Although Grant Olsen wrote all the songs, calling Gold Leaves a solo project is a misnomer.  Olsen had a great deal of help making The Ornament, which is out now on Hardly Art. Jason Quever of Papercuts was by his side through most of the recording process, serving as co-producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. Quever helped guide editorial choices, keeping scratch vocals when Olsen wanted to go back into the vocal booth and try again, and laid down the four-in-the-morning cello part that haunts "Hanging Window." With a résumé that encompasses tutelage under Motown veterans and credits with Beach House and Brightblack Morning Light, Ben McConnell was an ideal percussionist to anchor Olsen’s amorphous musical ideas. Thao Ngyuen (Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Thao & Mirah), Amy Blaschke, and members of the Moondoggies all contributed backing vocals. 

With its roller rink organ and rumbling timpani, the title tune is propelled forward by the sort of ambitious yet calculated D.I.Y. production associated with legendary ’60s British pop producer Joe Meek. From opener "The Silver Lining," with its sense of a life teeming with possibility (and a deft lyrical borrow from Steinbeck and some 11th century poetry), to the rising strings and keyboards of the dramatic finale "Futures," The Ornament sounds full but never overstuffed. This is a record full of judicious choices.

Although Grant Olsen wrote all the songs, calling Gold Leaves a solo project is a misnomer.  Olsen had a great deal of help making The Ornament, which is out now on Hardly Art. Jason Quever of Papercuts was by his side through most of the recording process, serving as co-producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. Quever helped guide editorial choices, keeping scratch vocals when Olsen wanted to go back into the vocal booth and try again, and laid down the four-in-the-morning cello part that haunts "Hanging Window." With a résumé that encompasses tutelage under Motown veterans and credits with Beach House and Brightblack Morning Light, Ben McConnell was an ideal percussionist to anchor Olsen’s amorphous musical ideas. Thao Ngyuen (Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Thao & Mirah), Amy Blaschke, and members of the Moondoggies all contributed backing vocals. 

With its roller rink organ and rumbling timpani, the title tune is propelled forward by the sort of ambitious yet calculated D.I.Y. production associated with legendary ’60s British pop producer Joe Meek. From opener "The Silver Lining," with its sense of a life teeming with possibility (and a deft lyrical borrow from Steinbeck and some 11th century poetry), to the rising strings and keyboards of the dramatic finale "Futures," The Ornament sounds full but never overstuffed. This is a record full of judicious choices.

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 conjure up images 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 will be headlining The Deli’s CMJ Roots Stage on 10.19 with Lucius, My Cousin the Emperor, Ursa Minor & more artists. Full lineup to be announced soon.

Volatile Brooklyn trio Methodist displays a penchant for angst-ridden punk rock with edgy indie rock inclinations on their eponymous six-track excursion. Demonstrating an abundance of stinging riffs whose healthy balance of vitriolic virtue and jagged melody allows the deft rhythm section the freedom to flavor up their aggressive attack as they see fit, the hard hitting demeanor and general sense of disdain this act exhibits propels a musical journey reminiscent of acts such as Black Flag, Fugazi, and The Bronx. Methodist doles out serious punk rock attitude with electrifying immediacy and wiry fury spearheading their cerebrally minded attack. www.myspace.com/methodist –Mike SOS

After three years of constant touring, lineup changes and hardships, NYC-based band Big Tree is celebrating a new beginning with their aptly named album "This New Year." The band will be performing their new material on a series of fall tour dates including a stop at their alma mater, Sarah Lawrence, on 10/7 and a performance at Brooklyn’s Union Hall on 10/8. – Amanda Dissinger

This Fall by BigTree

This album is noisy — these guys sampled The Flaming Lips and lean toward Flying Lotus in sonic convolution just to give you a clue. Two of the three rappers in Blue Belt aren’t particularly innovative, but they make up for their lack of prowess with character, weirdness, and occasional dash of good-natured insight. All in all, it’s an unexpected mix of styles blending street-rap with nerd-rap over electro-clash beats. Listening to this CD may have given me A.D.D. (Wow! My hands are PALE!). Anyway, it’s a funny album, and it’s considerably more innovative than most of the “tv-dinner” rap being cooked up these days. They were obviously very high when they made it, so you might want to roll something up before you check it out. – BrokeMC

NYC via New Jersey singer songwriter Fleet Walker’s debut release, "Morning Void” was noticed by TheCoolTV, a music channel which will be airing his “Faro” music video on televisions in over 50 million homes nationwide. – (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.

Calling upon an era when pop songs and hooks had a secret cleverness about them, Hooray for Earth‘s “True Loves” incorporates a few tricks from 1980’s synth pop/new-wave playbook, while still sounding totally current. The hooks are molasses-y sweet and emotionally charged enough to make the cut of a John Hughes film ("Baby’s Day Out" notwithstanding), but can still throw their weight around on a playlist next to MGMT, Animal Collective, LCD Soundsystem or Passion Pit. Currently touring with Cymbal Eat Guitars in support of their sophomore album "True Loves" , the band will be abck in NYC with a show at the Bowery Ballroom on 10.27. – Read Chuck Davis interview with the band here.

See Not Blood, Paint play live, and you might find yourself falling for their quirky way of seeing the world. NBP don’t just re-arrange the stage for their engrossing performances, they inhabit the entire room filling the space up with anything from giant heads and mandatory facepaint, to choreographed guitar solos and random wardrobe malfunctions. After such an immersive experience, you’re left with a lot of questions and the only thing you can be sure of is that you want more. You don’t want to miss their Deli’s CMJ show at The Delancey on 10.22 with Yellow Ostrich, Sea of Bees, Monogold and more. – Read Mike Levine’s Q&A with Not Blood, Paint here.

Grimace, a.k.a. “Belly,” has reemerged from the subterranean caverns of his underground Brooklyn laboratory with a fresh collection of dirty beats and dirtier words. Though halcyon Indy Hip Hop label Def Jux has passed on into the ether, their vibe resonates strongly in this release. Collaborations with L.A.-based Cassettes Won’t Listen and upstate NY Slobber-slanger Dezmatic are highlights to please your discerning ears, and the beats are crunchy and throbbing in the best possible ways. Whether you choose to believe him or not, Grimace’s “Whole Lies and Half Truths” should at least be given the benefit of the doubt. – BrokeMC

I saw Sebastian the Crab playing his NORD keyboard in the subway tunnel and was immediately taken by the swelling harmonies reverberating throughout the expansive tile of the Canal Street station. The tone of his songs calls to mind images of robots drinking coffee, philosophizing over their distant origins at the hands of a fabled “human race.” Throughout "Hungry Heart," slightly blown-out keys and sparse electro drums titter and percolate, permeating your whole body with a warm buzz. There is an invigorating sense of inspiration teamed with a pinch of desolation in the way he plays comparable to Bibio and Mt. Eerie. For fans of lo-fi instrumentals, this Hungry Heart will leave you quite satiated. -=brokeMC

Slowly, Great Elk’s songs creep from a position of distance and unfamiliarity to a timeless groove, like something your parents would play on the first cold day of fall. Starting out sparse and confused, Vocalist Paul Basile carries the band as they gently layer their sound, adding minimalist drum and bass, with an ever-weeping pedal steel guitar. Bryan Trenis’s dramatic keyboards and, “approximate vegetarianism,” help to portray the lonesome yet confident quality of Great Elk’s sound. They have self- released two EP’s, handing out limited editions to lucky show-goers this past February, and are currently on tour in Portland, Oregon, but will soon return to their home of Brooklyn.