Here’s something a little dark (like this rainy day) but also a little upbeat, which was submitted to The Deli digitally here (you are welcome, bands without a PR agent!). Black Onassis is an NYC based collaborative electronic band led by Christopher Karloff (formerly of British band Kasabian) with a very very very intriguing sound. Think Depeche Mode mixed with The Stone Roses, for a synth-shoegaze-pop sound that’s an exciting variation on the familiar British psych-pop wave. There are currently only 2 songs for streaming, but they are both equally good, featuring prominent guest vocalists like Aurelio Valle (Calla, The Phenomenal Handclap Band) and Ben Gautrey (The Cooper Temple Clause, Ashridge Park FC). NYC gazers and psychers don’t want to miss their show at Mercury Lounge on October 31.

What’s up with this disturbing "Auto-Tune" vocal effect showing up more and more frequently in songs by emerging indie artists, folks? Are we sure we want to adopt this sound that screams "I sold my soul to my major label"? I mean… Cher’s "Believe" – which started this infamous trend – came out in 1998, and since then commercial radio has been inundated by imitations often more revolting than the original. Up until today I reacted to "Auto-Tune effect detection" with instant record dismissal – unless it was used in some sort of ironic way. But today I feel like "forgiving" a band for this – and it’s a first, people! NY dance rock act Ghost Beach – compared to your average major label dance group – makes a subtle use of this effect, but brings to the table enough redeeming qualities – in particular a super catchy chorus and a well produced lo-budget video. See their live debut at Tammany Hall on December 1st.

Brooklyn "decrepit pop" trio, Life Size Maps, described as sounding like "sensory overload," played a packed set of CMJ shows last week alongside DIVE, Night Manager, Shark?, Caged Animals, and Celestial Shore.  – (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.

Drunken Sufis recently released "Death Cult Summer Camp," a 17-song collection of manic, sharply satirical bursts of "conspiracy prog-punk." The band recently played for Panopticon360, a new webseries featuring bands playing in recording studios or live shows and filmed with panoramic, 360 degree cameras. The first season of the show also features DD/MM/YYYY, Tombs, Pterodactyl, Zs, La Otracina, Endless Boogie, Home Video and Weird Owl. Episodes are released every Tuesday at panopticonnyc.com and youtube.com/panopticonnyc. – (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.

After several virtual spins of Steve Shiffman & The Land of No ‘s latest EP "Nemegt Uul," I began to look at the three song work as a continuous story. It was only after I formed this theory that I discovered that "Nemegt Uul" is the second in a series of 3 EPs (each to be released every 3 months) which will be later compiled into a full length album. So, albeit shaky, my postulation held a little water. The three songs are tied together by recurring themes of lost and found love, dream vs. reality, communication failure, and dressed by the band’s intense guitar sound, rooted in the indie sound of the 90s, and Mr Shiffman’s vocals, which are at times reminiscent of an angrier Brendan Benson. Don’t miss the EP release party at Cake Shop on November 4. – Allison Levin

We are so impressed with Lisa Jaeggi. While watching her new video projected at our CMJ show at The Delancey on Saturday (thanks InDmusic peeps for picking it!) we realized what an amazing progress this singer songwriter has made in the few years we’ve been familiar with her music: in her new album "Epic Epic" the songwriting, production, vocal delivery, and even attitude reached a whole new level of confidence and maturity, and also "decorative" (but important) elements like this new video, the press shots, and the album’s cover art are beautiful and compelling. Her songs "Whether He Knows" and "The Difference Between" (listen to them on her Facebook page), and "All the Good" – in the embedded video – showcase a budding artist with the potential to warm many hearts with her thoughtful, melancholic rootsy pop that deals with narratives splashed with religious and political observations to carefully constructed thoughts about city life.

On their long-awaited, full-length record, “Feel You’re Different,” Lights Resolve delve deeper into the dark side of rock. Following a different path from their previous three well-received EP’s, the Long Island-based trio delivers 11 powerful, fully produced and great sounding tracks. Previously released “Another Five Days” receives a sonic makeover, assimilating the grittier edge and intricate layering of the newer material. A series of heavy, fervent tracks, including the impassioned single, “Sew It Up,” pounding “Happens Every Day”, distortion-ridden “HIPS,” frenetic “Stick Em Up,” and explosive “With the Pieces,” culminate in the enraged “Misfire.” Even dancy “Hurt a Little” and melodic “My Gemini” do not escape the emotional wrath that pervades the album. Each track reaffirms Lights Resolve’s surging trajectory, as they maintain their musical notoriety . “Feel You’re Different” officially drops today, and Lights Resolve celebrate the release with The Canon Logic, Night Fevers, and Electric Sun on 10.26 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. –Meijin Bruttomesso

Dominion NY deceived me. Walking through the black curtain in the front, I heard Kosha Dillz raunchy beats—but he was nowhere to be found. The only thing I saw, where I thought Kosha should be, was an Asian dude grilling hot dogs, “that’s strange,” I thought and walked to the left of the table and into a mirror. Around back, (to the right of the hot dog table) was an open room where I could make out the White Jewish rapper from New Jersey who I first heard 2 years ago in my rookie-DJ days at WRUV in Burlington, VT. The Speakers moved so much air that the red stage curtains looked like they were having a Hurricane Irene flashback. The room was filled up with a healthy mix of fellow CMJ badge toters, hip-hop heads, and a ton of photographers. Kosha Dillz rocked a punchy version of “DooDoo” with a fantastic intro, asking, “Everybody! Are you guys High? I said, are you guys high?” He performed with energy and charisma, ripping through his multi-syllable rhyme phrases with masterful annunciation.

The NJ and LA based rapper has come a long way from his first release “Beverly Dillz”. I was blown away by what I thought to be him scat-rapping, but in reality was a blend of English, Hebrew, and Spanish on his track, “Span Hebrish (Ech-Ani-Olech)”. Though I had no idea what he was saying, I could decipher him on the hook shouting, what sounded to me as, “Le mala le mala le,” atop a thunderous, reverberating bassline. I looked around to check myself and I saw everyone’s face mesmerized by what was going on. It was the hip-hop version of a face melting guitar solo. Time was tight and Kosha had to end his set after only a couple songs, but he gave out a free skateboard, and I was lucky enough to get a free t-shirt, thanks to the shows emcee, “believing in me,” after he asked for some noise. – Ed Guardaro