The Villeins

Nice Guys Finish Last EP

The Villeins, a 5 piece from Newcastle who are tipped by many to explode onto the indie scene in 2009, after listening to the three tracks on offer here it's east to see why. 'Nice Guys Finish Last' has a catchy melodic guitar riff that is backed up by a steady blues groove and the always welcoming Hammond argon, the influence of The Black Crowes and Deep Purple can be heard and comparisons could be drawn to Kula Shaker. The funky, intertwining guitar and organ continue on 'Lex Luger' with singer Dave showing a particularly strong vocal range. Finally 'Me & You' harks back to a Brit-Pop era influence with a ballad you would have expected The Seahorses to have released. With so many new bands at the moment trying to sound like they are from the 80's a reinterpretation of the much maligned mid 90's would be a very welcome reprieve. All in all a very promising introduction from a band that will hopefully grace some venue's outside of the North East very soon.

Iain Ferry

The Nubbin

The Derelict Dandy

The opening of The Nubbin's new EP is best described as a scene rather than a song. In fact, the same could be said for each of the highly experimental and atmospheric pieces that make up the EP. A lively harmonica played to the sounds of a city street made me think of Harlem. Suddenly the music comes to life and an organ rises commandingly from the mix. This would be a great opening to a gig. Evidently some fun has been had producing the EP, recorded at Sheffield's Maple Syrup Studio. The second scene is titled 'Punching Weight' and this is where the EP really comes to life. An electronic bass-dance carries the track and has strong resemblances in style to Sven Libaek's instrumental soundtrack from The Life Aquatic. 'Six Years' follows next; a short piece made up mainly of a ticking clock. It suggests a Dark Side of The Moon influence. The EP ends with 'Derelict Factory Recordings'. It's an electronic exploration of the sounds of a disused factory. Perhaps the band are trying to reflect the changing use of factory spaces in Sheffield, from steel to music production? An interesting, experimental and highly original EP, though don't expect to be singing along with it.

Matt Taylor

Bear Driver

Paws & Claws EP

Paws & Claws is the appropriately titled EP from Bear Driver, filling you with warmth and love. This Leeds based folk/electronica/pop band are able to make lovely little tunes out of the skills and instruments they possess. The mix of male and female vocals make great vocal harmonies and melodies which are soft yet sunny and is literally a hug in a song! The organs, ukuleles and drums are the perfect mixture that give Bear Driver their unique sound, and songs like 'A Thousand Samurais' and 'Ada Rose' reflect their musical ability. 'No Time To Speak' sound like an end of movie tune as a car drives off into the sunset for a happy ending, and the whole EP could easily be the soundtrack to a film.

Amy Baker

The Durge

Heroes of the Great Republic

Hailing from that well known UK alternative to Seattle…Wirksworth (ahem), The Durge are an unsigned and unabashed grunge outfit (I know, I know but bear with me on this one). Heroes… opener, 'Rose', offers a surprisingly fresh take on a much-plundered format whilst the acoustic 'Should've Told You' sounds like the accomplished work of years rather than a mere demo track. So much so that you might just forgive them for weakest tracks, 'The Box' (Vedder by numbers) and 'Pills' (angst, self-loathing, crashing geetars – you know the drill). Grunge may have been dead and buried in 1994 but, for a genre which provided the soundtrack to a generation's formative years, The Durge provide a remarkably fitting – well – dirge.

Gemma Winks

Taka Pow

EP

Sheffield Uni quartet, Taka Pow, play guilt edged synth pop which threatens to be great in many places. They've got that electro sound that captures the spirit of the time but wouldn't sound out of place in the late 80s. They're a perky and pretty sounding band who wear their influences proudly on their sleeves, not really worrying about whose toes they're treading on while doing so. The vocals are stop start and they stutter throughout, to be quite frank you have a better chance of understanding Morse code amongst the choppy synth and fresh guitar sounds. They don't rally a resistance and fail to reach any kind of height, it's always stuck on cruise control with the buttons broken, it's sweet but there is no sucker punch. They've put together a professional and polished EP but Taka Pow fail to duplicate the substance of song that their sound demands. It isn't all bad though, there is something there beneath the generic facade, anyone remember the story of the ugly duckling?

Tom Walton

The Swiines

Dark Don't Smile

Nottingham's up and coming indie-rockers, The Swiines, have already attracted the attention of The Charlatans' Jon Brookes who was guest DJ at the launch of their new EP Dark Don't Smile. The band's press release describes their music as raucous indie rock. On first listen though, there seems more to it than this. Aptly named opener 'Hello' begins with a surreal and sinister guitar riff that has something of a nightmarish fairground organ about it. Dark and distorted vocals chant “hello, hello” as the song comes to its end. Stand out track 'Back of my Mind' reminded me of The Coral, though again there was something quite dark about the production. Beatle-esque backing vocals seemed well suited to the 1960s style vocal melody. Somewhere deep in the mix is a surprisingly grungy guitar, which gave the track more punch. The next two songs feature lead guitar and vocal lines that seem juxtaposed to one another, though this technique works nicely. A good lead guitarist is a huge asset to any rock band and The Swiines definitely seem to have one. The warmth of the sound from the guitars suggests a good deal of studio time has been given to twiddling with guitar amps. Great songs, well arranged – this EP is definitely worth checking out.

Matt Taylor

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