Hype: Gained Wisdom

We've stated on many an occasion that we love all things multi-tasking, multi-instrumental or multi-disciplined, so London four-piece Breton are like all of our Chrismukkah presents not just coming at once, but hand delivered in a giant matte black box that's neatly held together with razor-wire ribbon.

Having only released their as-limited-as-it-gets debut Practical EP (exclusively available at Rough Trade) at the beginning of the month, they already have their sights set squarely on their follow up Sharing Notes which will be released in June.

Not to be confined to the constraints of the aural, Breton are also masters of the visual; their most recent work being the video for IT darlings NewIsland's debut single Out Of Time (which can be found here). It's also rumoured that they are soon to work with Penguin Prison in the same vein so keep the retinas peeled for that one.

For now, here's The Well - taken from the aforementioned Sharing Notes EP.

Breton - The Well (YSI)

Breton will also be performing at White Heat (London) this week, along with May68 and Portasound, maybe I'll see you there?

Who's Who 2010: Morning Parade

This post has been a long time coming. Here it is, my final Who's Who for 2010.

Having first discovered my next tip in early Autumn of last year, I've followed their progress closely; listened as they perfected their sound, watched as they honed their live show, and waited until all the pieces of this particular puzzle had fallen into place as perfectly as those September leaves carpeted the cold ground, before finally introducing them.

The. Wait. Is. Over. And when the finished article is as special as Morning Parade, it was well worth it.

Hailing from deepest Essex, childhood friends Steve Sparrow, Chad Thomas, Phil Titus, Ben Giddings and Andy Hayes craft dramatic, heart-on-the-sleeve anthems. Fusing electronics with guitar parts and keys with self-assured emotion, Morning Parade are making unapologetically epic songs to soundtrack first kisses and last goodbyes. Somehow, I don't think the wait before they blow up will be nearly as long...

I'm very proud to be giving them their first exposure here on IT, and even more so to be offering their debut single - Marble Attic - in partnership with the official Morning Parade site as an exclusive download below.

Morning Parade - Marble Attic (YSI) EXCLUSIVE

Hype: I See That Look In Your Eyes

Despite being on my radar for a while now, I'll confess to still knowing very little about Sign Symbols.

Always courteous in correspondence, refreshingly humble and obviously a huge talent, all I know is this: it's a solo project. He's based in Brighton. He enjoys making music and... Well, that's basically your lot. For now.

Oh, except to say that the music he enjoys making also happens to be a rather lovely blend of breathless, falsetto vocals sitting on top of tight, percussive drum samples and synthetic strings that'll happily ease you into a rather lovely blend of dreamy tranquility.

Both of his tracks are available to grab gratis at SoundCloud now. Alternatively, you could waste no more time and download the rather good Coughing Bones here...

Sign Symbols - Coughing Bones (YSI)

Hype: There's A Spotlight In The Sky

So in the mood for a good Hype. Which is handy, 'cause SPARK is a great one.

At just 18 years old, London's SPARK is still in her infancy as an artist, but you don't need a telescope to see that she has pretty much everything, and all in super-sized spades. Lazy comparisons to Lily are, I'm guessing, inevitable, especially in light of Miss Allen's impending 'retirement', but outside of the basics - a young female singer, a precocious talent and a ferocious blogger - there's little in common musically.

SPARK does however seem to share Lily's knack for producing songs that, on first listen sound like catchy, disposable pop, but that with each airing after grow into unmistakably massive hits; full-on pop monsters that you turn on the radio in the hope of hearing.

Of the tracks I've heard so far, it's the eccentric chamber sounds of Revolving that excites the most, but make no mistake, every single second of every single song is packed full of potential, ideas and above all, choruses that will make you want to dust off the tapedeck and record the Top 40 countdown all over again. Or, you know, buy it on iTunes.

For now though, feel free to cop the amazing Shut Out The Moon demo below.

SPARK - Shut Out The Moon (YSI)

In Motion: I Want To Be With You

Wolf Gang - Back To Back

New track. New video. One of my favourite bands.

Wolf Gang - Back To Back (YSI)

They're playing White Heat next week with Darwin Deez and Children Collide. I probably won't be going, but if you've got any sense of taste and decency and you're free next Tuesday in London - get on it.

Hype: Reinvent What Doesn't Exist

Someone whom I've been a little bit in love with for a while now is London's Blank Spaces, or -/- to his friends.

He's been putting a studio together for the past couple of months, consisting of mostly analogue equipment and a 16-track and the fruits of that labour are now starting to surface.

It's this lo-tech recording process, together with the brilliantly written tracks themselves, that really give his sound a certain timeless feel and it's almost like stumbling across a cassette of a band from a time gone by and wondering why the hell you've never heard of them before.

I haven't been able to get this chorus out my head for the entirety of 2010 thus far, here's Magic.

Blank Spaces - Magic (YSI)