Allo, Darlin' - Emily

"Jingle jangle, jingle jangle" - that sums up the music. "Bastard indie ex boyfriend" - that pretty much sums up the lyrics. But it's also fucking lovely and witty and wise. And that's why I'm posting it, dear listener.



Formerly known as The Darlings, Allo Darlin' is the band surrounding Londoner Elizabeth Darling. They released an EP as The Darlings back in November 2007, from which this track was taken. If you like this then the seemingly lovely Ms Darling has a page on her website where you can listen to and even download her recent demos for free.

Allo, Darlin' - Emily

Hot Seconds - Went To India

Hot Seconds release their new album tomorrow. Here's track 4; a magnificently sneery look at indie people, possibly including a bit of caustic self analysis, given that James Love (who I think writes most, if not all, of the lyrics) is actually born in the UK (see the last line of the first verse - lyrics below). The bass line to this song is awesome, proper stonking awesome. It's so stonking you could build a castle on it. No, I'm not quite sure what I mean either but bear with me.

If you like this (and I think you will, people of the internet), you can stream the whole album at http://www.hotseconds.net/music/.

Hot Seconds - Went To India

I went to India to find myself
I'm so spiritual - can't you tell?
Square pegs, round holes, not a problem for me
I'm Silver Surfer, Wolverine and the Fantastic Three
I'm so cool man, I live rock and roll
I dress retro and I walk with soul
I'm so broke that I could just give in
I was born in Suffolk county but I say Brooklyn

You live your life so fast
You're so cool
You live your life on the edge
You break the rules
Your life is better than ours
You're gonna fly out to Mars
And be a star in the stars

I just got up does my hair look ok?
I've got a guitar but I don't know how to play
I'm so in it will soon open wide
I live in Scarsdale but I say Lower East Side
You know I'm tortured, would you like to buy a poem?
But it's not my best work here than I'm showing you
I know that band and I can dig
But I stopped listening to them when they got big

Bella Koshka - Home

I haven't had anything ambient/chill-out on here in a long time, if ever, but this is proper lush*. Bella Koshka are a Minneapolis, NM, band who released their album Slow Dancing On The Ocean Floor earlier this year and another EP is due out early 2009. You can buy Slow Dancing direct from the artist by clicking a link on their myspace and yey for that. I'm always surprised how few artists sell cds direct - cut out the middleman people!

Bella Koshka - Home

* As I write that I imagine "proper lush" said with a proper good Welsh accent - think Gavin and Stacey. If you haven't discovered that show yet then you are missing out on a treat.

Jaguar Farm - Land of a 1000 Lakes

Here's a proper bit of mental for a Wednesday (after all, let us not forget, children, that Wednesday is Mental day). Jaguar Farm is Alexander Ladrola from Los Angeles. He writes quirky electronic shoegazey electro pop WHICH IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE. I'm really keen on this Land Of 1000 Lakes track though I have literally no idea what to make of it. It starts off sounding pretty cool with some piano chords and then in comes this crazy assed vocal and then it just cuts out at around 55 seconds with no warning. It sounds like the offspring of a bad trip.

Just checked the old last.fm machine and he's only got 108 recorded plays - let us venture forth and double it, my friends! I'm gonna post two tracks, just cause I'm nice. Autobus is the second track, an awesome whirry clicky instrumental.

Jaguar Farm - Land of a 1000 Lakes

Jaguar Farm - Autobus

Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked

This song is so damn good. I'm posting it now because I know in a week I'll have heard it a billion times and will be wishing only I knew about it (it's on the A-list at Radio 1, which means it's going to be totally unavoidable for the rest of the summer). There's nothing like overexposure to something you love to weaken the emotion. Oh well. We're making the most of the moment. And in the moment this song is undeniably fantastic.

I should explain: for those of you reading this who aren't from the UK or Scandinavia, Ida Maria is going to be big. She's been tipped for success for a while, but passed me by. I'm now joining the SS Ida Maria, but everyone else has got there before me and there's nowhere to sit but in the lifeboat.

Ida Maria is from Mesnay in Norway. She released her debut album, Fortress Around My Heart, back in May. She's got a few upcoming gigs in the UK and Scandinavia this month.

Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked

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Now playing: Semisonic - Act Naturally

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods

Oh my good Lord what a stonking bass line these boys have put in this song. I'm dancing around the farm like a monkey on crack.

Late Of The Pier are an alternative electro pop band from Castle Donnington, which is kind of a small village in Leicestershire (population 7000), but is also called the "home of metal" because it hosted the Monsters of Rock festival back in days of yore, back when men were real men with long sweaty hair, taking their shirts off and scrumming around in the dark amidst the flashing lights. Their debut album is released on the 11th of August and I can guarantee they'll be on here again because I am liking them muchly muchly muchly.

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods

There is some seriously good music around at the moment! I've got some stonking tracks lined up.

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Now playing: Hot Seconds - Went to India

Bikini - Tonight

Since I've started this blog I've been getting a surprising number of emails from bands promoting their music (I suspect this is largely because I'm relatively easy to contact!). Anyway, I always listen to a track or two but usually they're a bit crap and I feel like I've wasted those minutes. This morning, to my surprise, I got one I actually liked.

Bikini are a Canadian band who purport to sound like this:



I can't help but be amused by that. Bikini's E.P., Concerning the number 7 and your love, is released tomorrow.

Bikini - Tonight
Bikini - 1234 (Feist Cover)

[EDIT: Links moved (due to massive bandwidth consumption!) but still active]