The Barometer: The Black Angels; The Phantom Band; If The Kids; Cats Eyes; Beau and the Arrows; Francesqa; Justice; The Vaccines

What's hot on our playlist

John Hall
Thursday 17 March 2011 21:00 EDT
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The Black Angels

Telephone

Anti-cerebral, retro rock with a playful, Beatles-esque middle eight breakdown. Big, dumb but lots of fun.

The Phantom Band

Everybody Knows It's True

Despite lifting the rhythm from Pink Floyd hit "Money", The Phantom Band's brand of psychedelica is more akin to MGMT and The Flaming Lips.

If The Kids

Tell Me What You Want

An obvious comparison is The Ting Tings, but this French electro-pop two-piece (above) also bring to mind The Gossip and CSS at their catchiest.

Cats Eyes

I Knew It Was Over

The first offering from The Horrors' frontman Faris Badwan and Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira. Recently performed at the Vatican.

Beau and the Arrows

Fix

This track aims for grand euphoria, but its charm actually lies in Beau's half spoken, lackadaisical vocals (below).

Francesqa

All I Had

Voted best new band by 'Kerrang' and best British band by 'Rock Sound', the Berkshire-based grungers have certainly got the critics on side early.

Justice

Civilization

Powerful and upbeat, this is classic Justice. A promising taste of their forthcoming LP.

The Vaccines

If You Wanna

The buzz bites back. Just a month ago The Vaccines could do no wrong, but it appears the critics are already turning against them. A shame because new single "If You Wanna" remains a catchy, if somewhat generic, pop song. What else did we expect?

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