Bombay Bicycle Club "Magnet"

Myspace

Before this album came out earlier this summer, I mentally picked the songs that I thought made sense as the singles, and so far I've been on point. The concept for this video is simple, but it's also effective in showing the energy of this young band, especially the near epileptic fits of lead singer Jack Steadman. The video's style even has a touch of R.E.M. circa late '80s.

The single is out 14 September in the UK, and their debut album is out now.

Bombay Bicycle Club "Dust on the Ground"

Myspace

I love the new Bombay Bicycle Club because not all of it is what I'd expect of them. Take this latest single for example, as it is truly a shining example of the amazing voice Jack Steadman has, and despite the fact that he resembles Max Fischer, he has the confidence and ability to continue leading this band in the right direction. While it may be easy to compare the band to Interpol (and by extension, Steadman to Paul Banks), this is yet another reason why journalists are lazy. While their tone may be similar, Steadman and Banks are barking up two totally different trees, as the former has the heart and voice of a poet.

Manchester's Channel M cuts the City Social and all music coverage

Earlier this week, a friend in Manchester dropped some bad news on me, that local station Channel M was dropping its excellent "City Social" program and all of its music coverage. This was a particularly good spot for Britain's (and the rest of the world's) upcoming indie elite to get their foot in the door in England. At least 20 of the bands we've covered here were featured on "City Social" in the past year.

To mourn the loss of this great program, here are some of our favorite performances on this Manchester staple.


(The Joy Formidable starts 1:48 into the program)


(The Kabeedies)


(The Answering Machine)


(Bombay Bicycle Club)


(Wintermute)

The Seascape

Myspace // "Person Place or Thing" [mp3]

Months ago while looking through Bombay Bicycle Club's friends, I discovered indie rock trio The Seascape, a trio that has the whole British guitar thing down (reminiscent of Luxembourg), except for the fact that they aren't from the United Kingdom at all. They're actually teenagers from Connecticut who write smart, cracking tunes, the ones that get caught in your head for days. There's something very special going on with these kids -- I have a feeling that they have more than good tunes up their sleeves.