Side projects and super-groups are on the rise, and AM to AM is one of the new and noteworthy. Fashioned and fronted by Jon Schmidt and Will Tendy of New York’s Morningwood, AM to AM is perfectly power-poppy just like their previous project. However, this quintet augments their sound with electronic elements, a grungy edge, and a concoction of danceable rhythms. “Sew” ties together a series of dynamic guitar riffs and falsetto vocals, qualities that become signature “AM to AM” features. The syncopation and tension of “Pop as Science ” quiet to a shuffle that transitions into the forcefully quick “Outline,” while title track “AM to AM” slinks along with hushed vocals, synths, and strings, exploding into a sinister chorus. "Feed Me to the Ghoul” serves up a feast of electro-effects and techno beats, and concluding “Mirror Clear” decelerates into a waltzing, fusion of brass. AM to AM will be out on the town, August 19th at Crash Mansion. –Meijin Bruttomesso

Check out the new video by Screaming Females, currently touring the US in support of their latest release "Castle Talk".

(The) Tony Castles play a kind of psych pop that defies many of the genre’s usual traits. The droney, guitar-drenched atmospheres are replaced with sparse, staccato keyboard lines, and the mellow, dreamy vocals with melodies which at times are more reminiscent of Motown rather than Mazzy Star or Spacemen 3. Can we still call it Psych Pop, then? Yes we can, although the dream here is more akin to that random association of thoughts we sometimes experience while sleeping, rather than – say – a coherent, climax inducing sexy dream. And that should be taken as a compliment to the band’s originality (although admittedly it might not sound like one). The Tony Castles will release their debut CD on September 17 at Union Pool, recommended show.

After three years without official releases, NY based Italo-Japanese trio Blonde Redhead announced that a new full length CD (entitled "Penny Sparkle") will be out in September. From a first listen, the new songs sounds more produced and electronic than the band’s previous material – not surprisingly, considering that it was forged with the help of Stockholm based production duo Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid, the Swedish artists/remixers/producers who have worked with Massive Attack and Bat For Lashes among others. The band is scheduled to tour Europe and the US in the fall, with a November date in NYC. "Here Sometimes", the opening track of the new album, can be downloaded by singing up for the band’s website, or streamed on their myspace page.

Blow Up Hollywood is one of the first bands The Deli covered in print in 2004, and 6 years later we can hardly find anything in common with the art-rock they delivered at the time. Co-founder Steve Messina and multi-instrumentalist Rich Kern created the music for the new album "Take Flight" as a soundtrack for the documentary “Mustang – Journey of Transformation,” using exclusively analogue synths. The soundtrack retains and enhances the meditation-inducing mood that’s at the core of the movie, which stars the Dalai Lama and was shot in the Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal, one of the last places on earth that Tibetan culture is allowed to thrive. Call it ambient music or music for films, this is music that can be enjoyed even in NYC – in particular when the need for relaxation kicks in. Blow Up Hollywood will play live at Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen, Manhattan) on September 08.

Check out the new Scissor Sisters video of the song "Any Which Way". The band will start an extensive tour in support of their third album "Night Work". NYC dates will be at Terminal 5 on August 24 and 25.

Ducktails – the name of the psychedelically-fuzzy solo project of Matthew Mondanile – deserves more credit than just the lo-fi genre branding. While the home recorded bedroom synths are obviously there, his music carries brightness and warmth with it as well. The guitar riffs are balanced with harmonies and cassette-fuzzy textures, a nice way of adding character to what might come off as mere indie lounge noise. When listening to Ducktails, you can’t help but feel like you’re in the hot mess of summer, dancing with your top undone and sipping brews to cool off. You also can’t help but feel nostalgic. Because when you really listen to this music, it’s like you’re a kid again, sucking up those feel-good vibes of childhood, when things were easy and everything seemed really fun. Ducktails will be playing tonight with The Big Sleep (cover band in The Deli’s 2007 fall issue, recently reunited after breaking up in 2009) and Deerhunter (Bradford Cox DJing? Sweet!) at Glasslands. Doors open at 8:30 but make sure to RSVP beforehand (popgunning.com). You won’t want to miss out. – Alex Daly

On a Saturday afternoon in the hills of West Virginia, Deli Magazine sat down with Brian J, the lead singer and guitarist for the Brooklyn based funk band, Pimps of Joytime. Pimps of Joytime is: Brian J, Chauncey Yearwood, who brings personality to the congos and vocals, the beautiful Mayteana Morales, who holds it down on samples, percussions and vocals, and Clark Dark form the UK, who plays bass, moog and guitar. Since the level of drumming required to play in Pimps of Joytime is high in demand, the band havs numerous drummers – although their main man lives in New Orleans. The boys have been together for 5 years and have been living in Brooklyn since 1996. When they’re not touring, they spend their time tearing around on their bicycles and checking out new vegetarian restaurants. They’ve been on tour for most of the spring and summer playing numerous cities including Brooklyn Bowl’s SmileFest, High Sierra Music Fest and Zanaibar in Los Angeles and plan to play in Europe and the Caribbean for Jam Cruise. Read Courtney Boyd Myers Q&A with the band here.

There seems to be a common trend (not only in the NYC scene) to conceal poppiness under grating lo-fi recordings, quirky electronic sounds, "shoegazy" wall of guitars or a ton of reverb. Some bands even degrade that joyous melodic element through intentionally out of tune vocals/guitar parts. Mike Del Rio, instead, is not afraid to let his pop shine in all it’s melodic appeal. The NY based multi-instrumentalist has the songwriting chops and the vocal delivery to hit it big – take a listen to the songs "Mad World" and "The New Year" (both still in demo version, both potential summer hits) if you don’t believe us. Currently working on his debut CD, Mike Del Rio will play Urban Noise‘s Summer Festival at Brooklyn Bowl on 08.12 with other emerging NYC bands – NYC pop purists shouldn’t miss.

We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list for emerging artists (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

It’s sometimes easy to forget that Real Estate is merely influenced by 60’s surf, pop, and psych, not an actual surviving innovator, somehow still creating new hybrid sounds today. High-pitched and fluidly bending guitars drive most tracks forward with an unquestionably dreamlike surf quality. Working with lo-fi fuzziness or super clean cuts, the band’s psychedelic quality lingers while remaining hazily poppy. Though easy-going breeze is certainly a common characteristic across the tracks, there’s a serious nostalgic reflectivity that serves to balance out the vibe. Lesser musicians couldn’t pull off some of Real Estate’s more sober moments — the care-free naivety, slowly sliding guitars, and patient, steady bass-grooving of “Basement” is good a example. One of the truly genius qualities of Real Estate is their ability to evoke emotions, often using only a simple riff or lyric. The juxtaposing sensations of joyful reminiscing and melancholy longing come together with an impressive ease. “Beach Comber,” a beautifully hazy tribute to painful introspection and falling short, somehow produces muted hope and delight through the repetitive breezy guitar riffs (“What you want is just outside your reach…You’re stealing from the lost and found/But what you find/Ain’t what you had in mind”). Even the instrumental tracks bring you back to whatever “that moment” was – even if it didn’t involve the beach, it surely involved at least one endless summer. – Paul Dunn

Some folks say you can’t be both a Bob Dylan and a Leonard Cohen fan, but I suspect Jesse Rifkin of The Wailing Wall would prove them wrong. His songs are flavored with Cohen’s biblical reference while his voice and folk influence borrowed from Bobby-D. His childlike singing voice softens the religion in his songs and offers access to the wisdom in his lyrics. The Wailing Wall’s new album, “Low Hanging Fruit” is filled with waltzing country tunes and songs for the people, but where exactly these people live changes from song-to-song. Tracks like “Fear No Apple, Fear No Flood” mimic a slow, Irish bagpipe ballad, while “Bones Become Rainbows” invokes Animal Collective’s quick-footed beat and clap tracks. Playing with a full band, The Wailing Wall is a rumpus on stage. Check them out at The Mercury Lounge on September 4. – Jenny Luczak