We knew that Sheffield's Best Friends were good, we learned that when we reviewed the first track they posted from this double A-side single. 'Happy Anniversary' was a lively little modern garage-punk tune, and sharing a slab of vinyl (or some megabytes of disc space or whatever) with it is 'Nosebleeds' which is an even better melodic guitar tune with boundless energy.
Best Friends' website
Buy the single
Catch them live:
Sep 25 Shipping Forecast, Liverpool, UK
Sep 26 Tipsy Bar, London, UK
Sep 28 The Great Gatsby, Sheffield, UK
Andrew St James - The Lost, The Vain
Someone else we knew a little about already is teenage singer-songwriter Andrew St James, one of the few men who's managing to keep this vastly overpopulated genre credible and injected with talent. This week the Californian releases his début album 'Doldrums' which will have people talking about him being wise beyond his years and so on. What it comes down to is simply that he's a quality songwriter.
Andrew St James' website
Buy the album
Tropic of Cancer - Court of Devotion
Well some artists are worth featuring more than once, and Tropic Of Cancer is another we reviewed in the summer. This week she releases her début album, 'Restless Idyls' which means she's gone from one-sided 7" to double album in a short space of time. The hypnotic 'Court Of Devotion' is a teasing glimpse as to what it would sound like playing a post-punk or krautrock record at a slower speed. Answer: ace.
Tropic Of Cancer's website
Buy the album
Catch her live:
OCT 24 LONDON + HTRK
OCT 26 MONS
OCT 28 VIELSALM
NOV 1 PARIS + HTRK
NOV 2 PARIS + MARTIAL CANTEREL
NOV 3 ROME + MUSHY + DIE SELEKTION
NOV 4 STOCKHOLM
NOV 7 VIENNA
NOV 8 PRAGUE
NOV 11 BERLIN + DEMDIKE STARE + RAIME
Young Galaxy - Sea Drug
Vancouver's ever-changing Young Galaxy are a band we've been covering for years. Earlier this year they released their fourth full-length, 'Ultramarine', an album which is getting a limited edition reissue this week with a bonus disc that features a handful of remixes and also several brand new tracks, including the spiky guitar-pop of 'Sea Drug'.
Young Galaxy's website
Buy the album
Catch them live:
09/24 Kelowna, BC - Habitat
09/25 Victoria, BC - Lucky Bar
09/26 Vancouver, BC - Electric Owl
09/27 Seattle, WA - Neumos (Decibel Festival)
09/29 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
10/01 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
10/03 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
10/05 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10/06 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
10/08 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
10/09 Grinnell, IA - Gardner Lounge (Grinnell College)
10/10 Chicago, IL - Schubas
10/11 Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub
11/05 Allston, MA - Great Scott
11/06 Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
11/07 Washington, DC - Black Cat Backstage
11/08 Philadelphia, PA - Milkboy
11/09 State College, PA - Chronic Town
11/10 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE WEEK
Phantom Runners - It Takes Me Away
Musical history is littered with bands who announce themselves in style with a superb début single and then fail to recreate the same magic. Let's get our fingers crossed that Brighton duo Phantom Runners don't fall into that category, as we'll happily take a few more of these. We could try and be clever with descriptions, but basically this is just classic indie that contains elements of '80s jangle-pop, The Stone Roses and more modern sounds like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart too. Just when you think you've got the measure of it, they throw in a magical chorus. Any press release that proclaims something to be a contender for tune of the year should be treated with suspicion. 'It Takes Me Away' might not be quite that good, but it's not far off.
Phantom Runners' website
Buy the single
Catch them live:
5th October @ The Nest, London
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