We come across a lot of great vocalists here, at The Deli, but few invoke the classic soul-vibe quite like Boston singer-songwriter Louis Apollon. A recent Berklee grad, Louis is preparing to release his debut album, Free To Be, in September. The album "explores all there is to the human experience through short stories and experiences". Fortunately for us, we don’t have to wait until the fall for a taste of the new record. The first single, "You Are a Dream", embodies the character of 70s soul giants, like Al Green, with Louis’ own jazz/folk flavor. Louis’ voice has a soothing quality, his dulcet tones blending with the no-less-impressive fingerwork of his guitar. With the help of Aleif Hamdan on guitar, Achal Murthy on bass, and Kaushlesh Purohit on cajon (who also engineered the track), Louis creates a nostalgically romantic musical venture, a balance of simplicity and technical prowess. Check out the video below and catch Louis at The Midway Cafe on May 22. –Brian Varneke
High Tides’ Intuitive Melody
High Tides, we know despite their relative mysteriousness in the internet realm, is the lo-fi, psychedelic, and highly captivating new project of Aeris Hennings, Aaron Diebold, and Xavier Bond. They explore a sonic niche relying heavily on guitar work, one that could easily be compared to indie rock greats like early Real Estate or Tennis. The group’s instrumental work is complimented by a series of synth and lo-fi samples that might well work as spaceship noise in a sci-fi movie. Not all their work is so far out, however. Their earliest songs showcase acoustic fingerpicking interwoven with electric guitar work that creates an expansive atmosphere in contrast to close, crisp acoustic strings. There’s no voice attributed to High Tides, but this only seems fitting. The group trusts their own sense of melody enough to let the instruments speak for themselves and the result is the creation of intimate arrangements that feel uniquely inuitive. High Tides is a band with work that predicts a fruitful and authentic future. Be sure to catch their next show with Dream Wave at Drkmttr on Thursday, May 25th.
-Andrew Strader
OLD JAMES – REAL ROCK N’ ROLL
Don’t worry everybody…rock n roll is alive and well. Thanks to Old James. This power trio truly brings back the deadly rock n roll riffage of the 70’s. The opening track from their album "Speaks Volumes" absolutely sets the tone for what you’re about to experience. "Don’t Put It On Me" immediately hits you with face melting electric guitar with a Bruce Dickinson-esque scream and away we go. This tune will get you fired up for the weekend…which is all you really need in life. – Kris Gies
Jonathan Hoard Gives Soul a Whole New Flavor: Taste It at Arlene’s Grocery on May 9th
If there’s one thing that R’n B aficionado J. Hoard has been able to showcase through his soulful catalogue is that instrumentation does not intimidate his craft one bit. Less experimental, but more ambitious, the new single “Sirens” sees the singer exploring religious themes with refreshing emotional depth, and a gospel-infused choral accompaniment guaranteed to impress. After debuting with the unconventional electro-jazzy rhythms of the his first collection, "Arctic," Hoard’s music picked up momentum with last year’s "Feel Good EP." Hoard is currently taking on the New York scene, with an upcoming gig at Rockwood Music Hall on Friday, May 19th, and a split show with fellow up-and-comers DDWhite, Joanna Taters, and All Be on June 9th at Arlene’s Grocery. – Valentina Rocha
Krust Toons: “Tour Friends”
Krust Toons: "Tour Friends" by Tedd Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.
Single Girl, Married Girl premieres video for ‘Spark,’ release show at Rockwood on 05.18
Singer Chelsey Coy is a vintage vision in the black and white video for Single Girl, Married Girl‘s title song off of their new LP, "Spark." The clips move between riverside shots, the occasional "look up" moment at the city’s famed skyscrapers, green spaces among the concrete and the typical West Village stoop… everything the average New Yorker might find "normal" suddenly gains wonder, awe and beauty. New York’s prettier sides become a lovely, delicate backdrop for Coy’s hollowed-out harmonies and sprite-like falsetto, moving into a primal rhythm section that echoes the rumble of the subway below. The band’s new album, Spark, is out May 19, with a release show scheduled for May 18th at Rockwood Music Hall. – Geena Kloeppel
New Shelf Life LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Scotty Leitch, a.k.a. Shelf Life, must never stop working, because we blinked and a new album, Bark, has arrived. Leitch continues to create mindful, cathartic melodies, incorporating experimental threads, which provide surprises around the otherwise cozy lo-fi corners. When those pressure-releasing, daydream-inducing soundscapes receive a temporary jolt to the system, the trajectory shifts. Initially, the warmth of simplicity will welcome you, but unpacking those lyrical layers and musical plots twists will make one want to dig deeper within the familiar framework.
Band on the rise: Cende release EP “#1 Hit Single” at Baby’s All Right on May 26th
Jangly and infectious indie group Cende unleashes its debut EP "#1 Hit Single" on May 22nd, with a release show at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on May 26th. After changing their name from Downies at the end of 2015, the band has grown from a house venue trio to a quartet receiving press from major outlets such as Pitchfork and NPR. The songs on ‘#1 Hit Single’ — much like those of the band’s 2015 EP — describe the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of living in a DIY space for over three years. You can stream one of those tracks, titled "Don’t Want To", below. Cende will tour the country opening for Alex G this summer; if you can’t see them at Baby’s All Right, they’ll be back on July 7th to play at Bowery Ballroom. – Will Sisskind
New Track: “Did I Ever Tell You?” – Grimace Federation
Auroville, the forthcoming full-length album from Grimace Federation, is scheduled for release on June 9. “Did I Ever Tell You?” quickly blooms with electro-drum interplay. Adventurous rays of guitar, steadying keys and the space-clearing percussive thrust throw the psych-prog spectrum wide-open. Building and then enhancing one theme onto the next, the song transitions through areas of ease and tension, threading illuminating discovery with an air of danger. They’ll be celebrating the record’s release with Chk Chk Chk on Friday, June 9 at Underground Arts.
The Cuckoos Bring Alan Solomon in to “Get It On”
In many ways musical exploration seems to mirror global exploration in that most of of the world has been charted and mapped. Some might even go so far as to say the heady days of musical experimentation which figured so prominently in the 1960’s has sunk into a digital bog of repetitive mimicry. Like Sir Earnest Shackleton and Colonel Percy Fawcett before them the Cuckoos are showing the world that the spirit of adventure, exploration, and experimentation are very much alive and well. This is nowhere more evident than the Cuckoos recent collaboration with Alan Salomon on a remix of “Get It On”.
The Cuckoos psychedelic rock DNA (think The Doors and Pink Floyd) has been written about ad infinitum, however the recent treatment of "Get It On" speaks volumes about the progressive spirit of the band. While it is easy to channel past and contemporary sounds, the Cuckoos have found a way to marry the two and that requires substantial courage and creativity. Make sure to check out the "Get It On" remix and keep an eye out for the future musical explorations of the Cuckoos.
-Cory Huennekens
Dogheart Drop ‘Family Hair’ Today, Release Show Tonight
Dogheart haven’t really taken a break since Real Mood came out almost a year ago to the day. The six track EP was a display on Dogheart’s part of the maturity their sound has reached, leading up to today’s release of their newest full length Family Hair.
Recorded on a Tascam 8-track in various spots around the city, Family Hair shows Dogheart executing the mellow garage rock they do best while at times, embracing a Beach Fossils and Real Estate type of haze. Album opener "Puzzled" kicks things off with a quick and catchy pace, while "Wooden Shrine" chills things out a bit. Tracks of all tempos and for all moods can be found on Family Hair, which can be streamed below.
After getting acquainted with the new Dogheart tracks, join the band along with The Woolen Men at Bunk Bar tonight for the album release show. Word is they’ll be giving free haircuts until midnight, just in case you’re in need of one.
NRVS LVRS Share New Single – I Am Almost Perfectly Awake
San Francisco-based band NRVS LVRS is the dreamy darkwave project of husband & wife duo Andrew Gomez and Bevin Fernandez. Today the band revealed their new single, I Am Almost Perfectly Awake from their sophomore album Electric Dread out June 30th.
"’I Am Almost Perfectly Awake’ is inspired by Clive Wearing, a musicologist who suffers from severe amnesia and experiences life anew from moment to moment, as if he is waking from a coma every twenty seconds. The title was taken from a line he repeatedly wrote in his diary, and we kept coming back to the phrase and how searching & sad it sounded. Trying to imagine living life with no memories had us trying to unpack so many different thoughts: how our identities are tied to our memory, how scary it must be to wake up not knowing who or where you are hundreds of times a day, and how the loss of a memory is a kind of death. While writing the album, we were dealing with quite a bit of death and loss in our own lives, so the idea of someone who is still physically present yet missing their identity resonated as a mirror image of the grief we were experiencing."
NRVS LVRS’ record release show is in San Francisco at Bottom Of The Hill on June 30th.