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News / Stream: My picks for the Glastonbury ETC Longlist

As announced in January, BlackPlastic.co.uk has once again featured in the panel of bloggers that judge the initial submissions of artists for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition. Judging the competition is always tough - this year I had 153 bands to consider and whittling that down to just three is incredibly difficult, but I'm delighted to be able to confirm my final three choices.

In no particular order, my three choices:

1. Over My Soul - IISO

A very mysterious one, and sadly there is no public link, but you can get a sense of what they are about on their Facebook page. Anyway, trust me - subtle, emotive and sublime.

2. A Thousand Miles From Home - Aelius

Again, the track isn't public, but you can check out the band's last (self-titled) EP below. Like post-rock seen through the eyes of the lead character from Drive.

Written and Produced by AELIUS Mixed by Martin Roberts and Lee Tyler Mastered by Phil Joannides @ PushTheFrequency.com www.WeAreAelius.com www.facebook.com/WeAreAelius twitter.com/WeAreAelius - - - - - Aelius have recently launched their debut self-titled EP, where dynamic, ethereal electronics crash into the bones of Post-Rock. The haunting debut track 'Echoes...' has been met with fiery hot response from blogs, heralding it a "magisterial beauty" and a "blazing synth anthem". The four-piece is headed by songwriters Martin Roberts and Lee Tyler, who are responsible for all aspects of the records production; programming, recording and mixing everything within the enclaves of their East London studio. Having played sold out shows at both The Barfly and The Garage at the end of the year, the band has been met with a huge response after unleashing an impressive live show. Aelius are now hard at work on their forthcoming album.

3. AMILLION - Black Gold Buffalo

Lush. R&B influenced pop that sounds like it was beamed into my ears from Mars. Expect more from these guys soon.

Check out the full longlist here, and Glastonbury have a Soundcloud playlist with every public song here.