Sleep is a cool mistress, forever beckoning you to disregard all plans and responsibilities with her seduction of comfort. The latest track from Small Million, titled "Sleep Long," premiered earlier this week on The Wild Honey Pie and is coming off their upcoming June 4th debut, the Before the Fall EP. Malachi Graham's varied harmonies atop Ryan Linder's cleanly produced instrumentation make it perfect for a Saturday night spent cuddled up in bed with you know who.

Their album release party will also be on June 4th at the Secret Society with Leo Islo and Mothertapes, but if you're really itching for some of them you can preorder Before the Fall on their Bandcamp page for $5. 

Yeah Great Fine hasn’t released any new music for quite some time, and their single release at The Liquor Store on SE Belmont was a perfect snapshot of the articulate, experimental beauty that can only be found in the swells and lulls of math rock. 

Glass Knees played first, drawing the small crowd in with simultaneously melodic and hard-hitting jams, soaring synths blended with highly technical drums and guitar. They closed out their set in a very unique way, by inviting the entire audience to use an assortment of small percussive instruments to play along with the band, which might sound hokey, but made the audience come alive.

By comparison Mothertapes played a much slower set, starting out with exactly what you’d expect from a two-piece: pure rhythm. But as their set progressed they developed lilting melodies that built upon themselves through unexpected guitar effects and vocals. Watching their live show feels very much like watching a scientist discover a new element: every piece is so calculated, so intentional, and symmetrical—everything you crave from an evening of math rock.

Yeah Great Fine closed out the night and the two new tracks they premiered displayed an element of refinement that their previous EP and album lacked. That isn’t to say the new songs aren’t as energetic, but rather, they have focused their energy, which can be hard to do with six members, but somehow, even on the small stage in The Liquor Store basement, they pulled it off, with an air of playfulness that had the entire crowd completely captivated.

Check out Yeah Great Fine’s new singles, “Ketsu” and “Stallion” on Bandcamp. AND, check out Katie Summer's photos of Yeah Great Fine, Mothertapes and Glass Knees from their show Wednesday night at the Liquore store. 

-Sarah Eaton 

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli's Best of Portland Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. We had a record number of submissions from Portland (70!) thanks so much for the overwhelming response!

After tallying our editors' ratings for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in her/his own scene.

Total submissions from Portland: 70.

Jurors: Jurors: Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC), Roxy Morrison (The Deli Toronto), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC).

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. The Lower 48 - 7.8 (out of 10)

2. Just Lions - 7.6

2. Jackson Boone - 7.6

4. Dirty Revival - 7.5

4. Jeffrey Martin - 7.5

4. The Binary Marketing Show - 7.5

4. Anna Tivel - 7.5

8. Kool Stuff Katie - 7.3

8. Mermaid in China - 7.3

9. Mothertapes - 7.16

Honorable Mentions (scores above 6.5) 

Future Historians, Dogheart, Souvenir Driver, Foxy Lemon, Talkative, LiquidLight, Ezza Rose, Neka & Kahlo, The Adaptive.

WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We have already unveiled full list of nominees that also includes the artists nominated by our local jurors (see left column here). It's now time for our readers to influence this Year End Poll for Emerging Portland Artists with their vote - look out for th readers' poll on the right column of this same page!

The Deli Portland

Wooden Indian Burial Ground has gained a following in the last few years, playing a million shows (including The Deli's CMJ showcase in NYC) and signing with Mon Amie records. Each player in the trio gets lost in their own instrumental force-fields, and still the music rises and falls together into a hypnotic rabbit hole of lo-fi psych-rock. Their new Problems EP has a tighter, quickened pace since their 2012 self titled;  seamless rhythms, vocal harmonies, and well-placed feedback rule over spacey notes.  It's more of a wild garage style with an underlying mind-fuck wave that leaves you kind of dizzy. If you haven't experienced the live performance, get thee to Mississippi Studios on 3-13.