Though Seattle’s folk favorites Dutchess & The Duke have folded, the beat goes on for frontman Jesse Lortz.  Lortz is back with a new solo album under the guise of Case Studies.  The World is Just a Shape to Fill the Night is a venerable attempt to instantiate Lortz into the upper echelons of talented songwriters who’ve struck it out alone- Leonard Cohen may be a stretch, but certainly Townes Van Zandt comparisons can be within reach.  Recorded with Greg Ashley (Gris Gris) and with help from friends including Crystal Stilts’ Keegan Cooke on drums and guitar, The World is Just a Shape to Fill the Night is a well-tempered solo debut that slowly sinks its hooks into you with repeated listens.  The album is out now on Sacred Bones.    

The Brooklyn-based four-piece Virgin Forest, featuring members of Phosphorescent, will be releasing their debut full-length in January, 2012. The band plays gentle chill-folk with jazzy accents. Stream or download the mp3 "South Beach" below and go see them live at The Knit on August 16 – opening for One Hundred Dollars.

Mp3: Virgin Forest: "South Beach"

Not many artists force me into the uncomfortable position of waxing philosophical about their performance.  I don’t like it because it conjures bad memories of drinking coffee at 4am and yelling at a lamp.  You don’t like it because you feel like I’m drooling on you.  So thanks Theodore Robinson. Thanks much.
On a certain level, I’m concerned I’m just not hip enough. Be that as it may, there was a show where he dropped his guitar, galloped off stage, released a roll of tinfoil by the door.  He unraveled it like an astronaut with limited means repairing his ship.  He proceeded with sharpie, scrawling verses, one of which included the word Love.  The foil ripped, the mosquitoes played on, the experience was both kinky and heartrending.  At another show he adorned his band with squishy strobe light rings.  He killed the lights and howled; we wanted to howl along with him but when we opened our mouths no sound came out.  And then that show where he built a shrine for an exquisitely deceased crab…  He howls and turnips rage and if you listen closely enough, bizarre references emerge.  Tiny fountains of Japanese Pop, the Downtown Scene, Sorcery, pulsing underneath this carpet of deep blues, railroad hymns.  Ted makes me feel like I am at a birthday party in an EE Cummings poem.  He makes me want to do things like pass out cough drops to everybody on earth. – Catch Ted Robinson w/ Suspenders @ Zebulon on 8/22. – Valerie Kuehne

Drawing such comparisons to songwriting luminaries such as Joan Baez, Suzanne Vega, Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, Linda Draper has still managed to carved out a sound that is all her own. In the last several years, she has toured in the US and UK, and she has shared the stage with Regina Spektor, Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, Lucy Wainwright Roche, The One AM Radio and Theresa Andersson among others. Her next show will be at "happy hour time" at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn on Friday August 19. Doors open at 6 pm, Linda Draper kicks things off at 6:30 PM. – (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.

Two years ago, NYC via Copenhagen Mikkel Hess produced one of Time Out Magazine’s Top 10 Albums of 2009 on Nublu records: it was his debut under the moniker Hess Is More, offering smart, minimalist, and atmospheric electro-pop. Since then Hess has evolved this project, collaborating with local musicians and fellow Dane, co-writer/producer Rasmus Bille Bahncke on new album, "Creation Keeps the Devil Away", out on October 11. Find his single’s free download down here here. – Caitlin Clive

Mp3: Hess is more: "Creation Keeps the Devil Away"

Here’s the video for Milagres‘ "Here to Stay" single, out of their upcoming 2nd full length "Glowing Mouth", due in September on Kill Rock Stars Records.

I skimmed the press release for Little Gold’s new LP, Weird Freedom. There it was, in the second paragraph. "Folk feral enthusiasts." To be fair to whoever crafted this press release, it was referencing Woods, the old band of Little Gold’s leader, Christian DeRoeck. But the term is equally fitting for Little Gold. Folk with edge, a lo-fi swagger…I mean sometimes they even bust out the electric. The band is not really that much of a departure from Woods, the album even includes an old Woods song, "The Kid’s Got Heart", but, as Christian DeRoeck’s showcase, it’s a pretty impressive portfolio, and "Half the Time" (streming here) it’s a heck of a pop song. You can currently stream the entire "Weird Freedom" album here, its physical version will be released on the Loud Baby Sounds label on August 23, 2011. – allison levin

We just stumbled upon this video by Ford & Lopatin – Joel Ford and Daniel Lopatin’s project formerly known as GAMES. The video was released a few months ago but we must have missed it – yeah, we are not ashamed to say it, nor to promote it now! The band placed third in The Deli’sYear End Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists and were picked by legendary analogue synth manufacturers MOOG to play the MOOG Fest in October.

Seattle nerdcore trio Supercommuter will release its second album, Products of Science, on August 16th on the Burn the Stereo label. With this release, the band members have once again proven themselves to be masters of multi-tasking: the record was composed primarily during their daily commutes, the practice of which gave Supercommuter its name. To celebrate the release of Products of Science, the band will perform at PAX http://prime.paxsite.com/, a three-day festival for tabletop, videogame and PC gamers, on August 27th at the Paramount in Seattle. And, as the band did with its debut self-titled release, Supercommuter will donate all the net proceeds to Child’s Play, a game industry charity dedicated to providing toys and games to hospitalized children worldwide.

There’s a cool outdoor fest in Bushwick on Aug 27 & 28, presented by BirdDog productions and The Sky Report and sponsored by The Deli. It’s the second edition of annual Out In The Streets Music and Arts Festival. Over 16 indie and electro bands will invade Bushwick, filling Brooklyn Fireproof’s outdoor stage for two full days and nights of music. The fest features San Francisco darlings Lemonade headlining on Sunday night with quirky dance-synth melodies and experimental jam-outs. New York Times’ featured artist, Brooklynites and genre-benders New Villager will headline Saturday with progressively soulful vocals and throwback beats. Milagres, who are performing at this week’s L Mag SummerScreen, also light up Saturday’s bill through carefully-crafted nostalgic songs. Newcomers Tiny Victories expect to impress with their tasty electro hooks- expect to dance. Don’t forget about free (yes, FREE) Brooklyn Brewery beverages that will be served at the event.