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>>

‘The Anomalies’. A rather appropriate description if you ask me.  The Herefordian Indie-hoppers of the same moniker have recently been unleashing their unbridled brand of ‘New Rap’, as they call it, upon an unsuspecting public, and, with a debut album expected early 2009 through 10xBetter, it seems these young guns are doing something right.

You’d be forgiven for Associating Hereford with its main economic export, Bulmer’s Cider, and not with a particularly rich musical heritage, but this Backdrop of sweeping fends and apple trees has bred one of the most interesting musical conceptions of the year. ‘The Anomalies’ prove to be a rich musical distillation, best heard through two tracks from their forthcoming LP, ‘Kid riot’ & ‘The Employee of the Month’.

‘Kid Riots’ infectiously catchy, hook-driven chorus, polarised by the break-beat heavy, rhyme-laden verse exemplifies the bands keen sense of musicality. Mashing-up two seemingly opposing genres into something far more exciting than the sum of its parts, ‘The Anomalies’ embrace a lyrical humour, often unheard in British underground Hip-Hop & Indie, to create a listening experience which is both extremely interesting, and impeccably honest. Surely, you wouldn’t believe a Herefordian, pseudo Hip-Hop outfit talking about guns and murder, would you.

‘Indie’ enough to appeal to the NME crowd yet ‘Street’ enough to appeal to the Garage aficionados, ‘The Employee of the Month’ is another cross-genre splicing which would not sound out of place on Annie Mac’s ‘Mash-up’, yet, their ability to adopt pop sensibilities will surely ensure a far wider fan-base.

Armed with guitars, megaphones & a cocky, Morrisey-esque, swagger, ‘The Anomalies’ spit in the face of both conventional Indie and Hip-hop, whilst embracing both genres wholly. Whilst listening to both tracks you can hear the influence of both contemporary & classic Indie, from Doherty inspired, guitar-led choruses, to raucous, ‘Pavement’ influenced breakdowns, it’s all there, a rich musical tapestry, waiting to be explored.

Whilst it’s too early to say whether ‘The Anomalies’ style of ‘New Rap’ will find precedence upon a wider public stage, it is safe to say this;

‘The future’s bright, the future’s Anomalous.’