Love Ends Disaster!

Nostalgia Moment : I remember the day when Love Ends Disaster's first ep dropped into my lap. To say that it blew me away is an understatement. Five flurryous tracks of epic guitar goodness (well with some electronic touches chucked in) I played that cd so many times I'm sure my cd laser drilled some kind of hole in it.

That was in 2005.

Three years later, the band have released some more singles and whereas the peers they were compared to in the beginning ( Bloc Party, Interpol) all sounded a bit stale, LED! have improved on their craft and have gotten better, stronger and even more anthemic. Each release is becoming a new high point in their discography.

Finally the band are recording their debut and when that is unleashed, I hope their time will come cause they sure deserve it.

Love Ends Disaster's! Myspace page

The Human Value

Wow! even if you've Never heard of The Human Value before, I have a feeling you definitely will in the near future. This three piece have all you can want in a band. A Lead singer (Turu) with a killer voice and a rhythm section which spits out great riffs and drumbeats the second a song starts.

Two Albums in and now, hopefully the Earth is at their feet!

Link to Pretty Mouth

The Human Value's Myspace page

New Band : Hockey

The temptation to descend into cliche here was great. I mean the band is called Hockey and i'm not really into sports ... anyway you could see where this intro was heading.

so different tack

EVERYONE knows that the best guitar pop hails from Portland. New York may have an intellectual edge but let's face it. If you want to jump about and hear the most ear friendly music, Portland is your stop.

Hockey are no exception to this rule. Except that there is a more electronic edge to their music, but that doesn't mean that oh so wonderful infectiousness is gone. In fact these tunes are so accessible that in a parallel world each track on Hockey's myspace page (a very generous six) would be a chart topping single.

My fave track here is definitely 'Song Away' with it's breezy swagger it is a surefire winner and sums up what this band is all about. Good tunes and confidence.

A group to check out!

Hockey's Myspace Page

The Mummers

Ok I apologise for the long gap, mostly due to my computer being repairewd. Anyways I'm back and updating will resume on a near daily basis.

There's something about The Mummers that make you stop in your tracks, Maybe it's orchestral pomp that lurches straight at you, perhaps it's Rice clear as a bell voice or the gorgeous melodies that assault you. Whatever it is you can feel that there is greatness afoot.

On the band's Myspace page there are four tracks (albeit snippets) and trust me they will change your life. This is music that is unashamedly pop and is heavily decorated without losing any of it's charm.

If you are interested and want to check out the rest of this prodigous band's material(and I don't blame you!) , there is an e.p. out on general release.

A truly special band.

The Mummers Myspace

Enl

Talk about urgency! 0.1 seconds of logging on to London's Enl I am greeted by an onrush of thumping drums and music that sounds so fast you feel that the band were making their very last album! not to mention that the melody is so infectious that putting it in quarantine is an absolute must

And when THAT first song is over, you won't even have time to breathe as the next track (Mrs.Madame) still has that 'play as fast as you can' feel (with added bouncy bass) and is better then the last.

and this happens another three times.

Enl just reek of youthful energy, guts and blood, To believe that these five songs are demos is a definite sign that the fully developed version will make you run for cover, or at least to the indie dancefloor.

now clear your room, listen to Enl and pogo about. This is not an option!

Enl's Myspace

The Poverty Beat

I get obsessed by new bands/artists very easily. But I say if I like the music then I don't care and trust me here, The Poverty Beat's (aka Kin Pitchford) music hit me in a million different ways. This guy's tunes have all the components of something great. I simply love the fact that each song is different from the last and yet still holds on to a unique style (kudos for the rhyming clever song titles as well' April Showers, Mayflowers! - Hah). I'm reminded of Ariel Pink albeit Pitchford has a much better ear for a tune. Also notice how the tracks have an adhesive quality to them. I know you'll be thinking about a song like 'In Orbit' or 'The Singularity' long after it has been heard.

If I go on it will be nothing but lavish praise so let's wind down and we'll go straight to the links
:

The Poverty Beat part 1

The Poverty Beat part 2

enjoy - I have!

Operahouse

I've this a million or billion times but i just am in seventh heaven when I listen to a band for the first time and the tunes just slap you in the face and keep you stunned for 3 minutes or so.

Welcome to Operahouse.

Songs that stick out for a mile, make you want to dance and just are great. There's no other words to describe the tracks here, unless you want a long line of superlatives.
just check them out

Operahouse's Myspace

Lonelady

Imagine I take a pencil and shove it in your eye. Then after ten minutes I do the exact same thing and in the same eye too!

This is what Manchester's Lonelady sounds like.

What i'm trying to get at here is that her music is stark, direct and straight to the point. No mucking about. Just a drum machine and a guitar so angular that it would have to be studied in Geometry class and great voice too. Somewhere between PJ Harvey and a less yowly Scout Niblett. It's feral but listenable.

The best track on the myspace page is definitely 'Intuiton, with it's upfront melody and catchy drum machine beat.

I like!

Lonelady's Myspace.

James Yuill

Man James Yuill is so cool that a pair of sunglasses should accompany each release he unleashes onto the unsuspecting public. Two singles under his belt and just KNOW that there's a great future up ahead.

Why am I making a fuss? It's not everyday you meet a guy who can effortlessly mash bruising beats with folky sounding guitars AND make it sound so damn easy oh and so damn danceable. In fact i've been so hooked on these tracks that i've put off mentioning this guy on the blog for a few days. The five tracks on Yuill's myspace are worth checking out, especially the amazing 'No Pins Allowed' which shows Yuill at his best. Trust me they will make your day better!

there's only one last thing left to say

License to YouILL?????

James Yuill's Myspace

Vivian Girls

Once again good old New York donates another one first class band to the music world. This time round it's Vivian Girls.

Imagine all the greatest mid to late 80's guitar rock bands, That loving lo fi sound, a punchy chorus, a prominent drum and that shambolic but thrilling guitar sound. To top it off all girls sing in harmony woo!

Now give all these elements a noughties sheen and maybe you're close to this band's sound. Vivian Girls are like the best rollercoaster ride you've got to experience one day in your life!

and yes, there is an album hitting your record shelves very very soon. A must have!

Maybe this paragraph is a bit on the short side
but really it's a case of the music speaking for itself - and it does that in volumes!

Vivian Girls Myspace

One Little Plane

There is something about One Little Plane's voice that will grab you from the the start. It's dreamy but with an edge that makes you how both vocal qualities work so well together.

and then there's the music.

think of some sort of tapestry unfurling in slow motion. It's a beautiful electronic kalaedoscope with some homemade sounds chucked in for good measure.

The track that is the most immediate is Sunshine Kid. A hip hop beat melded with an acoustic guitar and a very pretty doe eyed chorus. This music designed for watching sunsets and sunrises with a lover by your side. Gives you chills and warm feelings at the same time. OLP's debut album will erm.. be landing soon so make sure to doouble erm.... book early! (sorry for the flight puns)

one helluva talent here.


OLP's Myspace Page

The Joy Formidable

It seems that lately i've been coming across monikers that describe the band well. The latest in this series is London based band, The Joy Formidable.

The music is all about textures. Synths weave in and out, heavy drumming and a wall of guitar noise dominate their latest song 'The Greastest Light is the Greatest Shade' it's a HUGE tune in every way and then just as you thought that the song could not go further there is a spine tingling multi tracked choir of Ritzi ( the lead singer) concluding the whole thing. Breath taking.

the remaining two tracks are early songs ( I assume) 'Austere' (the band's first forthcoming single) is bouncy tune which plays on quiet/loud dynamics perfectly. It's also a breath taking song, but only cause you'll jump around to it till actually run out of air to breathe.

last track 'Cradle' is all pretty cooing and buzzsaw guitars. It's cute and bruising at the same time.

The Joy Formidable? oh yes! Definitely!

The Joy Formidable's Facebook Page

The Joy Formidable's Myspace

Real Ones

I am a huge sucker for banjos and when I heard the first pluckings of Every Dog Has it's Day' I knew I just had to write something about this band.

Besides the banjo pop perfection the songs are just so damn good! totally irresistible and will make themselves a prt of your life somehow. The amount of talent this band have is simply jaw dropping. Listen to the strings on the aforementioned 'Every Dog Has it's Day' or the sexy bass on outlaw and how about the psychedelic opening of Orlando. wowowowowow

yes I am using quite a bit of hyperbole here but this band deserve it. Furthermore there is an album out soon so their will be more tunes for me to drool on.

and did i mention that the band hail from Norway! excellent!

Real Ones Myspace

Darlings of the Day

Never has a band moniker been so misleading. DOTD create danceable, hip swaying guitar pop. Think of the early Long Blondes but with a better ear for a arm flailing tune. This is pure fun all the way. There's no shortage of great riffs or choruses. This band has it all. Did O mention that the majority of the tracks here are demos! If these caused damage then the fully fledged version will create a full scale disaster. Watch this group with a wary eye! Darlings for long time I reckon

Darlings of the Day Myspace

Aleks and the Drummer

How the hell can one describe Aleks and the Drummer? you simply can't. One thing I can say is that this New Yorkian duo's music has got me glued to my seat. Listen to the first song, Closer. A Stinky sounding Farfisa, an errant drum and haunting female voice wrapping itself around the whole song. It's oddly arresting.

If you thought that was good then check out the other songs Alexs .... myspace page. All of them have that off beat pop feel. Most of these songs have been on rotation all morning and they just make me like the band more. This is powerful stuff. Furthermore they have an e.p. which was produced by no other than David Andrew Sitek (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, T.V. on the Radio, Scarlett Johansson) so hopefully in the near future we'll be hearing a lot more from them.

Alexs and the Drummer's Myspace

Grand Pocket Orchestra

The first thing I noticed about Grand Pocket Orchestra is that I instantly liked the band title. It's like creating a maximum sound in the most minimal way possible. It turns out that I was right.

GPO contain every single trait that I adore in a band. An air of joyous abandon, harmony galore, silly song titles and bucketloads of tunes. Yes the happy button is pressed to the limit but other than annoying the listener, it ensnares you to a candy coloured world. From the glorious single 'Little Messy' to positively hyper 'Chongo pop' you' ll dance and bop till you faint with exhaustion to these four songs. This band truly want to brighten your day and they succed marvelously.

Now excuse me while i dash off to jump around to Little Messy again.

Grand Pocket Orchestra's Myspace Page

Kid Canaveral

What is it about Scots and indie pop? the two seem to go hand in hand. Give a Scot a guitar and he will bash out a catchy as hell song that will make you pogo about in your room for days. Edinburgh's Kid Canaveral is no exception.

Couldn't Dance, the first song on this guys myspace page is simply great. It's a rocket of a song, just blasts off and keeps on going at full throttle.

and if you thought that was good, the next song is called 'Teenage Fanclub Song' and it's just as whimsical and fun. A good old fashioned guitar belter.

The Other two songs (Smash Hits, So CLose so Beautiful) are older but just as wonderful. In other words this band have a magic touch with music. As I know you'll never hear songs this honest and worm their way into your eardrums so quick.


Brilliant Brilliant stuff that needs to be heard! This is your new favourite band!

Kid Canaveral Myspace

Stricken City - Free E.P.

I just love when I hear fresh music that's sounds fantastic from the very second when you press the play button. When i heard Stricken City's Tak o Tak I instantly gravitated to it. Honestly never has a song compelled me to press 'play' so many times. A simple beat and a soaring chorus and a catchy guitar line. It's a perfect recipe for a perfect tune. Listen to it and fall in love.

and that's not all, the remaining two songs on this downloadable e.p. keep up to the standard of Tak o Tak. Bardou is a slower tune but so sweet you can't help grinning and the Traveller is culled from a radio sessio. The recording quality isn't great but the song itself displays a softer side of the band.

Definitely a group to look out for

Official website (where you can download the e.p.)

Myspace Page

Tres Bien

When you call your band 'Very Good' (albeit in French) it can raise a few eyebrows but when I heard the rumbling bass in the song 'Catastrophe at Sea' by said band I did raise my eyebrows. It sounded great!

Tres Bien are indeed very good and the three cuts on their myspace page prove this, Deep bass, tinny keyboards, energy ( at least on the first two tracks) and most importantly melodies to boot. It's a great package.

good stuff - oui oui!

Tres Bien's Myspace Page

Thecocknbullkid

Move over M.I.A. and Santogold, here's another cross pollinating artist with plenty of sass. She may not be known now but I assure you that Ghana artist based in London artist Thecocknbullkid will make huge ripples very soon.

The Music? a bit electronic, a bit pop a bit everything and she has on hell of a voice too! The sheer eclecticism of everything is brilliant and she has not preachy with her views and every arrangement just sounds natural.

There's a generous offering of tracks on her myspace page and they are all corkers. Do check them out.


TCNBK myspace