Listening to Los Campesinos!, one suspects a crazy party could break out at any moment like a scene from some lost 80’s flick. In their song “It Started With A Mixx”, seven-piece Los Campesinos! seem to self-reference their sound with the well-stated lyric, “Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop.” Thankfully, the Welsh band skillfully puts their music where their mouths are and delivers songs that straddle the line between twee and something more dangerous.

Alternating between raucous male and euphonic female vocals, LC! (as they’re known in some circles) have been compared to Art Brut, The Futureheads, and Broken Social Scene. At once manic and controlled, “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives” is a two and a half minute blast that delivers precisely what the title promises. By comparison, the densely layered “You! Me! Dancing!” clocks in at over six minutes and demonstrates LC! are more than capable of writing a lengthier track that never overextends its welcome. Check out these tracks and prepare yourself for spontaneous shindigs to breakout!

MP3:
Los Campesinos! - “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives”
Los Campesinos! - “You! Me! Dancing!”

VIDEO:
“We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives”

Responsible for both helping to form the indie pop girl group The Pipettes and serving as their principal songwriter, Monster Bobby is also the guitarist for their all-boy back-up group The Cassettes. As a solo artist, Monster Bobby mixes electronic samples, offbeat songwriting and avant-garde intellectual influences for a decidedly different sound from the upbeat Pipettes.

The involvement of Ryan Morey (responsible for mastering Arcade Fire’s Funeral) on Monster Bobby’s debut full-length, Gaps, is a good reason to get excited. Another reason would be “The Closest Experience to That of Being With You Is the Experience of Taking Drugs”, which showcases his talent for solid songcrafting in a compact electronic-infused track.

MP3: Monster Bobby - “The Closest Experience to That of Being With You Is the Experience of Taking Drugs”

UK bands with big buzz are right up there with death and taxes. Luckily, they’re a lot more frequent and the hype surrounding them quite often pay offs. Like Arctic Monkeys before them, Cajun Dance Party is the most recent band of youngsters (their oldest member is 17!) from across the pond to generate high levels of excitement based entirely on demos and live performances.

Their name accurately reflects their nu-pop sound, which was described by The Sunday Times as “liable to make confirmed grouches dance like loons.” The five-piece are so catchy, they’ve even managed to score Thom Yorke’s approval and a deal with XL Recordings. CDP’s debut single “The Next Untouchable” was Single of the Week in both NME & The Guardian and their second single will be out later this summer.

MP3: Cajun Dance Party - “The Next Untouchable”

After a couple of years of playing Midwestern dives, The Wildbirds are a Wisconsin-based quartet who are ready to unleash their unadulterated classic rock sound beyond the dairy state. Void of synthesizers or technical fairy dust, their sound is a raucous spin on the musical template forged by classic rockers. In fact, most of The Wildbirds’ material was written in the woods of northern Wisconsin, where the band could play as loud as they wanted without worry of being harassed by their hometown police.

The Wildbirds have just finished recording their full-length debut album with producer Greg Fidelman (U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond), which is scheduled for release on August 14th. Songs like “Way Down Low” and “421 (Everybody Loves You)” pack the immediate punch of a slug of bourbon on a Saturday night - check them out and listen to a couple of more tracks on The Wildbirds’ MySpace page.

MP3: The Wildbirds - “421 (Everybody Loves You)”
MP3: The Wildbirds - “Way Down Low”

Also, here’s a music video for “421 (Everybody Loves You)”:

With the kind of pop sensibilities that could’ve only come out of England, Palladium are four guys who make music that is self described as “joyful and ludicrous, bringing to mind things that you love, and things that might make you feel rather uneasy.” In other words, they play songs that sound like they got lost on the AM dial between 1972 and 1982. They are currently recording their debut album with Tony Hoffer (Kooks, Fratellis, Beck) and will release their debut single “Happy Hour” on July 16.

Here are two demos of what to expect from Palladium. Filled with keyboard flourishes and references to drowned sorrows, “Happy Hour” is a sunny ode to those parts of the ‘80s that no one dares talk about anymore. “Midnight Service” sounds like a funkier flute-laced track one might hear long after happy hour has ended and last call is looming.

MP3: Palladium - “Happy Hour (Demo)”
MP3: Palladium - “Midnight Service (Demo)”