the magic numbers. just like a well made chocolate crossaint, with it's gooey sweet centre encased in soft but solid exterior of yummy pastry goodness.

Is this thread meant to be 'Who are your favourite of the new bands?' If so, I've been quite impressed with: Bloc Party Little Barrie Little Flames Subways Kaiser Chiefs Mainline Magic Numbers

I thought so. Unless I got it completely wrong and there's a new Cook-Rock movement I don't know about. Bands creating extravagant culinary wonders while forming songs from the rhythms of whisks, sounds of chopping vegtables and ambience of water coming to the boil.

maybe not so new but LCD Soundsystems album is by far the best thing I've heard this year so far. On a different level Gruff Rhys' album is an absolute wonder - pure genius and then the band album will no doubt blow the other fish out of the pond altogether leaving us with a nice BBQ'd salmon steak - oh yeah!

dudes, The Arcade Fire are really really good, their debut Funeral deservedly won pitchforkmedia's best album of 2004, and it gets its European realease on the 28th, but since its been released in the states, it is available through non-official sources,

Kasabian are bloody excellent goin by the CD only. I reckon they like to call things as they are too so hopefully we'll have an interesting band that dont make fools of themselves with hard drugs(after about half a century of stories of drug abuse in rock, how come people still consume the oh so slow car crash of Pete Doherty? Poor man needs help not an audience, no?) From Ireland then theres the beyond comparison to anyone else in Ireland at the moment, Stoat, who are not new but have a new album in the summer (without a big label I think), have heard one track, 59 Dame Street, and must say, its a song that had me smiling like an elephant in a peanut factory.

Hymn for Her was one of my favourite singles of 2005 so the Magic Numbers debut LP is probably my most eagerly anticipated release of this year. I'll also be keeping an eye out for new releases from The Editors, Dead 60s, Johnny Boy, Maximo Park, Apartment, New Rhodes, Tom Vek and Sebastian Tellier. I like the sound of that Little Flames single but then I'm a sucker for anything on the Deltasonic label. I'm still not entirely convinced by the Kaiser Chiefs but their new single's really growing on me. Where as with Dogs and the Bravery I liked their debut singles but I'm not so sure about their new ones. The first thing I'm going to do on Monday is buy the new Bloc Party album. I've already pre-ordered my copy of the Arcade Fire album for €13 from CD Wow. And I have to pick up the new albums by Khonnor and the Unicorns. Little Barrie and LCD Soundsystem have been around for years so it's great to see that they've finally pulled their respective finger's out and released their debut long players. I just hope that The Duke Spirit, The Chalets and Sons & Daughters don't wait quite as long in releasing theirs. I haven't been too impressed with what I've heard of Mainline so far but I still haven't heard anything by the Subways. Does anyone know where I can check out their stuff online?