Great new music from independent labels and artists all around the world

Suddenly it is very wintery here in Suffolk. A cold blast of arctic air is streaming down the east coast of the UK bringing unusually low temperatures for this time of year – it was still freezing at lunchtime today. All a bit of a shock, I can tell you. Recording a little early this week so that I can get down to London for the School of Seven Bells gig tonight.We’ve an apparently all American show this week but it is not all quite as it appears. Intro / sig tuneHappy – Jimmie Bratcher (Missouri, USA)www.jimmiebratcher.comSouth Roxanna Wiggle – Kentucky Knife Fight (Edwardsville, Illinois, USA)Kentucky Knife Fight is a hardworking, modest 5 piece hailing from Edwardsville, Illinois that combines the influences of early 1970’s proto-punk and punk rock groups such as The Stooges, MC5, and Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers with the garage rock of late 90’s and early 2000 bands such as The Murder City Devils and The Hives. The sounds of early Van Morrison and dirty blues rock work their way in to the fold, as does a sometimes subtle, and at other times, not so subtle twang of blue grass.One day, Singer Jason Holler (J-ho), guitarist Nate Jones (the Viper), guitarist Dave Wiatrolik (White Chocolate), Bassist Jason Koenig (Mr. Cool) and drummer "Handsome" James Baker met at a bar, drank way too much Stag, and formed a band the likes of which Madison County had never heard.Their first LP The wolf crept, the children slept is out now. Available at all Slackers locations, Vintage Vinyl or through any member of the band. ALso on iTunes. Dates coming up around Illinois and St Louis, Missouri.www.myspace.com/kentuckyknifefightIncomplete – Yaana (LA., CA, USA)From her album I believe in loveYaana Gupta is an Indian Bollywood actress-model-singer-writer, born in Czech Republic in the city called Brno. Yaana has been modelling since the age of 16, in the fashion cities of Europe and Asia. In 2001 she shifted to Mumbai, India where in no time she became one of India’s most sought after supermodels and actresses. In 2008 she recorded her first album in UK called I believe in love and soon after that shifted to Los Angeles to pursue her music career.www.yaanasworld.com/www.myspace.com/yaanasworld Later with Jules Holland – oh dear, dear dear!Guns or Butter – Hot Buttered Rum (San Francisco, CA, USA)Hot Buttered Rum’s political, environmental, and social activism is inseparable from their San Francisco acoustic rock sound. In this election season—the most important in a generation—Hot Buttered Rum is committed to energizing like-minded citizens to enact meaningful change. Now, the band is playing political benefits to support Democratic candidates—and making available free downloads of two of their most pertinent tunes. Buy tracks through their site.www.hotbutteredrum.net/www.myspace.com/hotbutteredrumAdeline – Noush Skaugen (California, USA)This British artist born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and a Persian father, raised just south of London in the UK. Her time spent in France and now the States has undeniably added a special flavor to Noush’s sound. Classically trained on flute, piano and saxophone Noush playedu in jazz, wind, rock and funk bands as well as the renowned London Barbican Orchestra. Noush decided to get out of her element in LA, and record the album in a totally new location. This turned out to be Nashville, Music City, where she met with an amazingly talented guitar player and producer, Ilya Toshinsky, who understood her vision for the record, and from there Lost and Found was born. Incredible musicians were found to play on the record, whose credentials are ridiculous. "All the songs were tracked in just a few takes, that’s how good these guys are", She says, "I would go into the studio and sing the songs live with the whole band".Noush Skaugen released Lost and Found June 14, 2008.www.noushskaugen.com/I’m not keen on hip-hop. Now I know that’s a gross generalisation but it is what I thought and I was not aware of any exceptions, until last week when I discovered Michael Lynche. Southern Belle – Michael Lynche (New York, USA)Michael Lynche has been described as a hip-hop artist which, frankly, tends to put me off a bit but listening to him is like hearing the whole of black music in one artist but it doesn’t really sound like a mash up of different styles. Existing in the space between soul, modern r&b, funk and hip-hop, his music somehow ties the tradition together while placing his own unique stamp and personality on it.Perhaps "Dirty Blues" conveys it all.Michael is playing the Cutting Room in New York tonight then he has a at the Rialto Theater in Atlanta, GA in Atlanta on Sunday. Watch out on his site for upcoming dates.www.michaellynche.com/www.myspace.com/mlyncheDouble Standards – Patti Rothberg (New York, USA)Patti Rothberg is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter whose songs have the power to take over a stadium without losing their lyrical intimacy. Rothberg’s razor sharp wit and stark honesty trade barbs in the studio where she thrives in her creative freedom and at last releases an album that reflects her talent as a whole. With material that’s split down the middle between hard rock and heartfelt acoustic songs. Rothberg’s an electric guitar-wielding rock chick with a novelist’s introspection, Patti is the rare artist who can work both sides of the musical spectrum.AT the last moment `I decided to slip a contrasting track in from Patti to illustrate my point about her voice.Wavelength – Patti Rothbergwww.pattirothberg.com/www.myspace.com/pattirothbergmusicHurts more later – Val Emmich (Jersey City, NJ, USA)"Songs can be powerful tools…like weapons," muses New Jersey singer-songwriter Val Emmich. "In the past, the weapons of choice for warfare were swords, spears, even longbows – things that could do damage from a distance. Knives and daggers were for more intimate occasions." You might find this talk of weaponry perplexing coming from an artist discussing the significance of his new album’s title. Then again, if you’re familiar with Emmich and his work, you know there’s often meaning lurking beneath the surface. "With knives and daggers," he adds, "you had to figure out how to get close enough to use them." On Little Daggers, Val Emmich’s sixth release, he manages to do just that, drawing listeners close with great pop melodies and playful arrangements while a penetrating lyrical story unfolds underneath."Pop music is tricky because we’ve been trained not to expect much meaning in it. I love big melodies, but I also love songs with a strong, lasting message. The truly great songs somehow marry the two. Lennon was great at it. Marvin Gaye, Paul Westerberg, Burt Bacharach. They all wrote super catchy songs with lyrics that struck a nerve. Those songs make you want to dance but also make you think."The songs on Little Daggers nimbly balance those two goals – they’re simple yet substantial, accessible yet challenging, introspective yet danceable. They also fit together to form a cohesive whole.valemmich.com/www.myspace.com/valemmich