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Molek FMBritish Sea Power: Valhalla Dancehall (Beggars)
It starts off promisingly enough with the riotous Manic Street-ish opener ‘Who’s In Control’. There are even a few explicit lyrics in there but soon after, you realise that’s as epic as Valhalla gets.
Zola Jesus
Goth is like good wine. The longer it lingers, the better it gets. And Zola Jesus (Nika Roza Danilova) has pretty much proven so, with her appearance in the scene and the impact she has brought with her (black drapes and dark mascara in tow).
80Kidz
The day-glo genre might be dying in the West but in Japan, blogosphere darlings 80Kidz might as well be the newly crowned Daft Punks of the East. Weekend Warrior, their follow-up to 2009’s This Is My Sh!t reminds us of what we loved about electro-silly synth stabs and hipster chic beats included.
Black Sun Empire: Lights and Wires (BSE)
The Dutch are not all about trance as Rene Verdult, and brothers Milan and Micha Heyboer have proven. Going beyond the wonking basslines of Brit dubstep, the trio of producers favours a harder form of dance exaggerated by extreme breaks, kicks and ambient griminess.
The Go! Team: Rolling Blackouts (Memphis Industries)
In an alternate world where Michael Jackson’s “black and white” ethos has been realised on all levels of consciousness, The Go! Team rule supreme. Back with more Shaft-nostalgia samples, angry guitars, cheerleader-rapper/underage-girl-in-a-band vocals and a full horn section, the Brighton sextet continue to mash up proto-hip hop and indie rock elements in lethal doses on […]
Mogwai: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Rock Action/Sub Pop)
The iconic Scottish instrumental rockers, who have a neck for odd song and album titles, are back with their playful artcore. Just 3 out of 10 songs on Hardcore go beyond 6 minutes, making this one of their most accessible works to date.
Yuck: Yuck (Transparent/Fat Possum)
Time to move over, xx! Yuck are the new kids on the block as far as Brit indie is concerned. Taking cues from fuzz rock bands of yesteryear, the young London group (two of whom were in the now-defunct Cajun Dance Party-The Drums of 2007) make joyous shoegazer tunes coupled with perfect pop sensibilities.
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
ASDIG is like a combo of all my favourite groups; there are the narcotic guitar haze and whispery female vocals that remind one of My Bloody Valentine or Cocteau Twins, the psych freak-out of Velvet Underground and the electronic textures that are reminiscent of Mum.
A B and The Sea
While everyone’s going ga-ga over Best Coast, here’s a band that truly knows how to put together some feel-good California vibes with irresistible melodies.