Lucky Soldier, by Northumberland five-piece Vinyl Jacket, sounds a little like The Futureheads.  The Futureheads minus the searing post-punk guitars and with their collective balls trapped in a collective vice.  Not a bad thing we can assure you.  They’re just on the right side of quirky; expect the phrase ‘off-kilter’ to be banded nonchalantly about.  Anyway, they’re getting tons of radio play and tons of press, so you’re likely to hear a lot more of them in 2012.  Excellent, we say.

By Tom Jenkins
12:44 PM

Pólyfónía Remixed is an extended EP of nine re-workings of tracks from Apparat Organ Quartet’s hugely likeable second album. Included is today’s MPFree: Robotaki’s rather jolly treatment of the already enormously jolly single, 123 Forever. Other artists lending a hand include fellow Icelanders FM Belfast and London based producer/remixer Dreamtrak. Pólyfónía Remixed is out February 27th.

By Tom Jenkins
3:35 PM

The release date of Doughty’s fourth solo album, Yes and Also Yes, has been put back to coincide with the publication of his autobiographical novel The Book of Drugs, the contents of which should be self-explanatory.

The former Soul Coughing frontman favours that curious blues/rap hybrid that only Americans seem able to pull off. Thankfully, he’s more Beck than Kid Rock. Both novel and album are out now, the latter on Hornblower Recordings/Snackshare.

By Tom Jenkins
4:40 PM

There are plenty of rumours circulating as to who might be behind this secretive LA duo. Not wanting to appear foolish at a later date, we here at Snipe plan on being thoroughly non-committal. You won’t get anything out of us, mainly because we haven’t got a clue. So just lay back, pour yourself a glass of cheap white wine and sink into this stunning, melancholy love letter of a jam. The Open EP is available now via Innovative Leisure.

By Tom Jenkins
2:26 PM

Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade has teamed up with Finnish dramatists Siinai for the new album from his Moonface solo project. The rather grandly titled, With Sinnai: Heartbreaking Bravery, is released April 16th via Jagjaguwar. Download Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips below, if not for the opening line alone.

By Tom Jenkins
2:49 PM

After his 2010 debut album “Follow Your Heart”, lo-fi solo artist Mat Riviere has put out a trailer for the long-awaited follow up, to be entitled “not even doom music”. This is something to be excited about. Trust. Keep your eyes on Mat’s Soundcloud and Facebook to hear more as he (hopefully) drip-feeds us new stuff. And in case you’re not yet familiar with the work of mister Mat Riviere (who can be found on twitter posing as @meretrivia) the song below was the compulsively awesome title track from album number one.

By John Rogers
6:50 PM

awE naturalE, the debut album from Seattle duo and Shabazz Palaces collaborators THEESatisfaction, is due for release March 27th via Sub Pop. Catch them at White Heat, April 24th. Today’s MPFree is a silky smooth groove from said album, available here in exchange for an e-mail address.

By Tom Jenkins
4:10 PM

At time of writing London is a slushy citadel of collapsing infrastructure. Cue the crisp dream-pop of 19-year-old multi-instrumentalist Andrés Pichardo, aka Grand Resort. The Massachusetts teen offers a shiny antidote to the winter blues – his is music equally indebted to the slick FM rock of his homeland as to erstwhile British indie. Download Microscopic below.

By Tom Jenkins
4:58 PM

For NYC four-piece Hospitality, making sophisticated, intelligent indie-pop appears, on the surface at least, to be the most effortless thing in the world. No doubt singer Amber Papini and her cohorts toil for days over their neat, dynamic compositions. Or perhaps they don’t and they are in fact geniuses. Today’s MPFree is a taster from their self-titled debut, released April 9th on Fire Records.

Hospitality – Friends of Friends by snipelondon

By Tom Jenkins
1:12 PM

Danish solo artist The Malpractice makes electronic popSLASHrock with flickers of influence from as far and wide as Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Hot Chip and Enon. Boss Stallion is one of the more “pop” numbers from his fantastic debut “Tectonics”, out Feb 13th on Crunchy Frog. Catch him live at Crunchy Club at Camden’s Wheelbarrow on March 8th, with labelmates Snake and Jets Amazing Bullit Band.

By John Rogers
4:48 PM