All My Friends Think I'm Insane

Art Brut are an art rock band of the highest caliber. Deriving their name from French painter Jean Dubuffet's definition of outsider art - art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation. It pretty aptly sums up the bands sound. Once, in an interview, Eddie Argos was questioned as to why he spoke on his records instead of singing and, confused, he replied that he thought he’d been singing all along. This is the sheer brilliance of the band. Their live shows have Eddie walking around the crowd, stopping the songs in the middle, for him to regale the audience with random musings or playing a vacuum (true story). If you've never heard an Art Brut track then you're doing yourself a disservice. They began with a demo called Brutlegs that caught the attention of Rough Trade records who offered the band a record deal. Bang Bang Rock & Roll was released in 2005 with "Emily Kane" being the first single released and was the highest charting single for Fierce Panda records. Second album It's A Bit Complicated was issued in 2007. Shortly after the release the band parted ways with EMI. Their last 2 albums Art Brut Vs Satan and Brilliant! Tragic! have both been produced by Frank Black (of Pixies fame) who is a huge fan of the band. Also an interesting fact is that Art Brut have franchises including the band We Are Scientists (AB47) who play or record Art Brut songs at random. Following in the spoken/singing tradition of Jarvis Cocker, Eddie Argos and Art Brut have definitely carved out their own niche and will hopefully continue to do so well into the future. If you ever have a chance to catch a live performance then I definitely recommend doing so as they are a whole other beast live. Here's to the revolution:

"Emily Kane" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Formed A Band" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Modern Art" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"My Little Brother" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Nag Nag Nag Nag" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Pump Up The Volume" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Direct Hit" http://www.dailymotion.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Alcoholics Unanimous" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Slap Dash For No Cash" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Lost Weekend" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

Lost In The Woods

The band by the name of Pete And The Pirates is not what you would call well known. They make great songs with some quality lyrics and will probably remain out of sight which is fine with me but for those in the know then we are the lucky ones. There is an obligation for those in the know to share the greatness of the band with others. I know some of you probably want to keep them all to yourselves. This isn't fair to anyone especially the band who deserve a little TLC from everyone. Now that's out of the way, we can turn our attention back to the band and the music. Hailing from Reading, they've been around since 2006 and issued their first album Little Death in 2008. A great collection of tracks that appealed to all the senses. Changing up from song to song definitely makes the album sound fresh upon each listen. Second CD One Thousand Pictures saw the light of day in 2011 and carries on the same jangly guitar that makes Pete And The Pirates who they are, along with the harmonies. Also of note is the band Tap Tap, who are lead singer's Thomas Sanders other band that he fronts which includes some members of Pete and The Pirates. Similar in sound and of course trademarked by Thomas's voice they even share a song between the 2 bands "Half Moon Street". Highly recommended if you want some toe tapping music for sunny days. Listen to the sound:

"Come On Feet" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Mr Understanding" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"She Doesn't Belong To Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Winter 1" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Come To The Bar" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"United" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Half Moon Street" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

Tap Tap "Little Match" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

Tap Tap "Half Moon Street" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

Cuts Like A...

The Young Knives hail from the UK, Leicestershire to be exact and have been around since 1998. Taking their name from a misunderstanding of "young knaves" the band read in a book, they started off calling themselves Simple Pastoral Existence. After the initial name and a split the band reformed as Ponyclub only to change their name to The Young Knives once they signed a record deal. They released The Young Knives...Are Dead in 2002 then dropped their full length Voices Of Animals And Men in 2006. Their first mini album was re-released as The Young Knives...Are Dead...And Some which included EP Rollerskater in 2007 for new fans of the band. In 2008 the band issued Superabundance and their newest album Ornaments From The Silver Arcade was unleashed in 2011. A quirky, fun band that has some clever tunes and lyrics. With jangly guitars and sneered vocals they fit in their niche quite well and are all the better for it. Take a walk:

"Here Comes The Rumour Mill" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"The Decision" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"She's Attracted To" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Weekends And Bleakdays" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Terra Firma" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Walking On The Autobahn" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"Dyed In The Wool" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c

"I Love My Name" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1nC-uyhg1c