There aren’t really right or wrong ways to discover a great local band, but the way I found out about The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger was as bizarre as their name. I was browsing through some Portland, Oregon venue listings in search of artists to nominate for our Portland upcomin poll, when I stumbled upon this duo – what the heck were they doing playing so far from home? I actually wished for a second they were based in Portland (as I was having trouble finding poll nominees…) but no, their Myspace profile is pretty clear about the band’s location: New York, NY. Now that I think of it, listening to the duo’s celestial alt-folk and their beautiful harmonizations, their sophisticated, dreamy songs and lirycs reminiscent of awesome early Momus, I realized that this was actually a Christmas present from the Gods of music (or, rather, from the One Christian God’s music department…) Well, thank you so much whoever it was, this made my (holi)day!

P.S. After writing this I found out that this is Sean Lennon’s new project, which partially spoiled the surprise…

A staple of Long Island’s growing movement of DIY artists, Rice Cultivation Society has been the writing and recording vehicle for song-writer/multi-instrumentalist Derek Smith since 2005. RCS’ music is notable for it’s incorporation of diverse musical elements and genres, such as delta-blues, guitar rock, found sounds, jazz, pop, and folk. The lyrics often paint a picture of the world in which every experience, person, and thing has a vivid and inexplicable interior life, where ideas and events connect where they are least expected to. The combination creates songs with an overall sense of warmth and character that invite the listener to get lost inside of their twists and turns, both in meaning and form. Rice Cultivation’s 4th album “Leaves Again” was recorded in the summer of 2010 . The stark and often minimalist approaches of previous albums are inverted into lush full band arrangements, and tend to venture much more into rock territory (such as "Seaturtles" and "Louis Leakey’s Sink").Rice Cultivation Society will be performing at Arlene’s Grocery on Wednesday (12/22) at Arlene’s Grocery, and at The Rock Shop on February 26. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Brooklyn duo Acrylics have joined the indie pop roster of Brooklyn based label Friendly Fire Recordings (Violens, The Concretes, Oh No Ono) for the co-release of their debut full-length, "Lives and Treasure", scheduled for March 1st through. The band will be playing some noteworthy gigs in the next month, tonight (12.22) at the Knit with Chairlift, on January 8th at The Rock Shop in Gowanus and on January 22 at the Bowery with the Concretes.

Deli-ers, Deli-ettes, and Deli-animals,

We took the opportunity of the slow(er) holiday season to redesign our website, but if you are a regular, to see the new version you should hit the Refresh button on your browser while holding the Shift key – this will get rid of all the old cached images. You can also click here to refresh the page. Hope you likey! Happy Holidays!

The Deli’s Staff

NYC electro funksters Comandante Zero just announced the completion of their new EP, which will be released on January 18 with a party at the Manhattan’s own hub for all things related to electro and world music – Nublu. There will be digital illustrations and a whole bunch of special guests – the show starts at 9.  A wek later the band will also travel to LA a  to play a gig at Harvardwood LA College.

Take a quick gander at this oh-so-convivial new video for “No Season For Reason” by melodic indie rockers The Great Collide. Tinsel, sparkly lights and a song with classic, old-timey charm is sure to put you in a festive mood, and you can download the song for free here. – Jessica Pace

After appearing at the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival a few weeks ago, NYC dico wizard Penguin Prison just released a 7" of his single "Golden Train", a track that chugs along fueled by synth, percussion and Penguin Prison’s signature voice. The single is already available for download online, but only 300 copies of the 7" will circulate worldwide. These vinyls are so coveted that the guys from Holy Ghost! tweeted, "Save a copy please." If fans cannot grab a copy, they won’t have to wait too long for Penguin Prison’s next album, which Neon Gold Record said will be released early next year. Here’s the link to order the 7". The Penguin will be touring the west coast with his band in January supporting Girl Talk. – Abigail P. Devora

“Amy Seeley’s songs unfold like a story you can’t put down and end up missing your stop three times for.” – last.fm

We agree. Amy Seeley is one of those unique songwriters who grabs you from the very first note.  With a delicate and unassuming style, her songs balance easily in the worlds of folk and jazz. While the obvious influences of Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, and Sarah McLachlan are present it does not overwhelm her own individual style.

On the heels of her 2008 release, Eight Belles, she’s got a new album, Plum Coulee coming out this month. Recorded in the heart of Montana last winter, it is a remarkable collection of ten songs that continue her tradition of poignant lyrics and beautiful arrangements that will shine through any weather to come this season. – Veronica Medici

Hooray for Earth crafts a sonic galaxy of varied synthpop tunes with a rock ‘n’ roll flair on its latest EP Momo. The six celestial songs on the EP demonstrate that the band has come light-years from its Boston origins. On Momo, the band reduced the weighty, noisy drone that was pervasive on its self-titled album and Cellphone EP to welcome a lighter, mellower fare that elevates listeners to a higher plane. The euphoric “Surround By Your Friends” sets the tone of the EP with its expansive, sprightly synths and transcendent vocals that greets listeners with open arms. Although the EP is more pop-oriented than its predecessors, on “Comfortable, Comparable,” the band doesn’t pass up on the opportunity to shred and the quick turn in style works in its favor. The quartet really excels in assembling builds to fantastic, epic releases that feels like you’re racing through space, and at the end of the song, you’ve finally arrived at your destination: Earth. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.

In just one year, Danish pop star and NYC newcomer Oh Land has seamlessly danced her way into the Brooklyn music scene. After the former Danish ballerina’s career was cut short by injury, Oh Land reignited her passion for music and instantly took to exploring the psychedelic pop rock sound that has captivated audiences and made her a hit not only in her native Denmark, but in the US as well.  Her songs are laced with fairytale elements, heavy dance beats, and experimental rock, lyrically exploring the stories that have inspired both her movement and song.  Oh Land’s most recent EP, the self-titled Oh Land, produced by Dave McCracken, Dan Carey and Lester Mendez is a delightful assembly of innovative sounds, haunting melodies, and quirky machines. Her video for “Sun of a Gun” has been nominated for The Best Freshman Video at mtvU, and she has been lighting up the stage throughout her northeast fall tour.  A perfect blend of funk and class, the style and grace of this genetically gifted pop singer is sure to make even two left feet move right. – Read nancy Chow’s interview with Oh Land here.

Since their formation, Baltimore’s Solar Temple Suicides have slowly been perfecting their own brand of drugged out, spacey haze. They preach long and tall effects-laiden, psychedelic lessons culled from ancient Yajurvedas of transformation and trial by fire, thrust from the sun to the outer edges of the universe. Their unabashed space rock tendencies and hallucinatory walls of sound drive their high volume live shows. Not fitting neatly into any extant mold, Solar Temple Suicides gather their influences together to form their own nebula.

This Saturday, STS held a release party at the Hexagon in Baltimore for their debut LP, Sentinels of the Heliosphere. It was self-recorded and produced at Studio 14 in the winter and spring of 2010, and released December 14th on Sleepy Records, with an east coast tour to follow in early 2011.

NYC-stas,

Who said that indie rockers have to lower themselves to listening to crappy/useless holiday music every end of December? The Deli this year gives all discerning NYC years the opportunity to check out some deliciously noisy emerging NYC artists – at Pianos on Tuesday 12.21. Here’s the lineup with links – hope to see you there!

8.00 Telenovelas
9.00 Quilty
10.00 Gross Relations
11.00 Lost Boy?

The Deli’s Staff