Local favourites // Babeshadow

Having bagged a lugubrious tour support slot with the increasingly omnipresent Florence and gigging alongside fellow London success stories Golden Silvers and The Maccabees, Babeshadow are pretty successfully crafting a first class career for themselves.

Having formed mere months ago this marks progress indeed and, while early demos Sea Serpent and Darling are pleasantly lilting three minute vignettes of city loving, the 60s song-writing and hooks promise plenty. One hopes the Babes choose the more scenic, challenging route to success for longevity's sake but, for now at least, there's enough to love to make the days seem brighter and the summer seem closer. Plus, they'll be appearing alongside the incredible Summer Camp on April 8th at London's Lexington. Reason enough to raise the Babeshadow alarm in No Action's view.

Darwin Deez // Radar Detector

Darwin Deez of NYC is pretty much the curly-hariest man in pop since Devendra and, wielding the pop nous of Phoenix and the effortlessly cool vocals of a certain Swiss schooled Casablancas, promises to make 2010 full of perky playfulness.

Alongside the fantastic and probably superior Constellations, Radar Detector is a prime cut from Deez's indie-pop self-titled debut out on April 12th. While the official video is indisputably excellent, the version below echos the impossibly likeable quality of the music completely. No Action salutes the 4th graders and teachers of P.S. 217.

Darwin will be live at London's Pure Groove for the album launch on the 12th. See you there.

Harlem // Hippies

Things that make No Action purr, of late, include this from Austin's Harlem. Following the thrash n' roll path trod most recently by the likes of The Soft Pack and Black Lips, Harlem take bedroom garage to new depths of simplicity. No bad thing that, as Friendly Ghost is by a stretch the most heart thumpingly exhilirating thing I've heard this year.

After infinitessimal listens it still hasn't got old and makes each day a little bit better. New album Hippies is out on Matador on April 6th, containing the equally superb Gay Human Bones and Spray Paint. With the band touring the US until mid-May a cross-Atlantic summer jaunt must surely be on the cards.

Local favourites // La Shark

From this week forth No Action will be highlighting the fine work of some of London's primest cuts, in a series sensibly titled 'Local favourites'.

First up, New Cross's La Shark. Harnessing Beefheart's experimental spirit and a distinctly London DIY-punk ethic, the product is deliciously offbeat synth-pop with prog leanings. Perhaps a cross-breed of XX Teens' darkly surreal delivery and Micachu and The Shapes' genre defiance. Bones and recent single A Weapon could well see them propelled into brighter limelights, while 1958 is currently free to download from their site. Catch it while it's hot.

Japandroids // No Singles

No Action has quite a thing for twosomes. Something in the base brutality that seemingly only a couple can generate has resulted in healthy obsessions with The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Tiny Masters of Today, Death From Above 1979 (RIP) among many, many others.

Latest and, perhaps, greatest of these is Japandroids, whose Post Nothing LP of 2009 is a gem. The grooves of the aforementioned DFA 1979 are melded with the surging guitar soundscapes of Sonic Youth, creating a devastatingly beautiful noise-blitz on The Boys are Leaving Town and the stunning Wet Hair.

Before all this, though, came a couple of EPs; 2007's All Lies and 08's Lullaby Death Jams, kindly re-issued to us Brits as album No Singles come May. While the tracks are no match for Post Nothing, Darkness on the Edge of Gastown hints at a heavy metal Whirlwind Heat, while Coma Complacency proffers fist punching cries over a brooding base. Much to enjoy, but what's more interesting is where Japandroids are going than where they've been.

They'll be plying their trade at Islington's The Garage on 20th May after February's sold out ICA show and wowing the SXSW-ers this month.

jj // Let Go

A band that could prove the 'find' of SXSW (despite preparing to release their second album, jj no.3), reclusive duo jj's video for Let Go proves there is literally no smoke without fire. Or dogs. Or indeed blood.

If you're yet to have this band in your life, allow in their cross of Vampire Weekend's afro beats with The xx's sombre atmospherics and hushed vocals. Label Yours Sincerely seems to have the knack for sourcing top new talent, with labelmates Memory Tapes producing one of the albums of 2009. Sadly, SXSW's gain is my poor East London existence's loss, so join me in this feast for the eyes until the band come to British shores.

Thanks a-plenty to Abeano for drawing attention to this.

jj "Let Go" from aufgemischt! on Vimeo.

The Drums // Best Friend

The Drums, the world's next big thing and, according to the never knowingly meiotic sphere of the NME, "New York's official coolest new band", have just issued the video for new single Best Friend on Moshi Moshi.

In line with Let's Go Surfing it's pretty simple stuff, but captures the captivating moves of Jonathan Pierce perfectly. The entry through the window? Not sure. The 50's film credit outro? Delightfully and ridiculously adding a sense of drama where really none exists.