LOS CAMPESINOS!

Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record titled We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, in October that year. Whilst many consider it to be an album due to its length, the band have always referred to it as a 'record' or EEP (extended EP) for contractual and artistic reasons. Their second official album, entitled Romance Is Boring, was released on 1 February 2010. Their fourth full-length release, Hello Sadness, was released on 14 November 2011. The band toured the US and UK extensively throughout 2012.

Origin: Cardiff, Wales

Genres: Indie pop, indie rock, noise pop, twee pop

Years active: 2006–present

Labels: Wichita, Arts & Crafts

Pictures:

Song:

Concert:

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert: Los Campesinos!

Interview:

PETER BJORN AND JOHN

Peter Bjorn and John

Peter Bjorn and John (unofficially abbreviated as PB&J) are a Swedish indie rock band, formed in Stockholm in 1999 and named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass guitar, keyboards and vocals) and John Eriksson, known in his solo work as Hortlax Cobra (drums, percussion and vocals). Yttling also worked as producer for the band's first four albums and Seaside Rock.

They are best known for the 2006 single "Young Folks", which featured Victoria Bergsman, formerly of The Concretes, and was a top 20 hit in the UK Singles Chart, as well as being featured in football video game FIFA 08 and the singing game Lips. It was also named NME's second-best track of 2006, beaten only by "Over and Over" by Hot Chip. In Australia it was voted number 16 in the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2006.

Origin: Stockholm, Sweden

Genres: Indie rock, indie pop, neo-psychedelia

Years active: 1999–present

Labels: Wichita, Parasol Records, Almost Gold Recordings

Pictures: 

Song:

Concert:
Peter, Bjorn and John - One Eyed Jacks (New Orleans Concert) 9/26/11

Inreview:

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine are an alternative rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. Named after the 1981 horror film of the same name, the band's most successful lineup has consisted since 1987 of founding members Kevin Shields (guitar and vocals) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums) with the addition of singer-guitarist Bilinda Butcher and bassist Debbie Googe.

As My Bloody Valentine's music evolved, their use of distortion, pitch bending, and digital reverb resulted in a sound that came to be known as shoegazing. The group's seminal 1991 album Loveless, which took nearly two years to make and nearly bankrupted their record label, Creation Records, received extensive critical acclaim. Following Loveless, My Bloody Valentine became inactive, with Shields recording and shelving several albums' worth of follow-up material. In mid-2007, Shields announced that the band had reunited and were working on new material. My Bloody Valentine subsequently embarked on a world tour.

Origin: Dublin, Ireland

Genres: Alternative rock, shoegazing, noise pop, dream pop, indie pop

Years active: 1983–1997, 2007–present

Labels: Tycoon, Lazy, Creation, Sony, Sire

Members: Kevin Shields, Bilinda Butcher, Debbie Googe, Colm Ó Cíosóig

Past members: Joe Byfield, Dave Conway, Tina Durkin, Stephen Ivers, Paul Murtagh, Mark Ross

Picture:

Song:

Concert:

My Bloody Valentine Live Amsterdam 24 February 1989 FULL CONCERT

Album:

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

Interview:

FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band, consisting of lead singer Florence Welch, Isabella Summers, and a collaboration of other artists who provide backing music. The band's music received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC, before they gained mainstream success. Specifically, the BBC played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Introducing.

The band's debut album, Lungs, was released on 6 July 2009, and held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. As of October 2010, the album had been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010. The group's second studio album, Ceremonials, released in October 2011, debuted at number one in the UK and number six in the US.

Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul. Lungs won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 BRIT Awards. At the 53rd Grammy Awards, Florence and the Machine were nominated for Best New Artist. Additionally, the band performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

Origin: London, England

Genres: Indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, art rock, soul

Years active: 2007–present

Labels: Moshi Moshi, IAMSOUND, Island

Associated acts: Kid Harpoon, The xx, The Big Pink, Lightspeed Champion, The Horrors, Drake, The Weeknd, Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal

Members: Florence Welch, Robert Ackroyd, Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Isabella Summers, Tom Monger, Mark Saunders, Rusty Bradshaw.

Pictures: 

Song:

Concert:

Florence + The Machine - Royal Albert hall on 3.4. 2012. 

Interview:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City, that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard Roof", "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa". The band's most recent album, Contra, was released in 2010.

Origin: New York, United States

Genres: Indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, alternative rock, surf rock, worldbeat, Highlife

Years active: 2006–present

Labels: XL, DGC

Associated acts: Dirty Projectors, Discovery, Ra Ra Riot

Members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, Chris Baio

Picture:

Song:

Concert:

Vampire weekend - Roskilde festivalen 2010 full concert

Interview:

METRONOMY

Metronomy

Metronomy are an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount (composer, singer, keyboards and guitar), Anna Prior (drums and vocals), Oscar Cash (saxophone, backing vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Gbenga Adelekan (bass guitar and vocals). Their music consists of instrumental electronic music and more recently, with the release of Nights Out, vocal electronic pop music. Mount also releases remixes under the name Metronomy, and has remixed many artists including Gorillaz, Roots Manuva, Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons, Goldfrapp, The Young Knives, Zero 7, Ladytron, Kate Nash, Lady Gaga and Lykke Li.

Metronomy have released three albums of original material, Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe), Nights Out and The English Riviera which was released in April 2011.

Origin: London / Totnes, England

Genres: Electropop, wonky pop, experimental, indie pop

Years active: 1999–present

Labels: Because Music, Need Now Future Records, Holiphonic

Picture:

Song:

Concert:

Metronomy Olympia Paris Novembre 2011

Album:

Metronomy - The English Riviera -  Full Album