JIM CARROLL's future sounds

Cold Cave: romance and nihilism

There’s no need to put away the synths quite so fast. If you thought that this year’s synth-pop revival was a bit of a ruse to assist the rise of La Roux, Lady Gaga and Little Boots, think again. In 2010, you’re likely to be still in thrall to that sound, with a whole new bunch of synthistas plying their wares.

Chances are that Cold Cave will be one of those acts people will be raving about in the coming months. From Philadelphia and now signed to the Matador label, Cold Cave exude oodles of potential.

The frontman is Wesley Eisold, a guy with form on the hardcore circuit via stints with bands like Some Girls and Give Up The Ghost. He’s also a poet who runs the Heartworm publishing imprint and was involved in a spot of handbags with Fall Out Boy which ended with Eisold getting songwriting credits.

Eisold and company – including Caralee McElroy from Xiu Xiu and author Max G Morton – are producing bespoke synth-pop to thrill and chill you. Debut album Love Comes Close, say the band, is "a vision of modern pop music with equal parts of romance and nihilism".

If anyone was saying this about the Human League when they went about stalking waitresses in cocktail bars, they certainly stayed quiet about it. What's most interesting about Cold Cave is just how accessible their music sounds given such a manifesto. A track such as Life Magazineis a slice of electro-rock which is as much about playing to the band's pop's strengths as it is about sharpening an experimental edge.

The last word on Cold Cave goes to Eisold. “At this point in time, with a million musical sub-genres, the nature and marrow of a song is more important than outside perception. The heart of the song is as important as the sound of the song.”

** www.myspace.com/ coldcave

Mickey Gang: wake-up call

You are going to love the Mickey Gang. Straight up, by the end of next year, the Mickey Gang will be your favourite new Brazilian band. You will have forgotten all about CSS and Bonde Do Role. You may even be wandering your hometown wearing a T-shirt with the band's name emblazoned across the front. Actually, let's hold that last thought for now.

Hailing from the city of Colatina, Mickey Gang are a bunch of fresh-faced youngsters playing high-velocity funky-punky indie-pop with the kind of natural swagger last seen when The Strokes emerged from downtown New York. Songs such as

I Was Born In The 90s(bet that title makes some readers feel old) and debut single Horses Can't Dance(released on the 50 Bones label) are their sunny boom tunes. Each one is loaded with teenage kicks, playful hooks and muscular grooves and you can only imagine what will happen when some remix fiend gets his or her hands on those tunes.

The band hit Europe for a short burst of dates at the end of this month.

Chances are, they'll be back this way many times in 2010.

** www.myspace.com/ mickeygang

The Dispatches

Nakatomi Towers

Smashing electropop in a Juan Maclean/Presets vein from Belfast duo playing Kennedy’s (Westland Row, Dublin) on September 19th. www.myspace.com/wearenakatomitowers

Feed the Bears

New Dublin combo showing a sure touch with sparking indie pop and sprightly melodies. Expect a release on Any Other City in the coming months. www.myspace.com/feedthebearsdublin

Pearse McGloughlin

The Sligo-born singer-songwriter’s Busy Whispers album is packed with soft-focused, mellow tunes delivered with quietly assured authority. www.myspace.com/walkperson