Pop music is a fairly stale loaf of bread at the best of times. So naturally those of us who have chosen to fall in love with it find life rather unsatisfying. Occasional chest nuts can be found though, many of them are lurking in the strange world of British Sea Power, a place not to far from Wiltshire, I hear. The latest export from this mystical world is ‘It Ended On An Oily Stage.’ An unabashed indie rocking corker, stacked with shirt rippingly catchy guitar licks and timeless break downs.” The story of the song seems to be that Vocalist Yan has found god in a parking lot, or someone he knows has found god in a parking lot, and he has just gone to the beach for the day. Either way it’s all makes perfect sense to the listener. Beautiful mysterious and bizarre, it’s all I ask from my bread.

Review by Kolley Kibber
Watch the video for 'It Ended On An Oily Stage' here
www.britishseapower.co.uk
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The first track of this demo is called 'The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance', and the band's name is taken from a confusing Japanese Manga film, two things that on first glance scream the word 'pretentious'. However one listen to the music they make reveals that Akira are far from a joy-less trudge through arty references and un-listenable noise. The influences listed on their website also back this up- while they commendably list Chris Morris as an inspiration they also find space to include the Karate Kid, and while the sleeve proudly displays a quote about the universe and violence that I won't even try to understand, it also bears the legend "to be played at maximum volume". What's more, the unsigned Cambridge-based band regularly play in London and put on their own nights where they also DJ. So instead of pretentious, read ambitious and passionate.

Yes, they may have post-rock leanings but that's meant in the best possible way, as their sound leans more towards the 'rock' end of things than the 'post'. The vocals veer brilliantly from ethereal beauty to gut wrenching passion, and the first track ('The Price of Freedom.') features some impressive guitar-mangling noise, an ever-ascending bass line and a couple of perfectly realised tempo changes. Track two ('Soho Was Always There for Me') floats along blissfully in a My Bloody Valentine haze before the thunder arrives near the end in the form of some serious noise and a whole lot of screaming. For a three piece they make an epic and inspiring racket, and on the basis of this single they deserve to be snapped up by a major label immediately.

Review by Ian Viggars
Download Akira's 'Cry Until You Laugh' here
www.akiraband.com
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Nebraska are Mike on vocals, Ben on guitar, Stacks on bass and Don on drums, hailing from South London. Please don’t ask me surnames, as I don’t have a clue, so we’ll just pretend to be on first name terms from now. There’s something mature about this music as soon as it begins. The focus is on no quarter in particular, there’s a great mix between the instruments, and the instrumentalists of this band really do a great job. As for the vocals, the first thing I thought of on hearing Mike’s voice was Morrissey. (Can I just take this moment to mention that I really do not like Morrissey). Mike has all his charm and eloquence, and a brilliant range to boot, with every single note bang on key. Why, then, if I have such an aversion to the legend, do I find myself genuinely loving Nebraska?

Perhaps it’s the way the energy of ‘Anhedonia’ leaps out of your speakers and refuses to be missed. The track is brilliant, and the way the band as a whole works is astounding considering the apparent individual talents contained within. The very second I heard ‘The Sound That Stars Make’ I was in love. The lyrics are gorgeous, the soaring guitar introduction is immense, and this is a song that I would truly love to see live. Mike shows his versatility in his vocals once more, sounding less Morrissey and becoming more raspy and energetic. This is by far my favourite track, and with a whole 4 minutes 35 of it to dance around to I’m a happy girl. Third track ‘One Cold Kiss’ is similarly eloquent and is considerably more chilled out than the preceding two, while maintaining the high energy present in each track. It builds as it continues, with repetition of “I can’t go on remembering without you” leading to a great ending, which I’m actually pretty disappointed to reach. Nebraska have it all: lyrics that could stand alone as poetry, musical talents that work brilliantly both individually and collectively, and a vocalist with energy and conviction to die for. And yes, I still think he’s far better than Morrissey.

Review by Marie-Clare Kelly
Download 'The Sound That Stars Make' here
www.dreadedsunnyday.com/nebraska
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A double a-side effort from one of England’s most underrated and unappreciated bands, ‘Oceans’ is lifted from last years comeback album ‘04’ whilst ‘Clouds’ stems from the internet only ‘Left Luggage at the Peveril Hotel’.

Disappointing is the only word that springs to mind when describing ‘Oceans’, I’m still waiting (as are a good few others, I’m sure) for a return to the form last seen in 2001’s ‘The Closer you Get’ album. Seemingly gone is the dark raucousness of searing guitars and anger, in its place instead is a rather poppy track that is sadly instantly forgettable.

Faring much better is ‘Clouds’, graced with a much stronger melody and intent, it wouldn’t have been too out of place on the recent Doves album. “I said I’d never let you down’ they sing, but when the song is this toe tappingly good, it’s not going to be this time.

Review by Bevis Man
www.sixbyseven.co.uk
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Get your musical bums to www.stillman.org.uk NOW. Download all of this EP. Trust me. It’s amazing. Stillman is Chaz Craik, formerly of Cab, self-taught classical guitarist and producer, and in my new opinion, an astounding musician. You will want to sink miles into this music, yet never go near it for fear of upsetting its fragility and emotion. This is the kind of ethereal music that Aqualung and company were desperate to be. It’s intense with emotion that somehow can either hit you clean in the face, or float straight over you, carried by the soaring breathy vocal and the electronica tinged acoustic. Three absolute gems sit cocooned by a ‘Foreword’ and an ‘Afterword’, which successfully build anticipation of both sound and emotion, and offer some conclusion to the effect the music has had on you.

‘Weightless’ is brilliant, speaking of a different world brought on by an emotion, and it will make you feel like you’re floating in space – aptly. The next, and my favourite, of these tracks is ‘The Worst Is Over’, which continues in the same direction, but whose chorus sails in and blows you away. “Stay home tonight, shut the world outside, it’ll suck you dry, it’s over now”. Go on, right click, save target as, you know you want to. ‘Born for Show’ introduces a whole new direction, with the distorted voice immediately changing the feel of the EP. It’s upbeat, the vocals become snappier, but the harmonies and general sound remain. The bridge section is closest to the previous tracks, before launching into the rhythmic chorus. The ‘Afterword’ elevates us to the ‘Weightless’ place spoken of before, with the cacophony of electronic sounds building up to a great conclusion of the EP.

Review by Marie-Clare Kelly
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It’s bound to be a bit of a cliché, but this song is one to file away till the summer for some long sunny drives. There really is no other way to listen to this song than turned up loud, ideally with a window down and a bundle of mates in the car for a road trip on the first day of summer. At least if you have company, you may be able to ignore the fact that Love Steals Us From Loneliness is slightly middle of the road. It succeeds where Dakota failed however, in so far as that does not try to be a driving song. In fact, it doesn’t really try to be anything, which isn’t true to the Edinburgh band’s form. As a stand-alone track it works well, and the live acoustic version is a real treat, but sadly it’s not one to excite the hardcore fans.

Review by Mary Young
www.idlewild.co.uk
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‘Bring Me Down’ is a track which Jupiter and Teardrop (the relatively new name for good old Glaswegian singer-songwriter Geoff Martyn and his band) have had in their treasure trove of music for a while. On hearing this EP version I was blown away. The lyrics are clear, the pounding piano chords are brought to the fore, and it generally sums up a snarling, difficult to reach mood – that one where you’ve done nothing wrong, but someone is making you pay in pain and upset nonetheless. “Not content to stay any longer seeing I know the cards in your hand…I won’t let you bring me down any more…” – it’s a mantra for pissed off people the world over, encased in a fabulous song which could really see the band moving mainstream.

The rest of the EP is strong, with ‘Moonshine’ following up the title track. It’s chirpier, a kind of road song aimed at the country-esque American market which the band are trying to crack. There is a tinge of the Travis about it, but it’s a great little lets-run-around-with-flowers-in-our-hair track. ‘My Lonely Heart’ is complacent but light. “I wish I had things I could do to stop the tide in my life from sweeping me to you” - someone’s clearly aiming at the unrequited love department - but where I would normally have no sympathy I find myself melting anyway in the general acoustic loveliness. I can see the headlines now. Geoff Martyn made me a sap.

The EP closes with ‘Something Good’, a gentle acoustic track, continuing the theme, showcasing Martyn’s gorgeous vocals. There’s something distinctly Jeff Buckley about this song, it’s great, and a perfect wind-down to the EP. Basically, Martyn is great alone. He has a smooth, clear voice with a great range, and is musically clued up on everything he does. But with a band behind him like his three counterparts, they create great tracks like ‘Bring Me Down’, and it’s this versatility that will see Jupiter and Teardrop being the next big thing from Glasgow’s scene.

Review by Marie-Clare Kelly
www.jupiterandteardrop.com
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Last year’s album ‘A song to Ruin’ was an impressive clash of At the Drive-In’s energy and Mogwai’s more introspective moments. 'Living the Dream' continues this formula, going for the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach, which has its good and bad points, namely, it's more of the same, not bad at all but hardly groundbreaking. The usual quiet loud structure is present and it isn’t until a minute and 35 seconds into the track are we embraced by their crashing guitars and hardcore screaming/singing. Satisfyingly meaty, if anything, this should make you more curious as to what the new material will be like.

Review by Bevis Man
www.milliondead.com
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I saw Mark Joseph once when Iain Archer supported him. (Yes, I was baffled as well) I met his father who, as well as being immensely proud of him, is a master of self promotion. He boasted that they released their own single and without any airplay the song managed to chart. I think that was down to the endless visits to schools. 'Lady Lady' managed to chart, albeit in the lower part of the charts. These days it probably means that his extended friends and family bought it. Right I’ll stop being so harsh...these two songs on this CD are nice mid-tempo inconsequential efforts. Easy on the ears and easy to forget.

Review by Sonia Pagliari
www.markjoseph.co.uk
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'Damn Damn Leash' by Be Your Own PET is a holy fuck-of-a-record by four hugely-promising teenaged shaker-makers from Nashville. They’re the Kings Of Leon’s new favourite band, and share a raw, freaked-out blues-punk sound with the Kings as well as a producer; for this single is produced by the Kings’ shady cohort Angelo. Originally released on the band’s own Infinity Cat label last year, the single comes across like the missing-link between Sleater-Kinney and Blondie. Singer Jemina is a true star-in-waiting and sings her bubblegum-punk-heart out with practised contempt- spitting out lyrics like “you’ve got me on a leash/a damn damn leash/and it’s hard enough to be my damn self” like spent bullets whilst her band-mates get their juddering, stuttering teenage kicks in the background. Exasperated, foul-mouthed b-side ‘Electric Shake’ is equally special. No signs of precociousness, here – just a blinding fury astonishing for ones so young. This time next year, everyone will claim to have bought this single.

Review by Tom Leins
www.infinitycat.com
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I’ve never heard of this singer before, the packaging is pretty basic and in bright orange with a nicely written press release. Once reading this I am quite intrigued especially reading the quote by the NME “lounge pop fed through a filter of pure noise”. So I expected to search for a melody hidden deep under a wash of guitars so I was very surprised with what I heard! “Computer Song” is a gentle song about the hardships of modern life. “Turn your Frown into a Smile” is a jangly Bryds sounding song, complete with bird song and some sing a long harmonies. “My Patch” is a cautionary tale about the consequences of…well…stepping on his patch! It’s reminiscent of the Bees in full summer mode. “How to be so Real” is another delightful summery tune. Jim Noir is a name that I will remember in future and so should you!

Review by Sonia Pagliari
www.jimnoir.com
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