My Favourite New Band of 2003! are Komatrohn – a quick look at that website will show you that they’ve been going since 2001 but they’re new to me, so there. They make very fast, very pop electro which all sounds wonderfully 8-bit. Every track I’ve heard by them has been excellent: they take simple ideas and execute them with a delightful economy. They are also, I feel I should warn you, very twee on occasion. You can sample them on Gabba, where their cover of “Smalltown Boy” has been generously uploaded.
One of the few other blogs to mention Komatrohn has been Shoelaces, which I also enjoyed.
(Update: Top Komatrohn simile I have just thought of. Komatrohn : Electroclash :: Soca : Dancehall)