Jim Carroll's new music

The Knux, Two Door Cinema Club and more

The Knux: new school hip-hoppers

Hip-hop’s fascination with the old school, those halycon days of fat laces and gold chains, has produced a couple of bona-fide new-school contenders. It’s also unleashed a rake of chancers, but we’ll leave them for another day.

The Cool Kids, Pacific Division, Kidz in the Hall and today’s act, The Knux, have made great sport from going back to the future. But this fetish for what happened back in the day is not just some generational nostalgia – these kids are mining the past and seeing how these strands stand up today.

The Knux are astute students of the game. On their debut album, Remind Me in 3 Days, the Lindsey brothers (Kintell, aka Krispy Kream, above left, and Alvin, aka Rah Amillio, right) showboat a raft of tunes to make fans party like old-school fools.

Like The Goats and Beastie Boys before them, the Lindseys’ raw tracks have sharp-as-a-tack hooks and punky drums. It seems these brothers never got around to attending hip-hop’s finishing school.

Born and reared in New Orleans, Kintell and Alvin were among the thousands who fled the city after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. After kicking their heels in Houston, they headed to Los Angeles, where most of the album was written and recorded.

“It’s funny that people make such a big deal about the fact that we produce and play our own music, and that it sounds different,” says Rah Amillio. “But to us, that’s more hip-hop than making lame shit that sounds like everybody else.”

- www.theknux.com

Two Door Cinema Club: when something good works

Rule of thumb for new bands: if you can come up with a tune as fine as Something Good Can Work, the world is yours for the taking. Bangor's Two Door Cinema Club are responsible for that delicious, joyous sliver of quirky alteronica and it's done them the world of good of late.

Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam Halliday (plus a drum-playing Mac computer) have been working together since 2007, though they’ve known each other since their days in the scouts.

Last year, they released an EP, Four Words to Stand On, which probably alerted those beyond Bangor to what was going on. Something Good Can Workwas produced by Lexx, who has also worked with Little Boots and Golden Silvers, and was released on the Kitsune label.

The real work has been on the road, and Two Door Cinema Club have toured with The Black Kids, Iglu Harty, The Wombats and Metronomy. They’ll spend the rest of 2009 doing more live meeting and greeting, and the plan is for an album in 2010.

- Two Door Cinema Club play Spring Airbrake, Belfast on May 9th. www.myspace.com/ twodoorcinemaclub

FOUR MORE

The Phenomenal Handclap Band

This New York collective craft new-school disco grooves for the dancefloor. We love 15 to 20.

www.myspace.com/embassyproductions

Tidal District

Feast your ears on this Dublin group's smashing, happy wonky pop on Don't Turn Your Back on the Bear.

www.myspace.com/tidaldistrict

Wave Machines

Highly addictive lo-fi art-rock disco from these bemasked Liverpudlians. Like Hot Chip, but, uhm, hotter.

www.myspacecom/mywavemachine

Hunter-Gatherer

Moody, broody and alluring beeps and bleeps from Irish electronic producer. Check out their You're Dead After SchoolEP.

www.myspace.com/huntergathererforever