Time for China are an Alternative/Indie/Electro band from Manchester UK.

 ’Not confining themselves to any particular genre or style of writing, the songs are allowed to develop characters of their own instead of being forced like a square peg into a round hole to make them sell. The band are not afraid to be taken the wrong way by misguided critics who might mistake catchy for commercial. Definitely more refreshing than most of the current crop of bands, time for china are more interested in establishing their own original sound than becoming the next ‘Arctic Mancys’.

They’re worth checking out!

William describes himself as an indie/acoustic/folk rock artist. He is a multi-instrumentalist, completely self produced, and has a penchant for including such multifarious elements as pianos, banjos, melodicas, clarinets, flutes and electronic elements in his music. He often includes experimental, intimate and family subject matter in his writing. He has toured with Cary Brothers and toured and recorded with Ingrid Michealson, whose vocals are feature on his most recent album. William is currently touring and preparing to record his third album. His records can regularly be found on the iTunes top 50 folk albums chart. You should definitely check him out!

Unlike other groups, each member of THE SHAKE is schooled in a different style of music, and draws from a wide pool of influences including rock, blues, jazz, and punk. The result is what they call “a constantly evolving, more musically diverse style of rock that utilizes distinct melodies and harmonies in order to maintain a straightforward and familiar feel that still sounds fresh.”
For the new album, the band chose to take a different approach to their songwriting. “On the last album, we chose to just throw down whatever lyrics came to mind for the song. This time, we decided to take a bit more time with them. The songs themselves are very upbeat and exciting but have lyrics that are more mature, which we thought was an interesting contrast.” This band have a great, unique sound and I can see them getting far! I wouldn’t be surprised if their songs get stuck in your head for days. Watch out, these guys are going to be big!

Mariday are an Alternative/Progressive female duo from New York. Their music fuses catchy melodies, heartfelt lyrics and dreamy instrumentations with a great vocal delivery, which shows a likeness to artists such as K.T Tunstall and Beth Gibbons (of Portishead). I was hooked instantly to these girls, and I think they have a great deal of potential!

The Age of Rockets are a great Indie / Rock / Classical trio from New York, and they have one of the most unique sounds I have heard for a while. They fuse intriguing vocal harmonies with bright string parts and powerful drums. They are reminiscent in many ways of The Postal Service, however they still maintain their own strong musical ideas, creating a sound which will blow you away. I’m still in shock at how good these guys are, and they are not a band to be overlooked!