Avenue61 is a leading indie music site that specialises in album and gig reviews, breaking new bands, publicising events, and exclusive interviews with the leading cutting edge acts in the alternative music scene. Avenue61 covers a wide range of artists – some you would have heard of, some you won’t. Artists the site has reviewed recently include the Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Noisettes and Ladyhawke. The site is updated regularly so come back to catch up the latest news and reviews from the bleeding edge of the alternative music scene.

Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Miniature Tigers are one of those bands where the lead singer sounds (and looks) like he’s making no effort at all. The video shows him with blank eyes and an expressionless face, coupled with a very slight shoulder-bounce.

But this isn’t a video review. This is a music review. And I would say this band are one of the best things to happen to simple catchy indie-pop since, well, sliced bread.

Miniature Tigers, from Phoenix USA, conjure up songs which could become iconic in the near future. It’s so very easy to sing along and to mimic the shoulder-bounce of frontman Charlie Brand. They’re simple, easy, Weezer-style pop. Not rocky enough to be rock, and not generic enough to be pop.

The song “Cannibal Queen”, from the album Tell It To The Volcano, is one of the best and one which would be great to listen to first in your quest for discovering

these Miniature Tigers. The beginning of the track features a single guitar strumming with Brand singing his nonchalant vocals, and when the drums and other guitars kick in a few seconds later the song really gets going. But when I say ‘gets going’ I mean gets slightly more upbeat with more instruments, not gets loud and fast. Fast isn’t how Miniature Tigers’ roll.

Cannibal Queen features some amazing backing vocals by the fellow bandmates, and the lyrics are really quirky.  They’re probably the only band I know that could get something to rhyme with ‘cannibal’ (which isn’t the cliqued ‘animal’), AND have it fit really well in the song. The instrumental parts that separate the occasional verse and chorus are very chirpy and keep a good flow in the song. The riffs and general tunes are all pretty similar to each other and would be very simple to play.

The band themselves have set up their own blog on miniaturetigers.wordpress.com which shows them to be a group of fun-loving and pretty intelligent guys. Completely off music-topic subjects are mentioned and interaction with fans is made on a regular basis. But if you’re after a really smart looking site go to miniaturetigers.com. It must have taken quite some time to get that site looking that cool.

If you liked Coffee&TV by Blur or any Ben Folds Five then definitely check this out. If you’ve got any housework to do or emails to send, stick on their myspace tracks and you’ll be singing along before you’re done. I’m already singing along with my mp3 player whilst walking to the train station.  Makes me look like a big weirdo especially since the song’s namesake line involves “la la la la la la la la love you”. Oops.

They won’t be miniature tigers for long...