Larry Ryan: Caught In The Net

There has rarely been a better time for fresh-faced bands to develop their fledgling music and to get it noticed. As reported in The Independent last week, the "Musical Futures" teaching initiative, which allows pupils to "'jam' like rock stars", has led to a dramatic increase in the number of students taking GCSE music. The programme also encourages pupils to make their own music and put it on the web.

Vastly outdoing the hopeful demo sent to a DJ on a local radio station, MySpace has enabled young bands to gain attention far quicker than before, and fanning the flames is Youth Music Week, running from 25 October to 1 November; www.youthmusicweek.org.uk.

Now in its third year, Youth Music Week celebrates music made by people under 18 with a week of performances, workshops and showcases in England and Wales. Among the events this year is the opportunity for a number of young bands to support Pete and the Pirates on tour in York, Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham and London. To be selected, bands had to upload tracks on to the Youth Music Week website. The winners will be selected soon, but you can hear efforts at www.youthmusicweek.org.uk/charts/. Though a distressingly large number of the bands list the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a major influence, there is plenty of potential on display.

Not quite so young but with a recently released debut single is duo The Big Pink. Milo Cordell is one half of the operation and he also happens to run Merok Records, the home of Crystal Castles, The Teenagers and, formerly, Klaxons. As you can imagine Cordell is pretty well connected, so plenty more will probably be heard from them. The single "Too Young Too Love" has shades of droning guitars à la My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized and Liars, with drum machines and electronic glitches also rumbling through. It's a path many have trodden before, one might argue, but they have come up some fine variations on the theme. Download the single for free at tinyurl.com/3o3uy8 and listen to more tracks at tinyurl.com/42zs3e.

Meanwhile, electronic artist Max Tundra is readying his third album, Parallax Error Beheads You, for release. It's six years since Tundra's last effort and perhaps all this time was spent crafting soup rather than music: 250 cans of the limited edition Max Tundra-labelled "kosher chicken soup" can be purchased on the website of his record company, Domino Records (yes, really). Those who buy the soup will get a code for a digital download of the new album on the day of its release, 20 October. To show gratitude at buying into this culinary venture, customers also get an exclusive download album called Best Friends – a reinterpretation of Tundra's debut record Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be, made by pals of the musician – tinyurl.com/3ws57q.

Equally diverse, Brian Eno and musician/software designer Peter Chivers have delved into the murky world of iPhone Apps, with something they describe as "part instrument, part composition and part artwork." Their application, "Bloom", has controls that allow the user to create melodies and patterns by tapping the screen of their iPhone or iTouch; when it is left idle an infinite set of its own compositions and visuals are produced. It is available from iTunes for $3.99 (£2.30). Eno is old enough to be a grandfather to many of the previously mentioned youthful bands (or perhaps just a genial uncle), but as ever, he proves you don't have to be teenager to embrace the new.

PICK OF THE WEEK

DellLounge.com

Like those warm days in early October, this site lingers like a relic from the long-forgotten summer. The "Dell Summer Rocks" section of the site exists to plug alternative music festivals in the US, but it is notable for a free "digital mixtape" download it still offers. Choose up to 20 tracks out of 100 by bands old and new, from Yeasayer to Free Kitten, and once your selection is made you will be emailed a download. Also among the list is a track from the most high-profile teen band of the moment, Tiny Masters of Today. This Brooklyn boy and girl duo released their debut album last year on Mute Records and their MySpace site says they have the bones of 19 self-produced songs ready for the follow-up. Choose your songs at tinyurl.com/4wzmts or hear my mixtape at independent.co.uk/mixtape.