New Music by Region #24

Welcome to the 24th edition of New Music by Region. Every fortnight we aim to present the best new music in 7 major cities and regions from across the UK (and Ireland). With the help of regional correspondents, we present our shortlist of new music in Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, London and Oxford.

New Music by Region #23 can be found here!

• Name: Electric Swing Circus – ‘The Penniless Optimist (C@ in the H@ remix)’
• For Fans Of: Gogol Bordello and Basement Jaxx
• Website: Official site
• Correspondent: Lyle Bignon

A musical cooperative in all senses, ESC capture and bottle the carnivalesque essence of artists like Gogol Bordello, The Destroyers and Urban Voodoo Machine in their tracks and sets, add Basement Jaxx style electronic funk treatment along with close harmonies a la Puppini Sisters, producing a mad crazy electro swing experience led by two very different female vocalists. Check out the original track here plus a downtempo remix from Sam Redmore (last week's NMBR featured artist) is also available

• Name: Grand Canonical Ensemble – ‘Are We OK?/No’
• For Fans Of: Mogwai, Sigur Ros.
• Website: Bandcamp
• Correspondent: Joe O'Connell

Despite being spread between Cardiff and Manchester, this duo has managed to be quite a prolific outfit. Fifth album Sobrellevar, released earlier this year, is a 90-minute ambient soundscape constructed from gentle atmospheric noise, delicate guitar lines and the occasional vocal. Live performances are hard to come by, but this cassette only release might well be the best way to experience their post-rock ideas.

• Name: Little Xs for Eyes – ‘In Three Years’
• For Fans Of: The Cardigans and Club 8.
• Website: Bandcamp
• Correspondent: Barry Peak

Remember before the world went crazy about Scandinavian drama? Before Borgen, the Killing and the Bridge? Remember when we all loved the seemingly endless stream of awesome indie pop from that part of the world? Little Xs for Eyes have the same charm and style as many of those bands. And with the secret weapon of a strangely sinister and sexy voice there's a lot to love about this band.

• Name: Stealing Sheep – ‘Bats’
• For Fans Of: First Aid Kit, Blue Roses
• Website: Soundcloud
• Correspondent: Emily Arc

Girlband-trio Stealing Sheep have been kicking up a (good) fuss in Liverpool practically since they got together back in 2010, and there's no surprise why; their "folktronica" really is impeccable. They've supported the likes of Field Music and Emmy the Great, been recommended by Paul McCartney himself, and even recorded in Abbey Road (free of charge!) With whirling synths and immaculate voices creating three part harmonies, this psychedelic infused pop is one of the greatest things to come from Liverpool in a long time.

• Name: Tellison – ‘Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart’
• For Fans Of: Johnny Foreigner, Tall Ships
• Website: Official Site
• Correspondent: Liz Jones

So, Tellison isn't exactly new. Nor is my overabundant love for them. However, with two full lengths and a slew of other random releases under their belt, I still fancy the band a bit too under appreciated. The 'sing-along-to-every-song' crowd at the Garage last week in London would undoubtedly agree with me. The band's new single 'Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart' is probably the most charming little track I've heard in awhile.

• Name: dbh – ‘Sea’
• For Fans Of: Six Organs of Admittance, David Pajo.
• Website: Bandcamp
• Correspondent: Chris Holland

Solo guitar music can easily be dry and a bit uninteresting. The quality of the songs depend entirely on just one instrument. Fortunately, dbh has quite some pedigree as a guitar player, seeing as he is the guitarist in both NASDAQ and The FTSE 100, two of the finest instrumental rock bands in Manchester- and the country, for that matter. Where his riffs are normally dark and lithe, here, with an acoustic guitar, dbh's playing is obviously gentler and also finger-picked, but never sounds sparse, as he manages to make songs sound full and layered- despite having the one instrument. The songs have a lush, folky quality yet still have the ability to sound stark and at times unsettling, calling to mind Will Oldham's oft-overlooked masterpiece "Seafarer's music"

• Name: Jess Hall – ‘Bookshelves’
• For Fans Of: Joni Mitchell, Eliza Carthy.
• Website: Facebook
• Correspondent: Sebastian Reynolds

I'll be honest, the first time I heard Bookshelves by Jess Hall I welled up. Not quite full on tears, but I had to choke back a couple. Jess goes straight for the heart, and you'd have to be made of stone to not be moved by her simple songs, beautifully sung. Lazy web journo descriptions could include references such as 'an english Joni Mitchell' or 'a modern Eliza Carthy', but you'd be doing yourself a favour to click straight through and have a good cry for the world whilst staring wistfully out of the window, gazing out at the rain, thinking of someone you wished you'd kept hold of.