Beach House - Wishes (Video)

Do you have a band that you just don’t ‘get’? One of those groups that everyone expects you to like and yet every time you hear them the lights just switch off? It was like that with us for Beach House. We always found them insubstantial and foggily light. We just couldn’t understand what everyone heard in them. Then we saw them live and finally the right buttons were pressed. Despite doing very little on stage the band’s sound was a completely immersive experience; we finally realised their brilliance. First impressions don’t always count, yet unfortunately sometimes once we've made our mind up about an act we put our blinkers on and never give them a second chance. We’ve got a lot more to say about that on the blog tomorrow.

Yesterday the band released a new video for their song Wishes, taken from 2012’s Bloom, starring Ray Wise (Twin Peaks). It’s certainly one of the more surreal half time performances you’ll get to see. The song remains absolutely lovely. We’re now a fully paid up member to the church of Beach House and its congregation.

Beach House - Wishes (Video)

Laura Marling - Where Can I Go?

The movement that got labelled ‘nu-folk’ has taken quite a battering recently from critics, commentators and some sectors of the blogosphere. Much of this can be attributed to Mumford & Sons – the band who we recently heard described as ‘The Waitrose Levellers’ – their mainstream and US success taking them on a journey far from where they started and on the way losing some of those who rode with them at the beginning. Babel was just too much of a stadium pleasing repetition of their debut for some to stomach. The movement also lost some of its early fans as musician bandwagon jumpers tried to emulate Mumford's success by ditching their electric guitars, putting on their waistcoats and grabbing an acoustic but forgetting that the reason Mumford & Sons had success in the first place was a collection of great songs - which imitators failed to produce.

Yet another one of the scenes key figures, Laura Marling has yet to receive such a backlash and as she returns with her new single Where Can I Go?, taken from forthcoming sixteen track album Once I Was An Eagle in May we suspect she may be able to sidestep any criticism. Why? Because this guitar and organ led tune sweeps along with a wistful and warm country tinged sound that is without doubt Marling but also doesn’t sound like the safe career building option that the M&S boys opted for. 

Laura Marling - Where Can I Go?

Indiana - Bound (Video)

The darker side of pop has always been pretty damn arousing and Bound, Indiana’s erotic tale of domination and submission, got us very stimulated when we first streamed it back in January. Now she’s added a visual accompaniment and it doesn’t disappoint either.

When you’re singing about the more adventurous side of sex what better than to shoot a video where you appear to get naked? We’re not so sure about the clip of the tape across Indiana’s mouth (after all we want her to be able to sing, not make muffled grunt sounds) but then analysing that a bit more, would you really want someone singing to you whilst you were getting down and dirty with each other? Wouldn’t it just feel a bit awkward?

Girls (or boys if that’s what takes your fancy) imagine Justin Timberlake bursting into Sexyback or even worse Cry Me A River just as you were arriving at that eyes-fluttering lips-reddening moment? It wouldn’t really work would it? And as much as we enjoy Ellie Goulding’s tunes and on occasion find her quite attractive, if by some strange chance we found ourselves rolling around the bedroom with her we certainly wouldn’t want her doing that throaty Bonnie Tyler ‘woah-oh’ warble that she does on Anything Could Happen just as things were getting a bit sweaty and intense. So, if you’re dating a pop star or potential pop star our advice is always keep a bit of Duck Tape in your bag. You never know when you might need it. Thanks Indiana for helping us think that one through.

Indiana - Bound (Video)

The Colourist - New Waves

Look. For a moment let’s forget about w*nking over our favourite Radiohead b-sides and just accept the fact that sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a group making music that’s chirpily sweet, has happy as heaven melodies and is throwaway radio friendly as it’s possible to be. The Colourist is such a band. They’re pleasurable on the ears and you can dance to them as well. If you can’t deal with that then we suggest you climb back up your anal passage and wallow there on your own.

Consisting of Adam Castilla, Maya Tuttle, Justin Wagner and Kollin Johannsen out of Orange County, California, The Colourist have just two songs on Soundcloud, although they put out some others (Yes Yes and Oh Goodbye) that have now been taken down. The song that’s grabbed us hook line and sinker is called Little Games. With its choppy guitars and boy girl harmonies it’s just screaming to soundtrack to smiling faces, couples kissing, summertime and running off down to the beach feeling great about life. We could also envisage this song soundtracking an advert and we don't mean that in any negative way, it's just one of those songs. Do you really need to know any more than that? The Colourist seems a perfect name – they’re painting musical rainbows. 

The Colourist - Little Games