dark pop

Alphastate is a three-piece angular indie/alternative rock band from London, UK, drawing on the effects-heavy mid-80s 4AD sound with a nod towards contemporaries like Interpol and Bloc Party. Fronted by singer Ani Kempton, with Elliot Dwight on bass and Jonathan Akerman on guitar - and the Alesis SR16 cranking out the galloping, staccato beats.

Rebecca grew up in the Irish seaside town of Tramore, Co. Waterford. Night time radio was her lifeline all through her formative years. She initially harboured hopes of being a writer but that soon gave way to her addiction to music. By the time she moved to Dublin at the age of 18, she had cultivated an obsession with songwriting. She then ventured from music studies in Trinity College through gospel choirs, free improvisation and folk ensembles to find herself at her current juncture.

Previously known as Now, Now Every Children from Blaine, Minnesota. Threads

The Dear & Departed rise above the noise. Like a mournful violin melody cutting through a chaotic symphony, the band's dark aesthetic and esoteric approach to their mix of punk and new wave has more in common with The Cure, The Church and Sisters Of Mercy than the increasingly pedestrian sub-par offerings cluttering up the pages of the monthly music magazines. They are a fresh breath in a room filled with stagnant air.