Originally hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Miniature Tigers have made the trek east to NYC like so many before them, in hope of leaving their own imprint on the local music scene. Unlike most of their peers though, they’ve left half the band behind. You’d expect this to create some practical issues for lead singer/guitarist Charlie Brand, but he’s keener to talk up the pros of maintaining some distance between him and his band mates. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s feature on Miniature Tigers here.

The Wicked Tomorrow‘s songs a visceral goldmine of dirty rock and roll. Their self titled debut EP was cut live in the studio by couple Jacobs, guitar and vocals, and Michelle, drums and backing vocals. The band will play at the Mercury Lounge with Prospector on January 23. Check out Ben Rice’s interview with the band here.

Guards is the solo project of Richie James Follin; originally from California, Follin wrote his music for Guards in New York City. He had the help of friends Caroline Polachek from Chairlift, James Richardson of MGMT, and Loren Shane Humphrey of Willowz, and sister Madeline Follin of Cults appearing as guests on some of the songs. Follin’s warm-toned and dynamic vocals, straight forward drumming and sprawling guitar gives a bit of a throwback to an older more soulful sound. Each song gives something different, but still has a warmth and family style atmosphere. Guards is good for the following (and more): some slow dancing, jumping up and down, cleaning the house. The band is releasing their debut 7" and playing Glasslands on 01.22. – Lauren Piper

Guards – "Swimming After Dark"

Five O’Clock Heroes have been around for quite a while (7 years according to myspace) but, since being in a rock band is the toughest business in the world, it took them a while to release their debut album, scheduled for February 2011 on Glaze Records. The fact that the quartet is equally split between US and UK residents surely didn’t help… These guy play some darn catchy indie rock with 50s pop influences vaguely reminiscent of Elvis Costello. Check out their new video of the song Rough Boys

Green Label Sound today release their latest single "Cut Me Out" by electronic-pop songstress MNDR a.k.a. Amanda Warner and co-producer/co-writer Peter Wade (featured in our Best of NYC 2010 list). Starting tomorrow, MNDR will join Chromeo on the road for a coast-to-coast North American tour presented by the same Green Label Sound. In less than six months, MNDR has toured the world opening for acts including Miike Snow, and Massive Attack. Chromeo on the other hand will be playing at Terminal 5 on February 4th and announced the release of a new track exclusively on iTunes.

Professional shredder/ Filmmaker Sarah Lipstate aka Noveller (pictured) is bringing her distant droning guitar epics to Bruar Falls on January 29th. Despite her young age, Noveller is a seasoned NYC "scenester", having been part of bands like Parts & Labor and Cold Cave. Her music is brooding but delicate, gloomy yet serene and its weight can be felt even more in a live setting.

Opening is Olga Bell’s brainchild Bell (picture above) with their ethereal electro pop and commanding vocals over schizoid beats. The line-up is further filled out with scrappy indie-rockers Grooms who just finished mixing their new album, so expect them to jam out some soon to be released tunes. Rounding out the line up is vintage garage rockers Sundelles whose warm pop will sprinkle some sugar on this rather noisy but exciting bill. The show is presented by up and comer J4 Productions.- (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Headless Horseman is a band full of contradictions. While much of members Fareed Sajan and Conner O’Neill’s repertoire contains the intimate spookiness of Icelandic bands like múm and Sigur Ros, there’s also an immediacy in their recordings at home in their Brooklyn surroundings, bringing Sufjan Stevens and even Sleigh Bells to mind in songs like Sh8ker and Growing. Achieving large, sing-along moments over sparse guitar work, then moving without pause to mouse-like whispers rising over blaring electronics, this band deals exclusively in musical and emotional dichotomies. It makes sense that fellow Wesleyan alum Himanshu Suri of Das Racist manages the duo, a man who is simultaneously de- constructing and re-constructing music by similarly forcing disparate ideas to work together. Constructing their large palette from found objects, Headless Horseman conveys a childlike sense of musical discovery in their songs where the listener feels as surprised at the messy but endearing results as the band does. Making generous use of kitchen utensils and collage sound editing techniques, Headless Horseman has managed to make a fully realized musical environment sound like an intimate experience. Check them out with the other bizarre electro kinds in Com Truise at Cameo on January 21. – Mike Levine

Lia Ices probably couldn’t have written “Grown Unknown” without taking a break from Brooklyn. Due out in February on Jagjaguwar, the singer’s sophomore album collects nine impressionistic fairytales, each song a misty sylvan dream world unto itself. The music is airy, uncluttered, and untouched by civilization. Prospect Park and Green Wood Cemetery have their dark, secluded spots, but as refuges from civilization—places capable of inspiring the kind of wonder and dread hissing beneath the quietude of this record—Brooklyn’s premier green spaces have nothing on rural Vermont, where Ices spent last winter writing. We asked Lia a few questions about the recording process for her upcoming album, here.

Born and raised in Israel, Itamar Ziegler might find himself pigeonholed and subsequently ignored by indie aficionados whose instincts will firmly place him within the “World Music” genre. It’s a shame, because anyone who overlooks "Memories of Now" will be missing a real treat. A treasure chest of tinkly instrumentation, dexterous acoustic play, poetic lyricism and strong pop melodies, the album is a slightly zany experience, with the song writing and arrangements rarely treading any kind of obvious ground. For example, opener ‘The Story Must Be Told’ captures that big-top, funhouse feel with its peculiar flutes and Arabian-esque guitar lead. ‘To Father’ is reminiscent of White Album-era McCartney with its delicate acoustic plucks and hypnotic vocal. An ode to his sadly deceased father, the record rarely shies away from important subject matter, often touching on themes of life, death, social injustice and war. On ‘Lordy Lord’, the militant percussion is the backdrop of the album’s most politically charged track as Ziegler bemoans the senselessness of war in God’s name. “We know you love us/We know you hate them/And when a child dies/It’s in your name,” he croons desperately. Indeed, the whole piece has an emotional core that coupled with Ziegler’s clever musicianship makes "Memories of Now" an unexpected winner. – Dean Van Nguyen

You’ve heard him singing "All I Want is You" in the opening credits of the hit film JUNO… but Washington, DC based songwriter Barry Louis Polisar has actually been singing for children and families for 35 years, releasing his first record, I Eat Kids and Other Songs for Rebellious Children, in 1975. Now, some of those rebellious children he used to entertain have banded together and released a 2-CD, 60-song, tribute album of his songs called We’re Not Kidding! A Tribute to Barry Louis Polisar.

 "It’s great fun for me to hear my songs re-created this way," Polisar said. "Having my song in ‘Juno’ was great–but this is even better." The project is the brain child of Aaron Cohen, lead singer of the LA punk band The Radioactive Chicken Heads. Aaron had Barry’s albums as a child and claims him as his biggest influence.

The 2-CD set is now available from iTunes, Amazon and CDbaby. Hear free samples on Barry’s web site: http://www.barrylou.com/tributeAlbum.html   

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers have been hustling and grinding on the underground NYC circuits sans official releases for quite some time now and it’s great to see that Knitting Factory Records is about to release their debut album "Teenage And Torture". This Friday the 21st the band will play Brooklyn Bowl to celebrate its release with Soft Black and She Keeps Bees. Shilpa is a spirited performer, so if you like original music that’s intriguingly in your face you should not miss this CD release party.

Baltimore’s trio Thank You are releasing their 3rd album, Golden Worry, with Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey on January 25th. The album was recorded by engineer Chris Coady, who’s known for his work with Beach House and Gang Gang Dance. Check out this stellar track "1-2-3 Bad" and pre-order Golden Worry here. Thank you – 1-2-3 Bad by The Drift Record Shop