NYC duo paris_monster is certainly the most self-disciplined band with the name "monster" in it we’ve ever stumbled upon. Like a precise, complex and sophisticated mechanism, their music chugs away, seemingly imperturbable, through bars, verses and choruses, its obvious horse power (read: a monstrous instrumental technique) controlled by infallible superior forces: as we all know now, "with great power comes great responsibilities," and the duo never abuses of it – that’s what good musicianship is. New single "Had Damon Caught His Sloane," a song we are premiering here in preview of their Mercury Lounge show tomorrow (01.07), gives us the impression of a Ferrari running at 25 miles per hour – always a great look when you are not in a hurry stuck behind it. The track’s production, with its clean electronic and industrial references, brings to mind memories of Peter Gabriel (from the "SO" years) and the poppier early Nine Inch Nails records, artists and a genre that have been a little forgotten in the recent years’ obsession with sloppier genres like surf, slacker rock, dream pop and post punk. paris_monster brings those sonic references back to life with an updated sound, thoroughly enjoyable songs, and powerful live presence.
New Track: “You Left Me Far Behind” (Single Edit) – Harsh Vibes
Psychedelic noise-rock outfit Harsh Vibes has a new 12" vinyl coming out on January 15. Below is the "single" edited version of the band’s expansive A-side called "You Left Me Far Behind." We are sure that you’ll hear more extended, jammed-out renditions of Harsh Vibes’s compositions this Friday, January 8 when the five-piece headlines Johnny Brenda’s.
Wildcat Apollo’s Second Single from Their New Album is Some Rules-Breaking Indie Pop
Wildcat Apollo is releasing 80s pop singles on us right now. Truly, we’ve been living in this time of all past eras of music being re-done and reproached by the contemporary kids as good as or better than they were originally were for a while, and Wildcat Apollo’s second single from their new album “Melt into the Ocean” is exactly that. It’s a Cocteau Twins influenced blast of a romantic pop track, but with the echoing choir indie thing of the early 2000s (itself a rehash of an 80s Paul McCartney kinda thing that itself goes back even further etc.) and a very 2016 approach to old sounds that says this is ours, and we’re gonna take it and make it like we want.
We live in the age of fast-moving everything, and one thing that’s moving so fast that it’s collapsed into itself is pop music, which has developed into music like “Red Roses” that comes off as a kind of retro-contemporary-future pop music all at one time. It’s weird that it does all these different pop things at once and doesn’t ask permission to do it. It might not be fully what many might want from pop music if we were asked to directly lay out the path we think good such music takes, and it isn’t perfect with its almost-too cutesy notes with the echoing choir shit, but it makes up for it by not caring that you might not like that and driving hard at everything the band wants the track to be. It ends up pretty endearingly done, and the track sticks in your head and gets your spirit going a bit upwards whether you’d like to admit it or not (and many will without a single problem).
Wildcat Apollo’s “Red Roses” is of the new rules pop, and it’s good fun, and you should and can listen to it below. Do that or be a stickler, hip kids of this site.
Cellars plays hm157 on 1.8, announces debut full-length Phases
There’s kind of a muted fidelity filtered within Cellars’ otherwise iredescent "Nighttime Girl", a retro jam with a soft rock vibe deepened in its fine shading of sophistication. The song’s swank production is partly attributed to Ariel Pink’s contributions behind the console, but songwriter Allie Norton uses Pink’s cunning recording savvy to further achieve her dazzling pop vision. "Nighttime" is Norton’s attempt at trying to retrieve some shred of identity, a fine leap forward that should finally come into full view once she releases her upcoming full-length album Phases on Aptril 15th.
Until then, make sure to preview some of Norton’s new material at hm157 this coming Friday, January 8th.
Get up and Get Outta Town!
The first of its kind (well, maybe not in the whole world, but here in Oregon at least), the Get Outta Town series is in its infancy, with it’s first edition to take place on January 30th. The premise of the Get Outta Town series is to encourage local music lovers to venture away from Portland’s usual venues and see a different part of the state. It’s an amazing idea, and Get Outta Town #1 will be held at Coyote Woods in Estacada, Oregon. Playing the inaugural bill will be Divers, Woolen Men, Ah God and Abronia, for tickets on a sliding price scale of $5-$10. Proceeds will partially go to the bands and partially go to coverage of any damage that happens to the property.
Just in case you drive down there and get a little too fucked up for the drive back to town, the Get Outta Town launchers are in talks with the local and independent Red Fox Motel for a potential discount for attendees, so stay tuned!
-Cervante Pope
Album Review: Foxtails Brigade – Time Is Passed
Foxtails Brigade’s Time Is Passed is like a cohesive compilation of adult lullabies for the broken-hearted romantic. With beautiful instrumentation and soft, delicate vocals, this album will resonate with the nostalgic lover in you. The San Francisco based band- Weinbach (lead vocals, nylon guitar), Anton Patzner (violin, electric guitar, percussion), Joe Lewis (bass), Dominic Mercurio (drums, percussion) and Joshua Pollock (electric guitar, vibraphone) are known for their interesting orchestra ensemble and complex layering of instrumentation. Laura Weinbach’s quirky lyricism coupled with Victorian-reminiscing guitar plucks, provide a unique sound with unexpected tonality and variation. Listeners can expect whimsical songs like “Lost” and “We’ll Always Have the Moon” to pull them into a jazzy, adult fairytale. Although they aren’t currently touring, you can catch Foxtails Brigade in small venues all around the Bay Area. –Lindsay Stickney
Let your love for Vincent Van Whoa grow
Using the words "bubblegum" and "punk" to describe a band may seem awkward sounding, but when it comes to noisemakers Vincent Van Whoa, it’s totally appropriate. Not to say that their songs are twee, frilly or overly sweet, but more so that their particular styling of punk is less harsh and a bit more accessible than some other bands, coasting more on the "noisy garage" side of the scale. Have a listen for yourself with the track "Rusty Catflap" below.
Vincent Van Whoa will be melting some hearts on Valentine’s Day with a show at Kelly’s Olympian with Eugene’s Pancho + The Factory, if you want to catch them live. It’s strongly suggested.
-Cervante Pope
Best of NYC 2015 Open Submission Results: SONGWRITERS/ROOTSY POP Category: Pam Steebler, Laura & Greg, Afternoon Men
Happy New Year, Deli-rious seekers of new, exciting, emerging music!
If you’ve been following us for a while, you should know that January is the month when our regional Year End Polls for Emerging Artists are in full bloom!
The first leg of our poll is called "Open Submissions," and, in it, we allow all local artists (in this case NYC ones, since you are reading the NYC blog) to submit their music for consideration. After a screening process involving three of our editors or writers, we pick a few per genre – here are the first results for the Songwriter/Rootsy Pop category!
Total submissions in this category: 18
Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.20):
1. Pam Steebler – 7.87
We are rarely entranced by bluesy pop/rock, maybe because – to be pulled off properly – the genre requires monstrous chutzpa, as in… "the balls of those who are really good at something." But we’ve got to concede to Pam Steebler that her "Give In" EP’s two opening songs are… "da bomb." "Mind Reader," in particular (streaming below), has the power and the beauty to light a flare of soulful passion even in the heart of the most unflappable of indie rockers.
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2. Laura & Greg – 7.5
Curiously enough, the second placed band in this chart couldn’t sound more different from the first – how are these two acts in the same category? The answer is in the word "pop" and "roots" – elements these artists shares, but with different approaches. Laura & Greg’s folk pop is gentle, intimate, sparse and DIY. Their peaceful harmonies and placid atmospheres refer back to the folk-pop explosion of the ’60s, revising and adapting it to our DIY days.
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2. Afternoon Men – 7.5
Afternoon Men’s song and video for single "Parking Lots and Basements" (streaming) has an edge that screams "Manhattan" – you know, that borough offering the "bourgeois" kind of fun. (Oh yeah, you can say that about Williamsburg too!). Whoever wrote that song, certainly knows how to navigate that scene, where sophistication and charm can go farther than good looks – at least with the smart ladies who can support a broke musician! This (besides their obvious talent) is why this band may have a future.
Honorable Mentions: Caitlin Mahoney, The Next Great American Novelist, The Bone Chimes, Ashni, Bill Bartholomew, Diana Zinni, Frank Bell.
Jurors: Michael Colavita (Deli Philly), Cody Wright (Deli Toronto), PDG (Deli NYC)
Stay tuned for more results, and then for the readers’ poll!
New Music Video: “Dance (Get Off Your Ass)” – Queen of Jeans
Queen of Jeans certainly has a busy January ahead of them. The indie-pop four-piece will be releasing its debut self-titled EP on vinyl in the UK this Friday, January 8 via Super Fan 99 with a U.S. release on January 22 via Third Uncle Records. The band will also be celebrating its arrival on Saturday, January 30 at Kung Fu Necktie, and will be stopping by the Red Bull Select showcase on Thursday, January 21 at The Foundry, alongside Vacationer and Weekender. But first, check out Queen of Jeans’s new music video for the single "Dance (Get Off Your Ass)" below. It was directed by Super Fan 99’s Luke Barham, and features dancer Emma-Jane Hindsdoing gettin’ off her ass. (Photo by Kelly Kurteson)
Hurry Heating Up w/Fuzz at Everybody Hits Jan. 5
The current frigid state of mother nature might not suggest a rush outdoors. However, Everybody Hits’s lineup this evening might just flip that scenario. With a new record in the works, the trio of Hurry melds fly-on-the-wall bedroom sensitivity, which branches out – warming to the emotive demands with a walk outside that casually moves before pushing forward, heating up with fuzz and expanding its reach via catchy melodics. Navigating through the labyrinth of life’s complexities, the blossoming grunge-punk of Littler gets things started, while the intimate yet simultaneous momentum-filled bedroom-pop of Adult Mom and the enthusiastic energetic balanced punk rock of Jawbreaker Reunion are sandwiched in between. Everybody Hits, 529 W. Girard Ave., 7pm, $5-$7, All Ages – Michael Colavita
Baltimore’s alt-folk Stephen Lee releases album West of Twenty-Three, plays the Villain and Saint, 1/10
He has a raspy voice, a guitar, and knack for storytelling through song, so naturally Stephen Lee is a perfect fit for the Baltimore music scene. With his unique brand of Americana mixed with alternative flavoring, the music evokes images of smoke-filled bars by railroad tracks and old factories, filled with beer-swilling listeners and stomping feet. Lee’s sound is similar to that of Lucero, stripped down to near lo-fi status and backed by a steady beat from his guitar. If you’re looking for common man verses without airs, give his recent release West of Twenty-Three a listen or catch him opening for Noble Giants and Throwing Wrenches at the Villain and Saint in Bethesda, 1/10. -Jonathan Goodwin
NYC’s authentic post punks Wall release debut EP at Union Pool on 01.15
The sound of NYC’s outfit Wall (featuring members already active in like-minded local groups Finally Punk, Keepsies, and Fergus&Geronimo) recaptures the early days of post punk, the first rock’n’roll movement openly promoting DIY as a creative choice – and a superior one for that matter. Those were the years when The Velvet Underground’s droney, bony records with Reed’s maudit lyrics were rediscovered, and many young artists radicalized that sound by stripping it of any melodic aspirations. This is pretty much what Wall does in their self titled debut EP, with their semi-atonal defying vocals, bare bone instrumentation, and DIY sounding recordings. Of the three songs currently available, our favorite is "Milk" (streaming below), which reminds us of the best early Sonic Youth tracks, slowly building through a combination of Vanessa Gomez’s evocative tense vocals, the subtly evolving guitar chords and the varying speeds of the rhythm section. Check out also their most popular, more aggressively punk single "Fit the Part." The band will be celebrating the EP’s release at Union Pool on January 15, you can preorder it here.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best punk/garage/DIY songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!