Listen Up! No. 23: The Young Veins - Take a Vacation!

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Struck with the realisation that at 22 they still had time to do something meaningful with their lives, and sobered with the realisation that being in Panic At the Disco wasn't it, these two average-to-accomplished guitarists (Ryan Ross and Jon Walker) have now set about writing average-to-accomplished Byrds-ian 60s pop. It's got all the emo kids rather, erm, emotional - an irony which is probably lost on them.

Listen Up! No. 22: Caribou - Odessa

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The flagship track from Canadian bedroom-beats man Dan Snaith's 'breakthrough' record Swim, this one's 'Penny Lane' for a genre where 'breakthrough' constitutes #97 on the Billboard 100.

Listen Up! No. 21: Stagecoach - Map to the Freezer

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I'm not entirely sure whether the video is a send-up or a tribute to laughably unrealistic 90s explosion advert Speed, but either way I'm charmed - this Surrey lot have crafted an excellent slice of breathless, punky indie with just enough trigger-happy melody to hold it together. Like a ballsier (and thus far less irritating) incarnation of Los Campesinos.

"I had a dream I shot you with mace and I... hope you're not okay", they say. Food for thought for the critics...





Flip to about 1.20 for the music, or revel in the majesty of Keanu's adrenalin-addled performance. Hmmm.

Listen Up! No. 20: Larsen B - Marilyn

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New-fangled jangle-wangle. And running drums. Can't go wrong with running drums.

Listen Up! No.19: The Like - Fair Game

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Chameleon-like girly quartet The Like take on their most pleasing guise yet - 60s doo-wop meets garage-rock angles and a vocal which recalls the slightly sneering sing-song of Elastica's Justine Frischmann (at least in the verses). If I'm not mistaken, this one has Mark Ronson at the helm of the production desk, which gives it that indelible top-10 sparkle. The haters might scoff, but better this than he give the Kaiser Chiefs any more air time, right?

The vid also comes courtesy of Gia Coppola, which makes it cool, or something. Skip to 2 mins for the song.