striving for the lazy perfection

[flyer by Katerina Kousousianou > popclockdesign@gmail.com]

the wake presidents!

Twin pop could be a new genre and Wake the President could be named its leaders. Twin brothers Erik and Bjorn Sandberg wander the streets of Glasgow, fantasize blonde busty girls and philosophize over drops of love and despair. Even though they bear the brunt of the classic Glasgow music scene, they seem to weild considerable power over their own individual sound, which varies from C86 to more recent jangly stuff. They have already won great supporters including BBC Radio 2 DJs Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe, who have praised both singles ‘Remember Fun?’ and ‘You Can’t Change That Boy’. Debut album "You Can’t Change That Boy" was released 9th March 2009 (Norman Records). I can't change that boy, you are so right.





http://www.myspace.com/wakethepresidentband

Hi-Fi action.

Based in Bristol and thus creating a certain controversy round the infamous trip hop scene, The Hi-Life Companion prefer to sing only for champagne and chocolate. They like to preserve the legend of indie pop and act as a modern stand-in for the likes of Galaxie 500, The Lucksmiths, Felt and Jonathan Richman. Previous releases include a sold out cd single on cloudberry and appearances on various compilations, while they have recently released their debut album, called "Say Yes!"; mixed by Rob Price from Airport Girl, the album is out on the wonderful Plastilina Records. Say Yes!!



http://thehilifecompanion.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/thehilifecompanion

I should coco!

Cocoanut Groove is the solo project of Olov Antonsson, who decided in 2007 to call it a day with The Tidy Ups and concentrate on music that recalls orange skies, carnivals and cotton candy... or to put in a more simple way, concentrate on mournful and sleek options of The Zombies, The Clientele and The Go-Betweens. His cute 7inch "End of the summer on Bookbinder Road" was released last year, while debut album "Madeleine Street" is out now on Fridlyst Records. It's a foregone conclusion that swedish pop will lead the way for a long time. And Cocoanut Groove are bound to vindicate my point.



http://www.cocoanutgroove.com
http://www.myspace.com/cocoanutgroove

Code Da Vinci

Honestly, can a band call themselves after a Dan Brown cheesy novel and get away with it? It’s truly not that simple. In the world of global marketing, having a name like The Da Vincis can be an immediate turn off. YET, this almost childish american band is surprisingly more elegant than their shocking seventeen years. Jazz, bossa nova, indie pop and 60s crooner seems to be an almost effortless attempt for them [they do remind me a bit of Vincent Vincent & The Villains, even though I wish them more luck than the aforementioned]. Those high school dudes have caught me on hop with their first piece of work.. “See you Tonight” is out on Olympic Records. Great potential.

http://www.myspace.com/davincismusic

I wanna take a nap.

It seems like there's a hive of activity within the new American indie pop scene. More and more bands favor the uncontrived verse-chorus story while find sound repetitions futile. Bingo! Ohio quintet Afternoon Naps, led by Thomas and Leia, don’t beat about the bush. Having formed in 2006, they cast their demons aside and present a straightforward pop suggestion derived by the likes of Comet Gain, Ladybug Transistor, Felt and Shop Assistants. They also have a new cd out. “Parade” is pressed in only 1,000 copies and is released on the wonderful label Happy Happy Birthday to Me. Lovely stuff.



http://www.myspace.com/afternoonnapsband

download new candy bar (16/9)

CANDY BAR is back on http://www.waveradio.gr!
[wednesdays 20:00-22:00]
you can download this week's candy bar (16/9) >>

http://www.sendspace.com/file/sy4hmz

let's kiss and listen to bis.

Hunting for the misbegotten children of Stereo Total? Mikrofisch is your answer. They are bright, imaginative, intelligently naïve, frivolous, preposterous, outspoken, sceptical. They use keyboards, old drum boxes, melodica and theramin in order to construct an 80s retro super twee charming electro pop sound. They like to get ambiguous, make statements and get obsessed over shit bands. They are even so cool as to have both their albums for free downloading through their myspace ["Masters of the Universe" is the latest]. I consider myself a dedicated fan... even only cause they have a song titled “Let's Kiss and listen to Bis”. Pure genius.



http://www.myspace.com/mikrofisch

download new candy bar (9/9)

CANDY BAR is back on http://www.waveradio.gr!
[wednesdays 20:00-22:00]
you can download this week's candy bar (9/9) >>

http://www.sendspace.com/file/upkf91

put the cart before the horse.

Horses and shoes are two incompatible subjects, yet Drew Diver and Jacob Graham seem to have found their magic spot. The NY band ascribe their taste to the likes of Blueboy, Embassy and Legends and this makes it impossible not to long for their sound. Lyrically, they opt for childhood summers and heartbroken teenagers, hence complying with the inviolable rules of shimmering pop music. They got off the ground with single “I wish I meant more to you” [a pretty Field Mice cover, free MP3 from the excellent Holiday Records site] and now the main dish is served… first release “The Imperial School” EP is out from (my dearest) Shelflife Records September 22. Oh. They are also best mates with The Drums. which is pretty cool.

[no video for Horse Shoes!]

http://horseshoesmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/horseshoesmusic

my favorite pet is a kat.

Katsen have very recently come to the fore. They walk on the Brighton seafront and edge towards their own unique music settlement. I could name them the new modern version of Adult or a less obscure version of Add N To (X), but that would be misleading as Christopher and Donna supplement their sound with more Stereolab-esque melodies, 80s Fad Gadget lines and an attractive 8-bit game sound. Katsen are one of the best electro pop newcomers so watch out for them. Their debut album "It Hertz!" is released 28th September (by Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation). Kat Power!



http://katsen.com
http://www.myspace.com/katsenbeeps

download new candy bar (2/9)

CANDY BAR is back on http://www.waveradio.gr!
[wednesdays 20:00-22:00]
you can download this week's candy bar (2/9) >>

http://www.sendspace.com/file/bok42p

je pense souvent à eux.

There is a hidden twisted language game going on in the indie pop world. Strangely enough, french is where most bands wind up. Portland-based brother/sister duo, Eux Autres, honour the land of croissant in the best possible way. They write songs about soccer, military history and pop culture whilst devouring records of Francoise Hardy and Jacques Dutronc. After two albums, they have two singles out [“You’re Alight” and “Strangled Days”] as well as an appearance on a hm,well... Bruce Springsteen compilation titled “Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool”. Leaving Bruce aside, Heather and Nicholas are lovely. ils sont vraiment magnifique.





http://www.euxautres.com
http://www.myspace.com/euxautres

[new labrador release]

Swedish bands have become sort of a trend nowadays. Yet, there are very few that actually stand out and sing in their native language. [ingenting] are six blokes who, since 2003, have stayed true to their mother tongue. Having released two albums, they excel as pure indie poppers and are now back, carrying on with their awkward Swedish accent. "Tomhet, idel tomhet" is produced by Jari Haapalainen (Camera Obscura, Ed Harcourt, The Concretes) and is out September 9th. The only Labrador band singing in Swedish? True and precious.



http://www.nadazipp.se
http://www.myspace.com/nadazipp

FM Reykjavík

I have met a lot of music alliances hooked up in the music world but this one between Iceland and Ireland... boy, this is a strange one. FM Belfast wear heavy coats in the frozen streets of Reykjavík. They dig electro/indie stuff and seem to be cut out for international success [Iceland Airwaves has been promoting them since 2006]. They also have a pretty album out ("How to Make Friends", 2008); it's worth buying it from their website and if you do that, grab the chance and watch again "101 Reykjavík". honestly, how COOL was that movie?



http://www.fmbelfast.com
http://www.myspace.com/fmbelfast