If the band’s penchant for bright costumes doesn’t draw you in, Superhuman Happiness’s peculiar yet enchanting genre fusion will. The band’s mastermind Stuart Bogie’s roots in Antibalas are evident as he leads the group into a an ever-changing musical adventure through funk, afrobeat, pop, folk, jazz and rock. This dabbling in various genres may have to do with the impressive laundry list of artists Bogie has worked with including TV on the Radio and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.

At times the jaded lover you might remember hearing in PJ Harvey’s music, at other times claiming Patti Smith’s righteous indignation, Alison Clancy’s music project Huff This! is a rare combination: a strong voice with a light touch. Backed for the most part by a solo piano, Clancy’s modest intensity makes a band feel completely unnecessary. On tracks like "Seahorse," I keep forgetting I’m only listening to a piano most of the time, as her work frequently sounds large and orchestral. There’s a serious weight to this deceivingly laid-back music that can take multiple listens to really settle in, but your time will be aptly rewarded. – Read Mike Levine interview with Alison Cnancy here.

Sporting t-shirts and jeans and short haircuts, it might be easy to confuse We Barbarians with New Order- era Euro arena rock, but they are indeed Long Beach, NY natives. Living in Brooklyn now, they’ve been hard at it. In the past five years, they’ve released four records and have opened for big indie bands from Ra Ra Riot to Tokyo Police Club. Their latest self- released EP Headspace contains a much more direct and close-mic’ed sound than their previous EP’s, which were much more dronier and awash in reverb by comparison.
Standout “Chambray” yields that classic righteous warrior sound we’ve been hearing from bands like U2 for years now, but David has the voice capable of delivering a range to easily rival Bono’s, and the three-piece locks it in for anyone missing singers like Jeff Buckley singing to the rafters.
Arguably, the standout is their cover of David Byrne’s “Strange Overtones”. We Barbarians’ treatment of this classic marries Byrne’s world music dance vibe to Quon’s penchant for anthems. It’s a unique idea, and I give them credit for owning up to the challenge.
After so many EP’s released in such short succession, I can only imagine a full-length is on the docket. But right now the band is getting ready for a tour, so I’m hoping they announce new dates soon! – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Sounding unlike any new band you’ll hear all year, The Stepkids capture all the glitter and gold of classic seventies funk, R&B and soul music with such expertise that their recently released self-titled debut album could convince as a rediscovered lost recording from that era. Channeling the spirit of Earth Wind & Fire, Sly Stone, Todd Rundgren and dozens of others, but with their own personalities stamped all over their work, the Connecticut/NYC-based three piece could very well be considered a 21st century successor to those great artists. The band will be headlining The Deli’s CMJ show at Pianos on Thursday 10.20, sharing the stage with other rising NYC artists like Caveman, Zambri, Ill Fits and Forest Fire. The full schedule of the Deli CMJ shows will be announced later this week.

At Saturday, October 1’s late night show, Bright Light Social Hour and Black Taxi (in the picture) brought Mercury Lounge down with an fantastic show. Austin’s BLSH, who whipped the crowd into a sweaty dancing frenzy with their infectious grooves, more than warmed up the audience in preparation for Black Taxi. It was the perfect way to celebrate the band’s new single, "Tightrope” (check out the track below), which they performed among other already addictive new tracks, amplifying the anticipation of their sophomore album, "We Don”t Know Any Better," scheduled for release in early 2012, and fan favorites, “Love Song For a Ghost,” “Shoeshine,” and “It’s a Ball.” During the closer, “Up Here for Thinking (Down there for Dancing),” the band welcomed the audience to join them for an on stage dance finale, ending the show on the highest of notes. Don’t miss Black Taxi as they traverse the east coast and perform thrice for CMJ at The Studio at Webster Hall, Bowery Electric, and Mercury Lounge on Octoer 18, 20, and 22, respectively. –Meijin Bruttomesso

Whimsical and playful, with a touch of angst and a heavy dose of emotion, Sydney Wayser’s music sings like lullabies throughout the contemporary folk scene of New York City. The young singer-songwriter’s sweet, engaging voice can be likened to Feist or Regina Spektor’s, filling up songs that conjure up images of a sunny day in Paris. Her second full-length album, The Colorful, is a lush mix of melodies and chords that intricately tell stories of her youth and experience. Sydney will be headlining The Deli’s CMJ Roots Stage on 10.19 with Lucius, My Cousin the Emperor, Ursa Minor & more artists. Full lineup to be announced soon.

Volatile Brooklyn trio Methodist displays a penchant for angst-ridden punk rock with edgy indie rock inclinations on their eponymous six-track excursion. Demonstrating an abundance of stinging riffs whose healthy balance of vitriolic virtue and jagged melody allows the deft rhythm section the freedom to flavor up their aggressive attack as they see fit, the hard hitting demeanor and general sense of disdain this act exhibits propels a musical journey reminiscent of acts such as Black Flag, Fugazi, and The Bronx. Methodist doles out serious punk rock attitude with electrifying immediacy and wiry fury spearheading their cerebrally minded attack. www.myspace.com/methodist –Mike SOS

This album is noisy — these guys sampled The Flaming Lips and lean toward Flying Lotus in sonic convolution just to give you a clue. Two of the three rappers in Blue Belt aren’t particularly innovative, but they make up for their lack of prowess with character, weirdness, and occasional dash of good-natured insight. All in all, it’s an unexpected mix of styles blending street-rap with nerd-rap over electro-clash beats. Listening to this CD may have given me A.D.D. (Wow! My hands are PALE!). Anyway, it’s a funny album, and it’s considerably more innovative than most of the “tv-dinner” rap being cooked up these days. They were obviously very high when they made it, so you might want to roll something up before you check it out. – BrokeMC

NYC via New Jersey singer songwriter Fleet Walker’s debut release, "Morning Void” was noticed by TheCoolTV, a music channel which will be airing his “Faro” music video on televisions in over 50 million homes nationwide. – (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.