“Johnny Normal creates a musical bag of ‘Englishness’ that finds its roots in pop, punk and electronic music from the 1980s onwards. Johnny’s inspiration is drawn from the life he sees around him, the things people gloss over… everyday stuff like family, fried breakfast, relationships, fear, envelopes and being run over…

… The style of johnny normal is very much what electronic 1980 England should have been together with an oddly modern edge. “

His entry into the England song stakes is a track called “God Save the Team” and yes, it is a reworded cover version of a familiar tune. Correction: An electro punk version.

There is an element of Frank Sidebottom with his Casiotone keyboard, bordering on the Jess Conrad there… I’m sure this is tongue in cheek… But either way taken a listen below:

- Stream only: Purchase & download the 3 track CD. (including the above song)

- Find out more: MySpace: Johnny Normal music. (*Warning: music starts automatically*)

“Mark Cohen has been writing and recording his own songs since 1985. He has been influenced and inspired by 60′s pop, 70′s punk & new wave, 80′s indie & alternative and 90′s Brit Pop. In the early 90s he adopted the name, “The Shining Hour” and has produced a number of home made CD albums.

In 1998, Germany’s Apricot Records released a limited edition 7 inch single EP entitled “Five o’Clock Rise” which sold out. A 15 song album “Long Lost” was finally released in November 2006.”

Mark’s entry is a love song to the national side. It begins with that football and music ingredient of the crowd chanting and then the song is a bit of jangly pop. It is catchy. Has a great chorus with the footie crowd once again involved via a sample. Very clever.

» Video

- I don’t know if he has any plans to release this song commercially so: Stream only.
- You can download for free the above mentioned ‘Long Lost’ album here. (Nice stuff)

- Find out more: MySpace: The Shining Hour.