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Band of Horses
Album: Infinite Arms (Columbia Records) 17th May 2010
Produced by Band of Horses with additional production from Phil Ekandmixed by Dave Sardy, the songs on 'Infinite Arms' project the essence of the different locales across America that became the setting for the recording and songwriting process behind the album. The rich musical heritage of Muscle Shoals, AL, the sublime beauty of Asheville's Blue Ridge Mountains, the glamorous Hollywood Hills and the vast Mojave desert all influenced the sounds on 'Infinite Arms' and helped yield the group's most focused and dynamic recordings to date. 
Beirut
Album: The Rip Tide (Pompeii) 29th August 2011
Beirut leader Zach Condon's music is often synonymous with the exotic mysteries of world travel. Since Beirut's last album, 2007's The Flying Club Cup, sang a love letter to France (with a 2009 stop-off in Mexico for the March of the Zapotec EP) many have asked where his songs would voyage next. Lots of guesses, but few predicted the inward journey Condon has achieved on The Rip Tide, an album with the most introspective and memorable songs of his young career. 
Bellowhead
Album: Hedonism (Navigator) 4th October 2010
It seems entirely fitting that when Bellowhead entered Abbey Road's legendary Studio 2 to record their new album, Hedonism, they felt not just the "welcoming ghosts" of the Beatles and the Stones, but the spirits of other notable past inhabitants such as Ella Fitzgerald, Al Bowlly and Adrian Boult. You would expect no less from a band who seemlessly merge folk, rock, world, jazz, classical and music hall; who feel as at home at the Southbank Centre as they do tearing up the Shepherds Bush Empire; who dart back and forth between the establishment and the fringes, dazzling and charming their way from Radio 3 to the Big Chill to BBC's Breakfast Time. 
Ben Howard
Album: Every Kingdom (Island Records) 3rd October 2011
What Ben lacks in modern nous, he compensates for in the intricacies and fresh approach to his guitar playing. Blindly thrashing three chords isn't his style, and the mesmerising finger picking technique that he merges with creating beats via a deft rap of his knuckles on the instrument is something quite special. 
Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny
Album: Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose (Mute) 6th February 2012
Beth Jeans Houghton is back, with details of a new track, 'Dodecahedron,' and her debut album on Mute. After the release of only one EP ('Hot Toast') and one single ('Golden/Night Swimmer'), Beth attracted major mainstream media attention, became a big festival draw in the process and then promptly disappeared. But, where's she been? 
Bombay Bicycle Club
Album: A Different Kind of Fix (Island Records) 29th August 2011
In a little over three years, Bombay Bicycle Club will have released three LPs – an extraordinary and increasingly rare feat in the 21st century music industry. From the teenage indie kicks of their debut 'I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose'; to the sparse, timeless folk of last summer's top ten album, 'Flaws' (nominated for an Ivor Novello Award); the quartet open a new and beguiling chapter with, 'A Different Kind of Fix', one that cements their place at the very forefront of British bands in 2011. 
Bowerbirds
Album: The Clearing (Dead Oceans) 6th March 2012
The best songs of North Carolina's Bowerbirds have always seemed equally eternal. Coruscated by Beth Tacular's bird song and Phil Moore's environmentalist empathy, 'In Our Talons' was, at its core, a quest for solidarity in a world of closing shadows. 'Northern Lights' painted a pained portrait of love shrouded in doubt as perfectly as Cash, Dylan or Cohen ever have. These felt like more than songs; they felt like treasures. 
Caitlin Rose
Album: Own Side Now (Names) 9th August 2010
Although steeped in the country tradition, Caitlin's music is not constrained by that heritage. Her confessional style and wry observations place her very much in the 21st Century, but it is her heart rending honesty, lyrical prowess and her dextrous delivery of said lyrics that sets her apart from her peers. Own Side Now is sheer perfection, drawing further on her love for the female greats such as Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks as well as those from a pure country lineage such as Patsy Cline, and firmly places her in the same league. 
Communion Records
Album: Flowerpot Sessions (Communion Records) 30th May 2011
Communion was born in the Summer of 2006 at London's Notting Hill Arts Club. Founded by Ben Lovett (Mumford and Sons), former Cherbourg bassist Kevin Jones, and acclaimed producer Ian Grimble, it quickly grew into a flourishing community of musicians and fans alike, providing a first independent platform for the freshest young artists on London's circuit and beyond. 
Daughter
EP: The Wild Youth (Communion Records) 21st November 2011
Having launched with the stunning six-minute 'Love', a brooding, stark lament that shifts shape & form as it builds to it's startling crescendo, 'The Wild Youth' is Daughter's current, stunning EP. Like their jaw-dropping live show it's a collection of songs that beautifully weave the intimacy and honesty of timeless, classic folk with the glacial, experimental soundscapes that draw to mind the work of Bjork & Jonsi Birgisson. 
Duologue
EP: A-B (Wild Game) 7th November 2011
Deceptively named, Duologue's first incarnation was born from the meeting of music obsessive's techno DJ and beats programmer Toby Leeming and guitarist and vocalist Tim Digby-Bell whilst studying in Edinburgh. Through a shared love of obscure electronica, subversive Detroit techno as well as the more usual suspects like Aphex Twin and Radiohead the pair went from bedroom experimentalists to recruiting fellow childhood and university pals Seb Dilleyston (violins) Ross Stone (bass) and Toby Lee (lead guitar) to form a fully fledged band. 
First Aid Kit
Album: The Lion's Roar (Wichita Records) 23rd Jan 2012
First Aid Kit's first American-recorded album, The Lion's Roar due out in January 2012, juxtaposes sadness and beauty in the best traditions of folk and country music. They even cite the Louvin Brothers cheerfully brutal version of the old murder ballad 'Knoxville Girl' as the perfect example of the sweet and sour they adore. And this carefully constructed collection deftly succeeds in setting references to their home town of Stockholm and long dark Scandinavian winters against an unforced backdrop of country-rock swing. 
Gabriel & The Hounds
Album: Kiss Full Of Teeth (Communion Records) 5th March 2012
Brooklyn artist Gabriel Levine is set to release his debut, 'Kiss Full Of Teeth' under the moniker, Gabriel and the Hounds, and he's called upon some of his friends and allies to assist. A variety of performers working directly in or with the likes of The National, Beirut, St Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, tUnE-yArDs, Bjork, and Jonsi all feature throughout the record. 
Gemma Ray
Album: Island Fire (Bronze Rat) 16th April 2012
Gemma Ray, who once fainted at one of Sparks' London shows ("it was intense"), was contemplating injecting elements of her next album with some Sparks-esque pomp and grandiosity. Rather than imitate,she approached the masters themselves. Circumstances conspired against it however. Sparks were immersed in taking their incredible musical 'The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergmann' to the stage, but an affinity was established and the three stayed in touch. 
Givers
Album: In Light (Glassnote/ Island) 10th October 2011
In understanding Givers, it's helpful to think of a constellation, a configuration of points of brightness that when placed in succession, led to the Lafayette, Louisiana-based quintet's brilliant debut. The metaphor proves particularly useful given the name of their album – 'In Light' is a collection filled with joy and brightness, buoyed by constantly evolving rhythms, warmed by spangling guitars, and illuminated by the melodic altruism that is the band's mission statement. 
Grinderman
Album: Grinderman 2 RMX (Mute) 12th March 2012
Grinderman are pleased to announce the release of 'Grinderman 2 RMX' – a collection of remixes, reinterpretations & collaborations based on the songs contained in the band's 2010 critically celebrated album 'Grinderman 2'. 
Johnny Flynn
Album: Been Listening (Transgressive) 7th June 2010
When he was a boy, Johnny Flynn used to poach trout. If this sounds like a scene from Roald Dahl's Danny The Champion Of The World, it's because Johnny Flynn's life would make for a great Dahl adventure Ever since discovering a copy of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in a junk shop aged 13, he has known what he wants to do with his life: to take off on a path of discovery, and write poetic, lyrical songs that document the journey. 
Josh T Pearson
Album: Last Of The Country Gentlemen (Mute) 14th March 2011
Originally from Texas, Josh T. Pearson formed the short-lived phenomenon that was Lift to Experience, who released one sprawling masterpiece, 2001's'The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads', before splitting up soon after. Since then, Josh T. Pearson has spent many years in the wilderness, only releasing one studio recording,'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', a split 7" single with the Dirty Three & appearing on the Mercury Prize nominated Bat for Lashes album 'Fur and Gold'. Recorded in Berlin, 'Last Of The Country Gentlemen' will be released in the Spring of 2011 via Mute Records. 
Justin Townes Earle
Album: Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot Records) 20th September 2010
Justin Townes Earle is an anomaly. He's tall as the day is long, all angles and elbows and a hard stare, both welcoming and deadly serious. He's Nashville North, all set up in lower Manhattan now, just like his hero Woody Guthrie, with twang and charm intact. 
Keane
EP: Night Train (Island) 10th May 2010
Not many British bands these days have more than one album, which sells a million copies, let alone three. Fewer still manage to replicate - and maintain - that success outside the UK. And only a tiny number are able to continually develop their sound as their career progresses. But, in the last decade, Keane have achieved all of those things and a whole lot more. 
Kings of Convenience
Album: Declaration of Dependence (Source/Virgin) 19th October 2009
Kings of Convenience's third album, Declaration of Dependence, is a wonderful record for a lot of reasons. For one, Eirik Boe is equally comfortable talking about the record's "serious ideas" and laughing about its' "hi-brow Bossa Nova" moments while his partner Erlend Oye is clearly thrilled by making, "the most rhythmical pop record ever that features no percussion or drums." For another, there is no one who makes records like they do. "When we started out we were afraid of sounding like other artists," Erlend says. "But now we feel pretty much alone." 
Kyla La Grange
Single: Heavy Stone (Chess Club) 17th October 2011
Growing up in Watford and born of a Zimbabwean father and a South African mother, Kyla started to play music at the age of five, and has been forming and folding garage bands since her early teens. As a philosophy student, Kyla quickly discovered the importance and freedom of lyricism, but it was the art of songwriting that spoke to her loudest. 
M83
Album: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (Naive) 17th October 2011
After the release of 2008's acclaimed album 'Saturdays = Youth' which hit many end of year lists including Mojo and Drowned In Sound who made it their number one album that year, M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez) will release his epic new double album 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming', produced by Justin Meldal-Johnson (Beck, NIN, The Mars Volta, Goldfrapp) and including contributions from Zola Jesus, Brad Laner (from 90's band Medicine) on guitar, and 'Saturdays = Youth' vocalist Morgan Kibby. 
Manic Street Preachers
Album: National Treasures (Columbia) 31st October 2011
Manic Street Preachers will release a brand new track to coincide with the release of their complete singles collection album 'National Treasures', and have announced details of a very special one-off Christmas show performing all the songs on the album at the O2 in London on Saturday 17th December 2011. 
Matthew & The Atlas
EP: To The North (Communion) 12th April 2010
The eponymous Matthew is Matthew Hegarty - by day a landscape gardener, by night the purveyor of a bruised, soulful and muscular brand of modern folk music. By accident or design his songs have a distinct sense of the earth and the elements; as though the dirt under his fingernails is settling on his guitar strings, shaping the tone and colour of their sound. LORES.jpg)
Mechanical Bride
Album: Living With Ants (Transgressive) 6th June 2011
'Living With Ants', Mechanical Bride's debut album proper, is a defiant step up and sees her song writing blossom from the stark, black and white songs on Part II, into fully formed techni-colour flourishes. "I wanted to find the beauty and colour from dark places that exist inside and outside of ourselves, the title 'Living With Ants' means learning to co-exist alongside niggling issues and worries that we maybe create for ourselves". 
MGMT
Album: Congratulations (Columbia) 12th April 2010
MGMT have announced they will be releasing their new album Congratulations, on Monday 12th April in the UK. One of 2010's most eagerly anticipated new releases, Congratulations is the successor to MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, the 2008 debut album which established the band's potential as a visionary force in pop music. 
Michael Kiwanuka
EP: Home Again (Communion/ Polydor Records) 1st January 2012
With Michael Kiwanuka, it's all about the voice. A voice that he describes as "hitting straight through to the core" with direct, emotional songs about love, yearning, comfort and belonging. It's a voice that built him a following via MySpace and small London gigs, and led Paul Butler from The Bees to invite him to the band's Isle of Wight studio to lay down these introductory tracks. Which makes it all the more strange, really, that what Kiwanuka originally set out to be was a session guitarist who maybe wrote the odd song for other people. 
Moby
Album: Destroyed (Little Idiot) 16th May 2011
Destroyed, Moby's new album and book of photography, is set for release on May 16th. Self-released on his own label Little Idiot, Destroyed will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. The album will also be included as a CD with the Destroyed photography book out May 16th. Published by Damiani, the hardback edition of Destroyed is 128 pages and features 55 photographs taken by Moby all over the world. 
Mumford & Sons
Album: Sigh No More (Island) 5th October 2009
Since they formed in December 2007, the members of Mumford & Sons have shared a common purpose: to make music that matters, without taking themselves too seriously. Four young men from West London in their early twenties, they have fire in their bellies, romance in their hearts, and rapture in their masterful, melancholy voices. They are staunch friends – Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane – who bring their music to us with the passion and pride of an old-fashioned, much-cherished, family business. 
Oh Minnows
Album: For Shadows (Young & Lost Club) 25th July 2011
The dreamlike debut album from Oh Minnows, For The Shadows is the first full length LP to be released solely by Young and Lost Club, and the first taste of a serious new talent, though one that's more familiar than might first appear. 
Other Lives
Album: Tamer Animals (PIAS Records) 29th August 2011
There's no point in trying to unearth an obvious "single" in Other Lives' second album, 'Tamer Animals'. Here's a better idea instead: succumb. Let every last song wash over you like proper long players once did, from the swift strings and pulsating horns - a technique learned from old Philip Glass LPs - of 'Dark Horse' to the richly orchestrated denouement of 'Heading East', a cut that could have been cribbed from the early instrumental sessions of Other Lives' old band Kunek. 
PJ Harvey
Album: Let England Shake (Island) 14th February 2011
PJ Harvey's new album was recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset, on a cliff-top overlooking the sea. It was created with a cast of musicians including such long-standing allies as Flood, John Parish, and Mick Harvey. It is the eighth PJ Harvey album, following 2007's acclaimed 'White Chalk', and the Harvey/Parish collaboration 'A Woman A Man Walked By'. 
Royksopp
Album: Senior (Wall of Sound) 13th September 2010
They have sold over one million copies of their 2001 debut "Melody AM", won an MTV Europe Award for Best Video (for Remind Me), and toured the world. They've chased the success of their second album "The Understanding" (2005) with the live album "Ryksopp's Night Out" (2006) and the compilation album "Back To Mine" (2007). So what's brewing next, gentlemen? 
She Keeps Bees
Album: Dig On (Names) 18th July 2011
'Dig On' was self-recorded during November 2010 in a log home set in New York's Catskill Mountains. Surrounded by trees, stars and silence, Jessica and Andy captured the sounds of a full band - drums, guitars, synths, shakers and friends. No longer having to fight for attention above the siren wails and radiator hiss of a New York City apartment, the music was allowed room to breathe. 
Simone Felice
Album: Simone Felice (Reveal Reords) 2nd April 2012
When you sit in a roomwith Simone Felice you can hear a subtle metallic ticking noise. If you hunt for the source of the sound you'll find a scar bisecting the entire length of hischest, a visceral reminder of the open-heart surgery he was forced to undergo in the summer of 2010 after a childhood congenital defect brought him tothe brink of death. Felice's heart is his metronome, his divining rod, and the life source of his self-titled solo debut, set for release on April 2nd, 2012 viaReveal Records. 
The Cribs
Wakefield, London and Portland converge as one with news that The Cribs are set to release their fifth album in May 2012.
Entitled 'In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull', the album marks a return to their classic three-piece status and heralds another chapter in the upwards trajectory of the Jarman brothers. 
The Wilderness of Manitoba
Album: When You Left The Fire (Verite) TBC autumn 2011
Though now racking up accolades far and wide, The Wilderness of Manitoba started as yet another side project in the fertile Toronto music community. To understand The Wilderness of Manitoba, you have to go to a music-filled house in Canada. 
Trophy Wife
EP: Bruxism (Blessing Force) 17th October 2011
Trophy Wife saw this EP as a means to take themselves out of their comfort zone. Having previously written and recorded in a very insular way, the trio instead took an experimental approach by using a different producer for each track. They travelled to Berlin to work with acclaimed electronic artist/producer Ewan Pearson, then collaborated with Oxford acolytes Yannis from Foals and Andrew Halford. The title track has been produced by James Yuill whilst the EP's opener brought Trophy Wife together with one of their longstanding musical heroes, Plaid. 
Wilco
Album: The Whole Love (dBpm Records) 26th Sept 2011
Wilco release their eighth studio album - 'The Whole Love' - on 26th September 2011 through their newly launched dBpm Records. It follows the band's 2009 Grammy-nominated 'Wilco (The Album)' and was recorded at the band's Chicago recording studio The Loft. 'The Whole Love' features 12 new original tunes and is produced by Jeff Tweedy with Patrick Sansone and Tom Schick. 
Willy Mason
Single: Restless Fugitive (Unsigned) 22nd February 2012
Willy's as-yet-untitled album was recorded over the course of 2011 in south London with producer Dan Carey (MIA, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand) and will to be released later this year. Clocking in at over 6 minutes, 'Restless Fugitive' is the first fruits of the record. 
Young The Giant
Album: Young The Giant (Roadrunner) 2nd August 2011
Possessing a well-honed song craft that usually belongs to far more seasoned musicians, the band's members only range in age from 20 to 22. Comprised of Sameer Gadhia, Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar/vocals), Payam Doostzadeh (bass) and Francois Comtois (drums/vocals), Young the Giant present a diverse set of musical ideas, one that's as varied as their ethnic backgrounds–Indian, Persian, British and French-Canadian among them |
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