Fused have compiled a limited edition CD in deluxe digi-pack packaging of some of our fave bands out of the West Midlands. The CD will go out free to anyone lucky enough to be attending this years SXSW in Austin, Texas. But if you’re not going to be there, don’t despair, as we’ve uploaded it here for your listening pleasure. Dig it!

Track 01: Yelps – Cavalier Frontier (3.40)
A name like that needs to inspire shameless caterwauling, so it’s a good job Yelps’ scattershot pop does the job. Shout for joy upon hearing their glam, ragtag party music, already given the thumbs up by BBC Radio 1 DJs following the release of single P.E.O.P.L.E on 1965 Records. Yelps are currently writing/recording their debut album, so see ‘em live and spread the word before everyone and their mom is, well, yelping along.

Track 02: Voluntary Butler Scheme – Fffoolsih (2.28)
“Love is a game, a game for two/Love is a game I wanna play with you,” sings VBS head butler Rob Jones. After one listen, you’ll wanna crack open your toy box and hand over your heart. Along with the two members of his live band, Jones spins a refreshingly old-school mix of stomping Northern soul and brassy, very British love songs. With witty but honest observational lyrics and boyish good looks to boot, this one’s a star in the making.

Track 03: The Traps – Echoes (3.39)
Get caught. The Traps are one in a long line of British bands (hello Oasis et al) who combine laddish, balls-out bravado with bare emotional resonance. They do it supremely well, so much so that Noel Gallagher has already declared himself a fan. More, from high profile rockstars to council estate everymen, will follow, the band having just released their debut EP on their own label, Speech Fewapy Recordings.

Track 04: The Scarlet Harlots – Backlash (3.00)
Loved by the hot young things of our isle’s largest city, the Scarlet Harlots do a nice line in ‘anthemic’ that is propelled by Sam Baylis’s snarling and charismatic frontman. Recent opening slots for Howling Bells, Jamie T and local-boys-done-good the Twang will have no doubt widened their appeal, but it’s the charm of their ramshackle tunes that will have the girls and boys of indie disco-dom falling in love with them all over the UK and beyond very, very soon.

Track 05: Deluka – Black Cloud (5.01)
Straddling that ever-precarious line between electro and indie rock, Deluka are one of Birmingham’s hottest properties and not just because they had the guts, after a night of alcohol-fuelled brainstorming (as ya do), to steal their name from Pretty Woman. Think a drunk and bubbly noir flick rather than romantic comedy, though; their femme-fronted new-wave is certainly crazy, sexy and cool. They could give Metric the run-around, which is no small praise.

Track 06: Youves – On Probation (3.51) This band has already survived one major name change, and you get the feeling that Youves’ (formerly Mirror! Mirror!) schizoid mash of angular guitars, danceable beats and hardcore spirit was what pulled them through. If you like what you hear – and that will be a spitting, macho punk party, no? – prepare yourself to get sweaty upon the release of their mini-album, released on Holy Roar Records, in spring 2009.

Track 07: Copter – Can’t Help It (1.46)
Visiting us from 500 years in the future, the deranged but quite possibly brilliant Copter are here to save us with their rocket powered rock & soul. Their live shows are glammed up, pants-down parties-cum-sermons curated by intergalactic preacher Stevie and, on occasion, their android pal. The sci-fi theatrics are what you would expect from a band with their own comic book, but let them probe you with their music and you’ll realise they come in peace and so much more besides.

Track 08: Untitled Musical Project – Endless Deodrant and Bad Shoes (2.11)
Who needs a moniker when you’ve got NOISE?! Pairing snotty with smart, UMP have caused a stir on the live scene with their energetic performances and cutting lyrics. Want controversy? This no-nonsense trio have a song titled Why Isn’t Paul McCartney Dead Already? So, Heather Mills may be a fan but don’t let that put you off this fearless, and weirdly winsome, punk.

Track 09: The Big Bang – Vampire’s Hand (3.25)
Dinosaurs, be-fuckin-ware! Indeed, us humans might wanna think about gettin’ outta Dodge too. And why’s that? Well, Big Bang’s ballsy, bluesy rawk ‘n’ roll is certainly big enough to blow a hole all the way through this sphere to the next. With hip-shaking rhythms and dirt-under-the-fingernails riffs, one thing’s for sure: you’ll have one heck of a final night on Earth before their sweet, heady explosion makes us all go bye-bye.

Track 10: Kelli Ali – Rocking Horse (3.23)
Providing a welcome dose of oestrogen to the tracklist, Kelli Ann is a feisty singer/songwriter who deals in pop that cuts with a fiercely independent edge. She’s toured with Garbage, collaborated with everyone from Marius de Vries to Primal Scream, and even Madonna – yes, Madonna – is a fan. Make no mistake, though; she’s in charge, of both her own sassy electro-pop credentials and, sooner rather than later, your very own dancing shoes.

Track 11: Swampmeat – Sister Mary (2.35)
You would be forgiven for thinking Birmingham, UK had nicked this bluesy duo from Birmingham, Alabama, such is Danny C and T-Bird’s tight embrace on Americana. The two brothers blend tales of heartache with the rough hues of their soulful rockabilly, resulting in grizzled ballads made for a darkened bar. So grab a whiskey and drown your sorrows in the Swamp…

Track 12: Seeland – Call The Incredible (4.37)
This trio may indeed ‘see land’ but, upon hearing their dreamy symphonic pop, you’ll be in no doubt that they’re happily freewheeling somewhere between clouds. Forming amidst the fallout of Birmingham’s ‘retro futurist electronica scene’ (who knew?!) back in ’04, the boys have been playing with analogue synths and all manner of instrumentation favoured by Brian Eno and Krautrock pioneers. The woozy, transcendental results have bagged them a record deal, and an album due in March promises to take you to the skies.

Track 13: Grandmaster Gareth – Oh No! B-List Celebrity (1.21)
Taking fun seriously (but not too seriously), Grandmaster G is perhaps Birmingham’s only creator of ‘minute melodies’ that combine SFX, cartoon voices and whimsical melodies and are named things like Dr Dre Gets Complacent. So combat your own complacency by getting to know our Gareth, a member of revered Brummy collective Misty’s Big Adventure, and no doubt that frown you’re wearing will turn a full 180 on its axis!

Words: Luke McNaney
CD: Compiled by Fused
Artwork: Newtasty

Ex Sneaker Pimp Kelli has just  released her ace new  album ‘Rocking Horse’. Full of whimsical vocals and sparse folky arrangements, it’s just the thing to keep that warm glow inside in these cold winter months.

What have you been up to since the last album?
After Psychic Cat we decided to leave London and go travelling around Mexico and California. It has been a really amazing last few years, having no fixed abode; we’ve just been on the move. We sold everything and we didn’t miss any of it. I sold all my books, all my vinyl. It’s much better that they go to someone who really enjoys them. What is the point in material things if they are not being enjoyed? 

Do you think a lot of people would dream about doing the same but don’t have the get up and go?
I think they would and I think they should. You don’t realise how easy it is until you do it. A lot of people thought it would be pretty disastrous but since we left we’ve not looked back. When you haven’t got that much to lose you may as well make a really brave decision and really push it – usually I find it works out well. Now we can’t imagine settling down. We’re very nomadic; we have relied on the generosity of our friends.

What was your favourite place you went to?
It’s really, really hard to have a favourite because we went to so many beautiful places. I loved Mexico so much; I don’t think I went anywhere in the country that I didn’t love. We travelled all over, hitchhiking all the way through Baja. It was phenomenal – the truckers are so generous, hardly any of them spoke a word of English and we got by trading cigarettes, laughing and smiling. But my Spanish did get better, I had to learn a few words pretty fast! 
And California. It’s so amazing because again it’s such an open place – it’s very friendly and very positive. It seems like the perfect place for the love revolution. I think Americans have a great attitude; they must learn it in school! People are genuinely friendly, helpful and tolerant – it’s beautiful. I actually think we could learn a lot. When we think of Americans it’s usually only the wealthy ones on holiday in London and that’s obviously not a broad section of the population. The politicians and the tourists don’t paint a good example of their culture. Unless we travel there and experience that kind of warmth we don’t really see it. It’s a bit of an affront to English people and our reserve, but now when we come back from America we always try to bring a bit of that friendliness with us. 

Did you do any gigs on your travels?
I played at a guitar festival in Mexico that was the greatest fun, in Zihuatanejo. I had my guitar on me because I was writing songs, we just asked if we could come and play and they were cool with it. But we didn’t really go away to perform, it was to write and get some head space. I love playing the guitar and I love writing with the guitar but I am not that confident. I just wanted to explore and write – I was not compelled to busk for example!

Are you still travelling now?
We are a bit more rooted, but we are certainly all over England. I made the album in Scotland with Max Richter, so we were living there for a few months. Since then we’ve been getting the band together so I have been commuting between London and Birmingham.

How are you finding it being back in Birmingham?
I love it. I used to hate Birmingham, getting out was all I thought about as a kid and that’s why I went to London. It seemed so depressing and so grey. And now I love it, I love coming back, and obviously I love being around my family. I don’t want to sound corny, I hate that kind of patriotic stuff about where you come from but to me there is a friendliness and a warmth to Birmingham. There’s a really lovely feeling of being at home.

How are people taking to the new sound of Rocking Horse?
It’s all really positive so far. For me it’s really natural to want to explore more organic ways of making music, but to other people it is quite a big change. It’s the most personal album I’ve made because I wanted to try and make something that was really relevant to my own experiences.

Where does the title Rocking Horse come from? 
I feel like life is a paradox and we are always going between light and dark influences and the album is very much like that. Some of the songs are very light and airy and then some are bordering on the macabre. For me Rocking Horse personifies that paradox in human nature. 

Are the songs a product of your time on the road?
That’s were they were all conceived, if you like. They were mostly written around campfires. We had a tent, and that’s were we were living. Part of it was born out of desperation. When we were in London and I made ‘Psychic Cat’ not much seemed to be happening for us. We weren’t really getting the exposure that you need to be able to tour a record and to be able to do all that a record needs. It just went really quiet. I was left feeling like I needed something new, we didn’t have very much money and we weren’t happy. The best we could come up with was to sell everything and fuck off to Mexico and California for a bit! 

‘Rocking Horse’ is out now
www.kelliali.com 

Photos by Steve Gerrard

To celebrate the release of her ace new album ‘Rocking Horse’ Kelli Ali will be playing at the Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, supporting Greg Weeks on 28 Nov.