First impressions are that The M’s sound like The Kinks. Maybe a little more psychedelic-garage and a little less English gentleman-ness (they hail from Chicago) but there’s still plenty of Anglophilia and pop classicism at work here. But as Future Women progresses, they get progressively more rocking and ass-shaking and by the end are pratically glamming it up. Dave Davies subbing in for Mick Ronson behind David Bowie? Maybe. Ragged, melodic and hooky they don’t do anything especially new but what they do do, they’re excellent at. Check them out when they open up for Wilco’s Canadian tour next month, including the July 7 show at Massey Hall.

MP3: The M’s – “Plan Of The Man”
Video: The M’s – “Mansion In The Valley” (MOV)
MySpace: The M’s

Los Angeles’ Languis understands the fine line of modern shoegazing, the one separating the ambient-electronic keyboard camp (hello Ulrich Schnauss) and the old-school, frantically strummed Jazzmaster at high volume (hello everyone else) and straddle that line quite effectively. While their earlier works were much more in the ambient electronic vein, their Other Desert Cities EP demonstrates an organicness and earthiness that no doubt comes from expanding from a duo to a quartet and investing in some guitars and amps. Think Spiritualized turned up to a disco-approved 120BPM or maybe Chapterhouse for the 21st century. Brief but tantalizing, I hope that a full-length in this vein is in the works.

MP3: Languis – “In The Fields Of (Lonely Fences)”
Video: Languis – “Times Are Changing” (MOV)
MySpace: Languis

I think this has been out for a while but I only got a copy recently. On first listen I thought it was decent if undistinctive singer-songwriter fare, but some gorgeous and somehow familiar backing vocals on the first track caught my ear. Turns out, it’s none other than Tanya Donelly, who also lends her gossamer pipes to another track on the 5-song debut EP. It’s funny how the mere presence of one of my favourite singers in the world, even on backings, can affect how one sees/hears a record. Bostonian Brian Sullivan, he who is Dylan In The Movies, has an emotive rasp not unlike the Catherine Wheel’s Rob Dickinson which naturally brings to mind “Judy Staring At The Sun” comparisons. Sullivan demonstrates decent songwriting range over the course of six songs from slow and moody to clench-teeth rockers but I can’t say any of them fit quite right. But if Sullivan can keep enlisting such top-notch talent to help out while he finds and refines his creative voice, he could well be on to something. Note – you can hear the Tanya-powered tracks on his MySpace.

MP3: Dylan In The Movies – “Momentary Breakdown”
MP3: Dylan In The Movies – “Better Days”
MySpace: Dylan In The Movies