It’s kind of interesting to see more and more cultural and publishing institutions embrace the cause of emerging indie bands, but we honestly didn’t see this one coming: Sports Illustrated decided to link their popular yearly swimsuit issue to… indie rock bands. We were rather excited at the idea of semi-nude pictures of young hipsters, but our lustful urge was disappointed. The musical artists are only present in this operation with their music, and we guess it’s better that way. Electro-pop ensemble Selebrities is the lucky band that will represent Brooklyn, and was also booked to play the 2 day, Las Vegas based "Swimsuit Beauties & Beats Music Festival," headlined by The Black Keys. Considering that The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit franchise reaches more than 70 million people annually, and more men 18 to 34 than the Super Bowl, this can only be seen as fantastic news for the indie cause – unless you would have rather given that kind of exposure to Chirstina Aguileira or something… Now go ahead Selebrities peeps, and blow those 70 million minds with your tunes!

Brooklyn noisemakers Life Size Maps will be celebrating the release of their new EP at 285 Kent this Thursday February 9th. The Brooklyn trio will bring their variety of noisy garage rock laden with punky hooks and tinny twists to the Williamsburg venue. The show, hosted by Brooklyn DIY promoter Todd P., will kick off at 8:00. Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, The Babies, Darlings, and Heaven’s Gate round out the lineup. – Corinne Bagish

Today we discovered that Los Angeles’ indie pop sensation Dum Dum Girls are partially based in NYC, since front lady Dee Dee currently calls The Big Apple home, while the rest of the band is still based in California. These often bare legged ladies will perform at the Music hall of Williamsburg on February 07 with Deli NYC favorite Widowspeak – a show dream pop lovers shouldn’t miss.

Deli Readers,

Our SF Bay Area Year End Poll for emerging artists is finally coming to its end, and it’s great to see it won by Geographer, a great local band that gathered votes from our jury of San Fran scene makers (5 points), Deli writers (1 point) and readers (the band placed 4th in the open poll). These guys’ sound is something hard to pin down, and we are always proud when our polls highlight a truly original band. We are all looking forward to their upcoming release, scheduled for 02.28.

1. GEOGRAPHER

Beloved local group Shannon and the Clams (Bethany from Best Coast often sings their praises) placed 2nd with their lo-fi take on the nostaligic ’50s girl group sound – which can also evolve towards punk extremes (see video below). Third place was a tie between the two readers’ and fans’ poll contenders, spacey rockers Excuses for Skipping and orchestral indie rock collective The Family Crest. Kudos also to Whirr, a shoegazer act with a sound that challenges My Bloody Valentine as far as number of guitar layers. They placed 5th thanks to 5 jurors points (as many as the top two bands).

2. SHANNON & THE CLAMS

—

3a. THE FAMILY CREST

—

3b. EXCUSES FOR SKIPPING

—

5. WHIRR

So this is it for this year folks! Here’s the final list of The Deli’s best SF Bay Area Emerging Artists of 2011. Thanks to all those who voted, and congrats to all the bands in this list, we hope that many of you will find a couple of new favorite local groups here!

BAND J W F OS TOTAL   1 Geographer 5 1 1   7 2 Shannon and the Clams 5 1 0.003   6.003 3 Excuses For Skipping     3 3 6   The Family Crest 3   2 1 6 5 Whirr 5   0.004   5.004 6 Taxes 3 1 0.013   4.013 7 Mwahaha 3 1 0.004   4.004 8 Soft White Sixties 2 1 0.036   3.036 9 Ty Segall 3   0.011   3.011 10 Excalico 3   0.01   3.010 11 Michael Musika 3   0.006   3.006 12 Days of High Adventure 3   0.005   3.005 13 Sound Science 3   0.004   3.004 14 Man/Miracle 3   0.003   3.003 15 Local Hero     1.5 1.5 3 16 Con Brio 2   0.027   2.027 17 The Stone Foxes     0.011 2 2.011 18 Rad Cloud 2   0.01   2.010 19 Painted Palms 1 1 0.006   2.006 20 Acephalix 2   0.004   2.004   Slow Motion Cowboys 2   0.004   2.004 22 The Spyrals 2   0.003   2.003   Weekend 1 1 0.003   2.003 24 Maushaus 2   0.001   2.001 25 Jhameel     0.005 1.5 1.505 26 The Chaw     0.5 1 1.5 27 Dreams 1   0.068   1.068 28 Chineke     0.065 1 1.065 29 The Hypnotist Collectors     0.05 1 1.05 30 Assateague 1   0.044   1.044 31 Metal Mother     0.027 1 1.027 32 moonbell     0.015 1 1.015 33 Glass Trains 1   0.012   1.012 34 Cruel Summer 1   0.008   1.008   McCabe & Mrs. Miller     0.008 1 1.008 36 Mist Giant     0.007 1 1.007 37 Kally Price 1   0.003   1.003 38 Billy and Dolly 1   0.002   1.002 39 Grass Widow 1   0.001   1.001   Prizehog 1   0.001   1.001 Legend: J = Jury – OS = Open Submissions – W = Deli Writers – F = Fans

The Deli’s Staff

Call it "Glo-fi," "Chill Wave," or "Dream Pop," Psychchedelia is a genre that has been enjoying a resurgence in Brooklyn as of late, and Sacred Bones recording artist Amen Dunes – the solo project of New York-based vocalist and guitarist Damon McMahon – fits squarely into this category. The band recently released this video of "Bedroom Drum," from their 3rd CD "Through Donkey Jaw" (released in 2011). The vocals come with expected reverberation, however not to the point where the singer’s soulfulness is lost, and float on guitars that are heavily modulated, an effect that creates a siniter and alienated atmosphere. The percussion exists as the most basic of minimal pulses, giving the impression that the song’s feelings and melodies are barely kept alive by a feeble heart beat. "Baba Yaga" allows for a more spacious sonic spectrum, keeping the guitar simple and cleaner, and vocals closer to a chant, offering a vibe reminiscent of the more intimate songs of the early Velvet Underground. "Christopher" suggests what it might sound like if you took a Beach Boys song and ran it through hall of mirrors, while "Diane" strums gentle acoustic tones on a hypnagogic trip. Amen Dunes will be opening for This Will Destroy You on February 23 at 285 Kent in Brooklyn. – Dave Cromwell

Even though this song is not exactly new, it’s always hard to resist New Yorker Alex Winston‘s playful tunes and charming melodies. This video of "Choice Notes" just premierd on Pitchfork.

Old school rockers Jeremy Cox and Jigmae Baer not only acknowledge their retro influences, they wear them with pride. Royal Baths’ music is reminiscent of the dozen or so artists they cite as influences – drawing from the darkest corners of sixties garage rock as well as old-fashioned bluesmen and acid psychedelia. The instrumentation is rickety and the vocals drone. Tuning seems incidental as they bash out songs about drugs, girls and girls on drugs, though not necessarily in that order. Having recently moved to New York from San Francisco to establish their sound in the local scene, their latest album Better Luck Next Life (scheduled to be released on February 7) is a nostalgic collection – highlighting the band’s ever-expanding pallet. Don’t miss the band’s CD release party at Death By Audio on February 7th. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s Q&A with the band here.

They did it again!

Imaginative indie poppers Deleted Scenes won our Best of DC Area 2011 Poll for emerging artists for the second year in a row! This is the first time a band wins it twice…  They sure need to buy a beer to that ONE fan who voted for them, since that single vote (worth 0.001 points in our perverse system) avoided a tie with Sweet Leda, the funk-rock winners of the Readers’ and Fans’ Poll, who placed 2nd. Big Kudos also to Bluebrain, a really interesting electronic project that was rewarded in particular by the Jurors’ vote.

1. DELETED SCENES

2. SWEET LEDA

3. BLUEBRAIN

BAND J W F OS TOTAL   1 Deleted Scenes 3 1 0.001 2 6.001 2 Sweet Leda 3   3   6 3 Bluebrain 5   0.005   5.005 4 Ed Schrader’s Music Beat 5   0   5 5 The Mean Season 3 1 0.017   4.017 6 Lower Dens 3 1 0.005   4.005 7 Pianos Become the Teeth 2 1 1   4 8 Brooks Long 2   1.5   3.5   Satori Trova     2 1.5 3.5 10 Big/Bright 3   0.12   3.12 11 Presto Bando 3   0.055   3.055 12 Auroboros 3   0.017   3.017 13 Satan’s Satyrs 3   0.005   3.005 14 Storm The Beaches 3   0.003   3.003 15 Black Hills 3   0.002   3.002   Mobius Strip 3   0.002   3.002   Silo Halo 3   0.002   3.002   Warchild 2 1 0.002   3.002 19 Murder 3   0   3 20 Is And Of The   1 0.051 1.5 2.551 21 Dance For the Dying 2   0.037   2.037 22 Shark Week 2   0.011   2.011 23 The Blackberry Belles 2   0.011   2.011 24 Acid Queen 2   0.006   2.006 25 Birdlips 2   0.004   2.004 26 Office Of Future Plans 2   0.004   2.004 27 The Diamond Center 2   0.002   2.002 28 Miyazaki 2   0.001   2.001 29 John C 2   0   2 30 The Capital Hearings 2   0   2 31 The Will To Survive     0.5 1.25 1.75 32 The Great Unknowns     0.008 1.5 1.508 33 Kindlewood     0.078 1 1.078 34 The Flying Eyes 1   0.068   1.068 35 Brittany Jean 1   0.04   1.04 36 White Life 1   0.013   1.013 37 Drop Electric     0.008 1 1.008 38 Borracho 1   0.006   1.006   Teen Mom 1   0.006   1.006   We Were Pirates     0.006 1 1.006 41 Ilsa 1   0.004   1.004   Spine Buster 1   0.004   1.004   The Young Ladies 1   0.004   1.004 43 Deathrats 1   0.003   1.003 NYC The New Highway Hymnal Wins The Deli’s Best of New England 2011 Poll for Emerging Artists! Posted on: February 3, 2012 Deli Readers, These are the final results of our Best of New England 2011 Poll for Emerging Artists. Congrats to The New Highway Hymnal, our new local "champions", and to runners up Oldjack and Night Fruit. Kudos also go to our Readers’ and Fans’ poll winners, The Milkman’s Union. The New Highway Hymnal blew our jurors away this year. Throughout 2011, The New Highway Hymnal –a psych rock shoegaze outfit — (who seemed to all of a sudden come out of nowhere) started working their asses off playing basement shows, DIY fests, and local clubs week in, week out. Their hard work paid off because not only did these young (their average age is 21) musicians garner a cult following, they developed their sound, and came into their own… basically blowing away all other bands they shared bills with. Catch them a week from today, Friday, Feb. 10 at Great Scott for the release of Blackened Hands. Runners up Oldjack, who also came in a respectable 3rd place in our Fans’ Poll earlier this week, are also a band to keep your eye on. We love the raw, fun energy Oldjack bring to their live shows and we recommend checking them out. They’ll be taking off for Austin, TX and  performing at SXSW next month. Night Fruit came in a respectable third in our overall poll. The deli editors gave them the highest overall marks, leaving them the winners of the Open Submissions round of voting. Recently releasing their Dark Horse 7", this dream pop trio are just as pretty to listen to live as they are on record. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for upcoming shows.   BAND J W F OS TOTAL   1 The New Highway Hymnal 7 1 0.039   8.039 2 Oldjack 3 1 1.5   5.500 3 Night Fruit   2 0.098 3 5.098 4 Slowdim 4 1 0.036   5.036 5 Il Abanico 3 1 0.024 1 5.024 6 The Wandas 5   0.007   5.007 7 Autochrome 4   0.039   4.039 8 Movers and Shakers 3 1 0.037   4.037 9 You Can Be A Wesley 3 1 0.012   4.012 10 BrightNight 2   2   4   The Milkman’s Union 1   3   4 12 Doctor Doom Orchestra 3   0.107   3.107 13 Hi Tiger 3   0.072   3.072 14 The Grownup Noise 3   0.04   3.040 15 GEM Club 3   0.037   3.037 16 Lady Lamb the Beekeeper 3   0.027   3.027 17 Kingsley Flood 3   0.013   3.013 18 Earthquake Party! 3   0.011   3.011   Sunset Hearts 3   0.011   3.011 20 Blanche, Blanche, Blanche 3   0.004   3.004 21 Herbcraft 3   0.002   3.002 22 Miss Geo   1 0.046 1.5 2.546 23 Tan Vampires 2   0.5   2.5 24 The Mallett Brothers Band     1 1.25 2.25 25 Fat Creeps 2   0.076   2.076 26 I Kill Giants   1 0.072 1 2.072 27 Butcher Boy 2   0.056   2.056   Old Abram Brown 2   0.056   2.056 29 Streight Angular 1 1 0.045   2.045 30 Guillermo Sexo     0.025 2 2.025 31 MMOSS 2   0.019   2.019 32 Ghost Box Orchestra 1 1 0.014   2.014 33 Aunt Martha 2   0.013   2.013 34 Girlfriends 2   0.01   2.010 35 Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling 2   0.009   2.009   Dirty Virgins 2   0.009   2.009 37 Stereo Telescope 2   0.006   2.006 38 Sidewalk Driver 2   0.002   2.002   Son of Salami 2   0.002   2.002 40 Radio Control     0.039 1.5 1.539 41 The Bowry Boys 1   0.089   1.089 42 Moniker 1   0.078   1.078 43 Ethan Robbins & Cold Chocolate     0.055 1 1.055 44 A Severe Joy 1   0.025   1.025 45 Brothers McCann NYC Live Reviews: High Highs at Pianos Posted on: February 2, 2012 High Highs kicked off their month long residency of sorts at Pianos last night – they’ll be playing every second Wednesday in February. These New Yorkers by way of Australia bedecked the stage in white lights and immediately captivated the audience with their brand of dreamy electro; as the set began, the sizable crowd stood rapt and respectfully silent. Between notes, between songs, you could hear a pin drop – or more likely some dude slurping his drink. Jack Milas’s confident falsetto carried over soft waves of trance-inducing electronics. Standing on his toes to conquer the high notes, he switched from electric to acoustic and back again. The trio’s genuinely pretty beats have a pied piper effect – the melodic beauty lures you in so you fail to notice at first how incredibly haunting it is. High Highs ended the night with the first track off their self-titled EP, “Open Season.” This song, executed with great inspiration, packed the eerily lush punch that lends High Highs depth. – Corinne Bagish NYC Record of the Month: Night Manager, “Ghost” – Live at The Knit on 02.21 Posted on: February 2, 2012 This might sound kind of trite, but imagination is one of the crucial deciding factors that makes us pay attention to music we get introduced to. This is a quality that is definitely not missing from Night Manager‘s music, lead singer Caitlin Seager’s melodies in particular. The Brooklyn via Paris/San Francisco band offers some of the most refreshingly catchy pop lines we heard in a long time. The gorgeous single "Ghost" (streaming below) is a glorious melange of genres, somewhat reminiscent of the carefully constructed songs from The Throwing Muses’ pop masterpiece "The Real Ramona" – one of the most underestimated pop album of the 90s. Unpredictable melodies blending Cocteau Twins’ heavenly beauty and The Beach Boys’ harmonizing mastery, float on top of what could be described as a grunge-style track, although drenched in reverb and filtered through the NYC DIY sound of the new millennium, with all its homages to the new wave and the garage sound of the 60s. But the sonic character of the track is kind of contingent here, because the actual song is so good that it would work in any instrumental context. The other two tracks on the 7" (the band’s third release), present a similar recipe, with a heavier influence of the 60’s surf pop element, which awakens comparisons to west coast breakout band Best Coast. The "Ghost" 7" caught the year of the folks at Rough Trade in the UK and Big Love in Japan, who will be releasing it starting today in those countries.