Yes indeed, running late again. I couldn’t open blogger at all yesterday or today, but apparently it’s just me and my browser since no one else seems to be having trouble. I’ll use another browser until I can figure out what’s going on, but it’s weird - like seeing a familiar place from a new angle for the first time. Everything looks the same, only different.

Anyway, my New Band for this week is a rule-breaker, but I found a loophole. The Bicycles’ debut album, The Good, The Bad And The Cuddly came out in May, but you can only get it from a few places in the States and Canada, as far as I know. I even emailed Rough Trade a few months ago looking for a copy. I eventually gave in and paid the international shipping from Insound and waited patiently by the mailbox.

So, from a European perspective, The Bicycles still qualify for New Band Day status since they have no releases over here. I originally found out about them via a post on The Boy Least Likely To’s Blog (their recent tourmates). The Bicycles make the most heartwarmingly charming music I’ve heard in as long as I can remember. If you mixed up some early Beatles, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, maybe some Neil Diamond and The Kinks - and threw in a touch of Motown and doo-wop for good measure - and poured it out in a recording studio in Canada, you’d have The Bicycles. They’re sweeter than The Magic Numbers, The Boy Least Likely To, and Belle & Sebastian combined. Those bands all have a darker edge deep down in their music; if you looked for an edge in The Bicycles, the most you’d find is a lightish grey. And to top it off, they even have a cover of The Monkees’ “Cuddly Toy” on the album (though it could also be a Harry Nilsson cover, since he wrote it and all - I just know the Monkees’ version best).

Don’t listen to The Bicycles if you don’t want to feel good about, well, pretty much everything. You’ve been warned. But if you’re ready to embrace pure joy, download a few of their songs from their website, or have a listen on their myspace page.