The Deli came up with the word "Avant-Indie" about a decade ago, and it's proud of the fact that it stuck (at least to a certain degree!). The term was coined mostly because we didn't feel comfortable using the loaded word 'experimental' for edgy indie bands. Also, since at the time NYC was experiencing an explosion of music that was truly pushing the envelope, we felt the need to create a word that could define that movement, which ended up giving us artists as relevant as Animal Collective, St. Vincent and Dirty Projectors, as separate from 'regular indie rock.' Rather heavy on the ear, those years were naturally followed by a period during which simpler musical revivals dominated our scene: the roots invasion of the early '10s, the never obsolete garage rock NYC flavor, the '80s synth-pop revival, the 90's rock renaissance...). But 'avant' inclinations are ingrained in the Big Apple's scene, and we are wondering if times are mature to give a renewed attention to acts that try their hardest to avoid the revival label. Brooklyn's Twig Twig squarely belong to this category. Their debut EP 'normal feelings,' released this past March, doesn't sound very... 'normal,' but still manages to be touching and sincere, and that's a rare form of beauty. Employing a restrained sonic palette made of granular synth sounds, aloof vocals, and simple electronic drum sounds and patterns, the band excercises their 'avant' tendencies within a song format that employs melodies ranging from the poppy (like in remarkable ambient ballad 'Fade Away,' streaming) to the out there (as in single 'Talk Go'). Don't miss their live show at Alphaville tonight (04.12) with other local forward looking bands Fieldings and Railings.

There's something weird going on in Nashville, and I like it. Remember when the underground scene started getting some attention and everybody realized there was a rich layer of music underneath the shiny radio country exterior? That whole scene is sure no secret anymore, and we're starting to see signs of a layer growing underneath that. It's moldy, the temperature is stifling, and we have every reason to believe this is where the mole people are hiding some form of civilization.

Ace Quaalude is the first one we spotted, but that could have been an isolated incident. It's when we noticed Velcro & The Slow Children and its parent Mesoamerica Records that it became clear some kind of funky movement was brewing.  Shanshala's Creepier Than Family is the sprawling manifesto for that movement. Featuring the aforementioned misfit stalwarts, as well as fellow Deli favorites Bummr City and a handful of other contributors, the album sounds something like if Ween were raised on the garage rock ethos. Despite covering a lot of ground, Creepier Than Family keeps focus with admirable precision. The Bandcamp page notes that these songs were recorded during sessions for an official full-length debut by Shanshala. Keep an eye out for that, but hit the stream below in the meantime. -Austin Phy

Last time we brought you the wild and irreverent sounds of Austin’s Strange Mother, they were called Gormeh Sabzi and they were singin’ about the weird American fuckery that is Black Friday. Today though, the band has taken a slightly more easy-to-spell name, and they’ve put out what is certainly the happiest song about flies and maggots and blueberries that you’ll ever damn hear.

We’ve got the exclusive premiere of the video for the aptly-named “Blueberry” here for you at The Deli Austin today, and we’re pumped to bring you a track this sunny and spazzy to kick your summer off right. I mean, just look at those grins- Strange Mother must damn well be the best, most manic smilin’ band in town, and they make music to fit that image to a strange tee. These guys quite obviously know how to have a weird, fun time, and their version of punkish synthy rock with off-kilter song subjects is a pure distillation of the kinda oldschool Austin spirit that we love to see still rockin’ around this ole town.

Get on this new video below, get ready to have the spirit of good times pumped directly into your brainbox by Strange Mother and don’t be surprised if you find yourself chanting “Blue! Ber! Ry!” for the rest of the week. Oh, and make sure to peep the appearance of Strange Mother bassist Eric Peana, who is also the crooner half of our Artist of the Year for 2015, Capyac! Austin really is a small world y’all.

"I was a maggot, now I wanna lay my maggots!"

Have you ever been alone in a department store after hours? Things change after the lights go down. It's almost imperceptible, yet every bit as impossible to ignore as it is to describe. The gravity feels a little different and the air takes on a sinister tension. It's the same place you've been a million times before, but a change in time and perception tranforms it into an alien planet.

Sad Summer II from Spliff Jacksun is the music that plays on the half-busted PA somewhere up in the rafters of that department store. At times Sad Summer II is almost serene. At other times, it borders on maddening in the discomfort evoked by its dilapidated lo-fi rap beats. The only constant is a slightly skewed forward motion—a detuned synth here, a dragging snare hit you can never quite latch on to over there—that lodges itself in a part of your brain that you probably don't tend to very often. Hit the stream below and get ready to check out a real weird headspace. -Austin Phy

Oakland's quintet post-rock outfit, Unconditional Arms, have unveiled their brand new track, Feud. The single comes off of the group's latest release, a split, with Los Angeles' Minnow. The split between Unconditional Arms and Minnow is available now, via Anchor Eighty Four Records.

Make sure that you head on over to the website and snag one of two packages of the Unconditional Arms x Minnow Split today. With any of the packages, you will receive a download of the album and a bag of Stumptown's 'Hairbender' blend of coffee.

It's nice to hear this new release from Unconditional Arms. They're new single borders on epic and the band has certainly honed in on their signature sound, become more confident and ambitious with their compositions. Good stuff.