Rootsy ensemble Lucius once again exceeded our expectations with this stunning video of the song "Go Home" – the single from their upcoming EP. The band will celebrate its release in style with a show at Bowery Ballroom on February 17. Lucius will grace the cover of our upcoming NYC spring issue of The Deli – a spot they won by placing second in our Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists (since winners Caveman already were on a previous cover of The Deli).

I came away from listening to Jack Wilson‘s new self-titled album believing that he truly has a very personal way of coating a rust tinged world with some beautiful colors, and a seemingly infinite amount of them. Trying to distance himself from the idea of making a concept album, he really gave himself the opportunity to sing in many voices. This approach allows the emotional ride of this album to be as unpredictable and varying as the course of any other natural human life, allowing it to breathe. Jack is about to release his debut album on Portland based Fluff & Gravy Records. You can catch him live in Austin at Hole in the Wall on February 18. – Michael H

Deli LA Readers,

After a tight competition, talented pop songwriter Sue Scrofa (in the picture with her band) won our Fans and Readers’ Poll for Emerging LA Artists, with a few dozens vote margin over fast and loud art-punk-rockers Stab City. Let us congratulate both bands, who also deserve a big Deli "Thank You" for spreading the word about the poll. Check out also rootsy pop ensemble Yellow Red Sparks, who placed third. Top ten list below, final results of The Deli’s Best of LA Poll for Emerging Artists (which also include jurors and writers votes) will be announced soon.

1. SUE SCROFA

—

2. STAB CITY

—

3. YELLOW RED SPARKS

Here’s the final top ten of the fans’ and readers’ poll:

BAND VOTES   1 Sue Scrofa 460 2 Stab City 425 3 Yellow Red Sparks 312 4 Dead Ships 242 5 Ross Sea Party 145 6 Toy Bombs 76 7 Incan Abraham 55 8 Tennis System 51  9 Bixby Knolls 46 10 Sabrosa Purr 37

The Deli’s Staff

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.