Such is the energy dispelled by Ben Hutchinson’s acrobatic vocal delivery and Rory Lindsay's neat playing it's likely you'll start doing lots of funny things involving inanimate objects shaped like guitars in front of the nearest mirror. The 'Residence Of Ben' may be fleeting but its vibrancy is such that it will resonate within your psyche for days. As the cravings refuse to recede you'll return to the Toronto band and gorge on their fabulously appointed debut 'Still Escalator' EP. If that's not enough to soothe your addiction then there’s always their new LP 'The World Is Too Much With Us'. Showroom create something familiar and comforting, curiosity will lead you to their doorway and once inside you'll be hooked. Watch out Sweden, Canada is about to have its second coming. KD

Showroom - The Residence Of Ben

Showroom Info & Shop: Showroom
Album: Still Escalator EP
Year: 2005

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James Levy has definitely caught a serious case of the Chris Martin's but no matter because the lo-fi jangle of his bands debut single 'Rotten Love' is too incalculably beautiful to let that put you off. The New York natives have an unfinished feel to their music as if still suspended in demo phase development but that is to be eagerly lapped up. 'Rotten Love' also has the ghost of the House of Love hanging over it, the melodies are superlative and the guitars chime like a tunesome grandfather clock. The effect provides an immediate return yet the exuberance doesn't subside on repeated listens implying that there's plenty of feeling below the surface. Losing your girlfriend to the Casablancas lad from the Strokes is bound to stir plenty emotions I guess. With Levy's heart in a cage the door was left open for the majesty that is 'Rotten Love'. With this sort of glorious outcome long may the spektor of Regina loom large. KD

LEVY - Rotten Love

More Info: LEVY
Buy Album: [UK] Rotten Love [US] Rotten Love
Year: 2005

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Cosmic Rough Riders are from Scotland and are fixated with the sound of east coast America. They are also the living and breathing sons of the scene that was initiated by the Byrds. Considering the amount of retro doing the rounds at the moment perhaps another dose of the stuff is the last thing you want to hear but the Cosmic Rough Riders are so inherently talented you'd be missing out by avoidance. 'Sometime' is taken from the burst of joy that is the bands 'Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine' album from 2000. Be prepared for jangling chords, cascading vocals and all manner of dreamy harmonies. This is Teenage Fanclub without the contemporary edge, a museum piece plucked from the annals of today. Bless the honesty in the words and the studied diversity in the musicianship. Proof positive that Alan McGee still has a magic eye despite the nonsense he spouts about Mogwai's latest album.KD

Cosmic Rough Riders - Sometime

More Info: Cosmic Rough Riders
Buy Cosmic Rough Rider's: [UK] Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine [US] Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine
Year: 2000

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You can shelve this neatly beside 'Shall We Take A Trip' yet 'Window Pane' by Liverpool's Real People seems to have aged a whole deal better. In truth this was far and away the group's best song. Throwing polished baggy shapes and some fine la la la's it even managed to incorporate a neat hammond moment that was the signature sound of the time. Outside of their own minor success the Real People were instrumental in helping Oasis record the demo that launched them and were credited with some of the backing vocals on 'Definitely Maybe'. One of its members, Chris Griffiths even co-wrote one of Oasis' brighter moments 'Rockin Chair' which appeared on the b-side of the otherwise derisory 'Roll With It' single. KD

The Real People - Window Pane

More Info: The Real People
Buy Album: [UK] The Real People [US] The Real People
Year: 1991

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With the self-proclaimed siamese triplets Sack about to jack it all in, up popped Morrissey to proclaim his allegiance. He was as good as his word as Sack found themselves touring alongside the living legend up and down the west coast of America and throughout Europe. Those were the heady days 6 years ago but the Dublin band are still going strong and are working on their 4th album as we speak. A persistent bunch they have a history stretching back 2 decades (they used to be called Lord John White in the olden days). Their inner self-belief is well founded, however, when you listen to the guile and craft on songs like 'Laughter Lines', 'Indian Rope Trick' (which includes the immortal line "If I’m going to kill somebody, it might as well be you") and this gem 'What Did The Christians Ever Do For Us'. With his holiness getting in on the act how could this endearing piece of artistry be anything but a triumph. Martin McCann's voice is cheeky yet warm and the dirty guitar lines add the necessary muscle to disturb any feelings you may have that this is bubblegum. The bands website has a raft of music to get your teeth into so bag it before they become too famous and starting charging! KD

Sack - What Did The Christians Ever Do For Us

And here for no other reason than it has Sack in the title (psst, it also has the kooky charm of a cookie) is 'I Am A Sack'. This is Australian band Pompey who are signed to the increasingly lovely Pocketclock label. Pompey could be Animal Collective's lovers if they weren't so damn unfaithful. They have a song called 'I Am A Pyramid Scheme', lucky for us then that their songs are all for free. Check out the Pocketclock for lots of fun sounds.

Pompey - I Am A Sack

Sack's Website: Sack
Buy Sack's: [UK] You Are What You Eat
Year: 1994

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'Shall We Take A Trip' got its best run out during the goals round up on 'Match Of The Day'. Its producers Northside didn’t amount to much else yet they are inextricably linked to the baggy genre that came at the tail end of 1980's Manchester. Listening now the song sounds a tad dated yet the intricate guitar playing is certainly unique. The novelty even extends to the uncamouflaged drug references, which probably quite literally went down a storm in the Hacienda and didn’t go unnoticed by the BBC who decided to ban it from their playlists. The band went to record their debut album 'Chicken Rhythms' on the legendary Factory Records label with Ian Broudie but neither creative force could save the project from its inevitable extinction. KD

Northside - Shall We Take A Trip

Buy Album: [UK] Chicken Rhythms: Remastered [US] Chicken Rhythms + Singles
Year: 1991

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Occupying the same territory both physically and musically as Belle & Sebastian means that Camera Obscura have had to go about their business in an imposing shadow. That's what makes their music such a delicious surprise, like the B & S secret club back in the old days. 'Anti-Western' boasts so many treats it could wander into an indie greatest hits without much trouble. Not surprisingly Stuart Murdoch sat in on production so as well as getting a top boy/girl vocal interplay you can sink into the swinging strings that so enrich the sound. Then there are jangling chords which piece the whole thing together perfectly and Tracyanne Campbell's bittersweet words which could have come from another swooning chanteuse of the same name. Just perfect for those who might have got disenchanted by the pursuit of life. KD

Camera Obscura - Anti-Western

Check out the bands excellent website: Camera Obscura
Buy Camera Obscura's: [UK] Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi [US] Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
Year: 2001

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I always thought Mansun were a bit too cerebral for their own good. Take a look at their website and you'll see what I mean. They could quite clearly write a pretty tune but they often got caught up in the dynamics rather than letting their creative juices flow. There were notable successes, however, when the detail resulted in an epic. 'The Chad Who Love Me' (Dominic Chad being the bands guitarist) is one such. Flush with James Bond styled strings it is a thrilling example of Paul Draper skills as a songwriter. The piece could work just as well without the vocals but their crashing entrance sparks another twist in the tale. Also of note is Chad's guitar work, which soars majestically without ever descending into pastiche. Mansun called it a day in 2003 as their star was truly beginning to wane. Each of their 3 albums has merit, with 'Attack Of The Grey Lantern' being particularly notable. Paul Draper is about to embark on a solo career so we eagerly await developments. KD

Mansun - The Chad Who Loved Me

More Info: Mansun
Buy Album: [UK] Attack of the Grey Lantern [US] Attack of the Grey Lantern
Year: 1997

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This is by a long way my favourite New Order track. Not the shorter version that appeared on 'Brotherhood' mind, but the all-conquering remix that appeared on the 'Substance' compilation. For nearly 7 minutes you are treated to a galaxy of percussive delights, snappy beats and scuttling synth's that spray about like a polished silver ball in a pinball machine. Bernard Sumner does his best to control his slightly skewed vocals but inevitably they melt into the vast bank of keyboards to appropriate artificiality. Thank the heavens, then, that he didn't swallow another microphone head during rehearsals. This is timeless stuff, sounding as vibrant and fresh as it did when it first came out 19 years ago. Grab your partner by the hand….

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

As a bonus here is Australian band Frente! and their acoustic version of 'Bizarre Love Triangle'. All you get is Angie Hart's crystal voice and some twinkling chords. The result is bewitching. KD

Frente! - Bizarre Love Triangle

More Info: New Order
Buy New Order's: [UK] Substance [US] Substance
Year: 1987

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Before the gospel there was the shimmer. Spiritualized rose from the embers of the hypnotic Spaceman 3 collective and in doing so carried on the grand old tradition of the liquid musical extravaganza with sombre lyrical accompaniment. The trick worked sublimely for Spirtualized's first 2 albums but then Jason Pierce saw fit to change things. I started to lose them at this stage, being unable to resist the long pulses of energy of the early albums. 'Lazer Guided Melodies' was an immaculate collection split into a quartet of intermission free near instrumental delights. 'Pure Phaze' broke it down a little but still served up reminders of what good drugs Pierce and co were getting their hands on. 'The Slide Song' is ruthlessly efficient in delivering its message, the jangling chords replete with hazy feedback pose unashamedly with an electro flute while Pierce dispels his innermost with slowmo mind bending powers of persuasion. Oh how the lads and lasses from the summer of 1969 could have ingested its woozy vibes. KD

Spiritualized - The Slide Song

More Info: Spiritualized
Buy Album: [UK] Pure Phase [US] Pure Phase
Year: 1995

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The loss of the Delgados was a big one for those who succumbed to their cinematic creations. Alun Woodward and Emma Pollock were the bands creative hub and the break up has robbed us of a wonderful song writing partnership. It looks like Emma will be first out of the blocks with work due to begin anytime now on her debut album as a solo artist (her husband and ex-Delgados drummer Paul Savage will lend a hand mind). The album will be recorded in the new Blantyre studios in Glasgow and the material should see the light of day by the end of the year. Emma's greatest strength is her achingly beautiful voice as evidenced on this work in progress which was recorded for BBC Scotland. Aside from a neat piano line and some layered vocals the singer holds court, hooking attention through grace and an ability to swoop where others would merely ramble. The future looks bright, who said break ups need to be upsetting? KD

Emma Pollock - Fortune

More Info: Emma Pollock
Buy A Delgados Album: [UK] The Great Eastern [US] The Great Eastern
Year: 2000

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