Christine Hoberg impressed mightily on her 2011 release "Moonlight Never Shined So Bright" with its bluesy, minimalist instrumentation showcasing her considerable songwriting chops and fragile-but-effective vocals. Having spent the intervening period collaborating with artists such as Flight Facilities and Kiings (she describes the last year as a huge learning curve), this February she released follow-up and fourth album overall, "World Within," which stretched the Brooklyn resident's sound, testing new areas ranging from ambient to soul. You can experience her sparse, intimately experimental music at Cake Shop on April 7

LINKS: Dean Van Nguyen's interview with Christine Hoberg.

"Avant Indie" is a term we coined to avoid the temptation of calling some rock bands "experimental," since we see experimental music as a separate genre from rock. Therefore in this list you'll find edgy bands that like to try new things - fun!

Total submissions in this category: 21

Artists Qualified to the next stage (Readers' Poll, starting soon):

1. Celestial Shore - 8.66 (out of 10)
2. Julia Easterlin - 8.5
3. No Shoes - 8.33
3. Christine Hoberg - 8.33

Honorable Mentions (scores above 7.16):

Tiny Hazard, The Beriberi, Pass Kontrol, Passenger Peru, Tauk, Andrew Rosciszewski, Throw Vision.

Jurors: Jason Behrends (Deli Chicago), Ben Toledo (Deli Portland), PDG (Deli NYC).

THIS IS THE LAST BATCH OF RESULTS FROM THE OPEN SUBMISSIONS, READERS POLL'S NEXT!!!

The Deli's Staff

From the (virtual) a cappella gem 'All That Hate' to the demanding vocal chant in 'I, I, I, I...,' Christine Hoberg has never been one to back down from a vocal challenge. But her new track brings us to another place entirely.

'You Can't See Me' is an irrepressible electro pop song. In an unlikely collaboration with Milwaukee alt-dance troupe Kiings x, the results are unlike any place she's taken us to so far. With stomping beats and a downtempo attitude, the collaboration reveals even crazier heights for Hoberg, and a grounded sense of pop for Kiings X.

The Brooklyn artist promises a new album later this year ('World WIthin'), and we are excited to see how a lot of the material she's been playing live will translate to the new record. Check out 'You Can't See Me' below. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

You do not want to be on the bad side of Christine Hoberg. Her romantic reflections often turn to rage and revenge, and her lyrics rarely miss their mark. While 'J'Aime' off its eponymous record brings out an honest yearning to find love, Hoberg more often than not revels in love's less saintly modes, like the wrenching 'White Ass' and 'Nutcase.'

For her latest record, Hoberg challenges herself not in changing what worked so well over the past couple years, but in finding a space where her feelings can elevate amidst layers of haunting echoes that shimmer from her piano stretches and knife-cutting vocal delivery. 'Moonlight Never Shined So Bright' is both haunting and cutting at once, revealing depths to Hoberg that challenge any simple explanation for her wicked streak. Christine's can be a voice full of pain, but this weight gains a breathtaking outlet when expressed through the elevated tension of her music.- Mike Levine

This record was submitted digitally to The Deli here.