2013 has been a busy year for Frances Cone. The Brooklyn based singer-songwriter released her new album “Come Back” last week, and she’s now getting ready to make her way down to Austin, where she’ll be playing two sets at The Deli’s Hangover Hideout on Thursday 03.13 at 3pm and Saturday 03.16 at J. Black’s on W. 6th Street. Her sweet soprano vocals and mellow music will ease that headache you’re bound to have after Friday night, and rejuvenate you as you prepare for the last night of partying in Austin. – Lucille Sherman

Brooklyn’s Friend Roulette sounds like an indie band formed by an established and constantly high Hollywood movie soundtrack composer. The band’s instrumentation ranges from your regular electric guitars and drums to strings and other instruments quite foreign to the pop tradition like bass clarinet and EWI. Their music favors not exactly uplifting atmospheres ranging from the melancholic to the downright tense, but pop melodies lie in there, between the guitar and violin drones and the clarinet arabesques. Their sound is rather unique and their live shows very enjoyable, and that’s why we decided to book them for our Deli UN/OFF party in Austin next week on March 15 at Rusty’s (8pm). The band has recently released the first single "Earthrise" (streaming below) from the album "I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head," out in April on Goodnight Records.

Dana Falconberry’s beguiling twee vocals instantly captivate as she hums her poetic lyrics with little more than a whisper. But Falconberry’s distinctive vocals are matched by her delicate arrangements – the slender plucks of the mandolins, banjos and harps on her latest EP, "Leelanau," build soft instrumentals for her warm words to float over. While her previous releases were more minimalist, Leelanau expands her pallet without losing any of her trademark enchantment. See Dana live at The Deli’s Hangover Hideout at J. Blacks on Wednesday March 13 at 6pm – more info about the event involving 25+ songwriters here. – Listen to a SoundCloud compliation of all the artists playing the Hangover Hideout fest here. – Dean Van Nguyen

Leapling plays what I call "impressionistic pop" – Here We Go Magic’s music is one of this genre’s best examples. Featuring drafts of melodies, gentle arrangements and semi-whispered vocals, this is textured, almost transparent music for the shy – or the sleepy. The Brooklyn based quartet released their debut "Losing Face" EP in January and will play Shea Stadium tonight March 06. Check out opening track "Nature Must Not Win," streaming below.

Brooklyn based band Salt Cathedral (formerly known as Il Abanico) recently released a new single “Take Me to the Sea,” from their upcoming self-titled EP. Showcasing their dreamy and melodic sound, the tune features easygoing, uncomplicated lyrics, allowing a (much needed) temporary detachment from reality. Salt Cathedral recently played a show at Mercury Lounge with Port St. Willow on February 22 and you’ll be able to see them live at Glasslands March on 23rd with established electro-pop neighbors Hundred Waters. – Kristyn Potter

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best NYC songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

I’m a total sucker for garage pop like Mainland. Their newest single featuring “Wasted” and “The Stroll” released this past November has received a lot of praise, (including some words from us here at The Deli) and the band just keeps giving us more to write about, releasing a video (streaming below) to accompany “The Stroll” in late February. The video is simple yet fun and engaging, comprised of a bunch of clips of them playing in the street, at a show, and just goofing around, like a very well done, stylized home movie. To experience this without filters, don’t miss their next show is March 23rd at Webster Hall’s Studio in New York City. – Lucille Sherman

Sometimes it takes the weight of a good song to appreciate the gravity of a particular injustice. For Starred‘s latest release, ‘Mayday,’ you’re left screaming at your youtube window wondering why these kinds of things happen. Convicted as part of the Memphis Three, Damien Echols was charged with killing three children in a Satanic ritual nearly thirty years ago, before being pardoned in 2011 after DNA evidence proved otherwise. Directed by Aaron Brown (Focus Creeps), the video for ‘Mayday’ highlights Damien’s story with interview footage placed over a haunting tune that’ll leave you with many questions. Such as… what’s next for Starred? Check out the band’s inclusion on Pendu Sound’s record store day release this April 20th. Also listen to the single from last year "Cemetery," streaming below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This might be hard to believe, but if anything… Not Blood Paint’s latest 5 song mini-LP (some looong tracks in there, and some short ones too!) shows the band in an even fouler spirit than their last. This isn’t to say you need to worry about angry fist throwing in mosh pits at their upcoming album release show at the Collapsible Hole. If anything, the new record displays the group as more melodically centered, harmonically grounded rock songsters than I’ve heard from them yet. But the sentiment has turned from cynicism to heated anger in tracks like album closer ‘Taking Root,’ the admonishing ‘Don’t Wanna Talk About It,’ and even the creepy Frankie Valli harmonies of ‘Family First.’ This is a group increasingly concerned about humanity’s issues. But no matter the wretched shape of our society, it’s a comfort to hear how closely knit this band is. See them live at the Collapsible Hole on Friday, March 8, and check out their Bandcamp to stream ‘Calm Down’. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Vuvuzela doesn’t play it safe – their quirky chamber-rock is an "all-in" kind of thing. And by "all" here we mean any musical element you can conceive, ranging from celestial harp parts to dissonant rock assaults. Music is obviously a super-fun playground for these talented musicians, who have the ability to juggle a wide range of influences while create what could be described as an orchestral (and therefore more complex) version of the "split personality pop" previously nailed by B52s and Sugarcubes. The female muse here is harpist Stephanie Babirak, whose gentle melodic presence emerges on occasion… but in most cases gets carelessly abused by her three band mates’ more violent musical instincts. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of insane monster-songs that – against all odds – function flawlessly. – Mike Levine recently interview the band here.