We’ve been fooling with this post for awhile. We meant to do something like this a few weeks ago, but between school, work, the lack of a cohesive idea, and difficulty agreeing on what should be on the list, it got pushed back. But finally, here we are. There will be some omissions, there may be some mistakes, but overall, we hope it’s a good picture of what this year has looked like so far. And since it’s the half (an obvious nod to football), it’s gives us some time to reflect and make some changes before the year ends.

Today we’re talking albums.

OUR FAVORITE DEBUTS

FOE – BAD DREAM HOTLINE

It’s rare anymore that an album remains on heavy rotation for more than six months, if only because there’s a lot of great new music out there. This year is no exception, and the debut album from FOE (Hannah Clark from Arthur, Hannah Shark) is exactly what the world needs right now. Bad Dream Hotline firmly instills Clark as a unique personality, one who would have thrived in the ’90s and deserves to conquer not just England and the United States, but the world over. While each of her videos have been made on a shoestring budget, they all contain things you can’t buy with money – creativity, ambition, and ingenuity. It’s the ideas that have and always will drive great music, and Clark is onto something very special here. Latest single “The Black Lodge” (the album’s best song) is released on 07/23. Not only this year’s best debut, but this year’s unequivocal best album.

ALT-J – AN AWESOME WAVE

The only band I could even try to use as a reference point to Alt-J is Wild Beasts, and not surprisingly, both have roots in Leeds. Although this band initially stood out for their odd name – ∆ (which is Alt-J on a Mac), their music slowly drew me in. I don’t know which tune it was, or even when it was, but the handul of demos they made available on their Soundcloud page ended up on my iPod, and I was eventually sucked in to their world. There’s no going back, as An Awesome Wave is constructed exactly like an ALBUM should be. You’re led in, given a few treats, there’s several twists and turns, there’s the climax, and then you’re ushered out at the end, wanting more. If you’ve just heard the singles “Breezeblocks,” “Fitzpleasure,” and “Tessellate,” trust me, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Tracks like “Dissolve Me” and “Taro” are some of the best pop songs of the 21st century.

ELLEN & THE ESCAPADES – ALL THE CROOKED SCENES

I never expected to list this album as one of my favorite debuts. It’s nothing against Ellen & the Escapades, or even the type of music that they play, but it’s not exactly the type of music I get excited over – it’s more of Tim’s thing, but this record is fantastic, and it’s no surprise that the Pledge Music campaign they did to fund the album’s production was a rousing success. Their fans love the music and they love the band – and more I listen to All the Crooked Scenes, I can’t help but feel the same way. Start with the title track and “Preying On Your Mind,” and you’ll hear why the album is one of this year’s pleasant surprises.

Others: St. Gregory Orange, Clock Opera, Django Django, Exlovers, Niki & the Dove, Stalking Horse, The Cribs

EVERYTHING ELSE

BLOOD RED SHOES – IN TIME TO VOICES

Although some may say that the band’s best days are behind them, In Time To Voices, the third album from Blood Red Shoes, is the band’s best work to date. While it may be somewhat more restrained than some of their past work, this album shows that the band is never afraid of a challenge and is never afraid to keep growing. Singles “Cold” and “Lost Kids” contain plenty of the trademark BRS sound, but songs like “Stop Kicking” are indicative of a band that isn’t planning to stop pushing boundaries anytime soon.

PULLED APART BY HORSES – TOUGH LOVE

Sophomore albums can go one of two ways – failure, sending a band straight into obscurity, and success, reaffirming what everyone thought about a brilliant debut. Luckily, Pulled Apart By Horses’ Tough Love is very much the latter. The music is still heavy and wild and a bit mental, but the band’s talent for melody is the ultimate driving force, which turns tracks like “Everything Dipped in Gold” and “Some Mothers” into pop songs with razor edges.

Others: Saint Etienne, The Cribs, Chiddy Bang, Mi Mye

Singles, EPs, and more later this week.

A mate described Dog is Dead as “Mystery Jets meets yacht rock”, and I think he may be right. This is a massive track that’s paired with an excellent video, perfect for summer fun.

Their third single “Glockenspiel Song” is out from 23 July, while their debut album All Our Favourite Stories releases this autumn on Atlantic. Visit the band’s homepage for a free EP-for-email address scheme, which features a few acoustic tracks.

Festival dates below.

8 July T In The Park, Kinross-shire, Scotland
14 July 2000 Trees, Gloucestershire
20 July Wickerman Festival, South West Scotland
21 July Truck Festival, Hill Farm, Oxford
24th July The Barfly, London
28 July Leopallooza, Cornwall
4 August Belladrum
18 August Summer Sundae, Leicester
19 August Strummer of Love, Somerset
24th, 25th, 26th August, Reading and Leeds Festivals.
31st August, Underage Festival, London
1 September In The Woods, South England

For many of us, The Great Escape is the first thing that comes mind when discussing Brighton and Hove, but that’s not entirely fair to all of the quality bands who call East Sussex home. Whilst Lovepark hail from Burgess Hill in West Sussex, they’re not too far from the seaside and the town we all call home for a weekend each May.

Their self-released new single, produced by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J) and Sean Woodlock, is out from 2nd July and it’s entitled “How Do I See?/Shudder”. At times the band strikes me as a bit like Flashguns or Battles, both well good bands who deserve more recognition.

Tonight in London, the band is officially launching the single at the Queen of Hoxton on Curtain Road. Vinyls will be available.

I can’t really be arsed to hunt down band biographical information anymore. Not sure if it’s the hip thing to not provide on one’s webpage, but it’s generally impossible to find for many bands anymore. Alas, this will be a short post.

Local lads Eagulls play rough-edged garage/punk, and have quickly risen to the top of the burgeoning UK DIY scene. Following some limited 7″ and cassette releases, they will release a 12″ on Sexbeat Records (Fear of Men, Virals, No Joy) this 16 July. You can preorder the transparent green beaut here. “Coffin”, which is streaming above, is a cracker.

Let’s hope the rest of the new tunes are as brill as “Council Flat Blues”. Dates below, including a free gig at the Brudenell.

19thJuly – Camp Bassment, London (Tickets – http://www.wegottickets.com/sexbeat)
20th July – Brudenall Social, Leeds (free entry)

Whilst I think AlunaGeorge may be a little too hip and polished for me, I’m not afraid to admit that everything I’ve heard from them is well good. Their EP You Know You Like It is available now on iTunes and as a 12″ via TriAngle Records.

It’s feels nice to step out of my skin from time to time.

It’s been almost five years since London group Exlovers formed. Bands have formed, released albums, broken up, and then splintered off into other groups. In the world of music, five years is quite a long time. Whilst this may seem a little strange to some of us, perhaps the band is on to something. It’s all a very good thing.

Peter, the satellite around which the Exlovers solar system formed, understands this sort of patience. The teenage loner skipped between homes whilst in college, became enamoured with punk rock and the Beatles, and by the end of 2007, he dropped out of university, skint and living in a mate’s basement. One idea led to another, leading to few songs, and eventually, a full band.

Moth, the band’s debut album, released from Monday 18 June on Young and Lost Club, is rather perfect. There’s no filler, the work of dream pop perfectionists. This is the route we wish Pains Of Being Pure At Heart would have taken on their second album.

If you’ve yet to listen to the band, start off with “This Love Will Lead You On” (above) or “Blowing Kisses” below. The album’s second single, “Emily”, will be out from 02 July.

Camp My Tiger My Timing has been quite busy in 2012. In between gigs in England and Germany, they’ve been working hard on new music, both their fifth single and debut album. Whilst it seems like only yesterday when we first heard their early demos, time really does move quickly when you’re enjoying yourself.

Single “The Gold Rush” sees release from Monday 25 June, and their album, Celeste, is available from 02 July. Both will be on their Snakes and Ladders label. If the first few tracks from their debut are of any indication, they will continue to cement themselves as Saint Etienne’s snotty, rebellious younger sibling. “The Gold Rush” and “Wasteland” are equal parts post-punk and electro, wrapped neatly together as a pop confectionery.

Lastly, if you’d like to be in the band’s video for “The Gold Rush,” today could be your lucky day. Read on for more info.

Dates below.

07 July – Soundbad, Lohr am Main – Tickets
18 July – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London – Tickets
28 July – Farmfestival, Somerset – Tickets
26 Aug – Bussey Building, London

It’s been a few years since the whirlwind surrounding the early days of Chew Lips. Whilst it may have been merely my perception, it seems like they were everywhere in 2009. “Solo” was a track that I couldn’t escape, and at first, I was more than happy to incessantly bathe my ears with its rhythms. But being that it was in heavy rotation at every indie disco, I started to tire of the tune and the band. And the arsehole DJ who played in twice in one night turned me off the album for at least a year.

But time gives us perspective, and as I listen to the group’s new single “Do You Chew?”, I am reminded of how much fun I had with Unicorn, especially at some of their London and Great Escape gigs three years ago. By all indications, that same excitement will be surrounding Chew Lips’ sophomore effort, which will be out later this year.

They’re playing a string of dates now, including an appearance at Tramlines at the weekend of 21-22 July. Download “Do You Chew?” for free at the link above.

There are many positives to living alone. No rubbish from others to tidy, never having a row with anyone over how often his/her significant other is staying in the flat, and perhaps most importantly, getting to listen to what I want, when I want, and at the volume of my choosing. And this Sunday has been perfect for the latter.

With my quickly cooling cup of tea, I’m spending some time with the debut release from Church School. The group centres around Tom Johnson, who plays drums with the rather brilliant Tiny Birds, and additionally, has a Yorkshire connection as he went to uni here in Leeds and played in Streetlights.

Church School approaches their craft a bit differently. As Tom states it, the release is “a collection of four heart-on-sleeve indiepop songs in the style of bands like The Wave Pictures, The Moldy Peaches, and Belle and Sebastian”. Whilst there are influences from each of these acts strewn about the EP, there’s a singular voice that flows from track to track, one that properly balances fragility and power, never allowing either one to win out.

The EP, entitled Settle, is available for free on Church School’s Bandcamp page. Start with “Denning Point,” which has proven to be my favourite track so far, but that may have to do with my weakness for male/female vocals. Excuse me as I give the tune another very loud listen.

This 22 July brings us the third release from Nottingham band Dog Is Dead, the new single “Glockenspiel Song”. It will feature on their debut album, All Our Favourite Stories, which will release this autumn on Atlantic. We’re rather excited for this one, as they have mastered the skill of turning pop music into strange art.

From their website, they’re filming the video for this tune on Sunday between 7pm and 10pm. They need as many people as possible to star in the climactic party scene. The location will be somewhere in the London area but likely to be north or east London. Please email your interest to casting@stamplondon.com.

Commenting on the upcoming single, lead singer Rob Milton said, “Glockenspiel Song’ is our feel good track about our childhood and the place we grew up in. We always planned to re-release this in the lead up to releasing our debut album as while we were blown away by the reaction first time around we always wanted to rerecord it, make a proper video and get it out there to a wider audience – it’s a hell of a lot of fun to play and a big live favourite so Summer 2012 is the perfect time to get it out there.”

Dates below.

16 June GoldCoast Oceanfest, Devon
29 June Hop Farm Festival, Kent
30 June Blissfields, Winchester
8 July T In The Park, Kinross-shire, Scotland
14 July 2000 Trees, Gloucestershire
20 July Wickerman Festival, South West Scotland
21 July Truck Festival, Hill Farm, Oxford
28 July Leopallooza, Cornwall
4 August Belladrum
18 August Summer Sundae, Leicester
19 August Strummer of Love, Somerset
1 September In The Woods, South England