Dragon Turtle released their debut album "Almanac" last week, and Fader mag liked it so much that they decided to premiere the video of their single "Broken Glass" – see it here. There is also a free mp3 available – which we actually prefer – here. It sounds a little like an ambient version of Dinosaur Jr.!
The Shake release new album, give away single for download for 1 week
To promote the release of their upcoming album, "The Shake Go Crazy," the New York foursome has launched a 1-week campaign allowing users to download the single, "Got No Soul," for free. The CD was the result of an entire summer of work with producer Gregory Lattimer (Albert Hammond Jr, Milo and The Fuzz). See the band live at Crash Mansion on 11.19. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).
Black Gold CD review – live at Hammertstein Ballroom on 11.22
Black Gold’s debut release, "Rush," plays to a variety of ears. Besides being pleasantly pop, Brooklynites Eric Ronick (vocals, keyboards) and Than Luu (drums, guitar, percussion, vocals), backed by guitarist Alistair Paxton and bass player Siggy, bring a spectrum of other personal influences and industry experience (each member has toured with well-known pop/rock artists in the past) to the composition table. A richly symphonic “Plans and Reveries” and heavily electronic “Detroit” were selected as “Rush’s” singles. They highlight Ronick’s lounge-meets-lyrical voice which melds with Luu’s falsetto back-vocals, Classical string and piano arrangements, synth sequences, and unchained guitars. Black Gold fall into their best groove on the funky “Breakdown” and alluring “The Comedown,” while glowing harmonies on “Shine,” “Run’s” bright melodies, dreamy air of “Idols,” and Southern sway on “Canyon” sustain “Rush’s” appeal with ever-changing styles. Overall, Black Gold’s “Rush” is mellow but playful, providing both tunes for dancing and songs for decompressing. Don’t miss Black Gold’s show at Hammertstein Ballroom on 11.22 – Meijin Bruttomesso
We were quite surprised yesterday to see Brooklyn band Bear in Heaven jump ahead of Real Estate in our self generated chart of NYC Psych Rock artists with the most "Web Buzz" (Top 300 here, for the Top 20 scroll down in this page, left column). They actually rehed #2 of the overall most buzzed NYC bands of the moment (orange chart on the top left). The band recently got some blog-love (or just "blove" maybe?) from many influencial sites including Stereogum, Prefix Mag and Brooklyn Vegan. Bear in Heaven has a show scheduled at tiny Zebulon in Willimsburg on 11.20 – that will be surely a packed night, so get there early if you are interested in checking out these guys’ psychedelic wall of sound.
Once upon a time in the fluorescent wilderness of New York City, four musically talented work-a-holics got together and formed the rock band known as Finding Fiction. With a DIY style and steadfast work ethic, the group has spent most the past year zig-zagging across the U.S. to perform in over 100 shows (including SXSW and NXNE). Finding Fiction also released their first full length CD, “Idaho by the Sea,” this past summer, a heartfelt follow up to their “Plastic & Change” EP. The album is chock full of evocative lyrics set to lonesome vocals, fluttering backbeats, and billowing chord progressions. The result is an emotional storm of melodies, from the distorted rumbles of tracks like “I’ll Buy” and “Imitating You Imitating Me,” to the unbroken pouring of melancholy in ballads such as “Cheap Shot Advice” and “Big Blue Sky.” Don’t miss Finding Fiction when they perform at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn on Nov. 14. – Cecilia Martinez
Exuberant female duo Zambri (comprised by sisters Jessica and Cristi Jo and is The Deli NYC new Artist of the Month thanks to an… exuberant last day of voting yesterday, that allowed them to jump in front of North Highlands. Keep an eye out for their picture on top of our NYC page starting monday, and in the meantime enjoy this video.
Recorded almost entirely in the band members’ LES "cozy" bedrooms with the help of a high profile team of audio pros, the thirteen songs on Star Fucking Hipsters‘ new album "Never Rest In Peace" entartain us with screams and riffs about rebellion and punk and ska revolution! The new songs sound more fierce and mature, and benefit from cameos from Dick Lucas (Subhumans U.K., Citizen Fish, Culture Shock), Jasper Pattison (Citizen Fish, Culture Shock), and Bryan Kienlen (Bouncing Souls). It includes art by famed DIY artists Fly (“PEOPs,” Dog Dayz) and Paul Barron. SFH, after touring the U.S. and U.K., and are kicking off a West Coast Tour this week with Citizen Fish (dubbed "Cracktoberfest") including a performance at the Alternative Tentacles 30th Anniversary Festival.
The Diggs – if we remember correctly – played one of our very first Deli shows at Asterisk Art Space ages ago (4 years?). It’s great to see that they are still at it, and admittedly we haven’t covered them in awhile. Their sound seems to have evolved considerably in the last few years. We remeber an aggressive, post-punky power trio; we find now a more mature group whose fast songs show more attention for melody and structure, and benefit from arrangments that – like all the best rock classics – progressively build in layers and intensity. Check out these guys live at Glasslands on 11.03.
Check out Bottle Up and Go at Glasslands on 11.17 with Dinowalrus
Bottle Up and Go is a Brooklyn based duo of rock n’ roll screamers who combine honky tonk fiddling, and horn accompaniments that will whisk you away to a seedy bar full of guys spitting tobacco into silver buckets. Their screeching harmony of guitars, horn toots and tambourine talents have created sonic gems such as “Ain’t Going Down,” a ballad well suited for a rock version of the Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. You’ll know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you hear their song ‘Wayward Son,” a lament of depression and drinking that features a chaotic sax growling for dear life. Enjoy Bottle Up and Go with a bottle of whiskey and sing a long, “I love my baby/but her body is cold/Seems like my liquor/is the only thing.” – Chloe Schildhause
The Barrens release single + play Arlene’s on 11.07
The beauty of The Barrens’ music lies in the little details: the piano accents that hit throughout “12 Petals,” propping up the tune’s winding lead guitar riff; the unexpected, disorienting chord wedged in the middle of the “Ezekiel Saw a Shape” chorus; and the way singer Colin Fitzgerald screams toward the end of “The Green Room,” right before guitarist Mike Koene takes a solo and the already-epic tune spirals further into Doors-esque psychedelic bar-band territory. “Worming,” a bruising track reminiscent of the Who’s “Quadrophenia” gem “I’ve Had Enough,” is the best tune on the band’s MySpace page. Its mean fuzz and memorable hook—“I keep worming/ your love is in the dirt”—combine to form the type of weirdly accessible pop song that is the Barrens’ specialty. The band recently released a new single called “Scoliosis”, another sonic attack that somehow manages to blend punky guitars a la’ Ramones and frozen melodies reminiscent of Clinic with vocal harmonies that would make Kim Deal proud, and “philosophical” melodic openings a la’ early Pink Floyd. Yes, that’s a crazy ride indeed! Don’t miss their show at Arlene’s Grocery on 11.07. — Kenneth Partridge
Glass Ghost opens for Dirty Projectors on 11.18 at Bowery
Glass Ghost‘s "Idol Omen" is The Deli’s September CD of the Month (see review here, right column). The band is obviously getting some love from the music blogs as yesterday they jumped first to position #12 and then to #5 in our "Web Buzz" NYC rankings (orange charts on the left, click on "Popularity" scroll down menu and click on "Web Buzz".)
Yeasayer is back! Download new single from upcoming CD
Yeasayer – winners of The Deli’s Best Emerging Artist of 2007 poll – will re-emerge in early November with "Ambling Alp," the first single off their sophomore record ODD BLOOD (due February 2010 on Secretly Canadian). The single will be released digitally and on a limited 12" vinyl packaged in a space age colored metallic sleeve that will also feature remixes by Memory Tapes and DJ /rupture. You can already downlad "Ambling Alp" FREE at the band’s website.
Yesterday, I was in Williamsburg thrift shopping for my Lydia Deetz costume for Halloween. As I gave up on finding frumpy black clothing and a hat with a wide brim, I stumbled upon an in-store performance by Cymbals Eat Guitars at the new SoundFix store. They were one of the many bands I had planned to cover for CMJ but never got around to attending one of their numerous shows. I had seen them earlier in October when they had had opened for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Webster Hall. That performance was awe-inspiring. Dripping with sweat (a pool of it had formed around him), frontman Joseph D’Agostino pulled as much as he could out of his guitar; his hands blurred in front of me as his band mates relentlessly attacked their instruments. Although they took a completely different stage for Thursday night’s performance, the raw energy emanated throughout the crowded store. They began with the anthemic “And the Hazy Sea” and followed it up with “Some Trees (Merritt Moon).” The cathartic screams beautifully wove through the solid instrumental skills displayed during their 30-minute set. Exhausted and possibly gravely sick, D’Agostino asked the crowd if they would like one or two more songs. Of course, fans yelled back two, and they happily complied. With their meteoric rise to indie fame, SoundFix may be the last small venue they’ll ever play in New York City. Cymbal Eats Guitar, together with Mistery Roar and Teletextile, will be performing live on 10.31 at a Halloween Party on 14 Steuben Street, Brooklyn (map). – Nancy Chow
Polite Sleeper new album ‘Lake Effect’ is out now on Sabotage
Tick tick tick, pop pop pop, snap snap snap. That’s the essential staccato loving formula used by Brooklyn band Polite Sleeper – featuring band members of Mountain Goats and Mercury Rev. Every song is set to a rapid metronome of sound, infusing two beloved music genres – folk and punk. Blending these two contradictory styles is not a novel idea – they say that’s what anti-folk is all about – but Polite Sleeper pull it off in addictive songs featuring acoustic guitars, minimal drums, disgruntled lyrics and also the occasional analog synth bassline. Jason’s singing can be theatrical and aggressive (in the calssic not-so-polite anti-folk fashion) but also atmoshperic and contemplative, bringing to mind Michael Stipe’s tone and phrasing. The band’s new album "Lake Effect" is out on Sabotage Records now. If you’re hanging out in Haverford, Pennsylvania you can catch their next show the eve of Halloween at Lunt Basement. – Chloe Schildhause
NYC artists on the rise: Clinical Trials – live at Lot 73 on 11.07
Taking definite inspiration from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is the electronic band of splendor, Clinical Trials. So fixated I am on the similarities I can almost hear them singing “Karen O.” in their song ‘Disco Headphones.’ But beyond the similarities, they do strike out in their own unique sound using a surplus of synth, with a blend of other influences such as a tendency to sing with Le Tigre like passion and Janis Joplin edginess. Listening to them is like hearing your good friends in a comfy garage, but friends who are actually talented and whom you don’t have to politely white lie to when they ask how you enjoyed their music. Catch their next show at Lot 73, November 7th. – Chloe Schildhause
Collision of indie talent at BAM! The National’s multimedial work
The Long Count, part of BAM’s 2009 Next Wave Festival, is a song-filled myth about the beginning of time created by three inexhaustibly original artists – brothers Bryce Dessner and Aaron Dessner of The National and visual art phenomenon Matthew Ritchie. It also features as guest vocalists the legendary Breeders’ sisters Kim and Kelley Deal, Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond, and Matt Berninger also of The National. Expect a feast of images, instrumentals, and songs thick with primordial mystery, recreated by a twelve-piece orchestra and the Dessners’ gothic mix of electric and orchestral sounds. Don’t miss this show, there are only 3 dates (October 28, 30 and 31). Tickets can be purchased here.
No Eye Contact‘s eclectic influences are evident in their creative and memorable songs. Drawing inspiration in equal parts from Neutral Milk Hotel and old Appalachia, the band’s sound resides in the strange space where up and down, happy and sad overlap. ‘You and Me and Other Fables’, their debut LP, was hailed by NPR’s Robin Hilton as "stunning and utterly surprising." Recently named to Spin Magazine’s Top 25 Must Hear Artists of CMJ. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).
Dogs of Winter release free acoustic mp3 and video
Music critics were quick to applaud and praise the harmonious dual vocals of Ryan Dowd and Brian Grosz on the stoner-metal debut of Brooklyn’s DOGS OF WINTER, "From Soil To Shale" (Lapdance Academy) – so it comes as little surprise that they’ve decided to re-invent one of their songs as a dreamy, if dreary, acoustic ballad. While the original recording of "Beneath The Fold" was a churning, thunderous maelstrom of psychedelia, Dogs of Winter have stripped the composition down to acoustic guitars, a string section and the sound of traffic passing by the studio in which they recorded. "Beneath The Fold" is here to remind us: just because a song is heavy, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).
This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli’s DIY Live Show Listings section for free.
