Who are they?

Little Volcanoes are a pop/rock 4-piece from Manchester, comprising of Philip Quinn on vocals, Chris Fry on guitar, Mike Edmonds on bass and Elliot Barlow on drums.

What do they sound like?

Catchy! Quinn's mature voice soars perfectly across perky guitars and cool rhythms. Not the voluptuous, thickly layered sound of some bands, but these songs speak for themselves and have a more sophisticated sound than many. Punchy choruses and sailing harmonies aplenty. Foot-tapping optional, but unavoidable. Expect a great show live.

Best track?

My current favourite is Stranger then Hollywood, which showcases drums and bass well, and has an ultra-cool, somewhat jazzy feel about it. Decide for yourself at http://myspace.com/littlevolcanoes.

Links

• Little Volcanoes on Myspace
• Little Volcanoes on Facebook

Permalink to 'Up & Coming: Little Volcanoes'

For a trio, Extinguish Her sure make a lot of noise.

"Hit My Head" is a 7-track slab of how rock used to be made, and in my opinion, how it should still be made. The word 'grunge' is whored around far too much, but this group really demonstrate the raw energy that defined the early-nineties Seattle punk-rock sound, and prove that it still rocks just as hard today.

"Like God" was, for me, a standout track, with a great chorus and lead singer Ellie Akhgar's powerful vocal performance at its best. In fact, throughout, it's Ellie's raw yet pretty voice that makes the record so enjoyable.

Title track and Hole-reminiscent "Hit My Head" also struck a proverbial chord with me. If ever there was a track to make you hit 'play' again, it's this one.

This is a very strong record, brimming with the energy and attitude that is absent from so much of today's popular music. I'd love to hear it played live.

Potential	Originality	Production	Performance	Overall

myspace.com/extinguishher

Permalink to 'Up & Coming: Extinguish Her- "Hit My Head"'

So I have to ask you, are you the type of music fan that happily laps up whatever the charts are serving? Or, are you the type that loves nothing more discovering a great new band that not many people know about yet? If you fall into the latter category, I have a incredible tip for you. Ready for it?

Televox

From Paris, Televox sound thoroughly modern with the tiniest tinge of mid 90's rock (the good kind). The only way I can describe them to you is for you to imagine that Ok Computer had a little more of the guitar-y goodness of The Bends. I don't want you to get the idea that Televox are just another Radiohead rip-off. They're not. Far from it. But there's no denying the fact that if you like one, you'll probably enjoy the other.

How this band escaped all the usual music blog hype and music discovery apps out there is beyond me. Don't bet on them being so unknown for very much longer because they have "it" in spades.

Graciously, the band have made several of their tracks available for download (free) through their Myspace page. Check out 'Angels', and the deceptively titled 'Merry X-mas', both hugely satisfying tunes mixing hooky guitars and sonic puncuations in all the right places.

Download 4 Televox tracks at their Myspace page.

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Reviewing songs can be such a pleasure when you stumble upon a band which you would genuinely love to have in your CD collection or see live. Brooklyn's Red Robot are one such band.

Their brand of indie-rock is delivered with gusto, with a sense of humour, and with more talent than most popular bands within the genre. If there is any justice in the world, Red Robot will become huge, and rightfully overshadow the indie-rock crap that lurks in the charts nowadays. With soaring choruses, great vocals and a rock 'n' roll edge, these four tracks really are quality stuff.

The quite frankly anthemic Puke Remains is the stand-out track here, demonstrating a high level of sophistication in songwriting and production, worthy of multiple radio plays and chart success.

Your Song is also a winner, it's rich harmonies and subtle melody building to a glorious crescendo.

Overall, this is highly recommended listening. A rose among many MySpace thorns, Red Robot surpass their peers with ease.

Potential	Originality	Production	Performance	Overall

• iamredrobot.com
• myspace.com/redrobot

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Lo*Chine are a female-fronted funky four-piece from Southampton, with a refreshing, jazzy sound that makes for a change from the current masses of indie-rocksters.

The EP Smile For The Ladies features two tracks, After 8 and You There (Smile For The Ladies), the latter song being my favourite by far.

The band have a slick sound, with confident lead vocals. I was less keen on the vocals in After 8- I think perhaps due to the higher notes not coming quite as naturally as the rest. A more relaxed singing style might also complement the music slightly better. All in all though, a decent performance on all parts. The addition of male backing vocals is particularly effective.

Lo*Chine produce the kind of music that is perfect for live performances, but I think the potential for commercial success is more limited. This genre would not necessarily appeal to Joe Music-Fan, but would have a smaller fan-base. The basics are there though, and with continued good song-writing and growth as a band, success could follow.

If Lo*Chine ever play a venue near you, I would definitely recommend them for something a bit different. Based on these two tracks, you'd be in for a nice performance and an enjoyable evening.

Potential	Originality	Production	Performance	Overall

• myspace.com/lochine

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Hard rock quartet The Fillmore Gears have been kicking out the jams since their formation in 2006, and have been rocking the Birmingham live scene. Although I've not had the pleasure of seeing them in person, I've had the chance to give some of their tracks a listen.

Their music is pure 80 octane gasoline-fuelled guitar rock, with a guttural vocalist and driving rhythm guitar. Really, this is the sort of music that is best heard loud - if they're in Manchester I'll be sure to catch them live - but the production on the tracks is sufficient to show off the riffs.

Coupled with the great lyrics, judicious use of cowbell and expert guitar work, The Fillmore Gears have a great set of rock songs to their name - but despite this, I can't help but feel that some of the riffs have been done before - a touch of flair or originality in some of the songs could help them break.

But, having said that, I did enjoy the unashamed hard rock riffs, and they do stand on their own as good songs - if you can get the chance to see The Fillmore Gears live, I can heartily recommend that you do it.

Potential	Originality	Production	Performance	Overall

• www.myspace.com/thefillmoregears

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What do you get if you cross Microsoft Windows with Queens of The Stone Age? An odd question, perhaps, but you probably won't find anything closer than The Bluescreen of Death.

Two parts rock to one part weirdness, their repertoire consists of driving basslines and overdriven guitars. Parts of some of their songs, notably Fatal Error, remind me strongly of QoTSA - definitely a good thing - but the mixing lets down the track slightly, with poor seating of the vocals and some minor timing issues. This aside, a sprinkling of extra polish could easily turn the track into a song worthy of greater exposure.

All in all, BSOD are somewhat of a dark horse - some of the riffs and nuances of the compositions are sublime, but other parts of the performance and production have rougher edges - and by comparison, it stands out somewhat. With development, perfection awaits - but despite the obvious songcrafting skills there are some kinks that need working out.

Potential	Originality	Production	Performance	Overall

• thebluescreenofdeath.co.uk
• myspace.com/thebluescreenofdeath

Permalink to 'Up&coming: The Bluescreen of Death'

World take notice- this guy rocks. As soon as the riff kicked in to 'Show Me Your Love' I was sold. Corrie James is classic rock through and through, and if you like AC/DC, Aerosmith, and especially if you like Buckcherry, you're gonna love this.

In the 3 songs available on MySpace ('Show Me Your Love', 'Goin' My Way' and 'Dead Man's Walk'), James provides us with solid, groovy riffs and a strong voice suited perfectly to the genre. It's the kind of music that makes me want to reach for the nearest beer, and think fondly of my favourite biker bar.

Even if his brand of bluesy-rock isn't your cup of tea, there is no denying James' talent; as the singer, songwriter and sole musician on this project, his work really is impressive. 'Show Me Your Love' in particular, is one hell of a song.

So, go to myspace.com/corriejamesunsigned, turn up the volume, and enjoy. Air guitar optional.

Permalink to 'Up&Coming: Corrie James'

London 4-piece The Foxes have been receiving rave reviews for their performances last year, and it looks like their popularity is set to increase in 2007 with support slots lined up left right and centre.

In a way, The Foxes slip perfectly into the indie-rock genre that has been blossoming spectacularly over the last two decades. But their retro-sounding rock and roll base gives them a more distinctive sound that could easily stand up on its own against the Razorlights of the world.

Their well-recorded demo material demonstrates excellent musicianship on all parts, and gives only a hint of how good I suspect they would sound live.

Upbeat, quite bluesy, and reminiscent of The Beatles before they started tripping, The Foxes have the ability, the confidence, and the songs to make a big fat mark on the current music scene.

• myspace.com/thefoxesband

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After a cracking gig at the Night And Day last Thursday, we were handed a copy of The Formative Year's current EP - a selection of four of their ear-friendly songs, leading off with the particularly memorable Don't Let Go.

With champion riffs and an insanely danceable beat, the lead track is definitely my favourite - worthy of a top 40 single or better, with a little more professional polish. Make no mistake, though - the production is very slick, the vocals are perfect and the imperfections amount to a couple of slightly out beats, and (to my ear, at least) slightly out levels on some of the tracks - but this is perhaps me just being picky.

After the fantastically upbeat 'Don't Let Go', the second and third tracks are a little more ballad-y, and perhaps a little less rollicking than the lead track, but worthy nonetheless, with some great lyrics and composition.

The fourth (and final) track is pure rock 'n roll, with a pounding bass drum and a beautiful crescendo over the chorus - a great end of the EP, and rounds off a set of songs marked by a clear talent.

Should The Formative Years continue to improve, bolster their repertoire with more great songs, I'd be very surprised if they don't do very well in 2007. They're touring over the North West until March, so be sure to catch them then.

• myspace.com/theformativeyearsband
• theformativeyears.co.uk

Permalink to 'Review: The Formative Years - EP'