Captain Black ‘Sister’

I found my new favourite record label and it all started with the Hawley Arms burning down in the great fire of Camden at the weekend.

The Hawley Arms, you see, was made famous by Mr Graham Coxon off of Blur, he used to pretty much live there. The Maker used to play pool against Food Records there too. Can’t remember if I was involved, must have been, I do remember playing pool with Coxon at some do with Tony Judge. Tony was involved in an inordinate amount of chaos for a designer – always a pleasure, never chore.

Anyway, more recently The Hawley has been home to the not very tall Johnny Borrell off of Razorlight, the not very well Amy Winehouse, and The Mighty Boosch’s Noel Fielding, who has been called Neil a lot in various places over the last couple of days.

And this is how long I’ve not lived in London – the people who own The Hawley have another pub called The Wilmington Arms, near Exmouth Market, Farringdon way. Sounds great. Must go there, apparently they do a mean pie.

So, they are home to the Bumpman45 label. And guess what? Their releases are aces. Their debut release was The Brute Chorus’ ‘Chateau’ (more about them soon I think).

In the meantime, their next offering (out in April) is from the fantastic Captain Black. And seeing how well the Port O’Brien offering went down last week, you will be hoovering this up.

More hear…
Three more tracks on their MySpace, and erm, that’s it so far. Debut single due in April

Port O’Brien ‘I Woke Up Today’

Everything I Know About Port O’Brien

1. The central duo have extra super cool names. Him: Van Pierszalowski. Her: Cambria Goodwin. That’s the first-born sorted if it’s a girl then.

2. Their MySpace biog makes a great deal – and an even bigger extended metaphor – about the importance of the pair’s formative careers on their sound. Him: Salmon fishing in Alaska. Her: Baking.

3. They’re from Oakland, California.

4. Oakland was also home to Sly Stone, Green Day, rap legends Hieroglyphics and rap idiot MC Hammer.

4a. And it’s where The Black Panthers were formed.

5. Erm… She looks quite cute in the pictures.

6. Oh, and their track ‘I Woke Up Today’ is the best thing I’ve heard this year. Unhinged, infectious and destined to be 2008′s rictus-grin-inducing classic. Very much in the mold of Polyphonic Spree’s ‘Soldier Girl’, or Arcade Fire’s ‘Rebellion (Lies)’… with hidden fish and cake influences, naturally.

More hear…
- There’s their MySpace page for that biography, and more tracks from their upcoming debut album.
- An interview with Van. If you’re ever in Oakland he recommends you should go see a movie at the Parkway Theater, where they have couches.
- Oh, and they have a blog. With pics of them baking. And fishing for salmon.

Pete & The Pirates ‘She Doesn’t Belong To Me’

Something’s been bothering me lately. Just what, exactly, is the appeal of Scouting For Girls? Anyone?

Thankfully, for every band that bad, there is a band getting it right, doing it proper, like. And thank goodness. You have to feel sorry for a band whose role is to make major labels feel better about themselves. Then again.

The way forward as any right thinking person knows is indie labels. There’s a raft of them again and they’re casually going about their business of making us feel better by signing great bands. What? Like Stolen Recordings? Exactly. Don’t they have mighty fine Reading fellas, Pete & The Pirates? They do.

They won’t have far to go to play the biggest show of their lives this summer will they. Make room in your ears, they’re coming in.

More hear…
- Of course, there’s the MySpace
- You can find some MP3s from the fine Stolen Recordings, just here
- The debut album, ‘Little Death’, hits the shops or whatever or however things that get released hit these days, on February 18. The vinyl album is available from here, there’s only 500 of them. Hurry hurry. You used to be able to buy a Banksy for £300 in 2003 you know. I’ll tell you my Banksy story one day when I’m brave enough.
- Keeping a beady eye on the Amazon Marketplace Price Index, you can pick up a copy for £8.90. And if anyone can explain why Vampire Weekend shows up in a search for our Pete, I’d be grateful.

I Was A Cub Scout ‘Pink Squares’

There was an article in the Daily Mail a few weeks back about a set of new scout badges. A plan by Britain’s Chief Scout – ex-Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan, no really – to bring Baden-Powell’s increasingly unfashionable youth movement saluting and woggling into the 21st century.

In the place of the Knot Tying and Bivouac Building, come Mountain Biking, Technology, Public Relations and Imagination. (“I’m surprised they don’t have a badge for hairdressing,” splutters one outraged Mail reader).

I Was A Cub Scout are Todd and William, a pair of barely-shaving teenagers from the remote wilds of the A1 corridor somewhere between Lincs and Notts. The sort of place you’d imagine the scout movement still holds sway.

And if Peter Duncan’s new badges had included Tying Emo and Electro in Knots or Constructing a passable early New Order sound, then the Long Bennington Scout Hut’s loss may well have never been joyous indie pop’s gain.

Or maybe I’m taking the name too literally?

IWACS have been drip-feeding excellent tracks since late 2006, and release their debut long-player (‘I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope’) in two weeks. While it’s emotional and sensitive, the album is driven by distinctive beats and rhythms in the way Madchester’s classics were. (and is overseen by production legend Hugh Padman – the man who created the drum sound for Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’).

New single ‘Pink Squares’ is a joy; shuffling between Postal Service synth-miserabilism and Klaxon guitar and beat exuberance, but it’s previous single ‘Our Smallest Adventures’ that has worked its way towards the top of the iPod’s 25 Most Played. Gorgeous synths, bleeps and plaintive vocals. Enjoy the YouTube video here… now…

Great stuff. Fresh, new and very exciting. Consider the Imagination badge earned, chaps.

More hear…
- What else? Oh yes, there’s the single, ‘Pink Squares’, out now on XL, and the album, ‘I Want You to Know That There Is Always Hope’ which is out on Monday, February 18, on XL, who as everyone likes to say these days is the home of Radiohead.
- And here’s their MySpace
- Oh and, nah, forgotten what I was going to say.