If you didn't know already, Secret Machines are well on their way to becoming one of the biggest bands of the year. Currently residing under the moniker of 'cult favourites' there is little doubt that their cult status will soon be upgraded to 'celebrity'.

Lightning Blue Eyes is the second release from the forthcoming album Ten Silver Drops and sees the band in fine form. First single 'Alone, Jealous and Stoned' was a mammoth affair clocking in at around the seven minute mark, and drew some comparisons to the likes of Pink Floyd amongst others. If you work solely in terms of Secret Machines however, then Lightning Blues Eyes is the Sad and Lonely to Alone Jealous and Stoned's First Wave Intact (the gargantuan opener to their Now Here Is Nowhere album).

Far more accessible than Alone... Lightning Blue Eyes is a conventional pop song. It's focused, it's shorter, and there is an easily discernable chorus. Yet, it doesn't quite sound like any pop song you've heard before. It somehow feels both enormously retro and sparklingly new at the same time. As usual with Secret Machines, it's driven by those familiar unrelenting drums that pound their message home and a strong sense of melody may well cause uncontrollable production of Serotonin. In short then, this single shows a swing towards a brighter, more optimistic sounding Secret Machines. You would be wise to catch them now, because they won't stay secret for too much longer.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees