If you just haven’t received enough kisses in your day, The Empty Spaces‘ brand-new video, "Holidays Are Nice and Warm," is sure to provide you with plenty in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. Along with a healthy, carefree dose of melodious pop. Follow the band’s exploits attempting to get kissing booth smooches in Westport. Guaranteed Optimus Prime helmets, lampshade drumming, and most of all, fun. Video directed by Micki Hadley.

Listen to tracks from Party Line at the band’s page on here at Golden Sound Records.

"Holidays Are Nice and Warm" is on the band’s EP Party Line, released earlier this year by Golden Sound Records and was The Deli KC’s July CD of the month. The trio will be playing next at The Brick on Friday, September 21 with Shy Boys and Desodean. Facebook event page here. They will also be at the Plaza Art Fair on the Ink stage at noon on Saturday, September 22.

The Empty Spaces are (L to R above):
Mat Shoare
William Brent Wright
Ross Brown

–Michelle Bacon

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Every time I try to review this album, I get distracted by something shiny. It’s like my mind goes on a little “this one time, at band camp …” journey to some weird place where I have fierce opinions on those that demand I wear shoes and the only important thing to me is contemplating if my head could fit inside the Styrofoam cup I’m drinking from. I’m pretty sure I’d make it, but my face contends otherwise. This argument goes on for at least twenty-five minutes before I remember I was intently listening to a new album. Fortunately for me, this is the perfect music for that sort of thing.

My new found ADHD aside, Gemini Revolution is an LP from Gemini Revolution, a psychedelic KC jazz rock outfit. I had originally heard the material in the form of two separate EPs, but it comes across as a much stronger effort in the full album form. Whereas in shorter doses it was difficult to determine which direction this group was going in, the album provides a perfect layout of its style. Oceans of swirling synthesizers crash amongst the sparse jazzy rhythm section. Along comes the occasional island of sandy white vocals, reverberating near and far in the high-sky sun, but soon once again you are left swimming in the moody psychedelic depths.

The songs seem very loose form at first listen, bordering absent-minded at times, often extending into seemingly bottomless jams, but start to exude consistent melody and intent as you go deeper down the rabbit hole. Whereas trends in pop music usually dictate a song lives or dies by its beat and vocals, Gemini Revolution seems to take pride in the fact it uses both of those things as just another tool in the box.

The opening track features the strongest sense of songwriting and vocal variety. The female background "ahs" provide a soothing and serene balance to the almost-too-harshly-reverbed main vocal. This song features the most accessible hook on the record and is passed effortlessly amongst the various instrumentation. The song trails out with a well orchestrated guitar/keyboard outro that leaves a pleasant pop taste in your mouth.

Another standout is "Through the Woods." The vocals are reverbed to the point I can’t really understand them (and even my most skilled “Gemini Revolution lyrics” Google searches don’t turn anything up), but this song exudes an aura of adventure and exploration. It really hits home during the sections in which the female vocal teases back and forth with a lush collaboration of keyboards. These sections are probably my favorite moments from the entire record. This would be a great song to zone out to while enjoying a nice leisurely Sunday afternoon space flight, just throw your hair back and enjoy the solar flares.

All in all, Gemini Revolution really hammer home who they are with this effort. There are no pop pretenses here, no playbooks or rules they choose to follow. It is pure music exploration into the cosmos. Solid and unconfined.

Gemini Revolution is (L to R above):
Dedric Moore
Mika Tayana
Delaney Moore

Gemini Revolution’s new self-titled album was released by Upstairs Recordings (Canada) and is now available on iTunes. The band will be performing at POP Montreal on Thursday, September 20. If you want to see them a little closer to home, they’ll be playing at 7:00 pm Sunday, September 23 for the release of the local compilation CD from Midwest Music Foundation. Double CDs are free at the door. 

–-Zach Hodson

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Photo Source: Ryan Douglas Ohlemeier

Winnebago are headlining at the High Dive on the last day of the month, Sunday, September 30th. On board the bill are Animal Eyes, Fanno Creek, and Xylophones.

Their first EP Early Morning, released in July of this year, eagerly occupies a vanishing space inbetween the vacancy of night and dawn. The songs are melodic and nuanced, turning rock music into an enigmatic entity.

"What Have You," flows along effortlessly, aided by the drummer’s rhythms which accentuate the guitar lines time and again. Imagine a brainchild of American Football and Broken Social Scene, thematically moving from nostalgia to wonder and mystery.

On the second track "Health Club," a simple but effective tom groove guides the ship while accompanying guitar and vocals come in splashes. "Figure It," is perhaps the catchiest and most uptempo song on the EP. It is the subtle points of emphasis the singer achieves with his voice that makes the track increasingly memorable.

For intelligent and varied indie rock, check out Winnebago on record and live at the High Dive on the 30th of September. Doors are at 8pm; tickets cost $6. Stream "Health Club" below and visit their bandcamp page to hear the whole EP – as well as an even newer song called "Young Hunger."

– Cameron LaFlam

Something about Slothrust suggests a taste for destruction, starting with their record’s desolated cover art and ending in the systematic perversion of anything comforting. The most linear of their tracks are likely to collapse into noise, as well as any pattern is to break down. Tied together by dragged-out blues and a refined taste for gravelly guitar and bass, this female-led three piece based in Brooklyn benifits from a jazz/blues formation, and masters with amazing ease the art of keeping the audience hanging to a chord. Most obvious when they prolong instrumental sections, or casually pull in and out of a frenzy as they’ll do on the folk-coated ‘7:30′, they’ve got a clear sense of their instruments’ strengths, and how to make the best use of their textures. Surely one the most creative & refreshing acts to take a stab at grunge over here. – Tracy Mamoun

Two months from now, two of Brooklyn’s marginal punk-driven acts will be setting off for a joint series of 24 shows from NY to the West Coast, concluding in Pennsylvania right before Christmas. O’Death, who recently released a new album ‘Outside’ (Ernest Jenning Records), is an alt-country seven piece, which for a fresh take on bluegrass/folk sounds, sends fusing through its circuits the respective momentums of punk and metal.

The World/Inferno Friendship Society, i.e one of those bands whose name it may take a while to remember, work the other way round. Essentially a punk outfit, they tie into their music elements of klezmer (Eastern European Jewish folk), adding a festive touch to their indignated tales of women and politics. Whilst on the roads, they’ll be promoting the upcoming release (announced for this winter) of their new single, which comes with its own Turnstile Comix edition. Kicking off on November 23rd at Amityville’s Ollie’s Point, the tour will end on December 22nd at Lancaster, PA’s Chameleon. Streaming below, O’Death’s latest music video for their song ‘Black Dress‘.

Freelance Whales could be described as one of the more "easy listening" bands produced by the NYC scene in the new millennium. Still, their complex and inventive sound is a perfect example of what makes the NYC scene so special, i.e. a concentration of musicians who are here to push the creative envelope.

After a first album that gave them international fame in 2008, the Whales are announcing a new full length for the fall, entitled "Diluvia". The band is also going on a US tour in October, and will return to NYC on November 1st for a show at Webster Hall.

Fans can download a free song from the upcoming album here, and stream 2 of them here.

Brooklyn band Zula takes indie electronic pop to new eerie directions with ‘Make Contact’, a single they recently released, which serves as a preview for a full length scheduled for the end of 2012. A loop of voices in the background, reminiscent of the ending one on The Beatles’ "A Day In The Life," pulls the listener into a trance-like state as the beat falls into place, and other subdued textures and melodies slowly move in. Delving into underlying feelings and suggestions, and toying with unusual musical ideas, Zula updates the existential art rock of Radiohead’s "Kid A" era for the DIY generation. See them live at Delinquency on September 28 with Tony Castles, Backwards, and Ancient Sky. – Christine Cauthen

Brooklyn, NY sextet Azi Nizi Maza rolls out a diverse swirl of R&B, indie rock, and new wave on their six-track excursion THANK YOU FOR COMING. Consisting of bass, drums, keys, trumpet, guitar and female vocals, this eclectic unit creates a smorgasbord of sound channeling classic soul, swinging funk, surf rock frivolity, and catchy grooves led by a captivating chanteuse-like figure bedazzling ears with daring post-punk energy. Showcasing a forward-thinking musical acumen that allows the band to make seamless dynamic shifts and atmospheric switches while top-notch songwriting reveals an advanced comprehension of psychedelic hard rock and free-form jazz, Azi Nizi Maza has created a blend of unique and intriguing tunes perfect for adventurous ears to fawn over. – MikeSOS

Callers is one of those bands we’ve been following for friggin’ ages (well, let’s not exaggerate, 3-4 years maybe…) and often wondered how long their status of "Best Kept NYC Secret" would last. It’s probably time for it to end – surely their upcoming European tour with Dirty Projectors will help in this regard.

Featuring one of the most beautiful female voices in Brooklyn, the band, originally a duo, has now ventured into a quartet format with the addition of drums and keyboards. The preview single Heroes (streaming below) features a fuller sound, but mostly… a faster one. Indeed, the track represents a steep increase in terms of BPM if compared to the band’s material we are familiar with, but the songwriting quality is there, together with the top notch delivery. Sara Lucas’ blue soprano here almost sounds like Joni Mitchell from the Hejira period, when the Canadian songwriter’s youthful enthusiasm started to be contaminated by the understanding that adult life is full of sadness, which conjured up one of the most beautifully melancholic records ever made. These contradicting forces are also at work in this song, where the dancey rhythm section lifts our mood, while Sara’s blue notes and lyrics keep our thoughts wondering about the mysteries of life. See Callers at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 09.20 with Wye Oak. – Read a 2011 Deli interview with Callers here.

Mp3: Callers – "Heroes"

From a debut EP six years ago to a first album released at the end of July, Viva Mayday may have broadened its palette, but help onto the politically conscious spirit that gives their music a pleasant taste of peaceful protest.. A long road takes us from 100 Years to Consuela, to meet at the end a band that opened its arms wider to its beloved reggae beats, funk or blues, delivering a refreshing cocktail of influences set to tickle the roots of its indie rock. Currently pulling together some new material, the band will be playing its next show during the CMJ marathon, on October 17th at Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless. Read Tracy Mamoun’s Q&A with the band here. 

Vanessa Bley, who at the start of the year released her own solo debut EP, has now officially teamed up with the two friends who’ve been playing with her since the start of this venture. Under the name Beast Patrol, the three of them are on the way towards a first output as a band, Fierce & Grateful EP, which they introduced about a month ago with vaporous post-punk jam ‘Plaster‘. Streaming below is ‘Disbeliever‘, the latest preview, a glimpse of the fierce side we didn’t get to meet yet coming through ferocious vocals and angry drums; nothing like Plaster, no smothered dance beats, this track’s got a message to deliver and is going for it. Available September 25th (via their own label Space Camp Radio), the EP will be welcomed on October 3rd with a show at the Bowery Electric.