For years, ARMS’ Todd Goldstein has been a mainstay of the Brooklyn music scene, releasing gorgeous and dark pop songs. ARMS’ 2011 release "Summer Skills" was in Goldstein’s words “a magical realism break-up record” full of nostalgic tunes and bittersweet endings.

One of ARMS’ most loved tracks, “Heat and Hot Water” finally received the video treatment last week with an unveiling courtesy of IFC (streaming below).The video portrays a young relationship at the brink of its boiling point, featuring a cameo from Goldstein himself as “the devil .” Directed by White Rabbits’ video director Andrew Droz Palermo, the video shows two lovers about to explode and visually captures the slightly unsettling sound of the album.  "Summer Skills," produced by Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Fucked Up, Vampire Weekend) is now out on vinyl on the band’s bandcamp.

Also, check out the band’s magnetic live show this Friday November 30th at Union Hall with performances from Neighbors, KNTRLR, and Fasano (featuring former ARMS bassist Matty Fasano!) – Amanda Dissinger

ARMS – Heat & Hot Water (Official Video) from ARMSvideos on Vimeo.

Fair or not, it’s not always easy to make sense of artists. It can often be a dizzying experience for the uninitiated fan to penetrate into their microcosms. So that’s why I approached

But the more I visit Jain, the more I come to see the Brooklyn-by-India artist as an extremely emotional, vulnerable artist, speaking to us from the inside out. Hers is a message that has to first be felt on the body, before translating to your mind. At least… That’s the way I understand it. Hear her latest record ‘Vandamner’ here, and see Vandana when she plays Studio A at Ella on Thursday, Nov 29th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – Photo by David Shults

Every couple of years here at The Deli we publish a print article about the state of the music industry in NYC. This one was featured in our "Best of NYC 2012" issue, out last spring, enjoy!

The Deli NYC: The state of the Music Industry in 2012.

NYC’s self defined "brotherhood band" Los Encantados plays indie rock with crooning tendencies. They recently released the video for the single "Ghosts" (streaming below). They’ll be performing at The Bell House on December 8 – we asked them a few questions here.

Midwest Music Foundation is presenting the fourth annual MidCoast Takeover from March 13-16 at Shangri-La in Austin, TX. This event promises four days of music, mayhem, and general debauchery—the definitive Midwestern musical throw down. MidCoast Takeover will showcase bands from Kansas City, Lawrence, and the Midwest region on the national stage during South by Southwest.

This is also a free showcase—no wristbands or badges are required. Last year’s event was featured in USA Today and The Deli SXSW. This year’s will be bigger and better than ever! If you would like to apply, click on the link HERE to register. The deadline for registration is January 10, 2013 (yes, the graphic above has an incorrect date). 

We’ll see you there!

The Midwest Music Foundation is proud to support the DIY spirit of Kansas City’s intrepid and inspired music community. Up from the gut, out from the middle, we are the sound of the heart of American music.

Started in NYC as a solo project by Danish singer and multi-instrumentalist Emil Bovbjerg, Bowmont slowly evolved into a stylish electro-pop collaboration involving a LOT of interesting musicians – including members of Mon Khmer, Rubblebucket and Eli Paperboy Reed. The band is now announcing the release of debut EP ‘“Euphorian Age” on February 1st, which will serve as an appetizer to the full length scheduled for later in 2013. Check out the preview single "Ruphmiup" below and go see Bowmont live at Pianos when they’ll be headlining on Friday November 30. (Photo by Caro Patlis)

Zak Smith‘s rock’n’roll is not intended for the Brooklyn hipster, but for the masses outside the bubble we live in, who enjoy Classic American Rock as made famous by artists like The Boss or John Mellencamp. Zak has got the voice, the chops and the look to pull this off big time, as his growing fan base – approaching 12k Facebook likes – can testify. The bearded singer recently released this fine video of the single "Crawling" – streaming below. In the next few weeks he’ll be playing several shows in the NY/NJ area – more info here.

This Friday after you’ve sufficiently stuffed your face with turkey, join John Velghe & The Prodigal Sons at The Brick with Band 13 for a good cause. 100% of the proceeds from donations and merch sales will go to the New Jersey Sandy Relief Fund.

Additionally, Velghe & The Prodigal Sons recently recorded a single, "Love’s No Place," and b-side "Affection" (cover from The Lost Boys) soon to be released. "Love’s No Place" will be part of the band’s upcoming full-length release in 2013. The single features Velghe’s polished songwriting driven by a strong brass section. With catchy hooks and hand-claps accompanied by Velghe’s honest vocal delivery, this is a single to hear and to witness performed by the eight-piece band.

Both of these songs are available to listen and purchase at the Bandcamp link below. Proceeds from the purchase of "Love’s No Place" will go to The Best Friends Animal Society—Sandy Shelters through the end of December 2012. 100% of the proceeds from the purchase of "Affection will also go to the New Jersey Sandy Relief Fund.

If you’re able, do your part to help out for a few more-than-worthy causes and enjoy some great music while you’re at it.

–Michelle Bacon

Share this story on Facebook 

Formerly the core members of orchestral goth project Religious To Damn (Deli Record of the month in 2011), Zohra Atash and Joshua Strawn changed gears early this year, turning their ensemble into a drum machine minded, electro-centric duo named Azar Swan. The shift was sparked by a two-fold realization from Atash and Strawn who were looking to consolidate the project, with coordinating multiple musicians often slowing the writing and performing process, combined with a mutual revived interest in electronic music and hip-hop beats pulling influences from acts like The-Dream and These New Puritans. The band debuted live on November 10.

We sent a decent amount of love to Railbird in the last few months – and also booked them for one of our CMJ 2012 shows. This Brooklyn based band is gaining momentum thanks to their brainy but gently melodic composition which will enthuse fans of Dirty Projectors and Deerhoof. They recently played with Deli favorites Rubblebucket and Reptar, which definitely helped them raise their profile, and are now hitting the nail on the head with a new EP release – that’s exactly what bands should do when when they have some "buzz," rather than waiting for it to fade. "Mirror" (streaming below) showcases a further step towards awesomely produced quirky arrangements compensated by SKP’s melodic talent.

Blending the complex harmonies of The Beach Boys with the gritty aesthetics of the new millennium’s bedroom pop, Sunglasses add a new chapter to the Brooklyn DIY scene – which they recently embraced after moving from Savannah, GA. Whereas most current Brooklyn bands have a tendency to flirt with the decadent, self-indulgent atmospheres of the East Coast and European bands of the ’60s and ’70s, the duo’s debut full length "Wildlife" is a collection of sunny and eclectic pop songs whose melodies quite unexpectedly flirt with jazz and lounge without sounding like either. The background is a kaleidoscopic accumulation of sounds that could be described as brilliantly organized chaos – a production style we also appreciated on Foxygen’s latest record, and that can be traced back to the Beck-Animal Collective "influenceology tree" – but a chaos that works with the upbeat songwriting to create a super-fun party atmosphere. If Sunglasses are able to recreate this atmosphere on a stage, they might have a brilliant career ahead of them. I guess we’ll find out tonight at Glasslands, when they’ll be celebrating the release of "Wildlife."