Change is one of the secrets of inspirations. That's definitely something Brooklyn band (via eastern Europe) The Clox knows, considering how different and how inspired their newest single "Lullaby" sounds. While their previous releases offered a sound landing somewhere between alt rock and new wave, "Lullaby" welcomes music influences that sound Arabic to us (we are not expert in the field), and absorbs them in a western electronic rock setting. You can see the trio live at Rough Trade on Saturday April 25th.

Active since 2012 and with three releases under its belt, The Clox can make what feels like a solid 3 minute guitar pop jam feel like an epic journey through the jungles of distorted guitar hooks (listen to epic album opener 'civilian'), and back out again to solid groove funkness. The band attaches an existential dread of all things weird and dangerous to solid jazz funk chops that make it all.. well... fun. Check it out. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

The entire universe often wonders what the difference is between Alt Rock and Indie Rock. Here at The Deli we call "Alt" that kind of Rock music that's inspired to a more classic concept of Rock'n'Roll or Pop-Rock, or any rock genre that was commercially successful before the aughts - think about bands reminiscent of anything from Led Zeppeling to Aerosmith, Weezer or Nirvana. While Indie Rock tends to be a little more experimental and dark, Alt Rock is (at least in our vocabulary) more traditional and a little more accessible - without being just "pop".

Total submissions in this category: 38

Artists Qualified to the Poll's Next Stage (starting around 01.15):

1. Apollo Run - 7.66 (out of 10)
2. BLACK TAXI - 7.33

Honorable Mentions (scores above 6.5):

Outernational, Late Cambrian, Viva Mayday, Wyldlife, Only Living Boy, Von Shakes, Raccoon Fighter, The Clox, Noble Hunter.

Jurors: Michelle Turner (Deli Nashville), Brandi Lukas (Deli Contributor), QD Tran (Deli Philly) 

The Deli's Staff

One of the best things about New York is how so many people, hailing from the world over, can congregate in the same place, and somehow they (we) all end up calling this land home for one reason or another. One of the most intriguing things about this situation is how good a lot of people from overseas have become in producing the "indie rock" music originally coming from the U.S. Take The Clox for example. Hailing from Kazakhstan, the group has set up shop here in Manhattan to show us all how a lot of this heavy rock business is supposed to be done.

Listen to the anthem ‘Jules Verne’ off their latest EP of the same name, and tell me these guys don’t know how to do it. Their unique cross between bands like INXS and Oasis does what this band is good at: sounding familiar and exotic at the same time. The rest of the EP follows this formula closely, leaving almost no stone unturned in carving out a large sound that just might work anywhere in the world.

After performing at Santos Party House on July 27, the band will take over The Living Room on August 11. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)