Here at The Deli we try to reward artists that dare to forge new, interesting sounds, and Portland duo Windus definitely belongs to this category, at least in this 2014 single "Peninsula" from their debut, self titled EP. We love the stripped down intensity, minimalistic melodies and textural elements coming and going in waves. The rest of the records settles for a more regular folk sound, but always keeping the intensity and poetry on. You can see Windus live at Mississippi Studios on 11.19.

The CMJ festival is currently on in NYC, and we stumbled upon a Portland artists that's taking part in it we never covered before: Grace Mitchell. The 18 year old certainly sounds a lot older and wiser than her age in her blues-electro-pop sophomore EP "Raceday," which was released just a few weeks ago. Her tracks certainly don't belong to the widespread "intimate female songwriter" category, but on the contrary possess almost invariably a bombastic pop element. It's really hard to believe a teenager can have a vocal delivery as confident as hers. 

Wednesday night at The Bitter End in the West Village started with the understated majesty of New York/Philadelphia quartet Second Child (pictured). Playing warm, folk-inflected songs that found notable beauty with the harmonizing of lead singer Alex DeSimine and bassist Alex Tremitiere, the band subtly moved the listener but didn't forget to straight-up thrill; their funked-up cover of David Bowie's "Fame" enlivened the previously focused crowd, several hoots and shouts flying out. While Dirty Projectors are probably more similar to them, it's exciting to see that Second Child can get loose like The Thin White Duke did on some of his earlier tracks. At Le Poisson Rouge, Oakland/Chicago rocker Ezra Furman finished his set with a gloriously riotous rendition of Arcade Fire's "Crown of Love," the gradual nature of that 'Funeral' standout reverting into sax-backed wildness and the green-haired Furman's lightning-quick guitar picks. Back at the End, New York four-piece The Grasping Straws drifted into slow, drum-marched songs that, particularly with frontwoman Mallory Feuer's drawn-out and bluesy vocals, recalled the lo-fi glory of early Cat Power. Taking their time rather than rushing towards easy shock, these tracks intrigued with their very patience and calm and, perhaps most importantly, were ultimately moving, their tumbling quality enabling the audience to both engage and reflect. Down on the Lower East Side, Brooklyn's French Horn Rebellion sent the evening out with feel-good dance tracks full of both jittering electronics and rubbery horns. Brothers Robert Perlick-Molinari and David Perlick-Molinari wore matching Glasslands T-shirts and, with their hip sways and head bobs, they seemed to throw a party not just for that lost venue but for the institution of live music itself. - Zach Weg  

The Oakland based art nouveau indie rock band, Foxtails Brigade has released a lovely and impressively shot music video for their new single, Far Away and Long Ago. This video has a crisp and touching style that is reminiscent of famed director, Stanley Kubrick´s film, Eyes Wide Shut and shares the same title as the 1918 William Henry Hudson novel. The video is sophisticated and compliments this new track´s artsong, classical vibe.

The dynamic, multi-talented group will continue an already busy 2015, having signed to OIM Records earlier this year, with their first full-band full-length self-titled studio record with producer Jeff Saltzman due out in March 2016.

Enjoy this music video for Far Away and Long Ago and make sure you make it to Foxtails Brigade´s upcoming show at Awaken Café on November 21st.