Actor, artist, and musician Ohene Cornelius brandishes his wings in the face of an subjugating establishment. With releases spanning back to 2011, he’s come a long way as an artist. His new album reads like Kanye West mixed with a little Saul Williams. It’s a party album with political leanings, kind of like having a bunch of dancers dressed like black panthers backing him during a super bowl halftime show. He is sensational in his imagery to the point of parody, but it’s a conscious juxtaposition; the fool who whispers in the ear of the king, the bravado of mainstream hip hop exploited as a vessel for something more invective. In his own words, "We call it #FlightRisk cuz this sh*t might take off." Join him and his BKWildlife brethren on 2/27 for the release party at Secret Loft BK. – BrokeMC

One may not quite be able to discern what Providence’s Daniel Patrick Talbot is saying in his fuzzy guitar tracks but it doesn’t really matter; these messily pretty songs intrigue with their very refusal to be obvious. On “Hollywood” (streaming below), which sounds like a jagged anthem for the deranged, for instance, Talbot mentions that his “body is a lamp/like the factories,” conjuring disturbing yet undeniably compelling imagery. “Accumaliting 2,” which sounds like a mix of Ratatat and Future Punx, similarly obliterates conventional sense yet compels with its jumpy darkness. Daniel Patrick Talbot plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 3/4. – Zach Weg 

Our readers may be aware by now that we don’t shy away from seriously dark music, which is in the DNA of anybody who loves the underground rock of the 80’s. Public Memory is the new project of Rober Toher from ERAAS, who released three singles between the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, all sharing a desolate electronic soundscape and Toher’s alienated, filtered melodies. Latest single Zig Zag (streaming), sounds a little like Clinic in a David Lynch movie: more nightmarish, and more distant. After playing Alphaville on March 12, Public Memory will head to SXSW to play a show at Barracuda on 03.15.

In 2015, Los Angeles’ Wand have been a force to be reckon with, releasing two LPs in quick succession that sound like a (modernized) museum of psychedelia, and alternatively tackle the genre’s many faces: from garage-psych (Self Hypnosis) to drone rock (The Unexplored Map), from Early Pink Floyd (Reaper Invert) to… later Pink Floyd (Melted Rope). A true encyclopedia of psych! The trio managed to land both records in this critic’s score list of the best 10 psychedelic albums of 2015, preceding acts like Ty Segall and King Gizzard – now, that’s something to tell your grandchildren about!

Young Runner is indeed a young band, but they certainly don’t play like one. The rock quartet been exploring their brand of “garage punk” all over Brooklyn and NYC for the past two years, getting ready for the release of their debut EP, which will be out in the near future. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen them live, their track, “Wet Cement” (from their 2015 selft titled debut EP) is a healthy introduction to the band, incorporating well structured changes filled with attitudinal riffs to support singer Robert Fleming’s harshly muffed vocals. The sound is very 90’s, mixing alternative grunge tones with garage and punk, which is certainly a description in line with plenty of current trends, but where these guys stand out is their level of intensity speed, and precision. You can check Young Runner out at Black Bear Bar on Friday, 2/19, and C’mon Everybody on 3.20, as part of MELTFEST. – JP Basileo

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best punk/garage/90’s rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Brainchild of programmer Vivian Moon, who recently relocated from the SF Bay Area to Brooklyn, Pastel Ghost remind us how psychedelia slowly emerged as an important influence in the electronic sound of the ’80s, opening the door to the lush dream pop of Cocteau Twins and to My Bloody Valentine’s shoegazer sound. The band’s electro cover of MBV’s ‘When You Sleep‘ sounds like a declaration of intents: shoegazer music where synths trump guitars. Debut LP ‘Abyss,’ released in early 2015, accomplishes this objective with flair, keeping things interesting with catchy melodies buried in reverb, and showcasing a production that – within a uniform sound – expertly manages sonic variations. If you are heading to SXSW in March, you’ll get a chance to see Pastel Ghost there.

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

The sensual guitar-based songs of Boston singer/songwriter Hana Kahn compel with their emotional nakedness and elegant musicianship. On the January-released “Venus And Mars” (streaming below), for example, the strong-timbered Kahn boldly details solitude and longing with guitar strums that excitingly add up to what can rightfully be called peaceful sonority. Perhaps like the most moving tracks in the singer/songwriter genre, Kahn’s subtly bold tunes seem personal but, impressively, can speak to many. Hana Kahn plays at Middle East in Cambridge, MA on 2/25.- Zach Weg 

Like the Sirens’ temptation of Odysseus, Brooklyn-via-London folk-pop artist Robert Leslie’s new single, “Say it Enough,” successfully courts us into his misery. From the very first organ notes, to the soothing roll of the bass line, the bright and welcoming melodies catch your attention drawing the listener into what is soon discovered to be an undeniably lonesome desolation. Leslie’s voice almost cracks in heartbreak as he sees an old love leaving for destinations unknown, and from which he knows there will be no return. The notion of love slipping through fingertips echoes not only in the pitch of his voice, or the effected tonality of the guitar, but also (and especially) in lyrics like, “or are you only ever dreaming of some other kinda scene, where you’ll always be a stranger and the people talk in code, and no one has to miss you when you go.” The track fades off in dwindling incredulousness and we’re left, like Leslie, unsure of where to go from here. Leslie plays Pete’s Candy Store on February 18th. – JP Basileo

Big Bliss, who recently won the Indie/Post Punk category of our Best of NYC 2015 readers’ poll, is a very new project formed in 2015 by brothers Cory (drums, Party of Helicopters) and Tim Race (guitar, Russenorsk/Narrow & the Brights), after recruiting local songwriter and bass player Wallace May (Young Tides). The trio is working on a full length album to be released later in 2016, and – while doing so – have been putting out tracks that are bound to inspire fans of Interpol, early The Natiopnal and all the music lovers who seek the dark and tense atmospheres inspired to British post-punk bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and Wire. After unveiling two debut songs in September 2015 featuring a confident, suspenceful sound modeled around Wallace’s deadpan vocal delivery (which is one of the most important traits of post-punk music),  Big Bliss put out their strongest single to date this past January, entitled "Constants" (streaming below). You can see them live at Cake Shop on March 25, and new Bushwick bar Gold Sounds on March 18.

Many of our readers should be familiar with ​​​​​​Deidre Muro and her clean soprano, since she was one half of self defined "fantasy pop" duo Savoir Adore – which is still active, led by the other original member Paul Hammer. Deidre, who left the band in 2014, has just announced that her revival pop project debuted in 2011 under the moniker "Deidre & the Dark" will be releasing a new EP in late 2016, and that the band will also tour with French Horn Rebellion and Mystery Skulls in March. Check out the video for single ‘Classic Girl,’ from 2012, which gives you an idea of the uplifting and theatrical performances this band has been known for. They’ll be playing Music Hall Of Williamsburg on March 10. Deidre also plays in electronic trio  Violet Sands (single ‘No Matter What’ also streaming below).

Considering how gostly and dark his music is, it’s quite remarkable that synth-soul singer Kevin Garrett‘s debut EP ‘Mellow Drama’ managed to amass over 12.8 million streams and saw him charting on Spotifyʼs Viral 50 List. The Brooklyn via Pittsburgh artist just released a new single entitled "Where Are Ü Now" that doubles down in his signature souflul eeriness. He has a great live show, don’t miss the next one at Mercury on march 25th.