Don’t miss the Deli’s 21st issue party tonight at The Studio at Webster!

Glass Ghost – the band gracing our latest issue’s cover – will be headlining the bill. The Brooklyn based duo’s sparse, trippy, enigmatic and subduedly subversive sound conquered the Deli NYC editorial staff’s ears.

A slew of 5 other emerging local bands are opening, including NYC/Monteral’s Flotilla and other orchestral-ish acts like The Loom and Miracles of Modern Science. Echostream and Naked Hearts will contribute with electronic fluorishes and indie rockness respectively.

Here’s the schedule:

Doors at 7.20 – $10, 19+
7.30 The Loom
8.15 Echostream
9.00 Miracles of Modern Science
9.45 Naked Hearts
10.30 Flotilla
11.15 Glass Ghost

Webster Hall is at 125 E 11th Street in Mahnattan

P.S. Apologies for the quick flier… we are still recovering from the insane amount of work related to our Year End Polls!

Justin Remer and his Elastic Nono Band could be considered a little bit like the NYC Antifolk scene’s own Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention – for the unstoppable productivity, for the cluttered arrangements, for flirting with absurdity and ridiculousness, for an uncontrollable urge to mix up the genres, even for the preference for what we will call graphics with some sort of "expressionist" vibe to them. Of course you’ll find a lot more folk, country, rockabilly and silly jokes (and no jamming at all) in the Nono Band’s latest double CD entitled "Fustercluck" – an effort that succeeds once again in being funnier than Bright Eyes (this has been the band’s mission since 2004). The punk element that theoretically should belong to any antifolk artist (but which doesn’t in a majority of cases) is replaced in the Elastic Nono Band’s music by a "Weenesque" repulsion for the idea of seriously conveying feelings through music – now that’s definitely something that goes against folk music’s clichés. Mr. Renerwill play The Anti Folk festival at The Side Walk Café (the East Village AntiFolk hub that for some reason rejects our magazines 9 times out of ten – no, we’re not bitter…) on 02.17.

Michael Leviton – who managed to play with the sexiest (now defunct) NYC band of the mid 2000 (La Laque) and tour with the least sexy NYC duo of all times (They Might Be Giants – which we dig by the way) – is back with what he calls "a single for singles" to help "emotionally prepare you for Valentine’s Day". The song is aptly titled "You’re Somebody Even If Nobody Loves You". The man sure has sense of humor, as also testified by the name of his new band: The New Jerk Times. Don’t miss their upcoming shows at Zebulon on 02.16 (258 Wythe at N. 3rd in Williamsburg) and Sway on 02.17 ((305 Spring at Greenwich).

Ethereal duo Elika must have kept pretty busy in the recording and CD manufacturing departments lately. The band announced at once the release of their hand made "There Was No Summer" EP (available through Chat Blanc Records,) and the completion of the upcoming full length album, scheduled to see the light later this year. The EP (in the picture), limited to 111 copies, handsewn on dark gray cardboard, could become a collector’s item. The actual CD is NOT handsewn nor made of cardboard – more info about it here.

Bear Hands (currently #39 in our NYC Indie Popularity Charts here) have been on The Deli’s radar for quite a while (they were our CD of the month some time in 2008) and it’s good to see them do well. The band, who recently signed to Cantora Records (who launched MGMT), has just announced the release of the new "What a Drag" EP and a US tour starting with a performance at The Studio on 02.16. The band’s sound has evolved in new exciting direction recently, we recommend you check out their songs here.

The love-inducing quintet Xylos has been bringing up-lifting dreamy soft tunes to the world since the release of their debut EP, Bedrooms in 2008. Their songs are a heavenly chorus of female and male vocals that will take you back to those Sunday afternoons at church harmony – ah! Don’t you ever miss those days when you could sing unselfconsciously during mass? As their name suggests there is plenty of xylophone-like percussive sounds here, plus gentle electric guitars and a laid back rhythm section. The band showcases a noteworthy musical maturity, channeling at times tropical influences (In The Bedroom), and experimenting at others with more daring ideas/song structures (Mission). The female lead singer’s vocals have the power to trigger instant attention and warmth. Their debut LP (produced by Britt Myers – the man behind bands like Chairlift and Yeasayer) will be out later this year, but in the meantime you shouldn’t miss their live show at The Studio at Webster Hall, Friday the 19th. – Chloe Schildhause

Brooklyn devastatingly noisy SUSU have a new record and this is what they say about it (from our Open Blog): "R and R and R is the culmination of a year of writing and reaction. Our process was simple and 100% collaborative – mostly forget everything you did the day before, but keep the things that stick. Once we had the bases for songs we fine tuned or de-tuned the mixtures to produce what you will hear. We feel our approach was very visceral but respectful of a traditonal "song". We are very excited with the results and hope you will be too. You may hear echoes of what we have done on our previous release, but for us it feels entirely more cohesive and powerful, as it was done in one big chunk. It is also very true to our live performance. It was recorded and mixed in 7 consecutive days at Machines with Magnets (Battles, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Elvis Perkins in Dearland etc.) in Pawtucket, RI by Keith Souza and Seth Manchester. The guys there (and Lauren!) were amazing to work with, not to mention they let us sleep on the floor. Visit our website to purchase (iTunes, eMusic, Lala, Amazon etc.) Much love. – SUSU" – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). – Don’t miss their show at Glasslands on 02.12.

The Death Set was originally formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia by Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco, but soon relocated in Brooklyn, Baltimore and Philadelphia – where the band found more of an audience for its style of spastic, cross genre, punk rock. Don’t miss their show at Lit on 02.19 with Fresh Kills, Spiderfang and… the band with one of the most ridiculous names in the world: Hulk Smash.

In a world where most ideas have been stolen, borrowed or re-fabricated in one form or another, I have grown to appreciate the Brooklyn-based band Sisters. The two piece—neither of which are girls—consists of Aaron Pfannebecker, who sings and plays guitar, and drummer/keyboardist Matt Conboy. Instead of merely copying things from prior generations, Sisters embrace a wide variety of musical installations while exploring new avenues for creating and distorting sound. While Sisters understand the structural greatness and pop aesthetic of Nirvana, the bursting unpredictability of Wire and the hollowed-out frequencies of a My Bloody Valentine record, they haven’t let that stop them from pushing boundaries on the musical daisy-chain. Dubbed one of the Death By Audio “house bands”, Sisters’ music embraces a collage of noise and garage rock with distorted, reverberated guitars and heavily amplified drums. Aaron switches back and forth between high pitched screeches and boyish screams with the uncertainty of Steven Malkamus as Matt jumps off the drums to orchestrate a childlike melody on the keys and making things danceable. Though there are only two members in this band, their live sound packs a major punch and can be a bit overwhelming. Some of you may wanna bring the plugs! Sisters have just wrapped up recording their first full length record, which is scheduled for release in the spring. The duo played some super awesome gigs at CMJ and I was lucky to seize a moment of singer Aaron Phannebecker’s time… Read Lindsey Lawless interview with the band here.

While penciling still lifes in high school art class back in 1997, New Orleans natives Collin Ruffino and David Gross began a friendship that was sparked by a mutual love of music. Twelve years later, the duo calls Brooklyn home as they continue their musical journey with Home Video – an electro/indie rock creation that features a minimalist instrumental approach to music. The band’s debut full length album, No Certain Night or Morning, was released on Defend Music in 2006. The release showcased gloomy symphonic undertones and moody lyrics, which laid the foundation for Home Video’s budding signature sound. It Will Be OK, the twosome’s latest offering, features a new angle in sound and approach for Ruffino and Gross as they ditch their dark, minimalist direction in favor of a lighter sound full of instrumental complexity. Home Video recently spoke to The Deli about being human, winding down with The Wire, and jammin’ on the moon. – Read Cecilia Martinez interview with the band here.

Punk folksters from NJ Titus Andronicus‘ 2nd album, entitled "The Monitor", will be released on Beggars’ XL Recordings on March 9. The album is going to bear a Civil War theme and features guest players from members of The Hold Steady, Wye Oak, Vivian Girls and Ponytail. Mark your calendar for their CD release party at The Bowery Ballroom on March 6, which promises to be explosive – in a Civil War kinda way!

Sebastian Krueger’s Inlets will please the hoards of music fans who have grown to love the floral and somewhat progressive folk championed by Grizzly Bear and Beach House. Less grandiose than the first and sunnier than the latter, Inlets’ songs are instantly gratifying and more soothing. Their tamed vocals resonate in a very intimate way, like it often happens with one man/woman band projects, and the melodies are not as convoluted as you may expect. Krueger finds trendy help in the backing vocals department, where Dirty Projectors’ Angel Deradoorian leads a team of beautiful voiced ladies whose subtle vocal counterpoint contributes in the texture and melodic departments. Acoustic guitars, clarinets, pianos, strings, percussion, the unmissable ukulele but also synths and other keyboard sounds contribute to the band’s tastefully layered orchestrations. The album Inter Arbiter is due out in April – we predict that this record will be one of the soundtracks of hipster love this summer. – PDG