The Cold Cut

Mystery Jets- Young Love

After 'Making Dens' thoroughly impressed me and I basked in the cool-down, Mystery Jets appeared to drop out of the music world, completely disappearing from magazines, websites and blogs alike.

The band have returned, with a noticeable spring in their step after their self-financed debut sold well. I saw them last year at the peak of their tour, in the Paradiso (Amsterdam), and was pretty blown away by their unique stage presence and quality of their live performance. Blaine, the lead singer, kept still by his spinal bifida, was surrounded by an array of percussion instruments (ie dustbin lids), and the rest of the band whirled around him. The success of 'Making Dens' in the UK created an avalanche which led to the albums release under the title 'Zootime' (a live favourite) in the US.

679 Recordings are the band's label of choice, who are also behind artists including Plan B and The Streets. The album, said to be titled '21', is setting itself up to one of the albums of 2008, with numerous tunes, including 'Flakes' and first single 'Young Love', a luscious slice of indie pop, featuring the always welcome Laura Marling, who keeps conveniently appearing in nice guest spots.

Over the last year, Blaine's father Henry became progressively less involved with the band's live performances, and recently decided to stop performing with the band altogether. He is, however, still involved in the studio work, but has been noticeably absent from their new videos and publicity shots. This is a shame, as he was one of their quirky aspects, setting them apart from the pack.

Regardless, '21' is sure to be another amazing offering from this grossly unappreciated band, and will hopefully see them take their music and stage persona to new heights.

You can pre-order the album on the online store... I would also recommend you watch the great video for 'Young Love':