If you’re unfamiliar with Metronomy, they’re an electronic indie-pop band built around creative figurehead Joseph Mount, who hails from Devon in the United Kingdom. The group’s third full length offering ‘The English Riviera’ – which follows previous efforts ‘Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe)’ and ‘Nights Out’ – can now be streamed from the band’s website ahead of its release on April 11. You could do a lot worse than tootling over to take a listen right this minute.

‘The English Riviera’ is of course a play on words – the French Riviera being a stretch of Mediterranean coastline where exotic destinations Monaco, Nice and Cannes lie and yachts, champagne bars and exclusive hotels are frequented by the rich and famous. The album’s self-titled intro is perhaps a glimpse into this illusory ‘English Riviera’ with its squawking seagulls and gentle seaside tide and overlaid Parisian-sounding violin.

Before we know it, track 2 has faded in and we’re hit with the opening line ‘So get yourself fixed up, I’ll take you out round down, you’ll never witness anything quite as fine.’ Everything that we’ve observed so far from the album – the title, the beach resort coos, the verbal hype – make it sound as if Metronomy are part of a rebranding program from his hometown of Totnes’ council tourist board.

The rest of the album is much less about South of English holiday-maker propaganda and more summer-soaked synth pop, but The English Riviera and nostalgia of ice creams and sandcastles on the beach are never far away. Whilst 2008’s ‘Nights Out’ has a much more evening/early-morning vibe, hence the title, ‘The English Riviera’ is a day out at the seaside or a glance through a photo album of a past family vacation.

But we still get some exceptional Dance music, take ‘The Bay’ for instance with it’s retro video game noise opening and Daft Punk-esque robotic synths with beat thumping falsetto-voiced chorus. For all its indie-disco dance floor charm, the track still loosely follows the album’s concept with lyrics such as “This isn’t Paris, this isn’t London, and it’s not Berlin, and it’s not Hong Kong, not Tokyo, if you want to go, I’ll take you back one day.” Where is it then Metronomy? Totnes?

Single – ‘The Look’- has everything you want from a modern pop song, an absurdly beguiling chorus, tender in-your-face-ness and unexpected quality, which in this case is the Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack-like electronic saxophone which comes in as a solo towards the end of the track. It’s a perfect portion of pop, which is the correct balance of arty and showy – paralleling the real English Riviera’s light-hearted charm, perhaps.

Good Hair are a rap duo consisting of Nezbeat and Joe Good. This self-titled record, released last week through Dekagon Records, is their first full-length under this moniker. The album is offered as a free download and a high level of intrigue and buzz is following the partnership.

Nezbeat hails from Lawrence Kansas and has had previous success with his project Archetype on which he teamed up with the like-minded MC I.D. and the pair released their acclaimed 2005 offering ‘Bleed For Them’. Joe Good is best known for joining forces with Miles Boney in their group SoundsGood and also for being signed to Mac Lethal’s label Black Clover Records.

Within less than one minute of the album starting it has already put a smile on your face with the lyrical wit of the self-titled track ‘Good Hair’: “These girls wanna grab a hand full of these curls.” The track continues with a catchy undistinguishable soul track sampled over smooth tight beats. The power of the song means that you can enjoy it as an easy breezy background groove equally as much as 4 minutes of lyrically idiosyncratic bizarreness – in the best way possible.

On the surface this could be mistaken for a standard summer rap track. But once you listen to oddball lyrics such as “You got a man baby, I understand baby, You just wanna play with my hair.” You realise that these guys are doing something different – with a tongue firmly in cheek.

You can see why ‘Fuchsia’ was offered as the first single from the record, it is one of the instant stand-outs with its spellbinding pan-pipes and laid back r’n’b vibe. The delivery is quick and you need to keep your ears open for the continuously dazzling rhymes, which include: “She turned salt water eyes, into salt water taffy, and while you be busy smacking on it, she breathed in the wrapping.”

The second single to drop was ‘The Funk Pt 2’, which features guest spots from Tajar and Approach, and it contains a hypnotic jazzy sample that is very similar to the subtle intelligence of alternative rap collectives Jurassic 5 or A Tribe Called Quest, following in the same lyrically whimsical vein with a catchy chanted chorus.

Good Hair is a Swiss Army Knife of a record, being adept in many different situations and always useful. You can stick it on at your next barbeque, when you’re getting cosy with a loved one and also to make yourself chuckle on a long journey. It could appeal to the most pretentious hip-hop aficionado as much as a 12 year old newbie. Strength in depth is something which is lacking from contemporary hip-hop and it is this attribute that makes Good Hair stand out from the crowd.

You may be more familiar with Ripley Johnson from his other band Wooden Shjips, the beardy cosmic psych rockers who have released a couple of albums and hard to find singles collections over the last few years. For this side-project, Moon Duo, Ripley brings his guitar welding neo-krautrock agenda and teams up with his missus, Sanae Yamada, who’s organ playing offers a more balanced summery vibe. The pair have previously released one EP titled ‘Killing Time’ (2009) and an album ‘Escape’ (2010), now they drop sophomore effort ‘Mazes’.

With album opener ‘Seer’ we get a pure slice of Wooden Shjips’ repetitive driving rhythms and Johnson’s trademark guitar mastery. The track wouldn’t have felt out of place on one of his main band’s albums and listeners might be tricked into thinking they’re listening to ‘Dos 2.0’. But as soon as the opening to second track ‘Mazes’ pipes up, you understand that Moon Duo is a completely different affair.

It’s as if Johnson wanted to trick the listener, who you would expect to already be a Shjips fan, with ‘Seer’ and then pull them straight out of their comfort zone, throwing them into the minimal lazy ambience of ‘Mazes’. On just one listen you get the organ groove lodged firmly into your brain and you could just imagine idly loafing around on the beach or park forgetting to apply sun protection with your pals.

It is the title track ‘Mazes’ that then sets the pace for the remaining seven numbers; each following its winning formula. But although every individual section is jumping up in your grill – the repetitive pounds of the drum beat, the kitsch guitar wizardry, hazy droned-out chords, the gruff whispery vocal pelt and the ‘70s-chic organ – it still manages to be a welcoming, mild-mannered and almost gentle affair.

They’ve successfully managed to turn a usually uncontrollably intense genre of music into a laid back and almost dozy comfort blanket. ‘Mazes’ offers a unique mix where you’ll find yourself tapping your feet at quick tempos but still zoning out into a daydream at regular intervals. California desert rockers Eagles of Death Metal, although musically rather different, offer a similar juxtaposition in their easygoing yet panther-fast music.

‘Mazes’ is a fantastic record, one which you’ll receive many compliments from passers-by should you listen to it in the open air on a warm July evening. And this is something you should definitely consider doing because ‘Mazes’ is made to soundtrack a day coated in sunshine and fuelled by a beer or two.

After a few years in the public eye Ripley Johnson has found the perfect recipe from each of those aforementioned elements that are the building blocks of his music, and it is for this reason that ‘Mazes’ is his most enjoyable and intelligent release to date.

Don’t let the pluralised name confuse you into embarrassingly refereeing to Dirty Beaches as ‘them’, it is in fact the sole project of Alex Zhang Hungtai a Taiwan-born Canadian. The pompadoured new kid on the block has released his debut album ‘Badlands’ which consists of 8 slices of scuzzy lo-fi ’50s and ‘60s-inspired rock. The clichés are out in full here, with his rockabilly meets James Dean attire, Cramps guitar licks and cigarette-in-hand attitude. But these banalities are welcomed with open arms as ‘Bandlands’ is a slice of something that hasn’t been tasted for a some time; an old favourite flavour found in a retro sweet shop.

The most instant comparison would be the early music of Danish duo The Raveonettes. Hungtai takes their chordal simplicity and driving programmed drums beats, but slaps a big Wavves or No Age lo-fi sticker on top of it. There are many other likenesses in the mix, with his vocal yelps sometimes resembling a bad Elvis impression and of course bands such as greased-out vintage rockers The Cramps and The Sonics, both of whom embody the exact fevered rock that builds the backbone of Dirty Beaches’ sound. His added post-millennium DIY fuzz which has been in vogue for the last few years, give it that degraded aesthetic. Imagine a bootleg Pulp Fiction soundtrack you picked up at a flee market.

Although the aforementioned comparisons are indubitably fair ones, in a recent interview Hungtai mentions that it is movies rather than music where he finds inspiration: “I try to think that it’s more filmmakers that influence me than musicians because I try to think of the project as conceptual. I think of the sound as the leading man, it’s a casting call. Then once it casts the sound, that’s the face of the film. The look and soul of the project.” In the same interview Hungtai says that the films of David Lynch are a big influence on his music and he’s not wrong as ‘Badlands’ conjures up Lynch-esque themes of repetition, dreamlike imagery and the dark underworld throughout the record.

‘Speedway King’ and ‘Sweet 17’ are perhaps the most instantly gratifying tracks and their drunken doo-wop epitomises exactly what ‘Badlands’ is all about. Though it is in fact ‘Lord Knows Best’ which is the strongest number, offering another level to Hungtai’s repertoire which points into realms certainly worth exploring on follow-up releases. A sampled piano opens the track backed with cassette quality percussion, akin to a ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ era Jurassic 5 beat. You almost forget what you’re listening to and expect some charismatic LA rap to blare out over the top, instead you’re treated to Hungtai‘s brilliantly unpredictable howls.

After ‘Lord Knows Best’ we’re left with the final two songs, both of which are instrumental and ultimately a bit of a disappointing way to end the album. There’s nothing wrong with their eerie trudge, in fact both tracks are rather brilliant. But it almost feels like once you’ve got to the end of track six, the album is over. At eight songs long ‘Badlands’ is rather short and with two of those being instrumentals at the end, it feels like it is really just six ‘proper’ songs. Clearly it would have been a wiser move to stick one of these in the middle of the album to give it more variety and the feel of an LP, rather than an EP, with some outtakes at the end.

But the questionable track-ordering shouldn’t take anything away from ‘Badlands’ and Dirty Beaches, as Hungtai has demonstrated that he is more than capable of creating something very vintage yet marvellously contemporary. We could always take the low volume of songs as a positive attribute, because surely it shouldn’t be too long before his next release – and it will highly anticipated whenever it drops.

Mysterious British indie troop Wu Lyf have dropped a new track, unoriginally titled ‘L Y F’ – scroll down to check out the video. The song is the first to be heard from the secretive groups debut album ‘Go Tell Fire To The Mountain’ which is set to be released June 13 on their own label Lyf Recording.

Whether Wu Lyf are your thing or not – and they have firmly split opinion down the middle in their short career – you must applaud their independent mentality. Hailing from Manchester, England, they first came to mainstream attention about a year ago when they started gigging in their home town. These energetic performances caught the eye of the music industry and over the past year many offers from record labels have been thrown in their direction, which they have declined – instead wishing to go alone.

One of the group’s biggest draws is their shadowy identities. They rarely speak in public, often have their faces covered with scarves and uncertainty looms over who is actually in Wu Lyf. The fact that they’ve managed to baffle fans and critics in a time where one can easily search through social networks and download pirated material is rather bold and almost unheard of. It’s clearly working for the Manc lads though as curiosity is possibly the main pull. An ingenious marketing move? Or simply their unorthodox free nature? Reports suggest the former.

A quick glance at their website adds more kindling to the fire of intrigue. Littered with slogans and riddles such as “WU LYF is nothing, four dumb kids calling out heavy longings for a place to call home, two brothers greet two brothers and play heavy pop.” The site makes Wu Lyf sound more like a members club than a band, “In return for your hard earned [sic] currency (£15/$20/17E) we deliver a super heavy weight cut of Heavy Pop/Concrete Gold, a bandit flag of allegiance, a inked out statement of intent…”

But could their shadowy front take attention away from their music? It would seem so, because as this article reaches its fifth paragraph an unacquainted reader doesn’t even know what they sound like. Croaky gang chanting vocals, atmospheric sparseness and minimalist driven instrumentals; is the answer. The closest comparison would be a mixture between fellow UK bands Foals and Egyptian Hip-Hip.

Only time will tell whether they’re just a fashionable fad making faux indie rock or, as any music fan should hope, the real deal. Much rests on their young shoulders and the cryptic cloud that floats in front of them means it’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen next. But this is more than half the charm of Wu Luf – we bask in their peculiarities.

Let’s make this clear: ‘Last Of The Country Gentleman’ is arguably the greatest break-up record since Bon Iver’s 2007 weeper ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’. But when we say ‘greatest break-up record’ is it not bizarre? Why do we – the listener – bask in the sorrow of somebody else? It is a strange concept; to make great music, sometimes, the source has to endure torrid life experiences. Once they’ve been cheated on and dumped, we can soak up the grief in bite-size pop chunks. These can either be used as vehicles to cope with our own woes or as emotion-stimulators for those of us whose lives lack much anguish.

Some music fans may be familiar with Pearson’s earlier work in Texas band Lift To Experience and their highly praised album ‘The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads’. After the group released this cult masterpiece way back in 2001, Pearson kept an unexpectedly low profile. He has toured but with limited musical output, consisting of a couple of bootleg live albums. It’s almost as if he felt that he needed some more misfortune before having another proper crack at this here music business. Perhaps he, unconsciously, went out and searched for the heartbreak which typifies ‘Last of the Country Gentlemen’?

The album consists of just seven songs, but four of those clock in at over 10 epic minutes long. And ‘epic’ is a word that should be used in conjunction with this album because, when listening to his tales of remorse and melancholy, Pearson holds our hand and drags us on a journey though piny country pathways, religious reveries and the bedrooms of ex-girlfriends. The sparse segments are just as important as the sprawling country warbles and the lyrics are truly gruelling “You don’t need a lover or a friend; you need a god, not a mortal man.”

The finger-plucking and delicate violin sections – arranged by, amongst others, the excellent Warren Ellis – are a stark contrast to the his previous rockier efforts with Lift To Experience. The strings and acoustic guitar perfectly compliment the vocals, it is as they’re there to accentuate the depths of his anger and crockey-voice rather than as a force of their own. His whispery croons and minimalist instruments pack an intense and emotional punch.

It would be difficult to pick a particular stand-out track from the album because it works so well as a whole. But if you just had enough money for one track on a duke box, you could do much worse than selecting ‘Honeymoon’s Great! Wish You Were Her’. Themes of frustration, neglect and falling in love with the wrong person are all present here and the track lasts for 13 minutes, so you certainly get your money’s worth. Be warned tough, you may need a tissue at the ready with lyrics like “Whenever we make love, I’m made sadder every time, Because I feel like I am cheating on a woman who’s not my wife.”

Has Pearson poured all his agony into this one record, leaving us to wait another 10 years for the next instalment? Who knows. What we can guarantee though is, even if it does take a while for Pearson’s next release, ‘Last Of The Country Gentlemen’ has such strength and delicate power that it will keep listeners captivated for many a solemn moment – with countless revisits a given.

"Is that a gun in your skirt?"

Let’s hear it for blood ‘n guts ‘n beauty ‘n brains ‘n beer ‘n bangs! There’s nothing like the sight, sound and, dare we say it, smell of rock chicks dressed in form-fitting black in 100-degree heat to get sweat pouring and hormones racing, not necessarily in that order. The Green Lady Killers, a female punk/psychobilly power trio from the sun-baked environs of Phoenix, come on like the stars of a high-def camcorder update of “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” Their mix of Runaways attitude, Cramps horror-Goth fashion ethos and metallic punk riffs equal three chords and a cloud of tail pipe exhaust. Singer/guitarist Lady Van Buren is a hellacious frontwoman, with fire-breathing, no-nonsense vocals and more than a touch of menace behind that dark eye shadow, combined with some gut-punching garage rock riffage. Bassist/vocalist Annie Venom ably sports an “I Love Zombies” sticker on her axe that suggests she’d probably bring an Uzi to a knife fight; and drummer Cherrybomb manages a propulsive backbeat while wearing stilettos leopard skin heels, no mean trick.

The Green Lady Killers debuted with a self-titled EP in 2007 that included their calling card, “Psycho Ellen” GLK music, a frenzied rocker in the finest crazy-bitch-from-hell tradition (“something’s wrong with her brain”) featuring a short but satisfyingly spastic and yes, psycho, guitar solo. That was followed in 2009 with their debut album, “Just Fine,” also released on the Rusty Knuckles label. They offer plenty of three-minute blasts of loud, fast, dangerous, sexy fun and games. “Snake Eyes” features a slinky and cool come-hither growl, backed with churning guitars and power riffs. “Whips Chains” is a leather come-on that asserts “you need it more than you know.” “Dance Floor” combines GLK’s signature sounds with catchy pop elements in a dialed-down fashion that demonstrates the ability to avoid pigeonholing (okay, maybe more like raven-holing in their case).

The video for “My. 45″  is a Tarantino-esque showcase for GLK’s talents. The heat-seeking performance and dangerous doings deliver the oh-so-tender message “don’t mess with us or you’ll wind up dead in the desert.” Speaking of forty-fives, the gals in Green Lady Killers seem to have a real fascination with weaponry, posing with various gats and guns in their publicity photos. Maybe they’re just looking for men with real…um…firepower. Either way, we wouldn’t suggest challenging them to any duels. Not with a group whose DNA samples probably spell out “Take No Prisoners.”

"Four guys with moustaches walk into a bar..."

To paraphrase the late Frank Zappa, progressive rock is not dead, it just smells funny. No particular reason to get it out of mothballs, either, unless you have a hankering for a Bill Bruford drum solo. Who? Exactly. Still, it’s fun to hear a band not afraid to channel its inner Ambrosia from time to time, and such is the case with the adventurous indie power-pop outfit Saint Motel. One of the hotter tickets on the sizzling platter that is L.A. indie rock these days, the foursome of singer/guitarist A/J Jackson, lead guitarist Aaron Sharp, bassist Dak (just Dak, you know, like Cher) and drummer Greg Erwin offer a guitar-heavy, mini-operatic attack like Queen fronted by the man-love child of Rivers Cuomo and Brandon Flowers.

Their new single, “Puzzle Pieces” free download, begins with a bouncy piano figure and segues into exuberant indie rock with glam flourishes and Franz Ferdinand influence. Along the way there’s a pulsating guitar undercurrent, a wash of electronics and a soaring, slightly off-kilter chorus featuring a sing-along “Fuh-fuh-face of puzzle pieces” refrain. It’s an approach that’s crisp, humorous and, at least in this case, somewhat wholesome. Finally, a band that goes well with whiskey AND low-fat milk!

The guys in Saint Motel met in film school and that cinematic flair is apparent in every twist and turn of their musical merry-go-round. Their six-song debut EP, “ForePlay,” also contains imaginative and slickly produced videos for each song that showcase an OK Go-like whimsy, though with less choreography (and for just $5, the EP is a real bargain in this recession that’s over but really isn’t). In the clip for “Butch,” the band members spring to life out of a school yearbook and Polaroid picture, like “Buddy Holly” holograms from a post-modern indie-preppy almanac.

Saint Motel’s visual and theatrical tendencies extend to their live shows, which have drawn rave reviews from people whose reviews read like raves. The band tends toward the “event” motif, having staged concerts which monikers such as “The Kaleidoscopic Mind Explosion in 3D” and “Make Contact,” and annually hosts a Valentine’s Zombie Prom. Nobody in the audience throws toast at them just yet, but the night is young.

Still, it’s the music that grabs your attention. Jackson owns an expressive modern rock croon that can and often does slip into a pleasant falsetto (not a dry seat in the house), and secret weapon Sharp’s guitar playing offers all manner of sonic rave-up and whiplash roar. With “Puzzle Pieces” racking up impressive download numbers and airplay on a World Famous radio station or two, Saint Motel might soon be upgraded to four-star status.

You probably already know a bit about Record Store Day. You might have even drawn up your wish list already. Or perhaps you’re sat there reading this saying “What the hell is Record Store Day?” Basically every year over 700 independent record stores in the States and hundreds more worldwide get together and celebrate their love of music. Special limited edition releases are made available, artists perform in shops and countless other surprises and hullabaloo take place.

The day follows much of the Indie Buzz ethos of promoting independent real life people. This year’s edition has been firmly pencilled in to many muso’s diaries as April 16 and it’s creeping up on us. So, without further ado, we shall take you through some of the best and most exciting release that you can expect to find on Record Store Day.

Radiohead – The Butcher/Supercollider

The Oxford boys have already shown that they’re not slowing down in their middle age with The King Of Limbs released earlier this year as well as Yorke’s collaboration with Burial and Four Tet. This limited edition single is only available in the UK and just 2,000 copies are being produced. The songs have both featured in past Radiohead live sets, but it is unclear whether they were taken from TKOL’s sessions or they new recordings altogether.

Grinderman – EVIL & Palaces of Montezuma

If you’re not familiar with Grinderman, they’re the side-project of Aussie post-punk royalty Nick Cave. Together with fellow Bad Seeds Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Jim Sclavunos, Cave creats slightly more upbeat garage rock when compared with the paino-based gloomy ballads of the Bad Seeds. But Grinderman keep up Cave’s penchant for the bizarre and Record Store Day releases ‘EVIL’ and ‘palaces of Montezuma’ are no different. These offerings come on limited edition vinyl and include remixes and reworkings.

Nirvana – Hormoaning

Possibly the most legendary indie band of all time, Nirvana re-release their rare EP Hormoaning for the first time in the US and Europe. Originally available in Japan and Australia back in 1992 when Kurt Cobain and co were touring there, the 6 track classic features hits such as ‘Aneurysm’ and ‘Molly’s Lips’. This is sure to be one of the most popular records of the day and it is limited to 6,000 copies – so be sure to get down to your local store early to snap one up.

Big Star – Third

A limited edition specially packaged offering from Memphis cult band Big Star’s most respected LP ‘Third’ is wetting the appetite of many a music fan. They’re one of those groups, in the same vein as The Velvet Underground, who achieved much more critical praise and respect after they finished making music. Originally released way back in 1978, but recorded in 1974 – the year they disbanded, the album shows a much more heartbroken and tragic side of their repertoire when compared with their earlier Kinks and Beatles inspired pop.

Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair

Sheffield’s favourite 21st century social commentators, Arctic Monkeys, are back on everyone’s radar at the moment with new album ‘Suck It And See’ set to be released on May 30. But before their fourth LP hit’s the shelves, Record Store Day goers can sample track ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’ and see if they’re feeling the new vibe. Be warned though, in recent photos some members of the group have grown long hair and beards – expect heavier guitar riffs.

Hundreds more releases are available and these five really are just the tip of the iceberg. Check the full list here as well as check out your closest participating record stores here.

The Pains sound like you’re listening to a Best Of The ‘80s and ‘90s soundtrack whilst snuggled up under a blanket on your sofa eating a sundae. They’re so creamy and easy to digest, it’s as if a parent has previously been at them with a sander or some glass-paper to smooth out any rough edges. They’ve been par-boiled, pressed through a ricer and then sieved to construct a lump-free child-friendly gloop of syrupy sentimental indie-pop. Although certainly restricting them in some areas, their non-toxicity is the perfect challenge-free sound we often crave. The comfort food of the indie-pop world, if you will.

‘Belong’ is an album worth persevering with, on your inaugural listen it may not instantly capture you – with each of the 10 tracks intermingling with the next. It’s as if you’re sat on the shore dipping your feet into the ocean with the waves of The Pains’ sound gently tickling and licking your toes. The longer you park yourself down with ‘Belong’, the quicker the tide draws in and soaks your body in its rich warmth with the occasional wave of fuzzy guitar slapping you in the face leaving a sickly moreish taste on your tongue. Before you realise it, the album’s sugary whirling current will have dragged you by the ankles far out into the depths, leaving you swimming in slo-mo clutching an invitation to their secret underwater soiree.

Opener and title-track ‘Belong’ starts like My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Soon’ until a stadium grunge guitar fuzzily battles through, followed by the signature cloak of hazy boy/girl vocals that wrap you up and spin you out. On the same track lead singer Kip Berman androgynously moans “What to do, Nothing new, We tried each other, Let’s try another” and this statement sets the awkward pangs of adolescence as the theme of the record. So behind this soda-stream of bubble-gum tweeness there is an, albeit mild-mannered, level of angst and torment from individuals who do not know quite where they belong.

As ‘Belong’ progresses, The Pains pull out all the shoegazing tricks and clichés one would expect from them, with the wall of sound guitar trudge of ‘Even in Dreams’, the ethereal keyboards of ‘The Body’ and consistently understated airy vocals throughout. Though The Pains follow a seemingly strict formula, they still conjure up something unique and satisfying. They’ve wholeheartedly created their trademark sound and it is a glossy treat to be cherished, but at times it is one which can musically hold them back.

Although The Pains often feel like you’re watching RoboCop with an older relative who’s fast forwarding the gory scenes for your benefit, they’re also so much more. They’re a delicate prance around noise pop and college rock. They’re Belle and Sebastian with extra distortion peddles. And they’re the architects of one of our young year’s finest albums thus far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dt1zWdmB4c