Sometimes, in retrospect, some choices we make can be seen as premonitions... We booked garage pop duo Diet Cig for last week's Deli flagship CMJ show at Pianos, even though we couldn't cover them because they weren't based in NYC, but New Paltz. Well, as it turns out, we met them the night of the show, and they announced their recent move to Brooklyn! And here comes the coverage: welcome to NYC Diet Cig, here's another premonition for ya: it's gonna drive you crazy with excitment (and stress)! The New Paltz boy and girl specialize in lighthearted garage pop featuring Alex Luciano's adorably expressive vocals and casual lyrics, which tackle issues as varied as the dislike for smoking and the move into your first apartment. We are looking forward to hear what she has to say about her new life in the Big Apple! Their next show will be at Baby's All Right on December 4th. Oh and by the way! They have a great live show.

We added this song to The Deli's playlist of Best garage/punk/slacker rock songs by emerging NYC artists - check it out!

Fresh from multiple appearances at the recently concluded CMJ fest, Brooklyn’s glam/grunge/garage rockers Sharkmuffin roll on with their personal take on the alternative rock sound. In addition to the myriad of rip-em-up exciting live appearances, the band continues to promote their recent full-length LP “Chartreuse.” That title track (streaming below) is a pure fun garage stomper, with lyrics detailing how they (someone) “Never want me around to hang loose;” the song sounds like a vintage rock and roll confusion scenario married to thumping bass and distorted guitar squalls. “First Date” moves in an even rawer, punkier direction, sounding like bratty girl-group fare with a touch of Siouxsie Sioux on her very first album “The Scream” (think “Carcass” or “Jigsaw Feeling”) in that shouty, aggressive vocal style. Sharkmuffin's next show will be at popular Brooklyn haunt Pallisades on 10/30. We heard a rumor that, since the show will be the day before Halloween, the band will appear on stage dressed as The Powerpuff Girls - or rather some kind of hipster variation of them. - Dave Cromwell, photo by Chris Carlone

Strumming on their ukuleles, The Prettiots make the horrors of young adult life into comical, playful, and more importantly, reassuring tunes. Comprised of two New Yorkers, Kay Kasparhauser and Lulu Prat, the duo soothes growing-up anxieties with a fatalistic attitude, but listen closely and you’ll hear The Prettiots' talent for catchy melodies and memorable hooks. On their single “Suicide Hotline,” Kasparhauser sings  "Woolf took a dip with some rocks in her pockets / I’d say comparatively I’ve got a bad case of the fuck-its.” Their melodies, light and airy, mask their troubled, but relatable, and ultimately, reassuring lyrics - who hasn’t had a “bad case of the fuck-its after all?” The trio, who played three CMJ shows last week, just released single “Stabler” (under Rough Trade's wing!), in a classic cassette format, as the video below makes clear. They will be traveling to Europe for a two week tour.

Of the small contingent of Toronto artists that traveled to NYC last week to participate in the CMJ Music Marathon, Greys was by far the loudest - and ended up also getting the most attention. The quartet plays post-hardcore unapologetically inspired to legendary band Fugazi (one of their songs is named after the DC band's guitarist Guy Picciotto). They've been around since 2011 and have a European tour, two EPs and two singles under their belt. A new 7", entitled "Repulsion." will be released on October 30th. Check out their powerful single "If Anything," streaming below.

Last night at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village was a refreshingly feel-good, mostly funk affair. First on the neon-lit stage was Nashville/New York quartet Anna Haas + The Effect whose loud, rollicking tracks fondly recalled such iconic bands as The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac but burst to their own life with frontwoman Haas. With her rock-strong voice and fluid dance moves, she wasn't so much the head of a band as much as the bearer of a flickering rock torch. New York five-piece Animal Reporters were next, performing similarly funk-influenced songs of jumping keys and virtuosic guitars that, at one point, surprisingly yet thrillingly dipped into psych-rock. The group’s funked-up cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” a song that is perhaps reinterpreted too much, also proved intriguing. A somewhat more ominous funk hit the room next with Brooklyn quintet Ferrari Truck. Beginning with a slow, stormy song that reminded one of The Doors’ darker cuts, the Flatbush-rooted group then went into a warm, blues-inflected track that sounded like something The Dude would zone out to. As heard in their guitar-fuzzed, poignantly-titled track “Whispering You,” though, the band seemed keen to move as well as thrill the listener. Fellow Brooklyn five-piece Cousin Earth (pictured) took the stage next, beginning their set with an unabashedly glorious rendition of Jackie Wilson's “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," lead singer Terry Brennan using a mini mouthpiece to simulate that track’s perky instrumentation. Then, after playing one of the loopy, effects-oriented songs from their forthcoming new album (due 11.20), the band segued into an amusing yet rocking medley of what seemed to be Kermit the Frog and a reggae-tinged version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” displaying this group’s fun-loving nature. Over at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1, New York quartet The Amigos ended the night with its bluegrass-inflected, accordion-based tracks that blasted the longing of the blues in a pleasantly sunny way. – Zach Weg