Check out this interview I did with The Maccabees for CITY. And if for some reason you still don't know who these guys are, check out their MySpace now. I saw them last week at Music Hall of Williamsburg and they're an amazing live band.

Every now and then, I hear a record that sucks me in and won't let me go for a week or more. Sometimes, though, my musical obsessions last longer, much longer. This was the case with the debut record – Colour It In -- from British band The Maccabees, who had me in their clutches for nearly a month. On iTunes while at home and on my iPod while everywhere else: there was just no getting away from them.

With all of the music available these days – in large part thanks to sites like music-friendly MySpace – it's a part-time job navigating the world of indie music. Whereas in the past there were a finite amount of artists being funneled to the world via radio and MTV through major labels, now anyone and everyone who makes music and has a computer can upload tracks to MySpace and let the world have a listen. The upside: so much amazing music that would have gone unnoticed in the past is now available to anyone who wants to hear it. The downside: at any given time, there are hundreds of bands – some of whom are amazing and worth a listen – who may not get the attention they deserve.

One such band is The Maccabees. While not completely unknown in the music world, given the strength of their first record – released in 2005 – I'm shocked they didn't become an instant hit. Once you've listened to Colour It In, you too will wonder how it is that they've not taken the world by storm. Having toured with Bloc Party and currently enjoying huge success in the UK, The Maccabees' time to shine worldwide is just around the corner. They're good looking, have a unique musical style, and man can they play live, something many current indie bands struggle with.

Felix, the guitar player for the band, took a minute out of the band's currently jam-packed UK tour schedule to answer a few burning questions I had about the band whose music once again I can't stop listening to.

Who are you and what do you do?
We are The Maccabees. I'm Felix, I play guitar and sing a little bit.

Where do you live?
The band live in London apart from Hugo who still has a flat in Brighton, the place where it all started properly for us.

Where did you grow up?
We grew up in South London. Trying to get in to pubs, playing football and busking for sweets.

What'd you want to be when you were a kid?
My big idea was to create the official Fish and Chips mobile shop for Fulham Football Club supporters. It would travel everywhere the team played and the 'faithful' would know it was the only place to get good fish and chips. I still think it was a good idea and it might have made more financial sense than playing in a band! Ru was more ambitious and wanted to be a race car driver, which he hopes he'll still find time for!

Did you always play instruments? If so, what instruments?
We only started playing instruments when we realised that we wanted to have a gang that played our own songs. To this day we can't play any covers. Apart from Reptilia by the Strokes, that Orlando refuses to learn the words to, and Just Like The Rain by Richard Hawley which is nothing like the original.

What was the first band you were in? What year?
We were the first band we were in. Seven years ago now. Which by today's standards was quite old to start playing, 17 ish.

Who's your all-time favorite musician? I know it's not going to be easy, but please only answer with 1 person here. It can be 1 per band member, if that helps.
We will never be able to decide who is our collective all-time favourite musician - it takes us long enough to decide what time we're rehearsing! I'll say Joe Strummer for teaching us that anyone can achieve what they want with the right spirit, drive and love for what they do, no matter what their technical ability. It's a great example for anybody who wants to play music.

What musicians have influenced your musical style?
A lot of bands have taught us huge lessons about group dynamics. Interpol and Arcade Fire work because of the personalities and coincidental chemistry between the members. That is something that cannot be taught and can be truly awe-inspiring. It was important that we could go and see those bands and see it for real. And feel part of it. Public Enemy and The Clash taught us to have direct intent and be unapologetic. The National taught us what beauty can be achieved within a guitar group. The Stone Roses, Velvet Underground and countless others proved to us how important sincerity is.

Who has influenced you most in life? Career?
Our family and friends are our biggest influences on our lifes. Without them and what we've learnt and seen we'd have nothing to express.

Top 5 favorite places to hangout?
I think we're all happy to be home when we get the chance! We recorded the record in Paris, there was a place, near Porte de Bagnolet, that sold the best sun dried tomatoes ever. It's a bit sad to be excited by a tomato. But you'd understand if you'd tasted them.

Best cities for playing shows?
We will play to anyone who wants to see us. Anyone that is bothered deserves our respect wherever. The big hometown London shows have been special moments as well as one or two Festivals, Reading 2007 in particular.

I'm from New York and like all New Yorkers have a certain fondness for this town. What's your take on New York. I've heard from other bands that New York crowds are tough: everyone's too cool to let loose. Thoughts?
We've always had the most incredible time in New York. It's difficult to explain, but when your from England and you get the opportunity to play in New York, it feels like . 'We did it, we're here!', regardless of how many people are actually at your show! The few gigs we've done there have been really good spirited shows I think. Sometimes it's important to remember that the ones that jump around the most aren't always the ones that it means the most to.

Have you been back to the US to play since you toured with Bloc Party?
We came back to play the Bowery Ballroom and a few other little shows. One being the same evening, we played before Band of Horses. Let's just say I don't think people were ecstatic to see us and maybe we'd drunk a bit too much. Orlando with an accordian running rings around bemused New York punters is still one of the best things i've ever seen!

How was that that tour? How'd you get involved with it? We loved it. It was a proper adventure.

When will you come back to the States? New York? I see lots of UK tour dates on MySpace, but nothing stateside.
If it's anything to do with us, we'll be back. It's important for us to make some headway over there, or at least give it a go. It's near the top of the 'to do' list for sure!

Given how amazing your first album is, I find it hard to believe that you didn't blow up instantly. Can you tell me a bit about how you started the band and how it's progressed from then until now?
Thank you. We are definitely aware that we want the people that like our band to feel an affinity for us. Not just to turn up and buy our records because we're rammed down their throats. We've always been a word of mouth band, we'd just like to continue it feeling like a natural progression; we're always learning and we'll just keep going.

I'm really bad at doing comparison of contemporary bands to bands from the past that they sound like. I can't do it for you guys. Your sound isn't like anything else out there at the moment, but it's got a familiar feel. Just nothing I can peg. What kind of music would you call it?
I've been asked that question so many times and I still answer it with ...um....err....it's a bit like.... it's got a bit of..... you know..... but, we've all got different ideas of how music should be made which is why it turns out like none of us would have individually concieved. We try to make it direct in it's intent, with beauty and sincerity.

It seems as though you're finally getting the attention and credit you deserve. Was it frustrating getting to this point in the age of instant success? I believe that many bands that blow up and become huge instantly have a much harder time in the long run. Bloc Party, for instance, was so big so fast and it was definitely well-deserved. Their album changed the way I listened to music and what I was listening to, but then there was so much hype and anticipation for their second record and it came and went without much fanfare. There's no way it could have lived up to the first record and people had moved on to other bands and sounds by the time it dropped. How does this affect you as a band, if at all?
As I said, we're happy to keep our heads down and keep going. Just keep trying to make records, videos, play gigs that we're proud of. You can't do more than that. As soon as you pay too much heed to the 'business', I think your in trouble because you sacrifice the reason you do it in the first place. It's our little take on the world. That's all any band is I suppose. It's just your contribution.

I just downloaded the first single from your forthcoming record No Kind Words. It's hot. Still sounds like Maccabees but the sound is fresh and has progressed, not more of the same, but not something completely different. From what I've seen with other bands, this is exactly the recipe for success. How was doing this record different than the first one? Did you have access to better producers? Equipment? Does this make a difference?
Thanks. We made this record with Markus Dravs. It was a really enjoyable experience. We genuinely feel the new album is twice the record the first one is. He reminded us what was great about our band and helped us realise some of our more ambitious ideas. There's way more going on. The same spirit, but I suppose it's a record that we'd be happy to play against anybody else's and stand up for it.

The new track is a bit darker in tone. I really like it. What influenced this record?
We've always been into some quite dark music. It's a challenge to make a record like that and for it to stay the right side of understated and exciting. We're proud of it.

What is your lyric writing process?
Orlando writes lyrics about personal experiences. When me and Hugo chip in, we do too.

I hear you played a series of small shows to fine tune the tracks from the forthcoming record. How does that work exactly? I've heard of people doing this, but am not quite sure what happens. When you do the first record, you've tested your songs week by week at gigs, and the ones that survive are the one's that are most succesful at the shows.
I suppose we just wanted a second opinion on this record too! We knew we liked them but we wanted to see how they worked in that environment, if they got people. Luckily, in England we have fans who were just more than happy to come and hear songs they'd never heard before. It helped us, no doubt.

What other current indie bands from the scene are you into?
There are a few good groups still kicking about; Pete and the Pirates, Mystery Jets, Jamie T, Blood Red Shoes, I am Kloot and Jack Penate. But I think you try to refresh your enthusiasm for music and listen to music beyond your contemporaries - which is why I've spent all year listening to John Cooper Clarke, Public Enemy and Roots Manuva, Orlando to Devandra Banhart, Animal Collective and Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Hugo to Adam Green, Brian Eno and Orange Juice.There's so much music out there these days, it's hard to keep up. How do you get introduced to new music? Designers, for example, are so inundated with fashion and style; many adopt a very simple uniform that they wear over and over as a result. Do musicians do the same with music?
As above, you just try and listen to music because it makes you happy, inspires or informs you rather than dilligently taking notes. You don't want to become too competitive.

I just watched a few live performance videos on YouTube. Not only are you stylish and good looking, but your music rocks and you put on a great live show. How can that be??
I think our friends would be amused to hear us being called 'stylish'. We're not really. As far as live shows go, we give it everything. You have to.

Do you style yourself or do you have a stylist? What do you wear to a show?
Is that what you wear always or do you get dressed up for performances? Yeah.... I don't think we're fashion conscious at all! The band is an expression of ourselves, so we dress like ourselves.

Favorite designers? Things to wear?
Hugo likes to wear hoodies, Lando's taken to wearing a new bobble hat and Ru's just bought himself some new shoes.

Anything I didn't ask that you want the world to know??
No.