Beangrowers - I Like You
Beangrowers still not massive? Something is wrong with the muffled ears of this island. This is the first release from album “Dance Dance Baby” and is a perfect showcase for their raw sounding and fearless guitar pop. Alison’s vocals are powerfully sexy, her ‘ohs’ peppering this track with just the right amount of emotional abandon. But what makes this track stand out is its ‘rush’ element: a pulse racing concentration of relived primary experiences that snatch you away from the mundane. B-side “The Priest” is no less exciting, exploiting the quiet loud dynamic so perfect for Alison’s voice. It begins bass heavy: purring with strings and rolling bass drum. Working in combination with an honest set of guitar riffs, this track builds to a pounding crescendo, plugging

you into a musical high before plunging back to the dirty bass floor. This is music that will drag you into past days of heady teenage drinking and dancing. Let’s face it, who amongst doesn’t still enjoy a bit of that?

Review by Lindsey Kent
www.beangrowers.net

Prinzhorn Dance School - Up! Up! Up!
Being on DFA's label you'd expect more electro sleaze from the first British act to be signed by the New Yorkians. In Up! Up! Up! I can safely say, you don't get it. Instead you get ultra-minimal art school thumping as a drumkit and a bass guitar have the type of engrossing but pointless late night conversation about which is better, tea or coffee. Massively repetitive, seemingly directionless, borderline nonesense, I absolutely love Prinzhorn Dance School but can give you no real reason why. Perhaps, like many things, just because they did it. Monotony has never been so addictive.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.prinzhorn-dance-school.com

The High Wire - Saint Bees
This is like some of the better summer parties I’ve been to. I can’t remember where they were or what we were listening to, but I remember the warm muggy feeling of hot evenings and cold beer, with lots of friends.

‘Saint Bees’ is a laid-back, groovy song that is like a bunch of muso friends getting together to jam a Doves song during the party – it’s not especially organised, but the warm feeling of it stays with you long after they’ve stopped playing.

The B-side carries on in a similarly casual way, only the party is at a later stage

now – someone has got out some powerful weed and, though they’re all playing roughly the same song, they’re losing interest as everyone leaves or goes to the kitchen for munchies.

Review by Hannah Higham
www.myspace.com/thehighwire

Popular Workshop - Stutter & Dance EP
After seeing a couple of Popshop's noisy, sweaty gigs i was expecting a strictly no tunes affair on this EP but i have to admit to being suprised. The guitars are abrasive and angular in all the right ways, there is some impressive instrumentation throughout and lots of clever little hooks to discover on each track. 'Channels' is like The Strokes fed through a computer whilst 'Popsong' doesn't do what it says on the tin but instead reveals that these boys like Steve Albini, a lot. Not a bad thing at all. 'X-Rays Confidental' is the best of the bunch, even throwing in some nice out of sync/tune keyboard for good measure. Inventive. This is for English geek boys who love their american indie rock. It's classy stuff. recommended.

Review by Andrew Moran
www.myspace.com/popularworkshop

12 Stone Toddler - Twang
Currently subverting pop over in Brighton are the admirably off-kilter 12 Stone Toddler who mangle Frank Zappa-esque odd-ball rock with conventional indie in an unexpectedly enjoyable way. Factor in Chris Otero’s Mike Patton-esque croon and you’ve got an awkward carnival-pop beast straining at the leash. An acquired taste for sure, but one that you might just want to acquire… 7/10

Review by Tom Leins
www.myspace.com/12stonetoddler

Fran Rodgers - I Fell To You Under Winter Sun
Half English-half French folksinger Fran Rodgers is the third signing to the emergent On The Bone Records roster. Fran doesn’t play anti-folk, urban folk, folktronica or any other deviation – this is pure haunting folk music a la Vashti Bunyan or even Joni Mitchell. Recorded by Richard Green (formely of Ultrasound, latterly of The Somatics) this timeless three-track burst is fragile, graceful and stark. Folking great!

Review by Tom Leins
www.franrodgers.co.uk

Rosemary - 40-40
Now this is fun – Rosemary are punchy and hyped up. Catchy as fuck is probably the best way to describe 40-40. Really nice jangly guitar work and some hooks that will most likely to weasel their way in to your head and stay there as you carry out the mundane tasks that make up your day.

Down like a domino is full of the same urgency with a nice vocal distortion and some quality guitar lines. Not as immediately catchy as 40-40 but still full of quality stuff.

Blissfully Mine is a whistful ditty – seeing Rosemary taking a walk in some sort

of sun-drenched meadow with their acoustic guitar and an undulating mantra like vocal which drifts and flows… This song is also the perfect length to be played over and over and again is catchy. A band to watch and see over the summer if this is what we are to expect… looking forward to more.

Review by Bolero Sanchez
www.myspace.com/rosemarymusic

Radar - War Out There
A competently quirky single veering along the way of indie, ska, and dub, 'War Out There' takes in blatant influences such as Madness and the The Ordinary Boys, while still managing to create a captivating atmosphere of its own. Yet something isn't quite right, and you get the niggling impression that authenticity is lacking.

The subject matter it deals with may still be relevant but somehow it feels worn out, and so Radar doesn't get past what they express in the title. In contrast to the way they have created the song itself the way they deal with the subject seems more of a fashion choice to deliberately garner credibility. There reeks

the air of conscious business decisions. This also reflects in the decision to include a barrage of remixes and alternate versions of the track, in the hope that if it doesn't become an indie hit they can still make some money via the club dancefloor or perhaps as a soundtrack for an advert.

However, while this may be the case, there is no denying that Radar does have potential if they just decide to filter out the crap and be true to themselves.

Review by Nathania Hartley
www.radar.tv

The Mojo Fins - Pinata Face
A dismayingly half-baked attempt at a trembling indie-folk strum-along from this new Brighton four-piece. I quite like the way that the song itself builds, but the lyrics are pretty ropey and the singer’s voice is less than convincing. They seem to aim for hushed Elliott Smith brooding, but sound closer to a clumsy Turin Brakes re-hash. Well, not quite that average, but pretty unsatisfactory nonetheless – essentially a good idea badly executed. Back to the drawing board, perhaps? 5/10

Review by Tom Leins
www.myspace.com/themojofins

Switches - Lay Down The Law
Lay down the law starts a bit like Franz Fedinand on jellies and carries on in much the same way. Perfectly competent and is probably a bit of a live hit. However whilst being punchy and nicely written it lacks something for me. The backing vocals are slightly nagging and wimpy the guitar line is a bit repetitive.

Testify is very much in the same vein with little mod-ish touches and a brit-poppy swagger… There’s some nice Pop-Levi 70’s-esque bits happening but again I’m finding it a little dull…

Track three pus a spanner in the works with some surf rock guitar and Beach

Boys style harmonies which end up sounding like low rent 50’s rock and roll. Shorter and sweeter than the previous two.

Cut my hair shapes up a bit better again delving in to the 60’s and 70’s with a Love kinda sound – again working on those harmonies and this time a little bit more interesting guitar work. This has a little more substance than the other tunes on the CD and I could quite imagine tripping away to this in some field… somewhere.

Overall we’re taking just three songs to cover much of the last half century of musical influences. As you might have realised I’m gonna say that Switches aren’t really doing it for me… For fans of them I’m sure this CD is great – the NME and Uncut also seem to think so (according to the press gabble on the back of the CD). But I think we need to be delving deeper in to that pot of influences if Switches are gonna be breaking any boundaries.

Review by Bolero Sanchez
www.switchesmusic.co.uk

Dylan James - Sometime I Rock, Sometimes I Roll
The Libertines have a lot to answer for. I tried to get it, really I did. I listened to the first album from beginning to end, trying to find out what all the fuss was about and failing. But something about them was clearly importatnt – every indie club was invaded by gangs of Pete ‘n’ Carl-alikes in studied urchin dishabille, posing beautifully and playing badly.

This is a soundalike that might have got some attention if it had been released earlier, but now its author might not be noticed until the revival (or even the revival of the revival). Perhaps he should do a ‘nu-rave’ remix, or try grunge – surely that’s due for a revival soon…?

Review by Hannah Higham
www.myspace.com/dylanjamesmusic

Deluka - I'll Wait
They may be getting ranked among the likes of Ladytron, The Kills, The Killers and Klaxons, but within the company of such hot bands Deluka appear pretty unremarkable.

What we are given is short, formulaic with uninspired lyrics and vocals that get lost underneath the instruments. It doesn't make you want to turn it off, but it doesn't give you anything to keep it on for either. It would seem that at present, Deluka have simply mastered the art of fitting in. It'll do, but don't make the mistake of thinking it ranks up there on the basis of this single.

Many will, since it is suitable enough fodder to pin all your musical hopes, aspirations, and ideals onto, but this doesn't mean that they actually possess these qualities. Not yet anyway. 'I'll wait as long as it takes', they mumble. But will you?

Review by Nathania Hartley
www.myspace.com/deluka