It's time to tackle the last category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists: ALT ROOTS! You can see the results we published so far here.

SUBMISSION CATEGORY: ALT FOLK

Total submissions in this category: 13

Jurors: Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC), Jordannah Elizabeth (The Deli San Francisco), Zach Weg (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Mappa Mundi- 7.8 (out of 10)

 Almost a year ago exactly, New York chamber pop six-piece released ‘At Sea,’ which is more of a sonic novella than a traditional EP. On such wistful, guitar-strummed songs and horn-sloped tracks such as “So Obscure” and “Mirabelle” (streaming below), the Adam B Levine-led band imbued poignant scenes of love and loss with a literary purity that was not only impressive in its vividness but preciously moving in its effect. Mappa Mundi plays Pete’s Candy Store on 2/5.

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2. Big Thief- 7.7 (out of 10)

Almost sounding like an indie folk version of Allen Ginsberg’s eternal poem ‘Howl,’ “Masterpiece” (music video playing below) by Brooklyn’s Big Thief is a guitar-fuzzed portrait of people searching for serenity. Especially memorable with the soothing vocals of Adrianne Lenker, the poignant song marks Big Thief—which released the quietly strong ‘side-as’ two years ago—as a group not just that conveys, but almost, celebrates pain. Big Thief, currently on tour with Here We Go Magic, plays The Bowery Ballroom on 2/18.

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3. Echoscape- 7.7 (out of 10)

On the May-released ‘Square Two’ EP, Brooklyn “math folk” project Echospace (aka Satoshi Inoue) doesn’t so much play the guitar as conure it into being. On such sweetly fleeting songs as “Rainsong” or “Undulating Place,” one marvels at the deeply deft musician’s ability to convey the deepest of emotions with a single strum. Echospace plays The Shop Brooklyn on 1.29.

Honorable Mentions: Brooms, Ransom Pier, Brother Valiant, Out of System Transfer, Juliet K Seldomo

- Zach Weg

This year's Best of NYC Open Submissions for the Psych Rock/Dream Pop category were so good that 20 out of 21 bands got ranked with 6 or more (out of 10) and 12 received marks above 7! So, it is with a broken heart that we announce the three winners - we wish we could select more! You can see the other NYC Open Submission results here.

CATEGORY: PSYCH ROCK/DREAM POP

Total submissions: 21

Jurors: Juan Rodriguez (The Deli LA) Ryan Mo (The Deli LA) PDG (The Deli NYC)

1. Belle Mare - 8.33 (out of 10)

Here at The Deli NYC we've been fans of Brooklyn uber mellow dream pop duo Belle Mare for quite some time - they were our record of the month back in March 2013. It feels good to see that our non NYC Deli colleagues, whose opinion was central to this poll's results, agree with us. But after all, who can resist the charm of a song like "Dark of My Evening" (streaming), and Amelia Bushell's casual vocals, suddenly erupting in the most celestial of melodies? Evidently, The Deli's staff can't.

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2. Surf Rock Is Dead - 7.833 

NYC is fertile ground for dream pop with surf influences, and Brooklyn based duo Surf Rock Is Dead, hailing from Chicago and Melbourne, has been making the most of it in 2015. The four tracks in their debut EP "SRiD" helped them build a loyal fan base, also gathering uniform interest on the internet, with Soundcloud listeners obsessing about single "Never Be The Same" and Spotify ones preferring "Late Risers" (streaming). The band has two upcoming shows scheduled in NYC: at Aviv on 01.22 and Pianos on 02.09.

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2. Twiga - 7.833 

Well, it really looks like Dream Pop had the best of Psych Rock this year... although Twiga, out of the three band we are highlighting here, nicely marries these two closely related genres in ways that don't feel incestuous at all! Opening single and latest EP title-track "Kites" (streaming below) features luscious guitars reminiscent of Real Estate, but the droney vocals take us for a trip back to the days of Paysley Underground bands like Rain Parade, or British neo-psychedelic acts like Doves.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (above 7):

Zuli, Joseph Sant, HEAVY BIRDS, Goodman, No Honeymoon, The Makeout Club, Auramics, IYEZ.

The Deli's Folks

It's time to tackle the ROOTS category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists - you can see the results we published so far here.

ROOTS

Total submissions in this category: 13

Jurors: Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), Juan Rodriguez (The Deli LA), Zach Weg (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Janita- 7.6 (out of 10)

When Brooklyn-via-Helsinki singer/songwriter Janita shared her album ‘Didn't You, My Dear?’ back in July, she not only gave precious voice to such seemingly universal hardships as melancholy and frustration but practically whispered to the listener: "Hey, these things happen. I'm right there with you." As heard on the soul-lined "Easing into Sanity" (streaming below), the smooth-voiced singer did in fact seem to come from a pressingly personal place yet. Like every great vocal poet, spoke for everyone striving to emerge from a fog.

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2. Howth- 7.2 (out of 10)

Having just played the venerable Downtown New York venue Le Poisson Rouge, Brooklyn quartet Howth are deservedly gaining wider recognition as the lighthearted yet affecting quartet that they are. A drum-tumbled track like “April I Will” (streaming below), for example, off their latest “Trashy Milky Nothing Town” album conveys an impossibly pure sweetness that can only come from a passionate band such as this. Howth plays Shea Stadium on 2/1. 

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3. Tangina Stone- 7 (out of 10) While the term “singer/songwriter” may connote the heartbreak and longing of such masters as Sufjan Stevens, Brooklyn-via-Ohio’s Tangina Stone refreshingly radiates a kind of experienced joy in her soul-lined songs. Her November-released track “Suntan” (music video playing below), for example, details young love not just with optimism but with the deep soulfulness of someone who has experienced its wondrous impact. Tangina Stone plays at Pianos on 2/17.

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Honorable Mentions: Rue Snider, Fireships, Jesus On The Mainline, Matteis, Tacoma Narrows

Zach Weg - The Deli Magazine

Last week we started publishing the results of the Best of NYC Year End Poll's Open Submissions (find them here), and it's finally time to go indie poppy!

Total submissions in this category: 16

Jurors: Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC),  Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. The City and Horses - 7.33 (out of 10)

Active since the late aughts, The City and Horses is a collective of musicians guided by singer songwriter Marc Cantone and his elegant melodic talent. The variety of instruments featured in their recordings (from flute to strings and horns) will make most people scream "Orchestral Pop!" - and to some extent they would be right! Thing is, the band's arrangements are so tastefully composed that, while listening to their music, you'd be hard pressed to think about an orchestra. You can see the band live at Grand Victory on January 22.

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2. Silverteeth - 7.16

Led by NYC scene veteran Bill Bartholomew (guitar and vocals) and Brazilian bass player Gabriela Rassi, Silverteeth is an excercise in stripping pop of anything superfluous to let the melody and the songwriting shine. Operating in a strictly DIY fashion, this is one of the few bands able to land gigs both at Bowery Presents' venues (they'll play Mercury on February 9th) and at Brooklyn DIY spaces like Palisades. We should hear some new material from them soon, since they were recently invited to record a few tracks at Converse's Rubber Track.

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3. RANN - 7.00

With their refineded sound, stylish melodies and smooth vocals, RANN could be presented as the Prefab Sprout of Brooklyn. Their brand new debut album "Yellowgun" looks back at the so called sophisti-pop of the '80s, while adding to that sound an all NYC edge. The group doesn't shy away from occasional, more aggressive and tense moments (like in 'Magic Number'). They'll be playing at Bushwick's Black Bear on February 20th.

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3. Julian Fulton - 7.00

Imaginative and whimsical, New Jersey's Julian Fulton plays a brand of DIY pop that flirts with the classics of psychedelia, while bringing his own voice, stories and production to the picture. A picture that's as multifaceted as it's enjoyable, like his latest track "Another Tattoo," a complex collage of sounds and melodies in part reminiscent of the production style of the early Beck records, which, remarkably, was written and recorded at home in 24 hours.  Julian Fulton will perform at the Asbury Underground Music & Arts Crawl on January 16.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (artist with a rating above 6):

Dot and Logic, Kirsten Izer, Sam Kogon, flocke, Late Cambrian, Lunifred Benjamin, Modern Diet.

Stay tuned for more results!

The Deli Folks

It's time to tackle the ALT ROCK category of our open submissions for the 2015 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists - you can see the results we published so far here.

ALT ROCK/POWER POP 

Total submissions in this category: 21

Jurors: Jason Behrends (The Deli Chicago), Jordannah Elizabeth (The Deli SF) PDG (The Deli NYC).

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers' Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. The Chordaes - 7.66 (out of 10)

A just over one year old group of "Manhattan-born friends" (take that, Brooklyn hipster-immigrants, these guys are real New York, New Yorkers!), The Chordaes' music features elegant melodies, measured arrangements and a rather mellow approach, and may be best described as Alt Pop than Alt Rock - although the latter is the category they submitted for. But this doesn't really change the fact that this is a group of young and talented musicians with noteworthy songwriting chops, and a vocalist that can touch hearts in ways reminiscent of unforgotten NYC hero Jeff Buckley. Check out their single "Touch The Ground" and see them live at Rockwood Music Hall on January 30th.

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2. PSYCHOBABY - 7.5

The brainchild of fiery Brooklyn based singer songwriter Juliet Garrett and guitarist Godfrey Furchtgott, Psychobaby only released one song out at this (very early) stage of its career, but a song that - paired with an imaginative and well shot low budget video - bodes very well for the band's future. Sonic references to the riot grrl sound of the '90s are tempered by the lack of slacking: the band's sound is focused, Garret can sing, and the songwriting seems more inspired by artists from previous decades, like, for example, The Pretenders or even Exene Cervenka's X. Having attitude, character and a good song+video combo is a great start for an emerging band; Psychobaby's next challenges are prolificity, consistency of songwriting and a building killer live show. You can see the band live at Bowery Electric on February 13th.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (rating above 7):

Mustardmind, Justin Baron, Warn The Duke, Sketchy, Bloody Your Hands.

More open submission results coming soon!

The Deli's Folks