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Manchester's Everything Everything surprised friend and foe with their debut album Man Alive exactly two years (plus two days) ago. Their unique and infectious bold indie elektro sound might have something to do with two band-members having degrees in music theory. Nonetheless, Everything Everything is one of the bands I'm always more than happy to listen to.

The lads are due to release their long-awaited sophomore album Arc in January of next year.

First single from that album is Cough Cough (what's the deal with naming stuff twice twice?). It sounds a bit like the video below. Oh wait, it's the official video for Cough Cough. Sorry... cough cough...

The new single Cough Cough from Everything Everything is released on the 14th October 2012 through RCA Victor. For more information on Everything Everything and to see where you can pre-order the album, please visit their Facebook page, follow Everything Everything on Twitter or go old school and just head over to their website.

It's back to early 90's video quality and graphics when it comes to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti video for latest single Only In My Dreams. Coming from the recently released album Mature Themes, this single would have been one of our favorite tracks of the summer... Only if we would have had a summer here in London...

Indulge yourself in this splendid track and retro video as the start of your weekend! Speakers on full and annoy the hell out of your neighbors and colleagues! Although I think that they'll not really mind..

For more information on Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, head over to their Facebook page where you'll be able to find links to where you can get your hands on the latest record as well!

When I first saw Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes play at Metropolis (one of the best, if not the best free festival in Holland) in 2008, just after the release of their début album Box Of Secrets, their powerful sound blew me away. Positively of course! However, I kind of lost track of the band ever since. Four years and two albums later, the band released their third studio album In Time To Voices at the end of March, I kind of got reintroduced to Blood Red Shoes. With loud first single Cold that preceded the album release in March, now it's time for the title track In Time To Voices to stir up the rankings.

The stylish video had a nice little nudge to the band's name. As you will see towards the end of the video. Be warned, do not try to stare at it too long, as you might not want to finish your lunch today!

In Time To Voices will be finding its way to a shop near you early next week! For more information on Blood Red Shoeshead over to their Facebook page!

Verdict: /5

Track list: True Love (For Now) Chevy Thunder Grey Shirt & Tie Twenty Nothing Friday Night, Don't Ever Let It End Lay Low Upset Boulevard No Adventure What You Wanted Celestine Grim Reefer Never Fade Away

Idaho, Feeder's latest single from the Generation Freakshow album, is due for release on August 27th on shocking punk pink colored vinyl featuring Stay If You Want To on the b-side.

The video shows Grant and Taka overseeing actor Danny Mays trying his luck on a bull. Don't expect an mind-boggling visual experience of the vid, as it's just a decent slow motion clip of a bloke wanting to conquer the mechanic beast in order to win tickets to go to the States...

You can pre-order Idaho on iTunes and Amazon. However, if you want the limited pink vinyl single, head over to Feeder's Webshop to ensure you have a copy landing on your doormat in two weeks from now...

Otherwise you have to cross your fingers and hope we'll be giving one away on our Facebook page...

It's been a while since we've last posted about Super 8 Cynics, a 4-piece from Manchester. In January, we've posted the video for Doing What I've Always Done. Luckily, the guys are back with 'new' material. They've released their new single Bitter Heart (a cover of Ricky Gervais' 1983 Seona Dancing) last week, so time for us to put the lads in the spotlight! (Which is practically impossible on a website, but you get the drill right?)

Have a listen to their cover of comedian and 80's synth-pop hunk Ricky Gervais' Seona Dancing Bitter Heart. Okay, I admit... He's not really a comedian...

As posted on Super 8 Cynics' Facebook page, the story they'd love to tell is as followed:

If it all goes wrong can we say that Ady was actually the guy inside the Alf suit, from the seminally turgid TV show. He decided to cover Bitter Heart after a chance encounter with the guy from Police Academy who makes all the silly noises in a New York bar, whilst Ady was on his honeymoon. Ady put 10c in a jukebox and sat down next to Linz and the Police Academy guy, who smiled a heartening smile to Ady. The Police Academy guy then did an awesome beatbox version of Bitter Heart, projecting his voice so it appeared to be coming from the Jukebox. Linz then said to Ady "Och! Ya should form a wee pop band and cover this Ady!" Police Academy guy then walked out of the bar, his job was finished.

Much better than your average Press Release right? If your ears approved the sound and your brain decided that you like the music, why not buy the single Bitter Heart on iTunes.

Bordeauxxx, a London/Guildford 5-piece making noisy pop songs, are awaiting the release of their mini-album (or 7-track EP, depends on how strict your guidelines for music releases are) Only Fiction on September 24th. You can pre-order the EP by clicking anywhere in this sentence (lazy and ugly, I know, I apologize...).

You can listen and download to Bordeauxxx's track The Beach Girls and the Monster via the Bandcamp player below.

If you like what you've heard, head over to their Facebook page and spare them one of your precious 'Likes'. They'd like you for liking them. The world is an easy place isn't it?

Zen Arcade, named after their rehearsal studios (which got its name from Hüsker Dü's sophomore 1984 album), are a Hackney four-piece influenced by bands like Talking Head, XTC and American funny band Cake. Formed at Stoke Newington's Arts and Media School, Zen Arcade's musical influences are varied and with a collective writing partnership.

Take for example their track The Get Up, which you can listen to and download via the player below.

Awaiting the release of an EP (hopefully) later this year, the lads recently released a video for their single In Emerald. Have a look; it's a good track and a ditto video!

As the next in line of FSM Favorites, we'll keep a close eye on the developments of Zen Arcade and bringing you the latest news! For more information on Zen Arcade, you might want to have a look at their Facebook page thingy!

Scottish pride Biffy Clyro are due to release their sixth studio album, titled Opposites, later this year. While they are still recording the album in a studio somewhere in LA at the moment, they decided to give us a first taste of what to expect. Will the album outperform Only Revolutions? We have no idea about that yet, it'll be a difficult task seeing the massive appreciation of that album... We know for sure that the first single Stingin' Belle will see the light on September 17th.

Raw Stingin' Belle is louder and heavier than the previous singles from the Kilmarnock trio's smashing album Only Revolutions. Don't be too scared of the loud intro, or the bagpipes at the end of the track... The video is features trendy retro footage of some of the lads' previous gigs and tours.

For more information on Biffy Clyro or the upcoming album, head over to their website. Or just bookmark us, and we'll tell you as well, promise!

The three Haim sisters are without a doubt one of the hottest acts around. With the release of their début EP Forever on limited 10" selling out rather fast (last week, a copy sold on eBay for $60), the decision was made to have a quick repress of this much wanted frisbee.

So, what is this sudden hype all about? Well, as one of our fellow writers would notice whoo... three gorgeous sisters, I like it! What kinda music do they make actually?. Well, there's more than just what meets the eye as the sisters make a mix often described as Fleetwood Mac with a pinch of the girls' youth influence TLC and Destiny's Child... I have to admit that I am far from an expert when it comes to 90's female R&B acts, so, lets just forget that point okay? Well, right, let's kick off then!

The EP opens with Better Off with the lovely a capella 'I Never Wanna See You Again' before the drum kicks in and a careful guitar layer complements the track into its chorus. And this is what the buzz is all about:. A delicate mix of sweet vocals, energetic yet calm and cool drum-sounds and neatfully placed guitar melodies... Delightful!

The same recipe was used for the title track Forever. Difficult to choose my favorite track on the album, but if you'd really force me into an answer, it would be this one... Yes, I love this song, I admit it! The pace goes up in this track; little harmonies and another mesmerizing guitar layer with a catchy chorus make this a true gem on the EP.

Slow second to last track with the logical title Go Slow demonstrates the girls' talent in this track with he-he-he-he-he-he harmonics (sorry, had to describe it like that) and off beat drums.

The EP ends, unfortunately, with a remix of the title track. Unfortunately yes. Unnecessary, as the EP would be much better off without the four minute remix. Sorry Dan, nothing personal!

Verdict: 4/5 Despite the rather useless remix on the end of the EP, Forever EP by the three Haim sisters is a collection of three very very very good tracks. Balancing between genres without trying to create or recreate anything disturbingly new, Forever is one of the best releases of the last couple of months for sure! And as it's a well-known tradition with strong début EP's, lets now wait for the début album before we really judge the girls' music!

You can buy the limited 10" on National Anthem's website and you can download the digital version via the lovely *uhum* iTunes and Amazon.

Track list: Better Off Forever Go Slow Forever - Dan Lissvik Remix

After reuniting in 2009, and releasing Wonderlustre in 2010, UK's Skunk Anansie are back for their fifth studio album in a few weeks from now. The new album Black Traffic is the bands first independent releases via their own label (although in partnership with 100% Records) and is set for release on September 17th. I Believed In You is the first single from this new album, with a release date just a week before the album hits the shelves.

This track is yet again a driving track as we would expect from Skunk Anansie. And as the band state in their press-release:

"Our energy hasn't changed, but we say things more concisely and we've worked out the way to hit harder if we want to. We've honed our force-field, our sword goes straight for the heart"

Well, that's quite clear in this track! Just click play below and enjoy Skunk Anansie's raw rock.

The release of the new album will be backed by the first leg of an extensive 20 date European Tour. For more information on this tour and a chance to win great prizes by making use of a very exclusive Facebook app, head over to Skunk Anansie Facebook page.

London's electro-dance-rock outfit Infadels have released their third studio album Future of the Gravity Boy a few weeks ago, of which you can find a review here on the website as well. Tradition tells us that once you have your album out, a next single needs a quick release. So, that's exactly what the lads did. Hooray for tradition!

From Out Of The Black Sky is Infadels' latest single. It's accompanied by this rather strange although typical Infadels-style video. Remember the cover from their debut album? Well, a new style of disco-ball head is back! The video is shot on a boiling few days in the Kent desert (desert in the UK?) and directed by Dutch film maker Viola Groenhart, it’s a bit Joy Division and a bit err… something else. That doesn't really make a lot of sense, so the best thing to do is check the video for yourself below.

If you like what you've seen and heard, and you haven't bought or downloaded the album yet, then you should head over to our Facebook page. We're giving away copies to some lucky 'likes' in the next few days.

Buy the CD on Amazon, or download it from Amazon and we won't judge you if you prefer to buy it on iTunes.

Brooklyn based Conveyor released an EP earlier last year, which gave us a first impression of their innovative, yet ADD mix of electronics, acoustic sounds, melodies and harmonies. Often described to sound a bit like Yeasayer, Fleet Foxes and Animal Collective, the release of their debut album became a somewhat heavy task with reasonably high expectations.

From the first seconds of footsteps walking over crackling leaves and the summer feel of Woolgatherer, you can already hear that Conveyor is a special outfit. Balancing on a thin wire of taking the band serious or seeing the band as just another goof with comic lyrics on joyful music, Conveyor didn't make it easy for the critical listeners. After searching if other listeners would agree, Mom Talk indeed does sound a lot like the legendary America from West Side Story with the addition of repetitive 'Hey Mom Hey Mom Hey Mom what do you want to talk about today'.

However, Conveyor do have some very strong songs on the album; Mukraker could have easily been on Yeasayer's album, while Mane is one of the highlights of the album with its nicely layered harmonies and guitar riff.

Conveyor's experimental side comes forward with Homes, a three-minute repetitive drum sound with ambient sounds and a small piano appearing halfway before kicking in the vocals in the last 40 seconds of the track. The two-minute short All, with harmonies drowning in echoes repeating 'All I want to say is all your love is mine is all I want to say', is smart, but might not be awarded with the impulsive hit on repeat. Final track Anne continues with the 'All I want is all I want is', this time ending with 'see you'. Right, how's that for expressing love and desire?

Verdict: 3/5 Conveyor's self titled album does sound easy to the ear, with colourful music and light lyrics. The diversity of the tracks on the album enable Conveyor to reach a bigger audience, being entertaining but not more than that. Conveyor fits in the same genre as the pleasant pop from acts like Cake, but it doesn't reach the specialness of acts like Yeasayer.

You can download Conveyor's self titled debut album on iTunes and Amazon.

Track List: Woolgatherer Two Davids Mane Short Hair Reach Homes Right Sleep Mom Talk Mukraker All Anne

John Wean, earlier named as one of our FSM Favorites, are four young lads from Uddington, Scotland who formed their band in 2009 and started writing songs about life, love and girls. They've created a sound which they describe as the Wombats having sex with Arctic Monkeys. Really, they do describe themselves like that! Although I doubt that they said the same when they were on Radio 1 recently... After demoing for a while and quitting their day-jobs, the lads quickly built up a strong fan base, resulting in outselling the main acts on two occasions in King Tuts in Glasgow.

If you wonder how they have been able to do so, just have a listen to their EP New York Doesn't Love You, which was released last week.

The title track New York Doesn't Love You, which we've heard before, is a fine example of a boy/girl love issue in the 21st century. Boy sees girl from afar, boy stalks girl on Facebook, realizes she’s got a boyfriend already but, undaunted, moves his stalking over to another platform.

Together with tracks M.A.P and NME, John Wean brings back the 'good old days' of catchy indie-rock from half a decade ago. Honest lyrics, slick riffs and the Scottish accent from both vocalists give the songs a certain charm that goes straight to the heart, making you fall in love (to a certain extent) with their songs. The same is applicable for the last track of the EP, Viva. Again, in the same style as the other tracks, infectious Scottish indie crammed into 4 minutes.

Verdict: 4/5 New York Doesn't Love You is a quarter of an hour of fine and light yet catchy indie-rock. Without redefining music standards, John Wean's brings smiles on the faces of indie rock lovers with their infectious lyrics and riffs. Now let's wait for the debut album!

You can buy John Wean's New York Doesn't Love You EP from Amazon and iTunes.

Track List: New York Doesn't Love You M.A.P NME Viva

I Am Oak is Thijs Kuijken, or Thijs Kuijken is I Am Oak or, well... you get the point. Besides being a talented photographer (he for example did the artwork for Moss' Ornaments album), he used to be the only member of I Am Oak. However, the songwriter for this Dutch folk/indie/acoustic/experimental/ambient/I-don't-know-where-to-categorize-this-outfit now has a band supporting him in his slow and cold, yet warm and touching music.

The 'Nowhere or Tammensaari' was recorded within two weeks by the band in a house in snowy Finland whilst absorbing 'their picturesque surroundings'. Thijs explained the meaning of the album title as “…a place that is constantly changing and moving; that is ‘Nowhere’. This title refers to the place where the I Am Oak songs originate. An alternative for this 'Nowhere' is 'Tammensaari', which can be translated as 'Island of oaks'...

Famine, the album opener, is a folky acoustic track in which Thijs' remarkable voice flows into multiple harmonies along the song, picking up the pace before slowing down into a flow of warmth. Same accounts for the second track Grown, with its playful electric riff and acoustic finger picking.

Lead single Palpable was picked up by BBC Radio 6 and received some decent airtime. The track opens hauntingly, while it takes the listener on a trip, before drowning slowly and calmly in the repetitive riff. Have a listen to the track below.

The track Roam feels like one of those dreams where you can't seem to run; the tempo changes make you float, roaming around in an empty white landscape. I might need to see a doctor or a shrink I guess...

Drooom's piano intro makes you think it might be a ballad, however, the 1:35 long track changes its atmosphere completely in the second half with a cool distorted guitar sound.

As I said in the introduction, it is difficult to categorize I Am Oak. The songs on the album all have similarities, beside the obvious, but it still feels like a box of chocolates. Every single one of them gives you a different taste, some taste good, some taste delicious. Some last less than a minute, while another will last you over 5 minutes... And before you know it, the box is empty and all 12 songs have passed and the journey has come to an end. Now can you fight the temptation to press play again?

Verdict: 3.5/5 I Am Oak is not an album you can just listen to on your way to work or school. It is an album that needs your time and attention to make sure you can fully value its beauty. I just don't know if a lot of people are prepared to open themselves to this experience, although I highly recommend it!

I Am Oak - Nowhere or Tammensaari has been released on July 2nd on Hit Or Heist. You can order the album from Heist or Hit's website. For more information on I Am Oak, head over to their Facebook page or website.

Track List: Famine Grown Boulders Palpable Roam Drooom Marrow Cluster I Am Forest Reins Vares Varas Everything In Waves

New York's four piece Ambassadors started as a college band (according to their Facebook bio, they've been around since 2006) but committed themselves in 2010 to focus on writing their debut album and preparing their breakthrough. Disaster struck before the recording process when Casey, the man behind the keys, needed to have a kidney transplant. With the band in hibernation for Casey to recover, singer and guitarist Sam started writing what would be Ambassadors' debut album Litost.

You can hear and download the brilliant track Unconsolable below.

The lads are now on a short UK tour, playing two more gigs in London on Saturday (The Barfly) and Monday (Water Rats). For more information, head over to Ambassadors' Facebook page, where you can check more tracks and find more free downloads. If you're already sold after listening to Unconsolable, then you might want to head over to iTunes and buy the album.

Alt-J's debut album An Awesome Wave is often referred to as one of the best debut albums of the year so far, and it's no surprise that the lads are due to release yet another single, the smashing Tessellate on July 16th. The video for Tessellate is a twist on Italian Renaissance painter Raphael's 'The School of Athens', set in a modern-day gangster's paradise. Say what? Well, just have a look and it will all make sense!

If you're one of the people who haven't bought the album of Alt-J yet; don't worry, you can still get it on iTunes and even Amazon has some left I think. Otherwise head over to your local record store and pick up a copy there! For more information on Alt-J, head over to their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.