Throw Vision recently released an immaculately produced 7” entitled “Were it Will” on Bandcamp and it’s total bliss through headphones. In “Shake the Hand”, sighing vocals and piano/synth-glitter dominate one ear while darker guitar licks and jazz drums begin in the other and gradually conquer. In “Hello Morning (Sunrise)” we are pulled into a mirror world at the other side of the pool—soulful vocals, surround-scapes, and space-sounds. Mark June 13th on your calendars! These dream rocker brooklynites will be performing at C’mon Everybody in Clinton Hill. – Leora Mandel

7-piece NYC band Silver Dollars are a big helping of home-fried Americana. Truly— the lyrics yearn exactly for drinking cheap beer around the fire after supper, slow western winds, old trucks, soul food, and romanticized ideas of a simpler life. Harmonicas are soaring, steel guitars juddering, and a man dips into the lows of his voice to mourn the loss of love and home among a lonesome cityscape. They play The Cakeshop 4/21 and Bar Matchless 4/22. – Leora Mandel

Brooklyn band No Chief is going to play at The Brooklyn Bowl this Thursday and we can’t tell you exactly what they’re going to sound like. The project stems from the vision of drummer/writer Bob D’Amico (he used to play with the Fiery Furnaces) and slightly changes direction every time he pulls a different gifted friend into the mix. Among these collaborators are members from bands such as That Dog, Stranger Cat, Sebadoh, and of course The Fiery Furnaces. D’Amico describes his music as “Percussion as Melody. Pitched Instruments as Percussion.” Last fall he released two songs on Bandcamp that might give you an idea of just what he means by that. "Ride" is a sound example of percussion’s ability to build songs into journeys. See what D’Amico’s been up to on 4/23 when No Chief will be sharing the stage with Celestial Shore and Delicate Steve between the great traditions of bowling lanes and beer. – Leora Mandel

Antifolk favorite/Sidewalk Café regular Viktor Longo (another artist to make our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists list) usually records sardonic pop songs under the name Viking, but this year he has begun releasing what he describes as sci-fi glam rock under his own name. Longo switches between cooing "O Holy Night" like a small, bright bird and crackling and cawing out “I want to kill the feeling.” Some songs rely on minimal guitar grooves or pitter-patters on piano while others travel by way of synths, distortion, and bold beats. You can celebrate the premier of his music video "The Feeling" at Emerson House on May 30th and catch him at Pete’s Candy’s Store on May 28th. – Leora Mandel

Following their 2014 record, “Lateness of Dancers”, Hiss Golden Messenger released an EP entitled “Southern Grammar” this past February. The band began in 2007 as southern duo of North Carolina transplant M.C. Taylor and New Yorker Scott Hirsch, but has taken many incarnations over the years, often pulling in friends/indie folk beloveds from Mountain Man, Bon Iver, Small Pond, and Megafaun. Their influences span mostly across the Southern/Western genre board including elements of country, jazz, bluegrass, gospel, blues, and our personal favorite: swamp pop. During this collection of songs our narrator shakes a divine hand, names “the rules” before a choir, meets with some smooth saxophone lines, and discusses the southern grammar of family. Check out below "Brother, Do You Know the Road?" – third and last song in the EP. – Leora Mandel

Must say I didn’t expect to find one of my 2015 summer jams so fast but New York quartet Sly Moth (one of The Deli’s Best NYC Emerging Artists of 2014) is like an early (or late) Santa. Their new self-titled record features playful surf/indie-rock guitar and bass, parading percussive sections, and talk of dizziness, sunshine, and sticky jealousy. The Joy Formidable and Waxahatchee come to mind. These songs are catchy and gladly avoid easy traps like getting stuck in stagnancy or mind numbing choruses. Dani Newman’s vocals fit into dreamy grooves and crackle effortlessly here and there like a cinema actress laughing into a telephone. Did you know the band started forming with a craigslist ad? One of those love stories. – Leora Mandel

Oh no, your Lord of The Rings DVD selection is too 21st century! VHS Collection is an electro-pop 5-piece who, as you might have guessed, revels in 80’s/90’s nostalgia. Yeah, I know that theme is pretty on trend right now, but these guys get playful and candid with it. What we’ve got here are some smooth male vocals, drum machine, buzzy synths and other keys, tastefully dipping into gameboy-fingers/80’s-smoke-and-lasers-land. You might wind up dancing despite yourself. See them play live at Mercury Lounge 4/4 and Rockwood Music Hall 5/5. – Leora Mandel

This artist submitted music for coverage here.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best NYC Electronic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

For their last few singles, Sons of an Illustrious Father have released narrative album covers showing the thinning space between two nude women – it began with a strained handshake, then became a lunging touch. In the cover of their spring 2015 EP “Sons” (which simply gathers in a physical release those two digital singles), the two women share a passionate kiss. These images are excerpts from a film roll designed by band member Lilah Larson. Curiously, one last erotic segment is left, perhaps saved for a future release. The EP begins with talk of death and afterlife and travels back to the world of the living with doubts and anxiety over the state of the planet. Although decidedly alt rock, their style marries snippets of musical and verbal ideas saved from long improv sessions, including funk and Americana influences. The New York based trio is busy finishing up an LP and setting sail on the "Marty Loser Kingdom Tour" this spring with Saul Williams. They will stop home to play a show at The Brooklyn Bowl on May 7th. – Leora Mandel

The right soundtrack always throws some magic dust over all the here’s and there’s of the city. You know this. It can turn your rainy day halal truck lunch into winning cinema, or a late night stroll into the moment you first see someone. The video for "Two Horizons," from Maybird‘s debut album "Down & Under" is filled with beautifully shot moments of humans being humans in NYC, a narrative as old and developing as citylife itself. The song is at times a story recounted and at times a log of premonitions and preparations for what sounds like an eerie future. Psychedelic Brooklyn band Maybird is comprised of members Josh Netsky, Sam Snyder, Mike Schuler, Kurt Johnson, and Adam Netsky. More premonitions point to shows in May and a second album titled "Things I Remember From Earth". – Leora Mandel, video directed by Michael Faller.

– Leora 

Big Thief is Adrianne Lenker’s collaborative songwriting project. Several songs have been posted since her last official release, "a-sides" in 2014. Her music is often sentimental and rarely steps outside conventional folk arrangements, so what is that in there—bold and arresting? She stands apart from many musicians carrying on the folk/bluegrass tradition in that she never gets lazy—all her tracks are different, her songwriting is on point, and her voice can stand perfectly alone as well as melt into anything it touches. She delivers clarity. The vocal harmonies in “a-sides” thaw over spare strumming and tell stories of death by Lake Superior, travels by the Mississippi River, and countless other places impossible not to fall in love with. Her earlier records “b-sides” and “Ours Were The Birds” can’t go without mention as they offer a great catch of Lenker’s even more powerful solitude. Big Thief played a bunch of shows in March and we’re looking forward to hearing more. – Leora Mandel

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best folk songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Renata Zeiguer is a talented and busy musician working with Deli favorites such as Landlady, Vensaire, and her own project Cantina. She promises news this spring and will begin the season with a show March 20th at Rough Trade. Her ghostly “Horizons EP” was our featured record of the month in August of last year and we’ve been keeping an ear out since! As the review points out, yes, Cantina is the Italian word for cellar, but a quick Google search will also reveal a world of Star Wars references and videos of cute aliens jazzing out. Is Renata a wine enthusiast or secret Princess Leia cosplayer? Regardless, her music is wildflowers growing tall and fast, decorated with percussive rattles, fiddles, bird sounds, harmonies, and passages for light to travel through. – Leora Mandel

Brooklyn based pop band Canon Logic experienced recent success with their single “Runaway” which got a win in the international Unsigned Only’s Music Competition. They list influences such as FUN, Bastille, and Local Natives and describe their latest album “WYLD” as having “the right formula for mainstream success” with “souring instrumentals, spirited vocals, happy hand claps, and uplifting lyrics”. If you’re into Bastille but not into radio topper ticket prices you can check out this local bunch at Pianos on March 26th or at Mercury Lounge on the international stoner holiday on April 20th. – Leora Mandel