Think Sheffield, think steel, Pulp and some pretty rubbish football teams. The rest is pretty much standard fare and may I say what a band they turn out to be. A trio of whippersnappers, one who owns a unique and wonderful voice, the other 2 who supply some decent instrumental props. ‘Dancing’ is their debut single from earlier in the year and what an audio sorbet it is. This is sonic freshness, boundless invention held in check in case too much is revealed. And when they reveal the full extent of what burns inside it should make for some debut LP. The word on the street is that the self same record is due in early 2010. Could be something joyful to lift the grim post Christmas blues. KD

Standard Fare - Dancing

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Standard Fare
Year: 2009

I don’t get giddy that often but on occasion during crucial World Cup qualifiers or when I hear a classic track I tend to lose all grown up reason. This affliction has been happening a good bit of late and I’ll put it down to all of the reissues on our indiecater label (as well as Ireland’s hopeless attempts to play properly). The latest is from Dublin band Sunbear and is called ‘Bits’ because it collects a couple of their hard to find EP’s (‘Bits and Pieces’ and ‘Dog’) and some unreleased tracks from the mid 1990’s. To tell you I was in 7th heaven when I heard this was going to happen is an understatement because Sunbear are truly one of my favourite bands ever (you can still hear/see them in their current incarnation as the Ruby Tailights) and ‘Leadbelt’ is close to being my favourite track by them. It comes straight out of the blocks and then slowly descends into off-kilter greatness. You’ll hear MBV, Ride and Sonic Youth but most of all you’ll hear a young Dublin band in experimental free flow while never forgetting that most people are visiting to hear a classic piece of tuneage. ‘Bits’ is available for €4 on indiecater and the first 20 people who buy it will get an ultra rare CD of the band’s eponymous debut. KD

Sunbear - Leadbelt

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Sunbear
Year: 2009

So we return to Hot Lava for what feels like the umpteenth time. Can’t be helped I suppose given the incandescent brilliance of last year’s ‘Lavalogy’. It just keeps shuffling into view and keeps notching up the play counts, none more so that the mildly scatty ‘Apple Option Fire’. To be frank there are just too many winning ideas floating around this sub 3 minutes piece of audio gold to ever warrant thinking of other tunes. Seems the quartet from Virginia are playing CMJ in good auld Brooklyn next month, expect a memorable performance because rock doesn’t get more molten than this. If only I had their ideas. KD

Hot Lava - Apple Option Fire

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Hot Lava
Year: 2008

Ye olde music blogger is bound to return to the time when music started to mean more than Larry Gogan’s Sunday afternoon run down of the Irish Top 30. It was there that he fell for obscure acts at track 15 on tapes that were wedged into the far recesses of metal bargain bins. Fingernails counted for nothing when there was a copy of ‘George Best’ to be snapped up for £1.99. Hardly mattered that the cover was smashed in 10 different places and the swing action on the plastic hinges failed most of the time. Back then the thrill was in hearing tracks like ‘The Perfect Needle’ for the first time and then trying to find someone who loved it as much I did. Turned out to be a solitary existence except for the times when I talked up liking Axl in front of other people. Inside heroes like Stephen Lawrie roved my being in a blissful state of subconsciousness. Those were the days. KD

The Telescopes - The Perfect Needle

Watch The Video To Everso

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Telescopes
Year: 1989

I'd wager if you were to list your favourite 10 singers the humble saw wouldn't get a look in. And for good reason because you've probably never heard Julian Koster’s one sing. It has the personality and gusto of an equatorial bird with colourful plumage (and a Christmas album already under its wing). Top marks must also go to Koster’s (he was in Neutral Milk Hotel don’t you know) own vocal contribution which is a stew of yelps and offbeat interjections that on closer inspection make a great deal of sense. Who needs a chorus and a bridge when the Music Tapes are there to rip up the rules and let the show materialise in a way that truly defines arch creativity. ‘For The Planet Pluto’ is a new tune, not sure yet if there will be more of its kind down the tracks. KD

The Music Tapes - For The Planet Pluto

Watch The Video

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: The Music Tapes
Year: 2009

How about this, almost 10 minutes of pure ambience and by the end I am clamouring for more. The similarities with hugger favs Burning Codes drew us in and from there it was always going to be true love. And don’t let the soft focus lead you astray there are even some curse words included! ‘Questions’ first appeared on the London collective’s ‘Miracle Kicker’ LP last year and it is presented here in remix form by swirlymeister Sam Grawe (aka Hatchback). I just adore the changing vocal intonation on this tune, so simple yet so affecting. Definitely further investigation required at chez DCLC. KD

Dark Captain Light Captain - Questions (Hatchback Remix)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Dark Captain Light Captain
Year: 2009

Chet are one of the most brilliantly unorthodox acts of the last few years. Their songs are mostly long and winding, often veering off into channels you never dreamed they would. I happened upon their last LP ‘Fight Against Darkness’ quite by accident but almost from the getgo I was sold on its offbeat melodies and loose adherence to traditional templates. Not much has changed on its follow-up ‘Chelsea Silver, Please Come Home’; it still takes a week of listens before the plot thins. Ryan Beattie’s vocals are as wasted and regal as ever (and still remind one of Stuart Staples) and they scatter his melancholic words with abandonment. ‘The Night The Night’ is a vivid example, tumbling as does from near impenetrability to softly focused indie pop. Chet are a consistently fascinating band to cherish. KD

Chet - The Night The Night

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Chet
Year: 2009

I always find that songs of this ilk work best on a Sunday, frosty mornings or at any time during the 12 days of Christmas. That’s because despite the sparseness in the instrumentation Hallie Pritts (she is Boca Chica) weaves a warm reassuring blanket through her vocals. ‘Pins and Needles’ is especially brilliant though because it builds up a gentle head of steam in such an organic way you won’t even notice how you’ve abandoned everything else to concentrate on its dynamics. The track is taken from Boca Chica’s superb sophomore ‘Lace Up Your Workboots’ which was released just this last week. A gentle wonderful surprise. KD

Boca Chica - Pins and Needles

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Boca Chica
Year: 2009

Oh wow, type in Damien in google and up pops the Irish broadband evangelist Damien Mulley. Hardly the reason Pesaro band Damien* appended that wildcard symbol but one never knows where Mulley is going to pop up next so best to be sure. As it turns out our Italian friends are a quite splendid proposition, take a listen to ‘Confidants’ and hear for yourself. This is the sort of tuneage that was rocking my world back in the 1990’s yet for it its relic like scaffolding ‘Confidants’ also carries a contemporary swagger. There are also some neat jangling asides, which take the edge off the heavier elements. The band's new album ‘Crippled Cute’ is out next month on Suiteside so expect them to forge a whole new identity for themselves and in the process climb to the top of the search engine rankings. KD

Damien* - Confidants

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Damien*
Year: 2009

Truman Peyote may well be riding in the slipstream of a giant swell of contemporary electronic pioneers but happily they are intent on making their own waves. The duo of Caleb Johannes and Eric Farber come from Massachusetts and have already released their debut record ‘Light-Lightning’ on CDR. Now all the attention has prompted a revision of media choices and it will soon be reappearing on 12-inch vinyl. Songs like ‘New Wife New Life’ will probably cope quite well in their new environs because they skip and crackle at a remarkably consistent level. There’s endless ingenuity at work amongst the upturned ideas and half-baked diversions. 2009 is truly witnessing electronica’s renaissance. KD

Truman Peyote - New Wife New Life

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Truman Peyote
Year: 2009

A Sunny Day In Glasgow released their second album ‘Ashes Grammer’ stateside yesterday (the 28th in Europe but quite what that means in an internet savvy world is open to question) and fans of their rampant eclectic montages rejoiced. The Philadelphia act push the experimental envelope to breaking point and have already produced a debut in ‘Scribble Mural Comic Journal’ that slowly unveiled a box of exotic treats that 2 years on still flabbergast. Indications are that its follow up is just as dark and mysterious so can you please get back to me at the backend of the year cause I’ll likely have its 22 tracks cracked by then. For the moment ‘Failure’ is delivering a duffle bag of off-kilterness freckled with moments of quite wonderful indie pop. KD

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Failure

Watch The Video To C'mon

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: A Sunny Day In Glasgow
Year: 2009

We are in the midst of a major renovation job before the arrival of hugger junior (tentative drop date mid November) and the one thing that has struck me over the last few days is that humming is no match for the aural delights it attempts to replicate. My dad is renovations project manager and despite a particular dislike for modern sounds he remains one of the most consistent performers on the humming circuit. Now at first it struck me as a rather charming trait but 5 long days of the stuff tends to grate especially since I've established that his emissions are built around the air of no song in particular. If I was to be brutally honest the offending drone is utterly without focus, drained of any semblance of chorus and in a different situation could be legitimately construed as the ramshackle and slightly embarrassing party piecing of a sozzled old fart. I'd go so far as to label it as the touchstone for ho-hum. So it is with great pleasure that I'm now sitting at my rightful place in front of a computer screen with a couple of hundred new tunes in need of ingesting. Hooray for real music and a giant boo for those wannabee entertainers who take it upon themselves to drive their nearest relatives to drink with their malorchestrated warblings. So a special thank you must go to Nate and Jeremy for saving my ears this evening. This remix reimagines the Very Most's cracking summer anthem 'You're In Love With The Sun' in the grooviest of ways. And it's timely too given that the band's 3rd release on indiecater, the 'Autumn' EP, is due next Monday (21 Sept). You can bet it's going to be a hum-dinger! KD

The Very Most - You're In Love With The Sun (Straight Up! Remix)

More Info: Official Straight Up! & Straight Up! On Myspace
Buy The Summer EP: The Very Most
Year: 2009

Not an ode to the little Italian from a group of musically minded Chelsea fans and for that we should be thankful. Instead Zola Jesus come from Wisconsin and if we’re honest seem for all intensive purposes like a vehicle for Nika Roza Danilova’s talents. ‘Clay Bodies’ is taken from her debut ‘The Spoils’ and despite sounding like it is playing in the next room it is utterly compelling (even if becomes a tad ragged towards the end). This will never become a mainstay in Lady Radio Ga Ga land but then if it were blogs like this would have even less crumbs to dine on. Play this to the straights who have bowed to an ordinary playlist and watch them go rosy cheeked before your very eyes. KD

Zola Jesus - Clay Bodies

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Zola Jesus
Year: 2009

Their name alone suggested we’d be decent bedfellows but nothing could prepare me for the brilliance of All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors’ music. Actually no, I lie, My Bloody Valentine prepared me because they were quite obviously the template that this quintet from New Jersey based their sound on. Right now I am basking in a collection of theirs called ‘Straight Blue Line’ from 2000 that catalogued their early singles (from the early/mid nineties). And what a blast it is, feels like I’ve been teleported back to a time when innumerable statuesque shoegaze bands stalked the earth. In that age before the dinosaurs a decent floppy fringe meant that in-between song banter was superfluous at gigs up and down the land. Chances are they are all wearing rugs now. KD

All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors - That Familiar Look to You

Watch The Video For Muffin 77

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors
Year: 2000

Yuppie Flu may dispense with ringing the till for much of the music they produce but if one was to put a value on their output they would surely be in a full time gig. We spoke about them in early 2008 and their album ‘Fragile Forest’ keeps beckoning us back to its lush indie popedness. ‘The Night And I’ is a sweet cut, all swirly designs and vocals that utter sounds with words that we’ll never make out but will hum along to nonetheless. Imagine Grandaddy were still recording music in a small hut in a dusty backstreet somewhere in middle America and I’m sure it would struggle to sound this persuasive. KD

Yuppie Flu - The Night And I

Watch The Video For Spring To Downcomers

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Yuppie Flu
Year: 2008

Or to be more precise the Dø (pronounced uncooked bread) but that ø just plays havoc in webland so I’ll avoid it for the purpose of this discussion. The Do are eminently more intriguing (and better looking) than the majority of people making music today but stand perilously distant from wholesale acclaim. Perhaps you could put it down to their sometimes off beat approach but then perfect delicates like ‘Stay (Just A Little Bit More)’ are just waiting for a million hearts to adopt it. Olivia B. Merilahti's lucid vocals could hardly be more perfectly realised and the unplugged nature of the music only extenuates their allure. The Do’s ‘A Mouthful’ came out last year and should be in the upper decks of your titantic hoard of CDs. KD

The Do - Stay (Just A Little Bit More)

Watch The Video To At Last!

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Dø
Year: 2008

This is lovely, homemade craft that seeps slowly from the minds of Petter Gjöres and Johan Norberg. Things aren’t helped by the geographical distance that separates them (Stockholm & Uppsala) but as we all know the web is making such hindrances less taxing. Kuryakin are signed to Shelflife Records, the sort of perfect set up that is truly deserving of their talents. ‘Take My Hand’ is the opening track from last year’s ‘Still Here’ EP and what a jangling electro beauty it is. Despite the bright and chirpy music the vocals can’t help but sound melancholic. The effect is augmented at higher volumes when the sound infiltrates every air particle you’ll breathe for the remainder of the day. KD

Kuryakin - Take My Hand

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Kuryakin
Year: 2008

It’s at times like this that I feel like jumping up and down with joy. Unfortunately a lingering hamstring injury means the crazed excitement will need to be dampened for the moment. The source of my glee is the news that our first ever CD release on indiecater is close at hand. Come mid October you will be able to look at, feel, smell and hear Candy Claws’ remarkable ‘In The Dream of The Sea Life’ (it's so lush you may even be able to swim in it). Ever since we clasped ears on this delight we were enraptured and it has gone on to become our favourite album of the year. Candy Claws come from Colorado and are masters of the craft of the subtle melody wrapped in a fuzzy melange of noise. They combine elements of My Bloody Valentine, Panda Bear and their love of the sea into a soup that will have you feeling warm inside. The evidence is plain to see and if you head over to indiecater you can hear the whole lot for nowt (and download the ace track ‘Catamaran’ for free!). ‘In The Dream of The Sea Life’ is available on pre-order for €8 which includes free delivery plus you get a download of the album immediately to keep you entertained until the CD arrives next month. Right, I’ve only gone and pulled the other hamstring now with all the commotion. Luckily, ‘The Sun Is My Girl’ is here to divert my attention and in the process nullify the throbbing pain. KD

Candy Claws - The Sun Is My Girl

Watch The Video To Catamaran

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Candy Claws
Year: 2009

This comes from deep inside the dark corridors of my CD collection. Ah the Slingbacks, never truly fell for their one and only album ‘All Pop No Star’. I picked it up on one of those wheelbarrow-sized raids in Chapter’s second hand section which I was prone to engaging in at the end of the last century. I had noticed that ‘All Pop No Star’ was recorded in dear old Dublin and it was enough to swing my £4. Derivative ended up being their name but this track always found favour as a closing track on several of my awkward to finish off mixtapes. Shireen Liane’s exposed vocals hardly needed accompaniment but the acoustics proved a perfect foil and don’t you just love the denouement where the composition takes on an epic vulnerability. Oh, I’m getting goosebumps and it has nothing to do with the cold snap we’ve been having. KD

The Slingbacks - Stupid Boyfriend

Watch The Video To All Pop No Star

More Info: The Slingbacks On NME
Buy Songs: The Slingbacks
Year: 1996

Can’t say I’ve ever heard the original Medicine tune (and given my years I should, then again given my longitude the memory tends to get a tad flaky) so you’ll have to make do with this cover from Philadelphia’s Echo Orbiter. And what a supple shoegazetastic effort it is too, blending a white noise stew of guitars and refracted vocals. This was designed for dark halls full of sticky carpets, damp walls and the best soundsystem in town. Echo Orbiter are very much a living entity despite almost clocking up 15 years at the coalface of indiedom. This is ear cleansing and in many ways somewhat life affirming. KD

Echo Orbiter - Never Click

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Echo Orbiter
Year: 2005