Not sure how many samples they’ve packed into this little wonder but it hardly matters because it's bordering on genius. Made up of a pair from Cincinnati ‘Two Muffins’ is actually a tacked on freebie from their self-released debut ‘You’re A Fun Drunk’. There is a touch of the surreal about the whole package, which adds to the fun and mystery. ‘Two Muffins’ is arresting from the getgo but as your listen count mounts you’ll slowly be reeled into its cartoon landscape. And even though it borrows heavily from old times I can’t help feeling that this is the freshest thing I’ve heard so far this year. KD

You, You're Awesome - Two Muffins

Watch The Video To Out Come Crazy

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: You, You're Awesome
Year: 2008

Who is James Yorkston I hear you say? He is your next record store purchase I say and the one after that too. Yorkston comes from Fife, is good mates with our own Adrian Crowley and is a master craftsman in the art of folk as pop music. This one is perhaps a little more traditional and comes from a single of the same name from 2002 way (which later appeared on the rarity collection ‘Roaring The Gospel’). The b-side was a remix by Kieran Hebdon of Fourtet no less. Despite extending to almost 10 minutes you may still wish ‘The Lang Toun’ carried on until early morn. It is an intricate piece that works from a simple premise and has a touch of the bayou about it (any cajun remixers out there?). In some ways Yorkston’s vocals are incidental, taking on the guise of another instrument and never disrupting the hypnotic flow. KD

James Yorkston - The Lang Toun

Watch The Video To The Hills and Heath

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: James Yorkston
Year: 2002

They called it a day but now they are giving it one last go and while such career moves can be a tad annoying I’m all for good acts reversing hasty decisions. Bears Repeating have recently gone through said dramatics and in the process have released their latest EP into the wilds of the internet for free. ‘Go Kid Go’ is the track I’m most fond of and although it is the sound of ye olde indie in almost every respect it is nonetheless rather fetching. The vocals show plenty of potential and the drumming sounds like it could really be well placed to throw us something even better down the line (despite being as tinny as a bachelors lorry at the moment). KD

Bears Repeating - Go Kid Go

More Info: Official & Myspace
Free Songs: Bears Repeating
Year: 2008

At the start of the century we travelled the world and for a good spell we had to survive on 3 discs burnt full of mp3s. This was pre big memory music players so it was only the only choice we had (tapes had become too clumsy). I think I was pretty ahead of the curve at the time but my Thomson only had a 64mb capacity so we had to make do with the CDRs. The long journeys soon ate into those 450 songs and by the end (or at least until we arrived in Hanoi, a heavenly copyright free zone) we knew each of them intimately. Just last week I came across one of the CD’s, played most of it and as I had hoped it ingeniously conjured up memories of our trip. This song brought a tear to my eye and I’m sure it still would have even without Iguazu flowing imperiously through my head. KD

Grandaddy - So You'll Aim Toward The Sky

Watch The Video To The Crystal Lake

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Grandaddy
Year: 2000

This is a pretty devastating piece of music; I mean it must be to make an advert for a war game border on an emotional event. I felt it and was angry with myself for getting suckered but that victory was purely down to the atmospheric sonic backdrop. Nick Urata’s vocals summon Roy Orbison from the grave and Tom Hagerman’s violin proves just why artificial strings will never have the same impact. And that’s before you even contemplate the pretty piano and pulsing vintage synths. The strangest thing of course is that no matter how many times I listen to this band and peer in wonder at their endless plays on my music player I still fail to spell or pronounce their name correctly. Easier to just ask for ‘A Mad and Faithful Telling’ when their new album comes out in March. KD

DeVotchKa - How It Ends

Watch The Advert

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

It’s not mentioned that often in paragraphs written about this wonderful Leeds outfit but ‘Mrs. Dolphin’ is one of the finest early EP retrospectives that you’re likely to find (‘Ten Rapid’ being another). The Pale Saints were the poster kids for shoegaze in the early nineties and their ‘The Comfort of Madness’ one of the best records of the genre. The band were characterised by their dynamic instrumental turns and Ian Master’s fey vocals. Though at times reminiscent of both Ride and My Bloody Valentine the Pale Saints were responsible for a clutch of remarkable songs that were uniquely theirs. If you are unfamiliar with ‘Throwing Back The Apple’, ‘Language of Flowers’ or ‘Sight of You’ then you are missing out. ‘Colours and Shapes’ may have being a less off-kilter number but it nonetheless highlighted the bands gift for a good tune which was forever present despite the attentions of the discordant riffage that often accompanied it. One can only imagine how many Swedish upstarts have this playing on their turntables at the moment while they tune their instruments. KD

The Pale Saints - Colours and Shapes

Watch The Video To Throwing Back The Apple

More Info: (Un)Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Pale Saints
Year: 1990

When I heard this first I thought it must have been a lost indie gem from the late 80’s. But I was wrong, Burning Hearts debut ‘Aboa Sleeping’ will only be unveiled to the world early next month. And what a ridiculously brilliant opening salvo ‘I Lost My Colour Vision’ turns out to be. Burning Hearts are signed to the faultless Shelflife Records label and consist of Cats on Fire drummer Henry Olala and Jessica Rapo from Le Futur Pompiste. An entirely Finnish collaboration then and one that seems capable of creating an instantly familiar sound infused with a chorus that should frequent indie disco’s for decades to come. I can safely say that we’ve found an entry for our list of best songs from 2009 already. KD

Burning Hearts - I Lost My Colour Vision

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Burning Hearts
Year: 2009

I’m sure they get plenty of ribbing (!) for the name but it’s hard to be critical of a band whose primary motivation is to fill the world with happy songs. The indie pop smarts of their debut album ‘Cheap Rate’ seemed to have slipped by relatively unnoticed which is a shame given that this country could do with a chirpy soundtrack to drown out the ubiquitous doom-mongers like George Lee. Not sure what ‘Hondamolly’ means (neither does google by the way) but from now on I'll associate it with a winning tune. ‘Hondamolly’ zips by on a bed of crispy guitars, tasty boy/girl asides and generous helpings of percussion. It's one of a scatter of highlights from this promising new quartet's early moves. KD

Story of Hair - Hondamolly

Watch The Video To Nanny Natch

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Story of Hair
Year: 2008

Put aside the fact that the rhythms are the spit of this and that the vibe is a doppelganger for them outta Montreal and you’ll really enjoy this epic from Daniel Hart. And what a well-travelled man he turns out to be because as well as propelling the Physics of Meaning Hart also plays a big part in St. Vincent and John Vanderslice’s band. Remember to stop tuning out of ‘Aeroplanes and Hurricanes’ early doors; just try to be patient because around the 3-minute mark it morphs into a chamber pop gem. It’s taken from last year's ‘Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight’ which was the bands sophomore. KD

The Physics of Meaning - Aeroplanes and Hurricanes

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Physics of Meaning
Year: 2008

I guess it was inevitable in the wake of the somewhat surprising success of Glasvegas that more bands of that ilk would start to appear from the woodwork. Which leads us to Rikers, a Toronto outfit who’d fit quiet neatly into the yet unnamed scene (c’mon NME, that’s what you used to be good at) headed up by the Glaswegians. It must be said however that Rikers are no pale imitation as their own wall of sound is heaving with all manner of melodic hooks. ‘Easter Eyes’ is a hugely appealing mosaic containing huge swathes of chords, doom-laden drums and Ryan Kennedy’s near biblical vocals. The ghost of Echo and the Bunnymen looms large yet given that Rikers are less than a year old it is a remarkable achievement. ‘Easter Eyes’ is taken from the duo’s (hard to believe I know) forthcoming debut EP. KD

Rikers - Easter Eyes

More Info: Official & Myspace
Year: 2009

No, the Cocteau Twins haven’t been reborn as much as Fight Bite’s ‘Swissex Lover’ would have you believe. For one these dreampoppers come from Denton, Texas and secondly they are an outfit completely of the noughties (80’s aficionados check out this site and go wow, it includes a ‘Live To Tell’ cover from Fight Bite). The song is taken from the duo’s debut ‘Emerald Eyes’ of last year. The ethereal outpourings belong to Leanne Macomber with Jeff Louis on backup and together they put the album together in their bedroom studio. Hardly surprising then that ‘Swissex Lover’ has a slightly claustrophobic feel, recreating the uncomfortable moments when you were intentionally locked in a tight space with someone you entirely fancied. KD

Fight Bite - Swissex Lover

Watch The Video

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Fight Bite
Year: 2008

Despite being sponsored by someone very high up the food chain in the music industry the Urges retain a very low level presence in the domestic scene. Kinda surprising given the immediacy of their sound which is part novelty, part retro, part innovative – leave it up to you to decide which part holds sway. The bottom line is that I can’t tear myself away from tracks like ‘The Urges Theme’ from their debut album ‘Psych Ward’. You’ll think you’ve heard it a thousand times before but then it curiously eschews the law of diminishing returns that such efforts normally attract. The chords are particularly impressive, especially the turn that arrives about 90 seconds in. The Urges have something and in this case at least it hardly matters that plenty of others have beaten them to it by several decades. KD

The Urges - The Urges Theme

Watch The Video

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: The Urges
Year: 2007

Fancy filling a quarter of an hour with especially soothing swells of noise? Well, you’ve come to the right place as ‘Bright Blue Dream’ has a special tenderness going for it. It could almost pass for an early Jason Pierce noodle yet you get the feeling that this particular spaceman is a tad more prolific. In fact, of late, Bill Baird (a.k.a. Sunset, now thankfully shorn of several dozen parenthesis) appears to have new works falling from him like confetti. This is the title track from his ‘Bright Blue Dream’ LP and over its 14 minutes delivers an exquisite sonic interpretation of a tropical beach just as the sun is about to go down. It may be unsuitable for those looking to boost their last.fm play count but for the not so in a hurry it could prove to be the pampering your worn out ears have longed for. KD

Sunset - Bright Blue Dream

Watch The Video To Dear Broken Friend

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

If you like Grandaddy then you’ll probably love this band from Atlanta. Band is probably the wrong word for it though because Brian Slushco primarily operates on his lonesome. This tune is taken from an album that was sitting around gathering dust for a couple of years but to these ears at least it is Slushco’s most fully realised effort to date. ‘Astronaut’ made it onto our first compilation and there is a veritable treasure trove of similarly tailored tunes scattered around ‘The Silver Surface Demos’. The opening salvo of ‘Sad Songs and Lonely Places’ and ‘Dead on the Inside’ are both devastatingly beautiful. Not immediately obvious perhaps and inherently offbeat in many ways ‘Sad Songs and Lonely Places’ is built to shred your emotions using a feather cleaver. It reminds me of Christmas and I can’t help wondering how marvellous a Slushco festive number would sound. KD

Slushco - Sad Songs and Lonely Places

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Slushco
Year: 2008

Looking back now Revolver (and to a certain extent the band that inspired them Ride too) were probably a bit too wet for their own good. But that didn’t stop them from writing some of the best shoegaze anthems in the early ‘90’s. Revolver kicked off their short career with a trio of disappointing EP’s, which were nonetheless peppered with fine singles. ‘Crimson’ was the title track from the middle one and sports the signature shoegaze chords and fey boy vocals. The production is spot on but you’d have expected such from a label of Hut’s standing at the time (they also had the (then) heavenly Verve on their roster). The aforementioned vocals belong to Mat Flint who went on to play bass with the much more successful and enduring Death In Vegas. KD

Revolver - Crimson

Watch The Top 10 Indie Hits From Sept 1991....jaysus, I remember all of these!

More Info: Official
Buy Songs: Revolver
Year: 1991

I was liking this band already but when I read that the first albums they bought included ‘Going Blank Again’, ‘Nevermind’ and erm ‘Kick’ (it’s good) I knew they were kindred spirits of sorts. Not that you could filter any of the above from listening to ‘Spiders, Snakes’. The near perfect vocal interplay between Aaron Gerber and Sarah Winchester is a study in hushed dynamics and the shuffling instrumentation is an equally adept study in quiet drama. It’s taken from the Portland bands debut album ‘Cove’ which includes a batch of similarly beguiling portraits of sound. KD

A Weather - Spiders, Snakes

Watch The Video To The Feather Test

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: A Weather
Year: 2008

Of late we’ve gone completely potty for this band called the Very Most from Idaho. So much so that in a couple of weeks (February 1st to be precise) we are releasing a record or 4 together. Yep, Indiecater is finally stepping out of the shadows and is going to get down and dirty and produce some brand new music. On the first day of February the Very Most will release a download EP called ‘Spring’ on Indiecater Records. 3 months later the ‘Summer’ EP will appear and so this chain of predictable events will continue with the arrival of each new season until year end. It seems like a natural move because the Very Most produce the sort of the music that is closest to our hearts, namely a jangling take on indie pop. Think several bands from Glasgow and you’ll get the picture. Here is one of their bespoke tracks from last year (we got one too!) about a café in their hometown of Nampa, Idaho called ‘Flying M’. Stuart M, your crown is being wrestled from your head as we speak. KD

The Very Most - Flying M

Watch The Video To Spilt, Spilt Milk

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Very Most
Year: 2008

For some reason and this is a relatively recent phenomenon the 3 words I despise most in the English language are ‘dude’, ‘guys’ (in their usage by Irish people) and that pinnacle of annoyance ‘absolutely’ (everybody). Any combination or singular use of the above wordage sends me into a spin, my mouth dries up and in extreme cases the frustration leads to mini droplets falling from my pupils. It taints long held relationships, makes the fostering of new friendships nigh on impossible and for those I know who won’t take offence results in a stiff reprimand. Perhaps I should just open up the taps and let the invective that boils within out into the open and then snappy sentences like ‘calm down dude’, ‘hi guys’ and ‘oh absolutely!’ would amount to little more than the proverbial water off a duck’s back. The way things are at the moment I just want to shoot the avian blighter. This band from Dublin have worked it all out though and never let petty annoyances get in the way of letting people know what they're really thinking. I admire this characteristic in them and enjoy their music, this one especially because it's sorta calming. KD

A Lazarus Soul - Only Say The Word

Watch The Video To Icon

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: A Lazarus Soul
Year: 2001

Songs like this are this blogs lifeblood and bands like Unsparing Sea are what makes all the endless hours of filtering so worthwhile. The 5-piece come from Cleveland and in ‘A Cloud in the Cathedral’ they have crafted a slow burning gem. Because Unsparing Sea unfurl their gifts slowly it took me some time to appreciate their lavish murals. This certainly isn’t Saturday night music yet its melancholic stagger leaves an indelible impression. The sadness that is projected reaches a crescendo every time Tara Klein’s cello combines with J.R. Bennetts lonesome howl. It is enough to take your breath away but even though the underlying feeling is one of complete sadness the album never leaves one low. If anything the whole affair is an uplifting experience and one that demands repeat visits. KD

Unsparing Sea - On Sinking Ships

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Unsparing Sea
Year: 2008

Deerhunter are one of those bands that are very hard to tire of. While ‘Microcastles’ practically single-handedly took 2008 by the neck and gave it a rather bracing yet ultimately tender massage there was also much life to the Atlanta band pre that epiphany. Their second album ‘Cryptograms’ was steeped in trauma. It spawned ‘Octet’ amongst others and here is that self same track in Simian Mobile Disco clothing. And what a fetching garb it turns out to be, moody and with an escalating rhythm this would go down just perfectly on those all too common P45 Friday drunkathons. Deerhunter don’t even have an official website, who needs html theatrics anyway when you’re charged with changing the musical landscape. KD

Deerhunter - Octet (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)

Watch The Video To Agoraphobia

More Info: Deerhunter & Simian Mobile Disco
Buy Songs: Cryptograms
Year: 2008