NOVEMBER 2009

Solvor Vermeerw
Heads Up
New term, n
ew music
 Solvor Vermeer
There’s something magical contained in
the music of Norway’s Solvor Vermeer – a
singer-songwriter from the north of Norway,
who after playing in varying styles of bands
for seven years is recording her own music to
be released on Lazy Acre Records at the start
of next year.
If the bedroom-demo’s currently doing the
rounds are anything to go by then her new
release could well be one of the albums of
2010.
We grabbed the Scandinavian chanteuse
for a chat.
On her myspace page the description
states, ‘When I was a little girl I once told my
mother there was so much music inside my

Solvor Vermeer images: Kristine Hellemo

head. I’ve been trying to get it out of there
ever since.’
Vermeer’s response to questions on her
in-head soundtrack poignantly and beautifully
sum-up the essence of her heartfelt dreamy
pop: “Chaotic bits and pieces of melodies and
lines in different colours. Like someone run-
ning barefoot through a misty forest singing,
and every now and then you can catch up
with them and hear what the melody’s like.”
Evoking the icy elegance of the Scandina-
vian landscape, comparisons can be drawn to
the music of mum and Sigur Ros as well the
list of her personal inspirations.
“There are so many artists that have
inspired me over the years, it’s hard to say you have it. My sound on the new EP is a she has forged a sound that is fraught with a To our mind Solvor Vermeer is getting it
which one’s had a direct influence on me and little different from what I’ve been doing for sense of longing: “Most of the lyrics are about right already, making some of the most beau-
my music. Joni Mitchell, Amiina, Low, Cat the last few years, simply because I had more something missing, searching for something. tiful, emotional pop we’ve heard in a while.
Power, PJ Harvey and the list goes on..I know instruments and a better studio available. I But at the same time there’s always a little bit Her plans for the future mean we will hope-
after the summer of 2003 I changed the way love just playing around in the studio without of hope in them. When I was younger I was fully be seeing and hearing a lot more from
I looked at writing, arranging and producing a plan, and just following the music wherever terrified about writing songs about love, pain, her, “[I will] release the EP and start recording
music. I remember I listened to a lot of differ- it takes you. The songs that will be released heartache.. well you get the picture. Now I a full-length album. Play wherever I’m able to,
ent bands and artists at that time, and they’ve this winter are simple and mellow, like the just write about whatever’s in my head. It’s make new friends, see new places. Think less
probably influenced me more than I know of. demos, but also more playful and fairytale-like done me good to see that a song doesn’t turn and laugh more.”
If I didn’t listen to Sigur Ros that summer I and the some songs have a lot of instruments into a Mariah Carey-ballad just because you Solvor Vermeer’s final thought: “Wherever
had Stina Nordenstam and the song “Crime” on them, and pretty much all of them have mention the word “love”.” you go, go there with all your heart.”
on repeat.” a lot of backing vocals. I just love dubbing So after all that has Ms Vermeer success-
She describes her new work: “Like a piano and big vocal-arrangements, I wish I were a fully translated the wonderful sounds inside
trying to say what the voice couldn’t express choir! Live it’s more of a classic piano based her head: “No, still trying. I’m getting better myspace.com/solvermeer
and then some words filling out the missing singer-songwriter sound since I can’t play four with every song though. I’m hoping this can
pieces. Throw in some glocks, sitar, me trying instruments at a time and I can’t be a choir.” be a lifelong project and then finally when I’m
to be a choir and some percussion and there From her surroundings and influences 90 I can rest assured I got it right in the end.”

Gaggle
There aren’t many bands that get a full-page feature in the NME
before they’ve released a single song, so it’s a testament to the
combined power of 24-part (at the last count) all-girl choir Gaggle
that they managed it so quickly. To see Gaggle live is to submerge
yourself in a fierce spectacle... a wall of women in brightly coloured
shamanic cowls, spread across all age groups and ethnicities, and
all baying for vodka, cigarettes, and the blood of anything with a
Y-chromosome.
They belt out misandric chain-gang shoutalongs (“tie his legs
together/throw him in the river”) and draw the attention of even the
most chatty room like an electromagnet.
‘Crows’ is the best song on offer, with a sinister, bassy backing
track - it illuminates a way forward for a band that must change to Simon Bookish
thrive. Gaggle is a teetering, many-headed monster with a life of it’s Simon Bookish is an elusive and fascinating
own, so make sure you see the spectacle live in case they break composer and pop star from London via Leices-
apart and vanish back into the ether. ter. He came on the same prodigious wave as
troubled alterna-diva Patrick Wolf, but don’t let
myspace.com/gagglespace that put you off - the most recent Simon Book-
Moggz ish album Everything/Everything offers a unique
brand of mind-boggling sonic pointillism that far outstrips Wolf’s
Moggz flit with abandon between dark,
glitch heavy electronica and downright sorry recent efforts. You may have noticed that record not exactly
filthy drum and bass breakdowns – breaking down the door of the mainstream media, but for the
spearing sub-bass runs with mental keen-eyed music geeks among us the steadily mounting critical
percussion as sparks of melody fly applause has comefrom all the right places. In fact, if you Google
from the wreckage blinking in the dark ‘Dumb Terminal Pitchfork’ you might find a taster. Everything/
before being swallowed whole by Everything is a loosely woven concept album based around the
swathes of glitchy drums and insane themes of knowledge, science and information overload and, by
bass attacks. extension, the stuff of modern life.
Listening to them is like following Intelligent arrangements, whimsical humour, arch delivery,
endless neon strip lights through the shards of autobiography and vivid poetry combine into a stun-
brain of a madman before arriving in a ningly ambitious construction. Simon Bookish is a singular artist
candy coated control booth – all flash- who deserves to stand alongside the best of his generation...
ing LEDs and overflowing ashtrays on richly-deserved recognition can’t be far away.
the console.
Great darkly menacing electronica. simonbookish.com
mogzz.co.uk
Compiled by Ben Mainwaring,
John Brainlove and James Thornhill
 New term, New music
H e
PENS
a dws U p
Confession: we ab-
solutely love those
TV shows like ‘When
Pets Go Bad’ and
‘Americas Dumb-
est Criminals’ – the
screech of tyres,
the shattering bone,
blood-sprayed idiots
getting their come-
In June we launched our Heads Up new music blog. With so much great new music blasting from our
office stereo we needed to share....These are just some of the picks of our recent new music finds....

uppance. Car Crash

TV - in musical
terms it’s a perfect
parlance for Pens.
Comprising three
Swound!
We’ve been banging on about Swound! for a few years now, since
enthusiastic (if musi-
their early demos, but they’re not massive yet so we’re banging on
cally limited) young
about them again. Swound! are a band you couldn’t make up: four
ladies with impecca-
brothers from the Isle of Man, based in Nottingham who are unsigned
ble riot grrrl sneers
but have been included on a Kerrang compilation and are the first
the girls also have
unsigned act to write and perform a track for Nickelodeon’s mad-cap
in their arsenal a set
and acclaimed kids show Yo Gabba Gabba (their track apparently
of tunes that race
teaches kids about the importance of resting and eating jelly when
along with not a care
you are ill). They also just happen to be one of the best live rock
in the world.
bands around in the UK.
Despite the impression that the whole thing could come crashing down at any moment under the weight of
They claim their band name is the Japanese word for jumping re-
the clouds of fuzz and the break-neck pace on show, the girls somehow scrape though and in doing so have
ally high and if you’ve ever enjoyed the quirky indie-rock of Weezer,
delivered one hell of a fun wonky-pop-packed debut.
the rock brilliance of Cable and the humour-filled brutality of Mc-
Sniffin’ Glue once printed three chord diagrams and told its readers to go form bands and it’s exactly this kind
Clusky this bunch of reprobates are for you.
of ramshackle template that the girls have picked up on. Gloriously cacophonous!
New single ‘Predator 3’ was released on November 3 – go get it!
myspace.com/penspenspenis swound.co.uk

Richard Walters
Former Oxford resident (now full time Parisian) Richard
Walters has since his early releases on Big Scary Mon-
sters developed into one of the most feted songwriters
on the scene. Recent album The Animal collects
everything that that is great about the man’s work
– the spidery webs of acoustic guitars, the gentle
swathes of strings and pianos adorning the
mournful alt-folk on show.
The highlight of Walters work has always
been that tremulous falsetto - as easy and
wafer thin as it is emotive and powerful
- and so it is that it takes centre stage
throughout; tiptoeing gently around
hushed acoustic guitars and a shuf-
fling lo-fi beat, best exemplified by
‘Brittle Bones’ a 3-minute calling
card that seems set to see him
firmly at the front of the pack in
the race to become this years
thinking mans songwriter of
choice.

Internet Forever
Internet Forever are one of those bands that seem to arrive on a silver platter, fully formed
and already totally awesome. They gigged heavily in London throughout 2009 with a set
containing all five of their compulsive, lo-fi fuzzpop songs, cherry picking sought-after slots
at Upset The Rhythm, White Heat and Club NME, to name just a few. Vice magazine, 20
Jazz Funk Greats, Pinglewood, Pitchfork and Fader all queued to bury them in critical
garlands. Quite what they did so, so right is hard to fathom, but their songs speak forthem-
selves.
‘Cover The Walls’ is anthemic indie-pop that carries a lo-fi sensibility alongside a John
Hughes-y teen triumphalism. ‘3D’ is a hyper-catchy paean to meeting 2.0 people IRL.
‘Break Bones’ is such a fearsome earworm that an unfinished demo was played on Radio
1, and it had a fan-started cover versions page on MySpace before it was even released (it
still isn’t). The world seems to lie at Internet Forever’s feet right now... it’ll be very interest-
ing to see where the road leads them.
richard-walters.org
The Little Hands of Asphalt
Anyone of an Elliot Smith or Bright Eyes bent will find much
to love with this band - dealing as they do in a similarly
hushed brand of melancholic alt-folk.
Signed to How Is Annie Records in Norway the band
recently played the Oya Festival along with the likes of Wilco
and Arctic Monkeys and have seen many “album of the year”
style plaudits through Europe.
You can check out a free EP available from the bands
UK label (Lazy Acre) but their new album Leap Years is well
worth a listen too - a perfect late night summer soundtrack.

internetforeverandever.blogspot.com myspace.com/thelittlehandsofasphalt
Implosion Quintet Dancer vs Politician
Implosion Quintet is singular fivesome James Baker, a British musician
now residing in Norway. The music of Dancer vs Politician,
Following a scattering of tracks on the Cookshop label, he released quite literally spans the globe.
his highly ambitious and accomplished debut album, The Future Sound The brainchild of Sanni Baumgaert-
Of Yesterday this summer. ner, a Berlin native who has made a
Driven by a short attention span and a love of prog, proto-metal, home for herself in Athens, Georgia,
jazz, electronica, klezmer, tango and everything in between, Implosion USA for the past 10 years, the music
Quintet takes us on a bizarre journey through said styles infused with a is bathed in the cultural ambience of
cinematic quality lending it the feel of a soundtrack to some long forgot- her two homes.
ten cult eastern European flick. Sanni chats to me on a rainy
So you’ve got tango, electronica, stoner rock, prog, jazz, beats, Athen’s morning via internet chat,
blues, glitch, bossa nova, DnB and more besides squished together in whilst strangely the sun blazes in the
a way that won’t drive you insane. usually damp Midlands of the UK.
Maybe it’s the fact that Dancer vs
implosionquintet.com Politician’s optimistic, summery indie-
pop is blasting from my computer
speakers that has brought out the
sun.
Sanni explains how the project
developed, “Dancer vs. Politician
was born when I started recording
the album A City Half-Lost in Athens,
GA. For a while I lived in Berlin and
Athens, flying back and forth a lot,
so I had a band in both places. It
became a bit of an international col-
laboration that I think also influenced
the music.”
For any musician Athens is
undoubtedly a place to draw you in,
considering the musical talent that
this small town has spawned (REM,
the B-52s and the Elephant 6 col-
lective to name a few) but was it the
musical heritage that drew her to the
Georgia town?
“No, originally I came to Athens
as an exchange student at the
University of Georgia. During my stay
here I started to get more and more
involved in the Athens music scene
and it has drawnme back to Athens
again and again. It is really quite
special for such a small town.”
The Euro-American cross-
fertilisation is apparent in the sound keyboards, drums, bass. I play accor- enced some bizarre and over-the-top
Sanni has created with lyrics sung dion, guitar, and musical saw. Overall reactions to their performance: ““Well,
in both English and German and the I like to keep the feel pretty close to we have had the best time recently
music built of the foundation of her the album.” in New Orleans when someone we
influences. Having recently signed to new UK met at a show invited us to stay at
“I love Belle & Sebastian, their in- label Mono Music and releasing the his place which was this fantastic loft
strumentation and beautiful melodies. beautiful debut single ‘Justin Fair- and we had the best time. Then I also
On the darker side I am also drawn born’ back in September we should remember this guy in Richmond, who
to The Velvet Underground. Other expect Dancer vs Politician to make told me that he was going to go home
bands that influenced me on this their first ever live excursion to these and masturbate to my CD now.”
album are The Postal Service and shores.
Azure Ray, a former Athens band.”
When taking Dancer vs Politi-
“I am really looking forward to com-
ing over there and checking out the myspace.com/
cian into the live arena drawing on
the Athens scene gave Sanni a
music scene. Touring is my favourite
way of discovering new bands,”
dancerversuspolitician
smorgasbord of talent to add to an explains Sanni.
ever-changing band of musicians, to This comes as no surprise as
her multi-instrumental base. her sound owes much to the
Graffiti Island “The band line-up is always a bit twee-ness and innocence of
East London trio Graffiti Island have a deceptively simple sound. different, depending on who is avail- British indie-pop as much as it
Through a fog of tape hiss they transmit a swampy tangle of able to tour, but usually we are 4-6 does to Berlin and the US.
minimal Americana; a dirty, heavily stylized racket populated by people with some strings and horns, Live the band have experi-
werewolves, demonic cats, headhunters and satanists. It’s an eerily
perfect concoction, from the slightly atonal bass to the schlock-
horror subject matter and deadpan delivery. But their magpie-like
tendency for plucking up reference points gives their music a rich,
almost conceptual edge. Like an über-fashionable patchwork made Loz Koleszko
of 80’s VHS sleeves, Cramps records, 3D glasses, dusty effects
units and cracked 50’s garage band vinyl, Graffiti Island don’t have Back in 2003 the sugar-coated digital distortions of Koleszko’s
a hair out of place. debut EP The Monkey’s Danced Like Cuboids blew our minds and
They released a 7” earlier in the year on San Francisco lo-fi label he really should have climbed to the top of the electronica tree. But
Art Fag that sounded like it could have been recorded 40 years various problems and record label dithering meant that his amazing
ago or 40 minutes ago. Live, their sound is about as striped back follow-up album ‘’ has never seen a proper release.
as you can get. After gaining a devoted following supporting the likes of Cylob,
‘Wolf Guy’ featured simple, pounding bass, loose drumming and Mike Dred, Plaid and Jimmy Edgar, Koleszko disappeared from the
the monotone drawl of the vocals. Headhunters is as simple as the live scene.
Ramones and as catchy as the ebola virus. If you’re the type who New tunes on his myspace mark the return of aural excretions
goes looking for scuzzy finds in vintage vinyl bins, skip the queue from Koleszko’s twisted mind and early offering ‘Piblokto’ remains
and get Graffiti Island while they’re hot. one of our fave electronic tunes this decade.

myspace.com/graffitiisland
myspace.com/lozkoleszko

More great new bands at

headsupblog.blogspot.com
 FUNfun
Double the fun! Derby’s FUNfun are one of the best new rock outfits we have heard in while.
Built from the ashes of two great bands YouNoGoDie and Plans and Apologies in December
2008, the Midlands quartet fuse the best elements of their former acts – which is no bad
thing at all.
The four tracks on their brilliant debut EP The Hitchcock EP make it our top tip for the best
indie-rock debut of 2010! ‘The Trouble With Harry’ (on our free MP3 sampler) is more catchy
than Swine Flu, and a lot more enjoyable.
They are looking for more gigs and contacts ‘at this moment in time to Spread the Fun’ –
and trust us a little bit of FUNfun is well worth spreading.
Heads Up
New term, n

Shoes and Socks Off

ew musicw
Formerly of Meet Me In St Lois (RIP) Toby
myspace.com/funfunband Hayes confounded many in the underground
rock world by stepping away from his angular
post-rock background and delivered one of
the low-key highlights of 2008 in his debut al-
bum From the Muddy Banks of Meltizer – recorded live on top of a chest of drawers in
a distinctly lo-fi acoustic setting that set a new focus on his brilliant song-writing ability.
Remodelling these exact same tracks has proven to be something of a master-
stroke in new album Hand Reared Suburban Piglet which sees Hayes fleshing out
his skeletal songs with traces of electronica and more of his noisy past to provide a
fascinating counterpoint to the originals.
Intriguing stuff!

shoesandsocksoff.blogspot.com

Track a Tiger
Taking in shades of electronica, folk, country, indie Track A Tiger combine
the lot to forge amazing swoon-pop.
Taking much from the likes of Anathallo, Modest Mouse et al there’s a
healthy smattering of genres abound here all wrapped up around some
elegantly understated song-writing.

trackatiger.com

Brainlove Wack one out

We couldn’t do a special on new music without mentioning our good friends over at Brainlove records, who have been exposing us
to some of the most exciting and mind-blowing new acts for ages. Last year we dubbed their compilation Two Thousand and Ace
‘compilation of the year’.

2009’s compilation Fear of the Wack Planet is no less amazing, covering 27 acts teeming with the kind of positivity, sonic
invention and skewed pop sensibility that has seen the label gather fans and supporters far and wide over the last six years.
Taking in bands from Brainlove’s roster such as pop maverick Napoleon IIIrd (who’s been covered many a time on these
pages), and a selection of other amazing independent artists Fear of the Wack Planet is a must-have new music release.
These are our pick of the Wack Planet pops:
Ace Bushy Striptease
Birmingham’s Ace Bushy Striptease weave
ramshackle indie magic. The latest in a line of
great Brum-based guitar pop bands, there’s
something shambolically wonderful about their
self-named ‘cuddlecore’.
A wonderfully shambolic collision of musical
ideas the sound of Ace Bushy Striptease is one
that should be added to your record collection
immediately.
acebushystriptease.com
Pagan Wanderer Lu
We like our pop of the quirky, DIY variety and
that’s why we love Pagan Wanderer Lu.
Honest and poignant lyrics add a meaningful
socio-political backbone to the catchy tunes all
over Lu’s recently released debut album Fight
My Battles For Me, indeed Virtual Debris called
it ‘witty and often ascerbic lyrical goodness with
increasingly pop sensibilities’.
Self described as an ‘electronica fuelled
indie-pop songwriter’ playing ‘indietronica’-
PWL is an eclectic interbreeding of pop sound
- taking in noisey alt. rock, danceable rhythms,
punk attitude, techno blips, piano pop, moody
synths and introspective acoustic folk. If there’s
not something in there for every one we’ll eat
our collective hat.
paganwandererlu.wordpress.com
Curly Hair
Curly Hair are Ben & Jessica from Brighton.
They’re an art-school folk-pop duo with a
revolving cast of helpers and bandmates - a
system befitting their membership in the
all-conquering Wilkommen Collective of like-
minded Brightonians bands. If you’re aware of
Wilkommen you’ll no doubt have some idea
what to expect... and if not, then get on it!
Curly Hair are the “cutest” on offer from the
Collective by quite some way, but for them
to stand alongside emerging bands like The
Leisure Society and Sons Of Noel And Adrian
is an accolade in itself. They make a virtue of
foraging enough quirks and foibles from the
increasingly crowded DIY-folk scene to stand
out. Aesthetically, you might find Curly Hair bor-
rowing facepaint and glitter from DIY veterans
Bearsuit and twee sensibilities from Peggy Sue
or Slow Club.
Musically, they are as bright eyed and fresh
as it’s possible to be,singing nice, clean little
songs about life, love and the last bus home.
Curly Hair have already made a big splash
on the radio with a Mark Riley session under
their belt and plays from such luminaries as
Huw Stephens and Bethan Elfyn. Watch this
space to see how far their tinfoil wings will take
them...
myspace.com/wearecurlyhair
We Aeronauts
Folky eight-piece We Aeronauts have been
turning heads on the live circuit for a while now,
blowing our collective minds at Truck Festival
a few years back. This year has seen a new
spate of stunning recorded offerings which
brilliantly illustrate the sheer optimistic beauty
of their country folk, tinged with the dark ele-
ments of bands like Broken Social Scene and
Arcade Fire.
The Fly described their music as “larger-
than life orchestral, hymnal masterpieces and
round-the-campfire folky sing-alongs.”
weaeronauts.com
Kippi Kaninus
As Kippi Kaninus, digital composer Gudmun-
dor Vignir Karlsson creates multilayered,
subtle, downbeat and melodic electronica.
Manipulated voices, found-sounds and soft-
click percussion offset the downplayed use
of acoustic instruments to form Kippi Kaninus
panoramic, supernatural soundtrack.
He is also part of renowned string quartet
Amiina’s live show and has done choral work
with Sigur Ros and Bjork.
kippikaninus.com
Mat Riviere
Mat Riviere forges sparse but intense songs,
heavy on atmosphere and melody colliding
analogue instruments with digital techniques
creating sounds that are steeped in tradition
but have one foot in pops future.
A definite pop maverick for the future!
myspace.com/matriviere
Jam on Bread
Steve performs as Jam on Bread, and we
like Steve. We love his simple, innocent and
knowingly twee ditties. Lyrics fraught with
self-deprecating humour and that are never
self-indulgent or annoying.
myspace.com/jamonbreadyay
Full Fear of the Wack Planet tracklist:
1. Mat Riviere - FYH*
2. Napoleon IIIrd - Your God*
3. Stairs To Korea - Boy Bear It In Mind*
4. Internet Forever - Break Bones
5. A Scholar & A Physician - Stand Tall*
6. Penny Broadhurst & The Maffickers -
Comenzo (live)
7. Curly Hair - Hully Gully
8. We Aeronauts - The House On Ash Tree
Lane*
9. Christopher Alcxxk - Halo
10. The Bear Driver - No Time To Speak
11. Kippi Kaninus - Sygyt With Me*
12. Thee Oracle - A/I/M/Y*
13. Pagan Wanderer Lu - Nintendo Folk*
14. Ratface - Fruit An Veg
15. Trademark - At Loch Shiel
16. Fidel Villeneuve - Two Of The Beatles Have
Died
17. Ace Bushy Striptease - Post Hummus
18. Planet Earth - 4 23
19. Sparky Deathcap - Winter City
20. Keyboard Choir - Tachikoma
21. Kid Carpet - Go Get Yourself A Hammer
22. Laura Wolf - Love Was Dead
23. gwEm - Ancient Art Of Chiptune
24. Braindead Collective - Untitled #1
25. Heartbeeps - Glacial Valleys
26. MRBLKRSHRRRR - Jackie Collins
27. Jam On Bread - Wikipedia Says I’m Dying
* Brainlove records bands
Getting your hands on these 27 amazing
tracks is just a few clicks away. Get on that
there interweb and make a purchase at:
brainloverecords.com/order
Nodzz
Despite losing a drummer to
the peace corps during the
making of it, Noddz self titled
debut album (out on the ex-
cellent What’s Your Rupture
label) is a scuzzy lo-fi affair
that for all its rattles and
hums is a blissfully summery
slice of alt pop.
We’re going to have to
name drop Pavement and
their alternative-leaning
ilk, there’s a quirky edge
throughout their breakneck
tracks that means that rather
than just rehashing their influ-
ences the guys have created
something fresh, immediate
and cool as fuck.
Exlovers
myspace.com/ When we heard Exlovers last year we were hooked im-
mediately with their loping lo-fi pop.
nodzzz For fans of a Pavement, Elliot Smith and The Smiths
there is so much to fall in unrequited indie love with here…
The hooks are subtle but with repeated listens these songs
will be under your skin in no time.
We have to confess that the indie snob part of us will be
Smoke Fairies a little bit sad when these guys invariably go from being my
Smoke Fairies are literally swimming in critical acclaim and little secret to chart- bothering indie types but their Belle
quite rightly too. Their juxtaposition of deep-south blues, tra- and Sebastian-esque rise to awkward NME cover stars will
ditional English Folk all mixed together with a genre defying be richly deserved.
bravado is pushing all the right buttons.
Katherine and Jessica, first got together at school in Sus- myspace.com/weareexlovers
sex, before decamping to Vancouver and New Orleans. Since
returning to the UK they have started to get public and critical
recognition for their unique, ethereal and hypnotic
music.
Smoke Fairies simply play some of the most magical
and beautiful music possible.

myspace.com/smokefairies

My Little Pony
If you like your indie-pop on the fey side of feel good
(think Belle and Sebastian’s later work, The Con-
cretes even a bit of Vampire Weekend) then your go-
ing to absolutely love My Little Pony deploying gently
lulling folk-pop adorned with washes of piano, guitars,
horns and the odd glock for good measure.
Like the bands mass produced namesake, there’s
something almost childlike and innocent about this lit-
tle lot only enforced by the way they will hug your ipod
the same way a child might cling to your leg come the
Monotonix first day of school.
Joyously wonderful!
Every now and again you see a band that kicks you
full on in the balls, wrecks your head and leaves you a
spent, sweaty mess. myspace.com/mylittleponyoslo
Israel’s Monotonix are one of THOSE bands. Their
unhinged, uninhibited garage rock madness has been
laying waste to audiences all over the world.
Monotonix are unfashionable, uncool and totally un-
hinged. They are not big, they are possibly not clever but
they are 100% total rock and roll!
Check out Monotonix at your first opportunity and join
the carnage.

monotonix.com

Public Radio Simon Says No!

Question: what would happen if you put Refused
A literate group of indie kids Public Radio have pulled and My Bloody Valentine in a blender? Answer –
off a neat trick by blending subtle (but mighty effective) why Danish four-piece Simon Says No! of course!
beats of Gibbard-esque electronica into slabs of hugely Having seen the band live earlier in the year we
melodic radio friendly emo rock that ends up coming on can confirm they are devastatingly loud – pummel-
like a cross between Tokyo Police Club and the Postal ling waves of guitars and bass taking a jackham-
Service - which in our book is a bit of treat! mer to the songs and trying to force them through
They produce some truly monumental choruses– ones the floor – but underneath the abrasive exterior
that some of the band’s more mainstream peers would there’s a delicate sense of melody at play here
kill to write themselves recalling the more accessible moments of the
– which should be more Jesus and Mary Chain or Kevin Shields band of
than enough to help merry men.
propel the band to the A force to be reckoned with then and on the evi-
level of recognition they dence of the bands recently released self titled EP,
richly deserve. one that should be delivering one of next year’s
best alternative rock albums.
myspace.com/
publicradiomusic simonsaysno.com

The Death Set
The Heavy
We’ve been digging the voodoo soul
vibes of The Heavy for a while now,
and have been spinning incendiary new
album The House That Dirt Built almost
none stop.
With a background in the joys of sam-
pling and a foreground in scuzzy guitar,
bass and beaten up drums, with schizo
music tastes and a West Country pace
The Heavy have built the modern
sound of soul.
Pop Levi
Formerly of Super Numeri and La-
dytron, Pop Levi has also worked as an
ice cream van driver and hair model,
before finding ‘home’ by living out a
Kenneth Anger
movie in
LA.
You need this compilation! Get online and get tracks from all the acts on Coun-
ter on CD or MP3 for the bargain price of just £2.99. Search for STRIKE
and make one of the best new music purchases you’ll make all year
The Heavy
Heads Up
The Gay Blades
New term, n w
ew music
The Gay Blades are not a violent gay-rights gang, but
are a great rock band.
Gay Blades play acerbic trash-pop, that predictably bor-
When a couple of year’s ago we heard that Ninja Tune were rows from the rock pantheon whilst producing something
starting a rock label we were excited. New Counter records unpredictable and filled to the brim with irony.
sampler STRIKE! showcasing some of the finest moments from Their debut album Ghosts was re-released back in June
the misfits, freaks and visionaries shaping the label’s sound, and deserves to be in your collection.
shows we were right in our excitement. No two tracks are the same and ‘O Shot’ might just be
Strike! is as varied and uncategorisable as the musicians the most rousing rock tune of 2009 – it’s all looking good
for the Gay Blades.
making up the label’s roster. Drawn from Liverpool, the West Is this the sound of the next big thing or a sarcastic
Country, Wisconsin, Australia, Darlington and so on and living pastiche of rock history? We doubt Gay Blades care, and
everywhere from Los Angeles to Baltimore to New York as well when the tunes sound this good, neither do we!
as London (and, erm, Darlington), the only thing they share
in common is their attempts to re-write the rule book of what myspace.com/gayblades
can be done with their chosen form of expression.
Counter family,
Cougar are from Madison, Wisconsin.
This is a band who can hit hard with
muscular riffing and machine gun
drumming or come over with sweeping
emotion. What they never do is let their
obvious musicianship get in the way
of banging out a good tune. Existing in
the space between post-rock and ambi-
ent electronica Cougar make some of
the most exciting and inventive rock
around right now.
Spokes
This Manchester lot are something
a bit special effortlessly forging their
sound from a massive array of genres
(slow-core, post-rock, indie, folk, shoe-
gaze, pop – you name it!). Counter are
reissuing their amazing debut album
People Like People Like You released
on their own imprint, Everyone, in 2008
– which is a good thing as all of us who
missed it the first time round can now
add it to our collections. And we all
should.
Ape School
Michael Johnson is Ape School, and
came to Counter’s attention with the
vocal for “Make It So” on Daedelus’
‘Love To Make Music To.’ Formerly a
member of Holopaw (Sub Pop) as Ape
School Johnson peddles dreamy, hazy
psychedelia which has a warm but oth-
erworldly atmosphere that owes much
Counter’s avant-pop maverick pro-
duces trippy, sexual and sleazy glam
to the early innovators of electronic
music (United States of America, Tan-
The Smittens
The Smittens ‘fuzzy-wuzzy DIY pop explosion’ brings a
rock with a psyche underbelly. gerine Dream). The seeming darkness
massive smile to our faces.
of the lyrical themes is openly contra-
Twee-tastic indie-pop built on tight vocal harmonies and
dicted by perfect psyche-pop melodies.
insanely infectious pop hooks this is the perfect antidote
The Death Set to all the dark, brooding, miserablist indie floating
Part of the Wham City collective (Dan
Deacon, Ponytail, Girl Talk etc), who
John Matthias around.
A violin prodigy, one of John’s many The Smittens are the musical equivalent of a sunny
live and put on parties in the ware- disposition. Pardoning the pun, we are smitten by The
claims to fame is that he contrib-
houses of Baltimore – Death Set Smittens.
uted string parts to Radiohead’s The
make smile-inducing electro-punk that
Bends. He also works as a member
screams P-A-R-T-Y! They are also one
of the most fun bands you can ever
of Nonclassical’s Cortical Songs and smittens.com
PRS award-winning The Fragmented
see live.
Orchestra. For Counter, Matthias
recorded a singer-songwriter album of
Dollymops
Cougar genuine emotional weight, built around
his rich, dry voice. Lincoln 3-piece Dollymops create a melting-pot of experi-
One of the newest members to the mental punk mayhem. Their infectious riffs, ferocious
bass lines and high vibrato screams make up their
counterrecords.com
merciless punk-rock racket.
Dickiemop, Dannymop and
Jacobmop have been turning heads
at gigs up and down the country.
Their recently released 5-track EP
has been gaining critical plaudits
and radioplay.
If you like your music raucous and
on the wrong side of unhinged Dol-
ninjatune.net/ninjashop
lymops tick all the boxes.
myspace.com/dollymops
 Kambodsja
In a word - brutal. Kambodsja play a head on collision between post rock and
bone crushing post hardcore.
Hailed as the “greatest
hardcore band to come
from Norway” by a fellow
countryman, that remains
to be seen but all the same
new album Marionette You
Are Mine is well worth a
listen.

kambodsja.com

Dials
Formed by members of several defunct bands from the Shrewsbury area DIALS
have been together just over a year and they have been making waves with debut
Mimas EP Fix This Imbalance which hit the streets back in August.
This Danish five piece pirouette with ease through Rock Sound have been ‘particularly nice’ about it, which is understandable as
all manner of musical territory moving from post rock it kicks some serious ass. Considering the short period of time they have been
breakdowns to blessed out choruses with wild aban- together the accomplished tunes they have turned out point to a lot of potential for
don – underpinned with some mesmerising musician- the future.
ship and stunning melodies that is never once lost in Dials music is a multi-layered rock beast taking in the expansive hardcore of At
the complexity of their sound. The Drive In, the stadium rock of Brand New and the post-rock noodlings of Minus Crocodiles
Their debut The Worries is a mind-blowing affair, the Bear. You could use any number of words to
slowly burrowing its way to the back of your brain – it Describing their live performances as ‘30 minutes well spent’ their dynamicism describe Crocodiles sound: “Visceral”, “throb-
is an absolute must hear and you should track down on stage has seen them support the likes of Twin Atlantic, Fei Comodo, Failsafe, bing”, “nihilistic”, “sexy”, “raw”, “unashamed”
a copy immediately. Amusement Parks on Fire and Will Francis of Aiden in the last few months. … but to do so would almost be contradicting
Currently working on new material for release in 2010 and touring relentlessly. the their very essence; to dissect these songs
mimassite.com Dials look set to deliver on their early promise – check them out! at anything other than face value is almost
antithesis to the very being of what is es-
dialsmusic.com sentially just an achingly cool no bullshit rock
n roll band. Crocodiles distil equal parts of the
Jesus and Mary Chain feedback
laden maginificence and the
spacey swagger of Spaceman 3.
Sharks Took The Rest Shrouding their hooks in
Coming on like a cross between Joanna New- swathes of feedback and stutter-
som fronting an unplugged Cocteau Twins, the ing guitars but with a melody is
band have just two have but two songs on their always close at hand – elevat-
myspace right now but both are worthy of your ing them above their krautrock
immediate attention. tinged peers and into genuine
We are in love with the track ‘Isobel’ and it classic rock n roll territory.
has been on constant rotation, the gossamer
whisper and sighing piano drag us in every time. killkillkillcrocodiles.
At present completely unsigned (although
surely not for long) these guys could be your blogspot.com
new favourite band within five minutes.

sharkstooktherest.com

Blakfish Bobby Long

Last year’s brutally heavy EP See Bobby Long is a shaggy haired troubadour dealing in the kind of
You In Another City set out Blak- folk–come-blues that made Dylan such a big player.
fish’s stall as purveyors of some of After streaking up the iTunes chart with single ‘Being a Mock-
the finest ‘Screamo’ to come from ingbird’, Long is just back from a two month tour in the States
these shores (let alone Birming- and it certainly won’t be long before he starts filling some much
ham!!) in a long time. bigger venues than the ones currently being graced with his
Flailing like an electric eel with presence.
ADHD, these mercurial songs pack For anyone that considers themselves a fan of ‘singer/song-
a sonic punch rivalled by few as writers’ these battered and bruised little songs, of love, of life
bone shaking riffs, scream and re- and of loss should throw up a celebratory warning flare that all is
sponse verses and some absolutely not lost – that somewhere in the barren wilderness of the electro
thunderous drumming all collide to provide one of the most thrilling wasteland that is British music in 2009 a true talent still lives.
tunes to arrive in the metal genre for some time.
bobby-long.co.uk
blakfish.com

FREE DIGITAL SAMPLER

Fancy getting your mitts on 27 choice cuts of some of the best
music covered on these pages? Of course you do!
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Don’t take our word for it check out these amazing tunes for yourself!
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funFUN, Cougar, Spokes, Solvor Vermeer, Blakfish, Dials and loads more
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thenationalstudent.co.uk/tranmissionsone