The Popscener: August 2010

Thursday 26 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 48: Sky Larkin - Still Windmills

Guitar chops manlier than, well, Brian Molko for one. But not as manly as Sleater-Kinney.

Sunday 22 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 46: The Vaccines - If You Wanna

Fighting off high-fidelity production values since 2010.

Tuesday 17 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 45: The Wombats - Tokyo

Clearly not content with picking up their Inbetweeners royalties and being the parting shot at every indie disco within a 5 mile radius of Camden underground, the scouse trio are back, hoisting themselves excitedly above a steaming mound of public indifference and determindly planting an I Heart The 80s flag whilst gibbering away about nothing in particular, again.If I said it wasn't as good as the new Klaxons effort, you'd probably know roughly what to expect.

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 44 - The Vaselines - I Hate The 80s

Hated the 80s, wasted the 90s, missed the 00s, but now Cobain's favourite ex-lovers are back. The new record (Sex with an X) drops next month - here's a welcome taster.

Vaselines - I Hate The 80's by subpop

Friday 6 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 43: Happy Birthday - Too Shy

"I'm too shy" sighs Kyle Thomas from new Sub-Pop signings Happy Birthday. I don't believe it - an indelible vocal melody high up in the mix says otherwise - but I sing along anyway.

Happy Birthday - Too Shy by subpop

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Listen Up! No. 42: Wavves - King Of The Beach

Wavving goodbye to the 'fuzzy cacophony' days, and making themselves kings for the day. If the day is in August and the kingdom is the beach, that is. Proof positive that writing pop songs never hurts noisemakers.

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Listen Up No. 41: Best Coast - I Want You

Stronger and more accessible than her much vaunted peers Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls (not to mention Girls), this one sees Bethany Cosentino pitting slow against fast - and mastering both with heart-on-beach longing.