Despite only turning 22 Caitlin Pasko is already onto her second record ‘Selah’ as Lacrymosa. The Brooklyn based singer admits she has been influenced by that other New York chanteuse Regina Spektor yet there is much in Pasko’s gift to eek out a neat corner all for herself. ‘Simple Questions’ from the new album is nigh on perfect, relying on angelic vocals and an arrangement that fills in the soft rounded gaps. There is a climax of sorts that gently but hurriedly dissipates, its end simply ushers a return to the crystal lake of sound. Spellbinding. KD

Lacrymosa - Simple Questions

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Lacrymosa
Year: 2010

Some time soon I am going to hit you with choice fragments from my CD collection (the one that stopped growing about 3 years ago), or the plastic mountain as Mrs. Hugger likes to call it, but my cunning plan is currently on hold as I dare not breach the disorder that is our attic. Amongst the debris there are also boxes that originally housed adidas runners but are now the place several hundred cassettes call home. For a long time this inexpensive tat was what spared me from the ubiquitous MOR that ruled the airwaves in the west of Ireland so I’ve a lot to be thankful to them for. Somewhat sadly (and really stretching what was already a thin thread) I can’t ever recall Verve being on any of said spools of desire but back in 1992 their self-titled EP had a dizzying effort on my bowl cut head. ‘She’s A Superstar’ was the undoubted star but ‘Gravity Grave’ was still a giant cloud of psychedelic genius. Listening now I still feel the pangs of despair that was their post ‘A Storm In Heaven’ career, the drugs could only for so long I guess. KD

Verve - Gravity Grave

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Verve
Year: 1992

In an era of overwhelming homogenisation Melbourne’s Rudely Interrupted certain corner a previously unregistered angle. I won’t go into because you can read what it is via pretty much every other dispatch about the band. Besides before I altavista’d them I couldn’t help falling for the direct hit that is ‘Close My Eyes’. I mean here is a tune that is the distillation of what we all have in our head but never get around to recording, genius. At less than 2 and a half minutes it sure packs a lot in and in the process sets the stage for the most unlikely indie anthem of the year. Can’t help shivering with utter joy every time I hear it. KD

Rudely Interrupted - Close My Eyes

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Rudely Interrupted
Year: 2010

In what might just be a dagger through the heart of certain people I’ll admit I prefer this version over the original Replacements effort. That said if that band attempted (or more precisely were in a postion to) Adam Bainbridge’s ‘Gabriel’ I’m sure I’d plump for their take. This just ups the ante on what is a stream of consciousness put to music, barely rising above languid but ceaselessly gravitating towards an intriguing just out of reach melody. Kindness is (I say is as it is just Adam) a mysterious act from the London borough of Hackney (wowsers) who seems intent on specialising in covering obscurity. More of this and obscurity may soon become less so. KD

Kindness - Swinging Party

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Kindness
Year: 2010

Today I slaughtered 83 songs. Gave them all a good hearing but none shifted something inside so strong to make another moment in their company appear like a decent plan. Only when I had reached number 84 did I find the sunshine that will grace this site today. It was a particularly nasty cull it must be said (about 40% above the average daily rate of disposal) and before you go labelling me some form of
trainspotter for counting the deleted it was achieved rather niftily by reflecting on the spilled contents of my computer's recycle bin. The wastrels included a few albums but were in the main from the creative processes of lots of individual bands which really illustrates the nasty side of the music bloggers psyche. One cannot be swayed by the often lovely missives from eager young bands; otherwise the filter would sprout leaks (!) and whatever identity that had formed would be diluted. Despite the mp3 genocide this exercise is one that I treasure and is not too dissimilar to the press record/play actions of yore wherein songs would be skipped in favour of those that could fill the 2:42 of spool that was vacant. There was no blood spilt of course but the process of natural selection still thrived. So it seems I've evolved quite well to row in with the shuffle generation, so much so that if someone asked me to recommend a handful of bands I would need to sit down and think. Believe me such a turn of events beats waiting for the postman to arrive from Fat Cat with Pavement's latest. So tomorrow will again be soundtracked by the tiny and slightly unsettling squeal of dying ones and zeros followed by the uproarious hugger seal of approval. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! (from dusty Adelaide) proving why they are better than the rest (well at least 83 of them anyway). KD

Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! - Little Cowboys, Bad Hombres

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!
Year: 2010

There comes a time in every footballers career when he realises that he is never going to get any better, that the slow decline has set in and he is going to have to use his head to counteract the rubber joints of the young lads all around. It’s a difficult moment and one where it might be easier to throw in the towel and live off memories of the last 20 years of glorious distraction. There are other interests anyway, small people who call him daddy and enough new music to fill every day for the next decade. Songs like ‘Narcissus’ from Malmö’s Solander attempt to fill the gap and while the neat melodic turns hardly match the euphoria of victory they nonetheless tickle the spine. Yes, there is light, Northern light on this occasion, so moving on doesn’t have to be as heartbreaking as it might be. KD

Solander - Narcissus

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Solander
Year: 2010

It can be a bit disconcerting at times discovering how much new indie music sounds the same these days. The possibilities are hardly endless given the tools of the trade but incidences of brave new tailoring are few and far between. So that's why Strange Holiday's 'The Eagle Has Landed' instantly won favour, it might be pretty quiet but it makes a noise in the sit up and take notice department. The band are based in Portland and consist of singer Alison Ables and four gentlemen. But as you'll discover the focus is firmly on Ables and her haunting vocal dispatches, gorgeous though the music is, which helps this song attain a form of levitation wherein time neither ticks nor tocks just merely floats. You can get more tunes via the free 'Archipelago' EP over here. A welcome if slightly odd break from the norm. KD

Strange Holiday - The Eagle Has Landed

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Strange Holiday
Year: 2010

The newbie from Teenage Fanclub was lost on me, I had heard ‘Baby Dee’ and after that I couldn’t be seen for dust. I’d suspected the magic was draining so decided against picking from the carcass. Instead I voted with my ears and plumped for the Berlin branch of the Teenage Fanclub appreciation society, which goes by the name of the Seaside Stars. The band are putting the finishing touches to their yet unnamed 3rd album and if ‘Darlin’ is anything to go by it may just be drenched in indie pop wonders. This is nothing if not simplistic, flouting melodies that sound cosy and familiar but ones that never fail to unleash bolts of happiness. And in a somewhat surprising move the German government is backing Seaside Stars upcoming tour of the U.S. What next, Brian Cowen onstage at Vicar St., towel in hand, offering to clear the debris from Christy Dignam's mouldy and ever bare stumps. KD

Seaside Stars - Darlin'

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Seaside Stars
Year: 2010

Lefse Records (with a pronunciation that is more difficult than what you might achieve by going it alone without the phonetics) kept popping up on my radar (owing to their signing of hugger favs Low Sea and A Classic Education) so an investigation was due. And the first little surprise came from an unnamed boy/girl from Chicago who call themselves Houses. Their debut record (due later) was churned out in an organic Bon Iver type of way, minus the electricity and modern day comforts that so propelled his beard. Could be the reason why I can’t stomach the latter but could end up moving in with the former (before I get the invite it’s more the music than the lifestyle). Anyway, the first glint of light from ‘All Night’ (the upcoming LP) is this delight, which may have struggled with the low wattage but still manages to emit luminous beams. It has that undeniable sense of the zeitgeist but blimey will it go down well with our grandchildren. KD

Houses - Endless Spring

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Houses
Year: 2010

He is far too young to have been there at the time but that doesn’t mean Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum isn’t fully informed on the constructs of a great eighties pop song. You only have to listen to his version of Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting’ to understand that this kid is a creative obsessive. And if delorean could still pull off that trick I’m sure China Crisis could yet become a 50% more populated combo. But, we are dealing with the here and now and Wild Nothing are paving the way for a gloriously lo-fi indie pop future. The roadmap is called ‘Gemini’ and could be a genuine (t)winner. This boy should be a star but then is that just wishful thinking? KD

Wild Nothing - Golden Haze

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Wild Nothing
Year: 2010

If there was one band I could wrestle to the ground and not let go of until they signed their recording lives away to Indiecater it would probably be Tears Run Rings. They unashamedly ape ye olde sound of shoegaze but do so with such verve (!) it’s impossible to gripe. So far it’s their take on Slowdive that has entranced us but with new album ‘Distance’ just over the brow of the hill they are revealing more of themselves. In the case of ‘Reunion’ it’s a picture perfect postcard from the shimmering whirlpool containing an adorable version of Chapterhouse. The tune gallops through a slew of knowing reference points and is fuelled with so much enthusiasm it may very well test veteran subwoofers to their limits. Nostalgia finally shakes its arthritic ways and breezes nonchalantly into the new century. KD

Tears Run Rings - Reunion

and just to show you how it used to be.....so beautiful.....must go for a small cry.....

Adorable - Homeboy

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Tears Runs Rings
Year: 2010

I researched and then concluded that the only bands I've ever liked from Leeds are the Pale Saints and the Wedding Present. Was surprised to find out a few others that came from there but somehow I've never been that way inclined (Gang of Four being a prime example). But now thanks to the Rosie Taylor Project I have a neat hat-trick of acts from that part of the world to salivate over (I was surprised to find out they'd appeared here 2 years ago, fading memory). They are what you might call subtle, going about their business quietly but with a magician's hat of joyful tricks in tow. 'The Sun On My Right' had me hooked almost instantly, sporting an almost obvious personality that is nonetheless completely fresh. Their label Bad Sneakers needn't worry about uncovering any other gems because if there is any justice at all the Rosie Taylor Project will be doing all the running for them. KD

The Rosie Taylor Project - The Sun On My Right

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Rosie Taylor Project
Year: 2008

Pretty intuitive of the Chicago 4-piece Light Pollution to call it 'Good Feelings' because the sense of euphoria in its slinky design is all pervasive. Ok, remixers CSLSX have probably had a twiddling hand in making it appear like a Panda Bear with a penchant for nifty hand gliding yet the base materials must have been gold to begin with. With a self-released vinyl EP behind them (and sold out too) and a debut album on the cards life must be pretty good for Light Pollution. One could even hypothesize, while regretting the strained attempt at cleverness, that life could truly be a gas if this band were to take hold. KD

Light Pollution - Good Feelings (CSLSX Remix)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Light Pollution
Year: 2010

We think we've got dream/indie pop down to a tittle so our next assignment was to uncover some contemporary shoegaze that was deserving of that particular classification. You see the aforementioned genres are the pillars of our musical taste, without them all that would be left would be quite a few unplayed 7-inch's from the mid-eighties. So with as much fanfare as can be reasonably expected from a couple words casually written on an online musical diary we proudly present She Sir from Austin, Texas. 'Yens' is only their second EP in 7 years which perhaps explains why each of its 4 tracks is so flawlessly executed. 'Lemongrass', the second track, will show you the way and clicking this right here will land you at the final destination.KD

She Sir - Lemongrass

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: She Sir
Year: 2010

Title of the decade probably from Galway’s Junior85, he being Tony Higgins who used to drum for the pitchfork-noted So Cow (who I still don’t get). Besides making enemies with the chief reviewer on the 75-or-less review portal ‘Indie Cool Pretty of Today Are Plastic Surgery Disasters of Tomorrow’ still makes an impressive racket. For that’s what it is, a rampaging herd of bulls with stringless guitars in a china shop made up entirely of guitar strings. Higgins holds things together in his trademark reserved spoken vocal style while all the while the music makes like Sonic Youth when they weren’t over 50. You can download a truckload of Junior85 releases from his myspace, just watch out for the broken glass. KD

Junior85 - Indie Cool Pretty Of Today Are Plastic Surgery Disasters Of Tomorrow

More Info: Official & Myspace
Download Songs: Junior85
Year: 2009

Yeah it sounds exotic and why shouldn’t it when there are 3 ladies from Barcelona at the controls. They go by the name of Aias and will be releasing their debut record ‘A La Piscina’ on Captured Tracks next month. ‘Tu Manes’ is nothing short of luminous, a Montjuic styled spectacular full of lucid invention. At first it sounds like a take from ‘Loveless’ before careering off into territories we’d really like to explore more extensively. The lyrics count for nothing but then the singing propels the piece into the outer galaxies. Lionel, forget those Mancs there is something much better on your doorstep. KD

Aias - Tu Manes

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Aias
Year: 2010

Foxes In Fiction is the clever name Warren Hildebrand uses for his home productions. You can read all about his cute adventurers on his website and once you’re done you can download everything he’s ever recorded for nada. Seems his lo-fi dreampop hasn’t gone unnoticed either as the Moongadget label has stepped in and in the process has turned his ugly duckling cassettes into CD swans. Hope this move into defunct twentieth century media doesn’t take from what is a wonderful assembly line of fresh pop songs. Of course they are probably too cloudy for general consumption but then it’s the silver linings that makes them so worthwhile. Hunt these downloads down before a major catches the scent. KD

Foxes In Fiction - Flashing Lights Have Ended Now

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Foxes In Fiction
Year: 2010

Harald Frøland from ace nu-jazz types Jaga Jazzist has a side project and while it is no less ambitious it is a good deal less chaotic. For Black Feather straddles the indie rock/dream pop divide, summoning pleasant melodies as he traipses through fields of downy softness. On ‘Ardent Cloud’ he ventures into prog rock, which fails to kill the earlier loveliness, if anything it gives the whole piece a fleshed out personality. KD

Black Feather - Ardent Cloud

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Black Feather
Year: 2010

Now this could get interesting and for a change the action switches to the English capital. I know, hard to believe isn’t it, a band to get excited about that doesn’t come from Brooklyn or Pittsburgh. For the most part Male Bonding use their debut ‘Nothing Hurts’ to be loud and though not altogether abrasive they could well frighten unsuspecting sorts. For those hooked on genuine thrills though there is a veritable feast of goodies to be discovered, like when Idlewild thought nothing of leaving 100 broken windows in their wake. It all smells of something that has existed before but Male Bonding have ingeniously tacked on their own unique aroma. David Gedge meet Kurt Cobain meet Roddy Woomble meet James Johnson, it’s time for some serious male bonding. KD

Male Bonding - Franklin

Male Bonding - Year's Not Long

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Male Bonding
Year: 2010

This may well be more boners than bono but that doesn’t stop Canadian duo PS I Love You sounding like October era U2. The similarity is stark and may even be coincidental but the ghost of a creative edge and a youthful hewson lingers throughout. Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson are undoubtedly more experimental and the very fact that they are just two makes their songs cinematic feel all the more impressive. These 2 tracks are taken from their upcoming debut LP on Paper Bag Records and if it lives up to these tasters it will be something to savour. There is more kick in these efforts than a full squad of Dutch footballers and more finesse than the same number of Spaniards. Sonic invention rarely sounds this beautiful, gloriass even. KD

PS I Love You - Butterflies and Boners

PS I Love You - 2012

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: PS I Love You
Year: 2010

I’m a sucker for lo-fi boy/girl indie pop and so it came as no surprise when this little one charmed something inside. Not before I’d turned the volume up several degrees mind for this is a demo in every sense of the word. Not too bothered though because ‘I’m Scared’ is as charming as a koala (and nearly as sleepy early doors). The Bat Caves are a quartet from Seattle who’ve just started out so there’s precious few photos, web space or anything else that might tarnish what is wonderfully fragile creativity. Sure they’ll be top of the bill at the C-86 twentieth anniversary get together in a few years. KD

The Bat Caves - I'm Gone

More Info: Official
Year: 2010

I love British Sea Power even more now they’ve successfully pulled off a soundtrack befitting an age-old b/w documentary about a set of islands just off the coast of Clare. But then the Brighton adventurers are a rarefied lot, dressing like soldiers, writing about icebergs, playing in obscure locations and most importantly making music to swoon for. Here is a cut from ‘Man of Aran’ that should take up most of your afternoon, it’s an incredibly emotional piece of music as you’d expect from something sonically representing lost tradition. Some may even swell up like the seas that batter the last coastline before Ellis, others may just realise that contemporary art can be just as powerful as what proceeded it. KD

British Sea Power - The South Sound

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: British Sea Power
Year: 2009

Since I’ve been going on a bit of a nineties nostalgia trip of late I decided to unearth I review I did for Whipping Boy’s debut album ‘Submarine’ which you’ll be surprised to hear is my favourite album from them by a long distance. You’ll find the title track and the angry ant that is ‘Sushi’ for your listening please below.

"My earliest memory of Whipping Boy came courtesy of a gig they played in our college canteen, albeit a short one consisting of only 2 songs. The show was cancelled due to a cleaning lady's inability to hear herself think above the wonderfully high decibel levels. Whipping Boy were performers who played on the edge. Having met lead singer Ferghal McKee after an explosive gig in Galway I was surprised at how modest and shy he was. Believe me, seeing a grown man with his head wrapped in cling film makes you wonder whether he should out in public without his shrink (wrap). A few years later I happened upon the band again, this time in Dublin. The aggression and pent up emotions were still very much in evidence. My notes on the climax of the gig read as follows; 'The finale is astonishing, a wall of friendly noise crashes towards the agog crowd as bass player Myles McDonnell (pristine hair intact) ascends the mountainous drum section until he stands at the top crouched like a 90's Hercules wielding his mighty instrument....I want to form a band'. That night the band had left the stage a full 10 minutes before the incredible feedback from their guitars was silenced. Exhilarating.

Submarine was released in 1992 is without doubt Whipping Boy's masterpiece. 'Heartworm' (1995) certainly had it moments ('Personality' for example) and 'Whipping Boy' (2000) is also a commendable listen but nothing on either quite matches the intangible anger and melody of their debut. A re-recorded 'We Don't Need Nobody Else' appeared on 'Heartworm', but it pales in comparison to the original version. At times 'Submarine' mimics that unique My Bloody Valentine abrasive style. At first the torrent of white noise is off-putting but looking beyond the obvious reveals a montage that is awe-inspiring. So while 'Favourite Sister' initially feels like it has made your ears bleed, in time you gather that the salivation process is not only confined to the mouth. 'Safari' has huge chunky chords that don't bed down until McKee's robotic voice adds some direction. While it has a menacing presence you get drawn in by its eclectic leanings. 'Beatle' sways under the weight of some heavy percussion. The guitars sound brittle but send deep shards of sassy sounds hurtling towards you. So far it all amounts to something and nothing but 'Sushi' manages to raise the stakes considerably. It's jangling moments contrast with the unrestrained vitriol of lyrics like 'In Your White Surburban, You're Tearing My Home Down'. In this regard Whipping Boy are not too dissimilar to those other anti-capitalists Rage Against The Machine. As the song feels its way into your thoughts, things are cooled down somewhat by a searching twinkling guitar noodle. Sweet.

For a time way back when, 'Favourite Sister' was my favourite song in the whole world. It still sounds huge, the searing (appearing from a long and windy tunnel) guitar tumble flits like a budgie with fangs and the vocal delivery is beautifully cast into an art form. After this glorious mess 'Astronaut Blues' offers a refrigerated towel to wipe the brow. It's easy to imagine McKee in all his nautical gear 100 foot under the sea. The vocals swoosh beguilingly along as if every breath taken requires a significant effort. Submarine's cover has art deco pretensions. A cool blue image of several Easter Island stonework's hovering over a barren desert landscape contrasts with the portrait inside of the innocent playing a guitar at the entrance to hell. Compared to this, gazing through port holes doesn't seem that anal after all! Side 2 shuffles out of traps sounding dust free and ebullient. The shimmering guitars on 'Bettyclean' are spectacular, McKee appears drunk on their effervescence. The chord change half way through is genuinely spine tingling and even the disturbed out of tune whistling at the end is entirely appropriate. As is their want, Whipping Boy are quick to pull the deep pile carpet from underneath the haven created by 'Bettyclean'. 'Buffalo' is a nightmare vision that appears like a horse drawn hearse with the grim reaper at the controls. The loose-limbed guitar mosh and McKee's vocal intensity could provide one or two lessons for some of today's stadium rockers.

Paul Page, Whipping Boy's inspirational guitarist turns in another virtuoso performance on 'Snow'. It's loud, frantic and likely to create a mini tornado in any room it gets to flex its considerable muscles. 'Valentine' is equally mesmeric, circling like a helicopter propeller the guitars crash into chaos at periodic intervals. When order is restored you'll either be enamoured or blinded by the white noise. Like all superb albums 'Submarine' signs off with a bewildering effort. The title track 'Submarine' focuses on a jangling centrepiece while some infrequent blusters of raging guitars summon McKee's hushed vocal volleys. Such music deserves a bigger stage and it remains a great shame that this talented band have not reaped the rewards of success. Whipping Boy's debut has been deleted for several years now so it's unlikely that you'll happen upon a copy. If you are lucky enough, savour the time you spend together and pass on my good wishes. This kind of underwater love will fill your life with absurd happiness." KD

Whipping Boy - Sushi

Whipping Boy - Submarine

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Whipping Boy
Year: 1992

I wrote this review about 10 years ago, roughly 7 years after I first fell in love with ‘Giant Steps’, the phenomenal sprawling epic from Liverpool’s the Boo Radleys. The album has just been reissued by Cherry Records so to celebrate here is the extended version of their most majestic moment ‘Lazarus’. Tears were made for this.

“For many the Boo Radleys will be remembered for their candy caked hit 'Wake up Boo'. This song does not even come close to defining what an important band they were. Its success proved to be a double edged sword. Those looking for more of the same were disappointed, while those looking for something a bit more tangible would have been put off. Martin Carr, much admired drinker and now steering the Brave Captain ship was able to conjure melodies at will and provided the ammunition for Sice Rowbottom's magnetic choirboy vocals.

Giant Steps released in 1993 represents the Boo's at their imperious zenith and is undoubtedly one of the albums of the nineties. Such a strong statement can only be rationalised by listening to its mammoth scope and innovative directions. Ideas are packed like sardines into each if its 17 tracks. At times it shuttles about with abandon scaring small creatures that are within listening distance. Many find it unkempt but a small amount of patience reveals a luxurious wealth of winning ideas. No wonder it got the album of the year in some many of the indie mags back in 1993. No other album stood a chance. At first the eclectic wanderings are overbearing and indeed can be too much to take in. It is only after you've ingested the frenetics and absorbed its scattered approach that you realise what an album you have on your hands. The opener 'I Hang Suspended' was a minor hit but is likely to blow you away on a tide of rushing guitars and the sharp vocal performance. Lyrics 'You Know The Facts, But You Haven't Got A Clue' would burn ears if thrown in the right direction.

'Lazurus' is nothing less than epic. Brass noises as sweet as cane and as intoxicating as Jack Daniel's rise out from a dub intro to create a multi-coloured path to planet melody. Again Sice is a lone vocal amongst the cascading sound that builds around it. As the deluge of sound fills the room everything makes sense as those trumpets blaze a trail right through your heart. It is without doubt the Boo's defining moment. Other pop gems such as 'Wishin I Was Skinny' and 'Take The Time Around' are strewn around 'Giant Steps' like toys in a nursery. When the occasion takes them, the Boo Radley's search their very soul for extravagance. They pull it all off with aplomb and the grandiose approach on songs like 'Butterfly McQueen', while initially off-putting, makes total sense. As the ragged My Bloody Valentine glory of 'Rodney King' mops up the excess, it is left to the dulcet tones of Meriel Barham (of the heavenly Pale Saints) to restore the equilibrium. Elsewhere there are thoroughbred weirdo's in the shape of 'Run My Way Runway' and 'Upon 9th And Fairchild' that may frighten the naive but delight the most mature listener.

There are touching moments aplenty. Sice voice sounds so brittle and touching on 'Thinking Of Ways' you'll most likely hug the person beside you under it's emotional presence. The trumpets and guitar shrieks stream in and out of consciousness but those divine vocal chords will submerse you in the music. 'I've Lost The Reason' produces an adrenaline soaked bass buzz on 2 occasions but in between the silence is only interrupted by a bright flickering vocal. 'One Is For' may be only 90 seconds long but being a puppy like standard it loops in a curious direction that will snag your heart forever. 'Giant Steps' was an experiment where everything that was attempted came up trumps. So when the noises from outer space hijack what would otherwise have been normality they merely round the song off. The straighter laced tunes like 'Barney (...and me)' cower for cover like butterfly's amidst the frenzied soundscape around them.

At the end as the mayhem begins to die down and the dense experimental fog clears, up comes the sun in the shape of 'The White Noise Revisited'. An obvious homage to the Beatles it contains a wafting 'Yeah Yeah Yeah' that will send tingles down your spine. It proves to be the only option available to close an album that drifts off in so many distinct patterns while still maintaining a remarkable cohesiveness. It's like throwing 17 different coloured t-shirt's into a wash set to a temperature of 100 degrees, making a wish for a miracle and finding them appear at the other end in your favourite colour white. Yeah, it shouldn't have worked but it does. 'Giant Steps' is absolutely beyond reproach. I pray for the day, they get around to letting us in on any other half baked ideas the Boo's never got around to releasing. Never has music that makes so much sense taken so long to make itself known. If you have the 'Wake Up Boo' single, listen to the b-sides and you can realise the enormity of Martin Carr and his bands talent. Boo Forever!” KD

The Boo Radleys - Lazarus

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Giant Steps Reissue
Year: 1993/2010

I'm afraid it's a case of subpar instead of superb for ‘The Suburbs’. I've spent 2 long days in its company and can’t get over the feeling of huge disappointment, can’t get over how tired it all sounds. How could a collective that was so incredible initially (and terrific in the case of the follow up) struggle to attain just above average. The band we see before us haven’t altered that radically since 2004 but now their songs stretch a single idea to breaking point instead of unlocking another treasure chest of possibilities. When the idea turns bad it’s worse and we're left with absolute stinkers like ‘Month of May’. Even peaks such as ‘Suburban War’ and ‘Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)’ don’t fully thrill, they are fine songs but the magic of yore is absent. The pacing is all over the place; a bit odd considering many of the songs themselves hardly change gear (we’re talking in an Arcade Fire sense here). It’s also overlong, features too much Win (and not enough Régine) and suffers by being a concept piece about a dreadfully boring topic that stays that way despite being in the hands of such cunning performers. Even more worrying is the fact that it appears as if the Arcade Fire have stopped being themselves and turned into Springsteen (and on occasion Built To Spill, Neil Young and somewhat bizarrely for a few moments like the mighty MBV) - all well and good but I preferred it when they blazed their own trail, I mean that's why we bought into them in the first place isn’t it? All told ‘The Suburbs’ is still pretty decent but it’s impossible not to be critical when expectations have been raised so high on the back of their previous records. Hopefully rejuvenation is around the block but for the moment a move to the bright lights of the city is critical. KD

Arcade Fire - Suburban War

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Suburbs For $3.99!
Year: 2010

Oh yes, this could be interesting. A collection of bands from Dublin, orchestrated by some of the lads from Groom, have bandied (!) together with the aim of bringing bright new pop sounds to the nation (and beyond). While Larry Gogan is hardly going to notice the evidence from the collective’s first compilation is very promising. Actually it’s better than that especially in the case of Squarehead and Pantone247 who've contributed really strong tracks. The latter’s ‘Maybe Tonight’ is perhaps my favourite thanks to its dreamy simplicity. It only takes 140 seconds to pass but in that time it reimagines the Dandy Warhols were they to find a 14th tale from urban bohemia. Yeah, it’s that cool. Popical are not resting on their laurels either because Groom will release their sophomore ‘Marriage’ on the label later this month. Wedded bliss, finally a label with a proper ring to it. KD

Pantone247 - Maybe Tonight

More Info: Popical & Pantone247
Buy Songs: Popical Island #1
Year: 2010

Every December Cody Ground from Austin band Loxsly sends me a fresh new Christmas song. Pithy little numbers they are too, taking a slanted view of the season of goodwill. The little tykes give our Christmas compilations an alternate narration so even though it is only August I’m already looking forward to this year’s gift. Of course Loxsly do other stuff when there’s no snow on the ground – 3 releases in as many years to be precise. This one is taken from their 2008 debut ‘Flashlights’ and is indicative of their nifty melodies and gift for a memorable lyric. Just the sort of band we chase, underloved but working their hardest to change all that. Let’s hope they get there some day but don’t forget to play Santa for an expectant all aglow Indiecater. KD

Loxsly - Speckled Eggs

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