Blog: Not Many Experts

We don't know many facts about Rhye but, why would you want to know them? So far we've just heard "Open" from the possibly European/possibly American duo (who are possibly just a single person as well), but we're infatuated. And judging by "Open", Rhye is too – it's insatiably lusty, but in such a refined and well-worded way, and the whole thing just sounds so well balanced, yet packed with emotion; like a more sexually-preoccupied Beach House or a more pop-orientated version of The xx. And if those comparisons haven't turned you on, then you must be asexual. [...]

Barely concealed laziness is all that's prevented me from bending ears about Charli XCX so far, so I'm hoping that her new track "I'll Never Know" will be the perfect opportunity for me to quietly slip into the growing camp of Charli XCX's supporters. I'm sort of glad that I've allowed time to pass me by, though, because the more of her tracks that emerge, the more she's justifying becoming one of our most credible potential pop stars. What she's doing, actually, is quite astounding, and if I'm not hugely mistaken, the sort of crossover brilliance that only rears its [...]

This, Theme Park's April-7th-released single, is definitely one that the repeat button was designed for. There's something in the song's painstakingly restrained, hypnotic tone that keeps drawing me in. Perhaps it's something to do with the emotive, honest lyrics, or even the simple melancholic hooks that are hidden within every little noise, but most importantly they've managed to retain something that's just very distinctly 'Theme Park' without being wildly inventive, and it suits them wonderfully. Above everything else, Mr Haughton's searching lyrics make him sound like he's lost and dissatisfied in an increasingly meaningless world – yet, perhaps [...]

The offhand, distracted brilliance of Here We Go Magic's "Make Up Your Mind" raises just one question; was Nigel Godrich the genius, or was Radiohead? Because this, Here We Go Magic's first revealed material with Mr Godrich, stinks of all those wonderful Radiohead-associated qualities; the disinterested, yet sharp, lyrics, the linear structure with subtle progressions and eccentric additions, the irony that a song that is essentially so simple just feels so different; the wonderful untrodden territory that nobody had thought to tred. Maybe. Probably not. But as Here We Go Magic's three guitars walk all over each other like a [...]

Well, what better way to break the silence than with some genuine excitement? Last year saw Outfit turn the entire credible music press into fans with just one single, and so everything that they subsequently put out was always going to be meticulously ripped apart and analysed for every clue that they might be satisfying the hype that's been put before them. To be completely honest, even though "Two Islands" was one of the most breathtaking, eclectically brilliant songs I heard all year, I was slightly worried we'd all set expectations too high for such a new band [...]

We never actually published the list, but The War On Drugs' "Slave Ambient" was our favourite record of the year – and new b-side "Don't Fear The Ghost" continues its linear, melancholic theme. So subtle, and yet so enveloping; it's definitely one to get yourself lost in. The War on Drugs - Don't Fear the Ghost by DOJAGSC Tweet

We never actually published the list, but The War On Drugs' "Slave Ambient" was our favourite record of the year – and new b-side "Don't Fear The Ghost" continues its linear, melancholic theme. So subtle, and yet so enveloping; it's definitely one to get yourself lost in. The War on Drugs - Don't Fear the Ghost by DOJAGSC Tweet

We're not going to lie – we're pretty bloody excited about everybody's favourite potentially-mentally-unstable indie act Alt-J. Their brilliant eccentricity keeps surpassing their previous efforts; see the meandering strangeness of new track "Fitzpleasure" for proof. Its brooding, almost schizophrenic tone is completely bonkers but they tie it the whole thing together seamlessly. In fact, they're so good that all their off-the-wall ideas end up sounding like a gloriously unhinged pop song. And when someone can do that, you know they're good. alt-J - Fitzpleasure by Infectious Music [...]

FRENCH FILMS - You Don´t Know from Teemu Niukkanen on Vimeo . French Films have somehow positioned themselves in an unbelievable position; they write towering, anthemic indie-pop, and somehow pull it off as if they're the hippest, Urban-Outfitters loving, roll-your-own-fags lot from Shoreditch. And they're from Finland. It just defies logic, but it has happened, and the best part is that as radio-friendly as their tunes may be, there's more than enough substance and character there to satisfy the sternest, monocled Guardian critic. Almost like a more grandparent-friendly Yuck. It's the sort [...]

The title says almost everything that needs to be said really, so we'll avoid a few minutes of pseudo-philosophising about the whole "end-of-year" obsession (bottom line – we love them), as these are simply my favourite songs from 2011, and therefore they are all right. But please feel free to argue in the comments, it wouldn't be an end of year list without some of that. Fortunately, each song really does speak for itself, which is convenient because I don't have a spare day to write about each one of these magnificent musical beasts, to be absolutely honest. So hit [...]

This is so underappreciated it is either going to make me question the state of the music media or my own sanity. However, I'm pretty sure I'm largely sane, and, more importantly, an objective enough a listener not to be drawn towards music simply for the virtue of having been made in a town relatively near to mine. So the conclusion is the same one that I've been drawing for a while; Loved Ones' debut single "Are You Hiding Out In Hell?"s fragility and unrelenting, restrained emotion is absolutely brilliant. And now they've a hypnotic video to match the song's [...]

It's December 6th which, as always, means its time for some heart-warmingly regressive Australian surf-pop just to get into the Christmas spirit. This year's instalment comes from the emphatically titled Gung Ho who could only sound more Australian if they added a trio of didgeridoos and had a guest backing vocal from Shane Warne. That, of course, means that they sound completely infectious; the sort of beautifully energetic and simplistic pop music that should be played every day of the year. Gung Ho - Twin Rays [...]

When I was initially asked to take part in the Blog Sound of 2012, which was being presented not as a criticism of the BBC Sound of 2012, but as an alternative, I had my reservations. Was it really necessary? In light of the unveiling of the BBC list today, I would have to say that, yes, it probably was. Just to calm down and put things in perspective quickly; the world is still revolving. The "BBC Sound of" is not, despite the claims of George Ergatoudis, "the definitive annual list of exciting new artists to look out for", it [...]

I'm not a musician of any significance, or even a musician at all come to think of it, but from my untrained perspective it seems like flirting with a maudlin mood is a very dangerous idea. Of course, for those who it comes naturally to, like the National, it can be the source of all their success, but that's only because they really mean it. Miss the intended level of sincerity even slightly and you end up sounding dull, contrite, calculated, uninspired and many many other depressing adjectives that are not positive at all. And [...]

Ignoring a number of violent revolutions across the Arab world, and the flirtation of the Eurozone with collapse, 2011 can be defined as a year in which a ridiculous amount of words were written about James Blake. That's something that's hard to complain about, because his music is so left-field and interesting that it still makes absolutely no sense to me that he has been so "successful". But, and I don't mind upsetting his many fans by saying this, in the spectrum of eccentric electronic music that pushes closer and closer to true originality, without losing its soulful [...]

If you'd like to be reminded what Bon Iver sounded like before he diluted and confused his genius with the sounds of whatever instruments he could pick up for under $10 in a charity shop, then Dan Croll's your man. Thinking about it, even if you happen to have been tricked into liking the new Bon Iver record, Dan Croll's still the man for you. In fact, whilst I'm just name-dropping the sort of fantastic artists that tend to leave you really underwhelmed when you actually listen to the artist being written about, let me bring up [...]

• dancrollmusic - Dan Croll - It's Always Like This (Demo)

Crushed Beaks have spent the last couple of months being tipped everywhere from the hippest music blogs to the most mainstream broadsheets, based entirely on the tempting lo-fi buzz of b-side "Sun Dogs". As impressive as the song is, we were simply left with both the song's revolving riff and one question lodged in our heads; if this was the b-side, just how good was "Close Ups" going to be? The answer is somewhere within the truly quite frightening video above. And if your first instinct was to press play before scrolling down, then you'll already know that [...]

• Crushed Beaks - Sun Dogs

Midnight Love Short Film from Cave Painting on Vimeo . I was already pretty much in love with "So Calm" even in its embryonic stages; there's definitely some truth in that indie cliché that you can hear a great pop song no matter what the production quality or delivery. But fleshed out by Mercury subsidiary Hideout Records in what sounds to my completely unprofessional ears like a far more professional studio, the track is yet more expansive, but doesn't feel needlessly polished or laboured. The instinctive fear that things just don't get [...]

• Cave Painting - So Calm

Given that, at the time of writing, there are only 4 copies of Friends' "I'm His Girl" vinyl left, we thought we'd heighten the sense of pained anticipation that naturally precedes each post by waiting until now to tell you… you've really got to get hold of one of these. And we're probably going to buy one, we're sure you can handle the maths on that one. Since we last wrote about these men and women, the passionately reckless hyperbole being thrown the band's way (a trend that we'd like to think we're [...]

• Friends - I'm His Girl

For me, pop music that comes the closest to genius is that which requires no context; there's no need to know a band's biography, have groped the lead singer at a frantic gig or own an entirely illegal back catalogue. All I know about Phantogram is that they're probably from America, I downloaded their debut album and quite liked it, and the centre piece to their new EP, "Don't Move", is one of those moments of genuine genius that are far, far too rare. It's got one of those wonderfully regretful, world-weary vocals that manages [...]

• Phantogram - Don't Move