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.