Another Form of Relief

The Hi-Life Companion are one of those indie-pop collectives that seem to be very fashionable at the moment. When they sent me their CD they had seven members, but they are probably up to nine or ten by now. Some of them have other bands, some of them don’t, and some of them don’t even know they are in this band.

The band seem to defy genre with each song seemingly influenced by a different style, something which I imagine is inevitable with so many people behind a band. Each style works with varying degrees of success, but it’s You’re The Greatest that works best for me, a snappy (it runs less than two minutes) throwback to joyous 60’s pop complete with the required handclaps and male-female harmonies.

MP3 The Hi-Life Companion - You’re The Greatest (expired)

The Hi-Life Companion’s three song single can be purchased for only $5 from Cloudberry Records.

The Hi-Life Companion: Website || Myspace

It’s amazing what you can find by just exploring the Myspace friends of bands that you enjoy. Last night my route took me from the excellent Sky Larkin to the rather good Kotki Dwa (who will probably end up here soon enough) until I eventually landed on Laura Sings Liver. Or maybe it’s Laura Hocking. I have no idea which the official “band” name is, but it really doesn’t matter.

The formula for Laura Sings Liver is “one girl + guitar + glockenspiel + Audacity, with occasional mechanical interruptions”, which most people will agree is an excellent combination. The songs are simple, usually just the gently played guitar and the words. Which is fine when you have a voice like this. Each song is a remarkably literate little story. Usually when I’m trying out new bands I end up listening to about a minute of a few songs before moving on. Every one of the songs on her Myspace pages had me engrossed from start to finish, something that’s rather rare these days.

MP3 Laura Sings Liver - Strongmen & Acrobats (expired)
MP3 Laura Sings Liver - City Song (expired)
MP3 Laura Sings Liver - Swim Thru (expired)

Laura Sings Liver has not one, not two, but three Myspace accounts, all with songs for free downloads, meaning you’ve got no less than 14 songs to go and download. Make sure you do, every single one is worthwhile.

Laura Sings Liver: Myspace || 2nd Myspace || 3rd Myspace

Great British Hopes will be a recurring feature between now and the end of the year, looking at the best bands on the verge of greatness the UK has to offer.

Yep, I’m awesome.

Here is what I said about Johnny Foreigner back in January:

Their recorded songs sound like they were recorded from the inside of a steel dustbin.

Here’s what I am saying about them now:

Johnny Foreigner are the best band in the country right now.

Which is technically inaccurate as they just flew out to New York, but we won’t be picky about the trivial details. It seems fitting that one of our Great British Hopes should be one of the first British bands I wrote about at the start of the year, and no one deserves it more than these guys. It was almost a year ago to the day that I first encountered Johnny Foreigner, playing second on a bill of four bands to a half empty room in the Dublin Castle. Their live performance blew me away, but their recorded material sounded terrible, hence the above quote.

What a difference a year can make though. Over the past twelve months, a bunch of new songs have appeared, each sounding better than the last. The production values have improved dramatically, as has their ability. The songwriting is far more refined, and even the recorded songs now capture the same reckless abandon that their live show did. The band made the finals of Channel 4’s Road to V contest, has supported Los Campesinos!, Idlewild and probably a bunch of other highly regarded bands.

All of which has led to them finally signing a record deal with Best Before Records, who will be releasing their first proper EP/mini album thing in the next few weeks. The new songs from it that I’ve heard are stunning, even blowing the ones below out the water. Seriously, this band has made me more excited about anything musically than I have been in quite some time. These guys will be huge. It’s only a matter of time.

MP3 Johnny Foreigner - Sometimes in the Bullring (expired)
MP3 Johnny Foreigner - Our Bipolar Friends (expired)

What others are saying..

“..quite incapable of producing anything other than an unholy racket.” - To Die By Your Side

“Very excitable, very inspiring, very potent” - The Runout Groove

Johnny Foreigner’s debut release, Arcs Across the City will be released via Best Before Records toward the end of November. At a guess, I’d say the 26th. You can listen to a bunch of the songs on it at the band’s Myspace. While there you can also download I Like You Mostly Late At Never, their 15 song demo.

Johnny Foreigner: Myspace

Still continuing to party like it’s 1959, London’s Friends of the Bride are back with yet another top notch single. So, You Think You Can Dance? is perhaps their boldest effort to date, a glorious assault on kids who really aren’t as cool as they think they are. Which is something these guys are fit to decide, obviously being the epitome of cool. Who else but the coolest kids would use the phrase “smack in the chops” these days?

The lavish video can be found below, featuring the band having a hedonistic time playing Scrabble and croquet. Well, that might have been hedonistic fifty years ago, but that’s part of the charm.

So You Think You Can Dance? will be released on 7″ vinyl via Young & Lost Club Records on November 26.

One of the classics..

MP3 Friends of the Bride - Cut Down On My Friends (expired)

Friends of the Bride: Myspace