I love American Music

Another mid-week music chase!
So, produced by a dude from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Clem Snide of Yo La Tengo comes a band who are tough to google. Marching Band are from Sweden and sound like the softer side of Weezer. A little Ben Fold Five, a bit Snowpatrol but what do you expect from a band with a lead singer named Erik Sunbring? Generally lovely, a really sunsoaked band.
Either a gust of wind caught me at my desk or Apollo Sunshine sent shivers down my spine from note one. The instrumental song "Happiness" thrilled me the way Air - Femme D'Argent does when the keyboards kick in. From Beatlesesque melodies to funky flute and maracas, they are indeed Soul meets Psychedelia, and I love a bit of psychedelia!
Knowing kind of what I was in for I went to Darker My Love's myspace. I've not heard an American band so influenced by British music as this band! My Bloody Valentine, Stone Roses, Charlatans, Verve, Suede...Explains why they are touring with The Dandy Warhols. The new album 2, not having listened to what I can only assume was 1, is just out - probably not in UK though. It's all good fuzzy stuff. Télépathique is another CSS style band, must be a Brazilian thing. With all the electro only a little more minimal but still with the insane broken English lyrics that CSS introduced us to. Much more Ladytron than Scissor Sisters.

If you still believe in joy...

I just discovered The Death Set!! :) haven't heard anything this good since Tripping Daisy. Thanks again to New York, must be something in the water in Brooklyn. (FYI, Tripping Daisy are not from NYC, but loads and loads of great new bands are)

July catch up.

Musical adventure on a Tuesday.
So, TV On The Radio have a new album coming out with a tour preceding it it seems. I've not listened to their first album, except in passing. They've embraced the lo-fi sound, the slightly out of tune, out of time more shambolic feeling of community. For fans of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I finally listened to new fad band Black Kids. Immediately annoyed by the Kate Bush thievery of the title "Hit The Heartbrakes" more because I know they probably don't even know who Kate Bush is! They sound like The Killers, please don't listen to them. I'm not putting a link, cos they suck. After that disappointment, I asked a friend to recommend something I'd like and Land Of Talk were his answer. Instant bonus points for their robot logo on myspace. The lead singer is a lovely lady called Lizzie who emotively pours through each song while her Canadian band rock out. In fact, she seems to carry the band through some very bland musical moments. Hopefully the album will show the more musical elements of what could be a brilliant band. Watch that space. Then I watched Gnarls Barkley new video "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" which I really liked cos the guy literally pulls his heart out on the table and then explains to the girl who's just dumped him how he's going to compare every new woman to her and how none will compare to the false memory. It's very erudite though and rather poetic. From there I also listened to Gnarls live cover of Reckoner by Radiohead - which the audience didn't seem to know, but really shows the genius of these guys, as if it were ever in dispute. Then I discovered that Avalanches are to release a second album! Only they could top that first work of genius! So exciting! *breaks into "Since I met you"* Today I was instantly hit in the face by Vivian Girls. Great NYC band. Exactly how they describe themselves on myspace: Punk/Shoegaze/Surf. Awesome. Check these ladies of rock out.

I like good music

Mercury Music Awards
The nominated artists are:

Adele
British Sea Power
Burial
Elbow
Estelle
Laura Marling
Neon Neon
Portico Quartet
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset
Radiohead
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
The Last Shadow Puppets

The only group I rate at all on the list is The Last Shadow Puppets. This tribute to 60's music sung with mournful Sheffield stylings of Alex of the Arctic Monkeys is a pleasure to listen to. It makes you remember why you liked music in the first place. While not being revolutionary or even original, they are so talented and having turned their hands to this homage have made a masterpiece of their own.

Laura Marling can jog on. I liked her lyrics until I saw her live and discovered she was only 17 and was singing about nothing.

I hate to say it, but Radiohead's In Rainbows doesn't deserve the award. Sorry.

I'm really surprised by the amount of bland crap on this list. British Sea Power??! Elbow? I know Elbow's new album had some stunning tracks, but at the end of the day, it's still Elbow! Estelle?!

Burial was another minimal IDM pile of pants. Adele while good, is nothing new, ditto Neon Neon. Plant and Krauss have a good album, but it's not at all innovative. perhaps I'm looking for innovation when it's not a requirement...?