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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Is ‘supergroup’ a dirty word? Perhaps. But Gramercy Arms are bringing the soap and hot water.

They are one of the industry’s more obscure supergroups, it is fair to say, a collective of New York indie artists that boasts members of bands such as Joan As Police Woman, Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders, Luna and Dead Air as part of their revolving/evolving line-up. You listen to Shining Bright and wait for the sound of jostling egos, artistic differences and spoilt broth, but what comes instead, refreshingly, is an understated slice of summer sunshine pop.

immerse myself in bright, rhythmic guitar chords and eloquent basslines, it seems hard to believe that someone could have ever created music like this. Where did the summer go? Can we get it back?

I am even more surprised when I discover that Gramercy Arms wrote Shining Bright, along with the rest of their album, in winter of last year. While most of us were moping, shivering and waiting impatiently for spring, these talented New Yorkers set about making pop music their sunshine.

I love the effortlessly cool male vocal on this track, which sounds like it could be something John Cale or Lou Reed could have knocked out while with The Velvet Underground. The lyrics are as urbane and engaging, delivered with intelligence. Shining Bright really does get under your skin. The more I think about it; the more I hear it; the more I like it.

Unobtrusive female backing vocals float at the edge of the main tune, harmonising subtly with it, something that is particularly effective when the chorus begins, adding a breathless urgency that was not there before. Shining Bright sneaks up on you. It rewards the patient listener, drawing them in and making them want to hear more. You find yourself tapping your feet, hooked, but when you tell someone else, they find it hard, at first, to understand.

    Gramercy Arms were named after an art deco apartment block on the East 22nd Street, and some argument has been made that their sound would better fit a band from more idyllic climes. LA? Miami? Perhaps; but the sun shines everywhere, eventually. Even in snow-covered, sub-zero New York.

Shining Bright is a sweet, unassuming track the latest to be released from Gramercy Arms’ eponymous album, which received quiet critical acclaim when it was made available in August of this year.

Sitting here, wearing three pairs of socks and a ridiculous woolly hat, looking out on a pitch black winter’s night as I