Rumbles and Stumbles

Stumbles is the key to this, how do you stumble over new music these days, and more specifically how I stumbled over a couple of bands recently that I wanted to share, so hopefully a few more enjoy and pass on the finds. 

The first band is Model Society, who have a great new website here and also are active on the twitter and the facebook, so no excuses on not getting in touch with them to say hi. But we are not here to talk about social networks, it is the music, and I stumbled over this band via Recharged Radio, and they were one of the standout bands for me at the Alternative Escape Festival in Brighton earlier this year. Getting great reviews for their live performances is no surprise, and they are also getting play on 6Music and had a slot at Bestival ealier this year, so catch them at a smaller venue while you can.

The new single is out at the end of October, and in the mad world of modern music economics it is not only free it is also already on the video behemoth that is youtube, but to save you searching I have just added it here for you.

Fans of The Smiths, Blur, Bloc Party will all find something to like in this and the previous releases, I guess a tag like "electronic indie brit rock pop" would cover the general idea, hooks you could hang your hat on and lyrics of that particular British mindset of the previously mentioned bands as well. With a look and sound that could easily see a Mod tag being added to them, like The Rifles, this could be a genius move or a millstone always trying to explain away. The new single and video sticks to the Britishness of the sound, and some of the bemused faces in Chinatown make it worth the watch even if you don't like the music.

I'm really looking forward to seeing them live again, and hopefully building up to an album release next year, where I think they will make the step to the next level so try and get to see them in a small venue soon while it is still personal and exciting. As above, you don't even need to buy the new single to add to your music player, so there really is no excuse is there. Get on board now for what will be a great experience.

When stumbling around at Brighton I caught the above, and the other band I want to mention today I found by virtually stumbling around on line. Quite often I will hear a track on the radio or youtube from a link or on one of the many music blogs I visit and for various reasons forget where I found it or who it was and never find it again. Flipron almost fell into this category, and indeed probably did a few times, so the music gods were obviously persistent enough to make sure I didn't miss them.

Hearing them on the radio, seeing a video with the great Neville Staple, and the final prompt was a review on a music site, Why It Matters, which is a fantastic and regularly updated list of bands, music, madness and fun. A guy in the US that I chat to on line pointing me in the direction of a band from the UK that he has been a fan of for a while, sometimes the internet works as it is supposed to. Described on wikipedia as Psychedelic Pop, that doesn't come close to the sounds that come from the band. After seeing the video for The Comet Returns I started to look back and buy their back catalogue as there was enough in what I had heard to know it would be great. So, here is that video to wet your appetite.

Loads of sounds and musical references come from all over the place, a sixties feel, some Carter USM, a Ska background and a funk mix all making a fairly unique sound, that evolves over the albums, making more annoyed that they had somehow passed me by. Thankfully though I found them, and have listened to liitle else in the last couple of weeks and as sods law would have it their tour clashes with loads of pre-arranged stuff for me, so it will be a little while until I can see them live, but they are well up the list of bands I feel I must see. The albums alone give the idea that the live shows are an experience, one I want to get.

As with everyone they are on the twitter machine and like almost everyone (except me!) are also on the facebook, so listen, buy and engage with them.

So, two great bands that I stumbled over, I am sure there are many more out there so don't be shy in offering your favourites. During the last week I was also introduced (by a Daily Telegraph sports writer..) to the phenomonen that is "Gangnam Style" that when I looked had over 400 million views on youtube. 400 million people (and me now) had watched that. Next time you want to see some new music search some out a bit better than that.