Those damm Teenagers

I've been meaning to post about My Teenage Stride for a while now, basically before I saw a ton of other blogs post about them, the blog that first brought them to my attention was rhe always excellent Skatterbrain. Well what can I say about them? Well never before have I said that in many ways they sound almost like their beaming their music from the past (somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s) and that they do certainly show their influences clearly (Idolator said it best with the great quote "(their latest album, Ears Like Golden Bats) wears its influences like one-inch pins bearing the logos of Orange Juice and the Go-Betweens") but despite these potential obstacles they do not sound derivative in any sense, essentially down to a fantastic song-craft, great vocals and a indefatigable attitude (you could freeze that quote a put in on the CD cover if you want). In another thing which you hopefully didn't miss IGIF posted a brand new song from Arizona which is utterly out of this world, its called Thimble (it starts with the freaking sounds of the rainforest man before launching into one of their best songs yet, and a taster of what their second album will sound like (hopefully). Just realised that both bands are from Brooklyn, I guess I'll get no sleep till I get there. Oh and one last thing I did my radio show yesterday and you can listen to the whole two hour show here.

MP3s:
My Teenage Stride-To Live And Die In The Airpot Lounge
My Teenage Stride-Ears Like Golden Bats
Arizona-Thimble

Buy:
My Teenage Stride-Ears Like Golden Bats
Arizona-Welcome Back Dear Children

Join the Club

I'll start of this post by saying theres a heck of a lot of great music floating about on the Blogosphere and I am currently going slightly insane deciding what to post about, basically for now check out the sidebar links (theres also a few blogs which may join the Blogosaurus) anyway you may remember I posted about Tiny Dancers a band obviously going places (well they are signed to EMI which is probably an indication) well they have started a free MP3 club where by those who join get a free Tiny Dancers Mp3 every month which ain't all bad.

MP3:
Tiny Dancers-20 to 9

Buy:
Tiny Dancers-Lions and Tigers and Lions EP

Sound of Silver

So Silver Pyre a band from 19th Century Somerset by the sounds of 'Sovereign' a traditional sea shanty, but hang on a second their singing about "a hundred odd meatheads", seriously though if the musical genres of shoegaze and electro existed in the 19th Century then 'Saline' and 'Shurtan Bars Ammonite' (boy what a catchy song title) respectively would be how they would sound. Back to 'Sovereign' then as it sounds a bit like The Decemberists blowing up with a roaring accordion. Seriously this stuff will rouse some sort of collective cultural memory out of everybody, and their playing a session on Huw Steven's Radio 1 show tonight, so listen and enjoy this odd folky musique.

MP3s (samples):
Silver Pyre-Sovereign
Silver Pyre-Saline
more on their MySpace

Buy:
Silver Pyre-EP(i)

Geeky Post with added post-rock

OK lets get the geeky non-music part out of the way first, I'm rather excited to say that Deathly Hallows the seventh book in the superb Harry Potter series is being released on the 21st July 2007. Right now having got that out the way I should also mention my radio show which I broad casted on Tuesday which was kind of my anniversary edition you can listen to that here, I haven't posted the tracklisting because I've been a bit busy with a presentation as well as the 'mammoth' Best Albums of January 2007 post, which I was quite pleased about (although I don't really know why). Anyway on to the music and what great music it is from the already highly recommended Somme, a duo from Chicago who combine post-rock shoegaze (pretty experimentally) with conventional indie rhythms, see the handclaps in 'Massless' as well as some almost 'Pavement' like guitars to start 'Forge', I haven't heard the E.P but it should be awesome. It is certainly ear catching stuff and just to make this post extra geeky "it's post-rock jim, but not as we know it" (I'm not a trekkie though I probably should highlight that fact).

MP3s:
Somme-Massless
Somme-Forge

Buy:
Weight E.P should be available soon just keep checking their MySpace

London, Ontario Calling

So once again I can't really take full credit for bringing Basia Bulat to your attention (that goes to StG via NBGL), still that doesn't stop me from talking about how darn exciting this lady's music is, and that's just the key its exciting with vocals that you could draw a comparison with Feist for example but they are actually striking enough to feel that trying to pin down a definite comparison, musically you can hear a piano that often sounds like it playing from a different time era, a acoustic guitar trying to keep things together, some strings lending a beautiful backdrop at times and then suddenly getting caught up in the song and as for the drums well they don't know if their supposed to be in a marching band or some sort of jungle beat thing. I'm very excited, and you should to or you could go and read what Sean at StG said.

MP3:
Basia Bulat-Snakes And Ladders
more excellence at her MySpace

Buy:
the album Oh, My Darling should be out in March on Rough Trade.

Edit: something I'd never thought I'd be typing but head over to Marathonpacks (now a Pitchfork reviewer) for a comprehensive post about James Mercer's face it is far more interesting then it sounds honest.

Clones, four of them

Hailing from Northern Ireland and carrying many props from amongst others Radio 1's Unsigned Podcast and Drowned In Sound they are Clone Quartet. They are something of a very good band potentially great with their interesting yet accessible sound as they mix together something of the catchy element in radio rock, together with some juicy indie electronic keys as well as a bag of crunchy hardcore crisps, man I'm hungry, anyway its very spiky but very tasty music with vocals to fit. Altogether they could well have an excellent 2007 having already been DiS's pick of the year in 2006. Now back to my dissertation draft.

Listen:
BBC Unsigned Podcast-Northern Ireland special (it has their song Carousel at the start)
hear more at their MySpace

So much Monkey Love to give

So I'll set the scene for you, I posted about a track from an artist called Red Cassette and recently I received an e-mail from Sam of Monkey Love Records saying that she saw my post and wondered if I'd like some more info so I said yes and got the url for Monkey Love artists and one that immediately caught my eye was Joy Tourette, so I took a look see and was pleased to hear some music quite unlike pretty much everything floating about at the moment in the blogosphere (which apparently seems to be leaked Arcade Fire tracks right this second) this is slightly hypnotic electronica (kind of a bit like Cocteau Twins) mixed or even juxtaposed with a weird almost PJ Harvey like attitude and some darkly interesting (or perhaps just downright odd) lyrics, all in all worth some of your precious time. I expect there will be more from Monkey Love in the future on this here blog.

MP3s:
Joy Tourette-Lupine Man
Joy Tourette-Autoharp
more to hear on her MySpace

Its a bandwagon, jump on

Something of a UK buzz band right here, although in the sense that a lot of UK bloggers along with Huw Stevens on Radio 1 are giving a lot of love to this excellent 7 piece rather then NME putting them on the front cover several times before they release their debut album and proclaiming them to be the second coming and the coolest band ever. So this band can expect a good 2007 in independent terms at least rather then facing a backlash sometime in May. Anyway back to Los Campesinos! a band from Cardiff who have incorporated Glockenspiel and Violin into their highly enjoyable guitar driven sound and have taken a great deal of indie influences into their music to such an extent that its actually difficult to pinpoint them and as such comes out sounding original and fresh, if I was to pinpoint their sound I may say they soundlike Arcade Fire hosting a beach party inviting Broken Social Scene, The Shins and many other North American indie acts along but this party is gatecrashed by British bands like The Frattellis and at points sounds a bit chaotic but there is harmony in the chaos and great male/female interchanged vocals too, no wonder Wichita have signed them up, and look at their artist list.

MP3s:
Los Campesinos!-Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks
Los Campesinos!-Death To Los Campesinos

Buy:
presumably Hold On Youngster will be their debut album info will come on their MySpace