Dear Deli Readers,
We have finally reached the end of the road for The Deli’s Best Emerging Chicago Artists Poll. As usual, it’s been a lengthy, exhausting, painstaking journey through an abundance of numbers, band names, and some seriously rad tunes. Now, before we get to our list of this year’s Top Performers, we would like to thank our wonderful, knowledgeable jury of local music experts/enthusiasts (which you can view below), dedicated Deli writers and all those who took the time to check out our nominees and cast their votes. You’re the best, and we wouldn’t be able to do this without you!
The Deli Chicago Jurors
Eric Muhlberger (So Far Sounds), Brendan Losch (Blogger), ERIC SCHELKOPF (The Total Scene), Robert Glick (Reggies’ Music Joint), Coleman Brice (Cole’s Bar), Elle Quintana (Reggieislive), Consequence of Sound (Year End List), Mike Gebel (Empty Bottle), Aragon Ballroom ), Double Door (Jesse Ewan), Jim Kopney (Music Writer), Jason Behrends (The Deli Magazine), Matt Baron (Coach House Sounds), Thalia Hall Events, Bill Valentina (Music Writer), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli Magazine).
And now, without further ado, CONGRATS to…
1. Post Animal is a band of psych poppers that knows how to capture the imagination. Their songs are structured around sweet-sounding hooks and round, groovy basslines while the timbre is sugarcoated in atomspheric reverb. They’ve mastered the art of taking simple, starightforward pop into the weird and sometimes mysterious realm of psych, making them a must listen for Chicago psych fans.
2. Lala Lala offers a refreshing dose of female energy to a male-dominated punk scene. Their songs drip with raw emotion, pulling the listener in a multiple directions from rage to heartache to bliss. With subtle harmonies that dance across beds of fuzz and distortion, the trio captures the kind of adolescent, coming-of-age sentiment that proves perfectly nostalgic.
3. Ne-Hi creates the kind of indie rock that just won’t leave the mind. They use jangly, reverb-soaked guitars to piece together delicious little tunes that are powerful in their simplicity. In a musical climate increasingly devoid of real instrumentation, they offer a glimmer of hope for listeners who love guitar-based bands.
4. Oops
6. Mano
7. So Pretty
10. Robbie Fulks
Below are more of this year’s Chicago Top Performers…
11. Robbie Fulks
12. Archie Powell & The Exports
13. Todd Kesler
14. DIM
15. Varsity
16. monakr
17. Saba
18. Jamila Woods
19. Hood Smoke
20. Tara Terra
21. Al Scorch
22. Robert Rolfe Fedderson
23. releases Parent
24. Glyders
25. Yeesh
26. Melkbelly
27. releases Dehd
28. Emily Blue
29. Ravyn Lenae
30. The Right Now