Every musician should have the sentence "Less Is More" tattooed on a part of their body often visible to their eyes – because unless you aspire to be the new Frank Zappa or Trent Reznor, you want your music to breathe. It’s a concept that  Brooklyn synth-pop duo Kodacrome knows well and practices flawlessly, both from a musical and visual standpoint. New single "The City is Burning" is a beautiful exercise in restraint, that somehow manages to "straighten" a complex 5/4 tempo. Every element in the arrangement is measured and essential: the minimalistic electric piano melody; the slightly vocoded drone of the simple melody; the sober rhythm pattern. The stunning video matches the song’s ascetic atmosphere by showing – in religious black and white – the miracle of water in all its glory, while semi-intelligible lyrics seem to stress the vulnerability of the human condition: "frozen summer/golden handcuffs/you are such a mess." Give this song/video some time, and you’ll be touched.

At the end of 2013 Brooklyn quintet Tiny Hazard caught us off guard with this song and video – so much so that we had to invent a new "Best of" just for the occasion (we don’t do Video of the Month here at The Deli). The band is now releasing a new track (‘Silouhette’ – streaming below) that fully confirms their talent and – dare we say – uniqueness of sound. Presenting themselves as ‘experimental pop’ (we are always suspicious when we hear the word ‘experimental’ – it seems like everybody wants a piece of that pie in Brooklyn) Tiny Hazard offer complex, unpredictable songs that definitely deserve the ‘Avant-‘ appellation, while Alena Spanger’s beautifully contrived melodies keep the overall sound well inside the ‘pop’ territory. This is a band that deserves attention, don’t miss their next live show at Le Poisson Rouge on 09.26 opening for Kneebody and Kimbra.

In her single ‘Townie’ (streaming) – from upcoming debut LP ‘bury me at makeout creek‘ – Brooklyn based pop/rock muse Mitski sings about parties with no return, and her intention not to fulfill her dad’s dreams. She sounds like an early PJ Harvey with a fuller sound: inspired, careless and full of life. The second track available for streaming – ‘first love/late spring‘ – is instead a ballad that catapults us back to the 60s, and those elegant love songs sung by charming crooners, even though the arrangement here could have been created by The Pixies from the ‘Bossanova’ period. These are noteworthy tunes for such a young artist, and they make us look forward to the album release, scheduled for November. In the meantime, don’t miss Mitski live at Baby’s All Right on September 24.

Margaret Glaspy — a California native and ex Boston resident — seems a well of unfettered emotion. Pairing bluesy guitar lines and melancholic lyrics, the anti-folk chanteuse trades binding technicality for a vocal style as devastating as it is enchanted. We’ve yet to find a voice quite like hers. 2012’s five-track record, “If & When,” is a charming collection of short stories on love lost, and is well worth revisiting. Margaret Glaspy will be performing at The Deli’s CMJ official Roots Stage at Rockwood Music Hall on 10.22. – Jillian Dooley

Meet SWEET FIX, five scrappy guys from New York who play irony-free rock songs about sneaking out, falling in love, and hitting it big—anthems with danceable hooks, soaring vocals, and, yes, bitchin’ guitar. Seem like a throwback to glory days? Golden Age, the name of the band’s tight debut album, really means the future as much as the past. Cyber soundscapes converge with classic craft in music you can make out to—on the moon. See them headline Mercury Lounge on October 3 and watch for their forthcoming feature-length documentary.  – Cary Gitter

While for most musicians – or artists in general – the dream-following move to the big city is a lonely affair, the five friends in alt folk group Wild Leaves left their homes in the Midwest together a few years ago, relocating to Brooklyn. Not that they don’t miss home – you can hear that in the nostalgic overtones of most of their songs – but it must be great to have well known faces around you to comfort you and remind you of it. The band has just released the second single from upcoming EP "Hello Sunlight," scheduled to be released on 10.01 with a show at Mercury Lounge (noteworthy bill with Zachary Cale and The Lawsuits). The song is called ‘Black River’ and it’s streaming below.

A Ssng by Wild Leaves is included in The Deli’s playlist of Best rootsy songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

 Tomorrow, Friday 9/19, DC Deli Artist of the Month The Grey A is playing his record release show for the long awaited new album My Country. A sweet mix of guitar-pop and folk sounds, My Country is full of thoughtful, poignant songs about a chaotic world, and challenges that face us all. Joining The Grey A will be local country crooner Kevin Dudley, and rising singer-songwriter Matt Tarka. It all happens at Comet Ping Pong, doors at 10pm (but stop by earlier to have some amazing pizza), $12.  –Natan Press

Lilly Wolf is the electro pop brainchild of Lilly Wolfson and (invisible) producer Alex Neuhausen, who recently relocated to NYC from the San Francisco Bay Area. Described as “pop music for pop music snobs,” the duo crafts melodic, sophisticated tunes that don’t shy away from melancholy or sadness, like in single ‘Pop Dream," whose video we are premièring here. Entirely shot in the big apple, the video contrasts the deep greenery of an empty Forest Park, Queens, with the concrete, graffiti-covered landscape of East Williamsburg. Video release party tomorrow (09.19) at Hail Hail Bar at 10.30.

Bandmates Andrew James, Aynsley Powell, James Cleare, Tom Deis, and Grant Zubritsky have come together to form the elusive Elaphant, an edgy quintet with rock and roll at its heart. The group kicked off the summer of 2014 with their self-titled debut EP, a short but powerful collection of raw and genuine musicality. While Andrew is the songwriter and mastermind behind the project, it is his bandmates who translate the compositions and transform them into something truly compelling. The result is a big band sound threaded with authentic blues and commanding instrumental interludes, and we’re dying to hear what they have in store for their next release. Elaphant is scheduled to play the CMJ Music Marathon at Rockwood Music Hall on 10.23. 

LINKS: Read Jillian Dooley Interview with Elaphant

Black Bananas, the alternative rock band lead by the fur-adorned, aviator-wearing, erstwhile DC heroine Jennifer Herrema, has released the music video for "Creeping The Line" on September 11th. The band formerly known for their rock roots as RTX, garnishes laid-back auto-tuned melodies sung over an electric guitar. The Jess Holzworth directed video is creatively intriguing- prepare your eyes for crazy pops of color, 1 gigantic teddy bear, 2 very-skilled pole dancers, and 3 chic-looking dogs! Be sure to check out the rest of the tracks off their summer album Electric Brick Wall, out now. And if you’re heading to Los Angeles, catch them October 23rd at Los Globos in Hollywood. – Sade A. Spence