This month we are loving...

HSAH feels its about time she tells you what she is loving and if this works well it may become a regular feature. Hopefully you will also like what HSAH suggests but if you don't it isn't really going to bother her too much.

1. Last FM radio player.
HSAH knows this is a bit of an old form of social networking now but it took her a while to actually recognise its beauty and, amongst other things, work out how to use it!

2. No Pain In Pop
This label come blog come social experiment is suggesting some rather interesting and releasing some uniquely unusual music right now and HSAH is loving it. Carry on the good work chaps.

3. Christmas
If there is a better excuse to over indulge please tell HSAH now...

4. Wavves
HSAH is getting very excited by this artist who makes really raw tracks with true punk aesthetics...none of that washed out green day bollocks.

5. Lo Mo Camera
So cheap, so effective. You can get a Lo Mo Camera on Ebay for about £25 and it allows you to take arty photos. HSAH particular fav is the lo mo that you can change the colour of the flash. Too cool for skool.

The Thermals

HSAH has happily discovered that The Thermals are back in London this weekend to play at the King's Cross Student Union on Sunday. HSAH openly thinks the line up is pretty damn hot so this is a gig not to missed.

Check out the event profile on Last fm:
http://www.last.fm/event/773405

Random Finds

HSAH is having a bit of a myspace moment and finding odd, musical kinsmen...for want of a better word. Noisey punk bands like Bronx, Les savy fav, no age are taking the industry and grunge kids by storm. Can they peers carry this trend forward or do they die on their arse as copy cats and unoriginal? You decide as HSAH is loving the stale smell of beer.

Feel free to check out these guys for your ear bleeding pleasure. Don't you just love the hyperbole?

Baltimore seems to breed grunge, noise bands and Double Dagger (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=66653259) is no exception even if self described as Pop...oh the irony.

Pony Tail (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=16155773) are another band that hail from Baltimore (there must be something in the water) and describe themselves as pop. Sounding like a cross between the Yeah Yeah Yeah and deerhoof they do, actually, make tracks that could be described as pop. HSAH has mentioned Pony Tail is this group of bands because they veer of the good side of odd.

For a more magical sound that makes you want to melt away check out High Places (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=77468018)

New bands to look out for...

In to new music and love said music to weird? then why not check out these guys:

Crystal Antlers...they even have a bizarre name.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=1985493

Monotonix...hail from Israel and make interesting noise rock. They are also playing on thursday at the luminaire.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60761539

Thank You...they make great sounds.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=49354913

animal collective tour dates...

Yes, that is right, Animal Collective are coming to the Uk and here are their dates:

Mon 12-Jan-09 UK London Koko

Tue 13-Jan-09 UK Glasgow Glasgow School of Arts

Wed 14-Jan-09 UK Manchester Club Academy

Thu 15-Jan-09 UK Brighton Concorde 2

HSAH is definitely going to get a ticket for the London date. Excitingly a new album will follow!

AU - Verbs - Released on the 3rd November

American bands seem to be behind some of the most interesting and experimental music at the moment. At the forefront of this American influx is Animal Collective whose unique style makes them stand head and shoulders above their contemporaries. How, do other American acts follow this level of quantity without being type casted or coined as a copy cat?

HSAH thinks it cant be easy to make your mark in this ever evolving music world and for a band to stand out they must be truly special or just plain mad. Which is AU? Possibly the good kind of mad. Hailing from Portland Oregon, AU, mark themselves out with their debut offering Verbs that's out on Aagoo Record later this year. Coined as an 'experimental pop collective' Verbs is a collection of ethereal tracks that, at times, sound like interesting choral music or sleep inducing lullabies. A prime example of this is the aptly named Sleep, the last track on Verbs.

What Verbs doesn't lack is layers. With over thirty contributors to Verbs its amazing the depth that is on this album. With additional vocal and musicians the tracks on verbs are given an extra dimension like on All My Friends, which is this explosion of sounds. Like their peers, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Beirut, AU masterfully veer on the side of madness and throughout Verbs you are left thinking what, why and how did they come to this music. This playfulness allows AU to be as 'out there' as they like but they manage to retain a commercial feel to their music.

Hand Shakes and Holidays thinks you should listen to this album. 8/10.

Lovely sounds...

So after a recent trip to Toronto HSAH got the opportunity to check out new American band The Dodos, who were amazing even in a jet lag haze. Now that said blogger is home she has had the opportunity to check out The Dodos support band in great depth.

They are simly called AU and sound like a whimsical fairground, fairy music. They hail from the musical hot bed of Portland, Oregon and HSAH doesnt think they have released a great deal of material in the UK.

check them out here: www.myspace.com/peaofthesea