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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>>

Imagine launching Duffy and her backing band into space. Imagine they came back and made a Bond film starring their new alien friends. Imagine how you’d feel watching that film, and that is exactly how you’ll react when you listen to The Sun Ain’t Shining No More by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

Vocalist Mette Lindberg and bassist/keyboardist/lyricist Lars Iverson, the duo at the core of this Motown-inspired musical space-storm, hail from Copenhagen, Denmark. The former is a cute, blonde and a bit like the girl from The Cardigans; the latter has a brooding ‘I stand around in the background’ allure and a habit of wearing hats with ear

flaps.

Yes, they are another excellent Scandinavian pop import, hot on the heels of Alphabeat and Annie. Their sound, however, references Motown, funk and psychedelia, rather than club-friendly bleeps and beats. The rest of their line-up says it all: when you’ve got a trumpet, a saxophone, a guitar, and a drumkit on board, there’s nowhere to go but back to the 60s.

The Asteroid Galaxy Tour got their big break when Amy Winehouse’s

‘people’ gave them a supporting slot at one of her Copenhagen gigs, and within three days the band had a record deal on their hands. Then a PR coup wandered through their door when their single Around The Bend was chosen to be the soundtrack to the iPod Touch adverts (it’s the one that starts with random hooting before the brass kicks in). This lot might be relatively unknown, but make no mistake; they are infectious, they are groovy, and there can be no stopping them.

The Sun Ain’t Shining No More is a carefree whirlwind of woozy synths, dramatic string crescendos and funky brass topped off to perfection with Mette’s vocals, which drip with proper, sexy, unselfconscious attitude yet retain an idiosyncratically childlike tone. (Don’t ask me how that works.) In short, she is the biologically unlikely bastard child of Dusty Springfield and Cerys Matthews.

This track will sound familiar to anybody with a penchant for Stax and Motown, but what it manages to do brilliantly is integrate old ideas – the lush orchestration, familiar structure and hypnotic, groovy, shimmy-friendly beat – with modern pop nous – snappy lyrics speculating wildly about romance, distinctive vocals and, crucially, a sense of humour.

It could well be pastiche, and I think its lack of pretention is what makes The Sun Ain’t Shining No More so addictive. I can see it being used in a spoof sci-fi film to amusing effect, yet it also works blaring out of a car stereo on the motorway. Top-quality musical escapism.

I would definitely recommend The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Book yourself a window seat and enjoy the ride.