Nowadays a band isn’t worth its salt unless it’s got 1000+ friends and a fancy banner on its MySpace page. Is This Music? try to get you the highlights every week, jumping from genre to genre in a search for the really good stuff.
HYENA
www.myspace.com/hyenaband
Glaswegians Hyena have been around for a few years, but it is with latest EP “Itchy Legacy” that the three-piece have getting the most attention. On this page you’ll find a link to purchase some of their discography, as well as two songs – the excellent “Dig A Bath” and new live favourite “A Doctor’s Wife”. They’re nice guys too. Listen. Dance a bit. Everyone wins.
TAKE A WORM FOR A WALK WEEK
www.myspace.com/takeaworm
Or, if you like your music sounding something like what you’d get if you shot a bow and arrow in a crowd watching The Locust, try the gloriously titled Take a Worm For a Walk Week. I haven’t got “Control” out of my head recently, and for good reason, it’s one of a plethora of awe-inspiring tracks by the Glasgow experiMENTALISTS.
GERMLIN
www.myspace.com/germlin
And now for something completely different. I stumbled upon Joe Germlin’s work when browsing gay against you’s page, and after my ridiculous dancing to “thrash’r”, I’m so glad I did. Chaotic shards of electro confusion + some clever use of sampling etc = yr head being invaded by these songs. A-MAZ-ING.
CHAMPAGNE CHAMPAGNE
www.myspace.com/champagnechampagne
Seattle hip-hop outfit Champagne Champagne couldn’t be further removed from Mark Gajadhar’s previous musical work (The Blood Brothers or something? I had no idea who they were either). Screams are replaced by clever rhymes and some fantastic keyboard work. “Soda and Pop Rocks” is an example of Champagne Champagne at their finest – catchy synth hooks cohorting with memorable choruses. See, it’s not just Glasgow music that I know.
GREATER THE SHADOW
www.myspace.com/greatertheshadowmakemusic
I love these guys. It’s not bias because they like my band, that’s a totally unrelated issue and the money’s in the post anyway. No, Greater the Shadow are one of the most astounding live acts I’ve ever seen. Lazy comparisons like Mogwai are inevitable but these Aberdonians are their own band. “3” is an example of their prowess, but they’re best seen live, at their loudest and most awe-inspiring. Fans of Pelican and 65daysofstatic should be paying attention to this lot.
DEBUTANT
www.myspace.com/musicbydebutant
Now for another piece of north-eastern wizardry. Debutant is Phillip Quirie (some reviewer for some website, or something), whose music ignores genres altogether, sounding something like what would happen if Mark Kozelek and Kevin Shields had an afternoon, a spare room and a multitude of ideas. Definitely worth checking out live, try him at Henry’s Cellar in Edinburgh on 1st August when he shares a formidable bill with Meursault, Je Suis Animal and Come In Tokyo. Or anywhere else he’s playing, for that matter.
HOT CLUB DE PARIS
www.myspace.com/hotclubdeparis
This band don’t need any help but they’re going to finish off my guide of MySpace bands to check out this week. If you’re not familiar with this band already, their unforgettable pop hooks, stunning guitar work and sing-a-long choruses should be enough to tempt yr interest. They’ve recently released the excellent “Live At Dead Lake” LP, which features new single “Hey! Housebrick”, a serious contender for song of the year. Normally I wouldn’t make generalisations like this but if you can’t find fun in “Hey! Housebrick”, you won’t be able to find fun in anything.
That’s it for now - Happy browsing.
//Euan Davidson