Sometimes when life gets too crazy you need to pack up, grab some friends, and head off the beaten track; maybe find an old church somewhere where you can be free to explore a "utopic side project". Ok, maybe that's not for all of us; but for the guys of the band Showstar , Silicon Ballet , it was just that. Utopia is the name of the "beautiful but weird mini-album" that was born out of that old church in Belgium (rainboot.co.uk). The first single, "Sunglasses," is a great introduction into the [...]

Belgium's most vital export since chocolate: Showstar release their new single 'Monkey See Monkey Do.' Read more..

Well, let's face it, things round these parts have been a wee bit quiet of late. This has been caused mainly by the fact that 'Proper Work' got mad hectic, baby daughter became increasingly all-encompassing and well, Christmas kinda happened upon me... Anyways, excuses out of the way, the upshot meant that there has not really been much time dedicated round these blogging parts over the last few weeks, which has meant that we missed out on quite a few decent little single/EP releases... [...]
The SOTD is "Finger Generation" by Belgian Pop group Showstar. This song is one of the many greats songs off Think Ringo, Showstar's third album, it follows < .> ('Dot'), the 2006 album which saw the group reach maturity and achieve at least part of their artistic ambitions. Think Ringo is the logical continuation of the last album, musically somewhere between slag pop (the Dirty Pretty Things-like 'Battle of the Bands' and the sprightly 'Love' …), a mix of tormented dreams ( 'Residents of the Lost Club') and mild paranoia for nights that won't last ('Think Ringo). One step [...]

I always love bands that come from non-english speaking countries - especially ones that release records in english. For me, there's always a draw to artists that step out of their comfort zone to create something that can reach a larger audience - and I thank them, because with my limited knowledge of the world's many languages and my own unending need for new music - they give me something new to whet my appetite with. This week's Fresh from the Post artist comes from a little Belgian town called Huy. They've been around for a while, supporting [...]
(Indie Pop/Alternative/Indie Rock) Belgian Showstar have more in common with the indie pop from out of Scandanavia than they do with the indie rock bands sweeping the British charts throughout the 90s. Despite having toured throughout their 8 years together with the likes of The Rakes, The Thrills, Maximo Park and The Charlatans - to me they sound more like Finnish indie pop band 'Cats on Fire' or Swedish band 'Days' when i hear what their promo album has to offer me. Most of their 2010 [...]

"Gold Mine was recorded, mixed and produced by Gareth Parton, it's taken from the forthcoming album `Think Ringo` to be released in January 2010 (vespasonic / Munich records) you can already pre-order the album on vespasonic's website " Upbeat Indie from Belgium, branching into familiar themes within alternative music styles. Conveying neat stadium anthems with perfect harmonies, a visit to the Showstar website [...]
"The New Loud is a three-piece electro/punk/new wave band from the blue collar city of Milwaukee, WI. It`s debut EP, `Can't Stop Not Knowing` consists of six tracks including an intense, frenetic cover of Radiohead's 2 + 2 = 5. The EP was produced by band member Shane Olivo and displays a tight mixture of electronic elements and natural sounds, layered obsessively with some songs using up to 80 tracks in the mix". The achievement of organised rowdiness within decades of tight lipped musical influences is commendable and especially being rather [...]

There's way too many tracks accumulating in the inbox for me to properly scrutinize all of them, but I've at least narrowed it down quite a bit. I'm feeling slightly democratic today, so I'm going to let the people choose. Comin' Undone by Kuba Oms from How Much Time Days by Sambassadeur from European Great Love Story by The Idyllists [...]

ok. so some new music...there's been so much going on lately with festival announcements, awesome remixes, album releases, killer new leaked tracks. There's also been a lot of personal external factors (by that I mean, outside of the music industry). Uni is nearly finished, got one exam and a 4,500 paper due in the next few weeks as well as the research i'm doing as part of my internship with the Inspire Foundation . It's all just nuts. Keeping on top of it all is a little difficult, but yeah, in a few weeks, i'll be free!! Anyway, the [...]
Belgian rock-pop band Showstar, just released their brand new single "Gold Mine" as a free download! The song belongs to their 3rd upcoming album Think Ringo, which drops early next year.... **Summary** Go to website for downloads, videos & more.
How about a slice of jangle pop after a day toiling away at the keyboard? Providing said piece of aural velvet is Belgium's Showstar who recently released their second long player '.' and in the process overhauled Sigur Ros as the holder of the most vague album title ever. 'Dan' chimes so sweetly it's not surprising that French label Le Grandbag has snapped them up. The same label has their