"It Calls On Me" (streaming below), the title track off New Hampshire-based singer/songwriter Doug Tuttle’s forthcoming sophomore album, is an ominous yet ultimately sweet portrait of a ponderous mind. Soundling like a mix of The War On Drugs and Simon & Garfunkel, the guitar-plained song has the smooth-voiced Tuttle gazing up at the unknown while dealing with the reality before him. While it may be about "panic attacks and the feeling of being at the mercy of some unexplainable otherworldy force," as Tuttle explains in a Noisey interview, it is surprisingly charming and ultimately compassionate. Ahead of the release date of ‘It Calls On Me’ on 2/19, Doug Tuttle plays at Lillypad on 2/27 and Artspace on 2/28. – Zach Weg 

2001, the new project by Benjamin Lazar Davis and Joan Wasser (of Joan as a Policewoman), just released this video for single "Overloaded" starring comedian Fred Armisen. The video follows Armisen’s exploits as he seeks to break the monotony of waiting for his car fixed in Joan and Benjamin’s auto garage.

 Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli’s Best of DC Area Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. It was a tight contest and rich with musical talent.

After tallying our editors’ ratings for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that, to avoid conflicts, no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene.

Total submissions from the DC Area: 24

Jurors: Dan (The Deli New England), Ryan (The Deli LA), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC). 

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

The Walking Sticks – Indietronica/Synthpop

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 X (Ten) – Indie Hip Hop

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Sojourne – Alt-Soul

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Honorable Mentions:

Jackie and The Treehorns, Atoka Chase, Night Kitchen, Harness Flux, Pete Curry 

WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We will soon unveil the artists nominated by our local jurors, and then let our readers and our writers influence the poll with their vote.

Keep creating, keep supporting, and stay tuned for your chance to vote!  

—The Deli DC Area Staff <3

Last year, Providence-based singer/songwriter Krista Baroni released ‘The Alabaster Girl,’ an album that quietly revels in a kind of sleepy beauty. Comprised of such guitar-plucked tracks as "I’m Not Myself Today" and "Joanna," the folk-based effort transports the listener as a children;s book would while impressively portraying the hardships of adulthood. The former song, for example, depicts an emotionally wounded soul striving for serenity amidst the noise of modern life, soft guitars cooing the listener to calm. Krista Baroni plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on Thursday (1/14). – Zach Weg

If danceable but clever electronica is your kind of thing, on the night of January 30th you should go to Palisades. The night will see four Brooklyn electronic producers perform on stage, with an added visual component courtesy of Frottage Industry. The most buzzworthy names on the bill are UMFANG (pictured) and Negative Gemini. The former is the project of Bronx born producer Emma Olson, whose output ranges from underground techno to less beat-driven, experimental tracks like the latest single "Pills" (streaming). Olson also founded Discwoman, an organization focused on promoting female-identified talent in electronic music.

Negative Gemini, the brainchild of Lindsey French, is also a one woman project – we covered her in this blog this past October. Lindsey’s debut EP "Real Virtual Unison" unveils more structured and song oriented material, featuring dream pop and droney new wave elements. Check out her recent single "You Never Knew," streaming below.

On the bill also Physical Therapy and Doss.

Last Friday, the 19th century home-turned-venue Historical Monument 157 (hm157) was host to several eclectic electronic acts including Litronix, Geneva Jacuzzi, and Future Shoxxx — our attention was focused on the haloes emanating from CELLARS, the synthpop project of singer/keyboardist Allene Norton.

Despite technical difficulties that plagued the first several minutes, Norton worked quickly with hm157 staff to reroute her signal chain through a DI box. She was not shaken; Norton traded banter as she worked, even quipped about her debut as a noise artist. At once, dense synth waves flooded the monitors and stirred the audience back to life as Norton lit a quick cigarette. And she tore through the cold with songs from her 2015 debut Lovesick like "Computer Simulation" and "Beat Of Our Love". Glowing from the backdrop of Wes Johannsen’s visuals, she stepped down from the stage for a brief moment to connect with her friends. Norton’s electric youth had bested a performer’s worst nightmare, and primed us for the release of her sophomore album Phases. – Ryan Mo 

Full of youthful energy and a lot of fun, Fadest is the new grungy, melodic outfit to watch for in the Baltimore-DC area. The rich, jarring vocals will get your attention and you’ll be hooked on the perfectly synced bass lines and drumming. Integrating plenty of cymbal action and catchy guitar riffs, Fadest has a lot of stage presence and really understands how to interact with an audience, even if they’re sweating gallons. Their sound captures some of the post-grunge grunginess of the early aughts and incorporate some melodic and indie undertones to give it some pizzazz. Keep an eye on this band as they line up more gigs because they put on some really captivating shows. -Jonathan Goodwin

The churning out of local artists qualifying for our Best of NYC  Emerging Artist 2015 Poll continues with the ELECTRONIC category. In case you missed the previous announcements, we’ve already published results for Indie, Hip Hop + Other, and Rootsy Pop/Songwriters. This is a rather exciting category, considering the exponential growth of the electronic NYC scene in recent years.

Total submissions in this category: 18

Jurors: Jonathan Goodwill (The Deli DC), Quang Tran (The Deli Philly), PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.25):

1. CAFUNÉ – (7.66 out of 10)

Sedona Schat and Noah Yoo’s music exists in a perpetual spring (as in the season), so 2015, with its mild summer and incredibly warm winter, might have as well been their year. Sedona’s breezy melodies are complemented by Noah’s peppy, dancy electronic arrangements. Their single "Warm Body" found lots of love on the internet, and so did their 2015 debut EP "Originals." 

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2. BORN CAGES (7.6)

With their anthemic songs and polished but edgy production, NYC’s Born Cages make music that belongs in arenas – in particular their first single "Rolling Down the Hill." Their stand out track "I Just Want the Truth, Baby" (streaming) blends electronic quirkyness with sophisticated crooning a la’ Bryan Ferry, showcasing a versitile and talented band with more than one trick up its sleeve. The trio had an exciting 2015, culminated in a fall US tour supporting The Lighthouse and the Whaler and Family Force 5.

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3. Teenage Love (7.5)

Bicontinental duo Katy Gunn (Brooklyn) and Anna Lidell (Copenhagen) charmed us right away with their band Teenage Love’s debut EP "Gold." Their tracks balance elegant, jazz informed melodies with an unconventional approach partly reminiscent of some of the most approachable material by NYC electronic experimenteur Laurie Anderson. Hopefully in 2016,  to cultivate this promising project, the two ladies will find themselves on the same side of the ocean more often than not.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS – (Score above 7):

St. Lenox, Nola Wren, Loving You, NEW MYTHS, Syvia, Secret Weapons.

See you soon with another category!

The Deli Folks

2015 has been good to Brooklyn LVL UP (pictured), the umpteenth band to prove that – nothingstanding what your teacher and parents said – you can be somewhat successful by either slacking or playing rock’n’roll music – they actually do both at once! The quartet is still riding on the heels of their "Three Songs" 7", which is available now via Run For Cover/Double Double Whammy, and have announced a February tour that includes dates with two other Brooklyn bands we dig: Florist and Stove. They’ll be all playing Shea Stadium on 02.25. What a wonderful opportunity to stream a song per band! It looks like Florist is actually about to release a new album – preview single below.

Founded in El Paso, TX, around 2008, and featuring a revolving cast of musicians collaborating with singer songwriter Greg Gonzalez, Cigarettes After Sex released debut EP "I" back in 2012. The record took the notion of "mellow pop" to extremes of slowness, melancholy and sparseness unheard since the days when Cowboy Junkies were hot (that was 1988). After building cult status notwithstanding being largely unnoticed by the "mainstream indie blogs," in 2015, Greg made the move to Brooklyn, with plans to release the band’s debut album "Affection," scheduled for 2016. Two preview singles from the LP were released in the last few months; we are streaming below the first one, which also functions as title-track. The second one, "Keep On Loving You," can be heard here. If oyu are in the mood for been lulled to sleep in a music venue (maybe between the arm of your loved one!) you shouldn’t miss Cigarettes After Sex’s upcoming live show at Baby’s All Right on January 31st. – Photo courtesy of the Sophie’s Floorboard blog

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

We blogged about South American music infused EDM duo Sofi Tukker in early December, and things have been moving fast for them since them. Their single Drinkee (soon gone viral after appearing in an Apple Watch commercial) and a couple of live appearances in late 2015 were enough to open the door of a winter tour supporting The Knocks. The tour will begin on January 14th at Baby’s Allright – on the bill also Cardiknox. The band has just released new single "Matadora" (streaming below), announcing it will be featured in the upcoming debut EP, entitled "Soft Animals." 

While we were complaining about 50 degree weather in Los Angeles, Santa Ana’s Media Jeweler reportedly spent the last few weeks in Arizona while also helping to raise money for a friend’s stolen projector, which definitely made us feel like sloths. Sam Farzin (guitar) had this to say about the band’s foray into the wilderness:

"After a winter’s hibernation traveling between yurts along the floor of the Grand Canyon, we are four souls more aligned than ever before. We are excited to present our escapist song cycle in the flesh for the first time in almost two months."

The rock band (full stop) plays a DIY show with DOCKS, who are on the last stop of their EP Release Tour— their six-track album Misdirected comes out January 15th via Open Door (CDs) and Bad Break (cassette). Media Jeweler’s 2015 debut album $99 R/T Hawaii is expected to release in vinyl early next February. Check the Facebook event page for location details; act set times below. – Ryan Mo 

hit me, Harold – 8:30 PM

Media Jeweler – 9:10 PM

DOCKS – 9:50 PM

Winter Break – 10:30 PM

Hillary Chillton – 11:10 PM