White Wishes

So one of my favourite Christmas presents this year came from Matthew over at Shelflife, and this time I don't have to hoard it (though I do thoroughly enjoy hoarding)!
Nikita Pavlov's White Wishes seems like it would be the equivalent to sunshine-pop back in perma-frosty Mother Russia, with jangly guitars floating behind reverb-y drums and soothing vocals. The occasional dash of delay or fuzz adds a touch of shoegaze without being abrasive enough to offend anyone. What I'm trying to get at is for the past half hour I've been in this weird state where I'm not sure if I should be perky from the popiness, or in a daze from the gazeyness.

Everyone and their mom should click here for their "I'm nice and cozy inside while it's all cold and snowy out" soundtrack.

The Wind-Up Birds

Weeeelllllll, I think this sets the record for "Most Overdue Post" by about 10 months. I've never heard of squatter punks holing up in a library, but apparently anything's possible in Yorkshire. As their name might suggest, The Wind-Up Birds have read a book or two, and that translates into hyper-literate lyrics that are as much poem as they are prose, and filled with a poignant English wit. Their songs can ramble, jangle, and squeal. Sometimes they blur the line between (please excuse the useless genre pigeonholing) indie-rock and post-punk, and sometimes you might have to pull out the old Oxford English Dictionary lest you get beaten with it, but for the educated drunk, The Wind-Up Birds will be your new favourite band.

In a Yorkshire Call Centre I Knelt Down and Wept .mp3
This Boat is Going Nowhere Tonight, Son .mp3

Sound like a good way to get through the winter? There's currently an EP and 7" out on Sturdy Records, both of which John Peel would undoubtedly blare whilst pissed.