High Voltage

Misery Guts is the debut single from Sheffield-based The Heebie Jeebies. Somewhat experimental and mostly successful, this is not your standard indie-by-numbers and sees members Owen, Del and Thom explore calypso styles and African beats while nodding to traditional Britpop choruses.

The group was formed at the Sheffield Institute of Arts and there is a danger that they take themselves a little too seriously. The different influences complement each other most of the time,...

Madder Red is the third single to be taken from Yeasayer’s magnificent Odd Blood LP, and it is arguably the best. Yeasayer pride themselves on creating wonderful vocal melodies; but even with their supremely high standards, this track exceeds expectations. This song is the pinnacle of the bands new-found pop approach, with perfect chord changes and scintillating harmonies serving to create a beautiful piece of music. It boasts a strong chorus full of hooks and its release should help...

There is something instantly likeable about The Like’s latest single, which manages to be cheeky, retro and dark at the same time.  Formed back in 2001 in Los Angeles, the band retain a fairly cult following in the UK, though their recent appearances at Reading and Leeds may have done something to change that.

A female four-piece, the band oozes a quirky sex appeal, led largely by the sultry tones of vocalist Z Berg, who is reminiscent of a more saccharine Dusty...

Euphoric songsmith Colin MacLeod, better known as The Boy Who Trapped the Sun, has produced yet another belting love song with this latest track. A massive medley of piano, vocals and strings takes the listener on a journey through nostalgia and sentimentality, the kind of which everyone needs sometimes.

MacLeod’s sweet and yearning vocals, honed on The Isle of Lewis, a remote part of the Outer Hebrides, may be a little over-powering for some, but there is no...

Some stark, jagged strummed acoustic guitar opens Kurran and the Wolfnote’s latest; it’s a slow builder with some small degree of lyrical invention that draws the listener (that’s you) in. It taps along earnestly enough with plenty of zip though the production lets it down just slightly. A little too lo-fi possibly and in places, where there should be crescendo, there’s a feeling it could have been slightly more – a Nigella Lawson induced orgasmic rush -...

Good things come to those who wait. This is certainly the case with Manchester rock trio I Am Kloot who have always been quietly gaining momentum with each release but never reaping reward for their efforts. With the combination of John Bramwell’s raw but tender vocal combining with minimal acoustic indie backing, their music is instantly timeless.

With a Mercury Prize nomination under their belts for new album Sky at Night, helmed by Guy Garvey, it seems the time is...

A little while ago, Martin Källholm of Sad Day for Puppets was posed the question “what do you love about music?” He answered, simply, “how it makes me feel.” That may seem like kind of a lazy answer, but when you think about it, it’s really not. It’s totally unpretentious, and anyway, what else is there?

So then, why do I love Wingman? Not because their singer/guitarist used to be in Old Romantic Killer Band (though that is a...

Listening to the “new” Sennen EP, the only criticism I can offer is that, having seen them live, I know they play Gibson 335s. I know, right? Where’s the Jaguar?

Anyway, musically speaking, it’s business as usual, with the couple of new tracks here displaying a gentle progression from the recent Age of Denial LP. It is, however, hard to ignore the fact that the two best cuts on here, ‘Innocence’ and ‘SOS’ have already...

Years ago, I first got into Feeder after somebody described them as “Smashing Pumpkins-like”. Although they outgrew that comparison with their catchy, festival-chanted choruses, they seem to have returned to a heavy grunge sound, albeit with slightly lower-fi production than before. Kind of like the Smashing Pumpkins are doing now, then.

The track itself is very first-album Feeder, though underneath the production it’s actually a lot slicker; and no...

Three years ago, Steve Hewitt parted company with Placebo after over a decade spent as the band’s drummer. Since then, his focus has been channelled into the forthcoming eponymous debut album from his new band, Love Amongst Ruin.

Hewitt takes the lead in this new venture, becoming the front man rather than assuming his previously more familiar position at the back of the stage, à la Grohl.

The fruits of his efforts stand well in light of his past as a...