Kasabian have cleverly nailed their intentions to the Manchester flag. Occasionally they can be kinda stirring but tune longevity is the one trick that have yet to master. ‘Club Foot’, so immensely off its rocker initially soon sags like a sweaty Shaun Ryder t-shirt. The thing is, they weren’t even the first round of Madchester admiring sorts. That honour is bestowed on the almost forgotten but wholesomely edible Delakota. Their album was called ‘One Love’ (hmmm) and came out all the way back in the latter part of the last century. It kicked off in terrific fashion through the bass heavy ‘C’mon Cincinnati’, a song so bedecked in so many Manc influences it’s a wonder it didn’t make it onto Bez’s recent compilation. You’ll also hear Screamadelica bubbling through on occasion, which pretty much ensures it should make it into everybody’s essential party songs folder. KD

Delakota - C'mon Cincinnati

Watch How It All Started

More Info: Delakota Biography
Buy Album: [UK] One Love [US] One Love
Year: 1998

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

The Serena Maneesh album is proof positive that shoegazing is enjoying a fruitful second coming. Even more fresh off the press is the debut album from California’s Darker My Love which came out a couple of days ago. If MBV, Chapterhouse, Ride and the aforementioned Norwegians are your bag then prepare to feast on the contents held within. ‘Fall’ is the condensed view, a perfect snatch of what Darker My Love are all about (don’t forget Mark Gardener’s chappy’s had an EP of the same name). The guitars are set to grind and fuzz while the vocals swirl about with sumptous disregard, a bit like as if ‘Whirlpool’ was still the benchmark for all things dreamy (it is for me). There are several moments of lucidity to balance the books but it’s the dense undergrowth that really affects. Darker My Love seem content to help us party like its 1991 all over again. KD

Darker My Love - Fall

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Darker My Love [US] Darker My Love
Year: 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

This is a real exclusive for the site! A while back James Blunt sent me a message through myspace asking whether we’d be interested in giving his forthcoming album a push by posting a track. Naturally I was horrified at the very suggestion but in the spirit of giving every artist an equal go, no matter how feeble, I said we'd be delighted (there’s only me but shur why burst his bubble?). The mp3 arrived a few hours later and I was really staggered at his new direction. Gone are the drippy themes of love and general angst and in their place stands insightful passages that will really have most people scratching their heads as to their meaning. His voice, such a thorn in the earlobes for most decent indie folk, has also undergone a radical makeover, a certain joyful innocence has replaced the quivering nonchalant warble of old. I’m not making this up, ‘Round And Round’ is by far Blunt’s best work to date and should open the doors to a new army of young fans. The new album has a provisional working title of 'Back To Bednow'. KD

James Blunt - (the wheels on the bus go) Round And Round


25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Speaking of works in progress (or works that never progressed in this case) here is a clip of the Arcade Fire before they bloomed into their current multi-membered incarnation. ‘Winter For A Year’ is taken from a demo recorded in 2001 although the details of the sessions are clouded in mystery. What is known is that both Wim and Regine were both involved but Butler has distanced himself from the recordings. Most of the 10 tracks are worth a listen but there are several highlights. The jangling fret play on ‘The Great Arcade Fire’ is exquisite even if it is littered with bum notes. The near instrumental ‘Asleep At The Wheel’ has a fluidity that is close to therapeutic. That said, ‘Winter For A Year’ is certainly the most accomplished piece, appearing fully formed with Butler’s characteristic whine and an offbeat layer of percussion to back him up. Just on the button then for another season of Six Feet Under if they ever decide to resurrect its lifeless corpse. KD

The Arcade Fire - No Winter For A Year

Watch The Video For Rebellion (Lies)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Funeral [US] Funeral
Year: 2004

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Ahhh isn’t life just grand. The days are warm, the pre-Christmas advertising campaign is only around the corner and Levy have just sent me a clutch of new songs from their forthcoming LP which they may or may not call ‘Glorious’. I have been reliably informed that these are only the rough mixes so one can only gasp in anticipation as to what the polished tunes will sound like. ‘Squeeze’ is my favourite so far (although the Morrissey tinged ‘Mint’ is a close second) as it takes the shape of an epic without ever resorting to hopeless bombast. That is truly Levy’s gift, they have the songs to sell a million records but some careful tailoring means the ditties are in it for the long haul, never outstaying their welcome. ‘Squeeze’ flaunts some dishy Siskin strums and a soaring vocal that advances and retreats with passionate glee. 2006 has not been a classic year for good albums but ‘Glorious’ should ensure it goes out with a bang. KD

Levy - Squeeze

Watch The Video To Rotten Love

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Rotten Love [US] Rotten Love
Year: 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

The High Dials have lost their drummer, not such great news when there's several UK festivals to play and a glowing NME review to build upon. In the end it’ll probably end up being a minor issue for the Montreal collective who cloak their pop sensibilities with the aplomb of Inspector Clouseau. Praise be too as such wonderful rafts of ingenuity need to be presented in an unblemished form. ‘The Holy Ground’ (taken from the sophomore album ‘War of the Wakening Phantoms’) is such a romper stomper it seems destined for leave-them-gasping end of set positioning. The momentum is dictated by the booming beats yet the heart of the matter recalls euphoric Teenage Fanclub and those Beatles infatuated hairpieces Jellyfish. The harmonies are perfectly executed and the soft exit will quite likely have you leaking from every orifice. KD

The High Dials - The Holy Ground

Watch The Video For Fields In Glass

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] War of the Wakening Phantoms [US] War of the Wakening Phantoms
Year: 2005

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Now this is a nice surprise, not at all what you’d expect from alternative Ulster. It seems the changing atmosphere up North is at last manifesting itself in a softer edge creeping into the music being produced there. I guess the seeds were sown by Panda Kopanda's effortless descent into sweet harmonies. Oppenheimer are a duo from Belfast led by the box clever Rocky O’Reilly (sorry). They serve ditties that rely more on electronica rather than plucked chords but they never lose the essence of what it means to be in a band. ‘Breakfast In NYC’ was the first single from the bands eponymous debut released back in June. The single came out as a 7-inch (is it me or does vinyl seem to be on something of a renaissance?) but soon made its way onto the major download sites. Thank God for that as ‘Breakfast In NYC’ deserves a huge audience. From start to finish it is pretty terrific, so imbued with the joys of life it can't help but lift your mood every time. The only pity here is that it’s so short, clocking in at under 2 and a half minutes. A bright future beckons, let the electric soft parade begin. KD

Oppenheimer - Breakfast in NYC

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Oppenheimer [US] Oppenheimer
Year: 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

You can tell from his eyes that that J. Mascis is one moody dude. Every moment such a splendid freak scene and so in a bid to save his sanity Lou Barlow broke from Dinosaur Jr. with the bands drummer to form Sebadoh (he was kicked out). That was 1989 and two years later after a couple of acoustic efforts Sebadoh released ‘Sebadoh III’ which contained ‘The Freed Pig’. The album has been out of print for years but is being re-released this summer by Domino with extra remixes and singles. From the off it’s clear ‘The Freed Pig’ was going to become an essential piece of ammunition in the indierock canon. The semi-screechy guitars are a delight and with Barlow’s unruffled delivery the mix proves to be a seminal combination. Not content with just one creative outlet Barlow formed Folk Implosion as a side project in 1995 and had his biggest hit with ‘Natural One’, which was included on the ‘Kids’ soundtrack. Check out ‘Bakesale’ and ‘Harmacy’ for further evidence of Sebadoh’s worth. KD

Sebadoh - The Freed Pig

Watch The Video To Sebadoh's 'Skull'

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Sebadoh III [US] III
Year: 1991 & 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

10.15 Saturday night, Dressing Up, Charlotte Sometimes High, The Loudest Sound, Hey You, Harold & Joe, Birdmad, I’m A Cult Hero, Fascination Street, How Beautiful You Are, Want, The Perfect Girl, Just Say Yes, Babble, Foxy Lady, Trust, Just One Kiss, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, The Walk, The Lovecats, In Your House, The Upstairs, Let’s Go To Bed, Give Me It, Plastic Passion, Screw, Pornography, Like Cockatoos, Hot, Hot, Hot, Exploding Body, Shiver and Shake

Grinding Halt, A Foolish Arrangement, It’s Not You, Gone! , Boys Don’t Cry, Numb, This Is A Lie, Lament, Piggy In The Mirror, Wild Mood Swings, Push, The Baby Screams, Disintegration, The Empty World, Standing On A Beach, Staring At The Sea, The Same Deep Water As You, Cold, Sinking, Seventeen Seconds, The Final Sound, End
KD

The Cure - Pictures Of You

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Disintegration [US] Disintegration
Year: 1989

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Sometimes being a literate pop band just isn’t enough. Dave Couse persisted with A House until their logical conclusion, despite being with flush with the wherewithal it seemed that their fanbase was diminishing with each subsequent release. Couse launched his clever invective through a mixture of spoken/sung dialogue but the world just didn’t get it. So now almost a decade after his former bands demise he has decided on calling his backing band the Impossible and his album ‘The World Should Know’ (ironic to the end). While the album never scales to the majesty of A House’s most accomplished hour ‘I Am The Greatest’ Couse’s more restrained persona brings out the best in his tunesmithery. The title track is a pert little thing, jangling quite happily until Couse finds a chorus to die for. ‘I Always Be Grateful’ is an oldie, taken from A House’s debut ‘On Our Big Fat Merry-go-round’. Both exemplify the depth of talent at work and how one day he may be forced to rewrite ‘Endless Art’ with self referential nods included. KD

Dave Couse & The Impossibles - The World Should Know

A House - I'll Always Be Grateful

Watch The Why Me? Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy A House's: [UK] I Am the Greatest [US] I Am the Greatest
Buy Dave Couse's: The World Should Know
Year: 2005

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

If Camera Obscura are ever to achieve what their music ultimately deserves then watch the female fronted bandwagon ride into town with gusto. Before all of that happens we can sit back and be entertained by the breezy charms of the Gladeyes from Auckland. Jade Farley and Gwen Norcliffe provide the twin vocals on ‘Bad Town Blues’ while a gentle jangle affair spills from a colourful instrument. The effect is a DIY confection that has the capacity to escape a bedroom in the southern hemisphere and move into the concert halls of the world. Stick this with a gaggle of other Gladeyes tracks and you’ll have plenty of material to occupy several dozen Pipettes. KD

The Gladeyes - Bad Town Blues

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Their EP: A Heart Full Of Love
Year: 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Boat are based around the vocal talents of D. Crane. He put the band together after a move to Chicago didn’t result in all-things-going his way. Once back in his hometown of Seattle, however, Boat were soon releasing their maiden EP titled ‘Life Is A Shipwreck’. Things have gone swimmingly since then and their pithily titled new album ‘Songs That You Might Not Like’ is on sail now. ‘Last Cans Of Paint’ might not be the most crotch grabbingly exciting name for a song but buoy does it float my ship. This is quintessential indie rock; Crane possesses a wonderful morning after vocal tint and the music is just left of centre enough not to wear out its welcome after a weekend worth of listens. Shivers me neck hairs and...erm me timbers. KD

Boat - Last Cans Of Paint

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Songs That You Might Not Like [US] Songs That You Might Not Like
Year: 2006

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

You probably know them as the juggernaut shiny pop hit production line. But, there was a time when a trio of ‘guaranteed teenagers’ from a wee place in Northern Ireland struggled to release their debut record in-between studying for their school finals. Such was their bookish attitude that the lure of a tour with Green Day and Pearl Jam wasn’t enough to tempt them away from their exams. Well, the debut release ‘Trailer’ was finally born and it turned out to be a joyous expression of youthful vigour doused in angular hooks and Tim Wheeler’s effervescent lines. ‘Petrol’ was always my favourite, a speedball of activity that trembled under the weight of a sack full of melodies. Look deep and hard into their illuminating back catalogue and you’ll struggle to find a better example of their inherent dynamism. KD

Ash - Petrol

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Trailer [US] Trailer
Year: 1994

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player

Charlie Bucket was a tad drippy for my liking, the real star of the kids in Willy Wonka was always Mike TV. Pretty neat character, full of his own self-confidence, a total brat but engaging all the same. So it was a no brainer purchase when a Leitrim quartet (a novelty in itself) decided to use the underage gunslingers character as their band name. Headed up by Rory McPartland Mike TV’s time on earth was short but they left us with at least one memorable moment in ‘Money Shot’. The guitars are off the cuff, the rhythms are quirky and the whole piece approximates a winning They Might Be Giants effort. It could probably drive some people insane while others will lavish in its non-linear approach. As a bonus please also find attached the brash charms of Veruca Salt’s ‘Seether’. KD

Mike TV - Money Shot

Veruca Salt - Seether

More VS Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Veruca Salt's: [UK] American Thighs [US] American Thighs
Year: 1994

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player