Heads Up*

Subject: Bronze Medalists

2011-06-12T03:52:00.000-07:00

Theres something very cool and very 2011 about Bronze Medalists - its all very... over everything. Organic without ever breaking into a sweat, robotic without sounding sterile, human yet without ever trying for anything as real as an emotional connection.

Coming off like a chemically subdued Postal Service (the ghosts of whos glitchy poptastic electronica looms long over proceedings) this is a strangley addictive little act that demands repeat listens yet doesnt ever feel like its got its claws into you that much. Its a neat trick to pull off and a very cool slice of alternative indietronica that I urge you to download as soon as you can.

Luckily to do so all you need to do is sign up for free at Earmusic. Go Go Go.

Subject: Aerials Up

2011-06-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hailing from North of the Border, over the space of the last 12 breathless months Aerials Up have been on something of a mental upward slope taking in various slots at the likes of T in the Park and a number of Vic Galloway sessions.

Trading in anthemic indie rock, AU take a danceable approach to throwing the kitchen sink at the mix, cramming the speakers with huge waves of harmonies and vocals crashing joyously into skyscraping guitars, glocks and violins.

If this all sounds like so far so Arcade Fire then yes there is more than a trace of Win Butlers euphoric gloam over proceedings here but by rooting their sound in almost folky influeces (check out the knees up romp Stay Awake that closes the bands debut ep for evidence of how affecting that can be) and delivered in that delicously mid altantic Scot drawl, the band manage to carve their own shapes into the rockface.

Definitely one to pick up very soon

Superglue Promo Vimeo from Aerials Up on Vimeo.

Subject: Stylusboy

2011-06-11T03:33:00.001-07:00

Whimsy of tone and breathless of strum there is something nonetheless wonderfully endearing about Coventry's Stylusboy. Operating in ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif similarly upbeat acoustic universe as the likes of Ruarri Joseph and Painkiller era Turin Brakes - Jones paints in familiar colours - all softly strummed acoustic guitars, sweeping cellos and insistantly chirpy glocks - but rather than engender the contempt that familiarity can breed, it instead evokes a sunny nostalgia.

Left to hide is moody downbeat centrepiece of his new ep (which is well worth a listen over at stylusboy.bandcamp.com but its lead track The Whole Picture that really sticks in the mind after the shuffle has moved on.

Subject: Einar Stray

2011-01-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

Songwriter Einar Stray manages to pull a neat little trick in being able to take whispers of instruments: delicate strands of violins, mournful cellos, plinking piano chords and the gently tapped percussions yet combining all of them together somehow manages to evoke huge sounding swathes of piano led post rock.

As the piano lines snake around themselves in delicately constructed little patterns, sometimes interplaying with other instruments, occasionally marking its own brave corner out for itself but all the time this "clever" musicianship never loses sight of the songs - resulting in some wonderous moments of beauty - not least this little beauty - Arrows.

You can get a free track from Einars new record over on Spoon Train Audio's Website.

Subject: Laeto

2011-01-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

A sleek and unforgiving of post rock fury the new album from Laeto comes off like a veritable whos who of influences of the best in UK post rock over the past five years. Shards of Secondsmile and Meet Me in St Lois brush up against playful slices of Youthmovies-esque melodic whimsy.

Interspersing some lyrical moments with the barely sustained instrumental fury is something of a masterstroke - focussing the attention throughout what is a tumultuous journey across swathes of unfurling arpeggios and reverb laden booms of ultra feedbacked guitars.

You can get hold of the album for free download now over at the bands bandcamp page. Definitely one to watch.

Subject: Harrys Gym

2011-01-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Trueisms: Since Kid A made its on way on to the record buying shelves across the world there has been a lot of this blend of splintered guitars, glacial soundscapes and glitchy electronica but few in the Yorke-slipstream have managed to refine the elements quite as effectively as Harrys Gym.

Ive been quietly loving this band for a little while now having been introduced to them by their connection to fellow Oslo residents I Was A King - the bands new album "What Was Ours Cant Be Yours" sees them leap right back to the top table among the likes of fellow scandinavians Efterklang. Its a seriously accomplished follow up to last years major label debut (Universal) and one that marks them out as ones to watch next year,

Subject: Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers

2010-10-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Boozy, funky, rawkous, freewheeling country blues folk. Woodenbox (to save my typing fingers) are a delicous blend of Republic of Looses barroom chants as much as they are a bluegrass tour de force; Best exemplified by "Beside The Pont" (see below).

One of the UKs most potent live bands the Fivers are signed to student run label Electric Honey and if justice is served they will follow in the illustrious footsteps of previous labelmates (Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Biffy) to much greater things - just one thing, check em out before then - this is far more perfect in a dank sweaty basement than it would be at an 02 academy.

Subject: Delay Trees

2010-10-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Shimmering of tone and jangly of nature Finlands Delay Trees have been on my radar since they first appeared in the Music Alliance Pact earlier this year (a blog based project you should google and subscribe to) and with such a gently understated modus operandi they should be perfect to soundtrack your winter evenings.

Often building chiming flutters into huge crescendos the bands way with a sky scraping anthem every now and then sees them move from indie could be's to actually bloody should be's. Like a perfect distallation of Joy Division, Sigur Ros and My Bloody Valentine - well. worth. your. time.

Subject: Tiny Fireflies

2010-10-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

If you liked previous HeadsUP featurees A Sunny Day in Glasgow or indeed (to delve a little further back Hush The Many (Heed The Few) then you will find much to love in the latest band to get involved in Eardrums Pop new netlabel series.

The bands spacious blend of spacey acoustic folk and childlike dreamy melodies and lyrics has won them fans across their native Brooklyn and now over here in Europe with more and more blogs waxing lyrical about the bands gossamer like way with the perfect pop tune. Perfect for lazy nights the cold. Get involved and download the bands new single for free over at Eardrums Pop

Subject: Team Me

2010-10-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

A sumptuous blend of rootsy americana with a distinctly scandinavian flurry of snow TEAM ME hail from Elverum (no) and deal in a mix of acoustic led music the band evoke the likes of Andrew Bird, The Polyphonic Spree, Anathallo and Sufjan Stevens. That this reads something akin to the most played on my ipod is an excellent thing.

The band recently supported British Sea Power and their delightful scando folk pop won the band a number of high profile supporters (not least British Sea Power themselves!) which should hopefully see them returning to these shores very soon. For now if you like your acoustic music deliciously sweet with plenty of great jumpers then this is the band for you:

Subject: Amiina

2010-10-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

So it turns out it may well be an actual fact that Iceland may well - per capita - be the music capital of the world with so many bands buzzing around the top of everyones Buzz list right now. While Hjatalin and Olof Arnalds might be topping a lot of peoples rollcalls right now though, Sigur Ros conspiritors Amiina return with a deftly expanded pallete with which to paint their new album "Puzzle".

Blending the bands traditional strings and things set up with washes of polyrhythmic beats and experimental loops and *gasp* more song led structures has worked something of a masterstroke - offering a distinct twist on the melancholic stereotypes that surround Iceland music whilst still holding those influences dear to their hearts.

A genuinely stunning piece of work.

Subject: K's Choice

2010-10-11T02:40:00.000-07:00

Back with their first new album in some seven years K's Choice return to the fray with a new double album (Echo Mountain) that evokes a blissful range of melancholic pop and acoustic led folk.

Awash is handclaps and chirpy electric guitars all bumping shoudlers with flourishes of pianos and one or two epic choruses along the way, its a record that touches base with the melancholy of the bands earlier work (see the maudlingly beautiful Almost Happy) while offering a Shins-y shaped vision of an indie pop future.

Unashamedly retro and utterly lovely. Check it out.

Subject: The Candle Thieves

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Former Alcopop stalwarts The Candle Thieves release a new ep this month in the shape of the Happiness Blues EP. Developing the bands canon with another fine set of delightfully english folk tinged pop.

The bands trademark mix of amassed backing vocals, careless whispers of melodies tossed asunder on a gossamer wind of piano fuelled pop and acoustic guitars bustling along to create a four track romp down penny lane.

After years of hard gigging and writing the band are finally starting to see some rewards as the bands unabashed mix of Beatles pop nouse and Syd Barrets odd ball folk pop begins to hit critical mass.

Subject: The Xcerts

2010-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

I first fell in love with The Xcerts a few years back by way of a tuneful little bottle rocket called I Hate The Way You Dance - fast forward to 2010 and the band have been carefully refining the noise and sharp corners on their immaculately crafted pop songs to create a juggernaut of power pop tinged alternative rock.

Recent single Slackerpop is the most perfect example of the bands arms in the air emo - showing recent upstarts like the Red Bull funded Twin Atlantic exactly who the best purveyors of this brand of americanised noise really is - a frenetic burst of pure adrenaline funnelled through a fuzzbox for our listening pleasure.

Subject: Chapter 24

2010-09-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

It takes a interesting songwriter (or a fucking lunatic) to somehow barely fill a 7" single yet somehow still manage to envoke flashes of Palmrya Delran, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Libertines, folksy acoustic guitar, Dick Dales surfing riffs and somehow retain some semblance of normality throughout but that balancing act is carried off nicely by London four piece Chapter 24 on new single Gregory / Down To The Water.

Out on New Pyramid Records - the bands immediate future sees them gigging frenetically across London and indeed hitting next months In The City as well - no doubt a few people will be staggering across Manchester trying to work out what on earth just happened... Maybe thats the idea - who knows. For now though its turning out to be a bloody good one.

Subject: Monzano

2010-09-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

The latest in a long line (although regarded as something of a scene leader back home) Monzano return to the fray this month - or indeed arrive at the party in the case of the UK - with a new EP "Apple Handsome" which should hopefully see us Brits partaking in the bands loveable indie pop for the first time.

Ive always had a soft spot for this kind of glacial indie and time and again here there are goosebumps to be had. Taking liberal dashes of Built To Spill and Pavement and throwing them up against a rich seam of pure pop provides an excellent off kilter collection of electronically tinted indie pop.

Subject: FILM

2010-09-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

We dont get many greek artists on the pages of this ere blog (not since Livan indeed waaay back) but one band thats really caught our ear this last week or so have been Athens based band FILM.

Best exemplified by lead off track Berlin, the band have brewed up a sepia soaked sound recalling sleazy nights in darkly lit clubs lined with crushed red velvet - sexy and dangerous as it is sleek and accessible. Theres a level of Mary Chain style danger that surrounds the whole thing and lends a sense of drama reminiscent of the best movie score you've never heard.

Maybe there is something in a name...

Subject: Olof Arnalds

2010-09-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

Cousin of neo-classical experimentalist Olafur Arnalds, Olof operates in far humbler pastures than her cousin but is none the less startling for it. Focussing on the vocals (think an Icelandic Kate Bush) from the off, the mainly Icelandic (read unintelligable) lyrics force focus onto the voice as a melodic instrument in its own right with some stunning results.

Shuffling across deconstructed folk and jazz, Arnalds debut album is one that should - with any justice - see her gathering some of the growing spotlight on the family for herself very soon.

Beautiful.

Subject: Escapists

2010-09-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

Deploying thundering drums and a whirlwind of Fender Jazzmaster, Escapists - spawned from former heads up favourites Heart on Fire - take down the Arcade Fire with a bat marked "Use Somebody" before collecting a half dozen of the most anthemic shards to create a britrock sound that while leaning heavily on a stateside set of influences also recalls the pristine murk of late 80s Manchester.

The guys are gigging heavily on the London circuit right now and having already picked up a number of heavy hitting Industry supporters we have no doubt that it wont be long until the home counties four piece are occupying much larger stages than the ones playing host to them right now.

check them out on myspace over at www.myspace.com/escapists

Subject: Sajama Cut

2010-09-14T01:38:00.000-07:00

Richly melodic and laden to the gunnels with banks of massed harmonies Sajama Cuts take on Fleet foxes tinged indie folk is an epic reading complete with kaleidoscopic guitars and booming drums to conjur up made up hallucinations of AM Radio circa 68.

Of course how you end up so steeped in the fineries of Americana and english indie bands in deepest Jakarta is an interesting question entirely but when the resultant three minutes are as joyously euphoric as new single Paintings / Pantings we dont really care.

A summery treat for the grey depths of September

Subject: Ruarri Joseph

2010-08-31T02:21:00.001-07:00

Wearing an old head on still relatively young shoulders Joseph arrived on the scene bearing comparisons to a new Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - far from the emo'y musings of Mr D however Jospeh channels weightier influeces - all Waits croon and Buckley grandour to create a bewitchingly folky new album - self released and waiting for you right now.

While remaining pretty faithful to the singer songwriter template throughout, the mixes are coloured with a dazzling range of instrumentation - perfectly placed to raise Ruarri's voice to a series of gently nerve tingling crescendo's. A post festival season shot to end up one of the sleeper albums of 2010.

Subject: South Ambulance

2010-08-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

There are moments whilst listening through the latest ep from South ambulance where you could be forgiven for thinking that your ipod had slipped into shuffle mode and was having a golden half hour rom through the best bits marked 'epic guitar joy'.

Rather than a technological quirk though what's happening is that you are falling in love with SA and it can't happen quickly enough. By gleefully throwing massive swathes of the Beach Boys and The Beatles against the scuzzy likes of Weezer and Husker Du the band have created a thrilling ep chocked full of melody-laden goodness. Wonderful stuff.

Subject: I See Horses

2010-08-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

Both gloweringly moody and euphorically dance-y there is an intoxicating blend of emotions attached to this Nordo-Scot four piece that will have you thinking Morrisey and Bunnymen as quickly as it will New Wine and Big Pink.

Leading off with Amerika - a genuine arms in the air anthem, the band take a playful romp in their trenchcoats to get even the most curmudgeonly indie die hard tapping their feet along! Trading a deep Cave-y baritone against a more up front and modest mouse tinged vocal is a neat trick as the songs take on a wider scope when in different hands , the bands debut ep 'has my stealth been in vain' seems tailor made for indie discos and candlelit bedsits in equal measure.

Subject : Luke Leighfield

2010-06-13T02:31:00.000-07:00

Drawing as much influence from literate singer songwriters like Ben Folds as he does power rock, Leighfield has created a debut album (Have You Got Heart) that bewitches as much as it does suprise throughout its 10 tracks.

Rolling some stadium sized drums in alongside the electric guitars that twist themselves around Leighfileds fluttering piano, the disparate elements somehow conjur some kind of alchemy to create an interesting bedrock for the bookish singer songwriter tales that sit atop them.

Well worth a listen.

<a href="http://lukeleighfield.bandcamp.com/album/have-you-got-heart">By My Side by Luke Leighfield</a>

Subject : Stereoart

2010-06-13T02:29:00.000-07:00

Listening to this debut single theres a strange set of reactions to go through. See despite sounding as pristine as its sparkling studio buffed sheen, in that blend of circuitboards and metronomes, theres something utterly europhic about the way this track builds from its initial flickering beats and ends up near howling atop of blitzkreig of finely honed elements.

See for all the circuitry and electronic exoskeletan there is something approaching a soul here, no doubt helped by such a clear and honest production that somehow manages to snuggle round the Florence-y vocal like they were one and the same.

A near perfect distillation of the Coctaeu Twins ether and the thin white duke mix of Mr Brightside, this is well worth 0.99p of your hard earned

<a href="http://stereoart.bandcamp.com/track/silence">Silence by s t e r e o a r t</a>

Subject : Lotte Mullan

2010-06-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

Lotte Mullan it would appear likes to do things her own way. From booking herself support shows in her day job as a tour manager to opening school gigs with a song about Rohypnol; this is a lady who, it would seem, is intent on forging her own way and on the evidence of debut album “Plain Jane” it seems to be working a treat.

A lilting collection of acoustic led songs, Mullans way with a lyric and sharp eye for detail see her vocals thrust front and centre – laid provocatively across a bed of nifty acoustic guitar work, strings and shuffling percussion – with breathtaking effects, as washes of beautiful harmonies abound.

Beautiful stuff.

Subject : Black Soul Strangers

2010-05-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when alternative rock meant something more than skinny boys in eyeliner thrusting at you from the walls of Top Shop? well Black Soul Strangers and even better than that, theyve gone and ruddy well assembled a kick ass rock band to show us al how it could be again.

Crafting a sleek, taught, underbelly of crystaline guitars and icy melodrama akin to The Drama, Radiohead, Pumpkins etc, BSS have created a glowering set of songs to set their stall out with - eyeing you up suspicously from behind the upturned collars of their trenchcoats before sweeping you along in a pained rush of cathartic noise custom build for a very large venue near you.

Dont be a stranger. myspace.com/blacksoulstrangers.

Subject : The New Wine

2010-04-15T08:15:00.001-07:00

Youve got to give it to those Scandinavians - ever since Benny and Bjorn started battering an old piano together the music flowing out of the region features an absolute embarassment of riches and melody.

Taking their place in line come The New Wine, already hotly tipped and having bore witness to one of their awesome live shows recently its easy to see why.

Treading a funky ass line of MGMT physcadelia and Rapture-y dance rock grooves, The New Wine conjure up a danceable euphoric brand of indie rock - designed (it would seem) with the sole intention of starting a bloody good party at whichever indie dive bar happens to be nearest to you at the moment. Essential partytime listening

Subject : Wintermare

2010-04-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

While Im going and getting myself all excited about the new Dangerous Summer album and bemoaning the lack of any decent emo-y music before it, Id completely forgotten to get on here and let you in on a little secret. See - Ive found your new favourite band, andbloody brilliant they are too.

Elverum (Norway) rock band WINTERMARE have been running heroically between numerous musical projects over the last few years but somehow in the middle of it managed to create an album - Next Day Stare - that while stayign true to some classy Appleseed Cast-y influences also thrashes out a mighty nice niche for itself in terms of creating literate, emotional, interesting rock music.

Moving from downtuning riffing to delicately constructed patterns of interweaving guitar lines, the guys have created a fine debut album - one that sets them up as a rock band to keep an eye on as the arms aloft festival season fast approaches.

BY:LARM WEEK SPECIAL #4 - SUSANNE SUNDFOR

2010-03-04T12:01:00.001-08:00

Somehow twisting jazz and post rock together in a way that somehow recalls yet sidesteps Radioheads attempts at the same thing, Susanne Sundfor stood out last week as one of the singer songwriters heading our way in 2010 to watch out for.

Sycnopating dual drums, strings, loops, marimbas and lashings of Fender Rhodes abound throughout a run theough of Sundfors back catalogue - take new single brothel as an example, a snaking vocal wriggles through insistent plinkg rhodes to come off something like Liz Fraser covering the postal service. in a jazz bar. a smoky jazz bar.

Surrounding herself with an intimitadingly good live band has clearly been Sundfors masterstroke however, recreating even the most complex moments of the album without breaking a sweat but also breathing life into even the most stilted paranoid moment

Wonderful

BY:LARM WEEK SPECIAL #3 - FOR A MINOR REFLECTION

2010-03-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

Numbering four and dealing in epically long songs, For A Minor Reflection showed during the week at By:Larm (by way of some blisteringly loud sets one of which near deafened us!) that while Sigur Ros are all of having babies and Solo albums the fate of Icelandic post rock is in safe hands indeed.

Built around swathes of droning feedback and mountainous passages of chiming guitars and devestated amplified scree, FAMR's songs scale massive heights and plough devestating lulls across the dynamic range to create a nightmarish soundscape of beautiful noise that somehow manages to maintain interest and diversity without vocals - not an easy trick to pull off.

Minor Reflection maybe but a major force to be reckoned with

BY:LARM WEEK! #2 - THOM HELL

2010-03-03T05:04:00.000-08:00

The best things in life for me are the ones that completely out of the blue and so it was, last week that my excitable Nordic tour guide for the evening suggested we go check out Thom Hell.

Being one thats always up for a nice suprise then I was overjoyed to find Mr Hell occupying the exact kind of niche that has been sadly empty in my life since Damien Rice disapeared up his own arse and Steven Fretwell just forgot to write any more songs.

Delicately arranged, everyman songs of love, life and everything in between abounded throughout Hells 30 minute set - the conclusion of which saw one of the ovations of the week - all sweeping strings and chiming pianos carrying Hells Garvey-esque vocals along on a flatbed of country-folky-pop that alternated between Euphorically poppy and sepia tinged melancholy.

Lovely stuff all round

BYLARM SPECIAL WEEK! #1 THE RIVER PHOENIX

2010-03-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

Looking back over a week as packed with highlights as ByLarm its almost impossible to whittle down the weeks worth of shows to just five for our ByLarm week but luckily for us The River Phoenix made our lives a little easier with an incredible set of clever, intricately constructed post rock.

Bouncing massively fuzzed basslines over shards of shattered guitars and a James Mercer-esque vocal to create a whirlwind of post rock shapes akin to Heads up Faves Shapes, Native, Biffy and maybe even the slightest hint of Fact thrown in for good measure.

A genuine standout moment from a brilliant band - these guys are making a lot of noise over in Denmark right now - heres hoping its not long before they make it over here.

Subject : The Boy Who Trapped The Sun

2010-01-29T18:15:00.001-08:00

Shaggy of barnet and hoarse of voice he may be but Colin Macloed (AKA TBWTTS) certainly knows his way round a tune. Indeed listening through the rugged, homespun folk of new EP "Home" its almost as though Dylan never took that stratocaster out its case.

A gritty and windswept collection of bluesy folk - by turns,drivingly bullish and painfully fragile - Home (due out next month on the excellent Chess Club Records - who if memory serves also put out ex-heads up subjects ExLovers) is an earthy calling card that recalls those same spine tingling feelings of "our little secret" that those early demos from Damien Rice and Foy Vance caused all those years back.

Whether Macloed can sustain such a delicously DIY sensibility to his recordings and attitude that the move to a more mainstream audience (which if justice is served will come soon and give us the scruffiest Buzzcocks guest since Damon Gough) remains to be seen but for now lets not get hung up to hung up; for today at least "Home" is where my heart is

Subject : Monzano

2010-01-29T18:09:00.001-08:00

The latest in a long line (although regarded as something of a scene leader back home) Monzano return to the fray this month - in the rest of the world at least, the UK is light years behin - with a new album "this time last year everything will look younger" which seems destined (until album 4 at least to be something of their finest hour.

Ive always had a soft spot for this kind of glacial indie and time and again here there are goosebumps to be had. Taking liberal dashes of Built To Spill and Pavement and throwing them up against a rich seam of pure pop provides an excellent off kilter collection of electronically tinted indie pop.

In the absence of a new video, theres a track below from the bands previous album but when "this time..." comes out in 2 weeks youd be well advised to get involved over at Spoom Train

Subject : 1099

2010-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

I Have to confess is theres something guaranteed to get me all excited and blathering about bands its those that stray wildly into the territory known as "epic". Signed to the awesome how is annie records, 1099 fall firmly into this character and as a result have found themselves soundtracking much of today.

Taking a far more abrasive approach to instrumental post rock than recent blog subjects Moonlit Sailor, 1099 arent afraid to smack you round the face with buzzsaws of hyper feedbacking guitars, althought thats not saying that they arent subtle; indeed drone junkies among you will find much to love in this apocolyptic squall.

Reminding me in many ways of the now defunct Youthmovies - a similarly unshaven approach has been taken to this mogwai influenced strain of post rock, throwing pianos and guitars into a dense sprawling mix that throws up twists and suprises at every turn.

Download the bands album for free here

Subject : Sweet Sweet Moon

2010-01-15T03:45:00.000-08:00

As I travel ever further on the voyage of discovery that this new music blog has sent me on, I find it genuinely heart warming to discover that despite listening to hundreds of new bands weekly at no point does it eve get jaded and at least once a day something arrives that provides the same feeling of excitement that made me fall in love with every single one of the bands weve featured here over the last few months.

Todays discovery comes from Austria and is another recommendation from the excellent Alice Tragedy Blog, in the form of Sweet Sweet Moon. SSM is the stage name of one Matthias Frey whos new EP “Pompidou” arrives with little in the way of breathless hype yet laden down with more melodically wonderful tunes than any artist could rightly wish for.

Looping layers of gentle electronics, violin and acoustic guitars across the effortless vocals, Frey has created a dreamy set of songs that much like the Parisienne building that lent this record its name is EP is hard to pin down – where all of these elements start from isnt clear but as the songs develop, the mix weaves the instrumentation together to create a beautiful tapestry of 21st century alt-folk to end up firmly lodged in both heart and mind.

A treat to behold

Subject : Cari Clara

2010-01-08T05:50:00.000-08:00

There's something wonderfully intoxicating about Cari Clara. As a fuggy murk begins to emit from the speakers you cant help but fall under its spell - The woozy feel of the tracks thrown into even sharper context by the occasional euphoric choruses (see 'The Bright Lights' for a perfect example) that rise from the murk to provide a sense of catharsis throughout.

While to describe Clara's sound as emo is to easy and lazy a comparison to make - there are certainly traces of the downbeat likes of Appleseed Cast in there – everything feels a lot more stripped back than that – coming on a bit like Pavement's more rocking moments being re-recorded in Iron & Wine's back bedroom, and it is this humanness, that gives their sound a more intimate feel and ultimately a more genuine connection.

The blend of hazy synths and chugging guitars and drum machines certainly provides a sensitive (and indeed strangely cinematic in places) backing to Clara's woozy tales – engulfing the listener in the same sepia hue that covers most of this record and highlighting Clara's album It’s The Heart They're After as a blinding start to the year for Deep Elm.

Subject : Staff picks - Best of 2009

2009-12-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

So since June here on the Heads Up blog we have been posting great new music from great new bands. This fact has made picking just 10 of my favourite acts an arduous task.

Taking in the blog and then the 50+ amazing acts covered in the new music special in November’s The National Student magazine, the quantity of great music was so high it almost made me drown in my own indecisiveness.

So with a view to adding to the barrage of pointless end of year lists here are my Heads Up picks of 2009 (in no particular order):

1. FUNfun
2. Nodzzz
3. The Little Hands of Asphalt
4. The Heavy
5. The Gay Blades
6. The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club
7. Mimas
8. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson
9. My First Tooth
10. Crocodiles

I really need between 20 and 50 picks to do all the bands on here justice, but those 10 are good enough.

Here’s to another great Heads Up year in 2010.

J

Subject : Staff Picks - Best of 2009

2009-12-23T02:06:00.000-08:00

Hello

As we’re reaching the end of yet another year (a particularly fine one for new music if you ask me!) we thought wed add our two penneth into the mire of “end of year lists” and put together our own staff picks for the best new bands of 2009.

James will be along with his ten bands shortly but for now heres my Top Ten of the acts weve covered here on the blog this year

*In NO particular order!*

1. Track A Tiger
2. Joel Bailey
3. Sharks Took The Rest
4. Talons
5. My Little Pony
6. Blakfish
7. Stagecoach
8. Michael Kiwanuka
9. FACT
10. Bobby Long

What no Jedward?! Well no…

A pleasure indeed to have been here providing all this new music for you through 2009 – heres looking forward to more come 2010.

Mr M x

Subject : Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson

2009-12-17T03:42:00.001-08:00

As we wind down 2009 to a leisurely crawl and begin forward to 2010 there are a number of albums looming into view that should see some new names added to the Canon of “Darlings of the Blogosphere.”

First of these for me is the new album from Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson. Ive only recently come across these guys but what I have heard to date has gotten me very excited for the bands new album - recently completed with producer Sjur Lysied from The Little Hands of Asphalt

While post-rock is good loose term for the band – these sprawling songs of densely orchestrated guitars and odd time signatures really couldn’t be anything else – theres something much deeper going on here… See there is a warmth and a sense of mischievous fun going on across the recent debut “Unnoticeable In A Tiny Town Invisible In The City” that you cant help but connect with – lifting the band from the awkward chin stroking crowd of their peers and into an instantly more accessible position.

Throwing lashings of glitchy electronica into the mix for good measure this is a band to be rightly held up alongside the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Jeniferever and Youm as genuine groundbreakers in the Post Rock field – a new album is apparently due in the new year on How Is Annie Records – I urge you to get involved!

www.myspace.com/youthpictures

Subject : My First Tooth

2009-12-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

Given a recent Radio 1 endorsed revival of authentic feel good folk (see Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons et al) it seems only right to finally get round to posting one of my favourite local bands (local down here in Northampton anyway) My First Tooth.

Dealing in a deliciously English, beer drenched brand of folk, MFT have put a couple of EPs out in the past on Alcopop Records (itself a fine achievement) and as we speak are readying a new single to be released in December around the time that the band hit the road for a UK tour.

Weaving violins and pianos around these heartfelt thrums of acoustic guitars provides something of a rustic if highly effective vehicle for MFT to tell their tales of woe and women (aren’t all songs about women and woe? and indeed arent they just one and the same thing anyway?) and marks them out – not only as spiritual kin to Shane MacGowans sadly missed Pogues, but also one of the best live bands I’ve seen in a long time

Excellent stuff

Subject : Moonlit Sailor

2009-12-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

They claim that familiarity breeds contempt but its also pretty adept at raising moments of sheer – lump in your throat beauty. See Hoppipolla for instance – once a fledgling moment of beauty now an X-Factor mainstay but for all its over egging and omnipotent coverage across reality TV its still capable now of bringing a tear to the eye.

Much the same can be said for Moonlit Sailor – the second Swedish act on this site this week – and one of my favourite scando-post rock bands since Jeniferever first arrived all those years ago.

See - theres something soothingly familiar about the new album from the boys (out on Deep Elm, a sure sign of quality) as the cyclical waves of chiming guitars and glocks does – to be honest – act as something of a trademark across the album but rather than coming off as a series of rehash’s, the subtle variations and reprises throughout come off more like a well planned orchestral maneuvere – lulling and roaring in equal measure and impacting the sheer emotional weight of the music over and over again.

Instrumental rock is not a genre to pull off particularly easily but these 9 tracks of devastating beauty are more than enough to pull you in and cast you asunder over the waves of delayed guitars and booming reverb.

B.E.A.Utiful

Subject : OM

2009-12-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

Ive been meaning to post on these guys for a while now, indeed as I scroll through the archives of the Heads Up Blog Im genuinely surprised that I haven’t got round to it already.

Firstly some things you need to know about OM. First up they number three and are a trio of seriously – well – serious guys. When you find an album of nearly an hour in length that compromises 4 songs you know your not dealing with Same Difference and within a couple of minutes of opening up it becomes even clearer.

See OM don’t worry about things like a Chorus or even is some places, a melody but what recent album God Is Good, is heavy on is atmosphere. Take opening track “Thebes” which rumbles for nearly 2 full minutes before even vaguely flickering to life – before taking a further ten minutes to reach the genesis of its crushing crescendo –all Tibetan chanting underpinning with fabulously heavy guitar riffs and waves of unrelenting percussion on its un-swerveable march to the twenty minute mark.

To write this record off as “post rock” would be something of a misnomer as its broad range of world music, spirituality and dense orchestration deserve attention on their own terms and not as part of a lazy swipe at a “scene” – this is as close as any record has come this year to a religious experience and a result is a record to pick up and immerse yourself in as soon as possible.

Sorry it took me a while to catch up!

Subject : Taxi Taxi!

2009-12-14T07:07:00.001-08:00

Hailing from Sweden (where melody flows like a river – or so it would seem going on the evidence of the non stop glut of aspen whispered chanteuses that flow into my inbox each week) Taxi Taxi! Are a pair of elfin like twins deploying a similarly harmony rich vein of alt-folk to country(wo)men First Aid Kit.

Decidely downbeat of nature and almost threatening to buckle under the weight of their own sepia tinged melancholy this is a band, seemingly custom made for late night red wine sessions and perfect pin-drop-quiet candlelit shows. All beautiful melody lines draped over gently plucked ukuleles and spiderweb acoustic guitars.

Ive enclosed a slightly old video of the band below but really you need to begin with recent album “Standing at Your Back Door” and work backwards… a beautiful late addition to those hastily assembled best of 2009 lists you’ve all been working so hard on!

www.myspace.com/taxitaximusic

Subject : Candy Claws

2009-11-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

On first listen it would be easy to lump Candy Claws into the same kind of bracket as Bon Iver, Panda Bear or recent Heads Up star Uno Moller – all of them sharing a similar sense of world weary introspection and indeed all painting with a similar “acoustic” sensibility – however scratch away and repeated listens reveal something of a darker beast at hand.

See, rather than expose these songs to the elements by stripping away the melodies from their surroundings, Candy Claws have instead decided to wrap them up and so envelope their skeletal songs in swathes of feedback, glitches, static and ultra reverbed atmospherics to create dense, swirling soundscapes akin to the noisier moments of MBV’s back catalogue

The tipping point between the alt folk framework and the monochrome detailing of the ambience is where recent album “In the Dreams of the Sea Life” really shines – slowly drawing listeners into a tender world of soothing calms and nightmarish twists and turns.

A late addition to the canon of 2009 but one well worth checking out as soon as possible

www.myspace.com/candyclaws

Subject : Uno Moller

2009-11-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to Uno Moller by way of one of my favourite bloggers out there right now Alice Tragedy and have been really enjoying sinking into Mollers deconstructed world of fractured melodies and tension filled moods.

At its heart recent EP "Christmas Coffination" is a dark folky beast - full of spidery acoustic guitars and Mollers hushed vocals but its the sense of tone and atmosphere that really defines these songs and lifts them above the scree of the modern singer songwriter pool.

Akin to Adems darker moments or perhaps a better adjusted Elliot Smith, theres some sense of injustice in labelling it as such as Mollers grasp of atmospherics and musical moods demands attention in its own right.

Well worth a listen

www.myspace.com/unomoller

Subject : Incoming Transmissions Vol. 1

2009-11-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

So it's here at last! The first in a new series of MP3 samplers from The National Student magazine Heads Up blog....

Featuring a fair few acts already covered on these pages and a few bands we really want people to hear but haven't got round to writing about yet.

Mat Riviere – FYH
funFUN – The trouble with Harry
Nodzz – Is She There
Curly Hair – High Fives, Low Fives
Loz Koleszko – Quack, Quack You’re Dead
Ratface – The Juice an Zest of Lemon
Cougar – Digit Cleaver feat. Paul Smith of Maximo Park
Sharks Took The Rest – Isobel (demo)
Ace Bushy Striptease – Whirlwind Regulations (Bas mix)
Napoleon III – Zebra
Bear Driver – A Thousand Samurais
Smoke Fairies – Now The Green Blade Rises
Bobby Long – Dead and Done
Shoes and Socks Off – I’m a World Class Assassin
Swound – What’s Your Poison?
Kambodsja – Not All Evil Robots Are Murderers
Dials – Gloria Knudson
Keyboard Choir – Electrical Unity (edit)
Moggz – Dub’op
Crocodiles – I Wanna Kill
Spokes – We Like to Dance and Steal Thing
The Little Hands of Asphalt – Oslo
Solvor Vermeer – Hope
Kippi Kannius – The Comfort Of My Eyes
Dancer vs Politician – Ratcliffe Highway
Pagan Wanderer Lu – The Great British Public Becomes Self Aware
Blakfish – Economics

Get it here

Subject : Michael Kiwanuka

2009-11-06T04:49:00.000-08:00

Heres the thing... with on average about 30 new bands coming through the door / inbox / twitter feeds every week, its hard sometimes to even listen to everything sufficiently let alone fall in love with it and hold it dear to your heart.

Every now and then though, something arrives in your life that puts everything else around it into a very unflattering light. Last night I had the privelige (and I mean genuine privelige) of seeing just such an act perform no more than ten feet in front of my unbelieving eyes.

Michael Kiwanuka is a mere slip of a 22 year old singer songwriter, just makign hsi way on the South London acoustic scene but behind the unassuming exterior, the man is blessed with a voice that would send Al Green scuttling for his tune a day book to get brushing up.

Seamlessly blending classic soul, blues and folk and updating it neatly for the Twitter generation, Kiwanuka enduced more goosebumps in the space of 20 minutes than most of the rest of my recent postbag combined. Indeed throughout a tender, uplifting set the pin drop silence descending on the room told its story without a single word needed from me...

Effortless, authentic, nerve tingling, humble, affecting, ultra-likeable... I genuinely cannot say enough good things about this guy right now and instead (rather than continue to gush hopelessly) would urge you to check the man out before you do anything else today.

Breathtaking.

www.myspace.com/michaelksongs

Subject : Public Radio

2009-10-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Since it arrived in my inbox a few weeks back Public Radio has been hanging around my stereo a hell of a lot.

A literate group of indie kids Public Radio have pulled off a neat trick by blending subtle (but mighty effective) beats of Gibbard-esque electronica into slabs of hugely melodic radio friendly emo rock it ends up coming on like a cross between Tokyo Police Club and the Postal Service which in my book is a bit of treat!

There are some truly monumental choruses across this ep – ones that some of the bands more mainstream peers would kill to write themselves – which should be more than enough to help propel the band to the level of recognition they richly deserve.

As if that wasn’t enough vocalist Mark Mathis also has an excellent solo ep out at the moment which is more folky in execution you can download it from here

Subject : Livan

2009-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Back with a new single “King Of The World” taken from his upcoming second album, London based rocker Livan has shed the FM friendly sheen that draped over some of his previous work and has revealed himself to be something of a dirty rocker after all.

Theres an increasing amount of l0ve in the blogosphere for these guys (especially in the States where their stock seems to be rising week on week) and on this evidence its clear to see why;

By turns euphoric, urgent, sleazy and with a sneeringly punky delivery to boot, KOTW is a sexy revamp for the band and one that points to good things for the bands new album - which should be with us come 2010) - from the snippets we’ve heard to date it should be a bit of a belter

Subject : Talons

2009-10-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed from browsing through the history of bands that we’ve blogged about here, Ive got something of a soft spot for the really left field branch of post rock and this week The latest very fine addition to this list of acts came along (courtesy of BSM) in the shape of Talons.

Displaying all manner of influences – Mogwai, Youthmovies, Secondsmile, Explosions in the Sky etc – Talons deal in intricately constructed webs of post rock. Instrumental stuff can be a tricky genre to nail properly without the cohesive binding of some lyrics along the way but sidestepping the clichés and focussing on the jawdropping (on occasion) musicality is more than enough to keep the focus well and truly on the task at hand

The guys will be releasing a series of split releases over the coming months so keep your eyes peeled for more very soon…

Subjecy : My Little Pony

2009-10-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since By:Larm (which of course we covered at length on this site) I seem to be finding more and more of my ipod being filled with all manner of excellent Scandinavian music. Its been a little surreal – like finding a new toy shop on the other side of town ive been busily looting up.

This weeks discovery – My Little Pony.

If you like your indie pop on the fey side of feel good (think Belle and Sebastians later work, The Concretes even a bit of Vampire Weekend) then your going to absolutely love this band, deploying gently lulling folk pop adorned with washes of piano, guitars, horns and the odd glock for good measure.

Like the bands mass produced namesake, theres something almost childlike and innocent about this little lot only enforced by the way they will hug your ipod the same way a child might cling to your leg come the first day of school.

Joyously wonderful!

Subject : Simon Says No!

2009-10-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

To paraphrase my hero Dwight Schrute – Question: what would happen if you put Refused and My Bloody Valentine in a blender? Answer – why Danish four piece Simon Says No of course!

Having seen the band live earlier in the year I can confirm they are devastatingly loud – pummelling waves of guitars and bass taking a jackhammer to the songs and trying to force them through the floor – but underneath the abrasive exterior theres a delicate sense of melody at play here recalling the more accessible moments of the Jesus and Mary Chain or Kevin Shields band of merry men.

A force to be reckoned with then and on the evidence of the bands recently released self titled ep, one that should be delivering one of next years best alternative rock albums.

Now how cool is this - I was at this very show!!

Subject : Track A Tiger

2009-10-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about Deep Elm Records recent return to the fray has been the diversity of the recent signings. Taking in shades of electronica, folk, country, indie and in the case of Track A Tiger all of them combined into something of a swoon-pop masterpiece.

Taking much from the likes of Anathallo, Modest Mouse et al theres a healthy smattering of genres abound here all wrapped up around some elegantly understated songwriting.

Sharing the same of sense of wide eyed exuberance as recent Heads Up subjects "A Sunny Day in Glasgow" this is a band to cherish and love exactly the same way you did Chutes Too Narrow all those years back. It may have slipped out quietly but this could well be the sleeper hit album of the year.

www.myspace.com/trackatiger

Subject : Mimas

2009-10-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

In honour of their arrival in the UK for a run of shows this week its high time I posted on here about Mimas. This album kind of passed me by when it was first released, but in reality theres no reason it should have done as closer inspection reveals it to be something of a wonderful piece of arty post rock.

Opening with the barrelling Mousetrap, the Danish five piece pirouette with ease through all manner of musical territory moving from post rock breakdowns to blissed out choruses with abandon – underpinned with some mesmerising musicianship and a rare gift in these genres – the ability to remember a melody as well as some complex sounding riffs.

For those (like me – gulp!) just catching up with what we’ve missed before this is an absolute must hear – track down a copy of recent album “The Worries” poste haste

Over and Out

Mimas play the following shows this week:

09.10 - Norwich, Arts Centre
10.10 - Leeds, Royal Park Cellars
11.10 - Glasgow, Captains Rest
12.10 - York, Basement Bar City Screen
13.10 - Sheffield, The Red House
15.10 - Nottingham, The Chameleon

Subject : Joel Bailey

2009-10-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

It has to be said that aside from a shoulder padded exhuming of the low points of Euro-pop circa 1986, 2009 has actually been a bit of a blinder for new music. Indeed a quick flick through these pages will reveal a treasure trove of new music to discover but some of my favourite moment of the year have been the simplest… Between the likes of Richard Walters, Lisa Hannigan, Kevin Devine et al there has been a rich seam of singer songwriters this year which have produced some stunning results.

On a grassroots level there have been clear signs that genre is alive and well too, with Joel Bailey being one prime example.

Ive been a fan of Baileys songwriting since three homespun demos arrived in my little hand a little while back and his latest batch of songs raises the bar even further. Recorded as part of the 3030 project (a venture between EMI and The Roundhouse in Camden) the three new songs on Baileys website showcase his lyrical deftness beautifully. Kitchen sink observations turned into poetic everyman soliloquy is certainly not a new trick but its one thats remarkably hard to pull off well, but when carried on a soothing baritone like the one at play here its a sure fire winner.

A confident stride from the flat cap wearing one – heres looking forward to more.

Download free tracks now at www.joelbaileymusic.com

* Joel Bailey plays the Roundhouse Camden on October 26th as part of the BBC Emerging Proms

Subject : Moggz

2009-10-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

By turns playful and darkly menacing theres something strangely schizophrenic about debut album Eterne Gyres that cant help but captivate the imagination as you make your way through its twisting and turning musical corridors. Listening to it is kinda like following endless neon strip lights through the brain of a madman before arriving in a candy coated control booth – all flashing LEDs and overflowing ashtrays on the console.

The album flits with abandon between dark, glitch heavy electronica and downright filthy drum and bass breakdowns – spearing sub bass runs with mental percussion as sparks of melody fly from the wreckage blinking in the dark before being swallowed whole by swathes of glitchy drums and insane bass attacks.

Some vocals on a couple of these tracks wouldn’t have gone amiss but while we eagerly await the follow up (this album was recorded many moons ago – so many in fact that a follow up is long underway) there is much here to l0ve with the likes of “Flutterby” and “Hidin” being top of my “most played” list for a couple of days now

Subject : Twin Atlantic

2009-10-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

Freshly signed to the newly founded Red Bull Records (yes that Red Bull people!) Twin Atlantics debut album Vivarium is an interesting opening salvo from the Scottish band.

Taking their cues from the likes of (fellow countrymen) Biffy Clyro, Pulled Apart By Horses and a thousand US Emo heroes, the band offer up angular twisting rock, throwing itself through flailing hoops of stop start dynamics, and blistering guitars.

They might not yet have a true crossover smash hit single in the canon but the band are already developing a reputation as a live force to be reckoned with and on this evidence it wont be long until the band are playing the same kind of enormo-domes that the aforementioned Biffy find themselves in right now

Subject : Every Time I Die

2009-09-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

By any yardstick new album New Junk Aesthetic is an overwhelming listen. A dense sprawling intense affair, the band eschew some of the histrionics that have blighted one or two hardcore records this year and focus on creating a taught, fraught set of tunes that could peel paint at a considerable distance.

Thrash heavy single “The Marvellous Slut” and album highlight “Wanderlust” (currently streaming at the bands myspace) are the highlights of the orchestrated mentalism – both flitting between bone shaking riffs and some demented vocals from front man Keith Buckley.

Featuring guest slots from the likes of Fallout Boy and The Bronx (themselves proving themselves as a force to be reckoned with right now) this is a slick stride towards the pantheon of metal greats and one that seems set to be igniting moshpits for some time to come

Brutal and absolutely brilliant

Subject : Joshua Radin

2009-09-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

Steadily and quietly over the last few months, former screenwriter Josh Radin has come as something of a word of mouth sensation – shifting over 250,000 copies of his new album Simple Times from the offices of his management company.

Capitalising on a Shins-esque leg up from friend Zach Braff (who placed his song Winter into Scrubs to rapturous acclaim) Radin’s brand of deliciously tremulous alt-folk hangs as delicate as lace – all spidery acoustic guitars and hushed vocals – to breathtaking effect.

Drawing on his visual past (Radin painted as well as Screenwriting before the leap into music) the songs that make up new album Simple Times have a subtly cinematic feel that place the listener front and centre to his late night tales of love, life loss and redemption. A beautiful album from start to finish its time the rest of us caught onto the indie scenes best kept secret

Subject : Adam Gnade

2009-09-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

Spoken word has something of bad name in a lot of places – something in its over arching tone of intellectualism and poetry that turns many music fans off.

For those daring to dig a little deeper however theres something of a resurgence going on right now and US writer / musician Adam Gnade represents something of its awkward poster boy.

For a while now Gnades blend of broken down Americana, trash can lo-fi and banjo led soliloquies have flirted round the edges of UK awareness – no doubt helped by his ongoing kinship with the ever fantastic Youthmovies however with his new record The Wild Homesick (Punch Drunk Records) Gnade has reached a critical mass – the stories interweaved beautifully with his own brand of deconstructed Americana

Essential listening. Heres a treat from an older album which provides the perfect introduction...

Subject : Pens

2009-09-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

I love those TV shows like “When Pets Go Bad” and “Americas Dumbest Criminals” – the screech of tyres, the shattering bone, bloodsprayed idiots getting their comeuppance. Car Crash TV is what I call it and in musical terms it’s a perfect parlance for Pens.

Comprising three enthusiastic (if musically limited) young ladies with impeccable riot grrrl sneers the girls also have in their arsenal, a set of tunes that race along with nary a care in the world for the musical limitations they quite clearly have.

Despite the impression that the whole thing could come crashing down at any moment under the weight of the clouds of fuzz and the breakneck pace on show, the girls somehow scrape though and in doing so have delivered one hell of a fun wonly-pop-packed debut.

Sniffin Glue once printed three chord diagrams and told its readers to go form bands and its exactly this kind of ramshackle template that the girls have picked up here. Gloriously cacophonous this is a band I cant wait to see live!

www.myspace.com/penspenspenis

Subject : The James Magic

2009-09-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

If undefinable is a definition in itself then The James Magic certainly fit into this box quite nicely. The one man brainchild of Herefordshire based Jimmy Wheeldon, TJM (as I shall henceforth refer to them as to save my typing fingers) skate with carefree abandon through all manner of musical madness – throwing lo-fi pop against uber dancey electro whilst being similarly unafraid to break into folky strumalongs and vocal-loop-only-experimentation.

Recalling the breathlessly inventive spirit of experimental kin Pagan Wanderer Lu, Misterlee or even the dearly missed Beta Band, TJM have a new EP available for free download now – well worth checking out.

Download The James Magic, Strange Abnormalities EP Here For Free!!

Subject : Olafur Arnalds

2009-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

This is just soo achingly petty its untrue... Ive been really into this guy since I met him earlier in the year - theres something utterly beguiling and painfully beautiful of that mix of ambient, classical and glitchy electronica...

This is more straight ahead than some of the back catalogue but the way the strings and the piano wrap so intricatley around each other, you cant help but finish up with a big smile... A stunning video too...

Subject : Stagecoach

2009-09-02T05:19:00.001-07:00

Out on Alcopop Records in a mere matter of weeks, Stagecoachs debut is a strangely compelling affair. Shuffling along the line where 90s alt-indie (Pavement, Early Blur, Lemonheads) cuddles up to summery alt-folk-country (ala Wilco or a chemically adjusted Richmond Fontaine.) its an interesting meeting point and one that throws up all manner of handclapping, bell honking, guitar thrumming treats along the way.

Throwing as it does lush vocal harmonies with scuzzy guitars and a no frills recording agenda, the bands debut EP "We Got Tazers" clatters along at a fair old lick, breathless in its pursuit of the perfect slacker pop moment and with nary a care for any of their Hoxton dwelling peers and their scenester ilk.

The band are currently giving away a free copy of their ep with every copy sold so that you can give a copy to a friend - go pick up a copy now and make friends - youll make someones freshers week

www.myspace.com/stagecoachuk

Subject : The Little Hands of Asphalt

2009-09-02T05:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone of an Elliot Smith or Bright Eyes kinda bent will find much to love with this band - dealing as they do in a similarly hushed brand of melancholic alt-folk. Signed to How Is Annie Records in Norway the band recently played the Oya Festival along with the likes of Wilco and Artic Monkeys and have seen many "album of the year" style plaudits through Europe.

You can check out a free EP available from the bands UK label (Lazy Acre) but their new album Leap Years is well worth a listen too - a perfect late night end of summer soundrack

Subject : Prefuse 73

2009-08-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest and say that prior to his new album arriving, I didn’t know too much about Prefuse… that all changed however this week as this moody little fella has been soundtracking my week pretty heavily.

New album "Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian" is a pretty schizophrenic album in some respects – the way it blends spacey electronica with tripped out dub and soul samples, gives it a constantly changing face which works well to focus attention on what is a largely instrumental album – yet the 23 sections that make up this album work so cohesively together it seems as normal as anything.

The spooky dubby breakdowns are my favourite parts but as a weed addled party soundtrack – this dark and moody little beaut could probably not be bettered.

Subject : A Sunny Day In Glasgow

2009-08-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

The music of A Sunny Day In Glasgow is a bit like drunkenly flicking through the music TV Channels late at night whilst drifting in and out of consciousness.

Flitting between gloomy bedsit indie and twee pop moments, with flashes of accapella groups and ethereal lo-fi thrown into the mix for good measure this is music that revels in its schizophrenic nature and almost goes out of its way to push these extremes as far as they go whilst still retaining (vaguely) the shape they began with.

New album Summer Ashes is a fascinating listen and one that might just end up being something of a word-of-mouth phenomenon yet.

In the absence of a video from the new album here's a taste from its predecessor...

Subject : Tubelord

2009-08-27T04:12:00.001-07:00

Whilst on first listen, Tubelord's debut album Our First American Friends is a little unwieldy - a complex animal for sure - beneath the twisting and turning dynamics and mathy post rock breakdowns there's an undercarriage to Tubelord of pure pop.

It's apparent in the breathy harmonies of "Staceys Left Arm" and the euphoric "I Am Azerrad"; elevating them above the mathy indie underground into genuine crossover territory. Taking as its template the twitchy guitars and breakdowns of Youthmovies and their obtusely fringed ilk. Tubelord have created a cohesive, interesting and fun debut album that more than justifies the hype that’s been building around them since the days of their manically received “Feed Me A Box Of Words” single (excellently demonstrated below!)

Subject : Nodzzz

2009-08-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

Despite losing a drummer to the peace corps during the making of it, Noddz self titled debut album (out on the excellent What's Your Rupture label) is a scuzzy lo-fi affair that for all its rattles and hums is a blissfully summery slice of alt pop.

The press releases that name drop Pavement and their alternative-leaning ilk are pretty much bang on, there's a kinda quirky edge throughout these breakneck tracks that means that rather than just rehashing their influeces the guys have created something fresh, immediate and cool as fuck.

Well worth a listen

Subject : Worriedaboutsatan

2009-08-25T04:01:00.000-07:00

Worriedaboutsatan are kind of like a darker less communicative version of the awesome Kyte – throwing post rock and electronica together in a blissed out melting pot, it's kind of like being inside the soft fluffy brain of a gently pining whale… all gentle swoons and washes of drones and feedback sat on top of some very cool glitches and beats.

Their new album out on Leeds indie Gizeh Records is a sly little fella, slowly and surely getting in your head and staying there.

It is a pretty stunning record – disturbing and soothing in equal measure.

Subject : Crocodiles

2009-08-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

You could use any number of words to describe Crocodiles self titled debut: “Visceral”, “throbbing”, “nihilistic”, “sexy”, “raw”, “unashamed” … but to do so would almost be contradicting the records very essence; to dissect these songs at anything other than face value is almost antithesis to the very being of what is essentially just an achingly cool no bullsh*t rock n roll band.

Distilling equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain to 50’s rock and roll and the spacey swagger of Spaceman 3, it would fit perfectly as an alternative soundtrack to Coppola’s 80s indie heavy “Lost in Translation” – indeed the films sense of bewilderment and of flailing, lost in an epic wave of white light and noise would work neatly as a bit of a video to boot.

As Ive already said though all that really matters is the tunes and the band have come up trumps – shrouding their hooks in swathes of feedback and stuttering guitars but a melody is always close at hand – elevating them above their krautrock tinged peers and into genuine rock n roll territory. This is your new favourite band. Hands down.

Subject : Kevin Devine

2009-08-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

I have to say that despite a lot of whispers and chatroom banter Id somehow eluded the charms of Kevin Devine for a little while. Now rectified courtesy of the ever excellent folk over at Big Scary Monsters I have firmly fallen in love with the Ginger ones take on 21st century alt folk.

Theres all kinds of stuff going on here from blustery fingerpicked folk to epic post rock tinged tales of love and loss - resplendent with glacial guitars and swelling synths (akin to The Crimea which is always a good thing) - to breathe new life into the singer songwriter gene pool.

A firm favourite for sure and a record that I wouldnt be surprised to see cropping up in the odd "end of year" best of list come december time

www.kevindevine.net

Subject : Monotonix

2009-08-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

Every now and again you see a band that kicks you full on in the balls, wrecks your head and leaves you a spent, sweating mess.

Israel’s Monotonix are one of THOSE bands. Being amongst the hoards left in a head-spinning daze following their manic set at this year’s Summer Sundae festival it’s still hard to comprehend exactly what happened – a garage rock band playing in amongst the crowd everywhere in and outside the venue, crowd-surfing (in bins, on bass drums and free of such objects), crowd-drumming, balcony-jumps, twisted humour, crushing riffs, and creating general mayhem.

Monotonix are unfashionable, uncool and totally unhinged. They are not big, they are possibly not clever but they are 100% total rock and roll!

Check out Monotonix at your first opportunity and join the carnage.

Check out some footage from the best set at Summer Sundae:

myspace.com/monotonix

Subject : Tim Exile

2009-08-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ive been bewitched and utterly bewildered with Tim Exiles debut album for Warp - Listening Tree - for a little while now (indeed Ive been mosting to post on him for a while) and as I sit here now I still dont think I can accuratley describe the insanity that ensues across its length

Equal parts Dirty drum and bass and blissed out glitch heavy electronica, Exile blends the two seamlessly before using it to soundtrack a manga version of King Kong Vs Godzilla and then throws the whole lot into a blender for good measure

A marmite record Im sure but without doubt one of the more interesting and downright bonkers records to have arrived here in a while

Subject : Telegraphs

2009-08-04T13:27:00.001-07:00

Ive been hanging out with Telegraphs debut album for a little while now and while it doesn’t quite match up to The Blackouts ‘Best in town’ in the “most likely to break radio one” stakes, (its subject matter and execution perhaps a little full on for Fearne Cotton to deal with) its still a mighty fine listen and well worth a few moments of your time.

Unwittingly documenting the end of relations between your Bassist and your Singer is always a good way of giving a record a little added bite and so it is here as razor sharp guitars slash through howling choruses across the likes of “We Dance in Slow Motion” and “Your First L0ve is Dead” with a desperate sense of urgency underpinning everything.

Across the album theres a veritable smorgasbord of modern rock flavours – Biffys wonky song structure and some Pumpkins esque intensity giving way to some eminently danceable choruses – while every now and then the band strike out on their own tips - unafraid to walk away from the well worn templates of their peers.

As modern rock records go – when sloppy musicianship and recording coupled with a general lack of interest seems to equate with artistic integrity somehow – this is a great opening salvo from the Brighton based band and one that sets them up nicely for a sweaty moshpit laden future.

www.myspace.com/telegraphs

Subject : Kambodsja

2009-08-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

In a word - Brutal. If you liked the FACT and Blakfish stuff we posted here a few weeks ago then this is the ideal place for you to head next - post rock meets bone crushing post hardcore.

Apparently the "greatest hardcore band to come from Norway" one of his countrymen recently told me, that remains to be seen but all the same new album "Marionette You Are Mine" is well worth a listen

www.kambodsja.com

Subject : Exlovers

2009-08-04T04:36:00.001-07:00

I first came across Exlovers last year by way of a hand made parcel through my door, adorned with l0ve hearts and tied up with string and I was hooked immediately with their loping lofi pop. Following on with a brace of impeccably Elliot Smith-esque singles last year, the band return for 2009 with a new ep recorded with Stephen Street (who asked to work with the band following their Pete Doherty support slot at the Shepherds Bush Empire at the end of last year).

There are - in all fairness – just two Exlovers songs – theres the jangly smithsy one and then theres a gentle acoustic one, but such continued retooling should not deter you, as for anyone of a Pavement, Elliot Smith, Smiths kinda bent there is so much to fall in unrequited indie love with here… The hooks are subtle but with repeated listens these songs will be under your skin in no time.

I have to confess that the indie snob part of me will be a little bit sad when these guys invariably go from being my little secret to chart bothering indie types but their Belle and Sebastian esque rise to awkward NME cover stars will be richly deserved.

Sweet like tropicana

Subject : Valgeir Sijurosson

2009-07-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding like a bit of an arsehole Ive been on a bit of Icelandic odyssey of late and have been digging around a bit spurred on by seeing some great Icelandic acts at By:Larm.

While I'm still getting to grips with the new Sigur Ros offshoot Riceboy Sleeps I stumbled across Valgeir Sijurosson.

Imagine, if you can, a folky TV on the Radio, hunched around some bubbling geyser somewhere, deploying banjos and pianos at will this is a strangely haunting yet somehow humble and homely sounding piece of work...

Released courtesy of the fine folk of the Bedroom Community in Rekjavik this is well worth a check out

<a href="http://valgeir.bandcamp.com/album/gr-lukv-i-exclusive-single">Grýlukvæði by Valgeir Sigurðsson</a>

Subject : Indietracks special - The Specific Heats

2009-07-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

If like us you have a bit of thing for 60s garage bands and love the smile-inducing sound of surf-pop then The Specific Heats are for you.

The pure energy of their set in the Church at this year’s Indietracks was the embodiment of teenage abandon and rocked our socks off!

Sometimes there’s no need to try and produce something new when you can make the old sound this good.

myspace.com/thespecificheats

Subject : Indietracks special - Tender Trap

2009-07-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tender Trap are indie-pop royalty. The members back-catalogue of bands includes Tallulah Gosh, Marine Research and Heavenly so it comes as no surprise that Tender Trap are one of the best indie-pop bands around today.

The bands latest line-up played a brilliant and enthralling mid-afternoon set at Indietracks 100% proving their indie-pop credentials. Fans of C86 indie really need to check out Tender Trap as the latest musical incarnation of some of the scenes originators and legends.

myspace.com/tendertrap

Subject : Indietracks special - The Smittens

2009-07-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

So team Heads Up have just spent another twee-tastic weekend at Indietracks festival enjoying some of the best indie-pop sounds around.

While we recover and collect our thoughts for a review, we’ve decided to highlight some of the great acts we saw over the weekend.

First up - The Smittens.

At Indietracks 2008, watching The Smittens ‘fuzzy-wuzzy DIY pop explosion’ in the blazing sunshine brought a massive smile to our faces.

This year and they were even better, the vocal harmonies were tighter and songs more rounded and are now as accomplished as they are infectious.

The Smittens are the musical equivalent of a sunny disposition. Pardoning the pun, we are smitten by The Smittens.

myspace.com/thesmittens

Subject : Dials

2009-07-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

Formed by members of several defunct bands from the Shrewsbury area DIALS have been together just over a year.

Considering the short space of time they have been together we think that the tunes on new EP Fix This Imbalance (out August 3) kick some serious ass.

The band have been kind enough to offer us a free track from their brilliant EP – we recommend you have a listen in a try before you buy scenario as the EP is well worth a purchase.

Download: Dials – Gloria Knudson (MP3)
myspace.com/dialsband

Subject : Lord Cut-Glass

2009-07-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Weren’t The Delgados great?

Lord Cut-Glass, the solo incarnation of ex-Delgado Alun Woodward released his debut album for Chemikal Underground on June 22.

It is an album comprising one man’s refined grasp of the musical form, an idiosyncratic pursuit that’s unmistakably in the lineage of independent Scottish music.

Woodward’s solo project has grown incrementally over the 4 years since The Delgados disbanded. In between “non rock n roll” spots of gardening on his allotment, doses of scarlet fever and work on Chemikal Underground releases – including those of Aidan Moffat and The Phantom Band – the moniker ‘Lord Cut-Glass’ has made fleeting appearances on Chemikal’s own Ballads Of The Book project and the compilation Worried Noodles.

And so with typically casual defiance Lord Cut-Glass’ debut was recorded at the label’s own studio Chem 19 with former Delgados drummer Paul Savage on the skins, and Woodward himself writing and arranging the parts for an integral band of classical musicians from across Glasgow.

He now has a lovely new ‘stereoscopic’ website: lordcutglass.com

Lord Cut-Glass - Look After Your Wife on MUZU.

myspace.com/lordcutglass

Subject : The Heavy

2009-07-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

We’ve been digging the voodoo soul vibes of The Heavy for a while now, and have been spinning incendiary new album The House That Dirt Built almost none stop at Heads Up HQ.

It’s not out till September 22 on Counter Records but we can’t sit on this release till then – it’s just that good!

If you’ve not been introduced to The Heavy before, you’re in for a real treat.

The Heavy have been building. With a background in the joys of sampling and a foreground in scuzzy guitar, bass and beaten up drums, with schizo music tastes and a West Country pace, they've been building brick by dirty brick. Now they'd like to welcome you into their beautiful home for a little nose around, a kind of party if you like. And if a little blood gets spilled then that's just how it is. Nobody said it was going to be a spread from Hello magazine. It will, though, be the best party you've ever been to.

"Oh No! Not You Again" starts things off, hitting like the garage-punk monster it is, Shingae Shoniwa of The Noisettes offering up the backing vox on a tune which sounds like Little Richard posssessed by the devil and turned up to 11.

Main single, "How You Like Me Now" is pure voodoo-funk. "Sixteen" channels the ghost of Screamin' Jay into a tawdry tale of Satan and his young bride. "Short Change Hero" is an epic Spaghetti Western love song calling on the youth to drop their tools.

"No Time" combines a filthy break with thundering riffing about losing the love that was supposed to be forever. "Long Way From Home" is punk-blues of genuine yearning.

"Cause For Alarm" is a reggae/2 Tone stepper, all crunched up and beaten-up for size. "Love Like That" is King Jammys updated Final tune. "What You Want Me To Do" combines the intensity of Hendrix with an obia ceremony.

"Stuck," shows that for all the wide-eyed madness, The Heavy can also come out with the most affecting love songs which effortlessly combine their many influences into something both completely new and utterless timeless.

Mixed and produced by Jim Abiss (best known for his work on the first Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Kasabian) and with Noisettes input on three tracks (The Heavy toured with them and have all became firm friends), The House That Dirt Built represents a huge step forward from an already fantastic debut in Great Vengeance & Furious Fire.

Since then The Heavy have toured the world and, where the first record was sample-based, the new one is much more a product of working as a band.

Like the early rock 'n' roll, blues and rhythm and blues which have influenced it, The House That Dirt Built is larger than life, funny, terrifying and occasionally beautiful. It is, in fact, a house you'll want to visit again.

Check out this stomping dubstep remix of "How You Like Me Now" – which is an early giveaway from the amazing lead single out on August 31.

myspace.com/theheavy73

Subject : Monsters of Folk

2009-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

If you were to plot the stock of Jim James and Conor Oberst on a graph, I reckon it would be an intersting X Shape... Since their Deep fried beginning in 98, My Morning Jacket have steadily expanded their delicously frazzled gothic country template into more esoteric territories and ended up in a kind of "Alt Country Radiohead" position - even more daring on occasion than Jeff Tweedys Wilco.

Oberst meanwhile has seen his stock dwindle both creatively - the occasionaly pompous Cassadaga giving way to a pair of indifferent solo albums of winding, whining folk - and critically as the writers grow tired of the same old same old, and the kids grow up and realise theres more to life than the neurotic noodlings of the perpetual awkward kid.

The meeting point of the two lines would appear to be the "Monsters of Folk", a Crosby STills Nash and Young for the iPod generation if you will. Teaming up with fellow folkies M.Ward (genius) and Obersts longtime Bright Eyes conspirator Mike Mogis.

Given their well "folky" name, youd expect a gently harmonised little acoustic number to open their account, but confounding expectation with new single "Please" a driving Bluesy stomp through three minutes of pounding pianos and howling vocals. An interesting introduction for sure, it raises the recently completed album from something of a footnote in their respective discographies to one of the Autumns must hear albums

Download the new single for free now from www.monstersoffolk.com (Enter PLEASE in the box)

Subject : Lion O'Brien

2009-07-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Lion O'Brien write songs about love, work, robots, vampires and other aspects of common everyday life. Blending sharp lyrics with infectious melodies and anthemic choruses, they are striving to forge their own original brand of feel-good music.

Formed in Bermondsey, London by vocalist and guitarist James O’Brien after the simultaneous breakdown of his old band and the break-up with his then girlfriend, a heartbroken James threw himself into writing, and a collection of upbeat, bittersweet pop songs were born that mixed his love of American indie with the euphoric passion of old Motown records and British indie-pop.

The band took shape in the autumn of 2008, as James was joined by bassist Mike Jones and drummer Eve Barnes recruited through the small ads, and the trio were soon taking their energetic live shows across the UK.

They’ve received praise left right and centre from everyone from 6 Music to the Guardian.

Their wonderful debut EP Raincloud vs Sunshine is out on Monday and we recommend clicking this here link and purchasing it.

Download: Lion O’Brien – This Life (mp3)

myspace.com/lionobrien

Subject : Nebula

2009-07-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

If MGMT were the star spangled sound of psychedelia in 2008 then Nebula would seem to be the paranoid, wigged out hangover for 2009.

Recalling imagined flashbacks of sweaty nights in acid soaked nightclubs in San Francisco circa '72, new album HEAVY PHYSC is a deliciously overcooked brew of wailing guitars and afro shaking basslines, concocting a thick web of gloriously freaky rock - like Hendrix himself were being hosed down in tobasco and wired into the mains...

Simply overwhelming.

Subject : Milow

2009-07-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

So then take one impeccably obscure Belgian singer songwriter, a 50 cent cover and Kanye Wests personal seal of appoval and what do you have? The most unexpected european hit of the summer of course!

Finally seeing the light of day over here via 14th Floor, this is a bluegrassy stomp through last years Timberlake/Fiddy hook up, replacing the bragadocia laden beats of the original with an earthy smattering of Dobro guitar and stand up bass.

Im not ashamed to say that this is one of my tunes of the moment.

www.milow.com

POSTED BY BEN 160709

Subject : Implosion Quintet

2009-07-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Implosion Quintet is singular fivesome James Baker, a British musician now residing in Norway.

Following a scattering of tracks on the Cookshop label, he released his highly ambitious & accomplished debut album, The Future Sound Of Yesterday on Monday.

Driven by a short attention span and a love of prog, proto-metal, jazz, electronica, klezmer, tango and everything in between, IQ takes us on a bizarre journey through said styles infused with a cinematic quality lending it the feel of a soundtrack to some long forgotten cult eastern European flick.

So you've got tango, electronica, stoner rock, prog, jazz, beats, blues, glitch, bossa nova, DnB and more besides squished together in a way that won’t drive me insane.

Check out this wonderful cut from the LP:

<a href="http://implosionquintet.bandcamp.com/track/bone-sideways">Bone sideways by Implosion Quintet</a>

The band have also put together a very special mix of music which inspired the record. Entitled Sounds From The Infernal Hi-Fi, you can download it for free by clicking here.

It’s well worth a put featuring tracks by such quality acts as Squarepusher, Black Sabbath, John Parrish & PJ Harvey, Primus, Pink Floyd, Jaga Jazzist, White Stripes, Beastie Boys, The Black Keys and Fantômas – you know it makes sense!

implosionquintet.com

Subject : Calypso Joy Division

2009-07-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to hear the sound of urban dystopia matched to the joyous sounds of the Caribbean?

Well wait no longer....

Subject : Sharks Took The Rest

2009-07-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I am in love with Isobel. There I said it. Before the wife gets too irate though, I should point out that the Isobel in question is in fact, a song by London based band Sharks Took The Rest.

Ever since I came across them a few weeks ago, the song has been on constant rotation and with every listen, the gossamer whisper and sighing piano sees me falling just a little bit more head over heels. Coming on like a cross between Joanna Newsom fronting an unplugged Cocteau Twins, the band have just two have but two songs on their myspace right now but both are worthy of your immediate attention.

At present completely unsigned (although surely not for long) these guys should be your new favourite band within five minutes.

Check out the below to see whats getting me all excited.

www.myspace.com/sharkstooktherest

Posted By Ben 150709

Subject : Twisted Tongue

2009-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

So Acid Jazz records are celebrating their 21-year anniversary! And they’re still dropping the boss tuneage.

Case in point: the new slab of nu-soul from Twisted Tongue.

Mining the spirit of ‘70’s p-funk and psyche soul mixed with a hint of new electro, Twisted Tongue’s debut album is released on Acid Jazz on August 10.

For Mark Dalton and Dave Jay, Twisted Tongue marks a return to their musical roots; visiting the funk and soul experimentation of Funkadelic and Charles Stepney; drawing on the influence of ‘80’s electrofunk (West Phillips, Junie Morrison) and the Minneapolis sound of Morris Day and The Time. All delivered in distinctly modern production techniques to create a style that sits halfway between Seattle’s Pigeonhed & NY / Atlanta’s Gnarls Barkley.

Before forming Twisted Tongue with Mark Dalton, Dave Jay featured as session musician and remixer for a host of major label artists. In 2001, Jay signed to Madonna's Maverick Records in the US as a member of Soul Hooligan, releasing the album Music Like Dirt and contributing to TV and movie soundtracks including Six Feet Under and Austin Powers: Goldmember. Since leaving Soul Hooligan, Dave has contributed vocals to Andy Lewis’ first two albums and collaborated with DJ Ray Mang.

Check out the psychedelic weirdness of the new video for ‘Got A Really Good Thing’ from the album:

myspace.com/twistedtongueuk

Subject : The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club

2009-07-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club make a wonderfully shambolic indie racket. It is the sound of the purest voices, guitars, basses, drums, circular saws, churches, hands, boots, thoraxes and lungs, juxtaposed to an awkward perfection. The band do not and will not use keyboards, synthesisers or system three acrylic.

New record (their second) Love On An Oil Rig sees them step out of the shadow of their influences to find their feet.

The stripped down primal ideas are defined and sharp, retaining their well-developed Art school sensibilities of the absurd, the outrageous and the other. Since the recording, a new drummer and fourth club member has been recruited to enhance the ferocity of their sound, taking the noise to the next level with offset guitars, shouts and wails.

The first album dealt with foetal burials, plastic windows and banning gin in 1840. The second features parrots, the primitiveness of modern life and sexual yearning on long distance lorry drives. It's hard not be intrigued by the titles alone: 'Love on An Oil Rig', 'Women Versus Children', and 'Periscope Envy'.

In the last two years they have performed in three forests, two churches and one circus. They still live in Cardiff. They collectively enjoy: effects pedals, Sonic Youth, bells, taxidermy seagulls, yellow mackintoshes, distortion, bonsai, black gaffer tape, bone and ivory dominoes and Wire.

They are offering the lead single from the new LP for free on this here interweb RIGHT HERE

It is also available on limited edition YELLOW 7" vinyl – SNAZZY!

The track has already been included in NME's '10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week' feature, and has received radio play from Radio 1, XFM and BBC 6 Music to date. So plenty of people agree with us that is pretty darn good.

myspace.com/thevictorianenglishgentlemensclub

Subject : Franz Ferdinand

2009-07-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

Just because Heads Up is all about exposing new bands, doesn’t mean we’re not going to point you in the direction of great new material from bands you already know and love.

Franz Ferdinand have announced details of the release of a new single, ‘Can’t Stop Feeling’. It will be available as a one track download from Monday July 6.

The 7" & digital bundle will then be available from the July 20. This features the band’s version of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends’.

With the nifty little player below you can watch the brilliant new video for ‘Can't Stop Feeling’ here & download a free remix of the track by WhoMadeWho.

Subject : Fact

2009-07-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Two words METAL and JAPANESE. Enough to make most (my kids included) running for the hills but two that also neatly sum up FACT – the latest growling group to join the good ship Vagrant

This kind of euphoric / foundation shaking metal is always something of a breathless experience and so it is here as FACT rip out of the blocks with a brutal one two of “Paradox” and “Los Angels” never once relent over the space of sixteen songs.

Drawing in an electronic side to proceedings opens up possibilities closed of to some of their peers (see the remix of A Fact Of Life by Boom Boom Satellites for proof of their ability to be transplanted into other Genres) and helps to elevate the band into the realm of genuine innovators as opposed to mere scene chasers. After toiling long and hard in the indie wilderness FACTS turn to head into the mainstream cant be too far off…

www.factjapan.com

Subject : Pipedream

2009-07-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

Pipedream release a new ep this month through Lazy Acre Records. Available as a free download ep the five tracks sound a bit like Muse covering Band of Horses and features debut single Youll Never Catch Gold

www.myspace.com/pipedreampipedream

Subject : Bobby Long

2009-07-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

Some 40 years after even Dylan decided there might be more to life than just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica its reassuring and genuinely heart warming to see some life still being injected into it even today. Bobby Long is a shaggy haired troubadour dealing in the kind of folk cum blues that made Dylan such a big player in the first place (I realise that’s twice ive dropped the name already – one listen and youll see its unavoidable).

After streaking up the iTunes chart with single “Being a Mockingbird”, Long is heading back over to the states for a two month tour shortly (hopefully well see him back on home turf very soon!) but with a fervent following (both live and in cyberspace) it wont be long before he starts filling some much bigger venues than the ones currently being graced with his presence.

For anyone that considers themselves a fan of “songwriters” these battered and bruised little songs, of l0ve of life and of loss should throw up a celebratory warning flare that all is not lost – that somewhere in the barren wilderness of the electro wasteland that is British music in 2009 a true talent still lives.

www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong

Posted By Ben 030709

Subject : Blakfish

2009-07-03T01:45:00.000-07:00

Last years brutally heavy “See You In Another City” EP (Big Scary Monsters) set out Blakfish’s stall as purveyors of some of the finest ‘Screamo’ to come from these shores (let alone Birmingham!!) in a long time. Decamping to Seattle to record the follow up debut album - The confidently titled “Champions” – was clearly something of a masterstroke as producer Chris Common (These arms are snakes) has helped to stretch the sonic template to create what will surely become their calling card.

Flailing across 11 tracks like an electric eel with ADHD, these mercury like songs pack a sonic punch rivalled by few as bone shaking riffs, scream and response verses and some absolutely thunderous drumming all collide to provide one of the more thrilling records to arrive in the Metal Genre for some time.

Highlights abound throughout including spaztastic opener "Economics" and “Ringo Star, Second Best Drummer In the Beatles” while more melodic moments like “Your Hairs Straight But Your Boyfriend Aint” suggest there could be a Kerrang cover in them just yet

Check out more at the bands website or Big Scary Monsters or indeed Hassle Records.