Will the new decade see a resurgence of the electric guitar based sound? A simplified look at the history of rock music in the last 4 decades might hint at that possibility: 70s = punk guitars, 80s = new wave keyboards, 90s = indie rock guitars, 00s = avant-indie samplers 10s = …guitars back in fashion?!). If this prediction is correct, NYC’s Darlings might find themselves in a comfy spot: their sound offers a pure garage rock sound in the form of melodic pop gems at times reminiscent of The Strokes ("Eviction Party") or Pavement ("Big Girl"). The band will release a new EP ("Warma") via Famous Class Records on March 15. Go check them out live at Shea Stadium on 02.16 – they have a fun live show.

Lifeguards is the new project led by (now NYC based) Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard of Guided By Voices. The duo had already worked together outside of the GBV realm (under their own names) on the 1999 "Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Dept". This is their 2nd record as Lifeguards, following "Mist King Urth", released in 2002 on Pollard’s own Fading Captain Series. In 2010 Pollard and Gillard reconvened for the first time since the end of GBV in 2004 to create this follow up, entitled "Waving at the Astronauts". Gillard wrote and recorded 10 instrumentals at home then sent the finished compositions off to Pollard who added melodies and lyrics. In May 2010, Pollard recorded his vocals with Gillard and Travis Harrison at Serious Business Music in NYC where drums and overdubs were added and the record was mixed. The album can be streamed in its entirety here.

DC’s funky "yacht-rock"ers Poor But Sexy have finally unleashed their debut onto the world today. Let’s Move In Together is packed with hooky jams that they’ve described, "sounds like R. Kelly traveled back in time to become Steely Dan’s front man circa 1977." What? This we’ve got to hear.

And PBS is made up of very familiar faces amongst the DC post-punk scene. Like Singer David Brown and bassist Brandon Kalber who met playing in the punk-funk band Travis Morrison Hellfighters.  Guitarist/Producer Jason Caddell rocked out with the Dismemberment Plan for 10 years. Keyboardist David Durst also composes punk-chamber music for Anti-Social Music. And drummer Bruce Falconer moonlights as an investigative journalist.

Check out the studio-filmed video for "Cherry Delicious" below and check them out live at the Black Cat on Feb. 27.

Richmond all-girl punk trio, The Two Funerals, are back in business! It’s been a few years since their last release, Tell Yr Story, but the band has finally posted the title track from their upcoming EP, Boy’s Club (Rorschach Records), available for free download. This record seems to pick up where the last 7" left off, forging highly aggressive street-punk with moody, post-rock interludes and lyrics that drive home The Two Funerals’ commitment to feminist rights in the 21st century, especially within the music industry and band scenes. "Boys Club" (the song) ends with the line, "Are we a band yet?", a confrontational statement that demands artistic recognition. In the wake of the late Sleater-Kinney there is still plenty of room for a strong feminist voice in the punk scene and The Two Funerals have plenty of talent and passion to grow into it.

Check out their newest release here.

–Jarrett

Former Deli Artist of the Month, Danni Rosner, has been keeping busy! After recently playing a show at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in Philadelphia she’s now heading on the road for a mini-tour of shows at Free People department stores. The dates are:

2/20 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
2925 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405

2/20 – UNIVERSAL BAR – 8PM
4093 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood CA 91602

2/26 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
99 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

3/19 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
524 Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78703

I recently talked about the future of collaboration between independent artists and the fashion industry in my interview with U.S. Royalty. Could this be a whole new path to musical recognition in the wake of the crumbling 20th century music industry? You should leave your thoughts in the comments. Don’t be shy!

If you can’t catch Danni at one of the Free People shows, you should still keep an eye out for the upcoming release of a video for her song, "On My Way." The teaser is below.

–Jarrett

We hear that Kristina Lieberson (from Here We Go Magic) will be soon releasing something with her side project TEEN. Folkyer and sparser than Luke Temple’s project, her music is a hauntingly beautiful mix somewhere between Cat Power & Fever Ray. You’ll have 2 opportunity to see Teen live, on February 21st at Glasslands and the day after at Bruar Falls.

Woom recently relocated from NYC to LA – they just released this video for the Xiu Xiu remix of their song ‘Quetzalcoatl’s Ship’. Welikey!

Quetzalcoatl’s Ship from Sara Magenheimer on Vimeo.

Shenandoah & the Night is a promising NYC based quintet led by singer/songwriter/producer Shenandoah Ableman (of the San Francisco-based Yard Dogs Road Show). The band offers a seductive brand of noir orchestral pop that will surely charm fans of Tom Waits and Nick Cave. They are playing Rockwood Music Hall on March 31 and just announced the release of their 2nd album, out some time in May. Check out the titletrack "All The Beautiful Ladies" here.

Electronic duo New Villager has some seriously catchy songs in their repertoire – they caught our ear in 2009 and we went ahead and interviewed them in 2010 (here). We heard a rumor that they are just about to announce a new full length, so we thought it might be a good opportunity to write about them and get our readers to familiarize with our favorite song from the old record ("Rich Doors"), and its official video embedded here..

Tiny Animals, a trio born out of Katonah, New York, is set to release their second album, “Our Own Time,” on April 5, 2011. A potpourri of pop, punk, and playfulness, Tiny Animals utilize interche and sweetly blend the vocals of Chris Howerton (lead vocals/guitar), Rita Maye (drums/vocals), and Anton Kreisl (bass/vocals). Peppy “Fight or Flight” launches the album’s varying dynamics and emotions. The record rides through the harmonious and tense, “A Long Journey,” spritely single “Wait For Me,” melodic and romantic “We Can Read the Stars,” rock ballad, “The Moment,” and the ethereal closer, “Love Scene.” While Tiny Animals inch toward “Our Own Time’s” debut, the trio is bringing their punchy pop to Pianos on February 19. http://www.tinyanimals.net –Meijin Bruttomesso

Recommended for fans of The New Pornographers (or people who wish that Weezer had broken up in the ’90s when they were still writing great music), indie-pop/snyth-rockers Lucky Ghost (brainchild of Seth Berkowitz, pitctured) have recently released the ten song LP "Sex Griddle" on Lapdance Academy Music, the free-download imprint based out of Brooklyn. The band combines ’70s prog with ’80s pop and the lyrical whimsy of Britain’s lush singer-songwriter traditions. A video for the album’s first single, "Made In America" has been edited together from antique skydiving and daredevil public-domain footage from the Prelinger Archives. The entire LP is available for free download here. (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

New York City’s Post Rock instrumental duo Wires Under Tension will be playing in Brooklyn at Littlefield on Friday February 25th in support of their new album "Light Science" that was released on February 8th on Western Vinyl (which also released records of other notable NYC bands like Dirty Projector and Glass Ghost). Check out the video of the song "Mnemonics In Motion".