Los Campesinos!

Old news for some of you, but not for others.
Los Campesinos are a 7-piece band from Cardiff, Wales. They play sweet indie-pop, with lyrics about dancing and parties and stuff. They recently signed to Wichita Recordings (one of the best labels in the WORLD), and are still studying at uni.
Here are a couple of tracks taken from their demo:

Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!
Los Campesinos! - Sweetdreams, Sweetcheeks!

His Name is Alive

You may or may not have heard of His Name is Alive. I'll keep it short, as there will be a lengthy article of mine on the band that should surface on Drowned in Sound some time this week. Once darlings of the 4AD label, His Name is Alive (aka Warren Defever) composed some of the finest off-kilter indie songs of the 90's. They sound distinct to the 4AD label, probably because of the input Ivo-Watts Russell had in the early days.
Here, taken from the His Name is Alive MySpace, are a couple of music videos. The first of which is directed by the near-legendary stop-motion animators The Brothers Quay:

His Name is Alive: Can't Go Wrong Without You



His Name is Alive: The Peoples Army

Basquiat Strings

Basquiat Strings are a string quintet who bring together an idiosyncratic mix of modern jazz with classical instrumentation. Their debut album - Basquitat Strings with Seb Rochford - features Ben Davis on cello and, you guessed it, Seb Rochford on drums. The acclaimed Acoustic Ladyland drummer isn't the star of the show here though, as these compositions clearly display:

Basquiat Strings - Double Dares
Taken from the album Basquitat Strings with Seb Rochford

Basquiat Strings - Forceful Beast
Taken from the album Basquitat Strings with Seb Rochford

Buy Basquiat Strings on Amazon.

Jazzy!

The Tupolev Ghost

The Tupolev Ghost are a quartet hailing from Cambridge. They play a discordant fusion of punk and post-hardcore, while adding other peripheral influences into the mix as well. Think Fugazi and Mclusky sharing the same stage as Mogwai. Anyway, they're really great, and one of the first Cambridge bands that I have been excited about for some time now. Here are a couple of tracks from their demo which is available from their MySpace.

The Tupolev Ghost: Helvetica
Taken from the Take Courage demo

The Tupolev Ghost: If I Had A Forcefield
Taken from the Take Courage demo

Seafood

Seafood are the best kept secret in Britain. Their exciting brand of melodic indie-rock has spanned some 5 albums over the past 11 years. Though once labeled Sonic Youth imitators, the band have since developed a sound of their own, most obvious on their folk-tinged 4th record As The Cry Flows. Here, in mp3 form, are some excellent, and rare b-sides taken from their many singles.*

Seafood - Boggle
Taken from the 'Cloaking' single

Seafood - Last Outpost (Original Version)
Taken from the 'Good Reason' single

Seafood - Blue Bolt
Taken from the 'Western Battle' single

Seafood - What May Be The Oldest (Original Version)
Taken from the 'Led By Bison' single

*Note to record labels: please release a Seafood singles collection. Thanks!

Open Mouth

Open Mouth is the solo venture from Seymour Glass of Miss Black America. MBA were, of course, one of the best punk rock to grace the British musical climate at the start of this century, and are currently taking a lengthy sabbatical. Open Mouth doesn't play in the same field as MBA though, as he takes his songwriting to the acoustic singer/songwriter area. His debut single - 'Castle Keep' - was released on R*E*P*E*A*T Records earlier this month, and the album - Import Export - is released on the same label on April 30th. I've heard the record, and it's safe to say that it's going to be one of my album's of the year.

Here are a couple of songs that Seymour has made available on his MySpace. Check out his cover of Nirvana's 'Love Buzz' - it's fantastic.

Open Mouth - Castle Keep
Taken from the album Import/Export
Open Mouth - Love Buzz
Taken from the album Import/Export

Enjoy!