Relatively new to the scene, Brooklyn collective We Are Country Mice has released only a handful of tracks since forming in 2008. But the quality of their sound – muddy guitar riffs, beating drum rolls, distinct vocals and fluid bass lines – displays a talent way beyond their budding creation. Comprised of Ben Bullington (guitar), Jason Rueger (guitar), Josh Kothe-Levie (bass) and Kurt Kuehn (drums), the band calls upon influences such as Neil Young, Wilco and Modest Mouse to produce their signature sound. Midwesterners at heart (the band came to NYC to pursue their musical dream), We are Country Mice also adds a touch of country flare to the tracks. The foursome has already billed with such groups as Depreciation Guild, Surfer Blood, Freelance Whales and Drink Up Buttercup, and they may be the Brooklyn band to look out for in 2010. The members spoke to The Deli about their soon to be released debut album, coming to New York City, and canned beets, tacos and pizza (oh my!). - Read Cecilia Martinez interview with the band here.

With their gentle lo-fi waltzes and sparse crooner-less country-ish ballads, Brooklyn's own Backwords are bringing back optimistic atmospheres reminiscent of Camper Van Beethoven's unforgettable record Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart - minus that band's legendary violin of course. Shots in the Dark in particular - with its lack of pretension, pleasant crooked melody, and lyrics about friendship - is a song that has the rare power to keep you company. The band is currrently working on their upcoming album in their house/studio, and will be performing live at Pianos on March 3 and at Sycamore on March 5.

Some songs sound like they were made for a windless and intense snowy day like today - Christy and Emily's Little World" is one of them (listen to it here). The duo plays elegant, contained, slow pop songs with a classical and experimental edge. The song will be included in the band's third full length, entitled No Rest, recorded in Germany and released in April on Klangbad Records. For reasons beyond us this kind of gorgeous, sophisticated, introspective soft music (here we call it "mellow core") has way more following in Europe than in the States - some attribute this to the "European decadence". But dudes, Rock'n'Roll decadence started with the Velvet Underground, and Christy and Emily's music shares many ingredients with the Banana Album, so it may be time for NYC to embrace its own. See them live at Monster Island on March 13.

Extra Life is one of those bands noisy engough to scandalize our friend and ex reader April (see her comment about Talk Normal here). But surprisingly enough, the video they recently premiered on stereogum.com is pretty much the exact opposit of noisy (are the dudes getting older? That's what happens to musicians when they get older, they play less noisy, more structured stuff - the only exception is a Canadian band called Anvil). Anyway, whatever the reason behind this welcome surprise, the important thing is that the dudes haven't lost their interest in experimenting, creating here a track that sounds like some sort of avant-pastoral music with disturbing imagery, very well transposed to video by director Peking. The Deli likes it!

French Horn Rebellion entertained us last year with their electronic dancey songs and a goofy video that recreated Saturday Night Fever style wooing in hypster Williamsburg, 2009 circa. The duo is back with a new EP entitled Beaches and Friends that will be released on March 1st. This Spring they'll join Little Boots and Dragonette on their US tour. FHR will also be making appearances at this years SXSW, Bestival, and Oxygen Festival. These guys are entertaining, don't miss their live performances.