Monade

Monstre Cosmic

Unsurprisingly for the singer of Stereolab, Laetitia Sadler’s conception for Monade was cerebral rather than populist. “The original idea was to have one long track that would take its course and you would never hear the same part twice,” she said, and the wandering grandeur of the album certainly echoes the flow and change of the river that inspired it. more… “Monade”

Finniston

Ruby

Finniston are Steven, Jolene, Andrew and Jamie. The fact that one of them is actually called Jolene should be enough to take them to country megastardom, were there any justice, but sadly they haven’t taken that particular musical route. more… “Finniston”

Film School

Hideout

Consistency can be something to strive towards if you’re a band like the Kaiser Chiefs who write a couple of killer hits and have to pad out their album with achingly obvious also-rans. But for a band like Film School? more… “Film School”

The Ruby Suns

Sea Lion

What with pop being as dead as Nietzsche’s God, The Ruby Suns have opted for the desperate post-modern strategy of bricolage. Shoving together Polynesian beats, Beach Boy harmonies and a song sung in Maori, Sea Lion is wilfully perverse and diverse. Between the psychedelic interludes and juddering guitars, The Ruby Suns cover the ground between sunshine pop and artistic electronica. more… “The Ruby Suns”

Electric Assembly

Eyes On The Wall

There are only five tracks taking up the 59 minute running time, meaning it’s quite proggy in places, such as second track ‘White Lake ‘. What saves it in places is the musicianship’s quality. more… “Electric Assembly”

Silversun Pickups

Pikul

There’s something very R.E.M.-ish about these boys and girls. The guitar is king. The vocals are submerged beneath everything else. Then, there’s the out-of-the ordinary song titles, such as ‘Kissing Families ‘ and ‘Comeback Kid ‘. more… “Silversun Pickups”

The Jim Muir Sideshow

And With The Fading Of The Light

This is very assured for a debut album, musically economic with none of the bluster or narrowness one sometimes finds on debuts. Muir’s voice and guitar are sweet sounding without being sickly. more… “The Jim Muir Sideshow”

Midnight Mike

Midnight Karaoke

The covers album is an awkward bugger, a challenge that many artists and bands have attempted, and while some have succeeded, others have crashed and burned in a spectacular fashion. more… “Midnight Mike”

All Our Good Friends

Promise

All Our Good Friends is the one-man act of West-London singer-songwriter Johnny Daukes, whom since splitting up with his indie band FIN in 1997 and has spent the last several years writing comedy sketches for TV and radio, performed motorcycle stunts in music videos for boy bands and has been the voice of countless adverts. more… “All Our Good Friends”