Musical Discoveries: July

Good afternoon, pop pickers! This month your musical fisherman is casting her net wider than ever in order to bring you the tastiest sonic guppies with which to tickle your hearing aids.

Let’s start with the beautiful Brooklynites Friends, who peddle a blissful, tropical electro-pop sound. Their new record Manifest! is the perfect summer album – ideal for posing at the beach under a large and impractical hat. They sound a bit like Banarama, if Banarama were a concession in Urban Outfitters. If they were a Florence Finds trend, they would be neon lace. Here is their song A Thing Like This – hear it shimmer as you shimmy to the cocktail bar:

If you enjoyed our mention of the lovely Regina Spektor last month, then you’ll probably already be well into Fiona Apple – another jazzy lady troubadour with talent coming out of her ears. She’s got a new album out this month and it’s had nine out of ten all over the place. This is my favourite song on it:

Lest you think we’re getting too cardigan-y, here is a track from Aluna George. They’re a frankly excellent new combo who deal in 90s-style R‘n B influenced electronica (remember TLC? Destiny‘s Child? Brandy?). If you like your pop intelligent, stylish and well produced then this pair are ones to watch. Hooks so groove-addled you won‘t realise you‘re jiggling your bottom until it‘s too late:

Blur ” target=”_blank”>Blur are playing a gig soon for some big deal sporting competition or another, I can’t remember what it’s called because nobody‘s really talked about it much this year. I don’t have much feeling one way or another about Blur – they mostly remind me of sitting on the school bus on a history trip to Ypres behind the boy I fancied (sigh). This is the first time they’ve done any new material in ages. It’s a pretty good song actually – little bit maudlin but you forget that a lot of their album tracks were:

Last but not least I’d been toying with the idea of flaunting the new Little Mix single in your face (arguing that music posts should cater for a broader range of tastes following the Florence Feedback comments) but for the sake of decorum I’m going to keep my pop knickers on this month. I tell you what though, it’s called Wings, and it is actually a bit good. They’re going head to head with Amelia Lily and Aiden Grimshaw in a hideous corporate chart battle next month… I know who my money’s on.

Penny x