The Deli #26

New issue of the The Deli is out in NYC and available as a PDF. I wrote a short summary on the Indie Rock scene.

Best of NYC: Indie Rock

It takes a couple of years for the characteristics that will define a new decade to become apparent. The opening rounds of the twenty-tens have seen a gold rush of new artists determined to stake a claim in this new musical “era”. NYC, as ever, has been a hive of activity with new bands starting up or migrating to the city every day. Brooklyn is comparable to an athlete’s village, housing competitors before the all important sprint for glory. But who will come out on top? It’s difficult to predict. Just consider that in our recent Best Emerging Artists poll, 106 different acts received votes from our panel, spanning a wide variety of styles and genres.

However, a symptom of this diversity is a downturn in what traditionally has filled the pages of this magazine: “classic” guitar based indie rock. This is indicative of both artists themselves and the tastes of their audience. Fewer young musicians are satisfied tinkling with their guitars all day long, preferring to test themselves with different instruments and recording methods. Also, the expanding Brooklyn DIY scene seems to express more experimental or aggressive genres, tied to the post-punk or psych sound, or leaning towards what here we call “avant-indie”. The synth is threatening to dislodge the humble guitar as the number one instrument of choice among indie kids. Indeed, the term “indie” is no longer restricted to kids strumming away on their electric. However, there is a clutch of rising young bands still enamoured by the old-fashioned indie rock ethos, and they are promising to spark a fullblown guitar renaissance.

Embodying the classic rock’n’roll spirit with his pitch-perfect fifties appropriation and cool haircut, Devin Therriault has been building a reputation one show at a time with his raucous onstage antics. Gritty rockers Pablo Picasso are part spaghetti western, part Howlin’ Wolf. Moody and atmospheric, their sound trudges through the Southern mud, with little patience for studio trickery or cleanliness. French Camp post all their information online in French itself, along with old illustrations of military commanders on horseback, rounding up prisoners of war. Their music is equally dramatic. We already gave a cover to artsy indie rockers Bear Hands (summer 2010), and if you like the sound of the ’90s you should check out Steve Shiffman and co’s catchy garage rock…

The list goes on and on, and be sure to scope each and every band because they are all worthy. Chances are you’ll spot the sound of the future there. But like I said, it takes a couple of years for the picture to become clear…