Our regular roundup of some of the hot new bands we've been hearing. This time we discover King’s Horses, Music Go Music, Swallowing Shotguns, Eeonbeeon, Rainbow Arabia, Marcus Bonfanti and Beat the Radar.



BEAT THE RADAR

Beat the Radar have managed to overcome the fading Indie scene by going back to basics. This is Indie at its roots with the clanging guitars, scruffy singer and catchy chorus-lines. This could be explained by the plethora of bands they consider to have influenced them the most, such as The Smiths, Joy Division and Sonic Youth. In this day and age, you have to give these guys credit; as they said themselves in an interview with Clash Music: “We actually spend time focusing on writing some proper tunes rather than our haircuts.” Perhaps this is the new direction for Indie: a fresh start from the beginning.

Listen to: Phone Conversation
www.myspace.com/beattheradar
By Caroline Pomforet


MUSIC GO MUSIC

As you would expect from of a band who “met at a party in the home of a man who was, at that time, called The Condor," Music Go Music are a band to be interested in. Hailing from the sun-kissed hills of some Utopian corner of California, they are equal parts Abba and Donna Summer, viewed through the psychedelic haze of a morning-after-the-night-before sunrise and powered by the still beating heart of the criminally under-rated Bodies of Water. If you don’t find yourself dancing to Light of Love at weddings in years to come, then you know the wrong people. Their nine minute opus Warm In The Shadows is nothing short of a reason to exist. In short they are an irresistible force. With an album due out sometime soon on Secretly Canadian and a show at the ICA in September, their sultry disco-pop should be seducing ears all over the place very soon.

Listen to: Warm In The Shadows/Light of Love
www.myspace.com/musicgomusic
By Patrick McFadden



SWALLOWING SHOTGUNS

Any four people can buy guitars from Argos etc, but few can make those instruments sing. Swallowing Shotguns churn out the tunes cranked to eleven. With songs that bounce, growl, and have more attitude than a Power-Thirst ad, they are likely to tear the rock and metal world a new limb and name it Shotguns. They’re a classic act with a classic tone.

Listen to: Need to Breathe
www.myspace.com/swallowingshotguns
By Josh Charig



EEONBEEON

Recently picked up by the aptly named internet-based label www.newmusiclabel.com, tambourines, a guitar and a gritty voice have never sounded so new. Simple riffs continue throughout most of the songs however the use of interesting techniques such as distorted vocals and funky bass solos lead to a really eclectic Acoustic-reggae get-up. A bit like a fusion of Damien Rice and Jack Johnson, Eeonbeeon may never have a mainstream hit, but he is sure to find his own fan-base and following that is bound to grow. Great music to kickback and relax to.

Listen to: Memory of a Dream
www.myspace.com/eeonbeeonmusic
By Caroline Pomforet



RAINBOW ARABIA

With shades of Gang Gang Dance, The Rapture (circa Echoes, not the shitty second album) and Crystal Castles, L.A.’s Rainbow Arabia sound like the in-house band at a Moroccan asylum, fronted by a lusty witch. Like so many bands coming out of the States at the moment, they manage to weld experimentation to pop sensibilities in a way that no band in Britain can come near to at the moment. Let them Dance from The Basta e.p. could be the theme tune to a North African remake of Knight Rider in which Kit is replaced by a whooping camel that races purposefully around a congested Casablanca; the object of each episode always being to get several Moroccan nu-ravers to a party where they are playing a peak-time Zouk set, the highlight of which is the electrifying Omar K. It is intoxicating stuff. Having just released new mini-album Kabukimono on Manimal Vinyl, rumour has it that the husband and wife duo are shacked up in a Harem recording their debut album.

Listen to: Omar K/Holiday In Congo
www.myspace.com/rainbowarabia
By Patrick McFadden



MARCUS BONFANTI

I recently reviewed his debut album Hard Times, but I thought Marcus Bonfanti is good enough to mention twice as no one has played the blues this well since Captain Beefheart’s Safe as Milk. He howls and growls, slides his guitar like it’s covered in butter and blows his harmonica to make Sonny Boy Williamson tap his foot in his grave. Some seriously soulful playing and a wide range of styles.

Listen to: Diamonds in the Rust/Gave it all to the Taxman
www.marcusbonfanti.com
By Josh Charig



KING’S HORSES

Hailing from the same High School as The Doves, these four have started making an impact early. With a first (self-titled), album under their belts, they have shown that with just one electric guitar you can still make a huge sound. King’s Horses have created their own identity by the use of heavy solos, melodic interludes and the odd synth-effect from a Korg Kaossilator. This, alongside top-notch vocals, makes for what truly is a 00’s Alternative band. Though recorded live, the album is of exceptional quality, reflecting the calibre of the group and proving you don’t need high-end recording suites and 64 track tapes to create an epic sound.

Listen to: Land of Possibilities / Old Frontier
www.myspace.com/kingshorsesofficial
By Caroline Pomfret