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