Now – in case you didn’t get this yet – in a blogosphere where adoration of exclusively "diluted" (read "very accessible") indie music abounds, The Deli NYC proudly keeps a weak spot for artists with balls – figuratively speaking, of course. When we say balls we mean the courage to play it UN-safe, to take risks without outsourcing musicality, to make an effort to be truly, truly, truly unique and not just pretty or moving or powerful or "kewl". I guess we are talking about being "subversive" – in a sense that’s stripped of political meaning and charged with an artistic one. We feel like this experimental approach is the common denominator to the greatest acts this city expressed. This is why we like Marnie Stern. The most unpredictable and original lady of the NYC music scene is releasing a new album on October 2nd.

Hooray for Earth‘s music definitely remains faithful to their optimistic name. The Brooklyn-based combo plays an extremely personal, sunny yet dreamy brand of electronic pop (by the way, as wake-dreaming in the sun is called a "mirage", I think we could label their music "mirage-synth-pop", which sounds pretty cool if you ask us – besides, there must a quadrillion "psych-pop" and "synth-pop" acts out there). The band is currently keeping extremely busy with 2 shows in NYC (tonight 07.22 at Cake Shop and tomorrow 07.23 at Coco66) and with a tour in support of their EP Momo starting in mid August opening for ex-Grandaddy member Admiral Radley. Grandaddy was actually another obvious "mirage-synth-pop", although they weren’t as "synthy" as Hooray for Earth.

Being a couple for nine years and writing music together for five, it is no wonder Andy Simmons (guitar/vocals) and Holly MacGibbon’s (keys/vocals) musical collaboration My Other Friend is filled with a raw passion and high energy. The band, mostly made of trained actors, plays dramatic and dynamic rock with occasional folky tinges. They are finally about to release their debut album with a party at Mercury Lounge on July 26th.

If New York’s music scene were summed up in two words, they would be Black Taxi. Kind of dirty, a little poppy, and VERY danceable, these Brooklynites fashion some of the most undeniably contagious music around. Each member brings to the table a style all his own, lending to Black Taxi’s widespread appeal and simultaneously distinct qualities, evident on their 2009 release, “Things of That Nature.” Lead vocalist Ezra Huleatt adds trumpet, keys, glockenspiel, and an array of noise-making gadgets to the mix that embellish Bill Mayo’s smooth backing vocals and virtuoso guitar skills, while Krisana Soponpong’s disco-infused bass lines interlace with Jason Holmes’s detailed drumming and resonant vocals. With finesse, Black Taxi compose songs of unmatched addictiveness, including “Shoeshine,” “Up Here for Thinking, Down There for Dancing,” “It’s a Ball,” and “Love Song for Ghost.” Revised fan-favorites from the band’s first two EP’s, “Pretty Mama,” “Head on a Pike” and “Wanted Man” remain staples in Black Taxi’s sets at their eye-catching, awe-inspiring shows. – Read Meijin Bruttomesso interview with the band here.

Naked Hearts‘ full length debut "Mass Hysteria" was The Deli’s CD of the Month in May 2010. To fully appreciate the duo’s talent for melancholic indie pop gems you might want to wait for the fall – which every stereotype indicates as the most melancholic of seasons. But good music is good music, even in the hottest NYC summer on record. – Read Claire Marie Le Bihan interview with the band here.

Well, we don’t get to mention the word "Emmy" too often here at The Deli – we are way too humble (read "snobbish in some sort of reversed way") to cover that kind of stuff. But Kelly Scarr, an emerging, talented Brooklyn-based singer songwriter, gave us the perfect excuse to mention this Award by being nominated for her work as a composer on the HBO documentary "In A Dream." Kelly met director Jeremiah Zagar at an East Village bar – and that’s when the collaborative spark began. The lady sure has an interesting voice and is not afraid to take the twangy ballad concept to extremes of slowness and intimate intensity. Her debut album "Piece" will be out on Silence Breaks Records on July 27.

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).

Brooklyn’s Small Black is a duo (live there are more players involved) that creates synth-y lo-fi love songs (it sounds like love, anyway — maybe they’re singing about hate, but I doubt it) using a couple of casios and some beat machines. The vocals are the kind that, again, sounds like they’re sung from a Fisher-Price microphone. But here, that sound definitely works (sometimes that sound is definitely annoying, as I’m sure you know).
Small Black works better than a lot of the other people rocking the "hot new old sound" of lo-fi because their melodies are just so damn pretty. Sure, there’s some roughness and scratchiness with the way it’s recorded (an aesthetic choice), but really when we talk about Small Black we’re talking about beauty.
So just saying "lo-fi" doesn’t give these guys a whole lot of credit. Gosh, I love pretty songs. Seriously, is there anything better in this life? Pizza is pretty good, but not as good as a pretty song. – www.ohmyrockness.com

Those who work in fields related to music reviewing are familiar with (and often allergic to) the celebratory phrases used by PR people to describe the artists they are trying to pitch for coverage. PR guys of course are doing their job by trying to make you believe that their artists are absolutely outstanding, often using ready made sentences that are supposed to have a certain effect: "catapulted the band into [something awesome here]" is one of the most abused. This is why we couldn’t help but laugh out loud when our Open Blog users El Jefe vs. Demons introduced this fun/creepy video (that would benefit from a chorus by the way) with this blurb:

"This is the new El Jefe vs. Demons video for "Meant to be Creepy" which will be on the new album, which is yet to be titled. The video was shot & edited by none other than infamous filmmaker Joey Angerone, who has done many short films, music videos & documentaries. This album will be the follow-up to the debut album "Death, Blood & the Guts" which catapulted the band into obscurity. Enjoy the video & be creeped out!" – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

New Jersey’s Atlantic/Pacific formed in the summer of 2008 when long time friends Garrett Klahn (from Texas is the Reason)and John Herguth (from House & Parish) began kicking around a few songs in Garrett’s Brooklyn apartment. Soon after, Atlantic/Pacific started performing in NY and Europe with projections of 70s skateboarders and surfers playing behind them – will those ever be passe`? The band did shows with Mercury Rev, Neil Halstead, Chamberlain, and Walter Schreifels. Recently joined by Ian Love (Rival Schools), the trio will release in October Meet Your New Love, their debut full length album, under No Sleep Records

A product of that Williamsburg based rehearsal-recording-studio+guitar pedal manufacturing workshop+venue+apartment+record label called Death By Audio, Sisters were one of the first local acts to adopt that non-chalantly lo-fi style that is now commonly accepted as THE Brooklyn DIY sound. Their noise pop owes to Dinosaur Jr and early Pavement (which is basically like saying that these guys know how to write great pop songs and strum an electric guitar) although the "fi" factor is definitely a notch lower here – as you can tell from their gritty myspace tracks. Recently signed to NYC mainstay independent label Narnack Records, the band will release their (overdue) debut CD just in time for CMJ. Check them out at Silent Barn on July 29.

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).

We liked solo Luke Temple just fine. His high pitched vocals on banjo layered records like Hold a Match for a Gasoline World and Snowbeast recalled Sufjan Stevens. Then came side project Here We Go Magic, and the sound of Temple fleshing out his potential. The voice was still considerably frail, but the psychedelic guitars and progressive arrangements beefed up his sound to unrecognizable heights. Still, we never twigged Temple as someone capable of dropping ‘Collector’, the first single off Here We Go Magic’s sophomore album Pigeons. The revolving guitar swirls and muted drums are so hypnotic one can forget what good fun the whole thing is. And that hook!? “I’ve got a mild fascination / for collectors”. It’s basically the only understandable lyric on the whole track, but one that rattles around your head for days. – By Dean Van Nguyen

New York gypsy folk act Aunt Ange are currently giving away the track "Circles" from their upcoming 3rd album "Olga Walks Away" in exchange for signing up for their mailing list. You can sign up via the reverbnation widget here or on myspace. They will also be selling the first single "Crucify" digitally and at all performances starting with their July 29th show at the Charleston in Williamburg with Ellis Ashbrook and Survivalsuit. In case you haven’t heard of Aunt Ange yet, here is a music video for the track "Raining Ashes" form their previous album Apathia. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).