Bell X1 might sweep to victory in the prize for most successful Kildare band ever but back in the 1990’s Whipping Boy tethered on the cusp of world domination. Recrimination, lacklustre sales and a gradual weariness of the music industry meant that the bands main men Ferghal McKee (vocals) and Paul Page (guitar) went 8 years without talking to each other. Thankfully bridges have been mended and we are just a week away from the bands reunion gigs. Whipping Boy burst onto the scene in 1992 with their feedback-laden masterstroke ‘Submarine’. While it may have lacked the production sheen of ‘Heartworm’ the unbridled anger that seeped from the tunes was a joy to behold. Behind the ear splitting noise was an ingrained ability to coin sweet mangled melody. ‘Favourite Sister’ holds a special place in my heart as I first heard it from a drafty lecture hall back in early nineties. Even though the band were playing in a different part of the campus the My Bloody Valentine swathes of noise affected all and sundry. The gig was eventually cancelled after 3 songs because the cleaning ladies were unable to perform their duties such was the intense volume levels. They don’t make them like this anymore, with a bit of luck the reunion gigs will go well and once again no old dear within earshot will be able to carry out her daily rounds. KD

Whipping Boy - Favourite Sister

Album: Submarine
Year: 1992
Buy: Heartworm (Submarine has sunk)

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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!

If ever a band deserved to record a seasonal standard then it’s the multi (not santa white I hasten to add) bearded Grandaddy. You see they can throw in all the slush that they want and it’ll still be as magical as fluffy snowflakes on a Christmas morn. Jason Lytle might look like he should have a wood axe permanently in his hand but thankfully he has decided to carve open our hearts by lofty harmonies instead. ‘Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland’ is as near a career highpoint as you’ll get. They may be having a laugh and the lines sometimes appear to be about a dozen words too long but the song is imbued with the essence of Christmas. In fact there is such an underlying beauty to this recording it could have the same effect on the mean spirited as three apparitions. ‘Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland’ is taken from the rare ‘It’s A Cool Cool Christmas’ compilation, which has left a powerful legacy to forever announce that winter’s here kids. KD

Grandaddy - Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland

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

Fans of Pavement may need to set their sights on David Bazan who is the one-man army that propels Pedro the Lion. He is the creator of the simplest of musical whimsies but his flights of fancy have such a velvet cockpit worth of summery nuances it’s hard not to be taken in. His voice has the requisite morning after drawl and his guitars are characterised by a coterie of sweet riffs. ‘Big Trucks’ is charmingly innocent, impossible to dislike such is its propensity for smiling when a rough shove would probably be more appropriate. Bazan is a devout Christian and while this thought might have you hurtling in the opposite direction there is enough warm unfussy noise around the sermon to provide an able distraction. KD

Pedro The Lion - Big Trucks

Album: It's Hard To Find A Friend
Year: 1998
Buy: It's Hard to Find a Friend

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What a dreamy concoction Stereolab used to be (and to a lesser degree still are). On the one hand you had the frothy vocals supplied by French chanteuse Laetitia Sadier with able backup from Mary Hansen, then there was Tim Gane’s spectral Moog emissions and finally there was the odd dash of Beach Boyesque tinkering from Sean O’Hagan. For a while each new release from the band brought wide-eyed variants in what was an unmistakable Stereolab sound. While the band have consistently inhabited the fringes there is such a wealth of precious recordings in their back catalogue newcomers to the band will be thrilled just by dipping in. ‘Low Fi’ is indicative of the early days when the bands tumbling wall of sound was as vibrant as it was melodious. We’re talking a My Bloody Valentine carpet of sound that is instantly soothed by the vocal interplay between Hanson and Sadier. Hanson simply adds in the standard pop refrain of ba-da-bum while Sadier effortlessly billows plumes of elegance from her lips. It’s not an understatement to say that is one of the most remarkable songs of the nineties. KD

Stereolab - Low Fi

Album: Low Fi EP
Year: 1992
Buy: Low Fi

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Looper was the side project that turned into a full time gig for ex Belle & Sebastian man Stuart David. His exit from the latter certainly changed things and it’s debatable whether his new outfit were worth the schism. That said, Looper periodically throw up perfectly formed electronic pieces like ‘Mondo ‘77’. The song even crept onto the Vanilla Sky soundtrack and stood out imperiously despite the stellar cast around it. ‘Mondo ‘77’ has a frenetic danceability that is aided and abetted by the encouraging catcalls. Think Mylo after 5 rounds of bourbon or the Chemical Brothers were they to dust off their time capsule and be transported back to a more fertile period of creativity. No party should be without this over the next few weeks. KD

Looper - Mondo '77

Album: The Geometrid
Year: 2000
Buy: Geometrid

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Whiteout were a curious act who peddled a unfortunate mix of middle of the road rock with an occasional country edge. Their star ascended for a time in the mid nineties as they secured a deal with the (then) ultra cool Silvertone label who had released the Stone Roses debut. A number of their singles flirted with the indie charts but it was obvious the Scottish band were destined for bargain bin anonymity. The strange thing was that hidden away on their releases were impossibly beautiful tunes bedecked in harmonies that would have given parts of ‘Pet Sounds’ a run for its money. ‘Dee Troyt’ is a b-side from the ‘Detroit’ single and is note perfect heart swelling ear candy. The acoustics are crystal and the crisp production bolsters the dreamy vocals. If they had emphasised this side of their talent then perhaps their label could’ve had another phenomenon on their hands. KD

Whiteout - Dee Troyt

Album: Detroit single
Year: 1994
Buy: Detroit

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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!

I’m sure we’ll all agree that the season of goodwill provides a perfect opportunity for the shysters of this world to get us to part from our over eager wallets. The scenario isn’t uncommon in the music industry either with every halfhearted, reindeer bell tacked on, attempt selling bucketloads in the run up to the 25th. Unfortunately I’m a sucker for the stuff, no matter who records a holly jolly effort I’ll be there with streams rolling from my eyeballs. I know you want me this year Mariah but I’ve got to help Kim put up the tree in time for the rockin party she has planned. Of course there are exceptions; from time to time a song appears that can stand up on its own two feet on the 7th of January. As you know Low aren’t your average pop band, they have single-handedly defined the slowcore movement over an engaging career and continue to unearth jaw dropping albums. ‘Just Like Christmas’ is a departure, however, with a deep seethed energy that is usually foreign to the band. The sound of sleigh bells is cleverly manoeuvred into the fabric of the tune (let me finish!) and the recording sounds like it predates ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ yet the honeyed vocals and barnstorming instrumentation would have Ebenezer himself throwing an extra coin into Cratchit’s salary. It’s taken from the otherwise soft spoken ‘Christmas’ EP and from this December forward it will light up your heart like the glow of a yuletide log. KD

Low - Just Like Christmas

More Info: Low
Buy The EP: [UK] Christmas [US] Christmas
Year: 1999

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1) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

An irresistible concoction, bursting at the seams with flavour, yet never too rich or sickly sweet. read more

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - In This Home On Ice

Listen and feel the worms in your gut become butterflies

2) Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Do believe the hype. The British music press get it right on this fractured, angular, splintered shard of guitar pop. read more

3) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

2 down, 48 to go, and Stevens is already honing his songwriting technique to the point of perfection. read more

4) Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites

You know the people you meet who are really hard to get to know, but end up being one of your best friends. Well here's the musical equivalent. read more

5) Sigur Ros - Takk

The voice of a generation with nothing to say. read more

6) Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die

Eight Australians launch another jaunty, ADD-friendly attack on the world. Wide-eyed and wonderful.

7) Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary

Yes, they do sound like that other band, but they still have plenty to say, and shout, for themselves.

8) Brakes - Give Blood

16 songs, fast and furious, country punk, sore neck. read more

9) The National - Alligator

A seemingly innocuous incognito that'll lurk in the shadows and will hit you when you least expect it. read more


10) Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness

Electronica comes of age, Manitoba who? read more

Best of the rest

11) Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

12) Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth

Ex-Pavement frontman rediscovers his knack for the shambolic.

13) Michael Knight - Youth Is Wasted On The Young

Ireland finds its own Belle & Sebastian, Beach Boys & South Ambulance. read more

14) Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft

Nine years on, and the Welsh lads still haven't lowered the bar.

15) The Ponys - Celebration Castle

Frenetic guitar onslaughts periodically make way for melodic chorus'

16) British Sea Power - Open Season

At least one thing good came out of the great war. read more

17) Doves - Some Cities

Cemented their reputation as a must-see live act, and at least the first four songs on this record are a must-hear. read more

18) Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration

The old stagers prove that the songs haven't deserted them yet. read more

19) Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger

Spraying aural graffiti inside your head.

Honourable Mentions (in no particular order)

The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Willy Mason - Where The Humans Eat read more
The Spinto Band – Nice & Never Done
Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World
Thirteen Senses - The Invitation read more
Boards Of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
The Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004's winner) read more
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Belle & Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (best compilation)
My Morning Jacket - Z
Animal Collective – Feels
Calla - Collisions
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever
Editors – The Back Room
Low – The Great Destroyer

indiecater records

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They left themselves with an uphill battle to scale the heights of their defining moment ‘Screamadelica’ yet Primal Scream have retained a dignity long forsaken by many of their early contemporaries. Whatever way you look at it, however, there was never a chance that their indie-dance fusion of 1991 could be have been bettered. With the band about to throw in the towel salvation came by way of dance impresario Andrew Weatherall who proceeded to revitalise a collection of songs that had the necessary class but lacked the killer guile. ‘Higher Than The Sun’ appeared twice on the album and this is the lengthier version with spaced out first half, followed up by a Jah Wobble bass fest that is as chilled as freshly popped ice cube. What else could you expect from a band who poised in various degrees of annihilation after bouts of drinking leaving the tag line ‘Primal Scream, know what I mean’ to explain all. Genius. KD

Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun

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More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: [UK] Screamadelica [US] Screamadelica
Year: 1991

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While their most recent album ‘Some Cities’ hardly set the world alight Doves remain an awesome prospect. They are equipped to follow the easy route and knock off drop dead gorgeous pop anthems (‘Catch The Sun’, ‘Pounding’, ‘Almost Forgot Myself’) but then they’ll likely live more dangerously by dreaming an epic that reveals itself after repeated listens (‘The Man Who Told Everything’, ‘There Goes The Fear’). Coming from a dance background (Sub Sub) gives them an extra edge and helps blunt their Northern miserabilism. ‘Down To Sea’ is an unusual in that it’s an instrumental save for some lavish groans from Jimi Goodwin. Typically it begins with the sound of incessant rain; thankfully the circular soothing chord changes soon follow. After the first 20 seconds you have the tune in a nutshell as the wonderful riffage repeats itself until fade out. Not utterly compelling then, but nice for daydreaming as the winter nights draw in. KD

Doves - Meet Me At The Pier

Album: Lost Sides
Year: 2003
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The Field Mice were the quintessential indie band signed to the quintessential indie label Sarah Records. Their songs were fragile, honest, heart rending and twee. Over 3 short years they released some of the most precious singles ever. The singles themselves are long since deleted so all we’re left with is a compilation of their best moments. ‘If You Need Someone’ is certainly one of them; even if the programming is beginning to show some signs of aging there is no doubting the genius in the song writing. The guitars are lithe, timid efforts that shimmer effortlessly while Robert Wratten coaxes vocals like sighs from his lips. The result will have you standing still on the spot in goggled eye admiration. Beneath the layers of instrumentation the song engages through an appetite for cradling a relationship that may never happen. The fact that the surrounding fuss is so neat makes it all the more special. KD

The Field Mice - If You Need Someone

Album: Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way?
Year: 1998
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Vince Caro may not have deviated that far from the lost book of how to write perfectly formed pieces of heart wrenching indiepop but it is hard to resist his dashing output. Basement Apartment released their full debut Transistor! last year and it's a joy to behold. How it slipped by unnoticed is hard to comprehend but Basement Apartment are the sort of act that could evolve into a huge success story with a little promotion. ‘No Dancing’ is one of the albums prime cuts with its slow rush of vocals, harmony and gentle guitar plucking performing the perfect tonic to the headaches of everyday life. Lovers of Belle & Sebastian, it’s time to have an affair. KD

Basement Apartment - No Dancing

Album: Transistor!
Year: 2004
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Just when did the string quartet become such a vital cog in the indie bands artillery? Picture Sigur Ros without the orchestra and you take away what makes them such a beautiful prospect. The Delgados used to play the same card with the result that their winning ideas could be rightfully heard in vibrant technicolor. The danger of course is that over usage could take away from the thrill. Lucky then that we have bands like the Coral Sea who find a seamless way to marry the classical with the more traditional approach. ‘Look At Her Face’ is a remarkable piece of music; the viola and tinkling guitar shimmer in unison while a punishing beat sends a pocket of energised air hurtling in your direction. This dramatic noise is hard to ignore, jammed tight with its own confidence and ready to point a disapproving finger at those willing to settle for limp chart fodder. As befits a band from a town named Santa Barbara there are even a few reindeer bells thrown in for good measure. KD

The Coral Sea - Look At Her Face

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Album: Volcano & Heart
Year: 2005
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You can now buy this song on one of our Indiecater compilations here!

There’s something about a jangling guitar that is hard to resist, combine said hand movement with a memorable vocal harmony and you’re ascending towards indiepop heaven. Finnish band Cats on Fire have the trick down to a T, even if their homemade efforts suggest that they don’t exactly have the music industry banging down their doors (http://www.catsonfire.tk/). One of their more memorable moments is ‘Higher Grounds’ which is wonderfully realised for a demo. There are echoes of Belle & Sebastian and the Field Mice in the grand tweeness but there is also wholesome feel to the way the song thunders along. The warm vocal harbours lots of pretty riffs and the action never falters for its whole duration. Impossible to dislike, easy to fall in love with, it’s surely only a matter of time before this band find a kindred label. KD

Cats On Fire - Higher Grounds

Album: The Seelonce Mayday Demo
Year: 2004
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With the silly season on the way maybe it’s time to get a bit silly. Mike Batt wrote the songs for the Wombles and despite their fluffy exterior they could certainly belt out an impressive tune. This is a b-side taken from the ‘Super Womble’ 7-inch single and comes to you complete with impressive vinyl crackles and near-skips. The words recount the tale of the Orinoco Kid whose passion in life seems to have predated our modern day litter wardens; his was a bold, brave, fearless quest to clean up the grime in every town he encountered. Despite the daft premise, there’s no doubting Batt’s lyrical skills (‘I was quick on the draw, As I tidied up the floor’!) as well as his gift for catchy melody. If the Monkees had ever decided to record this it would surely have been a number one. The low-end production could have perfectly snuck in on any pastiche of the Spaghetti Westerns and will delight the whole family as they try and deflate around the yuletide log. If you are a fan of the Wombles 'Wombling Merry Christmas' is on its way in December! KD

Mike Batt - The Orinoco Kid

Album: Super Womble 7-inch
Year: 1975
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As elegantly cool as an oversized cigarette hanging from the lips of a sixties supermodel dEUS possess all the elements for rampant creativity yet they mask the sweet spots behind a elaborately tailored smokescreen. This is great if you prefer your thrills to be slightly inaccessible, yet this characteristic has shielded the band from a less than inquisitive public. ‘Hotellounge’ is a case in point; it has the usual Velvet Underground references, unsettling undercurrents and a map that swings from tense scene setter to a cathartic dancehall full of musicians from purgatory. While such an apocalyptic description may seem alarming it’s hard not to be taken in by the boisterous playing that features an elastic bass, Sonic Youth feedback, slow/fast tempo and Tom Barman’s Oscar winning vocal performance. Don’t play this before the 9pm watershed. KD

dEUS - Hotellounge (Be The Death Of Me)

Album: Worst Case Scenario
Year: 1994
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While post-rock straddles the borders of public appeal there’s no doubting the undeniable power of the genre when it’s executed correctly. The likes of Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor can summon fragmented works of genius just as easily as they can frolic about aimlessly on the spot. There are occasions when it all goes right, however, namely on ‘Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place’, ‘Ten Rapid’, ‘Storm’ and Do Make Say Think’s epic ‘Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn’. The latter is an unheralded classic from the peerless Canadian label Constellation Records. How this Toronto band contrived to rise so majestically from the admirable ashes of their previous efforts is one to debate at a later date. The album is awash with boundless guitar forays, looping rhythms and ever changing kaleidoscopes of sound. ‘Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!’ is possibly the way you’ll feel after the slopes and valleys of this nugget. The gentleness of the acoustic opening is only slightly tempered by racing car like reversing guitars. Then the percussion goes askew and the keyboards run out of batteries as if the backside is about to fall out of the tune. As is the norm with its neighbours on the album, however, there are close encounters of the chord kind at hand to iron out the seemingly endless list of anomalies. If you’d like to host a non-destructive tornado in your head for 6 minutes, hear you go. KD

Do Make Say Think - Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Album: Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
Year: 2003
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The Paris Angels were completely of their time, melding the constituents of baggy; boys with guitars twinned with a propensity to add the necessary grooves to cock the ears of dance aficionados. They even borrowed from the Stone Roses penchant for headline grabbing graffiti (albeit, momentary) as ‘Sundew’s cover captures the moment when bright lasers emblazoned the bands name and album title across government buildings. The album went almost unnoticed at the time, which is a shame as it has plenty of worthwhile artefacts. The standout is undoubtedly ‘Perfume (All On You)’ an epic fusion of spurting beats, chunky keyboards and a trained indie sensibility delivering pinpoint chords and boy/girl harmonies. Despite its age the multi-textures still sound captivating, like Chapterhouse on E or the Happy Monday’s without. The finale bursts forward at will as the happy pulses struggle to get through the bottleneck that is your speakers. Your weekends may never be the same again. KD

Paris Angels - Perfume (All On You)

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Album: Sundew
Year: 1991
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Despite being overwhelmingly Scottish in its makeup there’s no doubting that the creative force behind the Reindeer Section is Irishman Gary Lightbody. The album was recorded at a time when it looked like his own band didn’t have a snowballs chance in hell of selling more than a couple of thousand records. ‘Y’all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear’ was a welcome retreat for the singer to indulge his undoubted talents with the help of over a dozen other musicians. For the most part the record was a timid offering, not in quality but in the laid-back compositions it unveiled. ‘Sting’ was a notable exception that rallied around a circular jangling riff. Lightbody’s voice sounds imperious as the backing singers coo in the distance and a Belle and Sebastian trumpeter adds the necessary finesse to seal what is one of 2001’s most impressive alt gem. KD

The Reindeer Section - Sting

Album: Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!
Year: 2001
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Even in terms of Space’s non-linear style ‘Female Of The Species’ is a bit of an oddity (a space oddity, ahem). These Liverpool lads had to wait until their second album, ‘Tin Planet’, before success arrived by way of a duet with a Welsh lass and some avenging angels. ‘Female Of The Species’ is their crowning achievement, however, its effect on the psyche is akin to the sight of a puff adder slithering from a clothesbasket in your bedroom. As you’d expect there are plenty of exotic influences at work, don’t be surprised to hear it as you browse the wares in the Souks of Marrakech. But for all its dramatic vibes only the double-jointed could seriously attempt to dance to it. The singing sounds like it emanates from an analogue line, there are electronic hisses, bumps and bruises along the way but be thankful you don’t have to deal with a certain lady who places Jekyll and Hyde at the back of the queue in the deadly stakes. KD

Space - Female Of The Species

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Space Info: Official
Buy Album: [UK] Spiders [US] Spiders
Year: 1996

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