It’s been a long time since a new band turned up that were worth talking about, but hey, here’s one! Haim have a three track e.p out with a debut coming at the end of the year. The band are made up of three sisters from the West Coast who combine close harmonies, funky rhythmns and lots of classic rock guitar sounds. Check out Forever below, if only for the cowbells.
An exciting new British(!) band – enjoy because they are a rare breed this year. Why can’t we have more energetic post-punk stuff? It seems all the best new music of the last twelve months has been cheery pop from overseas – lets get angry England!!!
The Young Friends are a band from Phoenix, Arizona who haven’t been making tunes for that long. They count Sonic Youth and The Ronettes as their influences whilst it’s easy to trace the sounds of Americana and early rock n roll in their music. Their sound is very much of the moment as there is more than a passing resemblance to former label mates The Drums. If anything Young Friends are more laid back in their sound and seemingly a lot less obsessed with all things Manchester. See below for their myspace
http://www.myspace.com/theyoungfriends
They also appear on the excellent and free to download compilation, ‘Pop Music Volume Two’ from Holiday Records.
Another new band for you, and one who prefer to let the music do the talking. Like recent acts Kindness and Burial, Summer Camp are an anonymous band who hide behind retro photos and red herrings. They claimed they are swedish – they aren’t, so who knows if they really met at summer camp, aged 14 as they also claim.
They have a cool sound, a mixture of film samples, dance beats, nostalgic lyrics and poppy melodies. They aren’t dissimilar to Washed Out but their sound is more geared towards pop than dance. In particular ‘Ghost Train’ stands out, it’s simply a great, hazy, summery smash. Rumour has it that Moshi Moshi could be releasing a single from them in March, so I’ll keep you updated on that. Check out their myspace and the video for ‘Ghost Train’ below.
The Drums are hardly brand new on the scene, they released one of last years best records ‘Summertime’. However that ep was only six tracks long, and this is the year that will see the release of their debut album and first substantial tour of the UK. If you aren’t familiar with their sound yet then just think of The Cure referencing preppy American culture and with surfer lyrics. Apparently their new stuff will be darker and deeper but I think we would all feel a bit let down if they left the fun out entirely as they have been known for their summery melodies and energetic gigs. This band are everything a new band should be – fun, high energy, intelligent, good-looking, well dressed, cool, catchy and fresh. They sound like nothing else out there right now and in short are the most promising new band of 2010.
http://www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever
Pop goes the Weasel 