Secondstar (MySpace), namely Liam Carey, has made a record in Teeth that enables you to peer through a window into the past – not to reminisce but to remind. It is haunting folksy blues that engulfs the senses as you gaze into the fire for solace. The epic dirge of “Tied to the Mast” may leave you trembling, but “Great Machine” trips its way through introversion into a celebration of life, or gleeful insanity, or both. Opening track Ravens is probably my favourite, however, as Carey’s chant is joined by …

We try to give everything that is sent to Walrus Towers a proper listen in the spirit of John Peel, but every now and again a band or artist comes across our desks that you know you’ve fallen in love to within the first twenty seconds. Rosie and Me (twitter) did just that. Hailing from Curitiba, Brazil they may describe themselves as simple and unpretentious, but they certainly know how to craft beautifully delicate and innocent folk pop.
“Come Back” is one of the sweetest songs I’ve heard for months with …

When We Were Promised Jetpacks blew their way into my heart, it was with that youthful angst of pounding heavy rhythms and vocals that showed signs of a softer heart. With the release of this EP “The Last Place You’ll Look” they have opened their eyes an become all the more introverted from the experience.
Whilst “This is my house, this is my home” in its original form built and built on despair until a crescendo denoting the rebellion of youth, it has now been turned into the hauntingly beautiful last …

…and we’re back in business with another fantastic prospect for the months to come in the form of a 5-piece from Leeds by the name of The ABC Club. Thieving Magpie will be the 6th release from the brilliantly bedroom based Things To Make And Do Records and offers a sound that is reminiscent of the new wave first album by The Strokes with tight drums and taut rhythmic guitars, whilst at the same time loose and easy vocals poured into each tune by singer Zandra Klievens.
You can stream both …

The Radio Dept. are finally returning with a new record in “Clinging to a Scheme” released in April on that fine purveyor of pop, Labrador – and if this is anything to go by it has been worth the wait. Heaven’s on Fire is starry eyed pop that glistens in the moonlight. Dreamy enough to distract even those most driven among us to slide into Wonderland, and containing a clever uncleared sample from Thurston Moore (ssshhh…) giving political edge, this is what pop music is supposed to be.
The Radio Dept. …

When two of my favourite blogs (namely Illegal Tender and Fucking Dance) start singing the praises of a new duo, only a fool would ignore it. And the band they have been talking about? The Shimmer.
The Shimmer are brother and sister David and Jade Hanks, who you may know as The Mono, but all that really matters is that they make punchy, dark and emotive pop wonders. Now you put them in a Napoleonic fort with ex-Clor genius Luke Smith to record, and you get a diverse mixture of rough …