At the risk of sounding academic, music is experimental to the degree at which structure informs content. Think about this for a moment, recall that it’s going to be ok, try not to cough this pop-tart up all over your external hard drive.
I came to this realization 2 weeks ago after watching Little Women play Death By Audio and speaking to frontman Darius Jones about what the heck just happened. There were indeed elements immediately peculiar to the performance. The music preempted by a prayer circle; the concluding passage spawned by Darius and Travis Laplante detaching sax from mouthpiece and chasing each other around the room in curious courting ritual qua duck hunt.
At the risk of sounding grandiose, this is serious business. This music exists as an amalgamation. A paean to the compositional process itself. Stormy vignettes, entangling threads, compromised reverie, sprouting, sprouting, sprouting. Music that consistently turns its course on its head, mimicking moments of splendor and, with equal irreverence, building and substantiating the remote, the forgotten, the passages that have simply passed us by, as life inconsequentially ebbs and flows. The fantasy of self-referentiality.
Darius says they’d take a 3 minute segment and spend an entire rehearsal on it. What happens is you hear the piece as a whole and must confront what it means to understand something when you’ve never experienced it before. A wizard casts a spell and you’re no longer sure if this is your life, Louisa May Alcott just stole your seat. – Velrie Kuehne

I could write here something very similar to what I wrote about Scout 2 blog entries ago. I clearly remember talking to some friends about NYC’s psych-rockers My Best Fiend 4-5 years ago. Well, here’s a testament to the power of persistence: the band – whose latest incarnation was formed in 2009 – has just signed to (awesome UK label) Warp records – home to Grizzly Bear and a ton of edgy electronic acts. My Best Fiend just made available for streaming a first single (below) entitled "Higher Palms": its subdued pace and spacious melodies bring to mind 2 bands that graced the cover of The Deli: The Occasion and Caveman. A very good sign indeed! The My Best Fiend live at Shea Stadium on December 15.

Easy Tells debut EP, "Got What You Paid For" has been available online for a few weeks now, but Tuesday night, they hit Rockwood Stage 2 for the official release party. The Nashville-Detroit-Austin-Chapel Hill-via Downtown NYC four-piece will chug artfully through a set of earthy guitar-based American rock with a grateful nod to our friends across the pond. And get your dirty little hands on a copy of the record if you’re still into that kind of thing. 9pm. Free of charge. – (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 and APS Mastering.

I clearly remember writing about Ashen Keilyn’s band Scout in 2004 or 2005, when our site was ugly and our readership non existent. At the time I also caught them live at now defunct Sin-e` (I used to live across the street from it, on Attorney Street, it was pretty handy). Since then they kind of disappeared, so I was surprised to get a press release about them after this long. I was also surprised by the sound of the single they are giving away for free ("Please Excuse Me", streaming here), included in their new EP "PI", which features a darker, edgier sound, and is some kind of intro to a full length planned to be released in early 2012. Ashen confirms in this song her vocal a(dora)bility and her talent as a songwriter who tends to operate within coordinates consisting in moodier indie atmospheres and more radio friendly openings. Ashen will be performing an acoustic show at Rockwood Music Hall on 12.13.

Mp3: Scout: "Please Excuse Me"

The Stepkids have become known for their unique spin on just about everything: their music, live show and videos. The trio released the video for “Suburban Dream” today, the third from their self-titled debut album (out now on Stones Throw). Featuring the animated work of director Chris King the video shows another stylistic side of the band that graces the cover of the current issue of The Deli – read it here.

This sounds interesting: People Get Ready is a Brooklyn based contemporary dance/live performance art collaboration between Steven Reker (touring dancer/guitarist to David Byrne who recently choreographed the t-shirt scene in Miranda July’s movie The Future) and Luke Fasano (Yeasayer/Ex-Models), along with members of A Sunny Day In Glasgow and Slow Gherkin. Their first pieces took place earlier this year at NY’s experimental performance space The Kitchen as part of its series "Dance and Process." The group started collaborating with dancers – reshaping their live show, and their performances are currently being scheduled in theaters and art centers around North America. They’ll be performing at Glasslands on November 26. 

Electro-dream-pop one man band Porcelain Raft will be releasing the debut album "Strange Weekend" on Secretly Canadian on January 24, and then embarking on a world tour in support of M83 and Smith Westerns. Book your calendars for a January 31 show at Webster Hall. Check out the "self-directed" video of the first single "Put Me to Sleep" below.

Somewhat reminiscent of Dawes and the Avett Brothers, Brooklyn’s Jones Street Station are about to release a new EP of their gorgeous, heartfelt brand of Americana. Out in January 2012, "The Understanding EP" features the former Deli Artists of the month, doing what they do best: bluegrass-infused pop music that can make your day brighter (seriously, try it). They also realized a video for the first single “The Understanding”, streaming here. After a couple of west coast gigs, the band will be performing at Rockwood Music Hall on January 11th. – Amanda F. Dissinger

Some bands are able to unlock my composed, western to the bone, over-structured civility and speak directly to whatever primal receptor is left inside me. Apparently some people don’t experience this, and they don’t know what they are missing. Actually, I do know what they are missing: They are missing ROCK’N’ROLL!
Hunters are a very new Brooklyn bass-less noise-rock duo with a wild, exciting sound comprised of menacing, often atonal guitars, clangy and explosive drums, and vocals that (seem to) unapologetically speak of our basic repressed needs and wishes. Like in the opening track from the new upcoming EP "Hands on Fire" – check out these lyrics: "I want it! – I need it! – I want it! – I need it! – I want it! – I need it! – I want it! – I need it!". Now, these are words we all wish we could say more often, aren’t they? This is orgiastic rock – we are sure that the Greek God Dionysus will be at Death By Audio on December 2 for the CD release org… ahem… party.

Forest Fire have self-produced two albums, “Survival” and the brand new “Starting At The X”, “sometimes recording the whole band with only one mic,” says singer/songwriter Mark Thresher. The debut from 2008 drew a considerable amount of international buzz, enabling them to tour Europe – they are actually just about to embark on their 2nd tour of the old continent. The new record was released under Fat Cat’s wing at the end of October and already got a flattering 7.1 by Pitchfork. The band uses simple and familiar sounds to compliment Thresher’s howls. This young man’s singing style alone conjures up images of NYC nightclubs from the 70s. Appropriately, his band’s songs portray a sense of longing and desperation, using bluesy, drawn out harmonies, and loose percussion perpetuate the bands, “no-rush,” attitude. – Read Ed Guardaro’s interview with Mark here.

Whimsical and playful, with a touch of angst and a heavy dose of emotion, Sydney Wayser’s music sings like lullabies throughout the contemporary folk scene of New York City. The young singer-songwriter’s sweet, engaging voice can be likened to Feist or Regina Spektor’s, filling up songs that seem reminiscent of a sunny day in Paris. Her second full-length album, The Colorful, is a lush mix of melodies and chords that intricately tell stories of her youth and experience. Sydney is about to release a new album, we heard the songs live when she played our CMJ show with Lucius and were enchanted! – read Christina Morelli’s Q&A with Sydney here.