Here we provide a little info and a few links for bands and artists you, or indeed we, are only just coming across. Some will be newly signed talent, some will be more established bands beginning to enjoy the success due to them, and some, due to my own indulgence, will be little bands that I think are great and I think you should be hearing about.
So, in no particular order...
Regular Fries |
If it's a name you've not heard yet then you're sure to soon! Regualr Fries are
perhaps the most sought after of unsigned bands at the minute, and when they finally
lay their signatures down major success will sure ly come calling. What they play is
essentially guitar based pop, with the occasional brooding jazz-influenced elements
thrown in. These together make up some quite epic, drawn out tracks, a little
reminiscent of Spiritualised or even Mogwai (this from the little I've managed to hear.)
Nice! Your chance to catch them is here as they're currently on tour with the Bluetones,
whose axeman Adam Devlin is a known fan already!
Nothing of real value on the internet for Regular Fries yet, but it'll be here when it appears.
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Belle & Sebastian |
"Warning: This record may contain tweeness." Their own words, but they only go
a short way towards describing the music of Belle and Sebastian. Based in Glasgow
they have remained remained undiscovered, largely due to their shunning the music
press despite releasing two albums. The more resent EP's have found their way
onto the radio, people are beginning to take notice, and a third LP is eagerly
anticipated. It's been called "folk-pop", and they've been described as "swans in
traffic", but what you really have is 7 ordinary people producing delicate, low-fi,
melodic songs adorned with a million tiny hooks; each one a treasure not to miss
out on.
In their own words:
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Embrace |
The most obvious band to be in any 'talent' column these days. All the talk about
Embrace that's passed back and forth for these past months is not for nothing, for
the rising fame of the McNamara brothers is based on solid, quality songs, not
chit-chat. Scan through their last few releases, singles charting progressively
higher, and discover such gems as the wall-of-sound grooves of "The Last Gas" and
"One Big Family" as well as the gentler "All You Good Good People" and "Fireworks".
All this and delivered with such self-confidence shows Embrace can go all the way
to success of Oasis like proportions.
All the recent info:
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Hurricane #1 |
When early nineties indie 'shoegazing' guitar bashers Ride broke up there was only
really one path for guitarist Andy Bell. "We're not a rock'n'roll band, we're
The Record co's Hurricane #1 page:
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Lift |
Hailing from Georgia, U.S.A. does not mean Lift wouldn't have a place among
British guitar bands. In fact, a place in our top 40 would, instead of
polluting it with more angst-fuelled grunge efforts or packs of boy bands,
bring a refreshing change. Lift's music has a beauty to it stemming from
somewhere other than the Beatles or the Small Faces, with looser songs carried
on chiming, atmospheric guitar lines - "Love Spreads" it aint! Though we may
not see them in England for some time (if ever) their new LP "Lifelike" comes
highly recommended and is available through Daemon Records. Check out the sound
files on their homepage too!
The complete Lift info page:
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Deadstar |
A new discovery for me and a band I know little about. Collecting together some
of their material revealed not only the excellent recent single "Don't it Get
You Down" but also the equally good 3-minute slice of pop/rock "Sex Sell" from
their forthcoming eponymous album, released in the UK on August 18th. They have
been compared a lot to Garbage, but Deadstar employ less studio effects and
trickery and a greater slice of straight rock'n'roll. Let's hope singer Caroline
Kennedy and her boys can make it as big as Shirley Manson and company!
Your one Deadstar stop:
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Scheer |
An Irish 5-piece in the traditional rock band format: guitars, bass, drums, scream!
Although Scheer do, when they feel like it, rock with the best of them, the
material on their album "Infliction", and that scattered across their singles
displays quality songwriting skills. From the high-energy blast of "Shea" through
the storming single "Wish You Were Dead" to the delicate acoustic "Goodbye" Scheer
have the ability to match the best of them in any area. They are currently compiling
material for their second album, which will hopefully introduce them to a much
wider audience.
For the full set of on-line Scheer info.
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Arab Strap |
Pushing back the boundaries of "Low-Fi" this Scottish combo are snaring the
hearts of all who manage to catch a listen. A lazy guitar line, a couple
of bangs on a drum and a mix of melody and narrative slowly but surely
draw you ever deeper in. Arab Strap live in the same world as us, but it
never before seemed so poetic. Their finest moment so far, "The First
Big Weekend" (with the rest of the album, "The Week Never Starts Round Here",
snapping close on its heels) is the music on the new UK Guinness ad, in
case you were wondering...
The highly stylish record co.'s pages:
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The Sundays |
Few groups could return from a five year absence with such immediate recognition
as The Sundays. The recent hit single "Summertime" has proved that the firm fanbase
established at the end of the eighties has not only remained but is stronger than
ever. It's no surprise, few could fail to fall in love with Harriet Wheeler's beautiful
voice and the warmth and charm of the songs. The new album, "Static and Silence", has
been received with grand comparisons to their '88 debut "Reading, Writing and Arithmatic"
so it looks like this time The Sundays might stick around for a while.
The first stop for fans, new and old:
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Helen Love |
There's something about punk/pop that makes you either love it or hate it. Helen Love
churn it out at its energetic, Ramones influenced best like Kenickie tried to but
ultimately found themselves too soft. These are tunes with so many hooks you should
like them whether you want to or not. Check out the latest 'Love single "Does Your
Heart Go Boom" and be instantly snared by its cheesey synths and buzzing guitars. With
plenty more where that came from Helen Love could be a real force to be reckoned with.
As they say themselves, "Put your foot on the fuzzbox baby and play play play!"
A first portion of Helen info.
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last updated: Friday 20th March 1998 p> mea95dad@sheffield.ac.uk