The Copenhagen 5-piece, Veto, create electronic rock driven by massive hooks, synths, bleeps and pounding beats. With Troels Abrahamsen‘s soaring vocals lushly complimenting the textured landscapes.

I’m really going to have to listen to something else soon – I’m starting to feel sorry for the rest of my music collection.

There is so much to find on this album – every track has its moment. I especially love that despite Crushing Digits’ racy nature, Duck, Hush And Be Still, the last and most subdued track on the album, is stunning. It feels like a perfect ending.

Crushing Digits is released in the UK on 20 April and is available to pre-order on Amazon.

As I’m sure you can’t wait, have a listen to my favourite track from the album, Crooks. Its the filthy little guitar licks that do it for me:

Veto – Crooks mp3

Oh, and here’s an exclusive treat just for you:

Veto – Built To Fail (Tomboy remix) mp3

I haven’t had that feeling since listening to OK Computer, but Wrecking Ball by Dead Confederate certainly came close. Since my previous post about them they have created a musical behemoth which is sublime, beautiful and amazing.

There’s No Need For Prunge

Crudely, this album could have happened if Pink Floyd collaborated with Nirvana, making err, Prunge – no don’t be silly. But it is fascinating to hear Dead Confederate‘s influences mix together so seamlessly.

Paranoid About Your Size?

Out of the 10 songs, only three are less than five minutes, and Flesh Colored Canvass holds your attention for over 12 minutes. My friend commented that “if you’re planning on writing 7 – 12 min songs maybe take a leaf out of Radiohead’s book and diversify a little“.

I absolutely adore Paranoid Android, but on closer inspection its just three songs stuck together. Where Flesh Colored Canvass triumphs is through its peaks and troughs, leading to build up only to fade to the ether, rather like the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

Can You Hear the Dead?

To fully appreciate Wrecking Ball, don’t put it on whilst doing something else. Give it the attention it deserves. If you don’t you’ll miss everything special about this album.

Now follows, Goner, a track from Wrecking Ball. I know there’s a recession on the way, but you really should buy this album.

Dead Confederate – Goner (mp3)

Kids Love Lies – and these kids also love to fuzzy guitar your ears to heaven.

Praise the lord for perseverance – Ellen Murphy answered a band’s final plea for a lead singer and in her they found their messiah. And although this only happened last year, Kids Love Lies‘ raging pixie sounds have been winning plaudits amongst those who know, including Radio 1.

Expect more material early 2009, followed up by a UK tour. As I’m sure you can’t wait that long, here’s an excellent exclusive courtesy of Kids Love Lies for your pleasure:

Kids Love Lies – Under Bed (mp3)

They have quite a few gigs coming up which you can see on their MySpace, but I’ll see then at the Notting Hill Arts Club on Wednesday 3 December. With my camcorder. Sad, I know.

Before my love affair with my inner geek began, myself, Kaziu and Ellis went to see The Brute Chorus at 93 Feet East. Powered by a Brick Lane curry and armed with my new Sanyo Xacti HD camcorder – I captured their single, Lets Grow Fins, for your pleasure. Sadly its quite compressed, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. More videos and music on their way very soon.

At least it doesn’t waste my time. The Brute Chorus were worth it. Well worth it.

These East London blues punk rockers are on the verge of a  brutal worldwide conquest of headphones.

Maroon 5 – who are shit – were supposed to herald a new era of blues rock. Then The Brute Chorus showed up and the new era dawned, bringing with them a great balance of grit and glee, crunch and fluff and madness and sanity.

Reading fantasy is a guilty pleasure of mine, but tells me two things: I want to be taken some place else and that I love all things epic. And despite The Brute Chorus‘ tight musical confines, their sounds are unworldly and their lyrics most certainly epic. Babylonian kings, Biblical saints and Greek heroes are even older than Margaret Thatcher, but the front man, James Steel, sings about them in a way that would even make the Iron Lady attractive.

James Steel says “St. Vitus himself taught me to dance“, so beware, you may get infected with Saint Vitus Dance Disease listening to this holeytonal exclusive:

The Brute Chorus – Birdman

More tracks, including their new single Grow Fins, are available to download from iTunes or order the Singed  7″ Vinyl from Pure Groove – I bought one and I don’t even have an LP player.

Be sure to join me at their gig at 93 Feet East in London on 14 August.

But the world is big and music doesn’t only come from the US and the 51st State. Not even rock. BLK JKS are from Johannesburg. They rock. South African Style.

Urban music is the mainstay in East Rand, but the brave BLK JKS broke the mould. Their dubby art rock splinters stereotypes. Their charm? You know you’re listening to South African rock.

They’re universally loved at home, and gaining momentum universally. Recently featured in Observer Music Monthly, and at Along the Waterfall the band are surprisingly still unsigned. Not for long I’m sure.

I’ve been struggling to find good music recently. But Lakeside has been stuck in my head and I can’t seem to move it. If this is the start of BLK JKS then I can’t wait for more.

BLK JKS – Lakeside (mp3)

But, despite being lauded by the Guardian as ‘one of the best bands you’ve never heard of’, they’re still largely unknown. Despite featuring on the Hotly Tipped for 2008 iTunes compilation, they’re still largely unknown. Despite being finalists in Q’s Glastonbury New Talent competition (they didn’t win it, which is probably a good thing), they’re still largely unknown.

You get the picture, but I’m going to paint a new one. The arty and epic Revere deserve to be known and, dare I say it, revered.

Fronted by Liverpudlian Stephen Ellis, the 9 piece from north London boast instrumental forces including violin, cello, harp and trumpet. They sight influences such as Bjork and Buckley, but I’d say if you cross-bred Muse and Sufjan Stevens, Revere would come out the mongrel. Its best though not to expect anything from Revere, they are quite unpredictable.

I’m looking forward to Revere‘s debut album, which is currently in the works and will be released on their own imprint, Albino Records.

This title track from their 2006 EP Learning to Breath is simply sublime:

Revere – Learning to Breathe

Be sure to buy more Revere tracks from 7 Digital.

Then he played. He sang. The world rejoiced. Well, maybe not the world, but 30 people in a church west of London did. Luke Sital Singh stole the show.

Despite having a bad case of man flu, his voice and lyrics were mesmerising. His melodies and harmonies catchy and clever. His performance wiped the fear from my face. Only to be replaced by a glare reading something like ‘ok, so this guy is good, bloody good’.

Luke Sital Singh is being modest when he compares himself to ‘a lovely bowl of soup’. Then again my favourite dish is a Vietnamese soup called Pho. So maybe he’s not so modest after all. Soup or no soup, he’s certainly not soupy, proven in the demo he kindly agreed to share. Its a fantastic song on tape. Even better live.

Luke Sital Singh – A Mile on Broken Legs (mp3)

I’ve seen Redvers Bailey perform solo at the Half Moon in Putney a few times now, but his new project, the band One could take him to new heights.

If you imagine Jeff Buckley without depression, you might get somewhere near to describing One. You can hear tinges of jazz and funk in their sound, but darker rock creeps in giving the music a grittier edge.

Considering they first performed in December 2007, I’m impressed with their current demos. Listen to these two contrasting tracks showing off One‘s musical diversity:

One – Hounded By Ghosts (mp3)

One – What You Get (mp3)

I’m becoming a sucker for epic popular music, but is there anything wrong with that? The front man of Camphor, Max Avery Lichtenstein, is already known as a film music composer. More recently he decided to step back from his incidental musings, and instead made an album inspired by Wabi Sabi. Thats epic in my book.

Listening to Camphor reminds me of the great Eels, with their American folk influences alongside Lichtenstein’s gravelly vocals. There are also Moriccone style gun slinging lead guitars. Epic orchestration features too.

Camphor‘s debut LP, Drawn to Dust, has been receiving plaudits from the likes of Obscure Sound. The record is only available on import to the UK, but you can still buy it for under a fiver. My copy is in the post. Eight days, grrr.

Whilst you wait for yours to arrive, here’s a snippet; look out for the string’s uber harmonies at the end:

Camphor – The Sweetest Tooth