Listen Up No.18: Besnard Lakes - Albatross

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Slightly belated as lead-off singles go (the album dropped in March), for those who haven't picked up the excellent The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, here's a gentle reminder of why you should. Think skyscraping guitars, peaked only by the soaring melodies. As far as the vid goes... it's some kind of faux-espionage intrigue that's gone way over my head but still retains my interest. Oooo, deep.

Listen Up! No.17: Kele - Tenderoni

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Bloc Party's increasingly frowning frontman releases his debut solo effort - 'The Boxer' - this week, and he's only gone and the done the whole electro/dance thing hasn't he! Who saw that coming (erm...)? Anyway, to save you the trouble of listening to the whole thing (which is fairly mediocre), here's the only track you desperately need. It's essentially a gentleman's update of Wiley's 'Wearing My Rolex', but by Jove, it's a belter.

Listen Up! No.16: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than the Stars

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Artsy/cuddly new video from TPOBPAH - the emo-est hipsters this side of 80s jangle-pop - showcasing their artsy/cuddly new track. Directed by Dylan Mulick (?), apparently.

Listen Up! No. 15: Black Francis - Cinema Star

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Missed this? Missed out. Something Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV doesn't seem to be doing much of, judging by the lyrics.

Listen Up! No 14: LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

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Yes, I know - last month called and wants its new songs back - but regardless, this track still warrants mention for perfectly distilling the oft-barmy hedonism of boozing, all in a flurry of sharp one-liners and David Byrne vocals. If there was any justice this would've been number 1, not 190 (eek!).