January has come and gone. In some parts of the world Lana Del Rey‘s “Born To Die” has already been released to mixed reviews, nowhere near making as big a splash as was anticipated by some. I’ve given it a listen, it’s fine, but, as I expected, nothing remarkable. In not-LDR-related news, there have been plenty of good releases so far in this past month, with Cloud Nothings, Porcelain Raft or Hospitality dropping very solid albums. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg to what looks to be like a great year for music.

Below is the first part of what my personal picks (I want to emphasize that part, though some overlap, these aren’t the site’s picks, just mine) for great albums I hope this coming year brings. Supposedly it’s the last one we’ve got, and though I don’t really believe the 2012 hullabaloo, I really hope all these artists bring their A-game and blow me away just in case it actually is time to go.

Be sure to also check out Part One, which we posted yesterday.

News Of The Fire – TBA (Late 2012)

On the “Motions and Hints” EP News Of The Fire released about a year ago, the band displayed surprisingly strong songwriting abilities for a band so young. Standout songs like “1996” or “Faces” were good showings of indie rock, with strong guitar riffs and catchy melodies that made the EP a consistent and enjoyable listen.

After featuring the band’s video for “1996” from their Jam In The Van session, lead singer and guitarist Dan Fromhart contacted me to thank me for the feature, and I asked him about new material. I was excited to find out that there is an album in the works and though he couldn’t give me a guarantee, he did say that they would try and get it out by the end of this year.

Of course, the record is still in very early stages, but that’s good enough for me to put it on this list. It’s yet to be seen if News Of The Fire can live up to their promise, but I’m sure they won’t go down without a fight.

Nick Waterhouse – TBA (May 3)

Like other artists on this list, Nick Waterhouse could have easily made music in another era without sticking out. His style is similar to Mayer Hawthorne’s, revisiting classic Motown sounds with fat horns, vocals full of soul be they lead or backup. Unlike Hawthorne, though, Waterhouse doesn’t seem interested in making things sound current. Whereas with the former you could a get feel that it’s not quite from the 60’s and 70’s, it’d be much easier to confuse the latter with an artist from that period, particularly because of the production choices made with his music, which sound like they’ve been recorded on vintage analog equipment (and, as far as I can tell there’s nothing to indicate otherwise).

So far the California singer has only released a handful of songs, which combined don’t reach 15 minutes worth of material, but it’s been enough for us to declare him One To Watch for this year. Giving his songs a listen it’s easy to see why, but the brevity of the material isn’t quite enough to quench my thirst. Of course, I could always go listen to classic Motown, but where’s the fun in that? Until we have a proper album from Nick Waterhouse, due out May 3rd, I’ll keep playing his EP, though owning it digitally doesn’t feel right.

Passion Pit – TBA (TBA)

2009’s “Manners” served as the introduction to Passion Pit as a fully fleshed out band. Prior to that, singer/creative force/frontman Michael Angelakos had put out an EP, “Chunk Of Change” that displayed an interesting, pseudo-experimental direction for a synth-pop band. The record ended up on my personal year-end list thanks to its strong hooks, high energy and sonic variations in a genre that I consider one of my favorites. It was a collection of hits, almost all of which could have easily been singles, packaged in an album format, all killer no filler, if you will.

It’s been well over two years since “Manners” dropped, and it’s been known that the band has been in the studio for quite some time, which all seems to indicate that we will, in fact, get a new Passion Pit record at some point this year. Details are close to none, but Passion Pit fans, such as myself, are eagerly awaiting them. So far we also know that the band has a couple of summer festival dates lined up for the summer, so hopefully that means things are wrapping-up.

Phoenix – TBA (TBA)

French band Phoenix put out a killer album in 2009, “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”, which garnered them well-deserved worldwide fame after a decade making music. The record, their fourth, was incredibly consistent, with 7 synth-pop tunes that were as best as they come for the genre and a two-part experimental piece that served as a break in between the hooks that songs like “Lisztomania”, “1901” or “Armistice” (I could have listed any track, really) presented.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting an album anything like “WAP”, or any of its predecessors, though. Lead singer Thomas Mars has gone on record saying that he’s tired of pop music and the band were working on a minimalist experimental style. While that description makes me a bit weary as to the type of songs the album will present, the five-piece from Paris are known for putting out consistent albums that have gotten better with the years and experience, so it’ll still certainly be one to watch for.

POLIÇA – “Give You The Ghost” (February 14)

This one is a bit of cheat, as I’ve had the record since I first introduced the band, but it really is one that I’m anticipating to be widely available for more to enjoy (you can enjoy the digital edition of the album if you pre-order it, actually). POLIÇA is not for everybody, though, but those who enjoy vocoded vocals and experimental R&B in the style of Active Child (but much less angelical and more hard-hitting instead) are most likely going to enjoy “Give You The Ghost”.

The tracks that have dropped so far, “Lay Your Cards Out”, “Wandering Star” and “Dark Star” are all fantastic shows of what the POLIÇA and the album is all about. I will say that they are album standouts, but that’s no reason not to give the rest of “Give You The Ghost” a fair listen and see just how good the band really can be, and the reason we touted them as Ones To Watch.

Sharon Van Etten – “Tramp” (February 7)

To be honest, I’ve never been completely sold on Sharon Van Etten’s previous material. The singer has released two records to date, “Because I Was In Love” in 2009 and “Epic” in 2010. The first was a much more acoustic record, that for me got a bit bland by the end, but it did contain the beautifully moving “For You”, a reason why I kept the Brooklyn singer in the back of my mind. “Epic”, a cross between an EP and an LP, was an improvement, benefitting from the added instrumentation, and again tracks like “Don’t Do It” or “Save Yourself” sparked my attention for what could come next.

And what came next was “Serpents”, the first song from Van Etten’s third album, “Tramp”. To be honest, if it weren’t for that song I doubt this would even be on this list. The track is great on its own, but her live performance made it even better. “Serpents”, while moody and dark, still remains catchy and upbeat in nature, and while seemingly contradictory descriptions, I can’t think of a better way to do so. It’s more aggressive than most (anything, I would say) of the singer’s previous material, and I’m really excited to finally be able to listen to “Tramp” in its entirety starting February 7th.

The Shins – “Port Of Morrow” (March)

I will admit to only being a casual fan of The Shins. I’ve listened to, and enjoyed all three of their albums and, while they contain some tracks I love, as a whole they fall a little short of the “great” mark for me. Regardless, my love of a few songs on each release always keeps the James Mercer-fronted band on the back of my mind.

Really, the thing that got me excited for “Port Of Morrow” was lead single, “Simple Song”. It contains much of what makes me love The Shins’ songs that I do, such as plenty of swells and changes in intensity and tempo and yet another great vocal delivery from Mercer, one of my favorite elements of both The Shins and his side project with Danger Mouse, Broken Bells. The song is built for arenas, with massive reverb on the vocals, something that reminds me of one my favorite tunes by the band, “Australia” off their 2007 release “Wincing The Night Away”.

While I’m not as excited for “Port Of Morrow” as I am for some of the other releases on this list, I am looking forward to giving it a listen and see if there’s another standout I can add to the list of songs I love by The Shins, or if maybe they finally put an album out that wows me from start to finish.

Sleigh Bells – “Reign Of Terror” (February 21)

Back in 2010 we awarded Sleigh Bells‘ debut album “Treats” our album of the year award, though that was definitely a polarising decision, and towards the end of 2011 they announced its follow-up “Reign Of Terror”.  Whilst the first couple of songs we’ve heard from it in “Born To Lose” and “Comeback Kid” haven’t been as assaulting and punchy-in-your-facey as the standouts form “Treats” they do still pack that extra 15lbs of explosives that other bands can rarely handle.

To whet your appetite, check out the previously mentioned “Born To Lose” and “Comeback Kid” and with three weeks left until “Reign Of Terror”‘s release, you better pick your melted face back up off the floor in time for the album drop.

South Of France – TBA (Early Spring)

South Of France have been labeled one of our Ones To Watch for 2012 based on the strength of their “Kings” EP which they released last year. The three songs on “Kings” were very much in the Cults vein, with a seemingly upbeat, 60’s pop influenced style loaded with hooks, although done in a more distorted manner. The music contained a lot of subtleties, though, which kept the three short songs interesting even on repeated listens.

When I contacted the band about a full-length, anxious to hear more, they told me that it was definitely in the works, they were very happy with it, and they were hoping to have it out at some point in February. So far, there’s not much news coming from their front, but my eyes, and ears, are peeled.

Twin Shadow – TBA (First Half of 2012)

Twin Shadow’s “Forget” arrived late in 2010, and I hopped on the bandwagon even later, but the album grew on me in such a way that it ended up in my personal top 3 of that year. The Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear)-produced album presented a very 80’s dance-groove aesthetic with lo-fi production. The songs were instantly memorable with plenty of hooks and catchy melodies that didn’t grow old on repeated listens, but rather got better.

One of my favorite songs on the album, “Shooting Holes” ended up being a year-end standout, but was just one example of George Lewis Jr.’s strong songwriting skills. And while most of the album was best when it was upbeat, the title track, which closed off the album, demonstrated that Twin Shadow was also able to keep things interesting and engaging even when slowed down.

Last year the project also dropped a song, “Changes”, which was a cover of an obscure 80’s Italian band, and presented a more pop-y direction for the band, but one that suited them well. As of right now it looks like Twin Shadow’s sophomore album is looking to be released in the first half of the year. Whatever that means, I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Vampire Weekend – TBA (TBA)

As good of an album Vampire Weekend’s 2008 self-titled debut was, I’ve personally found myself revisiting its 2010 followup, “Contra” a lot more. Although both records maintain a lot of the same characteristics, the subtle (or not so subtle) electronics and experimentation used on “Contra” made for a more exciting listen for me. Songs like “Run” or “Giving Up the Gun”, despite their differences, were both strong shows that Vampire Weekend wasn’t going to let themselves get eaten up by the critics expecting a more than subpar follow up to their first album. The band took risks, such as sampling M.I.A. or closing off the album with the slow building, acoustic guitar-featuring “I Think Ur A Contra”, and they paid off, as they were executed to near perfection.

Now, Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanjli, Chris Baio and Chris Thomson are working on what is to be their third album. Despite saying themselves that they needed a bit of a break and Rostam’s solo tracks, released last year, it doesn’t look like Vampire Weekend is going anywhere just yet. For me, that’s great news, as I find their albums thrilling and refreshing. It’s still not entirely clear whether album number three will actually drop this year, so it’ll be a waiting game, and hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.

Woodkid – “The Golden Age” (TBA)

Woodkid is the stage name of French director Yoann Lemoine, famous for directing videos for Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and, more recently, Lana Del Rey herself. Already labeled as One To Watch for this year, Woodkid is currently at work to follow up his “Iron” EP which he released last year. While the title track was a dark, brooding number with spacey synths and thick drums, the remaining three tracks presented a much more acoustic path, so it’ll be interesting to see where Lemoine decides to take his sound.

Despite being early in the recording process, the record seems to already be titled “The Golden Age”. From the pictures that have been released of the sessions, it’s looking to be a grand record, as Woodkid seems to be recording with a small orchestra. He’s already demonstrated he’s a man of talent, so I’m anticipating the direction choices he makes for his first full-length album.

The xx – TBA (TBA)

The xx went into the studio late last year to write and record a follow-up to 2009’s haunting “XX”. The album’s minimalist sound on the album I feel marked an inflexion point in modern music, as since then there’s been a heavy emphasis placed on ambient sounds from numerous electronic producers that have chosen to keep things minimal, placing heavy emphasis on atmosphere. It’s funny that, in the same year that I loved albums by Passion Pit and Phoenix, both bombastic albums with tons of added instrumentation, “XX” also ended up as year-end favorite. It’s actually pretty incredible what it accomplishes with so little, in clear case of “what you see (hear) is what you get”.

Since the release of that album, the only member of The xx that’s managed to stay in the news has been beatmaker/producer Jamie xx. The produced dropped an album reworking Gil Scott-Heron’s “I’m New Here”, titled “We’re New Here”, few noteworthy tracks and remixes including “Far Nearer” and a stellar remix of Adele’s chart-topping “Rolling In The Deep” as well as some production credits on two of last year’s biggest releases, Drake’s “Take Care” and Rihanna’s “Talk That Talk”.

So far all we’ve heard from the new album, which the band is hoping to drop before their festival releases, is a hauntingly beautiful demo of a song titled “Eyes Open” that maintains the same train of thought as their debut. Jamie xx has gone on record saying that the new album is very inspired by club music, so we’ll have to see how the band are able to incorporate the new direction while still maintaining their style.

Back in the 90s and early 2000′s there was a show on VH1 called Pop Up Video. They’d show videos with little pop-up bubble and give you facts about the video and how it was made as well as cool little snippets of information about the artist.

Simple put, it was probably the most addictive music TV show on the planet. EVER! Well they’re back and giving the same treatment to some of the videos that have been released since it stopped in 2002.

Below you can watch Vampire Weekend‘s “Holiday” and The White Stripes‘ “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”.

After an incredibly long summer here in Madrid, which lasted until mid-October pretty much, the cold weather is starting to kick in. One band that really helps my least favorite transition of the year along is southern California trio The Miracals, or, as their Bandcamp says, The Band Formerly Known As The Smiles (their name up until a couple weeks ago, which they had to change because of a legal claim with a dental company) formed by John McGrath (vocals and guitar), Will Sturgeon (vocals and bass) and Mark Edwards (drums), with additional help for the EP from friend Mike Goldman (lead guitar).

When I put my headphones on and play their “Hermosa – EP”, released last year when they were still The Smiles, I’m instantly transported somewhere sunny. Sometimes it’s a beach (that might because of the cover), others it’s a sunny breezy drive with the windows down and the wind blowing in my hair; always it’s picture perfect.

That EP, presented a band whose style was not too distant from The Beach Boys‘ earlier work; the songs are incredibly catchy, the guitars are bright, and the vocals really take a forefront, with multiple voices and wonderful harmonies. The vocal tradeoffs and sunny melodies also recall everybody’s favorite ’60s band, The Beatles (personally, I prefer Brian Wilson and company). McGrath and Sturgeon trade off lead vocals and songwriting duties, presenting different styles that the band execute to perfection.

Take opener “Cala Cola”, which apparently was inspired by hearing a rap song come out of a car (no need to look further than the chorus to see why, with Sturgeon crooning: “Spending money on cars/…/Spending money on hos / So we take money from churches/Taking money for crack/We take money from charities/and we won’t give it back”). The song features a very Vampire Weekend-ish opening, leading way to The Drums meet The Beach Boys style of surf pop that gets stuck in your head for days.

“Hermosa” continues on this path, with sunny skies and pitch perfect melodies across the other five tracks. And clocking in at around 17 minutes and 30 seconds, the EP is short and sweet (the longest track doesn’t hit the 3 min and 10 seconds mark), giving it a fantastic re-playability factor.

Now (November 7^th) the band embrace the ’60s pop aspects of their music and return with their first official release as The Miracals, “Give Me A Chance”. Over 5 songs and in less than 15 minutes, the band takes the classic early ’60s pop sound and brings it up to date. They take what worked from their first EP; the sunny melodies, bright guitars and vocal interplay, and decide to take a logical step forward towards a more mature sound.

Right from the opening bars of the opening track “Oh I Know” it’s easy to hear that the band have chosen to move things forward. Things aren’t quite as sunny (still no chance of rain though), and there’s more interesting things going on vocally, with different vocal melodies in each channel. On “Give Me A Chance” (the song) they take their Beach Boys influence to the fullest, with some background harmonies that heavily recall those put forth by the Brian Wilson led group. Lyrically, the tracks are nothing to write home about, but that’s not really the band’s aim. I mean “Fun, Fun, Fun” or “Surfin’ Safari” weren’t exactly lyrical powerhouses either, but look where they are.

With just over 30 minutes of music to their name, The Miracals have become, for me, one of the most exciting new bands out there. Granted, I’m a sucker for a good melody, and more so for ’60s pop, but the group’s musicianship really shows promise of greater things to come.

Connect with The Miracals – Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Tumblr | Soundcloud

The Miracals – “Cala Cola”

The Miracals – “Swimming”

The Miracals – Oh I Know by ListenBeforeYouBuy

The Miracals – Give Me A Chance by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Listen to the new Major Lazer song “Original Don” below.

Apart from the odd remix track here and there, the last time you heard from Major Lazer, at least on this site, was the immense remix/mashup album he did with La Roux way back in May of 2010 “Lazerproof”.

Well now they’re back and trying to top their excellent debut album “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do”, and after teasing us with this track for a few months now we’ve finally got the entire thing to take in.  At the moment “Original Don” might not end up on the final tracklisting of their new album that’s out early 2012 (which, by the way has collaborations with Vampire Weekend and Bruno Mars), but for now it’s just standing alone.

Check out the radio rip below.

New Navy signed with Future Classic less than a month ago and in the short time since we’ve finally seen that push the band has been needing. Their newest album “Uluwatu” came out on vinyl last week and will finally get it’s sea legs when it goes digital tomorrow.

“Tapioca” gives off an incredible feel good vibe, working for me personally as a momentary boost of hope and optimism and there is nothing I could appreciate more as it has been more affective than pedialyte and a shower at getting over today’s hangover. The guitars are ambient and smooth, the vocals carry with rat-pack suaveness, honestly this song makes me think of a “Cooler” Vampire Weekend (if that is even possible).

New Navy are from Sydney, Australia, which I hear is a nice place, though my fingers are crossed that I get to see these guys in my town before I catch them in theirs.  “Uluwatu” is a solid album worth picking up, I highly recommend it. Listen to 3 cuts from the album below.

Connect with New Navy – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

New Navy – Tapioca by future classic
New Navy – Oceans by future classic
New Navy – What Was Golden by future classic

What do you get when you take a man back from driving round America in an old beat-up Chevy writing songs, a man bored of Glasgow and recently moved to Amsterdam, and a couple of good mates? … Drawing a blank? The answer is Sur Nilsson. This four piece’s origins may sound a bit rag tag but there is nothing rag tag about their music. Their self-titled EP preview is two songs long and each is in its own way is different whilst retaining a distinctive sound that when heard leaves you in no doubt as to who it’s by. This for me is always a sign that a band has hit on something good.

The first song of the preview is called “Oh No (It’s Done)” and boasts a nice upbeat feel with good harmonies and guitars that set a pleasant pace. The bridge has a Vampire Weekend feel to it and certainly as the song progresses the layers start to fuse beautifully, which allows the listener to hear something new each time. For me it is exactly the sort of song I would be listening to if I were driving around the Rockies passing placid lakes and scenic views.

“Lights”, the other song, has a different feel; this song feels more serious and a little darker. This is aided by a heavy bass line that asserts itself early and doesn’t let go. That works for me as I am a sucker for a dominant bass part and this is as dominant as they come. Think Fleetwood Mac‘s ”The Chain” if you want an idea. However this song isn’t all bass: the nice harmonies remain and the cymbally drums give the song a more dramatic feel, and just in case that wasn’t enough there is also powerful guitar bridge just to add a bit of spice.

Sur Nilsson’s EP is out at the end of October and if you can’t wait that long then then download the preview from their bandcamp page below.  For the rest of the year they’re doing a bunch of shows in Holland, Belgium, and Germany and plan to come to the UK early next year.

Connect with Sur Nillson – Facebook | Twitter | Website | Bandcamp | Souncloud

Sur Nilsson – “Oh No (It’s Done)”

Sur Nilsson – “Lights”

Buy the album from Amazon – MP3

There’s a little delusion when it comes to punk’s more contemporary and tamed musical alterations. UK trio Fair Ohs (which we previewed last month) interplay a few select variations on it in their newest album “Everything Is Dancing,” from surf, to tropicalia, to disjointed fuzz-pop, evening out a fine level that doesn’t surprisingly stray too far off its opening course.

The album’s opener “Baldessari” sets the pace with poppy echoing guitars between Eddy Frankel and Matt Flag’s vocals, proving to be one of the album’s more endearing tracks. There is an inherit lightness to Fair Ohs, bordering far more on the tropical surf-vibe than jumbly lo-fi, with constant allusions to beach paradises, boats, and coastlines throughout the ten tracks. And to certain degree, there’s a lot of charm in the wistful nature of it all, but it also sacrifices how far along the album’s sound can go.

Beyond the beachy scenery, “Everything Is Dancing” is a method of soft experimentation, hardly extraordinary in terms of separating itself from the normal variety of modern indie pop. The songs drift into somewhat daring territory, like the latter half of “Almost Island” in which the band slowly dials down on the crashing instruments into a swerving finish, leading into the East Asian opening of the album’s title track. But for the most part, outside of “Baldessari” and “Katasraj,” the moments where the album jumps out to the listener are disappointingly few.

This isn’t a “love it or hate it” record or anything. In the broad spectrum, it’s a fairly decent album perfectly suitable to any Vampire Weekend or Surfer Blood fan. But far too often “Everything Is Dancing” drifts from heart-warming and effortless, to too comfortable. There’s a potential here, as there is with most young groups, so Fair Ohs should be something worth watching out for in the near future. But for now, savor the album’s bright spots. Check it out below.

Connect with Fair Ohs – Website | Twitter | Myspace | Last.fm

Just posted to his Facebook page about an hour ago, Ryan Adams does this romantic little version of one of Vampire Weekend‘s best songs, seemingly in his bathroom. Well, if I was Ryan Adams that’s what I’d make MY bathroom look like, anyway.

(via)

 Buy the album from Amazon – Vinyl / MP3 / CD

Tapes ‘n Tapes have had a strange journey so far – they began as a buzz band with hype pumped full of saline solution by Pitchfork and an appearance at SXSW. Then they signed to XL Recordings and released a second album, which didn’t seem to scratch the same itch. When a band’s career explodes at an exponential rate, the only way to maintain that momentum is to feed it more explosive material. If they are unable to do that, like Tapes ‘n Tapes was with “Walk It Off”, then the collective force of the universe opposes theirs and returns them to a less volatile state. In other words, they fall off the map.

With “Outside”, Tapes ‘n Tapes are trying to stay on the map by returning to something more organic. They’re trying to distance themselves from their sophomore slump which was a textbook example of a record label sticking their fingers into a pie and spoiling it for everyone else. This latest album was self-produced and released on Ibid, the band’s own label which they used to release their breakout album “Loon”. It glides along reservedly with more of the youthful, wide-eyed spirit that got our attention in the first place.

It is little more than an established, almost generic sort of youthful spirit, the kind that kids who ride fixies and drink way too much coffee try their very hardest to exude. Basically, they have some of that “whatever-it-is” factor that made XL want to add them to a roster that has included Vampire Weekend, Friendly Fires, and The White Stripes. At times on “Outside”, that super-hip indie jam vibration is captured perfectly, like on the second single “Badaboom” and especially on “One In The World”. I think I’ve found my happy-drunk anthem for 2011 in “People You Know”, which staggers back and forth and tries to give you a sloppy kiss toward the end. When Tapes ‘n Tapes are feeling peppy, it’s a clever take on sounds that you may have heard before: part Born Ruffians, part The Dodos, and even a bit of Modest Mouse here and there.

Other times, it sounds like they’re unable to put enough spin on the sounds of their current favorite bands. “The Saddest of All Keys”, if Nathan Willett were singing instead of Josh Grier, would fit snugly into a Cold War Kids set. It’s a wonderful song, but Josh Grier’s see-saw singing is rarely as important for a song’s visceral impact as his guitar playing. ”SWM” is a solid but uninspired post-punk rambler, where the high point is the hushed respite before the last round of verse/chorus. “On and On” would be more fun if it were performed by Arcade Fire with massive elegance, instead of the odd mess of bells, offbeat drums, and indiscernable roar it collapses into.

As a whole, it’s an entire painter’s palette of colorful sounds, from the charging confident swing of “One In The World”, to the slow crescendo of “Outro”, to the bumbling whistle of “Hidee Ho”. Every track has a great moment, or a few good sounds that make up for the awkward moments. Mostly, this album is full of buzz-worthy guitar riffs played over totally-indie-rock drum rhythms. It might be toward the bottom of somebody’s year-end top 100 albums list. More likely, you’ll hear one of these songs in a commercial for something really lame.

Connect with Tapes ‘n Tapes: Facebook | Myspace | Twitter | Website | Last.fm

“Wristwatch” – one minute forty-nine seconds well spent.  In the smallest bit of time we get a hyperactive glimpse of Hungry Kids Of Hungary, new kids on the block from Australia.  This track here’s got an undeniable Vampire Weekend vibe, though I’m not complaining, because they’ve sparked up as much bouncy joyousness as VW’s better tracks.  Look for it in the sunny ascending harmonies, airy African synths, easy vibrato on the held out notes.

But there’s plenty other flavors to taste from these kids, some of which are surprising on first listen.  The energy in opener “Coming Around” could light up a small town for a good couple of hours, and that glee stays with a lot of “Escapades”.  It’s not just the hectic song tempos; there’s so much pure joy embedded in all of this, either Hungry Kids have some serious talent or the band members are all fuckin in love with each other.  Starting around midway through their fun you get a little breathing room, and like any good band does on a debut, Hungry Kids prove more promise than just the singles.  ”Eat Your Heart Out” swells and rings like a standout Local Natives tune, and “You Ain’t Always There” hits my ohhh-pretty-falsetto-time-to-sing-along weak spot.

In late 2010 Hungry Kids of Hungary released their first LP “Escapades”, as fitting a name as ever.  Another single of theirs, “Scattered Diamonds”, is free for the taking on their bandcamp page.  And you might as well take the chance to stream the whole thing while you clean your room, or feed your hamster or whatever.

Connect with Hungry Kids of Hungary – Bandcamp | Myspace | Website | Facebook

Hungry Kids Of Hungary – “Wristwatch”