Cold War Kids

Somehow I missed both the hype and the arrival of the Behave Yourself, the new Cold War Kids EP. The word on the streets (read: web) is that this marks a return to form for the Californians after the poor reception of their 2008 release Loyalty to Loyalty. I tend to agree. Despite considering myself quite the fan, I don't actually own their second album-which must say something. On a night where I discovered a whole heap of new tracks, Audience was the only one that completely grabbed my attention. It very much takes me back to those days when We Used To Vacation. Oh and the video is very pretty too.

Cold War Kids-Audience (mp3)

Fyfe Dangerfield

"In this moment no one is pulling me down into the ground. I can't help it if I'm happy, I can't help it if I'm happy not to be sad. 'Cos when you walk in the room I see things that I can't understand."

Such a happy song! Makes me smile every time. Fyfe Dangerfield (that can't possibly be his real name??) is apparently best known as one part of English indie band Guillemots. But his debut release, Fly Yellow Moon, is my introduction to ol' Fyfe and I like it this way. It is so obviously an album made with love-about love....and the super emotive poppy vibe is so infectious that you can't help but feel in love too.

Fyfe Dangerfield-When You Walk In The Room (link removed)

Local Natives

I made a mistake. I told the door bitch that 25 euros was too much to see a band I’d never heard of. My first mistake was not knowing who the Local Natives were and obviously my second mistake was not taking a risk and opening my wallet. These LA dudes have been frequently likened to Fleet Foxes, and whilst I get this comparison, I can’t shake the feeling that they sound like a less kooky Dappled Cities with their fast drum beat and falsetto “ooh’s”. So if ever you have a chance to see these guys please don’t make the same mistake as me! In the meantime their debut record Gorilla Manor just dropped in the U.S., including a pretty sweet Talking Heads cover.

Local Natives-World News (mp3)

Lo-Fi-Fnk

Three years ago Lo-Fi-Fnk's debut album Boylife was pretty much on every one of my playlists for every single occasion, so I got quite excited to see the Swedish duo put out a new track. It's different to their old stuff with an almost disco beat and some awesome vocals from Maya Godicke. Despite sounding remarkably like the Skins theme song, I really like the new vibe and am also liking the rumors of a new album in 2010.

Lo-Fi-Fnk-Marchin' In (mp3)