They call themselves a post-pop band and have never set foot in Cairo. Nevertheless, they see Egypt in their mirrorballs and dream about pyramids, camels and girls covered with veils. Egyptian Hip Hop may be a delusion, yet they are very real. Coming from Manchester, these four 18-year-olds (who wear Klaxons bright clothes and expose their asymmetrical hair) know how to give Hacienda sound a whole new twist. Funky, ‘baggy’ indie, dark but upbeat… its all there, packed again in new ways. Think of These new Puritans, Darwin Deez, Is Tropical and add tons of mancunian style. Perfect.
I may still feel very cold, but there are a few bands that can make me warmer. The Specific Heats are one of those bands. Hailing from Brooklyn & Boston, the folk/psych/indie combo first appeared in 2004 having evolved from the solo project of Mathew Patalano. Debut “The Specific Heats Aboard A Spaceship of the Imagination” was released in 2006 while the group will be finishing up their second album “CURSED!” in the coming months. Attention! The Specific Heats are drug-free and only perform in smoke-free environments. Hot!
A powerpop suggestion from sunny Madrid. A male gang dressed in pink t-shirts, with painted hearts all over the place. La La Love You sing in spanish, seem utterly cute and ironically childish while have a strong connection with our beloved eurovision contest. Spanish pop can be cheesy but we've been through that before; question is whether we can afford so much love and I think we can. On that note, below are two sugary visual samples. La La La Love them!
What’s a 34-year old Argentinean doing in the land of Barcelona? Sebastian Litmanovich creates sounds under weird diverse alias such as Amarena Incident, Readme & Anthony, Portatile Room Mobile and Cacahuetes Inc. but MOST OF ALL he releases albums under the name Cineplexx. Expect clashed punk, disco and indiepop with echoes of Beat Happening, Os Mutantes and Belle & Sebastian. New album “Nuevahola” [containing old, new & rare songs, including collaborations with members of BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub] is out now on Cherry Red Records!! XX
Solo projects are supposed to be in fashion. Wild Nothing is the solo project of 21-year old Virginian named Jack Tatum. He seems quite obsessed with nostalgia, regret and complex powerful arrangements, yet he is sensitive and fragile and introvert and emotional. His penchant for shoegaze and dream-pop melodies is pretty obvious on his stuff and that’s what I like most about him. Wild Nothing have a single out.. buy “Summer Holiday” from label Captured Tracks and get ready for a debut lp next year. wild.
Hailing from Huy, Showstar come as the logical continuation of the Belgian music scene. Its been almost a decade that the five-piece is blending britpop with sunny 60s sounds, always in search of “the perfect pop song to appeal to housewives and students, CEOs and motorists stuck in traffic jams for days”. Amongst various releases and radio plays, Showstar have marked slots with the likes of The Rakes, Maximo Park and The Charlatans. Third album “Think Ringo” was released 15th Feb on Vespasonic Records and was produced by Gareth Parton (The Go! Team, Foals, Rakes). Download “Gold Mine” and discover the magic that Belgium is currently exporting.
Astrogirl is a superhero with built-in weapons; she is a robot armed with true feelings, heart and soul. Astrogirl is also deeply in love with indie pop music. Candy Bar is about indie pop nerdy haircuts, international bubbles, japanese stars and swedish cold nights.