Turin Brakes

Turin Brakes — the folkish pop duo composed of former schoolmates Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian — retain a fierce emotional power whether fleshed out with a full backing band, or stripped down to bare acoustic necessities . . . which is a sure-fire indicator of rock-solid songwriting. Immerse yourself in the bells and whistles of "Pain Killer (Summer Rain)" before sinking into the sparse magnificence of "Mind Over Money". Early songs and easy-flowing live performances light up our Turin Brakes Next Steps.

Take in the full scope of Turin Brakes here, from debut single "The Door", which had appeared on a 1999 EP before resurfacing along with The Optimist LP in 2001, to lush ballads like "Something in My Eye" and hand-clappers ("Eveready"), both from 2007's Dark on Fire. We're sure you'll also warm to the band's cover of "Breaking the Girl", a Red Hot Chili Peppers track, which features on 2005's The Red Moon E.P..

If asked to name a world-class acoustic duo that is by turns sensitive, melancholy, and deliriously skyscraping, the older crowd of folk-pop lovers would, no doubt, chime Simon & Garfunkel in unison. Those not so long in the tooth, however, would have no hesitation in nominating Knights & Paridjanian, aka Turin Brakes, whose quiet and understated strength has remained a reassuring constant in the 21st century thus far. And there's far more to the pair than exquisitely delivered, swoonful harmony: feel the bite of "Stalker" or the sliding grooves of "They Can't Buy the Sunshine" and you'll realise these lads have galaxies at their mercy.