“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

If you haven’t had the chance to check out the Showpaper 42nd Street Gallery (in the picture, which believe it or not, is in Manhattan), you should – it’s a pop-up video arcade complete with homemade DIY video games, art installations, live music and more. Tonight the Showpaper/BabyCastles Team and BirdDog present a show of infectious indie rock, country-punk, and electronic pop with Diehard, GunFight!, Life Size Maps (bottom picture), and Magic Man (Boston), all organized by Showpaper, BirdDog Promo and the Babyscasltes collective. Read a Time Out article about the place here.

HOOL has played in office parking garages, shipping containers, hospital rooms, industrial lofts, haylofts, storm drains, in the quiet canyons of California, under the autumn leaves of western New York, and on sheep farms in the green heart of Holland. This Sunday December 19, they play in the abandoned convent of St. Cecilia in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Doors at 7p, Walker Lukens opens at 8p, and HOOL starts at 9p. 21 Monitor Street, Brooklyn. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Grails, the long running out-rock quartet from Portland, OR, will release their long anticipated 5th album, Deep Politics, on Temporary Residence Limited March 8th, 2011. The eight song set was conceived during the band’s longest-ever gestation period between albums, a fact immediately reflected in the increased compositional depth, intensified use of fetishistic cut-and-paste production techniques (akin to those employed by RZA and MF Doom), and the striking inclusion of lush string arrangements (courtesy of acclaimed composer Timba Harris). Broadening their already staggering aesthetic palette, the new album bares the indelible stamp of 70’s Italian film scores and obscure occult/fringe library music, cultivating an immersive environment that inspires both an eternal sense of longing and an impending sense of dread.

On Sunday, December 19, NYC’s Pianos will be filled with holiday cheer and the rock ‘n roll spirit of four of New York’s top alt rock bands, during a show organized by The Deli’s pwn rocking grrrl/writer Meijin. Heating up the LES venue with their small-band, big-sound, sultry rock is the mighty duo, The Courtesy Tier. Blackbells take the stage and continue to ring in the rock with their psychedelic, retro-vibes, and Apollo Run will stun with heartwarming harmonies and dramatic dynamics. Social Hero (pictured) tops off the evening with heavier riffs and wild stage antics. The show is sure to be a highlight of the winter and a perfect way to close 2010. Doors are at 8pm; show is 21+ and $10.

Our readers interested in folky, loving music might be already familiar with Family of the Year, a Silver Lake, LA based band that’s been getting quite a lot of buzz recently. With the help of social event planners The Society the band just shot this 100% live acoustic video at a party in LA, and will be playing in town again on January 31 at The Bootleg Theater.

Elizabeth and the Catapult are back with their charmin rootsy pop and a video on the lines of the Beauty and the (sad grey little) Beast. You can see them live at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 01.15.

Doveman is one of the artists who best incarnates the Deli-invented genre of "Mellow Core" – see our Top 300 mellow Core chart here. His songs are too slow and moody to be affiliated with the simple "Pop" genre, but too sophisticatedly poppy to be categorized under the "Singer Songrwriter" label. One thing is out of doubt though, they are mellow – very mellow for that matter, but with an edge. Now, isn’t "core" a word that has come to express some kind of edge? There you go then, Mellow Core! (Way better than Soft-Core that kinda porny…). The bird man is actually in very good company in the Mellow Core NYC "niche" – featuring other incredibly talented artists we love like Lia Ices, Chris Garneau, Dark Dark Dark, and Twin Sister.
Doveman just announced that he will be taking part to "The Burgundy Stain Sessions" at Le Poisson Rouge, a monthly series of collaborative concerts featuring Doveman and friends. These shows will be a forum for the artist and his friends to try out new material, showcase new bands, explore new collaborations, and drink. Each month there will be a different set of guests (although there will be plenty of repeat performers) a completely new show, and as the series goes on, expect to see not just other musicians, but writers, filmmakers, visual artists and more.

P.S. By the way, while I was writing this blurb for some reason I ended up Googling "Mellow Core" to discover that… Reverb Nation now has it among their genres!!! Not only, there is a website called "mellowcore.com"; a band on PureVolume.com says that "they helped pioneer the latest musical genre, Mellow Core" – say what? There’s even a band called "Mellow Core" – although they say they are a mellow punk band – that’s no "mellow core" according to the inventors of the genre, punks!