Today’s a mellow day, so I’m casting my vote for The Pressure Room.

From The Pressure Room’s MySpace:

Formed in September 2006, The Pressure Room are a London based 5-piece. The band manage to take the guitar/bass/drums/piano/vocals format to new levels through their use of soundtrack-esque piano and guitar scapes, break-beat rhythm sections and haunting vocal melodies. Despite the originality of the sound, they also know how to deliver an infectious riff and anthemic chorus.

Personally, I find it’s really piano-driven (much like Coldplay), with sparing (but powerful) doses of strings and guitar. It’s music that, when you put it on, forces you to come down from whatever adrenaline high you’re currently succumbing to.

You can download a 4 track EP here.

The Pressure Room – Somersault

Classifying themselves as “New Garage”, The Swipes are a German band that have deep roots in the protopunk/garage punk genres. Upon listening to the song Nighthawk, there definitely is a surf rock slant to some their material that surprises you now and then.

Previous incarnations of The Swipes have been fairly successful, being loved by legendary British DJ John Peel, and making frequent appearances at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. They are also currently ranked by Somojo’s Top Rock chart (a major UK music site)

Among bands that they list as influences are The Hives, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Boss Martians, The Von Bondies, and quite a few others. If you’re a fan of ANY of these bands, I think you’ll find The Swipes to be a great addition to the collection.

If Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb had a love child, it would be Mika: a Lebanese-born Parisian singer/songwriter now living in London.  He is a BRIT Award winner, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with his single Love Today.

In 2007, he rose to notoriety with his debut release Life in Cartoon Motion, which featured the single Grace Kelly.  The song found its way into the US more than once on MTV’s The Hills and as the opening to the 2008 movie What Happens in Vegas.

Life in Cartoon Motion is a roller coaster of styles and sounds, ranging from the melodic kiss-off that is My Interpretation, to the fun, child-like Lollipop.  The album also features another light-hearted track titled Big Girl: an ode to the beauty often overlooked in the shapelier women of the world.

Mika’s second album,  The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is scheduled to drop September 22,2009, shortly before he kicks off his North American tour stretching from Boston to Seattle, with a few visits in Canada as well.  The first single,  We Are Golden, a showy pop anthem featuring the Andre Crouch Gospel Choir is already available for download.  The album also features By The Time: a beautiful collaboration with Imogen Heap.

If you’re looking for something more fun, out-there, and playfully honest, then you cannot pass up getting to know Mika’s music.

Twitter user @Randy_Rambo messaged New Indie Bands and was looking for some Britpop, so here it is, folks!

The Ting Tings have been getting a lot of play on this side of the pond, with a US tour starting in September. Unfortunately, if you decide to go, you’ll be subjected to Pink also.

From The Ting Tings Last.FM profile:

The Ting Tings are an alternative pop duo which formed in 2004 in Salford, England and consist of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums) and Jules De Martino (drums, vocals).

They have released four singles on their current label Columbia Records UK, including the single “That’s Not My Name” which charted straight at Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 18 May 2008. The album “We Started Nothing” was released on 19 May 2008 and also charted at Number 1 in the UK.

Check out “That’s Not My Name” on Last.FM.

PS: Incidently, you should be following us on Twitter.

“Wow…really love these guys sound! It’s exactly what this country needs at the moment: a true voice and a true talent.”
- Chris O’Dowd, The IT Crowd

I found out about Oswald by happenstance. I was snooping around the deep, dark corners of the internet, looking for sites to exchange mutually beneficial links with, and found IndieBands.ws (who, incidentally, wrote the very comprehensive History of Indie Music). The folks over IndieBands.ws are huge Oswald fans, and implored me to check them out.

Needless to say, I’m hooked.

At first listen, they definitely remind me of U2, but without the annoying overpolish of that Top 40 band from the Emerald Isle. It’s definitely not a sound that has penetrated the states yet; I can think of only one other indie rock band that has even a similar sound (that uses it well, that is).

Like Chris O’Dowd said, I think the American listener could really uses a band like this. Accessible, but still anthemic. Deep lyrical content, but not complicated for the sake of complication. Arrangements that could be taken down to a three-piece setup live, but still remain huge and epic to retain the emotion of the song.

If you’re looking for something fresh, you’d be an idiot to not check out Oswald. They “make a noise anyone can get behind and find some element to lose themselves in.”

Streaming MP3s at the Oswald Official Site