It’s time to tackle the ROOTS category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists – you can see the results we published so far here.

ROOTS

Total submissions in this category: 13

Jurors: Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), Juan Rodriguez (The Deli LA), Zach Weg (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Janita– 7.6 (out of 10)

When Brooklyn-via-Helsinki singer/songwriter Janita shared her album ‘Didn’t You, My Dear?’ back in July, she not only gave precious voice to such seemingly universal hardships as melancholy and frustration but practically whispered to the listener: "Hey, these things happen. I’m right there with you." As heard on the soul-lined "Easing into Sanity" (streaming below), the smooth-voiced singer did in fact seem to come from a pressingly personal place yet. Like every great vocal poet, spoke for everyone striving to emerge from a fog.

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2. Howth– 7.2 (out of 10)

Having just played the venerable Downtown New York venue Le Poisson Rouge, Brooklyn quartet Howth are deservedly gaining wider recognition as the lighthearted yet affecting quartet that they are. A drum-tumbled track like “April I Will” (streaming below), for example, off their latest “Trashy Milky Nothing Town” album conveys an impossibly pure sweetness that can only come from a passionate band such as this. Howth plays Shea Stadium on 2/1. 

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3. Tangina Stone– 7 (out of 10) While the term “singer/songwriter” may connote the heartbreak and longing of such masters as Sufjan Stevens, Brooklyn-via-Ohio’s Tangina Stone refreshingly radiates a kind of experienced joy in her soul-lined songs. Her November-released track “Suntan” (music video playing below), for example, details young love not just with optimism but with the deep soulfulness of someone who has experienced its wondrous impact. Tangina Stone plays at Pianos on 2/17.

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Honorable Mentions: Rue Snider, Fireships, Jesus On The Mainline, Matteis, Tacoma Narrows

Zach Weg – The Deli Magazine

It wouldn’t be correct to state that Brooklyn based electronic chanteuse Yes Alexander (who happened to live in Iceland for a long time) has an "icy" voice, but there is definitely an icy quality to her music in general and to her vocal tone in particular. We are premiering here the video for song "Fever," which certainly plays with with the idea of cold both visually and conceptually: a bleak, wintry night becomes a metaphor of the author’s spiritual desolation, caused by love that’s either lost or never found – a love whose warmth is desperately needed: "I need your fever inside me this evening…" The beautiful final scene – some kind of lynchian peep show in the middle of nowhere between lovers unable to communicate – suddenly reveals that one side of the room is missing, opening unexpectedly an entire wall to optimism. To promote the new album "KIANITE," released today, Yes Alexander will bring her heart wrenching cold wave on tour in the next month and a half.

Here at The Deli NYC we are delighted to announce that Boston’s insane avant-punk group Guerrilla Toss, winners our Deli New England’s Best Emerging Artist of 2012 poll, recently relocated to NYC and just announced the release of their album "Eraser Stargazer," scheduled for a March release on DFA records. Although this is a debut in the LP format, the band has been remarkably productive since they started releasing music in 2012, accumulating ten records between EPs and singles. Their music is not for everybody, but those who happen to enjoy Bushwick’s night life and seek really noisy and experimental party music might have found a new hero: Guerrilla Toss’s post-post-punk is the essence of uncompromising, but absolutely exhilarating, DIY fun, that’s at once bodily and brainy. Check out the preview single "Diamond Girls" from the upcoming LP. Sorry Deli New England!

On February 26, Brooklyn’s pop masters Ski Lodge will release their six track "New Life" EP digitally and as a limited edition tape. The band unveiled two preview singles, "Crush Your Heart" and "Heaven is Now" (both streaming below), featuring heavy references to the new wave sound of the ’80s – we hear in particular moments bringing to mind The Cure and The Smiths. This new, darker sound, was a result of songwriter Andrew Marr radically changing his compositional and arranging process: “Recording in my home studio – explains Marr – using synths, drum machines and samples for the first time, I was opened up a world that helped me develop new and darker sonic textures.” 

Last week we started publishing the results of the Best of NYC Year End Poll’s Open Submissions (find them here), and it’s finally time to go indie poppy!

Total submissions in this category: 16

Jurors: Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC),  Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. The City and Horses – 7.33 (out of 10)

Active since the late aughts, The City and Horses is a collective of musicians guided by singer songwriter Marc Cantone and his elegant melodic talent. The variety of instruments featured in their recordings (from flute to strings and horns) will make most people scream "Orchestral Pop!" – and to some extent they would be right! Thing is, the band’s arrangements are so tastefully composed that, while listening to their music, you’d be hard pressed to think about an orchestra. You can see the band live at Grand Victory on January 22.

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2. Silverteeth – 7.16

Led by NYC scene veteran Bill Bartholomew (guitar and vocals) and Brazilian bass player Gabriela Rassi, Silverteeth is an excercise in stripping pop of anything superfluous to let the melody and the songwriting shine. Operating in a strictly DIY fashion, this is one of the few bands able to land gigs both at Bowery Presents’ venues (they’ll play Mercury on February 9th) and at Brooklyn DIY spaces like Palisades. We should hear some new material from them soon, since they were recently invited to record a few tracks at Converse’s Rubber Track.

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3. RANN – 7.00

With their refineded sound, stylish melodies and smooth vocals, RANN could be presented as the Prefab Sprout of Brooklyn. Their brand new debut album "Yellowgun" looks back at the so called sophisti-pop of the ’80s, while adding to that sound an all NYC edge. The group doesn’t shy away from occasional, more aggressive and tense moments (like in ‘Magic Number‘). They’ll be playing at Bushwick’s Black Bear on February 20th.

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3. Julian Fulton – 7.00

Imaginative and whimsical, New Jersey’s Julian Fulton plays a brand of DIY pop that flirts with the classics of psychedelia, while bringing his own voice, stories and production to the picture. A picture that’s as multifaceted as it’s enjoyable, like his latest track "Another Tattoo," a complex collage of sounds and melodies in part reminiscent of the production style of the early Beck records, which, remarkably, was written and recorded at home in 24 hours.  Julian Fulton will perform at the Asbury Underground Music & Arts Crawl on January 16.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (artist with a rating above 6):

Dot and Logic, Kirsten Izer, Sam Kogon, flocke, Late Cambrian, Lunifred Benjamin, Modern Diet.

Stay tuned for more results!

The Deli Folks

Punk rock isn’t the first genre that comes to mind when you think of deeper lyrical content. That particular sound is usually about reaction and feel, most often rage or at the very least, discontent. A quick perusal of Brooklyn based Sketchy’s song titles, however show clever minds at work. Opening track “The Thinkiest Guy In Thinktown,” off of their debut full length album “I Wanted This To Go Different,” hits like prime era Replacements only with growly melodic vocals. Classic dual guitars pair Johnny Ramone hyper-speed strummed chords and hook-heavy single note riffs. “Whiskey Nostalgia” (streaming) thunders along like a college frat theme song where all the pledges have been given amped up electric guitars, after listening to hours of The Clash. “I Wrote A Suicide Note” is a quick minute and a half burst, sharing kinship with LA punk pioneers Social Distortion’s seminal debut album “Mommy’s Little Monster.” The cleverly titled “Someone Else’s Hook” succinctly references rock music’s overall recycled nature, wrapping it in a sound style reminiscent of early Weezer. For som fun and loud times, see Sketchy at The Grand Victory in Brooklyn on January 30. – Dave Cromwell

Psychpop stalwarts James Supercave have announced that they were nearing completion on the highly anticipated debut LP Better Strange. The trio, led by Joaquin Pastor, has been drumming up the release since their last show at The Echo (which we covered, by the way) with film teasers. Now they’ve announced a tour with Austin’s psych southern rock The Bright Light Social Hour. The tour starts three days from now in El Paso, Texas — Pastor and the gang will make their way through the Southwest and up to Seattle before the end of the month, see below for tour dates and locations. James Supercave’s debut LP Better Strange is out February 12 — vinyl pre-orders now available through Origami Vinyl. – Ryan Mo

1.16 El Paso, TX @The Lowbrow Palace

1.17 Phoenix, AZ @Crescent Ballroom

1.20 San Diego, CA @Soda Bar

1.21 Los Angeles, CA @The Echo

1.23 San Francisco, CA @The Chapel

1.27 Eugene, OR @The WOW Hall

1.28 Portland, OR @Mississippi Studios

1.29 Seattle, WA @Tractor Tavern

According to his biography, Andrew Keoghan’s second album "Every Orchid Offering" – due for release later in the year – is the "product of two years of writing and recording between Auckland (New Zealand) and New York, where Keoghan relocated in 2013." Since the write up makes it sound as if he was going back and forth on a monthly basis or so, we couldn’t resist the temptation to check out the average cost of a JFK-Auckland flight – ouch! It’s a 26+ hour trip (or 2+ days if you want to save $6-700 bucks), and if you ever dared to go through that torture, Andrew’s music would definitely be a soothingly helpful soundtrack for it: his songs unravel calmly, alsmost sleepingly, with the various instruments patiently building a sparse sonic web, complemented by melodies that push the boundaries of gentleness. The new record is presented as "a series of vignettes and short stories, some autobiographical, others imagined, but always very personal." You can stream his well received debut here. Check the first single "Stuck in Melodies" from the new album below. Andrew Keoghan will be performing at Rough Trade tonight (01.14) with instrumental NYC composer Frank LoCrasto.

argonaut&wasp, a smooth soul-dance duo we covered first about a month ago, just released a new single entitled "The Sneeze" – you can stream it below. The track is the first one of a series of new singles to be released from now until the summer, when it will finally be possible to hear the band’s music in its more appropriate environment: the beach. You may argue that the title of this single is actually rather wintery… well, not necessarily; it could refer to that peculiar and bizarre sneeze doctors refer to as "photic sneeze reflex" – also referred to as "sun sneezing," a condition that – according to Wikipedia – "affects 18-35% of the population (including yours truly), but whose exact mechanism of action is not well understood."

It’s time to tackle the ALT ROCK category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists – you can see the results we published so far here.

ALT ROCK/POWER POP 

Total submissions in this category: 21

Jurors: Jason Behrends (The Deli Chicago), Jordannah Elizabeth (The Deli SF) PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. The Chordaes – 7.66 (out of 10)

A just over one year old group of "Manhattan-born friends" (take that, Brooklyn hipster-immigrants, these guys are real New York, New Yorkers!), The Chordaes’ music features elegant melodies, measured arrangements and a rather mellow approach, and may be best described as Alt Pop than Alt Rock – although the latter is the category they submitted for. But this doesn’t really change the fact that this is a group of young and talented musicians with noteworthy songwriting chops, and a vocalist that can touch hearts in ways reminiscent of unforgotten NYC hero Jeff Buckley. Check out their single "Touch The Ground" and see them live at Rockwood Music Hall on January 30th.

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2. PSYCHOBABY – 7.5

The brainchild of fiery Brooklyn based singer songwriter Juliet Garrett and guitarist Godfrey Furchtgott, Psychobaby only released one song out at this (very early) stage of its career, but a song that – paired with an imaginative and well shot low budget video – bodes very well for the band’s future. Sonic references to the riot grrl sound of the ’90s are tempered by the lack of slacking: the band’s sound is focused, Garret can sing, and the songwriting seems more inspired by artists from previous decades, like, for example, The Pretenders or even Exene Cervenka’s X. Having attitude, character and a good song+video combo is a great start for an emerging band; Psychobaby’s next challenges are prolificity, consistency of songwriting and a building killer live show. You can see the band live at Bowery Electric on February 13th.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (rating above 7):

Mustardmind, Justin Baron, Warn The Duke, Sketchy, Bloody Your Hands.

More open submission results coming soon!

The Deli’s Folks

"I wanna do Passport. I wanna do Passport."

The harmonics and bass loops of "Looking Glass Reprise" drowned out Sam Farzin’s cries, and he relented. Christmas lights and butcher paper cutouts shuddered with each strum. The nondescript DIY space VLHS —cousin to recording house/makeshift venue The Palisades— has been a musical hub for Pomona and the greater Inland Empire for four years running. On Sunday night, over 40 warm bodies packed themselves inside the walls, resting on the half-pipe, offering bud and new friendships as the tremors of Media Jeweler rattled their skulls.

The atmosphere was loose, and it smelled like Red Forman’s basement.

Earlier, Jack Connor of opening band hit me, Harold joked about his goatee before burning a hole in our stomachs faster than you can say Rafa’s Tacos. DOCKS frontman Ranier Tinkelenberg broke a string, but still slayed the crowd with Jack’s honeyblonde Tele. Winter Break (ex- Summer Vacation) let out the most luscious screams as Mark Chen and Aaron Kovac gazed into each other’s eyes. And to top it off, Hillary Chillton spoiled us at the end of the night with a new song (as of now un-named), going overtime with closer "Sad Dad/Rad Dad".

Everyone knew the lyrics by heart. And everyone sang. Long live VLHS. – Ryan Mo

In celebration of her new album "Cocksure," out October 30 on Don Giovanni Records, in the spring Laura Stevenson will kick off a national tour featuring a show at the Mercury Lounge on April 2nd. Recorded mostly live, the LP represents a change for the Long Island born, Brooklyn based songwriter, resulting in her most raw and spontaneous material to date. Check out the recent video for single "Torch Song," below.