Baltimore’s Alice Anna have been announcing their latest tracks recorded in NYC in late April on their FB page with more to come. The band, named after a street in Baltimore housing the tavern where the members were brought back together, initially started as a solo project of singer/songwriter Daniel Strauch. He had recorded an album inspired by his life on the road with his previous band of 6 years, the Secret State, which got regular rotation at JA Murphy’s. Now he’s joined with Josh Jones, Michael Marx, Hunter Schafer, Harrison McClain with more new material coming soon.

Check out the new video below for "Standing in the Rain" off their Dec. 2010 debut album. Their next gig is 7/16 at the 8×10 Club in B-more.

The Deli’s NYC B.E.A.F. 2011 will end tonight at Brooklyn Bowl with a night of superlative avant-indie rock involving 3 extremely original artists.

10.00 – DELICATE STEVE

Hardly delicate, Delicate Steve‘s music is completely self assured in its eccentricities. Blending trippy percussion loops with catchy avant-garde rhythms, he’s tearing up the pop rulebook, and creating a buzz that has been felt down the turnpike and throughout the five boroughs. This video won our nonexistent 2010 "Video of the Year" award.

9.00 – HEADLESS HORSEMAN

Headless Horseman is a band full of contradictions. While much of members Fareed Sajan and Conner O’Neill’s repertoire contains the intimate spookiness of Icelandic bands like múm and Sigur Ros, there’s also an immediacy in their recordings at home in their Brooklyn surroundings, bringing Sufjan Stevens and even Sleigh Bells to mind in songs like Sh8ker and Growing. Achieving large, sing-along moments over sparse guitar work, then moving without pause to mouse-like whispers rising over blaring electronics, this band deals exclusively in musical and emotional dichotomies.

08.00 – ARPLINE

Electro rock outfit Arpline have the ability to carve a very original electronic rock sound through an interesting use of arpeggiators. Early traces of MGMT are there, mixed with German post punk influences, creating a feeling of club basement badass mixed with synthesizers and dance jam goodies. Don’t miss their show tonight!

We were just informed that DEDE won’t be able to play our show at Spike Hill tonight – that band got stuck in Phoenix because of flight related problems.

Although it is deemed as one “category,” tonight’s Deli B.E.A.F 2011 Alternative Rock Stage envelops a multitude of styles and tastes, representing the ever changing and progressive nature of the New York music scene. Here’s a closer look at the bands playing on May 27 at Spike Hill:

11.45 – THE YES WAY

Taking a path less common than most rock bands, The yes Way incorporate in their admirable track list different sonic elements – guitar riffs blended with smooth harmonies, heavy instrumentation carried by emotional vocals.

11.00 – TAURUS

IN Taurus’ music, harmonious and eerie melodies meld with psychedelic vibes and darker undertones on their upcoming EP, “Cannon Falls Forever.” Unexpected twists on swelling modulations keep the ear guessing on “Born a Lion;” hypnotic guitar strums and smooth vocals come together on the peaceful “Love Would Bury You;” and, a gentle introduction on “Carolina” transforms into a swirl of reverb and distortion. (MB)

10.15 – SHAKE THE BARON

Catchy, unassuming and emotional (not in an "emo" way), Shake The Baron’s pop rock is as good as it gets. This band has noteworthy songwriting chops – check out the embedded song "Tree House" – and a rather placid attitude: even though most of their songs are quite upbeat, they kind of sound like mid tempos, because the band rocks without "losing it", allowing guitarist/vocalist Andrew Oedel’s smooth tenor space to shine.
 

9.30 – SUBMARINE BELLS

Reverberating guitars and echoing, lax vocals melt together into Submarine Bells’ signature sound of silky melodies floating over crashing drums, embellished by flickering percussion. Vaguely reminiscent of Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithhause, Owen McCarthy’s vocals are so intense it seems they are carrying the weight of the world. (MB)

8.45 – THE YOUNG THINGS

Sounding like the early Beatles’ evil cousins, The Young Things’s music is likely to give your lazy NYC ass a good, deserved shake. Maybe their secret is that their music is obviously inspired byo the classic party songs of the 60s, from "It’s Been a Hard Day’s Night" to "La Bamba" – i.e. the sound track of most teenagers’ parties, or – at least – of the ones who have the word "hipster" branded in their destiny.

8.00 – PILLOW THEORY

There is nothing sleepy about pILLOW tHEORY ( a band that last year opened for Living Colour in Central Park). The NYC quartet’s current and second release, “Outpatience” showcases hints of jazz intertwined with the aggressiveness of metal, drive of punk, the smoothness of soul, and the energetic appeal of pop, delivering dynamic variety and unexpected twists on New York’s typical rock outfit. (MB)

We are very excited about the Deli NYC B.E.A.F. (Best of Emerging Artists Fest) Indie Pop stage at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring "almost" Deli regulars The Rassle and Living Days – two bands that deserve a bright and rocking future – and awesome orchestral collective Lavalier. Here’s a closer loos to the 3 bands on the bill:

10.00 – THE RASSLE

Positioned between the happier side of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Mick Jones’ Big Audio Dynamite, The Rassle have the ability to write uptempo psych pop gems delivered with bratty vocal style and great attitude. The band played several Deli shows, including one in Austin during SXSW.

9.00 – LIVING DAYS

Stephonik Young’s Living Days extract all the good bits from their new wave predecessors in their slick’n’rocking electro-pop embellished with sparkling synths and riddled with hooks. The band’s signature sound is Stephonik’s low register (female) voice, which darkens the mood of swirling electronic effects and effervescent keyboard lines that merge with dance-rock rhythms, fashioning music suitable for underground club dynamics. This girl is an amazing performer, with a stage presence reminiscent of Karen O – you don’t want to miss this show.

8.00 – LAVALIER

Lavalier offer dreamy, slightly melancholic, atmospheres and mid tempo, sparse tunes with orchestral arrangements left to a remarkably high revolving cast of musicians, including a choir. The result is surreal, almsot circusy music that can be placed somewhere between the Beatles’ "A Day in The Life" and Tom Waits’ darker and slower ballads. This is a sound that stands out from current NYC indie trends – which is something we always appreciate here at The Deli

We woke up this morning to the news that both Dream Diary and Ravens & Chimes canceled our Cameo NYC B.E.A.F. Psych Pop show – we are borderline devastated! The show must go on though and the good news is that the other awesome bands on the bill will get a better time slot – the show will start at 8 instead of 7.30. Here what we have confirmed for now – we are trying to book aat least one band at the last minute to fill in for the sick.

11.00 – TRANSLATIONS

Honored with the Deli’ s CD of the month title in September 2010, this Translations know how to use reverb, clanging drum machines and lo-fi tricks in ways more interesting and sophisticated than your average Bushwick bedroom project. Most importantly, they can write good songs, and have found a strong signature sound in Andrew Fox’s dark and thoughtful vocals.

10.15 – DINOWALRUS

What would you expect from a band called Dinowalrus if not something really "out there"? The band in the last few years has slightly tamed their wild psych rock experimentalism in a more structured and pop direction, which ended up producing a sound that’s at times reminiscent of none other than The Psychedelic Furs! (I think that’s the first time I reference that band in my entire music-writing career, pretty excited about it). The band played one of our shows about two years ago, we are really looking forward to see how their live show has evolved since then.

9.30 – NIGHT MANAGER
See blog on top of the page

8.45 – PROSPECTOR
Hailing from the Lower East Side (not Brooklyn?!?) Prospector – with their riff driven, dark and tense songs – are probably the least psychedelic band on this bill, although shoegazer elements can be found in their droney guitars. The band’s main reference though is the energy of the punk/hardcore scene that they all grew up with. Tonight (and in their recently released debut EP) expect uptempo, moody and in your face indie rock that doesn’t shy away from minimalistic melodies.

8.00 – INVISIBLE DAYS

This is one of the few bands we’ve heard in recent times that’s creating quality shoegazey music that doesn’t sound formulaic.The single we are streaming below has cool sounds, a beautiful melody sung by a voice possessing a graceful and dreamy empathy that might have therapeutic and stress relieving powers – that’s what anybody into dream pop like us wants to hear. By the way, hopefully this little blurb is positive enough to get the band to quote us on their online press section!

So to compensate for the anti-hipster party last night we presented at The Knit, tonight we’ll also have a uber noisy B.E.A.F. show at Glasslands reserved to hipsters only. Here’s the lineup:

11.00 – YVETTE

This is currently one of the most interesting NYC based noise rock acts – they were just honored with our CD of the Month "title". Think industrial, noise-rock and shoegazer mixed together, topped off by some kind of melodic tribal chanting. YVETTE’s music comes as close as it gets to what the "Rapture" should sound like.

10.15 – DIRTY FENCES

When Dirty Fences crackles out “Can’t Tame Me” you get the message. This punk group takes you back to the days when CBGB’s was brand new and Syd and Nancy might fall over you while making out. Catch these cats scrap up the raw energy that The Stooges left behind years before and bring it into a new millennium sound. – MM

9.30 – GUNG HO

Gung Ho is the straight edge razor of rock. This five-piece band incorporates eclectic arrangements mixed with basic rock’n’roll rhythms, creating a fun ride through familiar territory. Taking an esoteric approach to their live sets, these guys can blanket the audience with some serious energy surges when they play a gig. – MM

8.45 – STEVE SHIFFMANN & THE LAND OF NO

I don’t say this often, but Mr. Shiffmann & Co. are IMHO one of the best kept secrets of the NYC scene – indie rock department. These guys have some fantastic "classic" indie songs, in a "90s resurgence" kind of way. They make me think of The Flaming Lips at their peak (early to mid 90s) with a better singer, or legendary Thin White Rope (incredibly underestimated US band from the 90s). Steve Shiffman & The Land of No have now embarked on a project to release an EP every three months, culminating in a full-length LP to be released on Vinyl By Later Records. The first of these EPs, "Death & Love", will be released on July 19th. You want to see them play tonight. – PDG

8.00 – SHAPES

Fresh winners of our Artists of the Month poll, Shapes embody the sounds of the DIY hipster rock scene while showcasing a freewheeling buoyancy which permeates across their raucous five-track offering I FEEL…THEREFORE I DRINK. Blending The Stooges’ attitude, My Chemical Romance’s catchiness and the The Ramones’ simplicity mixed with a shot of punk pizzazz via Dead Boys and Sex Pistols, this troupe keeps the energy level at fever pitch