Happy New Year! Oh shit, it’s not even Christmas yet and I had been holding this over to announce 2009. But, I love it too much to shelve it until then and I’m a bit odd that way (like preferring Christmas songs in July and such like). To tell you the truth I have a love/hate relationship with the Walkmen, sometimes they press all the right buttons (‘Bows + Arrows’ for e.g. where they displayed some AYWKUBTTOD genius) but sometimes I get a headache searching for the hook which is undoubtedly there but fastidiously hidden amongst the guitar carnage. ‘You & Me’ is their latest opus and as well as arriving really cheaply with profits going to a worthy cause it has tracks like this brightening our day. This has pretty much everything a good Walkmen record should have, Hamilton Leithauser’s signature screech, elegantly turned out rambling guitars and a drifting yet still leading the way percussion section. On such things are made life changing resolutions. KD

The Walkmen - In The New Year

Watch The Video To The Rat

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

This is not what you’d expect coming out of the west of Ireland (it’s been that sort of year though) and a little investigation reveals that Low Sea aren’t Galway natives. The duo actually started out in France and their template should be instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with a certain Glaswegian pair. For newbies I’m sure ‘Couldn’t Help Myself’ will sound like a champion new sound. Moody, dark but inherently elegant it might just be the perfect soundtrack for afternoon sulks. For the rest of us it is a faithful reconstruction, a smile inducing memory tinkler and an opportune time to wipe the dust off those enduring classic’s of yore. KD

Low Sea - Couldn't Help Myself

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Low Sea
Year: 2008

Grant Birkenbeuel and JinJa Davis are Utah Carol and that simple structure is carried through to the music that they make, a lazy hazy stroll through the country with a warm breeze in your hair. ‘I’m Sorry Maria’ is taken from 2007’s ‘Rodeo Queen’ and won’t ruffle many feathers as it slowly meanders to the finish line. It’s sedatary and delicate but that doesn’t mean it's incidental; in fact due to its slim running time it might take a few listens to truly appreciate the charms it can bestow on the attentive listener. KD

Utah Carol - I'm Sorry Maria

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Utah Carol
Year: 2

This is a song that doesn’t really want to be one. It could quite easily have been a conversation were it not for the understated musicianship and pretty vocal patterns weaved by eternal wanderer Tim Howard (he used to be in the Mobius Band). But for all its awkward posturing it leaves an impression, one that won’t be all that memorable initially but as the play counts add up it’ll slowly encase you in its delicate web. It’s taken from Soltero’s current album ‘You’re No Dream’, a confusing title that subtly introduces this most enigmatic of artists. KD

Soltero - Out At The Wall

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

For those who’ve been out of the loop here is a quick recap on what has been happening on our sister pursuit the record label Indiecater Records. The latest release on our rapidly expanding catalogue is the debut from Finglas band the Brilliant Trees. ‘Friday Night’ was originally released in 1996 and despite widespread critical acclaim and a Top 20 hit in Ireland with ‘Talent’ the album has disappeared from view. Now thanks to the wonders of the technological age and much help from the band themselves we have reissued ‘Friday Night’. The album is awash with jangle pop classics and indie anthems and you can listen to them all on this page. Before you do that why not sample the band via ‘Don’t Believe The Right’ which features the not insubstantial charms of an AM radio on speed dial (before that sort of thing was invented). Once the hiss subsides you’ll be accosted by flickering chords, blissful harmonies and the sort of medicine you’d need to start any day on a bright note. All this and more for just €3.50, it's time to wake up and dream. KD

The Brilliant Trees - Don't Believe The Right

More Info: Indiecater
Buy Songs: Friday Night by The Brilliant Trees
Year: 1996 & 2008

Just for one minute stop thinking that Cher killed the vocoder and revel in the heavy beats of ‘Berlin’ from Alaska in Winter. It is comes as a present from one Brandon Bethancourt via his new LP ‘Holiday’ which was conceived while under a haze of intoxication. Surprising that because ‘Berlin’ is remarkably clear headed in what it has to achieve, namely bringing the masses back to the dancefloor through a mix of intelligent processed sounds. Unlike his last LP there’s no Zach Condon (aka Beirut) and since it was recorded in the city of the songs title (techno central) you can probably expect less of a Balkan influence. The truth be told that scene has probably run its course and dance could do with several well-aimed kicks up the backside like this. KD

Alaska In Winter - Berlin

Watch The Video To Balkan Lowrider Anthem

More Info: Myspace
Buy Songs: Alaska In Winter
Year: 2008

Between the sparse crowd, awkward between song patter, blinding stage lighting somehow Cass McCombs conspired to being close to inspired last night in Whelan’s. The challenge had been put to him by the undercard from Dublin called Villagers. Only caught the final part of their set but it was highly promising stuff, a galley of players each putting distinguished performances in on some really stunning songs. These are certainly ones to watch for 2009. Cass McCombs opening rockabilly soundings might have signalled a flat show to come but the 3 piece slowly turned things around. And how, as the lights were completely extinguished and the pretty jangle of ‘Equinox’ swelled our ears it became one of those rare moments (‘Not The Way’ and ‘Sacred Heart’ were equally mesmerising). McCombs and his small band might not be the greatest showmen ever but when you concentrate on the sound they make you’ve got to start believing that they are a very important creative indeed. KD

Cass McCombs - Equinox

Watch The Video To Sacred Heart

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Cass McCombs
Year: 2005

Seems sorta appropriate alright that the Parties should come from San Francisco. I’m sure they’ve dispensed with the flowers in their hair but they are still indebted to the sound from the era when that sort of practise was de rigueur. To heighten the sense of retro you’ll hear the Velvet Underground/Byrds in their guitar tuneage and the slew of sweet harmonies just tend to illuminate the psychedelic blissfulness. Their new is album is titled ‘Can’t Come Down’ so you can probably guess what is contained within. Everything about this band has been culled from the past but rather than scoff at their barefaced cheek I merely tap away my frustration. In fact this is probably the sound that the Brian Jonestown Massacre would make if they were happy souls. KD

The Parties - Yours And Mine

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Parties
Year:

If I was pushed on what strand of indie gives me the most pleasure I’d have to say it is indie pop. Sort of like what Teenage Fanclub and the Very Most do whenever they step into a studio. In essence you know what you are going to get and for me that it is just bliss and also the easiest way to achieve mood enhancement. Basement Apartment fit neatly into that category, they never a put a song to bed before it has the requisite number of melodic hooks and beautifully turned out riffs. Vince Caro is the main man and it’s his soft vocals you hear on ‘Into My World’, which is taken from the band’s incredible Transistor! LP which was released in 2004. KD

Basement Apartment - Into My World

Watch The Video To Empty Skies

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Basement Apartment
Year: 2004

This is absolutely magic from way back in 1993, a time when Chris Martin was only dreaming up those giant chords and even bigger choruses. While not quite on that scale the Reegs ‘The Nasty Side’ is still a thing of unparalleled beauty that falls in and out of its own melodic consciousness. The Reegs comprised of Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding and came together out of the ashes of the much heralded (but rarely heard) Manchester band the Chameleons. Fielding also had the distinction of playing with Dave Gedge from the Wedding Present’s in their first band together called SEN (never ones for great band names this Manchester/Leeds lot!). ‘The Nasty Side’ was taken from the Reegs seconds and final album ‘Rock The Magic Rock’ and retains a keen contemporary edge and even though it stretches to over 6 minutes you’ll likely never want it to end. The atmosphere and mood is as breathtaking as the jangling instruments and cooing vocals. KD

The Reegs - The Nasty Side

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: The Reegs
Year: 1994

I have been preoccupied with other matters over the last few evenings. In fact at this stage I am totally shattered. I’ve moved indiecater over to new platform and given it a facelift, hasn’t fully healed yet but the scabs will fall away over the next few days. D’ya know as time has gone by I am spending more and more time on indiecater. Originally it was a nice diversion, now it’s still nice but the diversion has become a whole lot more time consuming. The compilations that kicked off the label have now been joined by a trio of album reissues from artists we adore. The reissues come from times past but they are so good we believe they can still have a bright future. Anyway, indiecater (the label, gasp!) will have some really great reissues over the next few months. There’ll be one next week and on December 1st ‘An Indiecater Christmas’ will be birthed. This Christmas collection of indie frivolity is really shaping up to be a classic and most of the tunes are brand new and recorded especially for the occasion! Anyway, mp3hugger will be back to normal by tomorrow and to entertain us until then here is Dublin band the Idiots and the Spacemen 3/ Rollerskate Skinny sounding ‘I Should Go’ from their 1995 self-titled LP. KD

The Idiots - I Should Go

More Info: Irish Music Central
Year: 1995

Lowfish is Toronto producer Gregory De Rocher in full operatic flow. His use of vintage analog devices has to be commended, as has his love for such electro gods as OMD. ‘Frozen & Broken’ is the title track from his latest LP and a dextrous piece of industry it is too. The bulging synths may have you pining for large warehouses and given the right conditions you could see this track’s kinetic energy coursing through a heavy mass of slinky beings. For those of us decidedly less slinky in stature it is a grandiose reminder about how much those explorers of new sonic directions Orbital used to move us in the strangest of ways. Right now this is just breathtaking. KD

Lowfish - Frozen & Broken

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

Ok, this has gone on for quite long enough. I have forgotten the amount of times Hush Arbors have hoved into earshot and I’ve smiled then moved onto something else of less worth. The point I have been consistently missing is that Keith Wood (for he is Hush Arbors) deserves more than scattered listens borne out of rudimentary shuffles. His lo-fi music sounds positively vintage but is about perfect for the moods that frame sunday afternoons or exhausted bodies in general. It’s as if Simon & Garfunkel had taken a break from the studio and their hugely talented lackey had snapped up the opportunity to record his offbeat compositions. The power of Hush Arbors is not immediately obvious but the stream of consciousness that is produced is as tranquil as it is nerve jangling. Hold this back for a special moment or just buy Hush Arbors brand new self titled LP for total immersion. KD

Hush Arbors - Where The Black Bear Hides In The Sky

Watch The Video To The Light

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Hush Arbors
Year: 2004 & 2007

Should really have put the sound of summer to bed by now but let’s cherish the dying embers to the Stereolabfantastic sound of Marshmallow Coast. Sadly it seems that the Denver collective are no longer with us but the jazz trained M Coast lead man Andy Gonzales has left us with a lovely set of peppy brickbusters. Emily Growden sings like a chanteuse of repute on ‘Sail Around The World’ while the music around her swoops and flutters like a thousand well behaved hummingbirds. This is something ultra groovy for dance moves that don’t distinguish themselves while in company. KD

Marshmallow Coast - Sail Around The World

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Marshmallow Coast
Year: 2006

Oldfield, Peters, Cooper, Sperry and Lakes – so very rock and rock don’t you think? These five make up the Dayton outfit known as Captain of Industry and although I’m only parachuting into their creative output at album number 3, 2008’s ‘The Bronze’, I already know I am going to be lapping up their back catalogue with glee. ‘Face Full Of A Head Full Of Hair’ may be a bonkers title but the song itself is a masterclass in well-executed indie pop. There are melodious flourishes aplenty and the whole thing scuttles along in such a carefree way it almost seems a shame that it has to end. This is a creative jam that should form the bread and butter of any self respecting music fan’s collection. KD

Captain Of Industry - Face Full Of A Head Full Of Hair

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Captain Of Industry
Year: 2008

It’s funny the first thing that popped into my head when I heard this was ‘Time To Pretend’. The two are pretty different but they both single-handedly boost the happiness index wherever they are played so that must be it. If anything I prefer ‘Warning Bells’ and given it was recorded in Glasgow you’ve got to award extra points to the foursome for making it sound so tropical and cosy (like the Monkees). Make no mistake this could be huge, perched effortlessly in an evening’s worth of the finest indie music down your local dungeon or delighting daytime radio enthusiasts used to soggy cabbage. Two of the Mitchell boys used to be in a band called Afterchristmas, so it is somewhat ironic that their predicted (call me the indie Nostradamus) worldwide acclaim should occur in the weeks just preceding the jolly season. This is the magic new sound of young Scotland. KD

Mitchell Museum - Warning Bells

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Mitchell Museum
Year: 2008

Fancy some cobweb banishing audio? Well you’ve come to the right page because Simon Says No! don’t do quiet, unless you are sentence that reads quite fabulous. They don’t sound particularly Norwegian either for an Oslo band but then their influences come from a much more southerly direction. This type of fuzzy guitar bluster and thunderous marching beats will always find favour in my heart and it is assembled so well you’d almost imagine you were in the company of a set of veterans. As it is ‘Sleeping Heart’ is the work of 4 young bucks who wear their influences on their sleeves and their guitars in the tumble dryer. This is bold and quite brilliant and in many ways somewhat reassuring. The band's 'Ahoi De Angst' EP is out very soon. KD

Simon Says No! - Sleeping Heart

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Simon Says No!
Year: 2008

I was only speaking to another music blogger the other evening about how the second half of 2008 has being remarkable for Irish releases. Up to September it was shaping up to be an awful year but since then notable releases have come thick and fast. Tonight’s case for the defense comes courtesy of Dublin instrumentalists Halfset, who while never reinventing the wheel still produce a slick range of emotive sound. ‘Another Way Of Being There’ is their sophomore and is awash with pleasant turns, there are no post-rock crescendos but their quiet pulses of ingenuity do have a strangely hypnotic quality. And with that the corners have been chipped off all those childhood parish hall half set nightmares. KD

Halfset - Prairie

Watch The Video To Another Way of Being There

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

I’ve been looking for a tune like this for a while. A proper anthem that’s not just superficially satisfying but also comes with enough meat on its bones to warrant dedicated revisits. The source is a Brooklyn band named Falcon and they come with an interesting story and a back catalogue that they haven't even come close to fully recording yet (read their bio, it’s a pretty interesting story). Half of the band is made up of members from another New York outfit called Longwave (you may have heard of them). ‘The Sandfighter’ is the opening track from their debut EP and is heart crushingly lovely all the way from Neil Rosen’s piercing vocals to the sparkling instrumentation. Undeniably one of the songs of the year. KD

Falcon - The Sandfighter

Watch The Video

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

For our 6th release on the indiecater label we’ve plumped for a Dublin band who’ve filled our nights and days with glee ever since their debut ‘Youth Is Wasted On The Young’ dropped in 2005. Our love for their indie pop gems all began with this song ‘Waves To The Shore’, a classic of its kind that may remind you of the cutest Belle & Sebastian romp. It is dosed in melodies, ancient organ refrains and the most dewey eyed boy/girl harmonies imaginable. The album is available to stream and buy over at indiecater for the pocket friendly price of €3.50. We’ve even introduced a discount option where you can get a few bob off if you purchase more than one of our records. See, you can still have access to the best music even in these recessionary times! KD

Michael Knight - Waves To The Shore

Watch The Video To Leaving Town

More Info: Indiecater
Buy Songs: Michael Knight
Year: 2008

Distil indie down to its purest form and out would pop the Sea Urchins. They were signed to Sarah Records and this song has the distinction of being the fabled label’s first release. ‘Pristine Christine’ has got the lot, the lo-fi fuzzyness, the fey boy vocals, the jangling guitars and the words about a girl who was just out of reach. I hadn’t heard this in years until I happened upon it quite by chance and suddenly realised how much I’d missed it. I’m sure the beauty could be lost on some but sometimes it’s the simple ones that become the most memorable. A glowing beacon from the past. KD

The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine

More Info: Myspace
Year: 1987

As I’ve previously mentioned given Bradford Cox’s prolific nature you could easily power a blog with his giveaway recordings alone. Hardly bargain basement in nature either, just listen to his southern baptist remix of Stereolab’s ‘Neon Beanbag’ and you’ll see why he could yet become the messiah. The remix came about as Atlas Sound supported Stereolab on the early part of their North American tour. It must have been fun because that the only impression you could get from listening to ‘Neon Beanbag’. That and a hint of reindeer bells and you could have the best lead-into-christmas tuneage around. Stereolab's 11th album 'Chemical Chords' is out now.

4 minutes later, I’ve just heard the original version and apart from the baptist at the start there ain’t much new ground so let’s say on this one at least we are genuflecting towards Stereolab’s genius. KD

Stereolab - Neon Beanbag (Atlas Sound Remix)

Watch The Video

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

If this blog has done anything for me it’s opened my ears to music from places I never expected to find it. Bologna isn’t widely renowned for its supply of indie stalwarts but A Classic Education are slowly beginning to change all that. I’ve had a particular affinity for this band having spoken on several occasions to lead singer Jonathan Clancy. The personal touch really makes a difference and A Classic Education strike me a particularly blog friendly type of act. Could pay dividends but I’m sure given their strike rate of great songs they may soon have more than just us fawning over them. ‘We Could Always Run To Hawaii’ is their latest tune, a freebie to keep us tied over until the next record. And a chipper little thing it is too, the sort of 2 and a half minutes that’ll always find favour with those partial to some splendid indie pop. KD

A Classic Education - We Can Always Run To Hawaii

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: A Classic Education
Year: 2008

Ryan Schmale is only young so he may still get a little frightened by scary movies. I know I was at his age but then I didn’t have 3 records to my name by then so he may have lived life a bit more. Schmale runs the good ship That Ghost and I only rumbled this beauty because of the night that was in it. And now I am so glad it’s Halloween because this is a lo-fi wonder, the sort that could become a sleeper hit in indie circles due to it’s uncommonly tunesome nature despite the hiss. It’s taken from his album ‘Young Fridays’ which was released earlier this month on twosyllable records. KD

That Ghost - Open Windows

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: That Ghost
Year: 2008

I feel a bit more comfortable playing this song around Halloween because to be honest it scares me a little. Now I am a grown man but there is something undeniably creepy about the music that Asbury make. They’ve got that travelling vaudeville circus (with its inherent freaks and mysterious creatures) down to a T, something that those scousers Space were equally adept at pulling off. Asbury are from the other side of the world mind, L.A. to be precise and it’s David Franklin’s tortured voice that defines ‘Distance is the Difference’. I can confidently predict that this won't be on daytime radio but tune in beyond the witching hour and you’ll probably hear it haunting a scatter of lonesome DJ’s. KD

Asbury - Distance is the Difference

Watch The Video To Covered In Acrylic

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Asbury
Year: 2007

Great name for a band eh? Only if what they produce lives up to it I guess. Well, take a deep and relief filled phew then because ‘Right Rock’ is equal parts wondrous and outlandish. Led by Tyson Thurston (who has already been on our doorsteps playing with Casiotone For The Painfully Alone in Whelan’s!) this is a small operation with big ambitions. 'Right Rock' (taken from the EP of the same name) is utterly challenging, frequently impenetrable but worth persisting with to uncover the goodies that surely lie beneath. You'll struggle to hang your hat on any obvious hooks but over 4 minutes ‘Right Rock’ somehow paints an audio canvass that amounts to nothing less than devastating. I really can’t explain how it provokes such happiness inside of me, all I know is that it does and for that I am very thankful. KD

Magical, Beautiful - Right Rock

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Magical, Beautiful
Year: 2008

Pining after something new from the Shins, you know those purveyors of indie rock that craftily plunder from the past while defining the future, well Pittsburgh’s Meeting of Important People are here to make your wait all the more enjoyable. A cursory swoop through the net reveals very little about this trio, which is surprising given the melodic flourishes of their new single ‘Mothers Pay More’. Make no mistake this is a finely crafted piece of music that saunters for a bit, teasing the listener until the expected honeyed chorus finally arrives. When our embryonic label finally sprouts legs this is the sort of band we’ll be taking on, a creative it’s pretty clear will soon be breaking all the right hearts. KD

Meeting of Important People - Mothers Pay More

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Meeting of Important People
Year: 2008

First off I gotta say I sourced this from a CD (wha that?) given away with Analogue Magazine. It was called Peek!, cleverly so because it shines a light on those Irish acts that most deserve it. If CD’s aren’t your thing then head over to this page and download it for free. Anyway I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the songs contained within so shall be investigating the better ones over the next few weeks in a series of posts. The first stop off comes from Nouveaunoise, a west of Ireland duo who specialise in remixes but from the evidence on ‘To Where It's Alright’ could have a very productive sideline in original compositions. For that is what this electronic piece of artistry is, a highly original ensemble of digital drama. To me it sounds like all the best bits of electronica stripped from a Sigur Ros album and clipped together to make an affecting tune in its own right. Some days there’ll be a festival named after them. KD

Nouveaunoise - To Where It's Alright

More Info: Myspace
Year: 2008

I love this song for being wilfully obscure yet utterly charming, it’s an all too rare phenomenon I'm afraid. It comes from a Michigan 5-piece that used to be called Patterns in Paris and who generally shove convention in favour of ingenious experimentation. I’d crossed paths with them before around their debut ‘There Is A Moth In Your Chest’ but left confused and unconvinced. In the meantime I read somewhere that ‘patience is its own reward’ so by the time second album ‘Olly Oxen Free’ dropped (combined with a big 5 Acts prompt) I was mentally prepared. As expected the LP is an eclectic experience but one with iceberg potential, in fact just right now I am involved in an internal fist fight as to whether I should be discussing ‘Safe For The Time Being’ or ‘Out Dragging The River’. They being 2 of my favourite songs of the year and me being a southpaw I plumped for the former. It’ll sweep you from your crammed with so-so indie music player slumber in the same way that a toddler discovers that a liquid diet isn’t really all its cracked up to be. Savour your time with them. KD

Mason Proper - Safe For The Time Being

Watch The Video To My My (Bad Fruit)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Mason Proper
Year: 2008

This is the second act with a man-eating moniker to infiltrate these pages in as many days. And like the first one it is the work of just 1 person, Nathan Akin, alone in his apartment making music that will likely brighten up the lives of thousands more. His debut ‘Brutal’ came out a year ago and this is a fine track taken from it. It’ll be the dashing piano line that’ll rope you in but Akin’s vocals are an able foil. ‘Boredom’ certainly has an Arcade Fire feel about it, perhaps a little less grandiose that what that collective dream up but no less attention grabbing. KD

Clear Tigers - Boredom

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Clear Tigers
Year: 2007

If you opened my head I’m sure something like this would pour out. While we await flip top medicine which will confirm my suspicions NYC’s the Gang will do just nicely. Their debut album ‘Zero Hits’ (sadly prophetic I’m afraid) was released in June and is awash with noisy escapades that go nowhere in particular but still sound about as fetching as a stick loving springer spaniel. Along the way you’ll hear the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, the Go! Team and most especially that secret Gang ingredient that remains uniquely their own creation. ‘Rose Island’ is a blast from start to finish, guitar shards fly like shrapnel and are only matched by the machine gun vocals that are imbued with unrestrained youthful endeavour. KD

The Gang - Rose Island

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

Much like the rest of us breathe, Bradford Cox makes music. Not sure there is a more prolific artist out there as you can see for yourself from his own blog where new material appears with lightning frequency. Must admit I’ve joined the Deerhunter party late but their Dublin show earlier this year was convincing enough to prove that something special was afoot. It was a really loud performance but altogether thrilling. Was a little surprised then when I happened upon ‘Microcastle’ (the band’s 3rd LP) at how tender and immediate it was. There are squally guitar showers of course but mostly it felt as if Pavement had regrouped and made one of the best comebacks ever. Let me qualify that by saying that they ape Pavement in their crushingly lovely melodies assembled at delicately awkward angles rather than in sounding particularly like them. ‘Microcastle’ is undoubtedly one of the albums of the year and is a rugged testament to how great music, even after all this time, continues to be made. ‘Never Stops’ and the rest of this wonderful album should soon be haunting both your days and nights. KD

Deerhunter - Never Stops

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

You hear people talking about the thrill they used to get on buying a vinyl album as they waited for the needle to drop on the opening track. I must admit I used to get the same feelings, especially so when I was taking a punt on an act I thought I’d like. It’s about 3 years since I bought music on that format (‘Wilderness’ by Sunny Day Sets Fire if you must know) so today I get my kicks from discovering brand new acts on the net. Oh the joy of finding someone genuinely interesting and relatively unknown, an occasion where you have to use whatever critical devices you may have to establish whether something is good or bad. Junior Jaguar fits the bill perfectly. Based in Alaska his tune ‘Morning’ sends shivers down my spine, I loved the instrumentation from the off but the vocals took a little longer to work their magic. In some ways I thought the two didn’t quite fit but that’s what made it all the more enjoyable as the union started to bear fruit. Junior Jaguar is a one-man bedroom project who will be unveiling his debut LP in early 2009 and if ‘Morning’ is indicative of the fare on offer I will be waiting patiently with the needle (or most probably mouse) at the ready. KD

Junior Jaguar - Morning

More Info: Myspace
Year: 2008

Celestial have been seeing a lot of action round these parts lately. And with good reason because they have kindly contributed (the ear candy that is ‘Fragile Heart’) to our 3rd compilation called Indiecater Vol. 3. Now with a new album out we can’t help but fall again for their jangling dreampop template. If Malin Dahlberg’s vocals weren’t enough then Andreas Hagman's chorus of chiming guitar's should be capable of sweetening the short days and long nights. Celestial’s music is certainly a throwback to the days of Sarah Records but I could quite easily sit through hours of this sort of stuff, with Celestial playing I could probably stretch it to a couple of days. ‘Crystal Heights’ is a peachy droplet of niceness from the album of the same name. We remain smitten by Sweden’s endless supply of sonic delights. KD

Celestial - Crystal Heights

Watch The Video To Fragile Heart

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

2008 has proven to be a poor year for dance music. Apart from one or two interesting asides it seems that the frontiers are no longer being explored. Even our beloved electronica has had a quiet one, for a time there it seemed that every precious release was of the digital kind but just recently the mojo has been lost. Nice then to happen upon something from that arena that is worthwhile. We've featured Microfilm before and they do produce something that always stokes the fires. Their new album 'The Slingshot Orchestra' is out next month and boasts a maze of dark wonders. At no stage does it infiltrate those euphoric senses but it is never less than an arresting listen. 'We Are Terribly Sorry For Your Loss' is my favourite, a shadowy hypnotic groove that will go down a treat at whatever type of Halloween party you decide to throw. There's no obvious moment when the song goes interstellar but it'll keep you entertained from beginning to end. KD

Microfilm - We Are Terribly Sorry For Your Loss

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

Indiecater (the label if you don't mind!) is a mere 4 months old but we’ve still racked up 5 releases, the latest of which was hatched last night and is titled Indiecater Volume 3 (always a fan of consistency me). This is our 3rd compilation and it features 10 bands from all over the world (just noticed earlier there has yet to be a band from England, a bit odd). It was moulded like a mixtape and it is meant to have a kind of progression that becomes obvious as the tape unwinds. Whether it does or not is open to question but like all the best mixtapes you can quite easily take a track from Volume 3 for a compilation you can make at home yourself. As ever these 10 songs have been hand-picked so in our eyes at least there is no filler. The contributing artists will benefit from every sale so when you buy you can be assured not only of quality sounds but also the guarantee that your money will be going straight back to source. Here is a premier example of the fare on offer from Portland’s Starfucker. Get Indiecater Volume 3 here and close the curtains on another rainy day. KD

Starfucker - German Love

More Info: Indiecater
Buy Songs: Indiecater Vol. 3
Year: 2008

Last night's post had me thinking of my favourite bands from the early 90’s, the guitar led combos that I’ve been comparing the young guns against ever since. Swervedriver were from Oxford and broke at a time when it seemed that that town appeared to be at the epicentre of everything bright and interesting (see also Ride, Radiohead, Supergrass). Even though they officially dissolved in 1999 the original Swervedriver line-up reconvened earlier this year and played some gigs. Given the genius of their debut ‘Raise’ from 1991 and this single ‘Duel’, which followed 2 years later, I’d imagine they would have been events to savour. ‘Duel’ was a single of the year on an NME CD I picked up all those years ago and it has lost none of its incendiary power in the intervening period. This is a stone cold classic in fact, above any critical negativity you care to throw at it. KD

Swervedriver - Duel

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Swervedriver
Year: 1993

Fresh out of the pot and certain to brew up a storm are a brand new trio called Percolator. Led by Ian Chestnutt details on the Waterford outfit are a bit sketchy but for the moment we have the Sonic Youth bluster of ‘Lead Salad’ to keep us drooling for more. Intriguingly the song starts out sounding like ‘You Made Me Realise’ but slowly slips into something a bit more ear friendly. Chestnutt’s slick indie-boy vocals are ably backed up by some of the sweetest low-slung instrumentation you’ll hear all 2008. It adds up to an auspicious start for the young band, if they can build on this we could be witnessing the emergence of something great. Cheers to Peter for the heads up. KD

Percolator - Lead Salad

More Info: Myspace
Year: 2008

If you look to the right of this page you’ll see a list of huggable labels and one of the links points to Shelflife Records run by 2 quarters of this band Tears Run Rings. If you were seeking an outfit that was rigid in their adherence of the shoegaze aesthetic then Tears Run Rings would probably be a perfect fit. Their gift however is that their portrayal sounds fresh and exciting and doesn’t have you clambering for the dusty vinyl of ‘Just For A Day’. At times their debut LP ‘Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never’ is close to exhilarating like on ‘Run Run Run’ with its searing guitars, J&MC vocals and heavy duty drumming. Play this at dangerously high decibels in a dingy Friday night venue and people could start believing they're hearing the future. I want to start a record label. KD

Tears Run Rings - Run Run Run

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Tears Run Rings
Year: 2008

It hasn’t been a good year for post-rock, I’ve heard the promo track from Mogwai’s newbie and now I can’t even bring myself to listen to it. Fresh pastures are required and right now one of the most promising comes from north of the border. Belfast to be precise courtesy of a band called And So I Watch You From Afar. With a new LP waiting in the wings and a fabulous debut EP ‘This Is Our Machine And Nothing Can Stop It’ under their belts ASIWUFA could soon be straddling up beside the great instrumental acts of our time. Explosions In The Sky have already set the benchmark but epics like ‘The Voiceless’ signal something very substantial could be on the way. In fact it so impressed one of the best publications on this island, AU Magazine, that it crept into the Top 10 of their list of favourite 50 songs since their inception. Expect much longer queues at the ticket office once they play Whelan's on November 23rd. KD

And So I Watch You From Afar - The Voiceless

Watch The Video To Holylands, 4am

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: And So I Watch You From Afar
Year: 2008

Fancy dieting on an album that somehow ends up sounding like Calexico, the Beta Band and believe it or not Noah & The Whale over its twisty turny 11 tracks. I was a little confused, even more so when I a look at their website which is a maze of links to other parts of the internet. Ah, well I’ll put my confusion down to early morning fuzziness and let the music do the talking. ‘MonkeySkyMonkey’ is the bands second digital release and at £3.99 it must go down as one of the year's best deals. I’m completely enamoured with the exotically tailored instrumental ‘I Risk Losing My Shine (Redux)’ and the gently jangling flicker of ‘Locational Assist’ but there is plenty more to lap up. I love discovering bands like datapuddle, talented individuals producing music that deserves to take up an essential few MB's on music players everywhere. KD

datapuddle - I Risk Losing My Shine (Redux)

datapuddle - Locational Assist

Watch The Video To Permanent Display

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

I was rooting in a cupboard full of CD’s earlier this afternoon and recoiling at the endless stacks looking back at me at awkward angles through cracked plastic sleeves. Unloved and uncared for they’ll hardly ever be played again but then perhaps like ‘Ping Pong’ by Stereolab they’ll be plucked from obscurity. My favourite Stereolab period came around the ‘Mars Audiac Quintet’ and ‘Refried Ectoplasm’ (‘94/’95) releases and I pretty much picked up every single/EP from the era. The ‘Ping Pong’ EP contained a live version (as in live in the studio) of ‘Transona Five’ and for a time I was besotted with it. It was highly characteristic of the Stereolab sound back then, lyrics were interspersed with moog patterns and Tim Gane’s circular chords. Lætitia Sadier was reason enough to love this band but their dreamy drone rock marked them out as true innovators. Pity they slowly let it slip from their grasp. KD

Stereolab - Transona Five (live)

Watch The Video To Ping Pong

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Stereolab
Year: 1994

Given that Christchurch act Shocking Pinks have only been together for 5 years it seems remarkable that they’ve ploughed through 16 members already. Hasn’t put the labels off though as they’ve been on the seminal Flying Nun for a while now and just recently signed to DFA Records. At Shocking Pinks core is Nick Harte, a man with a gift for widescreen lo-fi audio as poetry. Ditties that may appear murky to some sound like diamonds round these parts, it’s experimental but the targets are very alluring. ‘The Narrator’ is particularly fetching, industrial by design but with the sort of handmade charm that snags hearts. ‘This Aching Deal’ is bedecked in flavoursome jangle and a Bernard Sumner just under the radar vocal making it ideal mixtape material. A burning talent. KD

Shocking Pinks - The Narrator

Shocking Pinks - This Aching Deal

Watch The Video To End of The World

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Shocking Pinks
Year: 2007

You can now buy the self-titled debut album from Burning Codes from our record label Indiecater!

The internet is awash with scammers, fakers, charlatans and the talentless. So it comes as some surprise when you strike up an online friendship with someone who is real and also really talented. Paul Archer is one of those and I've had the pleasure of knowing him since the early days of his musical project Burning Codes. Paul is passionate about music and this passion manifests itself in his gospel-tinged output. It's a simple formula but one that is both warm and embracing, contemplation triggering in almost every case. Sumptuously layered vocals and gentle chord changes are Burning Codes stock in trade and it is quite easy to find oneself immersed in the magic. His eponymous debut is to be released at the Belfast Empire tomorrow night (18th October) as part of the Oxjam Festival and is awash with the sort of spiritually uplifting material that is rarely available on this side of the musical divide. Such is the strength of the album it's quite difficult to pull a track aside for individual attention but closing track 'Whirlwind' is very special indeed. It is affecting to the point where I get emotional every time I hear it, in fact I'll go so far as to say that it makes me want to become a better person. Burning Codes is truly something we can all believe in. KD

Burning Codes - Whirlwind

Watch The Video To For All Time

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Burning Codes
Year: 2008

Quite a mouthful eh? And you may as well keep it open for the jaw dropping ‘Join The Dots’ from this Manchester quartet’s latest EP. From what I’ve heard thus far vocals aren’t a priority but I’m not sure it would be possible to make these songs any more endearing than they already are. The word pastoral springs to mind, as does the words iPod advert because this has the sort of innate magic that so propelled Orba Squara from obscurity. ‘Join The Dots’ is an unbridled success as much for the emotions it inspires as the instrumentation, which is both fragile and adventurous. And it’s not alone on the ‘Put Your Slippers On’ EP, a record that you’ll listen to from beginning to end in a semi-comatose state of bliss. Who ever said the shuffle generation couldn’t devour a long player in one sitting? KD

Tim and Sam's Tim and Sam Band with Tim and Sam - Join The Dots

Watch The Video

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Buy Songs: Tim and Sam's Tim and Sam Band with Tim and Sam
Year: 2008

Seeing as Los Campesinos! (and No Age, Times New Viking) are playing Whelan's tomorrow evening I thought I'd resurrect a post we had on the band from December 2006 (go check it, its still there!). It was an exclusive for the site, a remix of their ace (and still best) tune ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ by their college lecturer (a man by the name of Badmington). At the time they gave me some jip for bowing to student clichés but shur they are famous now and students are still as smelly.


8.45am Peel tongue off soggy pillow.

8.46am No clean vessel, slurp copiously from water supplying node.

8.50am Cycling at the speed of sound, break the lights, find an open pharmacy.

9.03am Tablets ingested, head clearing, where’s lecture room 101?

9.22am English Lit sucks, so does Badmington, crap sport too.

9.45am Feeling nauseous, not long to go, blah, blah, blah, what sort of post human is this man?

10am Alien calls me back, oh dear, no words, just a CDR.

10.05am Call it quits, bed needs urgent attention.

10.16am Plug in CDR, duvet covers head, our tune reworked, foot taps, wish it was longer.

10.19am Old people can be cool too, neither bad nor ming, he's my hero. Eno! With! Hair! KD

Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Plagiarizing!

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: Hold On Youngster
Year: 2006

Not sure whether Juana Molina's newbie, ‘Un Día’, is quite as absorbing as her last, ‘Son’, but it's still a hypnotic listen. Hypnotic I say because being sung in Spanish you have to rely on your own imagination to colour the voluptuous audio. To be fair there isn't that much wordage for Spanish linguists either because Molina's sound is characterised by her vast array of vocal tics, chirps and lush overdubs. It's almost as if she takes some initial recordings, dices them up into a million pieces and then puts them all back together to form a carefully orchestrated tapestry. The result is unique and otherworldly and rewards the patient listener as the jigsaw of sound slowly metamorphoses into wondrous sense. Some of the tunes impress further through off-kilter jangle like on ‘Los Hongos’ (which also sports some fetching Orbitalesque electronic turns), ensuring that the svelte manoeuvres slowly take your breath away. KD

Juana Molina - Los Hongos

Watch The Video To La Verdad

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Juana Molina
Year: 2008

I like Analogue Magazine, not just because it is free but also because it is free spirited. It's quite obvious that its writers are fans first and foremost so are unlikely to be swayed by general consensus; the words rush from the heart as opposed to a preconceived notion as to what they believe people might like to read. It's a veteran going by the short lifespan of most Irish music magazines and it is celebrating its 1st birthday on Thursday evening in Twisted Peppar on Abbey Street. Entertainment on the night is by arch experimentalist Patrick Kelleher, intriguing newbies Villagers and (the I don’t have a clue who is) Spilly Walker. To get you in the mood here are some elderly people from Leeds who should know better but we pray they never do. KD

The Wedding Present - Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk

More Info: The Wedding Present
Buy Songs: The Wedding Present
Year: 2008

I’d imagine reviews involving this band can be an invitation to engage in some brand of toilet humour. Well, I’m going to resist the temptation this time because the Boggs were actually called after a Bluesman and anyway ‘Melanie In The White Coat’ has swished through my brain with the antiseptic efficiency of an emergency room janitor. As you’d expect they come from Brooklyn (what bands don’t these days?), revel in experimental explosions of sound that sometimes sound nice in the morning but often sound better with alcohol on board. They’ve got the intensity of Times New Viking but probably won’t require earplugs no matter how scuzzy they decide to play on any given day. If this isn’t an invitation to turn you off then all I can say is may the ‘Forts’ be with you. KD

The Boggs - Melanie In The White Coat

Watch The Video To Remember The Orphans

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Buy Songs: The Boggs
Year: 2008

Ok, I know what you are thinking and I agree it does sound a bit like them at the top of the charts but hey we all need a bit of pop to get us through the day. And there’s no getting away from the fact that ‘Surprise, Surprise’ is a superbly crafted tune, the production is squeaky clean and the harmonies are pristine. What pleases me most though is the opening segment, which replicates the scene where the prizewinners enter Wonka’s chocolate room. Adam Stidham’s vocals are impressive, managing to veer away from what could so easily have become a clone of something altogether more syrupy. I’m trying hard to stop my natural negativity towards this sort of thing because the bottom line is that this is a sweet song. KD

Civalias - Surprise, Surprise

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