‘Strange,’ dramatize this sense of resolution as weighty indictments thrown at lovers past and future. It’s an interesting journey for the artist, and instantly relatable.

Though her touring schedule seems to be giving a lot of love to Minnesota this summer, join her when she flies back to her NYC home this Fall. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This artist submit her music for review here.

Eytan Oren could probably be accused of many things, but unmotivated would not be one of them. After winning one of our studio giveaways last year, Eytan and his band The Embassy used the occasion to record song ‘Everything Changes’ at Stratosphere Sound, showcasing a fantastic band in the process.

In the video for the song, (which has received 420,000 views in just one week), Eytan and The Embassy express an appeal to adaptation, set to music that vaguely references ‘Cruel to be Kind.’ The video goes through a startling 18 costume changes with no editing, and this achievement has been noticed by Record Setter who gave Eytan an award for the most costume changes in a one-take music video.

As one insightful Youtube poster remarked: “Damn you got such a distinctive face, but still manage to show off so many different personalities!.” Indeed. Eytan wears a lot of hats in this band, both musically and literally. His new record ‘The Perfect Breakup,’ finds the Brooklyn singer constantly reinventing himself. From the consoling dance fever of opener ‘No Reason to Cry,’ to the mid-tempo ‘Good Morning Marilyn,’ Eytan has a knack for reclaiming classic rock styles as his own.

See Eytan and the Embassy when they play the CBGB fest at Central Park’s Summerstage on July 6th with The Pains, and check out his head jarring new video below.

Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

The Future of What is a new project featuring Brooklyn singer songwriter Blair, whose previous band was just know as… "Blair," and toured with Neon Indian and Say Hi amongst others. Their music could be considered as the perfect archetype of the bedroom-pop genre, which is becoming a staple of the NYC scene (think Friends, Ms Mr, Oberhofer). The simple, mostly electronic arrangements betray hours spent creating on a laptop at home rather than in a rehearsal or recording studio, while the "mid-‘fi" approach to recording is often due to a combination of artistic choice, budget limitations, and limited equipment; Blair’s delicate, borderline shy vocal delivery is another recurring trait of this genre, and likely to be due to the fact that not many people want to be heard by neighbors while they are cutting a vocal track.

But as we often mention, notwithstanding our obvious obsession with genres and categorizations, it’s always the songwriting that matters the most, and Future of What offers personal, ethereal and enjoyable pop tunes, which – considering their front lady’s touring past – can also be exported successfully in a live show environment.Check out the video for "Back to the City" here.

New York indie folk quartet Swear and Shake played the Hillstock fest last week, and will cement their status with a CD release party at Mercury Lounge on Friday July 6 with These Animals and Tall Tall Trees.

The moniker itself captures a certain quality to the group’s vibe, evoking the rhythmic and fitful, but most distinctly their togetherness – as if these four, somewhere on a playground long ago, entered into a pact of musical dimensions. Undoubtedly there is a spirit of play to the music, resulting in songs that toss between childlike vulnerability and wonder, and resounding harmonies that beautifully elevate the stuff of good old indie-folk – The vocals alone, shared between Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey, are fodder for obsession.

Yet don’t be fooled. If we are to start on the playground, “Maple Ridge” maps the art of growing up. That is, despite its homespun feel, the album achieves definite sophistication. From the first track, the delightfully singsong “Marbles” (streaming below), the band looks to the future with all the tenderness of youthful promise: “I swear I’ll clean up good/I bought us a piano so our kids would grow up smart”. “White Walls”, on the other hand, displays an early world-weariness- an acknowledgment that relationships seem to impact our personal growth more than we’d like. Still, the wistful “Wrecking Ball” addresses our craving for such (literal) impact. The group freely admits another reality of adulthood: that sometimes, though we’ve sworn a person off, we ultimately can’t shake them. – Kristina Tortoriello

Since their recent transformation from Vermont jam band to NYC experimental-ish indie collective (with some residue jam band influences) The Deli has become a big fan of Brooklyn octet Rubblebucket. These guys have another busy summer ahead, and this is understandable considering what a great party band they are. After releasing their fist live album and DVD this spring, “Rubblebucket: Live in Chicago” (see a video from it here) the band announced a summer tour with Athens “disco dust” rockers Reptar and their upcoming late night debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Vocalist and sax player Kalmia Traver and trumpeter Alex Troth met during college in Vermont, forming the band shortly after and enlisting an entire range of musicians and instruments that include anything from a Moog synth to an n’goni, an African banjo-predecessor. Rubblebucket will tour into fall, and are a set appear on “Jimmy Kimmel” on July 18. – Devon Antonetti

In Make Out’s new single ‘Maybe I’m the One (For Me)’ (video here) singer Leah Hennessey rushes at you with the kind of bouncy, frenetic energy usually associated with NYC bands from the 70s, like say… The New York Dolls, a band this group actually opened for in the past. Hennessey just happens to be the step-daughter of singer New York Dolls’ David Johansen, and Jesper Mortensen (my favorite half of Junior Senior) provides the dancehall ready beats you’ve probably been missing ever since you saw an animated squirrel dance to his last band’s most famous single.

Anyone who’s listened to the band before will probably recall fashionable ‘80s power chicks like Annie Lennox, Tiffany and even… Madonna. These are few and proud ladies who manage to make the dance floor their play thing. As Mortensen explains: “it’s instant excitement.” Indeed, we should all be making out, and this band knows it.- Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)