Drive-By Argument

When a record label discovers a band, they should really let the group have some input into the decisions about when to release albums or singles. For this Ayrshire quintet, though, when discovered by Lizard King, their self-titled album was held up for 9 months as Lizard King wanted to get the band popularity's higher before releasing it. This was a huge mistake, as the label's insolence and poor promotion meant a low number of sales and the subsequent dropping of the group, who had a promising career in front of them; had they been on a more caring label, I personally think that they could still be a band today. They split in February 2009, reformed as Atlas Skye, and killed that project 9 months later. Dance Like No One's Watching is below.

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Does It Offend You, Yeah?

One of the most badly named groups in recent years, the Reading natives are able to create infectious tracks out of pretty much nothing. A fine example of their viral habits is Let's Make Out, available to hear below. Featuring Sebastien Grainger (ex-Death From Above 1979) on vocals, it was one of the most listened to tracks in 2007, and it isn't hard to hear why. They seem to have chosen their singles wisely, as each one they've released has been a hard hitting track.

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Dizzee Rascal

Dylan Mills has become one of the more prominent, if now highly commercial, pioneers of the grime genre. With his first album, 2003's Boy In Da Corner, a highly acclaimed effort, he set a very high benchmark for said genre. From here, though, he has unfortunately sold out, following the #1 success of Dance Wiv Me, released shortly after his last XL album, Maths + English. One of the big singles from his debut, Fix Up Look Sharp, is below.

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Digitalism

Following their meeting in a Hamburg record store, one of the more mainstream electro house artists of the late 2000s was formed by Jens Moelle and İsmail Tüfekçi in 2004. The duo are heavily enthusiastic druing their live sets, and with a signing to famed electro-based French label Kitsuné Music, their only album so far, Idealism, is an electro house essential. One single from the album, Pogo, is below.

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Datarock

Bergen's fun two-piece compromise of lead vocalist and guitarist Fredrik Saroea and bassist Ketil Mosnes. They're best known for their sometimes energetic tracks (The New Song and Bulldozer being two fine examples) and red tracksuits. Computer Camp Love, the lead track from their first album, was based on the 1984 movie Revenge Of The Nerds, and is below.

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