Clare Burson plays simple, twangy ballads that subtly reinvent Americana, standing clear of sterile country cliches, and instilling in the genre a powerful dose of melancholy. So powerful that the song "Goodbye My Love" (embedded here) may prove to be a dangerous listening experience on a rainy day like this… But, unlike many other pop-obsessed blogs out there, The Deli is – and always will be – proud to celebrate the beauty of sophisticated sad music (our recent Lia Ices cover can testify that once for all). Clare’s melodies are supported by her gentle alto, at times reminiscent of an early Joni Mitchell with a slight lower register. Clare is currently playing a residency at Rockwood Music Hall (see her there on May 25 and 29th.)

Shenandoah Ableman has the rare ability to turn any genre into sexy time. Comfortable singing in front of styles ranging from German cabaret to doo wop, her quintet Shenandoah and the Night are bringing sexy back… one sultry style at a time. The band’s new self-titled debut EP showcases this sensuality with deep confidence, but the best way to really feel the heat is to see the band live. Along with Melati Malay, Electric Child, Beast Make Bomb, Yankee Bang Bang and 5 hours of other up and coming female fronted NYC emerging bands, Shenandoah and the Night will be playing as part of the Deli’s Best of NYC Fest May 28 at Spike Hill – this will also double as their EP release party. Their next show isn’t scheduled until July, so show some love and come on out. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Tuesday’s show at Mercury Lounge might be just what you need to get distracted from this unexpected, S.A.D. syndrome inducing week of dreadful weather. Project Jenny, Project Jan and Murder Mystery (pictured), two of the most unapologetically upbeat and fun NYC pop bands, will perform at the best sounding LES venue and then share a trip through the east coast for 3 dates tour. Murder Mystery will also perform at 3rd Ward’s 5th year anniversary party on May 21 at 4 pm.

Mp3: Murder Mystery – Problems

"Verisimilitude" is what Brooklyn’s Dead Leaf Echo calls their soon to be released EP of high profile remixes. Allowing other noteworthy musicians to re-imagine some of their more well know tracks, the results are creative and dynamic. The Elika mix of "Half Truth" emphasizes a sparse industrial percussion track with rising and falling background vocals, and features an added phrase at the end – “it’s calling out to me – so silent you can see – you tore apart, tore apart – you went through my heart”. “Woogathering” Mark Van Hoen remix opens sans any percussion at all, focusing on a buzzing background while lead vocals are pushed through a similarly buzzy filter. Clean, clock-meter percussion and pulsing synths create further audio motion for the listener. "Half Truth" Spry! remix rises from the misty depths as synth lines trade playfully with cut up and repeated vocal snips. "Act of Truth" Rx Gibbs falling away dub mix presents a full on wall of background vocals with driving percussion front and center. Slithery bass guitar creates an alternate motion while vocals faded in and out of the mix join with rushing synth pads. The EP will be relased on May 31st on Custom Made records, and the band play a release party at Pianos on May 19. – Dave Cromwell

It’s been a long time coming. The East Coast / West Coast / Dirty South rivalry in the hip hop game has been a tool of media sensationalism and a catalyst for violence for long enough. The time has come for the styles to merge, the characteristics defining each area code bleeding into each other generating an era of hip hop where artists are finally celebrated for their individual skill and artistry. Max Burgundy is one of these prospectors braving the new frontier. From his West-coast delivery and pronunciation you would never imagine that he was born in the Bronx and now lives in Brooklyn. However, his East-coast beats bump with a levity that sets them apart from the scores of “hard” beats prevailing in the NYC scene. He’s like the missing member of Living Legends transplanted to the birthplace of the art, his deep baritone calling out to the masses to join him in the march towards global unification. He rocked Arlene’s Grocery last week, check out his twitter profile for upcoming gigs.

Mp3: Max Burgundy – "Hey Love"

Click on the cover image (or here) to get to the pdf file – it’s The Deli’s Best of NYC issue!

This week is the week before the week of Memorial Day Weekend Vacation. So, you know what that means, right? It means you’ve totally forgotten about this week and you need plans, that’s what it means.

But fret not, loyal Deli reader. Alex Vans will be at Velvet Lounge with The Go and the Brooklyn-based, Arcade Fire-esque art rock band, My Other Friend on Tuesday, the 17th. I recognize that there were a lot of nouns in that sentence, so let’s recap:

Alex Vans
My Other Friend
The Go

Tuesday, 5/17 7:30 PM
Velvet Lounge
$8

This is going to be a great show to see in the intimacy of Velvet Lounge, so be there!

–Jarrett

Deep from the frost of the long winter a new band has emerged with a broad primeval sound, plotting for you to step on and blow your little urban mind. Snowmine may have been covered up in the studio for over a year but now they’re finally self-releasing their 1st record "Laminate Pet Animal" this month. It brings to mind a pastoral sweeping range of tones which go from longing drifting acoustics to electric drum patterns soaring with expansive horn sounds. Mixed by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket) this 9 song album brings exactly to mind the fruit of influences and will share them live with you a their CD release show at Pianos on May 14. See them also live at The Rock Shop on May 27 – Simon Heggie

Melancholy lovers, rejoice! Naked Hearts (Deli CD of the month some time last year) have a new dreamy single, and it’s free to stream on Bandcap, which means that your weekend is going to have some sun to it, notwithstanding the weather forecast. The band is playing Glasslands on May 19 with Keepaway (Deli cover band in the Fall issue 2010) & She Keeps Bees (also awesome). Be there!

Formerly known as GAMES, Joel Ford and Daniel Lopatin recently rebranded themselves due to complications in trademarking the original name. Choosing to go by simply their surnames might be indicative of this struggle, but stripping away their old identity has done nothing to soften the duo’s sound. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s feature on the band here.

The Lower East Side, NYC based Prospector (formerly Doppelganger) play a refreshing brand of rock and roll that is smart, riff-based and with a healthy dose of swagger. R. Francis (guitar), Ryan Oh-No (drums / vocals) and Joey Hamm (bass) seem to draw their inspiration from classic guitar bands of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Their debut EP "Get It Over With Already" is chock full of this vibe. – Read Dave Cromwell’s interview with the band here. Prospector, winner of The Deli’s band of the month in October 2011, will be playing the Deli’s NYC B.E.A.F. 2011 at Cameo on May 26 with Ravens & Chimes, Dream Diary, Invisible Days, Dinowalrus and Translations.

A fixture of Brooklyn’s art scene since 1997, Oneida may be one of one of the borough’s oldest continuing art rock ensembles. An institution of sorts, the band has always been out in front of the trends, from Sonic Youth-inspired noise to the complicated rhythms influencing a lot of what we hear today on labels like Thrill Jockey.
For the last couple years, they’ve embarked on a hugely ambitious 200 minute, 3-part epic ambiguously titled album "The Thank Your Parents Triptych." The previous two installments have been high on concept, low on initiation. But with their latest record, Absolute II, the sounds I usually look for in this group are nowhere to be found.
The most striking change being the total absence of drumming throughout. For me, one of Oneida’s highlights has always been the frenetic energy of drummer Kid Millions, so to not hear his kit at all was an unexpected departure. After listening through several times though, I found the lack of rhythm beds and patterned hooks in these four tracks surprisingly meditative. ‘Grey Area’ for instance, makes me imagine an electric razor is rolling around my brain… (in a good way). Opener ‘Pre-Human’ hints at a huge sonic landscape, while maintaining a soft, relaxing pulse throughout. This is a physical record, and needs to be walked around in, lived in for some time before you’re able to get a feel for its dense, complex landscape.
Check out the the first single ‘Horizon’ at Oneida’s bandcamp here to get an idea of where they’ve taken things for yourself. The album comes out June 7 on Jagjaguwar. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)