Thursday, April 26, 2007

They Walk Among Us

So as I mentioned last week, I picked up the current issue of MOJO magazine, which comes with a CD featuring tracks by 15 new (or newish) British bands.

Surprisingly, none of them suck. In fact, nearly all of them were interesting-to-terrific.

As it turned out, my second favorite was by The Aliens, an outfit that I must confess I had never heard of. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should also confess that I was unfamiliar with their earlier incarnation as the Beta Band, who apparently were highly regarded, although not in my apartment.) In any case, the track in question, "Honest Again" (from their 2007 debut album "Astronomy For Dogs",) was a stunner, a swirling swash of psychedelic pop that sounds a bit like Brian Wilson through a cannabis haze -- at once melodic and accessible and a little off-kilter and disturbingly melancholic. Very impressive, in other words.




I haven't heard the rest of the album yet, but here's the official video of the first single, "Setting Sun". Another very cool song, although the wonderfully cheesy organ riffs nudge it more into the realm of 60s garage psych. BTW, our good friend the divine Plum P, Canadian DJ extraordinaire, tells us that the album is in heavy rotation at her station, Radio Montreal 101.5 FM. I believe Plum's show is on tonight, actually, so check it out (the station streams). Be warned, however: everything's in French!!!

Meanwhile, here's an interesting
Guardian interview with Aliens frontman Gordon Armstrong, who apparently has done more drugs than you've had hot meals.

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