We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

The band that graced the cover of our Deli Summer 2009 issue won’t please those who love sparse music that conveys delicate emotions, nor the traditional alt rockers and their epic needs. Buke and Gass is a band that lives in a parallel musical world, where originality – for once – is not a wasted word. The duo truly brings the DIY concept to the next level: they build their own instruments (pedal and amps included) and master them to perfection, creating a huge wall of wonderful distorted sound that can’t be compared to any band we are aware of. Arone Dyer’s vocals are amongst the most powerful and versatile in the NYC scene, ranging from PJ Harvey-ish full aggression to the Bjorky "I’m a little helpless girl" kinda thing (by the way, yes, she is also cute). The songs are complex but not inaccessible, filled with memorable melodies and intricate rhythms that still have the power to get your lazy NYC legs to jump. 
Buke and Gass recently signed to Brasslands, they will surely be one of the NYC bands to whatch this fall (debut full length out in September..

Brooklyn beauties, Semi Precious Weapons, are no strangers to The Deli, snagging “CD of the Month” in 2006, “Artist of the Month” in 2007, the cover in 2008, and reviews in between.  However, in the last two years, the quartet has blossomed beyond most rock bands’ wildest dreams. Supporting Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour, releasing both an EP and “You Love You” within six months of each other, and rising to iconic rock ‘n roll status worldwide, SPW have become the 21st century “fab four.”  In NYC for just a week for two gigs with Gaga, an exclusive after-party performance at Hudson Hotel catering to fans who were left in the sold-out shows’ dust, and as well as a short set and signing at Union Square’s Best Buy, SPW demonstrate genuine appreciation for their supporters. Consistently gracious, Justin Tranter (vocals), Cole Whittle (bass/vocals), Dan Crean (drums), and Stevy Pyne (guitar/vocals) spent some of their very precious time on the road to catch up with The Deli. – Read Meijin interview with the Justin Tranter from SPW here.

"I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow of Your Heart" is the fourth single from APTBS‘s "Exploding Head" CD. Directed by Sian Alice Group’s Ben Crook (Spiritualized, Fratellis, Black Lips) the video was shot during the band’s London show on May 25th, 2010 and marks the first official appearance of NEW bass player Dion. Don’t miss their "home" party at Death By Audio on August 19.

The instrumental music played by Steve Marion, aka Delicate Steve, is strange and wonderful. His first full length album “Wondervisions” – released after a 10 year career of recording, producing and playing with other bands – features sonic delights only a "wise" musician/producer could conjure up. On the song “Butterfly”, a rapid beatbox percussion sets the table for his dobro-like slide guitar styling, which are then filled out with emotive chord progressions. Gentle interludes on traditional sounding guitars (reminiscent of, say, Jimmy Page’s quieter moments) bridge it all to a joyous conclusion full of synthetic strings and percussions. “Attitude/Gratitude” blends flowing arpeggio keyboard lines with additional rich acoustic guitar. “The Ballad of Speck and Pebble” incorporates a funky horse-hop-like bass guitar and shaker percussion to bright guitar phrasing. Open guitar chords are strummed with synth pads extending each note, creating warm emotional textures. It’s clearly well crafted studio work, yet the primary guitar playing (especially the single note licks and riffing on top) sound loose and jammy. The perfect blend. Delicate Steve will be playing a September residency at Union Pool – do not miss. – Dave Cromwell

Currently touring the United States, Phosphorescent will play dates at the End of the Road, Take Root, and Leffingeleuren festivals in Europe, before they return to the U.S. for a performance at Treasure Island Festival in October. The band just released their first video from the album "Here’s To Taking It Easy". Directed by Natalie Johns of Dig For Fire TV, the video was shot over numerous shows, practices, and hang outs leading up to and through the release of the new album.

Yes, they did, although no one really got that memo. Besides that, PS1’s daytime series was a success: the weather was great, the art exhibition was open to concertgoers, and the beautifully groomed hipsters were out to play. We got there early, sat on the hot pavement and watched some great DJ’s (Babe Rainbow, CFCF, Prince Rama) do their thing. It was a chill environment: people drinking and chatting, a couple drifters dancing by themselves. The day went on and the dancing got a little crazier and semi-creepy. Then these two dudes came on: their set was really good, not too overwhelming but very enjoyable. They incorporated an eclectic mix of electronica, ranging from Boards of Canada compositions to some rap and oldies remixes to deeper, heavier house. Brooklyn-based Blondes (pictured) followed this duo: another set with good beats and head-bobbing audience reactions. But where was Animal Collective? Did they show up? Oh…it was those two dudes (a.k.a. Deakin and Avey Tare) we really liked. Oops! Although we didn’t get to hear the 2009 hyped up hit, “My Girls,” or any other tracks from Merriweather (or other albums for that matter), the Warm Up experience, overall, still rocked. So hit it up, next Saturday, August 7th. – Alex Daly

We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

Sounding anything but decrepit old flesh baking in the sand, Beach Fossils‘ music is more likely to soundtrack the Frisbee tossing fun at the seaside. Their "jpy jpy" attitude can’t be hidden underneath the music’s rusty, lo-fi exterior. These are happy riffs for happy people. Take the song "Vacation" (how much more summertime do you want?) The band somehow turns a twisted, slightly out of tune riff and heavily manipulated vocals into pure sunshine. A sure sign that Beach Fossils couldn’t do dark and dreary even if they wanted to. – Dean Van Nguyen

Former Woods/Meneguar songwriter Christian DeRoeck will be playing Cake Shop with his new band Little Gold next Wednesday, August 11th along with Texas’ Fergus and Geronimo (recent signees to Sub Pop imprint Hardly Art). Haven’t heard Little Gold yet? The material is definitely more upbeat than average Woods songs, and less punky than Meneguar’s ones: it’s DIY indie pop!

EL-P, preeminent producer and founder of Def Jux records, is back to rock the apocalypse. The “Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx” series, like Atmosphere’s “Sad Clown Bad Dub” releases, began as a mishmash of outtakes and instrumental throwaways released on a limited CD and sold on the road as tour support. Lucky for us all, fans of El-P don’t discriminate between his lyrical productions and his instrumental wallops. In effect, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the third installment of El-Producto’s signature psycho-space funk. It’s being released on August 3rd by Gold Dust Media, and if it’s anything like its precursors, you can expect gooey synths, gritty drum breaks, and a delightful spread of cacophony ideal for cleaning oil off of dying pelicans. – BrokeMC

Julian Lynch’s most recent LP, Mare, is pure atmosphere. It’s a record you listen to when establishing a natural and relaxed type of setting – chilling outside on the porch, drinking wine, smoking some pot, doing the nature thing. But inside the confines of the dimly lit, slightly smelly basement of the Delancey last night, Julian Lynch’s set was far more impressive both sound and music wise. There’s a powerful intimacy to the music live – it’s all about mood, about ambient movement and organic energy. After taking their time doing the sound check, fucking with their guitars amidst clashing, loungey background music, Julian Lynch blasted into their first song. They jammed through the first, went on to the second, and so on, just jamming. This band is all about instrumentals; heck, even the echoey, primal vocals were instrumental in themselves. And that’s what makes this band so great, so unique. Because, after all, it’s all you want to listen to when hanging out on a couch in the chilly darkness, on a Sunday night in the summer.

In most cases the difference between a musician and a wanna-be is the amount of struggle one is available to put up with in order to keep making music. It’s probably also the (always painful and challenging) acceptance that a music career cannot be judged by the bourgeois standards we all use on a daily basis to define what is successful or not. Choosing the rock’n’roll experience can mean living in a car for 5 years, traveling the country by yourself to play intimate shows, having the self discipline to write 365 songs a year, and the strength of being a team of one. This is what makes Paleo a real indie musician. "A View Of The Sky" is his third effort. The songs contained therein (vivid scrawls of a remarkable mind) are the first compositions he made following a marathon year – it is also Paleo’s first collaboration with Partisan Records out of Brooklyn, NY– home to Deer Tick, JBM, Mountain Man, and more. For a taste of the new album, check out this mp3.

We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

In a Brooklyn full of up-and-coming female artists, Van Etten’s sparse yet powerfully passive expressiveness creates a magnetic pull-quality that seems to set her apart. This is most un-rushed stuff I’ve heard in a long time – all while being totally captivating. The slow-paced, hypnotic melodies and harmonies, backed only by an acoustic guitar and set alongside self-reflective lyrics, are by no means boring. Getting utterly lost in the thoughtfully slow-paced arrangements isn’t a voluntary reaction Put that Xanax away – Van Etten’s soft falsetto and meditative melodies will calm both mind and soul. – On August 2, Sharon will be performing at a new venue/bar just next to Brooklyn Lyceum on 4th ave, called The Rock Shop. It’s a cool space, we recommend you check it out.