Niki N. Phaser

               Marina & The Diamonds is about to release the fifth single from her debut album, Family Jewels. The track is called Shampain and it’s no wonder that it was selected for this particular honor, which places it near jewels like Hollywood or I Am Not a Robot. It was officially released on October 11.

               It is the kind of retro-pop that sounds both fresh and like something you’ve been hearing since you were a kid, but never quite bought for your own collection. And by bought I mean… Marina’s debut album did not go unnoticed, but it should have been the revelation of 2010, considering the fine balance she reached between indie and catchy pop. However, it seems 2011 will bring the follow-up and there are plenty of bands who blossomed on their sophmore effort.

Feel Celestial HERE

Steve Hewitt’s new band, Love Amongst Ruin, has definitely hatched, proving to be more than an ex-drummer’s intimate project. Their debut album is finished and coming out this fall (September 13th to be more precise), preceded by the first single So Sad (Fade), which already received the video treatment. Info about pre-ordering the album can be found at the band’s official site.

The same location offers you the numerous dates of Love Amongst Ruin’s first European tour, which will have them pleasing fresh fans from Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Netherlands. The baptism of live fire has already occurred at EuroSonic this winter, plus a string of sold-out UK shows, culminating with an imminent slot at this year’s Sonisphere. They have plenty of rocking stuff to keep the crowds moving, no doubt about it, (continue reading…)

                          First of all, fans of The Killers should not get their mourning clothes out of the closet: the band is just taking a break. All, but one. Frontman Brandon Flowers is using this vacation to release his first solo album, Flamingo, due to enchant us this fall, in September. We can’t help but being curious about what it is that he could not express through The Killers. The first single, Crossfire, is not a big departure from the joyful extravagant Vegas sound of Flowers’ band. It does, however, set him as some kind of a  cross between 1980′s David Bowie and Kenny Rogers, which was the singer’s dream all along. The explosive Nash Edgerton directed video is fun to watch and must have been fun to make. Sure, Charlize Theron’s presence is definitely a bonus, especially when she is sporting some ‘kill bill’ moves. Get a taste:

HERE