Boston’s Drop Nineteens looked east for their inspiration, namely the UK’s burgeoning Shoegaze genre that produced a plethora of bands who were low on conversation but high on blissed out chord dalliances (Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver). ‘Winona’ is their most notable achievement, featuring a precocious mix of dense guitars and distant yet affecting vocals. Being the rock chick that she was Ms Ryder probably would have given it an admiring glance at the time. The video had the Drop Nineteens perched around a summer table engaged in childlike adventures with their food. While this may sound mawkish it worked perfectly in the context of the searing histrionics going on in the background. The song still sounds effective 14 years on, of its time but saddling nicely up alongside today’s version South Ambulance. KD

The Drop Nineteens - Winona

Album: Delaware
Year: 1992
Buy: Delaware

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Despite the fact that electronic purveyors (& brothers) Orbital were named after a road the duo were capable of instantly weaving a rich landscape of sound. Live, they stood imperious on stage bobbing as the headlights from their head garments swung in time with the rich tapestry emanating from the banks of electronic gizmos in front of them. Their early albums continually provided swansongs that took on an epic slant pushing the boundaries of electronica in a swirl of hazy melody. Check out ‘Belfast’ and ‘Out There Somewhere? Pt. 2’ for an acid trip through space to remember. ‘Attached’ is on a different plane altogether, an ambient masterpiece that if it had been about in the late seventies could have given Spielberg an even more fitting soundtrack to the finale of Close Encounters. Otherworldly and diverse it is underpinned by a beat that just falls just short of danceable. Any chill out album without it is sorely lacking. KD

Orbital - Attached

Album: Snivilisation
Year: 1994
Buy: Snivilisation

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In the world of glorious failures surely none was as stark as the story of English band Furniture. With the world seemingly at their feet after breaking the Top 20 with the ‘Brilliant Mind’ single their label Stiff Records became a corpse. At this stage 30,000 copies of the bands ‘The Wrong People’ lp had been pressed but with the label rapidly crumbling the record was promptly deleted. Due to legal wrangling that followed the band were unable to take up on offers from potential suitors and the initiative was slowly lost. An acclaimed ‘Best Of’ was released in 1991 (‘She Gets Out The Scrapbook’) highlighting what the world had lost. ‘Brilliant Mind’ appeared on the soundtrack to John Hughes bratpack feature ‘Some Kind Of Wonderful’ and remains a visceral piece of 1980’s pop. Jim Irvin’s voice has that laconic Ian McCulloch style, the bass lines punch like Peter Hook is in control and the percussion is so fabulously loose and freewheeling is easy to see how drummer Hamilton Lee went on to found Transglobal Underground. ‘Brilliant Mind’ is a seminal piece of music, something that must fill Irvin with pride as he sits down to write another review for Mojo Magazine. KD

Furniture - Brilliant Mind

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Album: The Wrong People
Year: 1986

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Yet another fab song from Canada. The Dears come from Montreal and have been on the go since 1995. Their third album is called ‘No Cities Left’ and this is a delicious slice of pop taken from it. Murray Lightburn may have Morrissey strapped to his larynx but that seems irrelevant when the chaotic beauty that surrounds them is so intoxicating. The searing chords are an ideal counterfoil for Lightburn’s straight ahead delivery. Things take a change of direction mid way through, where a shimmering percussion can’t hide the fact that Britpop is still bringing classics to the table. The vocals deliver menace and sober loveliness in equal doses creating a package of delights for your tapped out feet. KD

The Dears - Lost In The Plot

Album: No Cities Left
Year: 2005
Buy: No Cities Left

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With a voice that sounds like it has endured too many smoky bars it comes a bit of a surprise to learn that Willy Mason has only just turned 20. With a tasty debut album behind him it appears as if the Martha’s Vineyard native may be on the verge of breaking into the big time. The title track is an understated gem, with its wallowing shuffle, plaintiff viola, dreamy glockenspiel and Mason’s solid husky vocals whisking you off to a deserted paradise. It is one of a clutch of likely singles that while not exactly chart friendly have the power to catch fire with the correct marketing push. Mason lyrics are also ear catching, not afraid to speak his mind in time he could become a rare muse on the indie scene. Rumours that certain record shops will only sell the album to you if you supply a special handshake are hopefully wide of the mark. KD

Willy Mason - Where The Humans Eat

Album: Where The Humans Eat
Year: 2005
Buy: Where the Humans Eat

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Hemstad are a multi-piece collective from Gothenburg with designs on restoring the hammond to it rightful place among pop’s elite tools. While they may be partial to inebriation the bands rollercoaster vistas are anything but messy, delving into the corners of your being that you thought only the Go! Team could reach. They’ve already supported Architecture In Helsinki (in Stockholm, if ya get my drift) so you can guess the arena they occupy. Kaserntorgets Charkdisco shudders under a frenetic drum fanfare, rabid synth transmissions and a cute guitar riff adding up to a quirky noisefest that’ll have your dad looking enviously over his newspaper. If all this wasn’t enough they have a member whose sole purpose is to clap his hands, I guess Bez couldn’t have it all his own way. I’m not twistin’ your melon man, this band must be cherished. KD

Hemstad - Kaserntorgets Charkdisco

Album: The Hemstad Demo
Year: 2005
Read More: Official Hemstad Site


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If you like your groups to be a bit super then Brakes could well be your favourite new band. Made up of several splinters from British Sea Power, the Electric Soft Parade and Tenderfoot they make the sort of short sharp tunes that can't help infesting your head. As well as a couple of inspired covers their debut album 'Give Blood' draws in a variety of influences and spits them out in a dazzling new guise. ‘You’re So Pretty’ is the perfect vehicle for Eamon Hamilton’s chubbily romantic vocals. The playing is as soft as bubblewrap enabling tiny expressions of perfect pop to be released at regular intervals. Put your foot to the metal and take your tractor to the local record store. KD

Brakes - You're So Pretty

Album: Give Blood
Year: 2005
Buy: Give Blood

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At this stage it would seem that the game is up for the Brilliant Trees as they stand ignored outside their own borough. There is nothing surreptitious about the way the Dubliners forged an identity for themselves. All it takes is a couple seconds in their company to recognise what they are about. Alan Hoey sounds all the world like Damon Albarn and his band consistently uncover golden mounds of jangling guitars. Listening to their debut it’s hard to believe their honeycombed melodies didn’t twig as much as a flicker of interest. This was a band with a heart that cared about their native city and had enough material up their sleeve to keep football supporters in anthems for decades. As a live prospect they were even more devastating as tumbling rows of chords ably back up Hoey’s avalanche of words. ‘Don’t Believe The Right’ starts out oddly enough with someone messing with a radio dial until it opens up into a colourful garden of noise. This is indisputably happy music that could churn your world into a kaleidoscope snapshot of Wonka’s chocolate room. KD

The Brilliant Trees - Don't Believe The Right

Album: Friday Night
Year: 1996
Buy: the Brilliant Trees second album Wake Up & Dream

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I somehow missed the Husker Du boat, only tuning in to the world of Bob Mould when his other band Sugar took off. I will be doing the Du before too long, however, as they're down in the growing list of bands to discover. 'Copper Blue' was Sugar's debut album and boasted some great moments such as 'If I Can't Change Your Mind', which was played to death on MTV as a soundtrack to its 'Real World' show. 'A Good Idea' is another highlight and it remains the most note perfect homage to the Pixies in existence. Listening to it you can't help romanticising on its alter ego 'Debaser'. Witness the huge bassline that must have required a 10-foot high instrument and the grand wipe out that sees the tune shuttling wildly in disparate directions while still retaining a graceful finesse. Mould spews the inane words with the vibrancy of Mr. Black and all that's left is for you to pogo on the spot. This is unadulterated indiepop heaven, without the saccharine, that has lost none of its potency more than a decade after its release. KD

Sugar - A Good Idea

Album: Copper Blue
Year: 1992
Buy: Copper Blue

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The list of famous bands from Hull just goes on and on. I mean, first there was the Housemartins, then there was the Beautiful South and finally we got Fatboy Slim. Ok, maybe it’s not a hotbed after all yet beneath the surface there is possibly a vibrant scene to be uncovered. Take Salako for example, who over the years have supplied a fabulous array of quirky classics that have mostly gone unnoticed. How about their ‘Musicality’ album as a glorious example of how to present shambolic pop that veers and swerve’s through an endless supply of ideas. One minute you’re swaying to a gospel choir, the next you are wondering whether somebody has dropped an acid tab in your tea. There are precious moments aplenty, no more so than ‘Devil’s Feet Lullaby’ that comes complete with hippy vibes. Flutes flutter by at will, the guitarist wistfully appropriates lithe sounds from his instrument and a vocal akin to a feather slowly pirouetting back down to earth all adds up to a sumptuous aural experience that’ll have you looking left and right as you try to mask your inner glee. KD

Salako - Devil's Feet Lullaby

Album: Musicality
Year: 1999
Buy: Musicality

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‘World’s Apart’ may have been a bit of a let down but And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have a formidable back catalogue to cheery pick from. ‘Source Tags & Codes’ is their undoubted masterpiece but further back the band had set about pruning their avalanche of sound into a robust torrent of noise. To the casual listener what is presented can be overwhelming as the often-abrasive instrumentation can mask the beauty that lurks beneath the surface. ‘Mistakes & Regrets’ has Jason Reece stretching his lungs to near collapse a la ‘Territorial Pissings’ with the dramatic guitar rampage looting what is left of your mind. The drumming is studied and drives the piece through the twists and turns of its own schizophrenia. And it all starts so pleasantly as a bubbly chord bandies about with little or no sign of the malice about to block out the horizon. And that is AYWKUBTTOD’s greatest trick, a fortunate knack of marrying the calm and the storm. If you can manage to weather it out then one of today’s most vital bands can be yours to saviour. KD

And You Will Us By The Trail Of Dead - Mistakes & Regrets

Album: Madonna
Year: 1999
Buy: Madonna

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Can’t believe it when you hear the sound of the east coast emanating from the Thrills, do you do a double take every time you hear Deus’ fractured Velvet Underground vignettes, or do pinch yourself everytime Gavin Rossdale launches into another grunge inspired artefact? In the increasingly homogenised world it seems as if a bands location doesn’t necessary dictate their sound. And so we have Pale Sunday, a delicate 3 piece from a small town in Brazil who write about girls and stuff. There is something decidedly wholesome about Pale Sunday, not many could get away with lyrics like ‘Who’s that girl playing a white tambourine? And singing “la, la, lala… la, la, lala’ and sound completely endearing. The band quote Sarah Records as a major influence and their music espouses the labels uncluttered joy. Luiz Gustavo vocals are tender and warm and his backup can swish from shimmering to blustering guitar movements within the blink of an eye. ‘White Tambourine’ is straight down the line indie pop, without the baggage. Now when is the last time you’ve sat down to such an uncomplicated treat? KD

Pale Sunday - White Tambourine

Album: Summertime
Year: 2005
Buy: Summertime

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With a list of influences that includes Ride’s ‘Vapour Trail’, Adorable’s ‘Homeboy’ and the House of Love's ‘Shine On’ Sweden’s Celestial were just too attractive to ignore. They have released 2 homemade EP’s in the last year (the second of which can be downloaded free from here). Celestial revisit a time when jangle pop was the present and the future. The production on ‘The Boy Who Never Says Goodbye’ may be what you’d expect from a demo but the flickering guitar tugs are as heartfelt as Andreas Hagman’s cosy homespun vocals. The evidence on the other songs from the EP suggests that Hagman has enough source material to resurrect Sarah Records from its hallowed grave all on his own. Place this in the same as category as Cats on Fire’s remarkable ‘Higher Grounds’. Shoegaze’s second coming may well be just around the corner if these lads have their way. KD

Celestial - The Boy Who Never Says Goodbye

Album: Celestial's EP1
Year: 2005
Info: Celestial @ myspace

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Talking cars eh, what will TV have us believing next? That in the technological awash planet of today a planeload of people can still be marooned on a desert island I suppose. Calling your band after a cheesy 1980’s programme is leaving yourself open to ridicule so the best defence is to come up with some pretty good tunes. Thankfully, the Dublin based trio Michael Knight have come up trumps, releasing an unheralded masterpiece with their debut ‘Youth Is Wasted On The Young’. Michael Knight don’t fit into predefined genre, they just let it all flow like an early incarnation of Belle & Sebastian. As they hit the sweet spot Richard Murphy and the female backing singers deduce great walls of heavenly harmonies. There is an innocence to their application that camouflages an uncanny insight into what makes a great pop song. ‘Leaving Town’ is an unbridled delight, one of the songs of 2005 with a Beach Boys instinct for replicating good vibes, speckling the piece with tender pianos and providing a chorus that could fashion cheery bubblegum from dog shit. These are my tips for 2006. KD read more

Michael Knight - Leaving Town

Album: Youth Is Wasted On The Young
Year: 2005
Buy: Youth Is Wasted On The Young

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What a year it has been for the Arcade Fire. First their debut album goes on to become the most talked about release of 2005, then they re-release their ‘Us Kids Know’ EP that bolsters an already indefatigable momentum. Add in some pretty spectacular live shows (the Electric Picnic in mid Ireland was one such) and you can’t help but feel that their hands are full to build on the promise when their new album appears next year. It thus seems entirely appropriate to end their year with one of the brighter moments from the aforementioned EP. ‘Headlights Look Like Diamonds’ possesses all the integral Arcade Fire qualities, quirkiness abounds as a bass blows freely alongside a fluffy guitar riff. Wim and Regine cast their vocals about like falling apples and the music appropriates itself to harness the basket of charms dispelled. With the Arcade Fire there are no rules, a song may begin like a lullaby but could conceivably end up sounding like a fading Katrine. Despite the unevenness the constituent divergences consistently prove the old adage that opposites attract. The world is theirs, how they decide to make it a better place will one of the thrills of 2006. KD

The Arcade Fire - Headlights Look Like Diamonds

Album: The Arcade Fire EP (aka 'Us Kids Know')
Year: 2003
Buy: Arcade Fire EP

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This is as indispensable as the La’s ‘There She Goes’. Only God knows how it has slipped beneath the radar. Everything is in the right place, the chiming guitars are ubiquitous, Guy Chadwick’s voice is velvet soft and the lyrics are lovelorn enough to have 2005’s sorry number one balladeer back in the trenches. But, that was to be the House Of Love’s lot, no matter how many pristine classics they produced the world just shrugged its shoulders and tuned into Right Said Fred. Perhaps the music was just too sexy for the time, and maybe an army of bloggers could have made a difference by extolling its virtues. If this had been the case then daytime radio could rightly be awash with ‘The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes’, ‘Crush Me’, ‘Shake & Crawl’ and ‘The Beatles & The Stones’. The House of Love have just reformed so perhaps faith could yet shine on them. KD

The House Of Love - Feel

Album: Babe Rainbow
Year: 1992
Buy: Babe Rainbow

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Ian Brown may have carved out a moderately successful solo career, Mani may have bolstered an already fine band, John Squire has certainly tarnished his rep and Reni may have disappeared off the face of the earth but all four have little to worry about as their band, The Stone Roses will revered for as long as music is played. The reason is quite simple; their eponymous debut is a perfect example of how a debut album should sound. Over 11 tracks the band arched and looped, swooped and conspired to create a diverse and melodious ramble that is undiminished with the passage of time and repeated listens. The more celebrated tunes can be heard up and down the land on any given weekend but the album has such lofty ambitions that cuts like 'Bye Bye Badman' are nothing less than thrilling. The song initially seeps from the speakers through an abandoned riff that is quickly joined by Brown's refined vocals. As the shifts in tempo are repeatedly introduced and retracted Squires guitar parts reflect Byrdsian nods. Brown delivers a particularly impressive vocal, displaying an elasticity of range that was sadly non-existent during the bands live shows. Wren provides the beats that only a man with 3 arms could aspire to achieving. And it's all over before you can ingest the full extent of the imaginations at work. Let's hope the reunion rumours prove false. KD

The Stone Roses - Bye Bye Badman

Here's a bit of fun for the season that's in it. Imagine Art Garfunkel sitting in midway through the first side of the Stone Roses debut album. You'd think it'd be a mess, what with King Monkey giving it the old Amateur stamp of disapproval. Well against all the odds this mashup is classy enough to be served at any dinner table on New Years Day.

The Stone Roses Vs Simon & Garfunkel - April Waterfall

Album: The Stone Roses
Year: 1989
Buy: The Stone Roses

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Don’t despair Delgados fans, Stars are here to provide plenty of solace. Every inch a doppelganger for the recently departed Scots, Stars have mastered the art of the boy/girl vocal interplay and by the look of their second lp ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ they are not scared to throw in the odd lush string. ‘Ageless Beauty’ is as ethereal as a Cocteau Twins tune played at 78rpm, Amy Millan does her best to sound as fragile as possible amid the volcanic guitar eruptions all around her. Her precious utterings gel seamlessly with instruments that bandy about with all the joy of a freshly dechrysalised red admiral on a summers morn. Yet another affirmation of Canada’s swaggering music industry which made it 2005 most precious source for engaging artists. KD

Stars - Ageless Beauty

Album: Set Yourself On Fire
Year: 2005
Buy: Set Yourself on Fire

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With the backing of U2’s Mother Records and the legendary Steve Lillywhite sitting in on production duties Engine Alley’s debut album was always going to be an interesting affair (Kirsty MacColl guest vocalled). And so it proved when an eclectic sound emerged that balanced the traditional elements of Irish music with a glamtastic ear for quirky melody. The band sported a showy frontman in Canice Kenealy and Emmaline Duffy-Fallon was perhaps the cutest drummer in the history of pop. But sadly despite the crucial factors being in place success never knocked on the bands door outside of their native land. ‘In A Different Kind Of Way’ is taken from one of the bands early releases the ‘Flowerbox EP’ and includes the essential kooky traits. Canice’s vocals engage in their usual flights of fancy while the music loops and soars unevenly in the background like a golden carriage rolling over cobblestones. Add in the immortal line ‘Overdose on alcohol’ and you have a student anthem in waiting, in cold storage you might say for a savvy Ents officer to give it the platform deserves. KD

Engine Alley - In A Different Kind Of Way

Album: Flowerbox EP
Year: 1991
Buy: Engine Alley

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Definitely the hero of the hour from an album of dead ducks ‘Surface To Air’ recalls a time when the Chemical Brothers could satisfy fans of both the indie and dance persuasions. Nothing is forced, the electronic gulping bubbles amiably until a calm precise riff takes you on a fantastical tour. Juddering implosions, robotic interjections and hissing valves fail to detract from the underlying rumble that is as irresistible as a family of Koala bears. It all stems from a steady riff that is gradually augmented by all manner of electronic devices known to the duo. ‘Surface To Air’ proves that the brothers can still work it out and that their predicted exit to planet dust may prove to be a tad premature. KD

The Chemical Brothers - Surface To Air

Album: Push The Button
Year: 2005
Buy: Push the Button

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If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

As ever Mike Batt excelled himself in bringing the soundtrack to these children's characters to life. The clunky guitars aside it's hard to believe the song is 30 years old such is its vibrancy. Kudos must go to a wonderful chorus that Brian Wilson himself would have been proud of and then there is the effortless panache in the way the song is delivered. Add in a trumpet or two and lyrics as openly joyful as ‘Under the ground there is the sound of a symphony, The lights are low, the fire is bright, Wombling through, I'll tune into you, you tune into me’ and you’ll have everything you need to waltz merrily through the season of goodwill. KD

The Wombles - Wombling Merry Christmas

Album: The Very Best Of The Wombles
Year: 2005
Buy: The Very Best of the Wombles

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If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Ready for a twinkle twinkle little star kind of song? You could almost bet your house on Teenage Fanclub coming up with the goods on their ode to Christmas. I can think of nothing more perfect than a delicate blend of shimmering riffs and honeyed vocals at this time of year. 'Christmas Eve' is a slight departure for the Glaswegians in that it relies on a flickering chord change rather than a rush of vocals to convey the message. This is as timid and adorable as a child creeping down the stairs at 4am to check if the big man has come up with the goods. The only disappointment is that it seems to end about a minute too early, with the wholesome singing appearing at fade out you feel this particular avenue could have been developed further. But this is only a minor quibble because when 'Christmas Eve' spins nothing will stir, not even a mouse. KD

Teenage Fanclub - Christmas Eve

Album: It's A Cool Cool Christmas
Year: 2000

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You can now buy this song on our 2008 Christmas compilation called 'An Indiecater Christmas' here!

There’s no doubting the copious amounts of aural tinsel that December brings. Venture into any shop and suddenly you’re guest of honour at the most happening elf party in town. Kinda hard to be critical, however, as most of us develop an extra spring in our step once the seasonal bells and whistles start to invade our world. For those at breaking point, however, there is refuge in the form of the slow-core Californians Idaho who have created an anti-Christmas anthem in the guise of a lullaby. Jeff Martin’s voice is coarse yet alluring and the instrumentation is so lo-fi you’d imagine Iron & Wine had lent a hand. Leave this aside for the moment you feel like crashing into Chris Rea on his endless journey back to the black country. KD

Idaho - Santa Claus Is Weird

Album: Levitate
Year: 2001
Buy: Levitate

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With this blog about to go all misty eyed and festive for the next week or so here’s your last chance to grab something fresh and exciting from the Emerald Isle. Yep, there is a definite stirring in the water over here as a new crop of bands like Michael Knight, Pugwash and God Is An Astronaut lead the way in what should be a bright new beginning. Post-Rock has its fair share of champions in Ireland like 66e and the Red Neck Manifesto but neither has quite seized the initiative as imaginatively as God Is An Astronaut. Their second album ‘All Is Violent, All Is Bright’ runs the gambit of post-rock pioneers Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and leaks an ingenious feed from Sonic Youth glorious chord ramblings. ‘Forever Lost’ is a good taster of their talent with its piano led atmospherics segueing into a circular menu of chiming guitars. There is no need for vocal intrusion when soundscapes this enveloping are capable of freeing your imagination quite readily on their own. Watch them soar. KD

God Is An Astronaut - Forever Lost

Album: All Is Violent, All Is Bright
Year: 2004
Buy: All Is Violent, All Is Bright

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While the idea of country music would likely turn most peoples stomachs it's amazing how many of today’s top groups have worked the strain into their output. One need not look further than Wilco, The Dandy Warhols and Ryan Adams to appreciate that the much maligned form has its uses. Beechwood Sparks are of a similar ilk; they may be a cohesive pop group yet there is an undertow that just begs to watch the western sun go down. The poppier elements were always going to boosted anyway when you have a member of the Lily’s (‘A Nanny In Manhattan’ coming soon) sitting in on drums. ‘Confusion Is Nothing New’ breezes into town full of trippy guitar reflections. Then, without notice it develops into a modern day Byrds creation when the pulse quickens and the jaunty playing harbours notions of reinventing the summer of love. This is classic pop that’s raises the hairs on your neck and then makes them sway in unison to the jingle jangle on offer. KD

Beachwood Sparks - Confusion Is Nothing New

Album: Once We Were Trees
Year: 2001
Buy: Once We Were Trees

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If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

For some reason I’ve always found ‘Little Drummer Boy’ to be one of the least palatable songs on the Christmas playlist. I dunno it just seemed a little boring and repetitive. It took a dose of the Dandy Warhols to change all that as their angle has the necessary oomph to free up snowed in villages. This is another track from the XFM 'It's A Cool Cool Christmas' compilation of 2000 released on the Jeepster label. The Dandy’s were in the midst of their most creative periods as ‘Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia’ demonstrated that they were capable of producing consistent albums as well as fantastic singles. Their version of the standard pulls all their creative impulses into a daydream packet of yuletide noise. It’s to their credit that could so clinically metamorphose one mans snooze into anothers headbangers ball. KD

The Dandy Warhols - Little Drummer Boy

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Album: It's A Cool Cool Christmas
Year: 2000

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Hard to believe when you look at them now but the Charlatans were once as indispensable as cereal. The tragic loss of Rob Collins, the ravages of the music industry and a gradual slip into comfortable middle age has meant that the latter day Charlatans are about as safe as the Stereophonics (if a lot less nauseating). Their debut ‘Some Friendly’ remains their torchlight and it still has a bombastic charm stocked high with baggy rhythms, keyboard wizardry and vocal melody. The more well known tracks like ‘The Only One I Know’ and ‘Then’ have entered the indie hall of fame but there are other jewels within its grooves. ‘White Shirt’ is one such with trademark swirling organs, bouncing percussion and Tim Burgess’ youthful spontaneity somehow making its way to the microphone despite being held prisoner by an unruly mop of hair. This arrives at full-throttle and maintains a delirious pace throughout. Who needs coffee when a blast of ‘White Shirt’ provides the same kick without the headache? KD

The Charlatans - White Shirt

Album: Some Friendly
Year: 1990
Buy: Some Friendly

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For those who expect to get inside the mind of an artist by means of his ambiguous lyrics you better look away now because these ex-students from Montreal and Antwerp don’t give a diddlysquat for words. What they do care about though is rewriting the gospel according to Jean Michel Jarre and the Pet Shop Boys for the noughties. ‘Folder’ has been floating around the blogs for months now and it seems it finally got its chance to infiltrate the mainstream with its official release at the back end of last month. This is stupendous pop, cleverly rolled out through banks of electronic wizardry. The vocals are robotic Kraftwerk at their best and there is nobody alive who could avoid shaking a leg to its rhythmic dalliances. Expect it to soundtrack your next holiday in the sun. KD

Plastic Operator - Folder

Album: Folder EP
Year: 2005

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Matthew Jay only ever released one album due to his untimely death aged 24 in 2003. If he was still with us he’d probably be a megastar by now and there would be no such thing as James Blunt. Jay had a cast iron talent that saw him wringing haunting melodies in the most unhurried of manners. His family background in folk certainly moulded the young singer and helped turn ‘Draw’ into one of 2001’s most pleasant surprises. Listening to the album ‘Let Your Shoulder Fall’ leaps out immediately if only for the shimmering chord changes at the beginning. The words pour forth from the singer like water from a fountain and even if the message is a little garbled the sentiments are clear. The layered vocals give the song depth and the playing has a pleasing experimental ring to it as evidenced by the slightly hallucinogenic tail off. KD

Matthew Jay - Let Your Shoulder Fall

Album: Draw
Year: 2001
Buy: Draw

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