WE START FIRES- Hot Metal/ Hipshake (Marquis Cha Cha Records)

If you haven't heard of this band yet, you soon will. Because they enjoy making noise as much as I love to hear it. In fact, I might go so far as to say my ears are enslaved. Which is why they are one of the hotly tipped bands for this year (The Guardian like them so they must be good). I can only sum them up then as three girls and one lucky lad from Tyne and Wear who sound like they have long since known that the world belongs at their feet. Sexy, brash, powerful and ridiculously cool, combining the odd vengeful PJ Harvey-esque stomp with the gorgeous alt-pop influences of The Breeders and their very own brand of spiky guitars and raucous synth, they want you to shake your hips and I defy you not to. Especially if you've got the child-bearing variety like me. Hoorah.

This was released on Jan 3rd, which means you should have it by now, non?

www.westartfires.co.uk


CADILLAC- Wilder than this

In this, the third single from their acclaimed "Magnetic City" album, Cadillac claim that there is nothing wilder than this. But then, they're Norwegian and are in darkness for half of the year, God love 'em. From first listen, they sound to me more like the kind of blokes that would throw the remote control through the window rather than the whole TV because they just never get above a certain level of excitement. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've done it.
What I'm trying to say is, that whilst this is never going to bring anyone to climax, it is still good. Because Cadillac pound out tunes like nobody's business; dirty riffs and Dave-Grohl-drumming-impressions akimbo (very QOTSA), with comparisons also being made to At The Drive In and The Strokes (but with a more meaty sounding voice), have got to be good for something. So what if one of them looks like my fella's Dad? I like them, The Independent love them. And you, you might listen to them more than once.

Released 30th January

Anna Claxton