Vivian Girls are about to release their third album (first one on Polyvynil).  "It’s cleaner and more hi-fi than the previous records," Cassie says of Share the Joy, which the band recorded at Rear House, the home studio run by Jarvis Taveniere (of the Brooklyn combo Woods), who engineered the album. "The sound is more open, more free. I think that this album really shows our strengths as musicians, and shows us melding together musically. It’s more psychedelic and less shoegaze. There’s also a lot of organ on it, which is new for us." – You can download the first single "I heard You Say" for free here.

Congrats to orchestral pop sextet Canasta for winning our Chicago Best of 2010 fans’ poll. After a seriously tight race the band preceded charming and somewhat quirky rootsy combo (another sextet!?!) Dastardly and Soft Speaker and their songs ranging from the mellow to the rocking. Here’s the Fans’ Poll Top Ten – thanks to all the bands for spreading the word about it! The composite chart results (including the vote of our jury of scene makers listed here) will be out later this week, so be sure to check back for the overall winners!

Artist   1 Canasta 2 Dastardly 3 Soft Speaker 4 Secret Colours 5 Jon Drake and the Shakes 6 Sad Brad Smith 7 Suns 8 Verona Red 9 Está Vivo 10 Gemini Club

The Deli Staff

SF Bay Area Deli readers,

After some serious number churning and link pasting we are finally able to give you the results of our Best of SF Emerging Artists 2010 poll. This chart is the result of a combined vote involving local scene makers (i.e. our jury, listed here), Deli writers and music fans (fans poll results here). If you wonder how all this works you can try to figure it out here (2 and 1/2 words of warning: it’s complicated!).

Artist J W F OS TOTAL   1 Weekend 6   0.011   6.011 2 Michael Musika 3   2   5 3 The Family Crest 1   3   4 4 Geographer 3   0.5   3.5 5 Debbie Neigher 3   0.072   3.072 6 Man/Miracle 2 1 0.009   3.009 7 Skeletal System 3   0.006   3.006 8 Hottub 3   0.003   3.003 9 The Splinters 3   0.001   3.001 10 Lazarus 3   0   3 11 Ben Thompson     1.5 0.75 2.25 12 Indianna Hale 2   0.074   2.074 13  The Definite Articles 2   0.07   2.07 14 Birds and Batteries   1 0.013 1 2.013 15 Shannon and the Clams 2   0.009   2.009 16 LSD and the Search for God 2   0.006   2.006 17 Butterfly Bones 2   0.005   2.005  18 The Dashing Suns 2   0.003   2.003 19 Dominant Legs 2   0.002   2.002 20 Business 80 1 1 0.001   2.001 21 Amp Live 2   0   2 22 Ash Reiter     1 1 2 23 Moon Duo 1   0.067   1.067 24 FpodBpod 1   0.016   1.016 25 Swanifant 1   0.006   1.006 26 Sugar & Gold 1   0.005   1.005 27 Exray’s 1   0.004   1.004 28  Nobunny 1   0.002   1.002 29  Moe Green 1   0   1 30 Here Come The Saviours     0.046 0.75 0.796 31 B. Hamilton     0.004 0.75 0.754 32 The Spyrals     0.089 0.5 0.589 33 Slowness     0.005 0.5 0.505 Legend: J = Jury – OS = Open Submissions – W = Deli Writers – F = Fans

The Deli’s Staff

Here at The Deli we take winter seriously. Our frostiest cover ever graces our 25th NYC issue (check it out in pdf version here), which was coincidentally delivered yesterday throughout a frosty Big Apple, covered in snow. Psych Folk songstress Lia Ices – who is celebrating her CD release party at Joe’s Pub on February 1st – and the gorgeous foggy picture shot by Kate Edwards add two extra wintry elements to the package. In this issue you will also find features about NYC Indie Labels, Delicate Steve, Appmoattox, and – of course – a slew of Q&As and reviews. Enjoy!

Tonight’s show at Joe’s Pub, sponsored by BMI, is also our 25th issue’s launch party, hope to see you there at 9.30 on the dot!

The Deli’s Staff

Today it seems as if every musician sets out to claim the term “indie” for his or her own, adding slight nuances to a hackneyed structure in the name of innovation. In their often futile efforts, they forget the roots of their sound come from deep in the heart and soul of rock ‘n roll. But for Raccoon Fighter, there’s nothing else but good, hard rock ‘n roll and all its implications of drugs, sex, and sweat. Like their fore-bearers The Troggs, their sound is based in loud electric guitar, hard drums and cymbal crashes, and Sean Gavigan’s crackling yowling vocals, reminiscent of the late great Joey Ramone. These guys are about to rock the socks out of Cake Shop in February with a 3 day residency – the show on the 9th has our #4 and #70 Best of NYC bands Turkuaz and Lily & the Parlour Tricks in the line up as well. – Katie Bennett

We got familiar with Alison Clancy through her Huff This! project, which made it in the list of our Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll 2010. Electric Child is another project featuring this intriguing NYC based singer/songwriter/dancer – here’s a review of the song "Airshow".
It starts with an insistent beeping, the kind you would hear on a heart monitor or some other piece of annoying machinery. Then, with the static pop of a PA announcement, a pleasantly detached voice intones "good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. This is your pilot. The plane is about to crash. This is not a safety announcement. There is no plan for your survival." "Welcome to the air show" indeed. This slightly-electronic ethereal authority then tells us to sit back, relax and enjoy the crash. Cryptic predictions about rows 15-18 and row 25 make this reviewer think bandleader Alison Clancy is more than just the pilot of this flight, she’s the one pulling the strings of time and space. And it’s true. Clancy leads Electric Child on a disjointed journey; a touch of string guitar here, an electro-clash back beat there, a little bit emotional catharsis ("I can’t let go!"), and then an abrupt sign-off. This is her rollercoaster, and we’re all strapped in with blindfolds on, waiting for the next twist. – allison levin

Here at The Deli we take winter seriously. Our frostiest cover ever graces our 25th NYC issue (check it out in pdf version here), which was coincidentally delivered yesterday throughout a frosty Big Apple, covered in snow. Psych Folk songstress Lia Ices – who is celebrating her CD release party at Joe’s Pub on February 1st – and the gorgeous foggy picture shot by Kate Edwards add two extra wintry elements to the package. In this issue you will also find features about NYC Indie Labels, Delicate Steve, Appmoattox, and – of course – a slew of Q&As and reviews. Enjoy!

This February, Brooklyn based rootsy rock band, Great Elk, will host a 4-week residency at Rockwood Music Hall. Each Thursday night they will be joined by local favorites, hand-picked by Great Elk themselves, including Tall Tall Trees, Kevin Johnston, Luke Wesley and Monuments. Each Thursday show will also see the band release a limited edition of hard copy singles, with a new track each week.

Mike Del Rio, one of New York’s brightest indie pop singer/songwriters, is headlining at The Bowery Ballroom on Friday, February 4th. Tickets are $13 in advance (and can be purchased here) and $15 at the door. Joining Del Rio on February 4th are TVTV, a New York City band putting a new twist on standard pop music; Samuel, an electro-pop solo artist with infectious energy; and Night Fevers, a pop-punk band that will get you moving for sure. All who attend the show at the Bowery Ballroom will receive a free copy of Mike Del Rio’s debut record, “The Mad World.” You can preview some of the tracks on his official website. The show begins at 8:00pm and it is 16+. – LT

Imagine a symphony orchestra that just took a couple hits of windowpane. The drummers start trying to kill invisible dragonflies and the strings begin to melt into themselves. Someone somewhere starts to sing…and the group pulls themselves together into a cohesive machine of beat and vibrato. First impressions matter, and Duchess Leo makes it work with their opening track, "Your Sweet Love." It’s powerful but not aggressive, pretty but still has substance. It also sets the pace for the rest of Golden Gray — a balletic audio trip into a sunshiney space – but there is just enough bite to keep it from being overtly pretentious. A dance record this is not, but the sonic prowess of Dan Ryan and Todd Buchler (the men of Duchess Leo) is clear. Buchler took composition and theory classes, while Ryan worked on the production side, mastering music software – and it paid off. Their effort is written all over Golden Gray with an elegant script and a steady hand. – allison levin

Duchess Leo – Bloom

She’s a Kiwi in NYC – by way of Ozland – and after an extended break from recording, Julia Darling is back with a new album that will surely delight the fans that have been turning out in droves at the Rockwood these past few years. In "Everything That Has Happened Since Then" Julia Darling polishes her acoustic roots with lush production offered by Ken Rich and Andrew Sherman. A continuation of stark, personal, and deeply revealing songs. See her live at Rockwood Hall on January 28. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).