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Our pick of the new music that's coming your way.  1. pete and the piratesmr understanding (stolen) Though their sweetly harmonied guitar-pop is hardly revolutionary, Pete And The Pirates are proof of enduring appeal of likeable boys playing likeable indie music. Mr Understanding is one of the highlights of their imminent debut album, Little Death, and certainly good enough to appease those hoping for shanties. AC  listen 2. my toys like me all over my face (dumb angel) The oddball London duo return in March with their third single, this distinctly off-kilter ballad that sounds like a walk down Portishead’s dark streets accompanied by Chet Baker’s trumpet and wonky rhythm section trying to play dub left-handed. Scratchy and spooky in all the right places. SY listen 3. ringsis he handsome (paw tracks) Rings are an all-female trio of New Yorkers who count Abby Portner, sister of Animal Collective’s Avey Tare, among their line-up. They clearly also share a music bloodline: the hollow musical backbone of Is He Handsome consists of a click track and a series of minimal loops, supplemented by bursts of plink-plonky bar-room piano. All three members compete for vocal space, only occasionally lapsing into giggles. NN listen 4. cadence weapon in search of the youth crew (big dada) Last year’s Breaking Kayfabe album was possibly too clever for its own good, but on his new single the Canadian Rapper Rollie Pemberton sounds like he’s learning to loosen up. His wordplay means that In Search Of The Youth Crew is far from dumbed down, but this time the beats sound more like they were produced to be danced to at a block party, rather than dissected in a laboratory. PC listen 5. miss kittin kittin is high (nobody’s bizzness) Has Miss Kittin gone Goth? It seems a reasonable question to ask, given that not only is her forthcoming second solo album called Batbox but this lead single involves her singing about witches and vampires as dispassionately as an undertaker. You shouldn’t worry though: the pulsing beats and breakdowns of Kittin Is High would sweat the white panstick from anyone’s face. PC listen 6. the selmanaires verdigris intrigue (international hits) Atlanta, Georgia (also known as ‘Hotlanta’) has become an indie-rock hotbed thanks to the bizarro punk antics of The Black Lips and shoegazers Deerhunter. A documentary about the scene, called We Fun, is due out later this year. Meanwhile, The Selmanaires keep the musical flame of Hotlanta alive with this pleasantly catchy piece of Orange-Juice-meets-Eno pop. NN listenTips by: Paul Clarke, Amber Cowan, Nick Neyland and Steve Yates  conversations
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 now hear this17 january 08  now hear this10 january 08  now hear this3 january 08  cadence weaponalbum review  miss kittinalbum review books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. |
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