Back in business...

Blimey, it’s been a while since I’ve bothered to type anything into these here pages so I’m assuming I’ve lost any reader who once frequented this shambolic excuse for a blog. Anyway, I’m like, y’know, whatever…

So I’ve been away from these shores for a while only to return to discover that football is on television constantly and that there really is fuck all music about right now. Well, that’s not strictly true, there are numerous records/bands I've
enjoyed immensely (see the Subtle and Times New Viking reviews below) but for the most part the musique I’ve been sent recently has been of a pretty low standard (you wait for two of my next three reviews to turn up and you’ll see what I mean).

But not to dwell on the negatives, I’ve posted some of my most recent articles underneath and, as way of an apology for being AWOL for so long, I thought I’d rattle off some blurbage about a few of the bands who've tickled my fancy of late...

El Guincho
Okay so this guy is a genius whose sense of grandiose melodics is comparable to Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. His debut album Alegranza! is a kaleidoscopic swarm of Latino rhythms and floor-stomping beat-splicing that lifts you into a giddy, unapologetic haze of euphoria. It’s truly a wonderful, bottomless pit of a record and one that’s become the perfect remedy to the pressure that is my working week.

Dananananakroyd
So the name has to be sung and it’s a bitch to write but these Glaswegian screech-merchants have made a cracking debut EP in the shape of Sissy Hits. For some reason I feel like they’ve been about for aeons but they’re only now breaking into the spotlight. A squinty-eyed, jittery beast of an EP, Sissy Hits reminds me a little of early Manics only with a lot more flair and far, far less pretension.

The Cool Kids
An editor suggested I've become more hip-hop orientated these days but to be honest I’ve always enjoyed it, there’s just not been much that’s intrigued me of late – that is until now. The Cool Kids EP scrawls genius beats against Olympic sprinting rhymes that veer headlong into your conscious. As they say themselves, there’s a bit of the Beasties to their sound but if you dig deep enough traces of Ugly Duckling's feel good glow emanate under each idiosyncratic cut.

The Ruby Suns
For a more detailed description see my review down below but this band are staggering, simple as that. Their new record Sea Lion displays all the intricacies of Animal Collective meshed together with the Beach Boys’ harmonic splendour. Believe me, you need to see this band live.

Ulysses Campbell
This is an odd one. For some reason I found Ulysses Campbell's debut LP Color It All dwelling inside my I-Pod yet have absolutely no idea where it’s come from. Nonetheless it's a good 'un and despite the inaccurate spelling of the word ‘colour’, this is a down-trodden slice of harpsichordal, bedroom bound pop that proves itself just as affecting as any of the above groups pristinely polished offerings. Oh, it’s also free to download on his Myspace by all accounts.