ROCK

To paraphrase Blur: modern rock is rubbish. Particularly here in the UK where the current rock ‘saviours’ consist of nice guy fops and knuckle-dragging oiks getting by on gee-shucks modesty or self-aggrandising pomp, respectively. So far, so Britpop circa 1995.

Which makes Newcastle rockers yourcodenameis:milo all the more important. A group who make a discernible racket - despite the quiet, heads down attitude.

Debut album Ignoto drew comparisons to Radiohead and At The Drive-In but new album, They Came From The Sun is set to cement their status as rock’s new hope. Produced by ycni:m guitarist, Justin Lockey - no mean feat considering the group have worked with such names as Steve Albini and Flood - it sees the band move into an area previously unexplored: melody. Where early material utilised tension, now tracks incorporate Sigur Ros or even Four Tet like hooks, amidst the usual ‘milo noise’.

All of which may stem from their recent Print is Dead album, a collaborative release featuring a range of UK artists - Field Music, Bloc Party, Lethal Bizzle and Tom Vek - and all grafted under a strict one day write, rehearse, record policy. It may not have had quite the punch of its predecessor but it nevertheless opened the group’s eyes to new possibilities and doubtless influenced the writing of the new album.

Apart from anything else, how many other bands can you imagine sharing the spotlight so willingly? Certainly none of those doing the rounds just now or their predecessors for that matter. Come to think of it, modern rock might just be getting better.