In what seems like an eternity since her band broke up (2005) we are finally going to get a chance to hear Emma Pollock’s first post Delgados album. Even though it was completed last year 'Watch The Fireworks' will only get an official release next month. If you are familiar with Pollock’s previous work you will no doubt be enamoured by her fabulous vocals. They are both fragile and feisty and it is a nice surprise to find that the song quality hasn’t dropped now that she is going it alone. ‘Adrenaline’ is one of the albums' lead singles and sports a blustier approach than normal. Yet amongst the frantic instrumentation lays that bewitching voice. ‘Watch The Fireworks’ is being officially unveiled at the Social in Soho, London on the 11th of September (and it’s free!). KD

Emma Pollock - Adrenaline

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Buy Album: Watch The Fireworks
Year: 2007

Whilst falling in love with Band of Horses newest cut ‘Is There A Ghost’ I smelt the sound of something familiar. Those guitars while altogether fantastic recalled a memory from closer to home. It took a couple of days and then finally I copped it. ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ is the perfect closer for any Franks show as those choppy guitars suddenly lose the will to stay in control and throw caution to the wind. Like most of the band’s later material it works much better in a live setting but still retains many of the characteristics that make this band one of the most cherishable from the last 15 years. So as Band of Horses become your favourite new band of 2007 don’t forget their forefathers from down by the Lee. KD

The Frank & Walters - Time We Said Goodnight

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Buy Album: A Renewed Interest In Happiness
Year: 1999

Is this how it ends? Looks like it was over before the fuse was lit for Sydney’s great hopes Starky. This despite their arrival at a major label and the release of their faultless double A-side late last year. While Dappled Cities may be capable of taking up the slack it does seem disappointing that a band that is capable of delivering effervescent wonders like ‘Hey Bang Bang’ should disintegrate. The song is drenched in melody, overflowing with jangling riffs and possessed of a voice that could woo both the indie and mainstream audiences. Starky began in 1998 and had released one album ‘Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre’ prior to being snapped up by Universal. The union was short-lived however even if it produced this inspirational flash of brilliance. KD

Starky - Hey Bang Bang

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Buy Album: [UK] Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre [Australian Import] [US] Starky
Year: 2006

Meric and Logan decided that a change of name was required. So they made Dodo Bird disappear and opted instead for the zanier but not entirely different the Dodos. Together the San Francisco lads push a sound you wouldn’t expect from such few numbers, it’s a full listen thanks in the main to Meric Long’s impressive list of instruments. For his part Logan Kroeber lays down some impressive beats like on ‘Trades and Tariffs’ where his heavy thumping is a creative sparring partner to the acoustic drama that surrounds it. The song is a good illustration of the experimental ethos within the band. Take a song that has pretty indie pop at its heart and wrap it in the idiosyncrasies of a studio crammed full of a collective of animals and you’ll be both scratching your head and tapping your toes at the wonder of it all. Quality like this is not extinct, just very rare. KD

The Dodos - Trades and Tariffs

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Buy Album: Beware of the Maniacs
Year: 2006

Ok, it may not sustain those early thrills for its entirety but Electrelane’s ‘To The East’ is one mighty jaunt into the realms of sonic caviar. The all girl group from Brighton took to Berlin to write their new album ‘No Shouts No Calls’. Their stay coincided with the world cup and it’s influence can be heard on songs like ‘Five’. ‘To The East’ is the album’s lead track that initially cuts a distinct ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ jib until in strolls Emma Gaze’s frothy vocals and a haunted castle organ scene-stealer. The chiming chords are another essential ingredient to the song’s success, so much so that at a certain angle ‘To The East’ sounds like a lost Stereolab classic. Praise indeed but an indication of what Electrelane have been threatening to achieve for several years. KD

Electrelane - To The East

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Buy Album: No Shouts No Calls
Year: 2007

Another case of wasted talent but as the McCormack siblings readily admit the Jubilee Allstars were often their own worst enemies. Live shows were shambolic and the laissez-faire attitude extended to their songwriting which meant that the best stuff was sometimes left behind. That said they left a sprinkling of golden moments before the end in 2005. And ‘When I’m All Alone’ is certainly one of them. It's taken from their ‘By The End of the Night’ EP from 1996 which was released on Lakota Records. The EP had the dual distinction of being feted by the great Peel in the sky and also became a Melody Maker single of the week. There is a lot to admire in the bands casual approach that in lesser hands could have fallen apart on tape. Instead ‘When I’m All Alone’ is heartfelt as if played out during a genuine moment of loneliness. The momentum while never propulsive manages to approach vigour with the joyful intensity normally associated with that of a newborn fawn. KD

The Jubilee Allstars - When I'm All Alone

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Buy Album: Lights of the City
Year: 1996

I’ve just watched a film called ‘Wolf Creek’. My Godly and Cream I need some cheering up and thankfully this does the trick. And then some. In fact it's an absolutely killer tune, prepared to bed your happy genes and even goes so far as to ring them back the next day. The San Diego quartet are headed up by Ron Fountenberry and generally have a ball screwing with the one dimensional genre fixations that most of their contemporaries lazily adopt. ‘Girlkillsbear’ may seem like an odd title but as soon as the synthesised barber quartet kicks in all thoughts of violence are replaced with your version of a dance move that resembles a bobbing head on a stick. Lolloping was probably invented for music like this. The Softlightes are almost big in Australia and are currently on tour with Wolfmother. And with that this paragraph goes full circle. KD

Softlightes - Girlkillsbear (Lo-Fi-FNK Remix)

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Buy EP: Heart Made of Sound
Year: 2007

As promised the story behind Brian's 'You Don't Want A Boyfriend' by its creator Ken Sweeney. The song was released as a single in the early 90's on Detzi Records. You can buy the single for £90 here. Eat your heart out Thurston Revival! Thanks Ken. KD

""This song, of course, is about the end of a relationship. Listening back to it now, it's a young person trying to make sense of something that's happened with a resigned dignity. The lyrics are so painfully honest ("the more you give yourself away to someone, the less they'll think of you"). Originally I was going to hide it away as a B-side but it just came out so well, it had to be the single. But there were so many 7 inch Irish singles coming out around then, I wanted to put something on our cheap sleeve which might make people buy it or at least give it a listen. That's were I came up with the story of Alma Reynolds, the sleeve reads

"Alma Reynolds of Des Moines, beat her fiancee to death with an encyclopedia in 1989. She struck him with the 2,000-page volume a total of twelve times while he lay in bed. When she was arrested she asked one of the officers if she could keep the book. She said she wanted it "to remember him by."

(That's all that appears on Boyfriends' sleeve, no band member names, no studios, no credits.) The story of Alma Reynolds worked a dream for an unknown Irish band putting out their own record. One TV presenter in Ireland (on RTE's Beatbox) even read it out on air. It absolutely intrigued people and the girl on the cover being taken away by the two cops. That suited me because 'Boyfriend is such a personal song, particularly the end piece, I couldn't tell you."" KS

Brian - You Don't Want A Boyfriend

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Buy Album: Understand
Year: 1992

Adored by squarely configured parents as much as their rebellious teenage offspring Holy Fuck have made a name for themselves with their anything-goes stage shows. As much as they depend on the machines to produce their all-encompassing take on electronica they have been known to let the machines take over. Or not, when a full albums worth of material went kaput after the hard drive was involved in a fatal smash. Rather than get glum about this turn of events Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Mike Bigelow, Loel Campbell, Kevin Lynn, Glenn Milchem, Robbie Kuster and Matt Schulz shrugged their shoulders and made hay. The rich harvest is there for all to see on the bands sophomore album 'LP'. Pinch yourself while you absorb the otherworldliness of ‘Lovely Allen’, this is surely not a record made by earthlings as it carves sonic sculptures the likes of which are beyond mere mortals. This is alien bossa nova nourishment for both your cardiovascular and sound systems. KD

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

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Buy Album: Holy Fuck
Year: 2007

I pretty much steer clear of the songs that cut up the hype machine charts preferring to return at a later stage when the fuss has died down. In this case I had to make an exception though as the promo from ‘Asleep At Heaven’s Gate’ is just too good to put in mothballs. Just right now Rogue Wave are where it’s at, forget the Shins, 2007 could well belong to the former if ‘Lake Michigan’ is anything to go by. Early doors it sounds like an outtake from an early U2 demo but quickly delivers a vast of array of innovative twists and turns that not only expose the quartets dynamic instrumental inventiveness but also Zach Rogue’s made to be a star vocals. Given that the band were affected not only by illness at a personal level but also when the studio effects broke down during the recording of this album it’s remarkable that it got made at all. Songs of 'Lake Michigan's ilk often become the cornerstone of indie mixtapes for years to come, so if you're reading this in 2009 check your bookcase. ‘Asleep At Heaven’s Gate’ is out next month and just because Matthew Caws contributes doesn't guarantee it's going to be popular but it's a good omen at the very least. KD

Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

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Pre Order Here: Asleep At Heaven's Gate
Year: 2007

Perhaps the best thing about being in a band of one is the fact that you’ve got complete artistic control and there is a general lack of incidences that could result in a trademark messy break up. The only problem lies in the fact that the inspiration to make a success of it rests squarely on your shoulders. Thankfully Lee Barker has nothing to worry about as breezy twee pop nuggets appear to drop out of him like rain from a scouse sky. And anyway after 8 years of acute agoraphobia not making it in the cruellest industry is probably quite low down his list of worries. The irony of course is that the magic of his music just makes you want to rush outside and soak up the sunshine. ‘Tracy & I’ may have a melancholy story to tell but musically it’s a bundle of joy. The sprightly glockenspiel is the star of the show, with Barker’s softly lilting vocals and a background-drifting shaft of brass adding the requisite icing to a sweet piece of sonic savoury. Little Name in big lights soon. KD

Little Name - Tracy & I

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Buy Album: How To Swim And Live
Year: 2007

For the first couple of minutes nothing entirely remarkable happens on ‘Little Finland’. Surprising then that by the end you could easily be welling up such is the powerful sense of emotion that permeates. The City & Horses is the work of Marc Louis who spends his time writing music in his Manhattan apartment and then giving it away for free on his website. The venture is unlikely to make Marc a millionaire but it should ensure his music reaches pockets of listeners searching for the missing link between Teenage Fanclub and a whole host of artists from the Sarah label. ‘Little Finland’ ranges from the subtle to the beguiling and marks the beginning of a mini EP released on SVC in January this year. Finding tunes as well crafted and affecting as ‘Little Finland’ is what makes doing this music blogging lark so rewarding. KD

The City & Horses - Little Finland

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Downloads (lots of) Albums: Here
Year: 2007

You may have heard of the Rondo Brothers, for this is where Diamond Jim (Jim Greer) plies his 9-2-5 in the music world. Greer has also done some session work with Scissors For Lefty and Handsome Boy Modelling School so one wonders how he’s managed to fire off 4 of his own albums as well. The latest is called ‘Big Bad Beautiful Dreams’ and much of it was recorded live. ‘Little Heartbreaker’ wasn’t and thanks be as it is a fragile little urchin that deserved careful nurturing in the studio. Greer has coined his work ‘bedroom music’ rather hoping that people understand what he means and just don’t drop off every time ‘Big Bad Beautiful Dreams’ gets within earshot. Doubtful though as ‘Little Heartbreaker’ clearly displays Diamond Jim's output is anything but rough. KD

Diamond Jim - Little Heartbreaker

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Buy Album: [UK] Big Bad Beautiful Dreams [US] Big Bad Beautiful Dreams
Year: 2007

It’s been a while since I’ve posted some post-rock and as I’ve been sitting on this one for a bit it seems about the right time. Anyway, as its raining cats and dogs outside it wouldn’t seem right to shower you with a blast of indie pop. As you might expect Blackpool don’t come from Northern England (it's like that, it's just the way it is), they instead forage for gale force wipeouts from their base in San Francisco. The band have only recorded 1 album ‘Yamamama’ which seems to have disappeared off the face of the internet. A shame really because ‘Fusillade’ is quite promising, building incrementally until it sounds like the entire luftwaffe is passing overhead. Chord secreted melodies burst forth throughout and even though it climaxes in a thunderous volley of noise it pleasingly never requires a dampening of the volume. KD

Blackpool - Fusillade

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Buy Album: Yamamama
Year: 2003

This could be the product of a union between a gorky zygotic mynci and a super furry animal but for some reason they don’t come from Wales in the slightest. In fact the 12 armed creature that goes by the name of Fanfaro comes from deepest London (via Sweden, starting to make sense now). I like them, in fact I like them a flippin lot. You’ll also fall for ‘Fire Escape’ (their current single, which was released on vinyl and came with some nifty free mp3’s) straight away. Cards are laid on the table straight away and turn up the royalist of flushes every time. It all starts out so Grandaddyish, which is always nice but Simon Aurell the singer quickly finds his own rhythm as does his backup who recreate what it feels like to run amok in a field of perfectly upright daisies. ‘Fire Escape’ flows so naturally, a stream of willing sound that’ll convince most that they’ve discovered their favourite new band. Join the club, you may even see Bowie knocking around. KD

Fanfarlo - Fire Escape

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Year: 2007

Mark Cohen is the one man jangle-meister of the Shining Hour. Can’t say I’ve ever stumbled across his material before but he has had a long career behind him stretching back to the mid 1980’s (the Beat Circus, Fragile). It took a release on the fantastically assembled Cloudberry Records based in Miami for me to sit up and take note. The ‘Think About Her’ single was released earlier this month and includes the classic in waiting ‘Before You Know It’ (which has already appeared on the Shining Hour's 'Long Lost' album of last year). Cohen’s vocals have a passing resemblance to that tired old dog Weller (he cites him as an influence) but his fretwork is so energetic and melodious it is not in the least bit off putting. ‘Before You Know It’ is superbly effervescent, a shining example of happy music (even if it details a lovelorn situation) to treasure over and over again. KD

The Shining Hour - Before You Know It

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Buy The Single: Thinking About Her
Year: 2007

{album review written in 2005, pulled from the indiecater archives, rated 3/5}

The year is 2005 and breakthrough bands are heading in one of two well-defined directions. The new romantic wave has been plundered to varying degrees of success by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. The other strain is producing polished tunes with giant choruses that ensure mass appeal, this path while aesthetically more pleasing has a shorter shelf life (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Travis, Keane). Cornwall’s Thirteen Senses fall neatly into the latter category and their debut The Invitation is perfectly tilted to a market that prefers to gets its kicks with the minimum of hot fuss.

If you were looking for a tune to define Thirteen Senses sound ‘Thru The Glass’ would probably be it. Tumbling waves of guitars meet Will South’s slender but appealing vocals. As the enticing prelude unravels, a chorus as sweet as anything to escape Wonka’s gaff hoves into view. Guitars shimmer so perfectly you be forgiven for thinking that Nasa had suddenly turned their powerful computers into pop making machines. ‘Into The Fire’ is equally pretty, if at the same time somewhat vacant. Joyful carpets of sound, pressed neatly around a naive choirboy lyric delivery. ‘Angels & Spies’ introduces a degree of melancholy, the momentum slows and the lights dim. ‘Last Forever’ is the standout track, the drumming is all rat-a-tat-tat and is augmented by some effervescent guitars, a chopping bass and a chorus that uses no words of worth. Wonderful. ‘Lead Us’ is big, bold, piano led and showcases another chorus to ambush your heart. There are even a few glimpses of the bands undoubted admiration for Radiohead.

At this stage it may seem like an unforeseen outbreak of nitpicking to criticise ‘The Invitation’ because Thirteen Senses are undoubtedly masters of their art. Where they fall down, however, is the totally rigidity to which they abide by the template as laid down by Comecheatus Martinez. Take ‘Gone’ for example, where a delicate strum and no-brain assault into falsetto seems to be a reason for several wasted minutes. ‘Automatic’ is equally redundant, the perfect standard to an episode of the OC where the once perfect teen relationship snaps under the duress of some nasty split ends. Sadly ‘Saving’ appears no better; but as you shake your MP3 player in frustration suddenly the guitars jangle about in a brave display of defiance. On their own these songs could have your ripping the dresser apart looking for a gas lighter to wave in the air but taken as a whole you could be doing the same thing as a precursor to self immolation.

As you will have gathered ‘The Invitation’ has a smattering of great songs and will doubtless sell by the bucket load. It’s just by the fourth song you may feel as if you are about to break out in a sugar rash such is assembly line of perfectly formed pop wannabies. The trick is to limit the dose to one or two a day and with that Thirteen Senses are likely to leave you in a state of wide-eyed wonderment. This is angular pop at its finest, it’s just a pity that the angle hasn’t been adjusted a few degrees to provide some levity. When Thirteen Senses learn how to lead us into temptation rather than down the yellow (brick) road they could become a truly exciting prospect. KD

Thirteen Senses - Thru The Glass

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Buy Songs: Thirteen Senses
Year: 2005

This is something and should really be what the bodies are dancing to in whatever place passes for Ibiza these days. ‘Yah!’ may sound fabulously unique but it takes direction from a whole genre of music known as Kudura (techno ‘hard ass’) which sprung from Angola in the 90’s. It’s influence has crept as far as Lisbon where Buraka Som Sistema are one of its prime proponents. Not sure whether an album of this material would be overly palatable but as a singular piece of music ‘Yah!’ is pretty exhilarating. I'd imagine it could pull a huge audience with drum n bass heads as well as old skool ravers looking for fresh thrills. Musical Youth with teeth. KD

Buraka Som Sistema - Yah!

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Buy Album: [UK] Yah [12" VINYL]
Year: 2006

I taped this song off the radio about 15 years ago (check the wiki entry for cassette tape kids) and despite many years of searching in all of Dublin’s second hand record stores I have been unable to capture the album that it is taken from. Imagine my surprise then when I came across Ken Sweeney’s (the one man show that ran the band) myspace that deals with all things Brian. Ken kindly acceded to my request to feature the tune on this site. ‘Understand’ is unmistakably lo-fi being recorded on a miniscule budget (8-track). But what the song lacks in production suave it more than makes up for in lyrical dash and cute instrumentation. That mandolin is just so persuasive, it destroys me every time. This is music from another time, deserving of a huge embrace from a new generation. Beautiful. KD

Brian - Understand

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Buy Album (!!!!): Understand
Year: 1992

Sorta surprised this trio come from New York and not deepest Sweden since they peddle the type of quintessential twee that is synonymous with our Northern friends. This sort of music generally has to make do with a small but enthusiastic audience but thankfully 20 years after it was unveiled to the world exponents of the fine art continue to flourish. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are still unsigned but their self-titled debut should see that all change very soon (where are you Labrador?). All 5 of its tracks are rewarding but ‘Orchard Of My Eye’ takes the laurels. Buried beneath the cherishable bluster of a ravaging herd of jangling guitars is a sweet radio-friendly tune bursting to get out. So no matter how ferocious the racket may get you can rest assured that the band has melody at its core. They may dream of rainbows in grey skies but it’s what the Pains of Being Pure at Heart do during their waking hours that matters the most. KD

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Orchard of My Eye

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Buy EP: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Year: 2007

Patrick Watson, the man and the band are coming to the Sugar Club, Dublin in September. Could be something of an event if the 2 tracks I’ve heard from his new (or old if you live in Canada/Iceland where it was released last Autumn) album are anything to go by. ‘Luscious Life’ is fab but is so eerily reminiscent of what Jeff Buckley would have produced in his prime that I have plumped for the equally effervescent, yet utterly unique ‘Giver’. This song really has it all, the sweet jangling chords, Watson’s remarkable vocals and an off-kilter momentum that will ensure its longevity. Oh, I know I’m prone to declaring genius at the drop of a hat but Patrick Watson really are/is something special. ‘Close To Paradise’ is the quartet’s sophomore album and it is available directly from the rapidly emerging Secret City Records label. This is a strong candidate for song of the year. KD

Patrick Watson - Giver

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Buy Album: Close To Paradise
Year: 2007

Another boy with his guitar you groan. But, this time something is different. Something sparkles in those shy eyes and a feeling permeates from his music that suggests the arrival of a singular talent. ‘Stay Under The Stars’ (Teitur Lassen 2nd long player) is evidence enough that the album will never die, a slow ramble of acoustic melodrama that is impossible to resist. Teitur is from the Faroe Islands, a bleak archipelago in the North Atlantic and it’s not difficult to see how his upbringing could have given him the wherewithal to create such melancholy ditties. The album’s opener ‘Don’t Want You To Wake Up’ is particularly devastating and is suitably laden with partially hidden delights. It'd be a shame if you didn't own this album. Teitur's most recent work is a Faroese language album called 'Kata Hornid' which is available here. KD

Teitur - Dont Want You To Wake Up

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Year: 2006

Much like his country man Emil Svanangen (Loney, Dear) Jonas Jonsson chooses to furrow a path all by himself in the music industry. Under the Bedroom Eyes moniker he crafts soulful mini epic’s, more often than not giving the songs away free from his website. So toddle along there now and you’ll be treated to 2 EP’s (8 songs worth) complete with downloadable artwork. The more recent of the releases is the ‘Valentine Vacancy’ EP which kicks off with the controlled firebrand that is ‘Hand-In-Hand Grenade’. Prepare yourself for a brush with an acoustic guitar charge, elegant brass work, strings longing for a like-minded soul and Jonsson’s gently tilted vocals. It all adds up to a tidy package of sound and marks Jonsson out as another Swede to keep tabs on. KD

Bedroom Eyes - Hand-In-Hand Grenade

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Buy EP: Valentine Vacancy
Year: 2007

Tony Wilson 1950 - 2007

The Durutti Column - Otis

I think I’ve found real love. Not Friday night after work drunken love, more that girl you’ve seen in that recurring dream of yours (or the girl you've just married). 2007 has still to work it’s magic on me, to date it has been a wasteland for outstanding albums (aside from the odd Panda Collective here and there) but I think ‘Five Roses’ may be about to become a very impressive notch. Miracle Fortress has come a little out of the blue, a little I say because Graham Van Pelt previously announced himself a while back with his main band Think About Life (‘Paul Cries’, we all do). Miracle Fortress is his own expedition though and his debut effort is a slinky sacrifice to the gods who invented breezy summer pop. By that you probably know who I mean (the one with the cover featuring lots of animal love) and ‘Five Roses’ certainly lives up to its billing focusing honeyed harmonies through the needle head of waves of neatly calibrated electronic devices. ‘Have You Seen In Your Dreams’ is a peach, with a slightly off-centre motivation it nonetheless descends from above like a celestial being. Record store sound systems were invented for tunes like this. 'Five Roses' has been shortlisted for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize (Canada's Mercury Music). KD

Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen In Your Dreams

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Haven't You Bought It Yet?: Five Roses
Year: 2007

Whipping Boy were among my first music loves and one of the first gigs I ever attended in Galway had the band promoting their debut (and by far their best) album ‘Submarine’. The album has resurfaced recently and it remains an astonishingly angry piece of work that is tempered by some of the sweetest guitar jangling. Ferghal McKee was a ticket back then, which made the reunion gigs of December 2005 all the more disappointing witnessing a clearly much more mature lead singer faking it (or at the very least lapsing into pastiche). But Whipping Boy's early days were astonishing, no other contemporary Irish band aside from, perhaps, Rollerskate Skinny could stir such audience emotion. McKee atop the drums, his head wrapped in several layers of cling film while his band recreated a nuclear holocaust is just too memorable an apparition to ever forget. Every element of ‘Submarine’ cut me to the bone, like the opening track on side 2 ‘Bettyclean’ with it’s out of key singing/whistling. The subtle mid section chord changes are a particular highlight but the sluggish delivery throughout still sends electro activity down my crouched spine. KD

Whipping Boy - Bettyclean

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Buy Album: Submarine
Year: 1992

Dirt me up after some pristine pop he said, so in rolled Dark Room Notes’ perfect blend of eerie electronic expulsions and boy/girl kite flying voices. The Dublin quartet have released 1 single to date called ‘Love Like Nicotine’ and a pretty successful notice of intention it is too. A half human/half machine hybrid it scatters its propulsive melodies forth with an intensity that could startle some and coax others into random acts of vandalism. Picture DRN as the Human League had they landed on earth 20 years later with pounding headaches and a moody attitude but with no less sonic palettes. Their colourful industry means that the ‘Dead Start Program’ EP pencilled for October should shake the ghouls (and the lazy) from their dusty resting places. KD

Dark Room Notes - Love Like Nicotine

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Buy The Single: Love Like Nicotine
Year: 2006

Out of context, out of character wherein hugger finally falls off the indie bandwagon to herald a potential daytime gem. A casual email had announced Eliane Elias and my usual eliticism left me horrified but despite hovering over several point and delete file actions I couldn’t get rid of the little bugger. Sleepless nights, 24 hour fretting, interminable cold sweat sessions about a slipping of the mask meant it took 6 months to realise that a blog doesn’t need to be totally linear, sometimes the kinks are what makes an entity an interesting proposition. And so the hugger brand of approval is finally bestowed on this gem of a tune from New York based Brazilian born pianist Eliane Elias. This version was remixed by DJ Strobe and presents soft lighting in a way a 40 watt could never really hope to emulate. Eliane’s latest album ‘Around The City’ is out now. KD

Eliane Elias - Running (DJ Strobe Remix)

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Buy Album: [UK] Around the City [US] Around the City
Year: 2006

I really can’t understand why Findlay Brown isn’t a global phenomenon. Sure he ain’t exactly reinventing the wheel but his application is both pristine and heartfelt. His debut ‘Separated By The Sea’ has had most of 2007 to make an impression but thus far his folk infected ditties have failed to ignite widespread interest. As ‘Come Home’ poured gently over a Christmas advert (granted it was for a credit card) it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before Blunt was finally consigned to the permanently sealed dustbin of history. Brown perches on a ledge where above him Nick Drake whoops sweet homilies and below him Jose Gonzales faintly hums what could be his next big smash. It’s all so quiet and timid, perfect for star-crossed lovers or a soothing tonic for the tiny animal with several broken limbs that you are nursing back to health. There is still plenty of time for Brown’s talent to ensure he stays in the black so you know what you gotta do. KD

Findlay Brown - Loneliness I Fear

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Buy Album: [UK] Separated By the Sea [US] Seperated by the Sea
Year: 2007

A new voice emerges from New York City and the world stands back agog at its unique gravity. The sound belongs to Shilpa Ray and even though her band Beat The Devil employs no lead guitars (in a sassy kick to the groin to those who thought Keane had cornered that particular market) they ensure that a couple of minutes in their company will leave you in a smiling dishevelled heap. And anyway who needs those chords when Ray can produce a harmonium, a curiously awkward looking instrument with a set of lungs as terrifyingly awe inspiring as her own. ‘Shine In Exile’ won’t grab your intention, instead it’ll reach inside the pit of your stomach and wrench those flutterbye’s into a possessed form of dance. Beat the Devil's self-titled EP was released late last year with their debut LP on the way soon. Evil has never sounded so exhilarating. KD

Beat The Devil - Shine In Exile

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Buy EP: Beat The Devil
Year: 2007

I've spent the last few days wondering what I could use as an appropriate soundtrack for my reappearance. Something lush, something wholesome, something that could float the boat of pretty much everyone who heard it. In the end it was a no-brainer; once Caribou’s new single ‘Melody Day’ had swung into action I knew I had my man. The startling news is that ‘Melody Day’ is just one of a plethora of outstanding slices of giddy electronica on Dan Snaith’s (Mr Caribou) new album ‘Andorra’ which is set for a release later this month. Like it’s predecessor ‘The Milk Of Human Kindness’, ‘Andorra’ beats with a frantic yet melody soaked attitude, the songs translate almost immediately but also have pleasing staying power. ‘Andorra’s gift should see it colouring your summer as well as those far off days when the sand will be replaced by a mountain of fluffy snow. Caribou will be in Ireland on the 7th (Crawdaddy) and 8th (Roisin Dubh) of next month. KD

Caribou - Melody Day

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More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: Andorra
Year: 2007