Illegal Tender

Interview: Baby Monster

2009-11-06T01:21:00.008Z

Having been raving about them for a fair few months now, I managed to grab Oregon-based Baby Monster for a few words upon their return home from playing a handful of gigs in London. Here's how it went down.

Hey guys, you well?
Actually pretty sure we've got the H1N1, recovering from a week in London and the 22 hour trip home.

I first blogged you way back in May, what have you been up to since then?
Signed a sponsorship deal with Sprite... No we didn't, but we would if they offered... Lots of recording and trying to finish our album. Also, we've got the live band together with drums and lights etc.

You recently performed at CMJ for some label or other too?
It was one of our first shows actually, all the bands were awesome. Local Natives and Theophilus London really killed it...

What did you enjoy most about the UK?
Riding the tube and meeting nice English birds, and Halloween!

You’re about to release your debut single on 50 Bones, have you had much of a chance to check out the rest of their output?
Definitely. Its really impressive that they've released those artists so early on. Dennis is a bad man.

A lot of people have been comparing you guys to MGMT and even M83, compliment or curse?
Probably a bit of both. We love both those bands but most of our stuff doesn't sound much like either of them. Once people hear more songs their opinions should change.

Danny, I heard you turned down the chance to work on what would have been MJ's new album, what's the story there?
I got the offer right around the same time we had just finished 'Ultra Violence and Beethoven' and it woulda been too much time away from Baby Monster so I decided not to do it.

You've also put out a few remixes in the past couple of months, are there any more in the pipeline?
Yes, Ellie Goulding and Housse De Racket!

Marty, you've played in a couple of bands before BM, what's the Oregon scene like?
So many awesome Oregon groups! The best album from Oregon is 'Yes.No.Shut It.' by experimental noise rock group The Hunches. But also the song 'I Was Drinking In A Trash Can' by The Blimp

It's been a pretty crazy year for you guys so far, what's the plan for 2010?
Move to England, tour, put out a record and record another record... become big stars in Japan, eat sushi foreverrrrr.

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Debut single Ultra Violence & Beethoven is out on Monday (9th November 2009) along with a pretty sweet remix from Irish duo Arvene & Misk (that I'm sure you've already downloaded by now!) through 50 Bones.

You can pre-order/purchase exclusively from Pure Groove here.

Gig: I'm Stuck In My Own Dimension

2009-11-02T22:06:00.006Z

Wow, it's almost a year to the day since I first blogged about the industrious and already somewhat illustrious Theophilus London, just after his first mixtape JAM! dropped.

Since then he's worked with an array of producers and artists, released a second mixtape - the creatively titled This Charming Mixtape - and even found the time to form Chauffeur with Mark Ronson and Sam Sparro.

I'll finally get the chance to see the live show this Thursday at YOYO, so to celebrate here's probably my favourite track of his thus far, though admittedly that's 50% down to UK's secretive duo Letherette on production.

Theophilus London - All The Ooh's And Aah's (feat. Jesse Boykins) (YSI)

Letherette are soon to release their debut LP through machinedrum's label NORMREX which is also home to THRØWY, New Look and Jimmy Edgar amongst others.

Coincidentally, I was fortunate enough to catch a seriously impressive improv set by machinedrum prior to him DJ'ing for XL's freshly signed Azealia Banks at YOYO only a couple of weeks back. Now where's that endorsement money guys...

Exclusive: Never Holding Back

2009-10-29T16:47:00.002Z

He's back.

I tipped him for big things back in January and The Aspirins For My Children has slowly been building the momentum to fulfill the hype.

After a great start to the year with remixes for Marina & The Diamonds, Frankmusik and Lost Valentinos, love from every corner of the blogsphere and working with some of the UK's freshest talent, he's back in the game and bringing the Grace Jones classic My Jamaican Guy in to the 21st century.

His rework of the 1983 single, taken from her third album Living My Life, features Manchester rapper Envy spitting a verse about her take on what's required from the modern UK man.

Ridiculously huge.

Grace Jones - My Jamaican Guy (The Aspirins For My Children Redux 2009 feat. Envy) (YSI) (EXCLUSIVE)

In Motion: Won't You Take Me To The Queen Of Hearts?

2009-10-19T20:26:00.004+01:00

The fantastic new video for the second limited single from Wolf Gang.

The King & All of His Men is released through fellow bloggers and BFFs Hit Club in what will be their debut release.

With remixes to come from Hot Chip, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Egyptian Hip Hop (who'll be releasing their debut single through Hit Club in the near future), it will be available both digitally and on limited 7".

The latter will be available exclusively from Puregroove on November 16th, you can get your pre-order in here, but don't hesitate as I've no doubt that these will sell out fast.

Max et al are hitting the live shows hard in November with performances for NME, MTV and Levi's as well as dates at the Hit Club night at The Corner in Manchester, Stealth in Nottingham and The Cooler in Bristol (for full info check out their Myspace).

Hype: A Halo Radiating Through Time

2009-10-18T22:15:00.007+01:00

image by Josef Kraska

Laurel Halo is a Brooklyn based songwriter / producer who just blows my mind.

Originating from Ann Arbor in Michigan and ending up in New York via Thailand, she takes influence from free jazz to Detroit techno and definitely caters to the experimental / avant-garde side of my tastes.

I think this is the bit where I'm meant to describe her track Future Fruit using puns and metaphors based around its name but instead I'll just say that it was written for her best friend's birthday and it's just over six minutes of bliss, enjoy.

Laurel Halo - Future Fruit (YSI)

I was actually introduced to her music by another IT favourite Radiant Dragon, who has just finished a remix of the above track, dragging it by the ankles into some sort of an angsty paranoid parallel universe.

Laurel Halo - Future Fruit (Radiant Dragon Remix) (YSI)

He also sent me some amazing remixes of the tracks on his Island EP, including this haunting kraut effort from Allez-Allez.

Radiant Dragon - Cloud Seeding (Allez-Allez Remix) (YSI)

If you're in London over the next couple of months, check out the live show at Dirty Bingo (@ The Vicoria), AITBF (@ Cargo) and Barden's Boudoir.

Hype: Secret Army

2009-10-12T20:48:00.004+01:00

Erol and Tiga? Gary Barlow and MNEK? Derek Davies and Starsmith?

Truth is, nobody knows anything about the identity of Monarchy or any other information that's not given up on their Myspace.

What I do know however, is that this track is completely addictive and can be played on repeat for hours until it turns in to some sort of subliminal hypnosis.

In the immortal words of Neil Buchanan "Try it yerself?!".

Monarchy - Gold In The Fire (Demo) (YSI)

Plug: All For One And...

2009-10-12T15:42:00.008+01:00

Apologies are in order once again. I've been neglecting you all for far too long and it's time to get back in to the blogging groove.

I thought I'd start by recapping on a few things that have apparated in to my inbox in recent weeks concerning IT favourites.

French five-piece Turzi have just released their Buenos Aires / Bombay EP (which you can purchase at Rough Trade here) through Record Makers.

Featuring remixes from label-mate Sebastien Tellier and relative newcomers to the remix game Django Django adding some Pharaoh flava.

I'm starting to love DD as much for their choice of mix/remix names as I am their music. This time referencing the unquestionable TV classic staring Hulk Hogan and a speedboat named Thunder.

Turzi - Bombay (Django Django's Thunder In Paradise Remix) (YSI)

Next up is a new track from So Say So who recently supported Gaggle and the much loved Clock Opera (whom I'll soon be interviewing) at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen as well as having several live dates at Catch, The Fly and The Flowerpot in the coming months.

So Say So - Nowhere Near The Heart (YSI)

by Riaz Phillips

Kwes is also up to his usual tricks, finding time between nurturing the next generation of London's musical prodigies and cultivating his own solo material to rework Screaming Lights new single 21st Century.

The original may not be to my taste but this is fantastic.

Screaming Lights - 21st Century (Kwes./[o=o]. Rework) (YSI)

Finally, after my previous interview with the mysterious Kid Adrift, he decided that he liked the title of the post that much that he decided to name his EP after it (no joke).

L.E.D. Illusions EP will be released through Euphonios on 19th October and you can pre-order it from their online store here.

Hype: The Circle In Your Head Was A Square

2009-09-21T19:10:00.003+01:00

It's not every day that you come across an octet of multi-instrumentalists from Yorkshire (or there abouts), never mind fall in love with them. So imagine my gleeful surprise when I stumbled upon Milk White White Teeth.

An ensemble that just ooze charm, MWWT's vocal harmonies matched with their unconventional approach to songwriting just gives me shivers at times and with the sheer volume of instruments and voices at hand, the possibilities are endless.

They're pretty much seem like a bunch of friends doing what they love and having fun, something that's definitely reflected in their sound, it's practically infectious.

In their own words, "Jon met Barrie, Barrie met Jon, Jon met Gilly & James, though they had previously met. Barrie met Michelle, Michelle met Barrie, Alistair was around so he joined in. Polly blew some notes on her own, then Alex kept her company conveniently they all get together now and then, occasionally they play music."

Their recent performances at Leeds & Reading have been heaped with praise and they'll be playing in Leeds this very evening at Nation Of Shopkeepers and at Brudenell Social Club on 13th October. However, I'm looking forward to seeing them at the haven that is Bungalows & Bears in Sheffield on 7th November, hoping to get my hands on one of their demos which includes this...

Milk White White Teeth - Train Attendants (YSI)

Hype: The Things That Make Us Go Insane

2009-09-11T17:26:00.006+01:00

It's no secret that I'm far from being a fan of the whole mysterious identity vibe, but sometimes it kind of pays off and the music speaks for its self, and sometimes that music is HUGE.

I Am Noxious is one of those rarities, wishing to remain anonymous for the foreseeable future, affording him the opportunity to focus on musical direction as I Am Noxious is a self-labelled "project in process".

It's definitely paying off. Wearing his influences on his sleeve, there are three fantastic tracks on his Myspace page, with We Pray being my outright favourite. An anthem of potentially epic proportions. Dowload this now.

I Am Noxious - We Pray (YSI)

Hype: In My Dreams I Know You'll Never Leave

2009-08-31T23:06:00.005+01:00

London four-piece Babe Shadow are already becoming something of a force of nature.

Tom, David, Mark and Ben have been gigging like crazy in recent weeks and have dates coming up at institutions like The Flowerpot, Proud Galleries and The Lock Tavern and that's just in the first two weeks of September.

Full of warm guitars and sounding like the soundtrack to retrospective, late summer Sunday afternoons spent lazing around in the park, it's indie-folk at its best.

Jamila at Fucking Dance has already given them her seal of approval and I couldn't agree more.

Babe Shadow - Sea Serpents (YSI)

Exclusive: Said Your Voice Is Made Up Of E's, F's and G's

2009-08-31T16:16:00.007+01:00

Hailing from North East London, singer, multi-instrumentalist and multi-talented Elan Tamara is about to self-release her debut EP.

Gold Fishes EP is produced by the always excellent Kwes and sees Elan play piano, saxophone, flute, xylophone, Balinese gamelan, bass, guitar, percussion and drums at various points throughout. I don't think I need to say much more do I? It's brilliant.

If you'd like to invest in one of the amazing handmade (and hand-drawn by Elan herself) EP's then pre-order at Rough Trade here and if you want to find out more about her then check out an interview she did for the elusive Interplanetarians.

Elan Tamara - Oranges (Limited Download)

Hype: It's The Little Thoughts That Fuck It All Up

2009-08-23T19:57:00.004+01:00

Firstly, apologies for the horrendous lack of posting this month. My laptop is a smouldering wreck and has seen better days, so I'm having to use a battered family PC. Here's what will be the beginning of a backlog I've wanted to post for a while.

The Nofairs are a Trans-Atlantic duo who formed after a chance meeting at Victoria station many years ago.

N was shooting a short film, Peter was coming home from his family's late Christmas gathering. Having just been ditched by her lead actor, she asked him to take the role. On New Year's Eve they played their first song together in a dirty hostel kitchen.

It's taken them some time to find their feet though, due to living thousands of miles apart (N moved to Chicago, IL; Peter stayed in London). However, they stayed in touch and continued to influence each other musically and in late 2008, they reunited in a flat in New Cross to become The Nofairs.

With a first meeting that almost sounds like something out of a Richard Curtis film, these two were practically destined to produce some sort of delicately stripped back acoustic goodness, and they do.

They will be performing at The Cross Kings on 29th August, so if this is your thing and you're around, get down and show some support.

The Nofairs - Cities And Closed Doors (YSI)
The Nofairs - My Favourite Name (YSI)

Interview: LED Illusions

2009-07-24T19:31:00.011+01:00

A few weeks ago I came across Glasgow via London based 21 year old all rounder Kid Adrift.

Somewhat of an A&R's wet dream, his dub infused pop has been a huge hit on BBC Radio 1 and 6Music, with at least four of their DJs giving his track Red, Green and Blue airtime inside a week.

Given the fact that he's a bit of an elusive character and there isn't much known about him at the moment, I decided to try and find out a little bit more.

Let's get straight to business, what, or who is Kid Adrift?
Good question! I heard a few rumours that people think I'm on a boat, or that I'm a music producer gone riot or something!? It might be a bit of a secret alter-ego I suppose.

A lot of people probably know me as this kid who appears at electro clubs around Glasgow and London and then disappears for several days at a time. But they don't know that I'm Kid Adrift. I like having some secrets.

What's the thought process behind Kid Adrift?
I started out playing a few different instruments and got pretty into harmony and orchestration and stuff. But I recently spent quite a lot of time down in London with a guy called Kulture who is on Skream's new label.

He's basically this guy my age but he's like some wise sage or something. He'd lock himself away in his house for weeks on end with philosophy books and when he mixes he closes his eyes and touches the speaker to feel what the bass will be like in a club, it was all quite intriguing as he was making sounds that no-one else even knew how to make.

Me and him and some friends would go on like 40 mile walks around the country-side and just fire ideas back and forth, it was inspiring times. Basically all that probably re-wired my classical/pop side into whatever it is I'm doing musically now...

BBC Radio 1 seems to be all over you and has been for a while now, how
did that come about?
I just handed in a CD of the single to Vic Galloway who is the Radio 1 DJ up in Scotland and he opened his show with it and soon after he tipped it to Huw Stephens and Tom Robinson, then Huw tipped it and Nick Grimshaw started playing it on his show and suddenly it started appearing all over the place.

When Record of the Day picked up on it it all went a bit mental! It was just in the space of 6 weeks or so. Apparently it's been on the Radio in America as well. BBC Introducing are great people they're really helping me out with it all, even with advice and stuff. It all took me a bit by surprise, I'm almost like whoa hold up let me actually get my first CD out everyone!

So what does the next 6-12 months hold?
The first EP will be out very shortly, I should have a release date in the next couple weeks. Then me and the band are going to hit the road with the Live show which I'm really excited about.

We got offered sets at Glastonbury and Reading only 2 months into the whole thing which feels pretty mad but we're not going to launch into anything before we've done some more warm up gigs! We've done some pretty mad shows before in previous bands using laptops and samplers etc and we want to create the same feel about it.

I hear you're working on a remix at the moment, can you divulge who it is or is it a secret?
Yes, I'm really, really excited about that. There's a couple I'm working on, just finished the first one today actually. An electro-pop band that I really like somehow heard about my stuff after Record of the Day featuring Red, Green and Blue and next thing I know I had the multi-tracks in my inbox. I've basically taken a pretty light poppy song and made it pretty dark and subversive. I feel all guilty now. All will become known soon....

Is remixing something you're going to be doing more and more of or is
the artist side of things taking precedence?
The songwriting will be the main thing for me always but I'm going to do as much remixing as possible. I like taking very poppy stuff and just adding a dark streak to it. I don't know where that comes from...

When I was a kid I ripped off Santa's beard at the local village hill in front of all the kids to let them see he was a fake. Something satisfying about taking something really twee and breaking it down in front of everyone.

Are you in to new music at all? If so, who's got your ear at the moment?
This guy Son Lux on Anticon. He's writing songs that basically just tear my whole world apart and rebuild it in the space of 3 minutes, breathtaking.

Well, I did say that I tried.

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Check out the much hyped track in the widget below, the lyrics for which can be found at his website. Also, look out for a Guest Mix from Kid Adrift in the coming weeks, it's definitely going to be something special.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://kidadrift.com/track/red-green-and-blue-remastered"&amp;amp;gt;Red, Green and Blue (Remastered) by Kid Adrift&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Hype: We're Living In A Warrior's World

2009-07-23T17:32:00.005+01:00

Mancunian two-piece Kiss In Cities is the new project from Laura Marsden and Joe Cross of (we are) Performance.

It's still early days for their self-proclaimed "pop experiment", as the live setup is still in development, but it's clear that the tracks are practically there already (with Lunatics being my favourite thus far).

Their aim is to "craft catchy tracks with darkly intelligent and kitschy, comic lyrics" and I think that sums them up pretty well, with synth-pop romp U R My Girl perfectly encompassing all of the above.

I know the 80's vibe has pretty much gone beyond saturation point this year but when it's done right it's like mullets never went out of fashion and this could easily be mistaken for a Lauper classic.

Kiss In Cities - U R My Girl (YSI)

Hype: A Vision

2009-07-17T16:53:00.006+01:00

North London four-piece WILD PALMS are a band I've quickly fallen for in a big way since reading about them in Dazed a while back.

Whilst they do have an air of familiarity in their sound (perhaps something akin to what These New Puritans would sound like if they focused less on pretension and more on musicianship), there's something really refreshing, gripping and almost consuming in their music.

WILD PALMS come across as a band who aren't about the bright lights, the huge deals or the spot on Jools Holland but instead about a work ethic and emphasis on being a band that they themselves can be proud of. I can't help thinking that the track that I'm about to post holds their mission statement in its lyrics, "I crave for something fresh, I crave for something new".

It's also a busy time for Darrell, Lou, Gareth and James, as they are set to play 1234 Festival, have just been confirmed as tour support for Good Shoes and are currently half way through supporting The Warlocks on their UK tour.

WILD PALMS - Deep Dive (YSI)

Competition: Zootime Winners

2009-07-17T15:49:00.004+01:00

Just over a week ago, I gave you the chance to win two pairs of tickets to Gold Panda / Simian Mobile Disco gig at Camden Roundhouse as part of the iTunes festival.

Rather than do the usual and boring thing of asking you to answer a ridiculously easy question or send me your basic details, I asked for you to send me an image/painting/drawing of whatever came to mind when listening to Gold Panda's fantastic track Back Home.

Both me and the Panda himself chose a winner when the competition closed on Wednesday and with some fantastic entrants, here are the winners who'll each receive a +1...

Gold Panda chosen winner: Dan Wainscoat

Illegal Tender chosen winner: James Miller

Apologies to all of those who didn't win the tickets but themz the rulez. Perhaps I'll do another competition soon but enough of the Blue Peter shit, normal business will now resume (didn't mean to start MC'ing there).

Hits The Spot: Cub

2009-07-09T17:23:00.003+01:00

Image by Tom O'Neill

It's always nice when the opportunity arises to include two Illegal Tender favourites in one post, so when I heard that the recently blogged Baby Monster had remixed Wolf Gang's debut single Pieces Of You (released through the almost sickeningly Midas-like Neon Gold), I couldn't resist.

I'd even go as far as to say that I prefer this over the original, Baby Monster have just given the track more energy and life and when the piano kicks in, it just takes off.

Wolf Gang - Pieces Of You (Baby Monster Remix) (YSI)

Competition: Zootime

2009-07-07T23:27:00.008+01:00

In an unprecedented move and courtesy of the magnificent Gold Panda and good friends Brilliantly Different, I'm giving away two pairs of tickets to the Gold Panda / Simian Mobile Disco gig at Camden's Roundhouse which is part of the iTunes Festival on the 29th of July.

Rather than have you answer some ridiculously easy question or just mail me your details with "OMGZ I LUV GOLD PANDA!!!!1", I thought that I'd make it a little more interesting.

If I were asked to describe Gold Panda's sound or how one of his
tracks made me feel, I don't think I could do justice to either.

With that in mind, I'm asking you to send in a drawing, painting or photograph that best represents the feeling, thoughts or emotion conjured in your mind when listening to the track Back Home (which can be found on his Myspace).

Please email illegaltendermagazine@gmail.com with the subject line Gold Panda Gig and include a link to the image as well as your name with the restriction of one image per person. The competition will close on 15th of July.

The two winning images will then be chosen by myself and Gold Panda and will be announced the next day. Good luck!

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Pre-order Gold Panda's debut release (via Various Production) the Miyamae EP (which includes track Back Home) now through Puregroove and Rough Trade.

Hype: One Day I Woke Up To Find There Was A Hole In My Mind

2009-06-27T22:25:00.008+01:00

Every now and then you - or I at least - come across a track that just makes you think "This is why I love music so much." and Once And For All by London's Clock Opera is one of them.

The new project of Guy Connelly (formerly of The Corrections), Clock Opera are already receiving a lot of interest from labels and the like and I also have it on good authority that their live show is something of a spectacle.

Although it's still early doors, there's already a huge sound there and with performances at the likes of London's Paradise Gardens and Lattitude Festival, I'm looking foward to hearing more from them and seeing how things take shape in the coming months.

One thing's for sure, if there are more like the track below on the way then this could be something really special. Here's one of my tracks of 2009...

~~Clock Opera - Once And For All~~ (Limited Download)

Plug: I'll Pretend To Start Again

2009-06-16T00:49:00.005+01:00

You Animals - Halfway to Heartbreak

I've been a fan of You Animals since their formation from the embers of Komakino.

In fact, Komakino were the first band I ever interviewed and are some the nicest guys you're likely to meet. Frontman Ryan even contributed an interview himself back in the day.

Finally, after what seems like an age, they are releasing their debut single through Fear & Records and the video for which can be found above.

With dates coming up in their native Derby, Nottingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool and London to name a few, they're certainly not sleeping on it! All dates and more info can be found on site so there's no excuse not to get to one.

Halfway to Heartbreak / You Left Your Heart In The City will be released as a 7" on July 13 and to celebrate, here's the B-side (which I actually prefer!).

You Animals - You Left Your Heart In The City (YSI)

In Motion: He Says That He Got In Trouble

2009-06-15T01:11:00.004+01:00

HURTS - Wonderful Life

I'd heard a lot about this video and finally caught a glimpse courtesy of FUCKING DANCE. Everything about both the video and the track are incredible.

Wonderful Life sounds like a classic that I'd long since forgotten but suddenly stumbled upon to remember why I loved it in the first place, the video hammers that home even more with the black and white vibe.

HURTS are the result of the gradual development of Manchester bands Bureau and Daggers and are about as hot as it gets right now.

Hype: Storm Clouds Gather Overhead

2009-06-05T12:49:00.003+01:00

Almost every UK blog worth it's salt is already all over London's Radiant Dragon, to the point that my pride got the better of me and I decided not to add to the furore.

This was obviously a stupid notion and being a big fan of his 'Chinese-kraut electronic space rock', I can't hold out any longer.

He's supporting Kap Bambino at Liars Club next week and also has a number of dates in London coming up including a performance for Lassaiz Faire Club supporting IT favourites colouringIN.

Despite being about the 23 Morecambe Bay cockle pickers who drown back in 2004, this track makes everything seem 20% better 100% of the time.

Radiant Dragon - Oysters (YSI)

Hype: Sit Down, Relax.

2009-06-01T16:02:00.004+01:00

Kentish Town's Dansette Junior are comprised of Will Hunt and Lawson (of sniTch DJs).

Taking their name from an old model of Dansette record players, DJ mix elements of analogue synths, guitars and digital programming to create quite an eclectic sound.

Each track almost sounds like a completely different band and it would be both a tedious exercise and a very long post if I were to try to put them all in to words; so I'll just let the music do the talking as usual.

They have gigs coming up in all the right places with dates at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, YOYO at Notting Hill Arts Club and their local The Flowerpot in Kentish Town so get to one if you can.

Dansette Junior - Takin Over (YSI)

Hype: Toss And Turn Until We Find Our Way

2009-05-29T21:59:00.007+01:00

West Coast duo Baby Monster are one of the hottest US bands bringing the heat right now that's not attached to either the Brooklyn or Boston scenes which seem to be so prominent at the moment.

Their sound nestles somewhere in between the cut-and-shut beats of South Central and grandiose style and scale of MGMT. There's even a little bit of a The Eraser era Thom Yorke vocal in their track Young Bridget Bardot.

Whether Baby Monster can hold their own against the hyperbole wave riding (but no where near as good everyone keeps telling me) Passion Pit or the mainstream juggernaut that is MGMT remains to be seen, but this a band with as good a chance as any that I've heard this year.

Baby Monster - Curses (YSI)

Hype: Invented Problems For Fragile Minds

2009-05-29T02:49:00.003+01:00

London five-piece So Say So are a band that I've really fallen in love with recently.

The result of the amalgamation of members from two defunct bands, Kerrigan of they don't sleep and Jeion of Optimist Club respectively, as well as bringing friends Thom, Caroline and Graham into the fold, So Say So seem to have found the perfect balance of the experimental instrumentalism of their previous bands with a more traditional songwriting ethic.

I haven't heard a new band of this ilk that have really grabbed me as instantaneously as this since F. Lunaire/Disappearers and having already supported The Veils and Hjaltalin, this is a band who are on the up.

So Say So - The Slow Game (YSI)