Myspace Mystery Tour!

Having read a very informative article on Fake DIY, I investigated the humble myspace page of Bear Hug. Then continued on by looking at their top friends and then their top friends and so on.

Their myspace picture is the typical, two at the back, two at the front, winter coats done up to the necks Indie "Look how serious we are for our new album" comeback look. But this doesn't quite tally with their twee indie-pop ethos. But then again, never judge a book by its cover. What is true however, is that they come complete with the typical Indie influences: Bass borrowed from Interpol, Chords borrowed from Britpop, lyrics borrowed from a rhyming dictionary complete with "oooooh ohoh ohoh" chorus. Unfortunately, not being Northern, this is deemed unoriginal. Although "Sweet And Gentle" is the best (of the two) track availiable.

One of their top friends is all-female Canadian group Pony Up. While the singer's voice share an unfortunate affinity to a certain Avril Lavigne, the overall sound is polished and pleasant. These ladies seem to have their heart set on World domination, and their Rilo Kiley stylings are not only signed in North America, but have releases in Australia, and tour dates organised across Europe. Their debut EP Make Love To The Judges With Your Eyes looks set to be a rarity for the future and it may be only a matter of time before this foursome make it big.

From Montreal, Quebec down to Austin, Texas, where Oh No! Oh My! are set to make a splash at SXSW in their hometown. These guys have already achieved the auspicious publicity of featuring on a Kitsune Maison release with "I Love You All The Time", a suspiciously folky-yet-beepy affair that probably best shows off their particular quirky acoustic sound that wanders somewhere between the Shins and the Flaming Lips. Complete with the vague Beach Boys influence that seems to vaguely linger with every American band. But that can only be a good thing. "Walk In The Park" is the best song availiable on their myspace, but they have recently released their second EP "Between The Devil And The Sea".

Heading west to California from ONOM's profile leads to Shana Levy and her project Let's Go Sailing. While she is joined by an apparently massive band live, the tracks availiable on her myspace speak for themselves, carrying her delicate vocals to their very limit. Once again, for fans of bands such as Rilo Kiley, Shana and her orchestra will also be playing SXSW very soon.

http://www.myspace.com/bearhugmusic
http://www.myspace.com/iheartponyup
http://www.myspace.com/ohnoohmyband
http://www.myspace.com/letsgosailing