New York’s very own Loose Buttons have been at it for ten years, and some already-released tracks from their upcoming EP — titled Sundays With Loose Buttons — already prove that the band’s still in it for more. We wrote about a single from this EP — "Milk & Roses" — back in December, but you can stream the newest track, called "Between Brick Walls", below.

Loose Buttons are currently doing a month-long residency at PIANOS in the Lower East Side. After tonight, they’ll play also on on February 15th and February 22nd, just ahead of the release, which is scheduled for February 24th. Keep an eye out for it. – Will Sisskind

In 2016, Brooklyn’s indie psych rockers Psychic Selves released a quality 7 song mini-album entitled "Lucid Night.".  While the band continues working on new material and plays select live shows, these tracks provides ample opportunity for immersion into their sound. Opening track “Ratio” is dual guitar riff driven, as flange-effects pair against brighter tones, recreating surf/psychedelic vibes reminiscent of early Beach Fossils.  Featured single “Goodnight Luna” (streaming below) builds off that foundation, emphasizing melodic hooks via a note-for-note matched vocal phrasing and guitar figure. With the chorus transitioning into a smoother vocal phase, bass guitar and drums provide the driving force on its latter half double-time cadence.  Pitch-bended melancholia emerge on instrumentals “And the Truth Pt 1 + 2,”pop elements on vocal heavy “Masochist” and punk aggression on both “War Head” and “Crazy Tasty.” Psychic Selves play Shea Stadium on 2/15 with Wolf Diamond, The Rizzos and Lunch Ladies. – Dave Cromwell

Delicious Readers,

Our Best of NYC poll series continues with the Indie Pop category. Check out the bands on the right column of our homepage and vote for your favorite one here!

The Folks at The Deli

Here with his newest enthralling avant-art single "Puppet" is Noah Kellman, performing under his moniker Nozart. Kellman, a "fantastical musical storyteller", weaves melodic tapestries out of digital soundscapes, extraterrestrial noise, and relentless electric beats. Kellman’s education as a jazz musician plays into his compositions, which deliver modern orchestrations in a futuristic orchestral style.

We’ve featured Kellman as Nozart before on The Deli NYC. His song "Just Let It Go" is still in our Best Songs By Emerging NYC Artists playlists. "Puppet" follows the style of his previous work, complete with musical buzzes and synth arpeggios bubbling underneath haunting vocals. Listen for sci-fi sound effects peeking out; Doctor Who fans, you might hear the sound of a TARDIS if you try hard enough. Listen to "Puppet" below. – Will Sisskind

Soulful and lyrically enticing, CE delivers avant soul that’s easy on the ears. Single "Soulstiss," based on looped, evocative vocal samples and minimal electronic drums, fluctuates between Hip Hop and R&B, but builds on an atmoshpere and production a lot moodier than those genre got us used to, transporting the listener into a spiritual realm where CE’s smooth vocals act as a comforting agent. The emerging Brooklyn artist self-produced this track, which will be included in his forthcoming LP, "Songs in the Key of Solitude," with the help of Will Fraker and Matt FX. If this song is any indication of how it will sound, we can certainly look forward to feeding our souls. Catch him playing this Wednesday the 8th at Rockwood Music Hall with Space Captain & Bells Atlas. – Lea Phillips

With an "anything goes" aesthetic reminiscent of Jeff Rosenstock’s DIY ska/punk collective Bomb the Music Industry! (but ten times noisier/weirder), Bronx’s No One and the Somebodies is an ambitious excercize in blending instrumental experimentation, punky vocals, and fun. Mathy tendencies, blended with or juxtaposed to uncoordinated melodies and slacking moments, come together to somehow build a sound that kinda makes sense, in particular for those music fans that are still in search of unusual music that defies categorizations. Not new to the scene, One and the Somebodies released their debut album in 2004, and their latest (a split album with Palberta) in the summer of 2015. You can see them live at Sunnyvale on March 1st.

Cornel West Theory’s “MR COLVIN (sir)” starts out with an attention grabbingly raw, expletive heavy introduction, segueing into a truly funky beat, just begging to have rhymes dropped over it. To this end, the group does not disappoint, delivering some hard and fast poetry over the beautiful instrumental track. In short, the first two minutes of the track are a slam dunk, truly cutting edge material; a great intro, an irresistibly funky beat, and smooth, hard flow.

Check out “Mr Colvin (sir)” by Cornel West Theory, from their album The T.A.B.L.E. TOO.

-Written by Michael Dranove

Our Best of NYC poll for Folk and Americana artist ended yesterday and the winners are in! 

READERS’ POLL WINNERS: THE NATIONAL RESERVE

Emerging New York City folksters, The National Reserve, who won the "popular vote," are mixing things up in the NYC scene by delivering a dose of much needed southern twang. Merging blues, rock, folk and country, their 2015 EP, "Easy Does It," is a solid slice of Americana, enriched by powerful and expressive vocals. Lead singer and guitarist, Sean Walsh, has this sort of storyteller voice that will rope you in and make you believe you are at a Honky Tonk in Nashville. Judging from their impressive 2016 live record, this is the kind of band you need to see on a stage, and you’ll have the opportunity to do just that on February 16 at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. (Lea Phillips)

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Folk/Americana songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

— 

OVERALL POLL CATEGORY WINNER (READERS + JURORS): MARGARET GLASPY

As you SHOULD know by now, there is also a winner of the composite chart for each category tackled in our polls. The composite chart also takes into account the votes of the local jurors (mostly bloggers and local venue bookers) who picked all the nominees in our list.

Sumptuous songwriter Margaret Glaspy is the winner of this category’s overall poll – we covered her already many times, and her album ‘Emotions and Math‘ made it in our "Best NYC Records of 2016 List" in our latest print issue.

—

We also need to mention Bailen, who was our Artist of the Month not long ago and placed second in the overall chart, with a high score both from the jury and the readers – well done guys!

— 

Here’s the list of all the finalists in the Folk/Americana category.

	Bailen		27%	113 votes
	Bellows		0%	3 votes
	Big Thief		2%	9 votes
	Cassandra Jenkins		0%	2 votes
	Don Dilego & the Touristas		0%	0 votes
	The End of America		0%	0 votes
	Howth		23%	97 votes
	Julia Haltigan		0%	2 votes
	Julian Lage		0%	2 votes
	Margaret Glaspy		3%	13 votes
	The National Reserve		35%	146 votes
	Swoon Lake		6%	25 votes
	Vagabon		0%	1 vote
	White Lighters		0%	3 votes

With the Woman’s March taking over just a few weeks ago, girl power is at its very high  – in NYC in particular – and a much needed force nowadays – anywhere in the world. Brooklyn trio Answering Machine expresses that power musically through bubbly yet kick ass punk pop that incorporates every type of emotion into one song (whether cheerful, woeful, or frantic). Check out their debut EP here and see them live at Sunnyvale on February 15th. – Jocelyn Huggler

Ladies and Gents,

We continue our Best of Austin Poll for Emerging Artists with the "Indie Rock/Pop" category, you can see (and vote for) any of the 13 finalist here.

Lots of great talent, check them all out!

The Folks at The Deli

After making a name for themselves with their 2015 debut LP “Heck No, Nancy”, DC two-piece The Obsessives are back with a music video for the song “Surfer Rosa” from their forthcoming self-titled second album.

True to the emo spirit, “Surfer Rosa” focuses on the cathartic expression of disappointments and shortcomings, opening up with the line, “Baby I can’t remember, the last time I pleased you”. But don’t get the wrong impression; far from being focused on doom and gloom, The Obsessives tackle their subject matter playfully.

Here’s “Surfer Rosa” from The Obsessives’ upcoming self-titled album.

-Written by Michael Dranove

Synth pop duo Mmeadows was born from two ribs of avant-folk collective Cuddle Magic (a band we praised several times in this blog). The project at this point in time has only released one original track, digitally, but its quality is noteworthy. ‘Reflector,’ streaming below, introduces us to Kristin Slipp’s crisp soprano, whose jazzy pop melodies draw unexpected lines through Cole Kamen-Green’s electronic production. The sound is organic and polished, but features a dark component that adds an intriguing touch of mystery to this song. The duo also released a cover of Sade’s memorable single ‘No Ordinary Love‘ available for streaming.