Bands To Watch: Scotland’s Alternative Pop Band We Were Promised Jetpacks

wewerepromisedjetpacksScotland alternative pop band We Were Promised Jetpacks appeared on the indie music radar last year when the band went on tour with indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. Now the buzz around We Were Promised Jetpacks is getting louder thanks to their new debut album These Four Walls. The album features a mixture of alternative rock, post punk and indie pop music, at times reminiscent of the Editors, The Strokes.

No good explanation can be found online for the origin of the band’s name, but it does, and yet also does not, seem to fit. Prefix Magazine put it nicely: “Their name, though quite clever, indicates that they might traffic in the nerd rock of They Might Be Giants or the hipster pop of Phantom Planet. When the earnest voice of Adam Thompson first cuts through the thin veneer of dissonance that blankets nearly every song on These Four Walls, it is almost disorienting.”

In addition to Thompson, band members include Michael Palmer (guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Darren Lackie (drums). The Glasgow band was ‘discovered’ when folks at Fat Cat Records – label of Sigur Rós, Múm, Animal Collective, The Twilight Sad – had heard some of We Were Promised Jetpacks music on MySpace while browsing the friends section for Frightened Rabbit (who, by the way, are also signed with Fat Cat).

As one of the best debut albums so far this year, These Four Walls, demonstrates that We Were Promised Jetpacks are a band to watch.

“Quiet Little Voices”We Were Promised Jetpacks from These Four Walls (2009)

“Conductor”We Were Promised Jetpacks from These Four Walls (2009)

Camera Obscura Releases New Tour Dates for US and Australia

Camera Obscura, one of the most popular indie pop bands over the last few years, has released the dates and venues for an ambitious tour across the United States and Australia, kicking off their first show January 17 at The Earl in Atlanta.

According to their official website, there may be more dates added later.

If you get a chance to see them, IRC strongly recommends that you get your tickets early; they will sell out just about everywhere and you don’t want to be dishing out double the price for concert tickets on eBay.

Meanwhile, listen to song samples and view the tour dates. You may also want to check out their official homepage, featuring streaming audio and music videos, MP3s and easy-to-use media formats, creating an interactive experience.

Listen now:

If Looks Could Kill (official release in UK/Europe is set for Jan. 29)
Let’s Get Out of This Country – (one of the song’s that got them noticed)

Note: Support the group and buy Camera Obscura music from Emusic.com or anywhere on the Internet.

TOUR DATES – January to March 2007

Jan 17 20078:00P
The EarlAtlanta, Georgia
Jan 18 20078:00P
The Club DownunderTalahasee, Florida
Jan 19 20078:00P
40 Watt ClubAthens, Georgia
Jan 20 20078:00P
Cat’s CradleCarborro, North Carolina
Jan 21 20078:00P
Sun Satellite BallroomCharlottesville, Virginia
Jan 22 20078:00P
9:30 ClubWashington, Washington DC
Jan 24 20078:00P
WarsawBrooklyn, New York
Jan 26 20078:00P
Pearl StreetNorthampton, Massachusetts
Jan 27 20078:00P
Paradise Rock ClubBoston, Massachusetts
Jan 29 20078:00P
La Sala RossaMontreal, Quebec
Jan 30 20078:00P
Barrymore’s Music HallOttawa, Ontario
Jan 31 20078:00P
Opera HouseToronto, Ontario
Feb 1 20078:00P
Blind PigAnn Arbor, Michigan
Feb 2 20078:00P
Kraftbrau BreweryKalamazoo, Michigan
Feb 3 20078:00P
Logan Square AuditoriumChicago, Illinois
Feb 5 20078:00P
The Blue NoteColumbia, Missouri
Feb 8 20078:00P
The Bluebird TheatreDenver, Colorado
Feb 9 20078:00P
The Record BarKansas City, Kansas
Feb 10 20078:00P
Polyforum SiqueirosMexico City
Feb 12 20078:00P
NeumosSeattle, Washington
Feb 13 20078:00P
Richard’s On Richard’sVancouver, British Columbia
Feb 14 20078:00P
Wonder BallroomPortland, Oregon
Feb 16 20078:00P
Bimbo’sSan Francisco, California
Feb 17 20078:00P
El Ray TheatreLos Angeles, California
Feb 22 20078:00P
TroubadourBrisbane, Northern Territory
Feb 23 20078:00P
Laneway FestivalMelbourne, Victoria
Feb 23 20078:00P
Northcote Social ClubMelbourne, Western Australia
Feb 24 20078:00P
Laneway FestivalMelbourne
Mar 2 20078:00P
Perth International Arts CentrePerth, Western Australia
Mar 3 20078:00P
Laneway FestivalBrisbane
Mar 4 20078:00P
Laneway FestivalSydney
Mar 5 20078:00P
Annandale HotelSydney, New South Wales