So this review was supposed to be published on a sunny spring day, but it’s really gray out there. That might be a good thing nevertheless, because Mama Bear‘s "How We Go" is probably going to make some of you think of happy sunny days spent outdoors. Yeah, I know: it seems like every April all music reviewers MUST find their own album or song that perfectly incarnates the most enjoyable of seasons. Well we’ll embrace this habit fearlessly, and go ahead and say that Mama Bear is the perfect band to boost your appreciation of Spring 2010 – and that they stole our hearts. The band’s upbeat, folky tunes are catchy as hell, without lacking in intensity or intimacy, which makes them sound like a more fun and lighthearted version of 10,000 Maniacs. The simplicity and pop effectiveness of this band’s songs, the beauty of the melodies and Vivi’s outstanding voice and delivery might have the power to put an end to your SAD syndrome – for good. Don’t miss their record release party at The Studio at Webster on 04.14, AND… DOWNLOAD THE EP FOR FREE HERE NOW!

We were big fans of the Nanuchka’s theatrical pop – but then they split up. The band’s Israeli lead singer and multi instrumentalist Yula Beeri is now going the solo way with an album that (apparently) was not only recorded but also written in just 24 hours – now that’s what we call being extremely productive! On her side ex Blue Man Isaac Gardner and a bunch of talented musicians that call themselves "the Extended Family". Yula’s histrionic qualities are once again confirmed in the breathtaking – almost ska – single Back Off America. The release party of the CD (entitled "Dark Side of The Bee") promises to be entertaining – don’t miss it: April 23 at Santos Party House.

Steel Train is a cool NJ based avant-pop band that has been around for awhile but for some reason hasn’t been detected by our music radars until now. We like their openly pop songwriting contaminated by schizophrenic arrangements – which skillfully and playfully quote and juxtapose all sorts of musical references. In "Turnpike Ghost" for example, the preview track from their 5th release out in June, the band’s post/punk approach (reminiscent of some sort of Animal Collective/Clash hybrid) meets David Bowie’s attitude and dramatic delivery, and Queen’s wacky epic changes and guitar solos. The band will release a 7" limited edition vinyl of this song with a b-side cover of BULLETPROOF (by La Roux) for this year’s installment of Record Store Day (April 17th.) Currently on tour, Steel Train will be back live in NJ on April 30 for the Hoodwink Festival.

Freelance Whales don’t need any more introductions – here’s their first video of the song "Generator 2nd Floor". The band will release their debut CD on April 13 and play a sold out Bowery show that same night.

We’ve been following Mike Grubb’s Wakey!Wakey! project develop over the years through the various phases (from his solo beginnings to the current full band orchestration) and we are happy to see the man is finally reaping the benefits of all his hard work. Wakey!Wakey! play a mixture of orchestral pop and alt rock that speaks to the heart. Driven by the piano, the band’s songs develop in many different directions, sometimes flirting with the emotional intensity a’ la Coldplay, other times building up a more playful, bouncy approach reminiscent of early Elton John or pre–Broadway Billy Joel. You can catch the band "e-live" (attention, we will copyright this term!) on Facebook every Monday at 8pm until May 17, and "real-live" at the Bowery on May 20th.

We receive and gladly publish a message from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, presenting the new single "Say No to Love", which will be released digitally in early June:

"Just a quick update form the land of Pains to let you know what we’ve been up to. 2009 was so amazing, and 2010 is shaping up to be even better. We had so much fun touring Japan, Australia and New Zealand in February and in June we’ll be touring the US to support our new single coming out on Slumberland Records, "Say No to Love." Joining us will be two of our favorite new bands, Surfer Blood and Hooray for Earth. After that, it’s back home to New York to start making our next record!
In many ways, "Say No to Love" is pretty Pains-by-numbers. It’s got 3 chords, a fuzz pedal and lots of feelings. But instead of recording in the basement like we did for our album and both EPs, we recorded in an actual studio (Stratosphere Sound in New York). We tried hard to make it sound, as Peggy would say, "life affirming" and we’re pretty excited about how it turned out. We hope you are too. Oh, and before I forget– sea foam green vinyl!!! Thanks!!! – Kip, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Here at The Deli we have organized our very first Metal show – it was right about time after 5 years of live indieness and folkyness. We have a lineup of exciting (and of course loud local artists), including, SOS, the band of the man that writes pretty much all our metal reviews (Mike SOS).
Check out the line-up and come over next week to the Studio at Webster Hall to blast your ear drums with us – yay!

07.45 SOS
08.30 Ruby Bullet
09.15 Thinning The Herd
10.00 Descender
11.00 Wizardry
 

The end of 2009 saw a lot of bands like Real Estate, Washed Out, and Glass Ghost producing tired blissful sounds. It was like the whole crowd of music listeners had had a fantastic busy summer and wanted their winter music to remind them what drinking a clandestine beer on the beach was like. Glass Ghost plays syncopated tropicalía rhythms over warm, eccentric keyboard riffs. Eliot Krimsky sings with a bouncy falsetto croon not too distant from Thom Yorke’s timbre. – Read Andrew Spaulding’s interview with the band here.

We’ve always liked Samamidon‘s alt-country (and that’s one of the reasons why we made his debut album Deli CD of the month some time in 2008). His alt country – unlike the music of a more established band that coined the genre – is quite literally… alt country. This singer-banjoist’s repertoire is made up of re-arranged American folk songs, drawing simultaneously on his experiences growing up a child of folk musicians in Vermont and his more recent work in New York with the experimental indie-rock bands Doveman and Stars Like Fleas. Don’t miss the CD release party at 92YTribeca on April 10 – Doveman’s lead Thomas Bartlett will be the opena.

We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list here (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record sotre personnel and DJs). Many of the bands in this list will play The Deli’s Best of NYC Fest in Williamsbur on May (6 shows in 3 different venues between the 13 and the 15).

Blowing into Brooklyn from Kansas, We Are Country Mice front man Jason Krueger brought the dusty, county music sound with him. Krueger’s farm-boy background may be all over the band’s music (sample song title: ‘A Good Old Fashioned Barn Raising’), but hooking up with his new group in a new city has opened some creative doors. “I grew up in the one of the most rural settings there is and now live in a huge metropolis. Out here I’m challenged every day with new sounds yet my roots keep my feet grounded in the dirt. That push and pull can be found in our music.”  

Chappo is a NYC electro rock band with a new EP that meshes all sorts of influences, from the playful approach to music reminiscent of Beck to the spacey atmospheres of Air, to occasional funk rock rhythms, hip hop references and noisy distorted guitars. We really like the vocals attitude and the fun approach. Definitely worth checking out their live show at Glasslands on April 23.

Blank Dogs – a mainly a one-man recording project by songwriter Mike Sniper from Brooklyn, and currently a three-piece live band featuring Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh and Craig Mileski – play dark lo fi pop with cold synth lines, surfy guitar hooks and angular basslines. The band raised to "cult status" after releasing records on various labels including In The Red, Woodsist, Troubleman, Sacred Bones and the band’s own Captured Tracks imprint. The newest release is the 12" EP Phrases, just released on Captured Tracks. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on a new full-length album, which should see the light of day on the same label later this year.