I listen to a lot of music, tons of it in fact and it's not confined to what presents itself via headphones. I could be watching an advert for blueberry juice and the interesting background sound will have me hurtling towards search engines to see who the song is by. But, for all the music I have listened to over the last few years I have never knowingly (as in later found out it was by them) heard a song by Kanye West, Jay-Z or 50 cent. Granted I don't listen to the radio that often but even when I do I can't recall a single occasion where the mid-Atlantic twang announces that the song just played was from one of the trio. Kanye appears to have a huge profile, he's everywhere, mentioned in dispatches far and wide and yet I know everything there is to know about his teeth and nothing whatsoever about his voice. Now I'm not saying that I couldn't find the goods on youtube yet there's no need to do that for Lady Gaga and I could whistle all her big hits. What is it about rappers, are they part of the biggest secret club in the world or do I have a congenital condition that blocks out music where the artist employs a shimmying pitter patter rather than the traditional vocal harmony? KD

The Streets - Empty Cans

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Year: 2004

As music CV’s go he’s got one that is hard to top. Jim Fairchild was an integral part of Grandaddy, plays guitar with Modest Mouse and produced albums for, amongst others, hugger faves Dappled Cities. He also makes music for his own project All Smiles, titled as you’ll soon discover with a sense of knowing (much like his name really). He is currently running a kickstarter campaign to record a third LP so while you ponder a pledge let this tune win you over. Crucially for those of short attention spans the core of melody appears somewhat late on ‘All You Are Is A Human Sir’ bit it’s definitely worth the wait. Proving yet again that everything beautiful is far away. KD

All Smiles - All You Are Is A Human Sir

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Year: 2009

Given his way with a tune it is a bit of a mystery why Derry man Conor Mason has so far eluded widespread attention in Ireland. His wistful Matthew Jayesque compositions peppered last year’s ‘When It’s Over’ and in many ways it made complete sense when he was asked to support Brendan Benson a few months back (the Benson of ‘Lapalco’ fame anyway). ‘Luck’ is the shy creature that lives in your garden, which you’d love as a pet but know it probably would never work out. It shimmy’s and slides gracefully and in the process highlights Mason’s soft vocal brogue. Everyone say awwwwhhhh. KD

Conor Mason - Luck

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Year: 2009

There’s no doubting Leeds' Insect Guide harbour desires for past decades and given the dearth of contemporary movements who could blame them. The fact that they include the drummer from the Pale Saints helps to bridge the gap of course yet there is so much more to ‘Bats’ that is admirable. For one Su Sutton’s vocals are an able match for the densely fuzzed out chords and the impression is that of a Jesus & Mary Chain tune were Hope Sandoval given vocal domination. This should appeal to fans of Sweet Jane, an Irish act that convey a similiar post shoegaze sound. 'Dark Days & Nights', Insect Guide's second album, is out now on the Ian Brown franchised Squirrel Records. KD

Insect Guide - Bats

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Insect Guide
Year: 2010

So the house of cards that was Ireland fiscal well-being has finally come crashing down. God knows what awaits us now that the vultures are circling. Perhaps we’ll again become the people that was loved the world over, happy with our lot and not trampling our neighbours to fill our boots with the loot. In the end it will take a malevolent force to bail us out and the repercussions will ripple through Irish society for a decade at least. Thank the lord then that the news came now and not in January as we’ve got the festive season to shield us from the real world. And to kick start the party here is a delightful piece of hokum from Santa Cruz artist Carolyn Sills called ‘George Bailey’. In fact it is so note perfect in its retro stylings were Spector not incarcerated I’m sure he could have had a ready-made star for a reworked ‘A Gift For You’. Mostly is a wonderful life. KD

Carolyn Sills - George Bailey

Watch The Video

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Year: 2007

If you were to throw the couple thousand songs that have appeared on this blog since 2005 into a blender the unholy and glorious mess might not be too unlike ‘Open Season’ by New York band High Highs. The duo Jack Milas and Oli Chang pursue a sound that ticks all our critical boxes and have just sent our salivating glands into overdrive with the news that they are prepping their debut album at the moment. Not that ‘Open Season’ is particularly revolutionary, just ridiculously cute in a murky production/honeyed melody kind of way. KD

High Highs - Open Season

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Year: 2010

Despite initially sounding all the world like a geriatric ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ Deerhunter’s ‘Desire Lines’ does an about turn to instead fall into the arms of Sonic Youth. And for all that the band I most associate with them is Pavement for they are, within the space of a couple of songs, capable of writing the prettiest song flush with vivid melody and one you’d likely bring to the toilet in an effort to shift the cramps. It is very frustrating and all too apparent on their generally wonderful current album ‘Halcyon Digest’. This is perhaps my fave (along with ‘Memory Boy’) for it beats like all great indie anthems should with bulbous guitar lines and swaggering vocals. Deerhunter are as good as 2010 gets, if they could just paper over their idiosyncratic tendencies then we’d be talking all time. KD

Deerhunter - Desire Lines

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Year: 2010

Given the number of girls with guitars doing something similar to what Natalie Prass does isn’t it just dandy to discover how much better she is than most of them. The Nashville girl was an unknown quantity to us up to recently but with introductions quickly dispensed with we decided to capitalise on the moment. So much so that she is apperaing on our upcoming Christmas compilation, after which she’ll likely get picked up by the best label in the world bar none. The Christmas song is pretty special, just like the track below from her recently released ‘Small & Sweet’ EP. The magic occurs as vocals seamlessly engage with the music resulting in endless pretty patterns. The sweetest thing. KD

Natalie Prass - Deer

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Year: 2010

To call them the US Kasabian could be to damn the Constellations with faint praise but then I’m sure they’d put up with that in exchange for some of the former’s gazillion sales. It hard not to get suckered into their vibrant all encompassing sound, a perfect example of which you can find below. ‘Setback’ is a rhino charge of a single from the Atlanta acts’ debut album ‘Southern Gothic’. Words like big, bold and mountable (rhino theme poorly sequelled) spring to mind, I mean I feel about 10 times cooler even listening to it. Who’d have thought that an old man could still come approach something approximating hip (no operation jokes now). If only it was warmer outside I could roll down the panes and get down with the coolers with this on the boombox. KD

The Constellations - Setback

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Year: 2010

We’ve dabbled with Four Tet a couple of times before because Hebden is capable of greatness. Unfortunately it’s what happens between the greatness that bothers us enough to not laud him for the genius he may well be. This years ‘There Is Love In You’ is perhaps the one LP that we’ve toyed with the most but inevitably it was thrown out of the pram before too long. The only difference this time though was that it left enough of a mark to ensure return visits. These have seen us fall head over for the closing trio of tracks (including the untitled hidden track) with ‘Plastic People’ (the name of the club in London where Kieran DJ's) particularly arousing our inner dancing gombeen. I don’t take illicit drugs but if I did this would be playing in the background. Maybe there's love in me after all. KD

Four Tet - Plastic People

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Four Tet
Year: 2010

Apart from every evening at bedtime I can’t imagine a better time of the year for ‘Sing Me To Sleep (Indie Lullabies)’, an utterly charming release from American Laundromat Recordings. The label chose some of indie’s leading lights and asked them to record a tune in the form of a lullaby (with all proceeds going to the Valerie Fund for sick children). Some of the bands went for reworks on traditional standards, while others went for indie/elsewhere classics. The results are uniformly brilliant and little hugger seems set up for several years (what will Daddy do?) worth of journeys to nod nod land. Experimenting with the 21 tracks it seemed that the Leisure Society’s ‘Inchworm’ (Hans Christian Anderson) had the most soothing effect, by the time it had raised the tempo our little feast of cuddles had already been transported to the jelly sea. KD

The Leisure Society - Inchworm

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Buy Songs: Sing Me To Sleep
Year: 2010

Much like Eno, Arketek are unlikely to appeal to anyone under 25. Something to look forward to then once that landmark is reached as the Galway electronic act have a soft dynamism that makes for perfect coffee-table-free lounge music. The driving force is one Biggley who used to be part of Halfset (Dot Creek also) and has a back-story dowsed in tragedy that gives the already affecting electro compositions genuine sadness. ‘Tiny Screws For Tiny Hinges’ is simple yet utterly haunting, the title sets the scene and your sensory drift should supply the tarmac for a trip like no other. Arketek’s debut album can be downloaded for free from his website, just perfect for a Sunday afternoon. KD

Arketek - Tiny Screws For Tiny Hinges

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Free Songs: Arketek
Year: 2008

This is indeed a dirty squall and against most people’s better judgement it doesn’t actually originate from deepest L.A. circa the Smell. Who’d have given Dublin a chance at producing something this experimentally lo-fi for your hi-fi (ok maybe Bobby from Dublin Duck Dispensary also fits the bill) yet Andy (from no surname land) of I ♥ The Monster Hero has not only achieved the feat but also pointed two well aimed fingers at the parts of the internet that can’t deal with characters shaped like a heart. Makes for day long searches but who cares when the ‘Loveheart’ EP is blazing a trail inside ones head. The EP is not all glorious loud noise either, there is a little gem called ‘Little Gem’ that reveals this monster hero has a soft kong inside. ‘Fuckfuck Yourself’ is the cream though because it exhibits extreme korg tendencies and such behaviour leaves us with no option but to roll out the failte doormat. KD

I ♥ The Monster Hero - Fuckfuck Yourself

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Year: 2009

Not the phrase.
Not the movie.
Not the website.
Not the flick.
Just the band.

That's The Spirit - Always Coming Back

Bombadil (a character from LOTR) are a band with extremely strong body parts and short of engaging in an arm wrestle with the chaps who are we to argue. For all their manly boasts however this threesome are quite capable of exposing their fragile sides as all 90 seconds of ‘I Am’ ably proves. It all adds up to a lovely introduction to the Durham (US version) outfit that reminds one of certain parts of the classic ‘Wrecked By Lions’ by Number One Cup. Something precious requiring further investigation this weekend. KD

Bombadil - I Am

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Year: 2010

Featuring Dean Wareham (yes he of Galaxie 500 and Luna fame) it says but unless my intuition is way off the mark his contribution is of the chord variety only on this occasion. We’ve always liked Mr Robot’s voice anyway so it hardly matters especially as ‘By Your Side’ is a particular dishy offering. It is taken from his album ‘Soft-Core’ which came out last year, which included ‘Mean’, which we’ve already written about in glowing terms. No mean feat pulling in a Wareham contribution and he repeated the trick with none other than 80’s goddess Alison Moyet for the distinctly Yazooish ‘Waiting’ which like all the other tracks from the record is streaming on MRF’s website (there are a bucket of remixes too, the Solvent mix had us glued to our earphones). Don’t underrate this robot, he has his heart set on world domination. KD

My Robot Friend - By Your Side (feat. Dean Wareham)


Update: Howard from My Robot Friend kindly passed this our way....

My Robot Friend - Waiting (feat. Alison Moyet) (Solvent Remix)

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Year: 2009

Jacob Graham may well be better known for his involvement with hip kids the Drums (‘Let Go Surfing’…) but in the distant past (in internet terms) of 2009 he also put out a record with Drew Driver as Horse Shoes. We spotted them when ‘Changing Winds’ (‘The Imperial School’s opening track) was a mere demo floating around interspace like a well-groomed piece of sonic fluff. While ‘The Perfect Combination’ is not as arresting in the immediacy stakes it sure does creep up on you. This is more than a rose tinted reminisce for fans of Sarah Records and all that conjures up, it is also a fine piece of melancholic pop. Like what China Crisis used to do with their two pronged assault of neat electro diversions and cosy fey vocals. KD

Horse Shoes - The Perfect Combination

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Year: 2009

Owing to the crippling insurance claims in the wake of numerous tongue trips Shimmer Kids Underpop Association decided it easier to remain in business as the Society of Rockets. That nomenclature also afforded them the opportunity to shorten their naming structure to Society thereby greasing entry into celebrity haunts. Seems to have worked as they have a new LP called ‘Future Factory’ that is worming its way into the right ears. Listening to ‘We’ this turn of events is not at all surprising given that it reminisces on ye olde Stereolab sound (before they grew up and decided to write real but pointedly dull compositions). Yep, there ain’t a decipherable lyric but who cares when night becomes day-glo with this on the turntable. KD

The Society of Rockets - We

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Year: 2010

Willy Mason is one of the few genuine artists I’ve met in an official capacity and boy was I nervous. Not half as shaky as him though, reckon he was tired. Once we got over the usual awkward early exchanges it felt good to be talking to someone who I had theretofore believed only communicated in verse. I’d worn his 2004 record ‘Where The Human’s Eat’ to a point where the hiss and pops almost drowned out the carefree but quietish pieces so it came as a nice surprise when his live incarnation turned out to be a much louder affair. Apart from the title track ‘Oxygen’ (did Electric Picnic ever think of using it in the summer festival wars?) was probably the star turn on his debut. Here is a tune that is delicately crafted, involving lots of subtle tones and unexpected detours. And all that is present is the singer and his faithful instrument. Pity the music took a turn for the worse after such an auspicious start, that said young Willy is still only 26 so time is very much on his side. KD

Willy Mason - Oxygen

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Year: 2004

Some bands just take this online promo to extremes, not content with going down the usual route of email blasts and myspace bulletins Stockholm band Panter instead teamed up with the Firefox (AK) browser on their indie pop nugget ‘Tulips & Six Flags’. As you’d expect from such a collaboration there are plenty of add-ons, the twee template being particularly effective. The magic of course appears as the vocals swap the limelight, that age old trick that can’t help but be shiver inducing no matter how many times it plays out. KD

Panter - Tulips & Six Flags

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Year: 2010