The project of chanteuse/pianist Lauren Zettler, I Am Lightyear offers imaginative and textured electro-pop, dominated by the singer’s intimate lirycs and delicate delivery. Make no mistake though, these are big, open pop songs for a NYC based artist – the word "pop" has assumed a rather dark meaning in the last few years in Brooklyn – enriched by an open minded and tasteful approach to sonic experimentation. It looks like I Am Light year will be our next artist of the Month, so you may want to go see them at Mercury lounge tonight April 25th – they’ll be opening for Lissy Trullie.

Already raising comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel, and for more than just being an acoustic duo, Bird Courage play stripped down folk with earthy overtones. Based in Bushwick and fronted by Samuel Saffery and Erik Meier, the band has an assuming presence with gentle strength in songs like “Blind in Both Eyes” and “Wind and Oak,” both of which conjure images of a gray, wooded forest in winter’s eve. With four releases behind them, their most recent being “A Promising Fleet,” the band has worked tirelessly in their few short years together. Bird Courage will be performing in Brooklyn at Union Hall on April 28. – Devon Antonetti

For a music blogger with a passion for movies, there’s only thing better than finding out about a new great song: finding out a fantastic song + video combo! We just stumbled upon this wonderful video by The Bones of J.R. Jones (it was posted in The Deli’s Open Blog, where anybody can post blurbs about bands, videos, and Mp3s). Brainchild of J.R.Linaberry, this project combines, in a very personal way, sorrowful folk lullabies with down-south stomp blues. J.R. landed a 4 week April residency at quaint east Williamsburg venue Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lormier Street), the last show is tomorrow April 25 – if you are into this, do not miss, the show is free!

P.S. The video has a long intro before the music start, if you are short of time you may want to skip directly to minute 1.45.

The Boston-native, Washington DC based alt-country, singer-songwriter Tom McBride is touring in support of his release "A Brief Head Spin" (Humpback Records), his full-length debut that displays the artists sweet baritone voice & lyrical dexterity, weaving through a diverse style of Americana song-scape. McBride teamed-up with drummer from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sean Greenhalgh, to co-produce the record and help lend its stark, dream-like atmosphere. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Lissy Trullie‘s husky voice evokes another rocking redhead, singer and guitarist Marcie Bolen (an original member of The Von Bondies), and she sings in a similarly jaded tone (this is New York City after all.) The single "It’s Only You, Isn’t It," off her recently released full-length debut, opens with a plaintive cry that sticks with you, while the first single Maideleine (streaming below) begins like one of those eerie ballads by early The Velvet Underground (Lissy, like Nico, can hit some pretty low notes for a female singer) but slowly develops into a downtempo melodic gem. The lady’s emotional depth is clear, if it isn’t always openly apparent; see her live at Mercury Lounge on April 24. -allison levin

Santigold is streaming a preview of her new album on NPR – check it out here. It sounds different, which is what records from NYC artists should sound like. Also hear the first single "Disparate Youth" below, released in February.

Exitmusic is like one of those dreams that wakes you up because of its visceral intensity and profound truth. Check out their new video below, released in advance of their upcoming full length on Secretly Canadian, and don’t miss their live show with School of Seven Bells on May 05 at Le Poisson Rouge.

Throwing their hat into the ever-growing ring of drone-fi, psychedelic, garage groove bands are Brooklyn’s Dull Edges. The two tracks available for free download at their bandcamp profile showcase a band not afraid to flirt with atmospheres which would perfectly fit a scary pagan ritual. “Sonned” slithers along deep bass and snare drum rumble as guitars snake their way around the forward marching progression. Murky, reverberated vocals appear to be delivering a cautionary tale of paranoid delusions. “Polarity” chimes like tubular bells from hell, with even more ghostly distant vocals. Big psych rock chords emerge from the depths like bubbling volcanic lava bursts. See them play at The Delancey on Tuesday, April 24th. – Dave Cromwell

Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! (who placed at #20 in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll) landed a 4 week residency at New York’s Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 – starting on May 4th. For four successive Fridays, the band will pound audiences with its derelict version of American rock/country space-funk. Each week will feature a set of hits by some of the artists that have especially influenced the band plus originals that highlight the connection. After intense debate (read: battle royale) in their closet-sized rehearsal space, the group has chosen to feature the music of Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, R.E.M. and the Pixies. Fridays – May 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 10pm Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2) 196 Allen Street, New York, NY Admission: FREE – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building.

This summer is shaping up to be a busy one for dreamy psych-pop quartet Beat Connection – while the rest of us can look forward to enjoying the season’s sunny days and abbreviated nights, they’re set to release a debut LP and launch a North American tour. The group is hitting the road following the release of their Think/Feel single, featuring crystalline vocals provided by Seattle-based graphic designer Chelsey Scheffe. The single is the first suggestion of what’s to come on their upcoming summer release, a full-length effort entitled Palace Garden. With rippling, synthetic undercurrents and echoing, faded, and delayed vocals, the track recalls the overexposed, gauzy pastels of a summer photo album (you know, the Instagram kind). Deftly layered beats and harmonies create the auditory equivalent of a swinging hammock – comfortable, hypnotic, and inviting. "I feel too little and think too much", coos Scheffe, but it’s likely that the opiating, lullaby-like tune will leave listeners with the opposite problem.

– Kate Shepherd

With her soft, elegant soprano that draws in listeners with its delicate strength, Shenandoah Ableman (their debut EP was a Deli Record of the Month last year) has the rare quality to sound so familiar, but so unlike anything else. Fronting the pop quintet Shenandoah and The Night, Ableman’s voice itself is the poetry. With moody, whimsical music to accompany her, it’s almost hard to believe the band’s forthcoming release “So High, So Low” (out on May 08 on Family Records) is from this decade and not pieces from past years compiled onto old, newly discovered vinyl records. The band will be performing around New York throughout Spring, including a free show at Barbes in Brooklyn on April 26. – Devon Antonetti