Here with his newest enthralling avant-art single "Puppet" is Noah Kellman, performing under his moniker Nozart. Kellman, a "fantastical musical storyteller", weaves melodic tapestries out of digital soundscapes, extraterrestrial noise, and relentless electric beats. Kellman’s education as a jazz musician plays into his compositions, which deliver modern orchestrations in a futuristic orchestral style.

We’ve featured Kellman as Nozart before on The Deli NYC. His song "Just Let It Go" is still in our Best Songs By Emerging NYC Artists playlists. "Puppet" follows the style of his previous work, complete with musical buzzes and synth arpeggios bubbling underneath haunting vocals. Listen for sci-fi sound effects peeking out; Doctor Who fans, you might hear the sound of a TARDIS if you try hard enough. Listen to "Puppet" below. – Will Sisskind

Looking for a last-minute Valentine’s Day date idea? Here you go: Queens-based indie pop duo Imaginary Tricks plays Pianos in the Lower East Side on February 14th. Take a friend (or someone more than a friend) to hear catchy tunes from the group, who’ve opened for Dr. Dog and Jimmy Eat World, among others.

The band — led by Mike Visser — has quite a bit coming up in the weeks following their Pianos show. They head to SXSW in Austin, where they’ll play at Maggie Mae’s on March 16th. Then they’ll release a new record, "Skommel," on March 24th. You can stream a track from the record, titled "Bird", below. – Will Sisskind

A few years back The Deli covered the release of Baked‘s previous album, Debt, at Shea Stadium. The Brooklyn-based psych rockers will return to the legendary Bushwick venue on February 24th to release their brand-new record, titled Farnham in memory of frontman RJ Gordon’s late college roommate. 

The new album has plenty of the shoegazey haze that fans of Debt will love, though it’s a bit darker and refined. The supercharged sound — reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Gordon’s other band, Titus Andronicus — comes through on tracks like "Danelectroladyland" (streaming below.) 

Supporting acts Honduras, Grass Is Green, and Hounds will join Baked at their record release show. – Will Sisskind

Dams of the West describes itself as “the bad boy of British tennis” and “probably fifth-wave ska but maybe neo-no soul”. But it’s best defined as the solo project of Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend. That band’s world pop tendencies are audible in the project’s repertoire, with flecks of Leonard Cohen and Reel Big Fish thrown in for flavor. On February 24, the band will release the album Youngish American, a collection of songs produced by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. It will include the songs “Death Wish” (streaming) and “Tell the Truth”, for which there are music videos directed respectively by Emily Tomson and Edward Bursch. In March, Tomson will perform as Dams of the West at SXSW in Austin. While rumors of a 2017 Vampire Weekend album are in the air, nothing’s set in stone. – Will Sisskind

The Shivers, the project of songwriter Keith Zarriello, have been playing around New York since 2001, releasing their arresting, 19 tracks debut album ‘Charades‘ in 2004 (The Deli interviewed them back in 2010). They’re coming into 2017 with a fresh start after a brief hiatus and a lineup change that now sees Zariello playing solo, with a rotating cast of guests. A favorite of bands such as Deer Tick and celebrities like Aaron Paul and Rose McIver, the band has been consistently delivering mesmerizing and soulful songs that feel truly timeless – don’t miss break out single ‘Beauty.’ You’ll find in them the introspective thoughtfulness of Leonard Cohen and occasional departures in more experimental directions. Their latest album ‘Forever Is A Word‘ was released in 2015 and features single ‘Puppy Dog’ (streaming).

On February 18, The Shivers will perform at Music Hall of Williamsburg with opening acts Max Jury, Ashni, and Ben Talmi. A portion of ticket sales from the event will go towards The Jed Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting the emotional health of teens and young adults across America. – Will Sisskind

Flower Girl, whose previous release was our NYC Record of the Month back in November, have already a new record full of catchy, unpretentious indie pop tunes, cleverly titled Tuck In Your Tie-Dye, which conjures up fond memories of Syd Barrett, Beck and early Camper Van Beethoven. The Brooklyn-based group, led by Dave and Henry Van Dusen, have put twelve tracks of head-bopping songs down to kick off 2017, each one of them balancing equal parts of alt-country, psych pop, and indie rock. Recorded in the Catskills, this is another album that makes us reach for the repeat button, while kicking back in a (mental) cabin with our best friends, all of whom are jamming to "I Saw A Mouse", swaying to "Breathmint," and going "Yeehaw!" on cue during the chorus of "2 Late 2 Be A Cowboy" (track #6 below) 

You can celebrate the release of Tuck In Your Tie-Dye with Flower Girl at Sunnyvale tonight (January 6th), along with openers The New Ones, Plains, and Datenight from Nashville. – Will Sisskind

Hideout, the solo project of Manhattan-based singer-songwriter Gabriel Rodriguez, will perform at Berlin in good old ex-Alphabet City on the first four Tuesdays in January, starting Tuesday the 3rd. This residency is one of many things Rodriguez has coming up in early 2017. For one, his sophomore album under the HIDEOUT name, titled ‘So Many Hoops/So Little Time,’ comes out on February 3rd. The first single, "I Got Your Message", is a melodious piece of indie pop with a tragic backstory. It’s already received words of praise from Billboard, so fans of Rodriguez’s music or his work with Cults have good reason to get excited. The band will also play Baby’s All Right on Sunday January 15th, for those who can’t make it out on a Tuesday night. – Will Sisskind

Ring in the new year with eclectic orchestral six-piece Emanuel and the Fear at Knitting Factory on January 10th. The band had quite a productive 2016, between releasing their latest EP Primitive Smile and going on a trailblazing tour through Europe last November. They posted an Instagram in early December stating that they were "Back in the office. Lots of exciting things to come. Stay tuned." This can only mean more music and electric live performances from the group. If you’re a fan of orchestral pop drawing from the styles of Arcade Fire, ELO, or Sufjan Stevens, jump on the bandwagon and treat yourself to Emanuel and the Fear’s body of work.

The opener for this show is indie pop artist Frances Cone, who released her single "Arizona" last January and set off from there on a whirlwind year of playing around NYC and the Northeast. Head to Knitting Factory on January 10th to hear both her and Emanuel and the Fear perform. – Will Sisskind

The psych poppers of Zuli bring their music to Baby’s All Right on December 22nd, just in time for a much-needed holiday weekend. Zuli have had quite a year racking up hits on Spotify, with their 2015 EP Supernatural Voodoo still making waves with audiences in New York and around the world. Disparate influences like Animal Collective and Elvis Costello shape Zuli’s experimental but enterntaining nature. Zuli will share the Baby’s stage with chamber rock band Great Caesar and Oceanside-based post/math-rockers It Came From Space. The night’s theme is a cross-cultural and religious celebration of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus, with the goal of getting merry in cooler ways than average. – Will Sisskind

Feel like sending a chill through your old, mortal soul? Put on the eponymous, debut EP from The Shacks, which is our new, NYC Record of the month. Shannon Wise’s adorable, whispery voice and her simple but memorable melodies certainly charmed us to the core, but it was Max Shrager’s production, which updates the dream-pop genre in welcome ways, that brought the point home. Catch a cover of Ray Davies’ “Strange Effect,” which – slowed and stripped down – is the haunting opener. The more experimental “Orchids” – for which there is a music video, as shown below, follows lullaby "Left it With Moon," and shows off the musical variety and exploration for which The Shacks strive. More traditional dream-folk track “Tidal Waves” evokes dreams of summer, while the reggae-infused “Hands In Your Pockets” – with joyful bursts of slide guitar and innocent-sounding harmonies – bubbles with repressed youthful angst; a beat holding back a torrent of emotion. Least but not last, the collaborative track ‘Strange Boy (with instrumental NYC band El Michels Affair), offers a glimpse into the ways this band’s sound could evolve in the future with a more produced approach.

The Shacks just announced an early 2017 extensive tour in support of Chicano Batman – Will Sisskind

This week, Brooklyn’s girlwave trio THICK take their sandpapery brand of surf rock to support two fellow bands’ album releases. On Friday 12/9, they will join Baby Acid at The Footlight in Ridgewood as the latter release their new LP Don’t Blush When I Rip You Open. "Trash jazz" rockers Parlor Walls and female-fronted five-piece Ex-Girlfriends will round up the bill. Then on Wednesday 12/14, THICK will perform with shoegaze group Lazyeyes and punk funk troupe Toyzanne in order to support post-punk quartet Journalism, who will release their brand-new single. THICK themselves have played a number of shows over the last few weeks in support of their new EP It’s Always Something (which you can stream below.) They have major plans going into 2017, but you can still catch them before the year’s up. Don’t miss out. – Will Sisskind