Before the advent of internet porn and digital cable, pre-pubescent teens and teenagers beginning their descent into sexual deviancy would turn to X-rated channels on the analog cable box to decipher pornographic images through signal distortion. It is in this same vain electronic artist Artificial Earth Machine’s new video for the song ‘Secrets’ is shot in, except swapped in for images of penises and silicone boobies are images of motherboards and other electronic eye candy.

The video for ‘Secrets’ is the first music vid from (The Deli’s Artist of the Month for May) Artificial Earth Machine’s new album Biosphere Simulator, and it was filmed by the man behind the Machine himself, Benjamin Crowley. Crowley’s affinity for laying moody extraterrestrial beats with robotic-like vocals is on full display on the song, and the video itself is alien and somewhat disturbing in Cronenberg fashion.

Don’t take my word for it though, check out the video below and give a listen to Artificial Earth Machine’s trippy experimental electronic album Biosphere Simulator too.

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Tavon Perkins

@tavonperkins

ARTIFICIAL EARTH MACHINE – "SECRETS" from Benjamin Crowley on Vimeo.

Deep summer is a good time for music in Texas. That weird auburn heat that comes down, part the blonde of summer and part the brunette of fall means you can actually get out about in the summer sun and take walks and drives and hang on patios and listen to some goddamned music without wondering if you’re gonna die if you don’t stay perfectly, freakishly hydrated. Change is comin’, and I dunno, maybe I’m alone in this, but it feels like a time when certain tracks and types of music fit the general mood of the earth that don’t always fit at the same time. It’s a pretty nice vibe.

Speakin’ of, here’s what we’ve got for you to vibe to for the end of the month’s Artist of the Month poll, and why we think they’re the shit. This poll is ending quite soon, tomorrow in fact, but we thought we’d give a little last bit of edge to the competition by dropping it all right here for you to gander at, compare, and choose your own personal victor. Put your ears under the tap and let it flow in, and then take that imbibed energy and convert it directly into a vote upon the voting block at your right, if you have not yet and are so inclined. We’ve got a couple early-fall appropriate electronic rock bands, and an introspective hip-hop act appropriate for that change-is-coming feeling, and an indie band that will soundtrack those last golden dyin’ days of the summer just perfectly for ya, so let’s dig in to this month’s selections.

Boss Battle

Boss Battle has just one track available online right now, but they are a band in the process of dropping hard onto the scene. They’ve only been around since 2014, but this first single “Ride” (which just officially dropped 8/31/2015, but which has been kickin’ around the net for a while) is some hard pounding electronic-heavy rock good times. As they call it, the “megapop dual lead vocals” dominate and drive this track that’s got a Mindless Self Indulgence pop/hard/electronic/weird thing goin’, but which is more trying to nail the good pop song instead of just weirding people out. Well-thought of and known Ohm Recording Facility producer Chico Jones provides one half of said vocals, giving this band his 28 years of recording experience and a notoriety boost off the bat, and a slew of recent shows and the looming release of EP “Attack Time” get Boss Battle their nod for this edition of the Artist of the Month poll.

The Nimbus

The hype on The Nimbus is a little early, but well deserved- the band is on the eve of a 7” releasing on September 17 at a show at one of Austin’s best and most underrated clubs, The North Door on East 6th and I-35, but we thought we’d nominate them now because of just how excited we are for more from this band. The Nimbus’ own take on electronics drenched rock music is stylistically, in turn, steeped in the 80s new wave and gothic styles, with clear dramatic vocals over layers and layers of melancholy electronics, heavy thudding beats and droning guitars. The upcoming 7’ and supporting shows along with the just-so-enticing teaser video released for the new record get The Nimbus some deep support here at The Deli, and the early but definitely warranted Artist of the Month nomination. Check out the teaser below.

Tone Royal

We profiled Tone Royal a few weeks ago just after the release of his damn solid debut album Rushing Greatness, and since even that short time ago, it seems like this man’s star has risen considerably. Right now he’s up for not just our Artist of the Month, but also is promoting himself in the San Antonio Music Awards poll and is climbing the charts at Reverb Nation. He was also recently featured in a My San Antonio article on emerging twenty-something’s from the area, and he’s got a big show lined up at The Korova (8/19). He was also set to be a feature at Weird City Hip-Hop Fest until its quite damn depressing cancelation about nine hours before this posting, but despite that sadness (that’s really a blow to the whole area’s hip-hop scene, and not just Tone Royal), this young man is making waves with the smart delivery on his new album, which you can read more about in our recent review here, and which you can listen to in full below.

The Villas

It’s pretty hard to make an impact with just a few songs available, but like Boss Battle above, The Villas have done just that with three lovely tracks from upcoming record Long Player. The Villas do a thing that’s very rooted in the traditional indie rock formula of the 90s and 2000s with little electronics, a punk-gone-nicer feel and big and/or surfy guitar chords over some twangy bass and beats that change-up pretty frequently. Vocals that equally snarl and smile and lyrics like stand-out track Julie’s that say “It seems to me/You’re the apple on the tree/Waiting for the sun/It’s my time” that hearken back to indie rock’s roots in approachable suburban-era good if a little cynical feelings make these three tracks stand up as some of the best Austin indie of the year, and make this young band quite intriguing indeed.

Dark wave electro-industrial duo Mirror Mask released a wickedly glum love song called, ‘Get Back,’ earlier in the year. The track is dripping in new wave romanticism and electric machinations like some illegitimate lovechild of Cabaret Voltaire and Tears For Fears. Fans of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross collaborations or Pilotpriest will dig the edgy foreboding musical textures on this gothic electro-pop song from Mirror Mask. ‘Get Back’ sounds as if it would be spun in any dimly lit after-hours EDM club in the 80’s or any decade thereafter, and hopefully we’ll get an EP or album sometime in the near future from the talented duo. For now you can check out the song below, and make sure to come back here for updates on the group.

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Tavon Perkins

@tavonperkins

Here’s one from August Artist of the Month Continental Drift, who were helped to their win by this excellent new record. The self-titled, two-track EP from Continental Drift here feels like it has more heart and soul than most albums being released these days. Performed by a ten-piece band, the music here centers on Afro beats while flawlessly weaving in funk, soul, and psychedelic grooves to the mix as well. Whether you enjoy all of those genres or none of them, this EP is bound to reel you in and keep you hooked for its short fifteen-minute duration.

The first track, "Afropsychic," starts out with only a couple instruments pitching in, and as the song progresses the rest of the band joins in one by one, almost like a relay race for music. As each band member joins in, the song grows in its drama and intensity, making it feel as though a narrative is being carried, and not just some cool beats. What’s great about it is that it all feels spontaneous, and not just with "Afropsychic" – the quality spontaneity runs through "Conductive" (the second track) as well. Both songs sound like ten people with amazing chemistry walked into the studio and just jammed for twenty minutes. It’s also worth mentioning that even though the EP has only two songs on it, each of those songs carry so much variety that one could mistake this for a four or five track EP.

Give the EP a listen or download for free below, or mark your schedules for the second Sunday of every month and head over to Stay Gold in Austin for their live residency.

Continental Drift EP: Listen/download here!

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Nicholas Gomez

@feedbackjunkies

Austin quartet Wonderbitch has been getting crowds and critics pumped about their brand of music since SXSW, which is not surprising since the indie rock outfit’s music is the equivalent of a swanky post-punk 3-piece suit fitted to perfection then adorned with psychedelic cufflinks and new wave attitude. In fact, they were the Deli’s Artist of the Month for July for their impressive EP, ‘WBlovesyou”- six tracks of snarky pop rock released earlier in the year in the vain of bands such as The Killers and Neon Trees.

Wonderbitch tends to build tracks around a philosophy that energetic upbeat music can be crafted just as artistically and meticulously as their drearier post-prog and alt-rock contemporaries. Songs on the EP range from the Genesis version 2.0 sounding ‘Little Tiger’, to songs like ‘Josanna ‘, which summons up nostalgia of The Clash. The band plays with an infectious energy that jolts the senses, and this factor keeps the music rolling along easily from song to song. The talent the group possesses is obvious, from the groove inducing rhythm section of Evan Wade and Corey Fitzgerald Spears to the new wave crooning of vocalist Alex Chod and the licks of guitarist Colton Hardin — this is a band on the rise. 

You can checkout Wonderbitch’s new EP below as well as the first music video from said EP, and you can catch the boys performing at Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin on Aug. 28 and at Spider House on Sept. 16, and check back with The Deli for the latest news on the group.

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Tavon Perkins

@tavonperkins

‘Aguas Frescas (Part I)’ is the latest superb EP from Austin indie alt-rock band, Wildfires, The Deli’s March 2015 Band of the Month (check our EP preview from a while back right here). This newest offering takes listeners on a surreal journey of textured soundscapes and ethereal vocals summoning up memories of shoegazing bands of yesteryears such as Sonic Youth or My Bloody Valentine. The understated vocal delivery and dreamy guitar effects present on the tracks takes audiences to familiar psychedelic terrain along with melodies that are charming, yet laconic, Wildfires draw you into their breezy hippie-fueled wall of sound slowly and effortlessly leave the indelible mark of a band acutely aware of what they are. Imagine floating down the river into the fading sunset with a cold beer in one hand and one of those wacky tobacco cigarettes in the other, and you’ll get the feel for the serene and dreamy music the group creates. Check out Wildfires’ EP, ‘Aguas Frescas (Part I), below and come back for updates on upcoming music from the band.

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Tavon Perkins

@tavonperkins

Sometimes menacing, at other instances oddly profound, the always loud outlaw rock and rollers, I Am the Albatross’, new album ‘Lonesome Son’ is nasty guitar-lick laden rock played with focused reckless abandon. This latest offering basically grabs you by the throat then pours a welcome shot of bold Americana rock down it. The Austin quartet’s music is essentially Nick Caves and The Bad Seeds bulked up on PED’s with added injections of punk and psychedelic growth hormone for good measure. If Leonard Cohen was a hipster millennial, this would be the soundtrack he played during an epic cross-country getaway to the hinterland of Canada after a bank robbery. Any album that leaves you wanting more is always a winner in my book which is the case with this playlist worthy album.

You can catch I Am the Albatross performing their brand of feral folk rock at the Javelina Bar in Austin on Aug. 20 — bad ass leather duster coats welcomed but not mandatory.

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Tavon Perkins

@tavonperkins

In new track “Unless” by Rain Collectors, a simple guitar melody leads us across a bright and calm landscape. The cello, however, soon glides in beneath and we sink into a more wistful state. Vocals by duo singer/songwriter Santiago Dietche and vocalist Blair Robbins are sensual, yearning. A keyboard trails, dreamlike among the cymbals and Gary Calhoun James’ walking bass; like wandering through the memory of a past relationship, or coming aware that a present one is fading, there is a sense of comfortable resignation. With one earphone in my right ear, and the other shared with you, in your left, we walk together through a night that will not last, with “Unless” soundtracking our melancholy stroll. Give “Unless” a listen below, especially if you’re nursing a slightly nostalgic mood like I was this weekend or, if you’re in a more upbeat place, head to their Bandcamp, where I was also pleased to hear the more upbeat new track by them, “Lock The Door” released on Sunday.

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A. LaFontaine

When the fascinating sounds from a band’s new music instantly put a smile on your face and goose bumps on your arms, that’s something very special! It’s too early to tell if its love or lust, but whatever Sweet Spirit and Spoon-member Britt Daniel made me feel with their new collaborative EP (called “Sweet Spirit and Britt Daniel”), I leave wanting more. The EP is one Spoon cover, the classic “Paper Tiger,” and one new soul-grabber with Sweet Spirit taking the lead in “Have Mercy,” both of which are solid pieces of indie rock. Sweet Spirit, a quite quirky Austin crew is really making some heads turn with their fine ability to put on a great show, and their violently catchy tunes. With another 4 song EP release around 6 months ago and vinyl release show happening at Blackheart August 21st; Sweet Spirit has a very sweeeeeet looking future ahead of them, and we all know Britt Daniel is just gonna keep doing his killer thing as always. Check out the ever so fun EP below, and get you some of that indie rock sound to make you want to move your feet a bit!

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Taylor Mangiameli

If you haven’t heard of Tone Royal yet, now would be a good time to catch up with the artist, as he’s just released his debut album and like the title says, he very much is Rushing Greatness. With a few rap contests and live shows under his belt, Tone Royal has started to take Austin by storm, as have the local Austinites featured on the album like Phillip Wolf and others. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also studying at UT to become a sports journalist, and acting as co-host on Korey Coleman’s entertainment website doubletoasted.com where he’s better known by his real name, Ray Villarreal. The album, Rushing Greatness, provides a wide variety of styles that at its worst sound like Mac Miller, and at its best, George Watsky. But unlike some of Mac Miller’s work, most (perhaps not all) of Tone Royal’s lyrics are quite meaningful, especially on the songs that are more spoken word than actual rap, like “Want You Back” and the end of “Clark Kent.” If nothing else, Tone Royal’s album proves that great rappers are still out there putting their stuff up online for free, in the hopes that their name will get bigger, so be part of the process and listen below.

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by Nicholas Augusto Gomez Fullerton

@feedbackjunkies

This one’s just plain fun y’all. Opposite Day is a staple of the Austin scene that plays some of the most technical and pure fun music in Austin, a combo you don’t often get. This vid is their new track “AI IOU,” and it’s a series of shots that cut between the band doing their hard-playing, wild-beat thing and then a buncha robot shots that feel very MST3K. That’s a pretty good touchstone in terms of era as well, as this track feels quite outta the 90s though all beefed up with some heavier, mathrockier shit, and the idea of a wilder, more indie Barenaked Ladies that plays faster and punkier isn’t far off. It’s fun too to get great tracks that aren’t really about love or social issues or something pretty, but instead just about a cool ass concept that the musicians like; in this case a mufucking robot made from parts of other robots! Check the lyrics: "I am rememebering what happened to the parts that make me/I am a conscious agent assembled from other machines." That’s the good scifi shit. Tune your robot ears and focus your android eyes on this thing below, and let the AI tell you all about its weird ol’ self!

It doesn’t take long for shit to start getting weird when you’re not on the typical “wake up in the morning, sleep through the night” schedule, especially if you start pushing the time you do sleep further into the daylight hours. And the longer you’re on the vampire grind, and the longer you actually don’t sleep at all, the more things go from just a bit off to a point where you feel almost completely unlike all the people you see in the world who sleep normally. Feeling unreal and like other people and their regularly scheduled lives are completely alien, living in some other universe, becomes the normal.

This is the sentiment that provides the framework for local rapper vftvc’s (Vicky Flair the Voodoo Child) new album sounds of insomnia, which is a deeply candid attempt to explain and share the feeling of being an insomniac, and a drug-using, cynical, conflicted one at that. It’s rough in parts and it’s not hard to see that it’s spawned from a young mind dealing with a lot of issues (and not always in a healthy way), but it is striking for what it does right.

For one, it gets the feeling of insomnia and feeling distant from the world absolutely perfect. The tracks, all produced skillfully by beatmaker forest green, are designed to induce feelings similar to those that come with insomnia; they often drag along, there’s a lot of dreamstate sounds like bells and meandering horns, and the delivery is often very deadpan and low-energy (in a good way that drives the insomnia feeling home) but sometimes goes manic or gets heavily distorted in a psychedelic way (a bit Odd Future-esque).

The lyrics do much the same, often directly talking about the weird unliving state of being an insomniac, such as in the intro for “demons,” which is delivered in a way that makes it sound like an entry in an audio journal by someone losing their mind. In it Vicky delivers, in his standard listless voice and over a barking dog that really places it in a physical place (you can almost see him sitting in a dark room with the light of the day that’s already come again leaking through the blinds) the following, which we’re copying in its entirety because it gives an excellent summation of the feelings at play in this album:

“It’s around the end of July, and sleep has become a total stranger. I try to stay in the good frame of mind throughout this time, amidst all the things falling apart around me. But it seems in those twilight hours, those voices those [something, hard to hear], their influence in my head seems to get stronger and stronger, and I feel it puling me to the dark place. I try to rise above it, but. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

The levels of introspection and honesty here are strong, and impressive for a young creator. Whether or not you empathize with the rapper or support how vftvc deals with and sees life, which is admittedly a dark perspective most of the time, that he’s giving his perspective so fully makes the album rich. He’s not hiding much of anything here, though while he’s revealing the things that are making him depressed or conflicted, he’s also reveling in it a bit, and he doesn’t hide that either. It’s all on the table- the way he both loves and needs drugs and also sees the bad shit they’re doing to him, the way he isn’t sure if he likes himself or not or you or not but is also set in his ways and has developed a sort-of comfort with them, or at least he wants you to see it that way (something he also doesn’t hide).

The album shies away from nothing and will very likely make you uncomfortable for doing so in at least a few places, and some may not connect with it at all either for its roughness or its perspective, but because of that rawness and revelation, it’s also a striking piece of art from a young thinker worth watching. The whole album is well worth a listen, so get doing so below and get ready to feel a little…off.