I only had to listen to one song from Crayon Rosary to decide they were a great band. Having stumbled across their myspace page I listened to the only track available and was simply blown away by the astonishing vocals and melodic keyboard playing.

This track was called “New York City” and is one hell of a hit single. Although gentle, It’s an excellent listen and some perfectionist acoustic guitar playing compliments the keyboard and children’stoys that feature throughout the track. But this is not why you should check out the track. The harmonised vocals from the only band members, Keith and Brendan is absolutely superb and comparable to the likes of the beach boys.

The next thing to wonder is are they a one hit wonder? The answer is clearly no after listening to the rest of the material on offer. Tracks like “Siren Song” and “Beehive” display the consistent talent and professionalism that the two lads have to offer.  These tracks are also in the same soft indie/folk style that is so easy listening for the ear but the songs do not sound over produced and there is a purity about them which makes them a bit special.

Crayon Rosary are one of the most inventive indie artists out there and are probably the biggest spenders at Toymaster but yet their material is relatively unheard of.  However, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before we see the duo making a big impact on the indie scene.

Kinch are probably the closest thing you can get to a modern Madness and they are causing quite a stir in the indie scene. The Leeds lads have enjoyed seeing there fresh hit “Old Fashioned Love” sail towards the top of indie charts.  Their instantly recognisable saxy sound complete with tambourines and tidy vocals is, to be honest, hard to take a dislike to.

The songs are easy on the ear and funky bass and guitar playing ensures each track with a radio friendly atmosphere.  Just about in their teens its pretty exciting to hear such a confident unique sound from four young men with a lot of career years ahead of them.

Supergrass, Pendulum and Utah Saints have all been considered worthy enough to share a stage with Kinch (Ok maybe the other way round) showing the vast genres the band are capable of sticking their metaphorical fingers into.  A man named Chris fronts the band and supplies some terrific vocals that are not to dissimilar to The Kooks and this helps to create some wonderfully chirpy tracks.

Now I am not criticising, but there is not lots of material out yet from the four-piece but the tracks that are available do not dissapoint. As mentioned earlier “Old Fashioned Love” tops the list as the hit debut single but “Everybody’s talking about it” and “A Little Story”showcase consistent talent from the band. Catchy claps, melodic sax playing and punchy guitar chords accompanied by some tidy drum playing mean that the band has a recipe for success so look out for these guys in 2009.

It is my strong opinion that Paper Heroes are in danger of becoming a very successful band. The band’s fantastic indie sound is created by some awesome rhythmic vocals and guitar riffs that stay in your head after just one listen to a track. The bands also have a nice story to their climb to fame. Back in 2007, the lead singer, Matt Weedon, modestly sent off the track “Jenny Jones” into a competition set down by the television programme Skins. What’s not hard to believe is the band won and the tune featured in an episode.

The band’s debut album is set for release early next year and I can’t wait. Currently touring nearly everywhere in England, it can’t be long till these guys are set to go global. From the moment I heard the addictive guitar intro to “Jenny Jones” I knew there was something special about the band.

They sound like the Kooks but there is a different charm about them which sets them apart from the rest. Maybe it is the enticing vocals from Matt, maybe it’ the ridiculously catchy guitar melodies or simply the perky rhythms but there is something about these guys that suggests they can add a new and fresh dynamic to the indie scene which is currently crammed with clones of other bands.

The only problem I have with these guys is why it has taken them two years to get their album together and go for the big time. Although the timing could not be better to liven up what I think is a saturated genre. It seems set to all be part of a genre conquering master plan.

With the end of the world nearing fast and the future of humanity staring into a Swedish black hole, I thought it would be a great opportunity to sing the praises of a band I’ve really enjoyed listening to over the last few months!

In the mix of this wonderful feel good indie summer, the superb Liverpudlians, Wave Machines, have been spilling their beautifully melodic, electro pop charm all over the UK.  As well as a jammed packed summer, the boys still managed to release their ultra catchy debut single, ‘I Go, I Go, I Go’.

It’s hard to describe the exact sound this band where intending when they first got together in January 2007, but what they have come up with is a perfect mix of dancable rhythm and soft electric melody that will sink into your brain along with the comforting vocals on first listen.

The boys have already been crowned winners of Zane Lowe’s ‘Fresh Meet’ slot on Radio 1 and described by NME as “Liverpool’s best kept secret”.  Don’t be suprised if you soon find yourself throwing uncontrolable shapes to the hypnotic sounds of the Wave Machines on every indie dance floor!

It seems that Scandanavians currently have one of the best music scenes around at the moment, managing to have some of the most diverse, and interesting, acts around at the moment. Denmark’s Alphabeat are set to take over the airwaves in 2008 with their unique brand of camp, over-the-top pop which makes the Scissor Sisters look tame.

Perfectly danceable, lyrically strong, and quintessentially Danish in sound, they have some of the best tunes since the Scissor Sisters with a much more European feel, and a hint of flashbacks from the 90’s too. Their self-titled debut came out last summer in Denmark, and is out this May in the UK, but is one of the most varied collections of music I’ve heard in a while – a really great album.

Fans include the Sun, the NME, and a fair few blogs and online news sites, and they have the same management as Mika – and we all know how big Mika has become, love it or hate it.

They’re currently on tour with Palladium around the UK, and I’ll be going to see them on Monday night in Oxford – expect a full review on Tuesday.

“This is a slower song – hope you don’t mind” Palladium’s Peter Pepper says before launching into “White Woman”. The audience certainly didn’t, as it gave a welcome respite from the scintillating pace they’d been playing at for the last twenty minutes.

Opening up with their new single “Happy Hour”, they quickly set out their manifesto: fast, friendly and frantic pop. Racing through 7 songs in 30 minutes, they worked the crowd well and had more arms flailing down the front than The Thrills did half an hour later for the main set of the evening.

Whilst trying to think of a band to compare them to, this Londonista really couldn’t decide, in the end settling on Klaxons fronted by Patrick Wolf playing Delays and Sunshine Underground. They really are an oddball group of people that really shouldn’t be in a band together, but somehow it just works.

There were three songs in the set (their opening two and closing song) which were very promising, easily able to outshine most of the current crop of pop-wannabes; however the middle of the set did seem to largely be filler that started to sound very similar. Their energy may have been unstoppable, but it’s no good if the tunes all sound similar but slightly re-jigged.

Peter Pepper (if that is his real name…) introduced the last, and perhaps best, song of their evening, Hi-5, by giving the record company spiel about buying their new single in a decidedly boring and un-Palladium like way… they might as well got the guys from EMI to do it themselves. This is one band where they should leave the music to do the talking for them.

Whilst at the moment Palladium are only playing small venues supporting bands at the moment, expect in time them to be playing their own palladiums and theatres near you

Palladium support Amy Winehouse at Somerset House tomorrow, then play Lovebox on Sunday and a headline show at the Barfly on Thursday 2nd August.
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Having won the Innocent Unsigned bands talent search last year and the chance to play at their Fruitstock Festival, Londoners Scouting For Girls have had an amazing year. Signing to Epic Records on Valentine’s Day this year, they’re about to release their first EP, the incredibly anthemic “It’s Not About You” which will just grab you by the heart strings and make you think “YES!” and become addicted to them. Or you can just write them off as another bunch of Keane wannabes. You choose, but you know what I think.

Scouting For Girls are the sort of band that are perfect to open the festivals – people lounging around, feeling rough after the previous night, and just wanting some music to take them to “that happy place”. As they say themselves in their biography, they’re “unashamedly nostalgic, mottled with loss, disillusion and a poignant lamentation for innocent past times”.

Many bloggers have been very excited about their current material, with favourable reports emerging about their live shows. Needless to say, for those of you fortunate enough to be going to Glastonbury this weekend (and if so, why aren’t you there already?), they’ll be playing on Friday night at 8pm at the Late N Live Stage.

Reminiscent of both Keane (for their Piano-led pop-rock) and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly (for Sam Duckworth’s brilliant knack of conveying feelings and images of a time and place), Scouting For Girls are sure to gain a devoted following soon.

After the jump, catch their video for “It’s Not About You”. Picture was taken from Scouting For Girls’ MySpace.
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