#1 Indie Joe.

[General Smuts]

JOE'S FOXESTALK CD SWAP CLICK HERE.

First Up Joe.

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

Not a bad song, certainly not a CD opener more likely an album track, nice touch of the homegrown. 6/10

2. Granite - Pendulum

Another half decent song, should have been the opener and i can certainly see myself twatted and dancing along like a gimp to this of a nightclub outting. 7/10

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

Classic tweepoppy goodness. 7/10

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

I've not heard this song before. Quality band but the song doesnt quite match up to 'Still Fond' which is betond good. I love the singers voice though. 7.5/10

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

Ok song, The Dykeenies have better. Id reccommend 'New Idea's' and 'Waiting For Go' over this. 6.5/10

6. The Hard Sell Snippet - DJ Shadow

TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Should've saved this for last though. 9/10

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

Great song. I still prefer 'We Were Rockstars' but this is quality. 8/10

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

I fooking love the WinterKids i want Hannah Snider's babies!!! 10/10

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

Another immense tune but why the fork did you pick the 20 minute live version? The 3 minute album version would've played better. 7/10

10. Cassius - Foals

Another half decent track from a band with far better songs. Loving the ska action aswell! 7/10

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

My first listen to this song too. Im a sucker for handclaps, and i blardy loved this, great find. 9/10

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

I've not heard this song in so long i actually thought id never heard of these before. This used to be my myspace profile song waaaaay back when. I LOVE THIS SONG!!! Thank you so much for remembering it too me. 9.5/10

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

A band i keep meaning to get into but get distracted and i go listen to something else instead. God knows why this is an ace song. Shaky-voicetastic. 7/10

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

My only problem was that it didnt end quick enough for me to listen to Look See Proof! 9/10

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

Great band, i love 'Casualty' and was gonna put it on my cd in fact, so cheers for stealing them Brilliant live which is the only place i've heard this song before. Great addition to the old iTunes. 9/10

Album Highlights - Winterkids and 'Disco Dancer'

Album Low Points - 20 mins worth of a 3 mins song was a bit much.

Overall - Great first CD full of indie likelys old and new. Good times all round. Not a bad use of an hour of my time. Well worth downloading. 8/10.

[Flynny]

Nice template that i can copy exactly LFF. Cheers. I'm going to add to the excitement and do this LIVE.

So far:

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

Bit meh. Certainly not bad, it just lacks something and doesn't quite take off. 5/10.

2. Granite - Pendulum

I really bloody liked this. 9/10

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

Nice. 7/10.

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

Not bad. Didn't grab me. 6, maybe 6.5/10

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

Really quite liked this for some reason. 8/10

6. The Hard Sell Snippets - DJ Shadow

Felt completely out of context and not summat that could stand alone. 3/10

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

Liking this a load. 8.5/10

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

Bouncy. 8.5/10.

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

Liked. Also it was only 3 minutes for me. 7.5/10

10. Cassius - Foals

Never really liked this but it's not a bad track particularly. Been meaning to check Foals out properly eventually. 6/10

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

Liked it. 7.5/10

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

Liked this one even more. Quite a bit more. 8.5/10

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

Solid again. - 7.25/10

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

No sorry I had to skip after a minute.

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

Really like this one. 8.5/10.

Overall - Lots of solid tracks and nothing offensively bland. Obviously taste and thought here even if it doesn't exactly match my taste. I'll have to listen to some of these tracks again, which is always a good sign. 7.5/10.

[Joe.]

Ahh glad you liked it.

By the way, you're ordering isn't the way I listed it myself

And about the Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jongs Lonely Buoy, it says it's 19 minutes on my itunes but when I play it it's actually the three minute version. Not sure what went on there.

[General Smuts]

Ahh glad you liked it.

By the way, you're ordering isn't the way I listed it myself

And about the Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jongs Lonely Buoy, it says it's 19 minutes on my itunes but when I play it it's actually the three minute version. Not sure what went on there.

Ahhh, played for 20 mins for me. What's your idea of the listing then? Last year im sure we had to tracklist.

[Joe.]

Ahhh, played for 20 mins for me. What's your idea of the listing then? Last year im sure we had to tracklist.

This is what I had:

1. Tokyo Police Club- Tesselate

2. Winterkids- Hear Me Out

3. Parka- Disco Dancer

4. Pendulum- Granite

5. Cut Off Your Hands- Oh Girl

6. Kate Nash- Mariella

7. Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jongs- Lonely Buoy (really don't know what happened with this one ) EDIT: Skip this track people.

8. Foals- Cassius

9. Belle and Sebastien- I'm A Cuckoo

10. Bombay Bicycle Club- How Are We

11. The Dandilions- Blowin' O's

12. Does It Offend You, Yeah?- Battle Royale

13. DJ Shadow- The Hard Sell Snippets

14. The Dykeenies- Coward's Words

15. Look See Proof- Between Here and There

In all honesty I gave very little consideration to track order, only the opening track.

[Flynny]

7. Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jongs- Lonely Buoy (really don't know what happened with this one ) EDIT: Skip this track people.

It was 3 minutes long for me. I've nearly finished your CD now.

[Finnegan]

I should point out before you read this, that I generally loathe modern 'indie' bands so I'll try and keep an open mind as possible, just don't take this too personally.

1. The Tokyo Police Club.

What's this been popularised by? Has this been on Scrubs or something? It sounds Zach Braffish! I'm sure I've heard it before. The voice (I can see this being a trend) grated a little with me but I liked the drummer, generally a pretty catchy pop song. Not a bad start! 7.25 / 10 [/Thracian]

2. Winterkids.

Disjointed, but not really in a way I liked. Again, the vocalist didn't sit too right with me. A little awkward to listen to, but again, a nice catchy little chorus, the second half certainly 'stronger', I was eventually tapping my foot. 6/10.

3. Parka.

My favourite so far! A bit more energy, a bit bouncier. I can imagine being royally off my tits and enjoying this. 8/10

4. Pendulum.

Now that's more like it. This I'm pretty sure I have been off my tits to and enjoyed. You know you're doing something right when you take the name Perry ap Gwynedd. 9/10

5. Cut Off Your Hands.

I skipped through bits of it. Bit formulaic, bit too soft, never reaaaally broke out of mediocrity. 4/10

6. Kate Nash.

I'm sorry, I really, really hate Kate Nash.

7. Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jongs

A little less generic but again nothing to really, really grab me. Quite a 'complete' sound without being really memorable. 6/10

8. Foals.

As Cut Off Your Hands, I skipped through some of it, seemed a little run of the mill, threatened to explode out of the bridge / solo but broke back into the same monotone. Disappointing. 5/10

9. Belle and Sebastian.

.. put me to sleep, in a good way. 8/10

10. Bombay Bicycle Club.

Where do they come up with these names? I recognized the riff, but probably because it was similar to something else more than because I'd heard it before. Oddly listenable, I quite liked the chorus. Built up a little more and properly 'rose' to it, where the Foals failed to. 7.5/10

11. The Dandilions

LFF summing it up as an album track sounds about right. Probably a good song if you're into the genre. 6/10

12. Does It Offend You, Yeah?

See, more of this and you'd have had my vote. I wish I could break-dance, this one's actually going into my library. 8.5/10

13. DJ Shadow.

DJ Shadow can do no wrong. 9/10.

14. The Dykeenies.

Nice to hear a bit of accoustic in there, I said it'd be a running theme and the vocalist irritated me, but a nice enough melody. Was going to be a 6 until the dual harmonics kicked in. 7/10.

15. Look See Proof.

A perhaps fittingly generic note to end on. Just not my thing, really. Nicely upbeat though, and pretty catchy for what it was. 6.5/10

Which gives an average score of, er. Let me do the maths. 6.583r. I'll round up to seven out of ten because I thought, to be fair, given that most of it really wasn't my cup of tea, it was solid and pretty consistent. A good effort, feller, sincerely. -1 for some fooking awful linesmaning, so 6 overall.

[James.]

I went to see DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist perform The Hard Sell a couple of weeks ago and I have to say it was very disappointing.

I'm as big a fan of DJ Shadow as anyone but I got the impression they were relying on their reputations to pull them through what was overall a pretty poor set. It was one for the mixing anoraks and geeks to nod their heads to and witter on about how rare that last obscure 45 was. Much of it was just beats being looped and random samples from films and other media. I was looking for something more like their previous mixes, Brainfreeze and Product Placement, which were both great combinations of rare funk and hip hop, mixed well with an emphasis on getting people dancing.

I haven't heard the snippet track from Joe's mix but I'm guessing they've pooled together the highlights for a quick 5 minute blast (the whole show was about 1.5 hours). Trust me, the highlights were few and far between.

[Daggers]

1. Does it offend? Not me. I love a full, fat sound coming from the speaker now and then.

2. Winterkids – unlike this. Stock in trade modern guitar-based Indie-pop sound with overtones of a Madchester organ. It’s all been done before. Better.

3. Joe Lean – I loved the bass in the opening 10 seconds…and then it got submerged underneath directionless jangling. Just like ”Hear me out” – I did, but I’ll not be rushing back to do it again.

4. At least Cassius offers pace change and a sound that compliments the vocals in order to set it apart from so much that floods the Indie arena these days. On other days I might want to smack the singer in the face for whining, but not today. Today I am tapping my foot and Babbage is attacking it.

5. I like Tokyo Police Club, they are another band that offer something a bit more to the genre and I adore the distorted 80’s-style keyboard sound, it reminds me of stuff I did a while ago using a tape2tape and a Yamaha home organ. It makes me think of train windows and cows rushing by, being replaced by towns…being replaced by fields again. On top of anything else – tessellate is a brilliant word.

6. "Home Parka" "Yus, Mi'lady" Saxophone is the sexiest instrument ever. Just the lilt of it propels any song from average into listenable for me. Turning down the guitars, pumping up the bass and throwing in a chanting chorus – if more songs were like this it wouldn’t be so good. But they aren’t. So it is. In fact it is the first so far I have put back to the beginning to listen to again immediately. X-Ray Spex anyone?

7. BBC are a band that simply tick me off, the vibrato on the vocals is infuriatingly annoying.

8. I don’t like Nash. At all.

9. Look, See Proof that The Automatic does this better?

10. Dandylions are inoffensive flowers…formulaic music isn't.

11. Not heard this before and they benefit from granite being one of my favourite rocks. I like songs that make me think of driving fast through rain-soaked, neon-lit city streets. I like pop that offers something a bit more. I liked this.

12. Belle and Sebastian make me want to be sick. There’s a level of tweeness that should never be allowed to be crossed. By law.

13. Cut off your hands? It would certainly stop them being able to make any more of this. I think I’m stunningly bored of bland Indie now…I hope the next song is better.

14. Phew! Acoustic guitar. Chunking strumming is the kind of thing you’d hear playing in the background of a coffee shop or in an American Arthouse film. I can forgive it that but I’d not be listening to this again simply because the crescendo at the end was unneeded emotion and it lasted well too long. But Dykeenies? I hate that name for some reason. It makes me feel angry.

15. DJ Shadow brings originality to the table and always makes a good filler for a mix.

Thanks Joe.

[The People's Hero]

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

This wasn't my opening track but I'm going to do it in LFF's order. I actually quite enjoyed this as it started. Unfortunately, by the time the track was half-way through I'd forgotten I was listening to music... and I really was trying to listen, I'd started to think about what I was going to have for dinner. That said, it didn't offend me. It just didn't grab me. I'll give this a 6/10.

2. Granite - Pendulum

Interesting track. Held my interest. Can really imagine loving that after a few too many San Miguels. Will listen to this again. Thanks. 8/10.

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

I already loved this track. I just love B&S. It's a strange choice for me, but typical B&S. Not a stand out track but still good enough for a.. 8/10

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

I enjoyed the introduction and ended up not listening to all of it. It never got going for me beyond the first thirty second. Lost it's way. The chap's voice grated a bit, which is odd when you consider some of the music I enjoy. It just all seemed a bit false, plastic and empty. 4/10.

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

I've heard a few Dykeenies tracks before. I just don't like the Dykeenies. This bored me. (sorry Joe). 2/10.

6. The Hard Sell Snippet - DJ Shadow

Refreshing. REALLY enjoyed this. First time I've heard it so very pleased that you've introduced me to it. 2nd best track on your album, for me. 9/10

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

Sorry, I don't get DIOYY. It does offend me. I wish I liked it because it's edgy and a little different, but I don't. 3/10

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

Bored me. Not enough to keep my interest. Not an awful track particularly, just kinda seeped in to mediocre indie tune nothingness. 5/10.

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

This is the best I've heard for JL&tJJJ... I didn't expect to like it - but it was alright. I'd probably listen again. 7/10.

10. Cassius - Foals

Alright - nothing special. Again, as above. I preferred it to other bits and pieces I've heard of the Foals. I quite enjoyed the way it ended, so I'm going to give it 6.5/10.

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

I adored this and am on my third listen. Been meaning to check them out but never got round to it... maybe I never would have. You've opened my eyes though. I might be going over the top here, but I really enjoyed it so... 10/10

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

This is really good. I've heard it before. Enjoyed hearing it again though. It's in just about every playlist I had on my laptop. 8/10

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

I like the kookiness. There is something a bit kooky about all their stuff but in each song the kookiness is different. 7/10

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

I actually like the way that a few artists have come along and shaken the industry up a bit with kooky songwriting based on minutiae and ultra-personal garbage, it's refreshing after a bellyfull of Muse/Radiohead whatever, (and I love both, don't get me wrong). I kinda appreciate what she's trying to do, she wants to be a poet. A rubbish one, in secondary school. Her voice just grates me. I'm not sure her voice would be that bad if she actually sang but she always tries to speak and in-ton-ate like she has an att-it-ude on her. Having said that, parts of this had a small appeal, it's not her songwriting and it's not her singing but I actually quite enjoyed parts of the tune on this. 6/10.

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

Yeah - good. Can't think of much more to say really. I quite enjoyed it. 7/10

Album Highlights - Tokyo Police Club, Pendulum, DJ Shadow and re-hearing Parka - Disco Dancer!

Album Low Points - Few mediocre, forgettable indie tracks.

Overall - Enjoyable. Made me re-think a few judgements which may have been too hasty. Reminders of a few old favourites. I just don't like the sort of indie which a lot of this is. Still, it was all listenable at least and some of it was magical. 6.5/10.

[Joe.]

Thanks for the reviews so far guys.

Nice to see Parka- Disco Dancer and Tokyo Police Club- Tesselate going down well (even with Daggers!). Tesselate is probably my favourite song at the moment. In all honesty I wished I'd put more thought into this CD, I could have made it much better so that it appealed to a bit more of a wider audience.

Really the purpose of my CD was to introduce songs that I didn't think generally people would have heard before (which seems to have been the case).

[Fez of Mahrez]

Thanks for the reviews so far guys.

Nice to see Parka- Disco Dancer and Tokyo Police Club- Tesselate going down well (even with Daggers!). Tesselate is probably my favourite song at the moment. In all honesty I wished I'd put more thought into this CD, I could have made it much better so that it appealed to a bit more of a wider audience.

Really the purpose of my CD was to introduce songs that I didn't think generally people would have heard before (which seems to have been the case).

I think that's the whole point of this to be honest. I have really lost touch with the latest indie music and will be interested to hear this collection (currently 77% downloaded).

I tried to put as many songs on mine that no-one will have heard before (and that I also loved) as possible. It's tricky with the range of musical taste we have collectively, for instance JTB will have heard the first few songs on mine to death.

There's no point us all sharing Arctic Monkeys/Hot Chip/RJD2/Rage Against The Machine songs or whatever but if everyone offers just one song that one of us hasn't heard before that I end up really liking then it'll all be worth it.

[General Smuts]

I think that's the whole point of this to be honest. I have really lost touch with the latest indie music and will be interested to hear this collection (currently 77% downloaded).

I tried to put as many songs on mine that no-one will have heard before (and that I also loved) as possible. It's tricky with the range of musical taste we have collectively, for instance JTB will have heard the first few songs on mine to death.

There's no point us all sharing Arctic Monkeys/Hot Chip/RJD2/Rage Against The Machine songs or whatever but if everyone offers just one song that one of us hasn't heard before that I end up really liking then it'll all be worth it.

Well said maestro.

[Fez of Mahrez]

The Dykeenies - Coward's Words

I don't like it. I can picture a load of twatty 15-year-old girls going mad for it while I stand, confused, at the back - wondering what the fuss is all about. Nothing about it grabs me and throttles me by the throat to convince me why it's a good song instead of just a bloke strumming a guitar. I will point out at this juncture I'm more of a music man (TIA TIA TIATTO) than a lyrics man. 3/10.

DJ Shadow - The Hard Sell Snippets

Love a bit of DJ Shadow and haven't got round to getting The Hard Sell. This is a good filler. 6/10.

Cut Off Your Hands - Oh Girl

It's okay. Don't like his voice. Bit lightweight. I would say it was twee but... 4/10

Belle & Sebastian - I'm A Cuckoo

All things being relative, here come the twee-nies. Never really got into these. 4/10

Pendulum - Granite

Now this is more like it. Dark, menacing, broody, powerful, lively, ultimately uplifting. After listening to this you'll know you've listened to it. I've already forgotten what any of the other songs sounded like in comparison. Cillit bang. 9/10

The Dandilions - Blowin O's

I really like this. This is going to sound lazy but it genuinely reminds me of The Libertines. It really does sound like them, but then I liked The Libertines so I like this. 8/10

Look See Proof - Between Here And There

Reminds me of The Enemy/The Wombats/any number of current indie bands. It's alright but it doesn't grab me. 5/10

Kate Nash - Mariella

Not for me. There are lots of female voices in the world and this isn't one I want to listen to. 4/10

Bombay Bicycle Club - How Are You

Think you've got the song title wrong on this one Joseph! The song's called 'How Are You' and the EP's called 'How We Are'... Fantastic song and great live. I'm probably biased. Plenty of ideas and they're only 18. Can't wait to see how all this ends up for them. Only band I've ever stage-invaded. 9/10

Parka - Disco Dancer

I like it. Energetic and goes places. Reminds me of the Neon Plastix. 7/10

Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate

I absolutely loved A Lesson In Crime but have taken a bit of a hiatus from new music lately so haven't heard this yet. His voice is great. Sounds a bit like early Idlewild?! 8/10

Foals - Cassius

Seen these last May with Woolers. Doubt he remembers. I don't actually remember the music. I like this though. Haven't got round to getting the album yet. 8/10

Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong - Lonely Buoy

I don't like him. Never heard anything by them. Don't like this. 4/10

Winterkids - Hear Me Out

This is good. If you haven't got a beautiful song then you need a driving beat and a few ideas. This has the latter. 7/10

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Battle Royale

It's okay. It's nearly there. It's not quite Simian Mobile Disco for me. 6/10

[Lillehamring]

1. Tokyo Police Club- Tesselate

piano is ok, lyrics are at least interesting, the song itself didn't really go anywhere, the 'barefoot' bit was good but didn't really reach it's potential.

2. Winterkids- Hear Me Out

urgh, that beat, so tired... track sounds like some middle class kids trying to do punk, and failing.

3. Parka- Disco Dancer

can see why this has been the favourite of most, miles better than the first two, a nod to the past without just copying... and that is how the winterkids guy should drum!

4. Pendulum- Granite

this flows well from the parka track, pretty good, wouldn't be something i'd play too often, oh, it's even better with the vocals. yeah, my favourite so far - go figure!

5. Cut Off Your Hands- Oh Girl

this is like the first track (i think), but with more charm, very samey tho, wouldn't go out of my way for it, but ok in its way

6. Kate Nash- Mariella

ha ha - please die (and buy a real piano...)... ha ha, i was just about to skip, and the second bit started, never really heard her before but that was embarrassing!

7. Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jongs- Lonely Buoy

i got the short version, not really my thing again, but it wasn't that bad actually, like the guitar, nice.

8. Foals- Cassius

no, can't stand his voice, rubbish, this sort of thing was crap the first time round in the 80s, even worse in camden in the 90s, now... just, why?

9. Belle and Sebastien- I'm A Cuckoo

i like the guitar, it's not a bad track, i don't mind them, to be honest and i think it's one of their more stomachable tracks, though nwhere near their best.

10. Bombay Bicycle Club- How Are We

hmmm, now where have i heard that beat before, oh franz ferdinand, look what you've done... no, very samey and that tremelo shit on his voice

11. The Dandilions- Blowin' O's

been done often and better, not a bad song but so derivative it hurts - but he does mention leicester, that's good.

12. Does It Offend You, Yeah?- Battle Royale

doesn't offend me, but doesn't really impress me, i'd rather listen to justice, anyday

13. DJ Shadow- The Hard Sell Snippets

er, it's alright but not very cohesive, i'd like to hear the original track from during the 'loop' section though... anyone?

14. The Dykeenies- Coward's Words

could have been anyone, sorry

15. Look See Proof- Between Here and There

back to the samey rock stuff, christ is there some kind of book these guys buy 'indies for dummies' - same vocals, same beats, same tinny bass

a mixed bag, i love indie but a lot of this stuff is just to derivitive for me, i know i'm just sounding like an old man but only three songs really stood out, the rest i wouldn't be able to tell you the difference, sorry mate, i guess it could be a lot worse, but thanks for the three that i did like, i'll be hanging on to them, so mission accomplished!

[AoWW]

1. Joe Lean – Promising start to this track but then got a bit too blippy and jangly for me. Nothing offensive but won't be rushing out to hear more. 5/10

2. DIOYY? – my kinda thing, so yeah, I like. Personally, I think they've done stronger tracks though. 7/10

3. Winterkids – Erm, no... typical 'indie' imo (and I'm even into indie!) but done much better by others. Just sounds like another bunch of high school kids. And wtf is going on with that organ sound in the background? No, I don't wanna hear you out – in fact I skipped it in the end. 2/10

4. Foals – Wasn't sure to start with but got into it pretty quickly. Different to a lot of other stuff around at the mo. Hadn't really checked out Foals before now – this has at least tempted me to explore further. On second listen – hmm, a grower. Like the up-tempo pace. Very hard to sit still to this! 7/10

5.Tokyo Police Club – a 'late-night drive song'. Love the pace and sense of movement in this. Always been a TPC fan so no surprises here for me. Good one to include, imo! 9/10

6. Parka – oh, yes, yes, yes... i want more of this. Who the fook are they?... new one on me. Gotta be listened to loud whilst dancing manically round the room and pissing off the neighbours. Reminds me of Reverend and the Makers in some ways, or is that just me? Felt completely bereft when it ended. 9.5/10

7. Bombay Cycle Club – nope, not really me. His voice is just bloody irritating. Now matter how good anything else is that just spoils it for me and I end up shouting at him. The great mood that Parka put me in has just been shattered. 3/10

8. Kate Fu.cking Nash – someone get this bloody woman out of my face. No one speaks like that, let alone sings like it. So fake. Words ending in –er should never be pronounced as –ah. To-gev-ah? Wtf's all that about? Someone sling her in rehab soon, please, and throw away the key. 0/10

9. Look, See, Proof – ok, I guess but been done better by so many others. Instantly forgettable. 5/10

10. Dandylions – yeah, I like this. Catchy, bop-along kinda tune. Maybe not gonna set the world alight with their originality but that can be said of so many new bands. 8/10

11. Pendulum – so wanted to like this but it just didn't work for me. Kinda thing I'd normally really go for. The balance sounded really wrong to me – spent the whole track fiddling around with my equalisers trying to reduce the treble, up the bass, etc... very odd. Will give it another listen some other time though in the hope I get my head around it then. ?/10

12. Belle and Sebastian – anything that starts off sounding that happy instantly irritates me. Sorry, but no. Syrup-sweet. Uggghhh. And who the feck would sit down and think "I know what... today I'm gonna write a song called, I'm a cuckoo?" Oh dear. 1/10

13. Cut off your hands – yeah, another one. Fluffy with some naff lyrics. Inoffensive though. 5/10

14. Dykeenies – perhaps it's just me but I didn't really 'get it'. Take one acoustic guitar and shout over it – just doesn't work for me. All a bit angst-ridden for my liking but without being properly 'dark'. 3/10

15. DJ Shadow – well it's DJ Shadow so in fairness I knew I'd like it from the off. Good change of style to the rest of the mix. 8/10

Cheers, Joe. I realise from my ratings it might not look like I enjoyed that much but it opened my eyes to a few great tracks which is all i want to get out of this really. Highs for me were Tokyo Police Club, Parka, Dandylions and DJ Shadow. Lows: well, I think I probably made them pretty clear!

[The Reverend]

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

Not bad. Listenable. Just a bit samey for me. 6/10

2. Granite - Pendulum

I like this song, heard it before, and i like pendulum, its a bit different, nice and fast paced, a good choice. 8/10

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

Bored me. Too slow. Nice rythm, but as aoww said, too happy for me. 6/10

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

I actually quite liked this. Not bad at all. 7/10

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

Seemed to be missing from my download So no rating for this one.

6. The Hard Sell Snippets - DJ Shadow

A bit different, inteesting change, will be checking this outa bit more. 7/10

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

I liked, good beats, will be checking these out. 7/10

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

Average, wouldnt make an effort to listen to it again. 5/10

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

Pretty decent without being really good. 6.5/10

10. Cassius - Foals

I really like this track. Obviously Radio 1 have absolutely raped it, but i still like it, will be having a gander at Foals. 8.5/10

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

I like TPC, have got some of their other stuff and have enjoyed it, this was no diferent, pretty good. 8.5/10

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

I liked this aswel. Got the old foot 'a tappin. Enjoyable 8/10

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

I've got some of BBC's other stuff aswel and its pretty good, and again, this is no different, good song although i dont like the odd voice, though its original (to me), it does get annoying. 7/10

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

Although i dont mind some of her stuff, i found this shite. Whats she doing at the end? Crikey. Rubbish. 3/10

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

Yeah i liked this one, nice tempo, nice and upbeat. 7.5/10

A good little mix here, most of it i enjoyed, some of it i didnt, but i found most of it pretty good, will most likely go through it again, i think some of these are growers. So overall 7/10, a good effort, so thanks Joe

[Daggers]

4. At least Cassius offers pace change and a sound that compliments the vocals in order to set it apart from so much that floods the Indie arena these days. On other days I might want to smack the singer in the face for whining, but not today. Today I am tapping my foot and Babbage is attacking it.

I saw the video on MTV2 this morning and am not tapping my foot anymore.

My prediction that on another day I may want to do damage to them was prophetic. I do.

What a bunch of wanky-haired tossers.

What a shit video.

I now hate this song.

[Mark]

I can't review every song on here as not many at all really appealed to me, lets just say most of them range from 1-4/10, I know by the band names these are all the new indie bands alot of people like but it's just not for me, they're all a bit samey samey.

Look See Proof - Between Here And There. Easily pick for me. 7/10

Dj Shadow - The Hard Sell Snippets. I like DJ Shadows Endtroducing but this was a bit rubbish compared to that, but ok. 5/10

I didn't like anything else, Foals was ok but after hearing it every day for the past month I got sick of it!

[Jay]

Ok here we go NOW before you read it Joe don't be to offended but some of this is not really my bag!!!

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

doesn't work for me. could easily be about one of 3000 indie bands nothing unique

2. Granite - Pendulum

it's ok nothing special just doesn't work for me I like my drum and bass to be errr drum and bass and my metal to be err metal etc

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

I quite like this one of them bands I have ment to look into but never bothered maybe I should

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

No to obvious nothing special very bland sound like he wants to be in The Smiths to me

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

to easy to forget just doesn't grab me

6. The Hard Sell Snippets - DJ Shadow

I love DJ Shadow but you have picked about one of the weakest tracks known to man but gets a because it's Shadow

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

Have to say I think this is rubbish sounds like somebody wanting to be Liam Howlett in about 1993 go and buy The Prodigys Music for the Jilted generation it's about 3000 times better than this

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

not my thing at all to bland and no individuality imo

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

just sounds to similar to everything else around

10. Cassius - Foals

I really don't want to like the foppish foals but you know what I can't help but like them maybe it's because to me they seem to owe more to 80's Dischord style hardcore than the Arctic Monkeys imo

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

ok, nothing special though

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

can't really think of anything to say...

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

I actually own this song, not sure why it's ok nice chorus bit different it's ok actually.

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

god no..... can't stand the womens voice, sorry it's just radio one friendly crap imo

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

again just sounds of the moment, could be about one of 3000 other bands.

overall

the majority is just not really my thing I am afraid to say.

[James.]

1. Blowin O's - The Dandilions

Fairly enjoyable. Inoffensive.

2. Granite - Pendulum

I count myself as a bit of a snob when it comes to drum n bass. I've been in to the scene for over a decade and own a lot of records, mp3's, albums, etc. I'm sorry to say but I really don't like this. It's diluted pop n bass for the masses. If you want to hear some real drum n bass drop me a PM!

3. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle And Sebastian

Quite nice. Summery tune, made my smile slightly. Doubt I'll pursue them much but a decent tune nevertheless.

4. Oh Girl - Cut Off Your Hands

Alright.

5. Coward's Words - The Dykeenies

Just too similar to everything else. I swear I've heard this about 100 times before and I don't even really listen to indie!

6. The Hard Sell Snippets - DJ Shadow

Saw them perform this live and was relieved when this track was over. They opened with it and the crowd (all revved up for a Shadow/Cut Chemist masterpiece) barely said a word.

7. Battle Royale - DIOYY?

Quite liked the different sounds at first but after awhile it just sounded like a watered down version of some of the breakbeat and electro I listen to. In a club this would be smirked at to be honest.

8. Hear Me Out - WinterKids

Hmm, plain, unoriginal, bland.

9. Lonely Buoy - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

Passed by rather uneventfully.

10. Cassius - Foals

Bit of a ska/Madness influence. Not bad. Again not really my thing though.

11. Tessellate - Tokyo Police Club

It just reminds me of drunk "rebellious" teenagers. Sorry.

12. Disco Dancer - Parka

Quite catchy but, and I really do sound like a broken record, just not really what I listen to or am likely to get into any time soon.

13. How Are We - Bombay Bicycle Club

Nothing different really but I can appreciate a touch of quality when I hear it and this song had a bit more about it than the rest.

14. Mariella - Kate Nash

It's probably cooler to not like her than it is to like her. I actually enjoyed this. I always have had a thing for women singing, including Kate Nash. The voice and the piano blend well together.

15. Between Here And There - Look See Proof

Indistinguishable from much of the above.

Overall

Well it's all about opinions isn't it! To be honest Joe this just wasn't my cup of tea at all and unfortunately the 2 tracks that were more likely to get my attention (Pendulum and Shadow) were relatively weak. Still I've heard some music I haven't heard before and as far as I'm concerned I'm better for the experience.

Cheers.

[shen]

I’m really not into any indie, so this is very much new territory. I too will warn beforehand that I can be quite harsh with ratings. Indie is not big at all here in Denmark, but my impression is that the genre is slowly getting more and more fans.

1. Tokyo Police Club - Tesselate

Much like others, I find it just about catchy, but his voice doesn’t do it for me. I found it to be quite ordinary, but it doesn’t make me pull any faces. 4/10

2. Winterkids - Hear Me Out

Sounded a bit more ‘American’ than TPC, and was slightly better I think. Still very ordinary and I’m quite indifferent so far. 4,5/10

3. Parka - Disco Dancer

Finally something got my attention. Very catchy and hard to sit still to this one. There was a bit more punch compared to the previous too and the vocals, although not my cup of tea either, were blending in nicely with the music. 6/10

4. Pendulum - Granite

Well that was completely different! Found it infinitely more interesting and more original than the opening two tracks and very catchy. Excellent to go nuts to! 7,5/10

5. Cut Off Your Hands - Oh Girl

Boring really. Bit of an anti-climax after Pendulum. I’ve nothing positive to say about this song, and I would want it to quickly be over if I heard it somewhere. 3/10

6. Kate Nash – Mariella

I didn’t really like this, but I still had to listen to it until that dreadful ending started. It was very rudimentary, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I liked the change in tempo, but on occasions she sounds like she could sing really well if she wanted to. Too bad she doesn’t in this song. 4,5/10

7. Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jongs - Lonely Buoy

Skipped this one as Joe suggested…

8. Foals - Cassius

Catchy enough, but it feels like I’ve heard this song before plenty of times. It sounds a bit more accomplished than similar songs I’ve heard, especially the sax bit, but it’s ordinary and thus quite uninteresting. 4,5/10

9. Belle and Sebastien - I'm A Cuckoo

Yeah, ok. Poppy upbeat tune and a rather soothing voice, but I generally find such songs quite cheesy. 3,5/10

10. Bombay Bicycle Club - How Are We

I found it strangely listenable. I kind of liked the melancholic sound of it, and while I’m getting slightly impatient with the limited sound layers in most of the songs so far, this one made me forget about the previous song… 5,5/10

11. The Dandilions - Blowin' O's

I liked the pattern breaks in this one! However there was not much else I could point out about this one. 4,5/10

12. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Battle Royale

I really needed a break from the genre, so this song was refreshing in that sense. Intro a bit too long considering it’s only 3½ minutes long. I’d not rate this above mediocre though, cause it failed to deliver anything noteworthy. A better song of this genre could’ve been chosen. But the timing of it marks it up for me. 5,5/10

13. DJ Shadow - The Hard Sell Snippets

Don’t really know what to say about this one, I’m a bit lost to be honest. I was expecting some (techno)music, but that was just bleh. It’s what the title says it is, but I can’t really make anything of this… N/A

14. The Dykeenies - Coward's Words

Very nice with an acoustic piece! It’s not exactly technically brilliant, but it works. I didn’t like the second part though, especially the backing vocals sounds bad, but I can live with that. 6/10

15. Look See Proof - Between Here and There

This compilation ends a bit like it began. I would’ve chosen to end it with the previous song, because this song emphasizes the main theme of the cd which, in the end, wasn’t to my taste. 4/10

Overall 4,84 ~ 5

I know why I never became a fan of indie after hearing that. Much of it is quite dull and ordinary, and for me it’s paramount that music is interesting. Looking at the final rating, it might seem a bit harsh, but I’m surprised it’s gotten 5/10. A couple of timely breaks away from the similar sounding music helped, and the Pendulum song was a pleasant surprise. I could defnititely give that one another listen, but the rest I’m afraid never comes above mediocrity.

I'm glad I got to listen to some of it though. At least now I can say I've listened to a bit of indie, and still not liked it

[Joe.]

Still a success, even getting one song from it!

And I'll claim introducing Tommy Emmanuel to you as compensation for my compilation.

[shen]

Still a success, even getting one song from it!

And I'll claim introducing Tommy Emmanuel to you as compensation for my compilation.

Yup, although I had a few expectations after learning that you introduced me to TE, as it obviously proves you've got an ear for quality.