Songwriter Rachael Sage makes no secret of her scars. Her open attitude in discussing life’s myriad frustrations and pains makes her music all the more real and personal: like an old friend lending a sympathetic ear. Tracks like the rootsy ‘Delancey Street’ discuss the hardships of the struggling artist’s life, while new song cycle ‘Haunted by You’ finds the singer in and out of relationships and heartache.

Along with her band The Sequins, Sage takes her candid personality to the kind of roots jams only a city like New York could produce, and that’s the best place to see her live too. See her when she officially releases her latest record on May 19 at Joe’s Pub. – Mike Levine, photo by Laura Crosta

A quintessential expression of the recently deceased Manhattan label/studio Olive Juice Music, Kung Fu Crimewave is a band of brothers (and sister) featuring the Kelly family of Brooklyn — “Kung Fu” Luke, “Tae Kwon” Jo, and Neil Kelly. Rounding out the five piece is Deenah Vollmer on electric mandolin and Preston Spurlock on keys. Charming male and female vocals twinkle on Kung Fu Crimewave’s 2011 effort “Capitol Punishment,” a record filled with unpretentious melodies, crooked guitars lines and imaginative lyrics, in the best lo-fi pop tradition. The band, who recently released this DIY video of the song "Forgot about Rock’n’Roll, will be opening The Deli’s B.E.A.F. Indie Rock Stage at Spike Hill on Friday May 25 – more info here. – Corinne Bagish

Formerly called The Goods, The Denzels, invigorated with the name change, are ready to kick ass and take names with their dangerously addictive music. The songs are absolutely pop at heart with endearing hooks and jangly guitars, but there’s an edge that makes them emanate a New York kind of cool. The music is by no means a daunting or pretentious hipness, as the tunes are astoundingly accessible with vintage elements from yesteryear; they cite The Smiths and ‘50s girl groups as influences while pulling in modern peers such as Deerhunter into the mix. The quintet sounds like a more punk-spiked, less distorted version of The Strokes – check out the band’s latest EP, "Easy Tiger," which is generously offered for free on Bandcamp. The five tracks are a clarified, upbeat amalgamation of pop and rock music from the ‘50s to the present day. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here. See The Denzels live at The Deli’s B.E.A.F.on May 25 at Spike Hill with The Can’t Tells, Big Ups and more.

Here’s an excerpt from the interviewed The Deli did with self described "Pop Cock Rock" NYC band Mother Feather (who placed at #78 in our latest Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists): "We could not be more excited to perform at the Nova Festival in the UK this July. To help support the trip, we will be releasing a live EP through our website that will only be available during the month of June. It will include some unreleased tracks as well as the Futures dance remix of “Mother Feather.” – Read Jen Margott full interview here. (photo by Steve Meyer)

Get off the plane, and you’ll find you’ve landed in an entirely new kind of space, occupied by polyrhythmic chants and otherworldly acoustic strumming. I like bands like this. Conveyor does that rare thing where an entirely unique world is sculpted from the abbreviated tendencies of cultures from all over the world. Their palette places FM drones beside zither strumming in ‘Mane’ (streaming below), and the sunny cheerfulness of 4 part harmonies on tracks like ‘mukraker.’ All of this takes place within the binding of their debut self-titled LP coming out July 17th off Paper Garden Records.

The party hasn’t ventured far from the band’s initial percolations in their ‘Sun Ray’ EP. Conveyor was already at home in their skin then. What’s amazing to me is that no matter how many bizarro instruments they pull into their mix, the sound is still entirely their own. So, once you do leave for your flight… you’ll find a very large country to explore.

Catch the band at their record release party at Mercury Lounge on June 28th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Listen to just ‘Show Me All The Sounds You Know,’ and you might mistakenly think Idgy Dean‘s only weapons are her positive energy and sultry voice. But stick around for harder-hitting songs like ‘Bang Bang Sun’ and the new "Onion’s Milk" (whose video, directed by Gravity Sleeps, we are premiering below) and you’ll soon discover some of the depths to this roaring personality. Like a cross between tune-yards and Marnie Stern, Dean’s vocals soar over a backdrop that can include anything from her tympani drum and electric guitars, to double-tracked vocals that surround and pulse through your skin with a physical energy too dynamic to ignore. Idgy Dean will perform at The Deli’s B.E.A.F. 2012 (Best of Emerging Artists Fest) at the 2 stages Public Assembly show on May 25 with 13 other local bands, including In One Wind, Xenia Rubinos, Illumintr, Wazu and OhNoMoon. – Mike Levine

Do I detect a slight English-twang to Kurt Feldman’s singing voice on ‘Two Rings’? It’s hardly surprising. Judging from the track’s complex array of keyboard riffs and dramatic synth swoons, The Pains of Being Pure of Heart’s drummer is clearly a major new wave enthusiast. And if you’re going to try to emulate genre heavyweights like Prefab Sprout and The Pet Shop Boys, why not sing like them too right? Released as a single, the track and its B-side are thus far Feldman’s only ventures as Ice Choir (who placed at #58 in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll), but still deserving of a mention because, originality be damned, ‘Two Rings’ and the new freshly released single "Telestrips" (streaming below) are absolutely brilliant. The band just announced the release their of debut album "Afar" on July 31 via Underwater Peoples. – Dean Van Nguyen

Swag swag swag swag swag swag swag. Swag Swag swag swag? Swag! Swag swag swag swag. Big Baby Gandhi has swag and he wants you to know it. On his first LP NO1 2 LOOK UP 2, the self-proclaimed “best rapper” unleashes furious rhymes over luxurious beats. His voice is more Ghostface than Q-tip, the beats are more M.I.A. than premier, and his swag is so bling that suckers shnuckle up for a touch of the geet. And Das Racist makes an appearance too which is pretty trill. -=brokeMC

As a follow-up to her 2009 debut album, "Picking Out Boxes", NYC artist Lindsay Katt has produced an interpretative tribute to David Bowie’s 1974 single; "Diamond Dogs". Prompted by her deeply felt respect for Mr. Bowie’s innovative, and music changing body of work, she has followed her roots into a daring exploration of creativity, and is using her influences to explore her own boundaries as an artist. This transformation has manifested in both recorded song, and photographic imagery. Utilizing her diverse range of influences, Lindsay has adopted a slightly darker and edgier medium for Diamond Dogs. As a passionate member and advocate of the LGBTQ community, she represents David Bowie’s androgynous alter-ego “Ziggy Stardust” on the cover of the digital single, pushing her own boundaries, and transforming into something familiar, yet unknown. – (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.

I know you’ve been waiting to shake your tail feather all winter long… well, you’ve got the perfect opportunity coming up with Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds. With a horn section that would be the envy of any Nola street corner, coupled with the theatrical melisma of singer Arleigh Kincheloe ‘s antics, you will find it impossible to stand in one place.

This is a 9-piece powerhouse of funk and blues with a solid penchant for taking these forms and churning them up into a volcanic stew that’s erupted across the states, as the band’s just returned from their first national tour. The band’s latest LP, ‘Pound of Dirt,’ contains all the funk/ska/bluesy trademarks they’ve made their own, and adds in some new flavor in barn burners like ‘Millie Mae’ and ‘Make it Rain.’ I suggest not listening over headphones… its just not loud enough.

Catch Sister Sparrow when they play the CBGB Festival this July, and see the video for "Make it Rain" below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Public Assembly will host a showcase night with four emerging NYC bands on May 16th. Ranging from edgy pop songs to all out exploratory sonic jams, the performers present different yet complimentary styles. Although Esque is a band that’s not afraid to reference a HUGE spectrum of influences, the keyboard driven groove on their single “Double Blind” pays proper homage to synth pioneers like Heaven 17 and Ultravox, but with personal touches like the addition of a dixieland band coda. Check out the track "Bones to Be" (streaming below) for another slice of their genre-encompassing, dark and imaginative world music.

Full on psych rockers Our Mountain stomp along thudding lead footed grooves while twisted, pitch-bended and feedback laced guitars dance over top. The tempos change at times to quicker paced, lighter touch rhythms, allowing a Jim Morrison style storytelling to emerge. The guitars are ever present though, providing texture and counterpoint. Epic mescaline-in-the-desert trip "Pink Elephant" evokes multiple touch points, from the quieter passages of "Pink Floyd" to the all out scratch n’ squall of "Sonic Youth."

There’s a distinct "Raveonettes" feel to Bad Girlfriend and their latest track “Feelings.” Emphasizing deep guitar twang, all female vocals playfully set a mood where simply stated lyrics provide a less is more scenario.

Openers The Beach Arabs‘ appropriately titled song “On The Beach” presents an angular approach both in rhythmic structure and guitar melody, while “Drifters” further reinforces these stylistic traits allowing vocal bursts to make the lyrical point. – Dave Cromwell

You may have thought you’d figured out Chappo during their previous incarnation as alien-fighting, acid-eating, hard-rocking cowboys (the ‘Plastique Universe’ EP)… but as it turns out, this was only the first stop on their intergalactic tour. For those of you confused by this last statement, you’ve got some catching up to do, and now is a good time to do it.

The band’s debut LP ‘Moonwater’ makes their mission abundantly clear: these guys are here to deliver a serious rock record, for people who desperately need one. And it’s not just that they can handle the psych freakout forms usually associated with this town in album openers ‘What are You Kids On?’ and ‘Explode" (or of course, the Apple commercial-worthy ‘Come Home’).’ Fun as those songs are… they can also pull off a fairly convincing stompin’ ritual track on ‘Native Savage,’ which boldly pairs foot stomps with cold-blooded whistlin…’ not an easy thing to do.

It’s all a testament to how bold singer Alex Chappo’s voice is… this guy can hold on to you like Morrison, then break into screaming Omar Rodrigeuz-Lopez chants at breakneck pace. Chappo may have returned to our galaxy… but it doesn’t look like it’ll be the same again.

See the band when they celebrate the record release at Dominion on May 15. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)