Florida band Surfer Blood seem to be getting a lot of hype at the moment - but from what I’ve heard, it’s well deserved.
They make classic American pop - a kind of shimmery wall of sound Beach Boys or Big Star, but with added punchiness.
Vienna Ditto have already got attention from the likes of Huw Stevens, Tom Robinson and er.. the makers of Hollyoaks. Listening to their debut single ‘Long way down’ it’s easy to see why. It’s a slinky electro chanteuse kind of number - as hooky as the hand the famous pirate captain couldn’t play the piano with.
Singer Hatty has a very lovely rude voice and is ably supported by reverb guitars, spry drums and what sounds like someone playing ping pong though a flanger.
Montage Populaire’s demo is an inventive, eclectic affair. A DIY gem, swinging from frisky indie pop (Break up the band) to the Super Furries / Roxy Musicisms of the track we have for you to download. It’s all good though - really excellent mish-mash songwriting a la Fiery Furnaces with no irritating bits.
We’re a bit late with this news, but it appears The Daisy Riots have split. A shame, as they were a fucking brilliant band.
Fans of their amped up Futureheadsy punk rock n roll can console themselves with a download of pretty much everything they ever recorded.
This is a great bit of lo-fi folk from Greg Whalen. Greg is mates with Furhood and Lewis Irvine - both excellent - there must be a cool scene going on up there in Glasgow, where they all reside.
The Councellor Song is a choice ditty about indulging in the things we all indulge in, and being diagnosed with mental issues. Nice. Greg’s voice reminds me of Langhorne Slim - high praise indeed in my opinion - and the acoustic strummery and cardboard box drums give it just the right feel. The wolf howls are a nice addition too.
Here’s a great bit of classic 80s indie pop from Red Drapes. It’s very Psychedelic Furs - but unlike a lot bands that plough this particular furrow, the tunes don’t get lost in histrionics. Red Drapes don’t try too hard, and get everything just right as a consequence.
This is animal stuff. Primal rock n roll with a country/rockabilly inflection - like Hasil Adkins wrestling Mark Sultan in a mud pit. The beats are hefty, the riffs are proper and the tunes are sweet.
I Remember Tapes, pic by www.robinballphotography.co.uk
I heard the latest EP by I Remember Tapes a couple of months ago, but being catastrophically slack, it’s taken until now to share a tune with you. My bad.
Fans of The Futureheads and The Cheek will enjoy their angular guitar pop with heavy accents.
Leftovers is one of the best things you’ll hear this summer - but it will likely be with a tinge of melancholy because the band that recorded it are recently deceased. Untitled Musical Project decided to call it a day last month - a terrible shame as they were always one of the best, most in-your-face live acts to grace this nation’s stages. With a glorious disregard for cliques and trendy wendies they ploughed a Mclusky-esque furrow with fiery wit and passion and they will be sorely missed.
But enough of the obituary-isms - UMP had the good grace at their time of passing to treat us to this unreleased LP, for free.
LA classic rockers Willowz have biffed out a preview track from their new record, Everyone. It’s released on Dim Mak in October.
Repetition is very White Stripes, let’s be honest. But it’s also very fine indeed.
Photos from a recent FOE gig - a friend of our friends Hold Your Horse Is - she’s gonna be big!!! Read the gig review after the jump.
Shots of North Carolina’s folk-rocking Avett Brothers’ stop in Glasgow - 22.08.11
Read the review of the gig here.
Take a look at the acts and art on offer at this year’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Included are the likes of Fight Like Apes, Lykke Li, Sea of Bees and Seasick Steve. Photos from our own...
Good time with Bad Guys. Photos from the May 29th gig at the Old Blue Last. Read the review by the Bad Guy himself, Stuart London after the jump.
Artrocker.com exclusive: for fans of White Lies and Crocodiles we’ve got some fresh pictures from their UK show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire earlier this month, courtesy of Alessandro...
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