May 03, 2008

It was one year ago that rock quartet Nicola floored Billboard's NYC Underground series with climactic, gritty goth-rock focal point "Lighthouse." With the April release of full-length "Don't Take It Personally," the band's lead (and namesake) ups the ante, as rollicking melodic anthem "Anybody Out There" offers universal perspective on isolation: "Leave another message on the phone just to hear your own voice/Does anybody out there love anyone at all?" Cool back story: Nicola was performing the song acoustically on the streets of New York and an onlooker offered $50 to hear it again. Easy enough to buy—one listen turns Nicola into a vital iPod presence. Hey, radio, yo, major labels: You can cash in, too. More at nicolanicola.com or myspace.com/nicola. —Chuck Taylor

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