The Metal Hearts’ second album Socialize has a steady, brooding urgency that makes for a not entirely comfortable listen, but it is compelling all the same. The stark, simple sound of Anar Badalov’s and Flora Wolpert-Checknoff’s guitars is clearly influenced by Cat Power, and is always underpinned by their reliable drum-machine. Occasionally things build up to create a denser, more enveloping sound, recalling the weightier moments of Mogwai’s Rock Action LP (check out Mountain Song on the band’s myspace page and see what I mean). Flora’s voice seems to be …

Larrikin Love are just not getting enough airplay over here in the UK in my opinion, so I guess they are getting nearly none other than satellite radio in the US. The indie radio shows and stations have had them in rotation for a while, but with their debut album being released soon I’m hoping they might break into the mainstream along with the Fratellis who also release an album soon.
Larrikin Love
Here is a band from London, UK that has a completely different sound to the normaly London crowd (Babyshambles, …

Is Fionn Regan just another Damien Rice? (please keep reading…) No! The two are analogous up to a point – same nationality, both singer-songwriters, a similar raspy, honest voice, but pleasingy Fionn is miles apart in every other way. His voice has an engaging innocence and his compositions avoid the cloying sentimentality that Rice trades in, whilst still managing to pull gently at the heart strings. The music is folksy yet innovative, with twists and idiosyncrasies that frequently make your ears prick up. This eccentricity courses through his lyrics as …

I’m a bit late to post this one up, but 21st season is in full swing and a work deadline crept up on me leaving little time for updates from me (luckily Hamish picked up the ball with a few great finds though).
For those fans, like me of Billy Bragg or Voxtrot (or of course Sufjan – who incidentally is releasing a 5-disc Christmas special soon)there should be a new addition to your musical vocabulary and that is Aaron Schroeder. When some friends heard it they thought it was in …

For Those Who Know, from Austin Texas, are the second band to cause some serious spine-tingling at The Blue Walrus this week following the juddering drone pop of Snowden. FTWK cite many influences from the early ninties shoegaze scene (evident in their reliance on a reverb-heavy guitar sound), but there is clearly also a pop sensibility at work here in the form of singer Steven Hablinski.
The two songs for download here are from their self-titled EP, released in 2005. ‘Competition’ …