The results are in from the Open Submissions stage for our New England Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. All of the submissions were ranked by Deli Editors from other scenes and the list of acts that have advanced to our Readers’/Fans’ Poll phase are below. We will also be releasing the list of nominees chosen by our local "scene expert" jurors very soon. 

The Doctors Fox’s second album Handful of Laughs is an incredibly distinct and varied album. Few of the songs ever follow the same root; Doctor’s Fox throw away semblance of consistency to the wind. This lack of consistency would derail many other bands in the genre. Yet, Doctors Fox succeeds in this regard. Handful of Laughs is filled to the brim with an incredible sense of whimsy. A childish sense of silliness runs through the album, it is virtually inescapable not to smile a little at the clever string section, or the roundabout vocals.

Handful of Laughs never really seeks to set any defining musical roots. Genre swapping is the name of the game for this record, but it’s done well and sincerely. If there was any theme that was able to survive throughout the album, it would be the string section. The strings provide what can only be described as a long, slow, country twang to the album. This is definitely an album to check out for those looking for something that doesn’t stick needlessly to conventions, those looking for a straight rock and roll record, should look elsewhere. --Casey Lowrey