Hey kids, Lady Byrd here with a short-but-suh'weet update for you. It may be rushed, but better late than never, right? Some of these have already been around the music blog circuit, but I'm "Ms. Catch Up" over here and they are still well deserving of some WNR exposure.
This summer, us New Yorkers got to befriend a beautiful Swedish boy by the name of Markus who had fantastic taste in music, and seemingly... a heart of gold. Soon before he left for Stockholm, he handed me an
Audible Actions sampler disc, telling me I should really check out the bands on it that he represents. Out of all the bands on the sampler,
Leif Karate stood out the most for me. It just so happens that Markus is actually a member of Leif Karate. What a coinkydink.
Apparently the band also saw some success, with their songs being featured on
One Tree Hill and
The Hills. But honestly, I'm not into
hilly shows so I guess that's why it's unfamiliar to me. Here's to hoping these guys get more sucess than mediocre TV shows, because they deserve it.
From
Let's Back The Wrong Band:
Dig Up These BonesPretty StaticLet's Back The Wrong Band+
Myspace
The Danish seem to be great at two things specifically - stealing the hearts of the guys I like, and stealing the breath of the music scene. I say "breath" because
epo-555 seem to have the whole breathy-shoegaze-electropop thing down pat. Shame I missed these guys when they performed here.
From
Mafia (buy @
iTunes):
HyperschliebGrisslappanUberholen Hat Keinen Zweck+
Myspace
I didn't really like
Benzos all that much the first time I heard them, but I think it was mostly because my ex-boyfriend was all gay about them. No, seriously, he would probably ride their asses if given the opportunity. But I have to give respect to a band that can throw dub and jungle influences into an alternative sound.
From
Branches (buy @
Amazon):
Sell This ThingHard To FeelHurt Everybody+
Myspace
What can I honestly say about
The Polyphonic Spree? They're fantastic. I love them. You've probably heard of them. The new album is amazing.
That enough? Okay, moving on.
From
The Fragile Army (buy @
Amazon):
Section 22 (Running Away)Section 27 (Mental Cabaret)+
Myspace
Although
VHS Or Beta's Bring On The Comets is no
Le Funk, it's still great to hear Craig's vocals maturing beyond the Smith'esque sound of
Night On Fire. The "doo-doos" of "
She Says" are catchy as hell, and it's nice to hear the guys progress into more of a pop sound in this album. I will always hope for a return to disco for VOB, but as long as Mark Palgy's ass stays hot... I'll keep coming back for more.
From
Bring on the Comets (buy @
Amazon):
She SaysFall Down Lightly+
Myspace
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY has been going crazy over
Calvin Harris lately. When I first heard "
Acceptable in the 80s," I found it kind of catchy but despised the lyrics. It finally grew on me, and I found myself playing it in my sets. Now I've moved on to falling in love with this entire-fucking-album. Seriously. "
The Girls" names his appreciation of every size, creed and color of woman.. and what woman doesn't love shaking her ass to that? The instrumental kickers on the album are just as fantastic, and every song is practically a dancefloor filler.
From
I Created Disco (buy @
Amazon):
The GirlsAcceptable in the 80sCertified+
MyspaceLove,
Lady Byrd
