Jamie T "Chaka Demus"

Myspace

You might remember new track "Sticks N' Stones" from earlier this summer, a pure dose of summer fun showing that Mr. Treays had not lost his step one bit. Jamie T's second album, Kings and Queens, hit UK shelves last week -- this is the latest single from the disc.

"Chaka Demus" is also available as a standalone EP which contains the title track and three songs not found on the album.

Mumford and Sons "Little Lion Man"

Myspace

If I am not mistaken, this is the band's first official video. Good times.

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.

The Answering Machine "Obviously Cold"

Myspace // "Another City, Another Sorry" [Audio]

If you're the observant type, you'll note that there are palm trees in this video, something you will not find in Manchester. This video, the second off of Another City, Another Sorry, was shot while the band were in Los Angeles earlier this month. Apparently curling and sun do mix. "Obviously Cold" is out on 18 May (my birthday) through Heist or Hit Records.

The Joy Formidable "Whirring"

Myspace

This London by way of Wales outfit's next single, "Whirring," will be out on 25 May in the UK. You can pre-order the single and get extra stuff including a chance to win free entry to every The Joy Formidable headlining concert for the rest of your life. Find out more info here. Their mini LP A Balloon Called Moaning is available now via CD.

The Joy Formidable "Cradle"

Myspace // "Cradle" [Audio]

Hailing from North Wales, The Joy Formidable now reside in London and have been gaining quite a buzz lately, with The Guardian citing them as "one to watch" and NME describing their music as "Epic, melodic, hand-shandy pop from a band who understand the true joys of life."

The band's second single, "Cradle," will be released next month in the UK, while an 8 track mini album, A Balloon Called Moaning, is slated to be released in Japan shortly as well. Pre-order here from Pure Groove. It is limited to 500 special edition copies with a screen-printed cover.

Tracklist:
01 The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade
02 Cradle
03 Austere
04 While The flies
05 Whirring
06 9669
07 The Last Drop
08 Ostrich

Pulled Apart By Horses "Meat Balloon"

Myspace // "The Lighthouse" [Audio]

Brand new, first video ever from Leeds's finest, Pulled Apart By Horses. This is not their fan site.

It's awesome, radical, totally bodacious.

Pull in Emergency "In Silence"

Myspace // "Follow" [Audio]

Breaks are good, we all need them. Even workaholics like me who take breaks by doing other work, but after two weeks of not thinking about anything besides lying under the Florida sun, we are back in working order here. Beth and I should have our top albums of '08 lists up this week and if there's time, an '09 preview as well. If you need another reason to look at that, let me just say that we had an excellent success rate from last year.

One band that will be on that list is London outfit Pull in Emergency, who just posted the video for their latest single, "In Silence," which was directed by Jacob Perlmutter, who seems to be the go-to guy for photography and videos of England's new indie elite. Like most young bands, there's always the difficulty of being accepted as more than just teenagers knocking about in the garage, and one of the things we first noticed back in '07 is that this quintet has the chops to play next to bands ten years their senior. If you're in London, the band is playing at Islington Bar Academy on January 16th.

The Clik Clik "Did You Wrong"

Myspace // "Went to a Party" [mp3]

Yet another video I missed when it premiered, perhaps I need to join more mailing lists or something. When I saw these guys play at this year's Great Escape, the most surprisingly thing was how young they looked. I knew they were young and all, but to see it in person was pretty surprising. Regardless, the band knows their stuff and proved it over and over that night. I believe this is the band's second single. Be sure to listen to all of their tunes on Myspace -- they hint at many good things to come.

The Subways "Alright"

Myspace // "Girls & Boys" [mp3]

Is there anything more nerve-wracking than making an album in the midst of a long and difficult breakup between band members? Granted, there have been some classics to come from this sort of emotional turmoil, like Rumors (Fleetwood Mac), Foolish (Superchunk) and Look Now Look Again (Rainer Maria), but more often than not, it's a battle that tears a band apart. With All or Nothing, The Subways' second release, the split is the catharsis which drives the music, almost making me forget how much I loved their debut. Album opener "Girls & Boys" packs in all of their Ash-inspired guitar crunch, while tracks like "Move to Newlyn" and "Strawberry Blonde" show a band is growing by leaps and bounds with a new found melodic mastery. Buy the import now or wait until Sept. 9th for the US release.