The Kicker Conspiracy

Free DM's Partay!1!

2010-10-08T17:34:00.000+01:00

Vice are hosting a special party on October 29th to celebrate the half century anniversary of the iconic Dr. Martens brand. Get on down to the secret East London venue and enjoy sets by Flats (i bloody love that band) and the Black Lips, amongst others, by registering for FREE tickets at the Facebook event page (just write your name down).

As an added incentive, the booze will be cheap...

check out the official website here

Dry your eyes mate...yeah?

2010-08-25T20:20:00.000+01:00

I've been very busy not blogging lately so i thought i'd come back with a vengeance. I offer up the following three videos as part of this vengeance. These aren't just any old videos however, no. They're all united by a little bit of bleary-eyed crying. You've all probably seen these videos before, but only now are they all brought together under one thematically cohesive blog post.

1. Kele- Everything You Wanted

Kele's latest single sees him walking the streets of New York, at times looking determined, at others more bewildered. It all culminates in a tear-stained breakdown. Aaawww, despite his new found muscle-bound exterior it seems he's still the introverted softie of old on the inside.

2. Janelle Monae- Cold War

I know, I know, I've already posted this, but so what? It's still good and it fits the crying criteria.

3. Summer Camp- Round The Moon

Technically this is not a video of the actual band and instead represents a highlights-only version of the film A Swedish Love Story. Teenage love, lust and heartbreak wouldn't be complete without tears, right? Nicely soundtracked by the retro nostalgia Summer Camp have quickly perfected.

Somethin' like a Menomena

2010-08-11T23:06:00.000+01:00

I've spent much of today listening to the new Menomena album, Mines, which is really pretty good. Sounds less abstract and willfully experimental than their previous record, Friend and Foe, although this isn't meant to denigrate that album which is still a favourite of mine. Having said this, the new songs maintain all the classic Menomena characteristics: tinkly pianos, deep sax, yelps and croons, all delivered in staccato fashion. Reminded me of the funk of Liquid Liquid at times, particularly this track, but that may just be beacuse the "something like a phenomenon" line reminds me of the name Menomena. Anyway, here's the band in action.

LOL, that was a pretty funny joke.
This gives a better representation of what they're actually like:

Another album, that's been out a little longer, but that is also "really pretty good", is Archandroid by Janelle Monae. Check out the video for the storming Cold War. It's a wonderfully simple video that contrasts with the high drama and energy of the song, with the sort of performance not seen since Karen O's near break down in Maps.

When I was a young boy...

2010-08-04T21:03:00.000+01:00

Jus' chillin', y'know, in the suburbs

Most of you have probably heard the new Arcade Fire album by now, and most of you probably think it's brilliant. And I would completely agree with you, I'm not gonna shit on this sacred cow, who do you think I am, Vice? I do have one bone of contention though, and it's to do with the lyrics. The album's title may be The Suburbs, but this does not mean that every single song (almost literally) has to include the words "suburbs" or "sprawl", let alone countless relations such as "city", "town" and "street". The suburbs are populated, almost exclusively it seems, by "the kids", or on a few rarer occassions "the children". We all get that it's an album about suburbia and childhood, but across 16 songs those themes become stretched a little thin when the same few words are used to articulate them.

Here are the results of my pedantry, mentions of:
The suburbs/sprawl = 20
The kids/children = 16

Back in my day...

I realise this is a somewhat trivial matter, but it detracts from the listening if you find yourself noticing, and being irked by, these things. Maybe if they'd cut three or four songs, rather than the 16 they've opted for, these shortcomings may not have been so obvious.

Still, one of my favourite albums of the year so far, but it seems increasingly unlikely that Arcade Fire will ever quite top Funeral, and will always leave people, well me at least, a little disappointed.

Songs of the Day

2010-07-29T00:12:00.001+01:00

2 sa-weet songs 4 ya.

Number One:
Les Savy Fav with Let's Get Out of Here

Number Two:
Jens Lekman and The End of The World is Bigger than Love

Both lovely songs and well worthy of an email address and the effort of downloading.

1-2-3-4, Go!

2010-07-27T14:38:00.000+01:00

Despite being described by one magazine as the best-dressed festival of the year, Shoreditch's 1234 Festival proved it had plenty of substance to back up its indisputable style. Perhaps the bulk of this substance was provided by Peter Hook and his showcase of Joy Division's classic Unknown Pleasures. It was a fitting setting for such a performance, Joy Division a band that launched a thousand Shoreditch post-punk copycats, and this was confirmed by the huge, raucous crowd who came to witness the spectacle. And spectacle it was, as Hook tore through the album, giving it the full rawk treatment, often far removed from the minimal, menacing restraint of the original recorded version. Having obviously never had the fortune to see J. Div perform for real, i have no real point of comparison aside from the record itself, and despite this most recent incarnation being different, it was no less affecting. This was aided on a number of songs by the powerful vocals of former Happy Monday and X-Factor contestant Rowetta, again making no attempt to mimic the distinctive Ian Curtis, which was perhaps for the best. The highlight was saved until the end however, with the only non-Unknown Pleasures track, Love Will Tear Us Apart. The sight of a thousand Shoreditch scenesters finally shedding their cool insouciance to dance, sing and all but cry along to every indie kids favourite song was a somewhat touching moment.

Peter Hook's set would have proved a fitting headlining show, had he not been on at 6, with numerous acts to follow him. Instead, much of the crowd dissipated before Wavves came on to rip through his snotty lo-fi punk, before being told to get off the stage by an equally snotty festival organiser due to over-running. Wavves were in fact a more fitting representation of the kind of bands i ended up seeing throughout the course of the day. The likes of Mazes, Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls all played lo-fi alt-rock that evoked different decades of American indie, from the Pavement-inspired Mazes to the 60's girl-groups and West Coast pop of Dum Dum Girls. Notable exceptions to this rule of thumb however, included S.C.U.M, a group of black-clad post-punk upstarts who have discovered the art of making a song since i last saw them a year ago, as well as the Japanese prog/punk/noisefreaks Bo Ningen who tore apart the tiny Artrocker tent with their collective insanity.

The only negatives on what was an otherwise beautiful and entertaining day in Shoreditch park were my sunburn and the sound problems of These New Puritans that resulted in them pulling out of their headlining slot in the Rough Trade tent just two minutes into their first song.

Prepared for the sunny weather better than i was

Photos from Vice and Offset

Side-projects, secrecy and SALEM

2010-07-22T20:10:00.001+01:00

A triple whammy for ya:

1. Offshoots of Indie Kings Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear have both released new material lately. In the GB corner, Daniel Rossen has unleashed a series of old songs and outtakes under his Department of Eagles moniker, collectively (and originally) entitled Archive: 2003-2006. While We're Young is a typically beautiful track that will be instantly familiar to fans of the Bear.
In the AnCo corner, we have the heavy-hitting Noah Lennox, AKA Panda Bear, releasing his first material after the much lauded (and much copied) Person Pitch. It's woozy, off-kilter pop is instantly recognisable, but equally instantly lovable. His full album, Tomboy, is out sometime in the Autumn.

You can listen to them both on the Pitchfork Playlist.

2. Secrecy and anonymity are watchwords for 2010 it seems, withholding your identity the latest marketing ruse for many new bands. Most of the pioneers, the likes of Summer Camp, have since been rumbled, but Wu Lyf, who supposedly hail from Manchester, have managed to preserve their secret status. I followed a link to their website today that goes straight to a video depicting a struggle between white invaders and natives on a seemingly tropical coastline. It's got a sweet twist to it, plus some good old gore, and the song that soundtracks it (that i'm obviously assuming is by Wu Lyf themselves) is pretty great. It's got a similar aesthetic to the nostalgic pop that's so in vogue right now, save for the vocals that sound incredibly pained and impassioned, a dimension sorely missing from most other such bands. Check it out here.

3. SALEM are a band who make spaced-out goth pop, but who have come to be seen as leaders of the so called witch-house genre. Ludicrous genre names aside (i realise the witch connotations from the name, but seriously??), they've done a remix of the latest These New Puritans single, Hologram. As i'm meant to be seeing TNPs this weekend, it seemed rather timely, as well as the fact that it's a cool song, all slow beats, handclaps and deep vocal with a heavy drawl. SALEM's own stuff is also worth checking out, especially the song King Night.

2010-07-20T16:30:00.000+01:00

OMG?!?!!?111?!, why aren't Four Tet and The Fall and These New Puritans and that other band i really really like not on the Mercury Prize list????

Creators Project Party

2010-07-20T01:17:00.001+01:00

The Creators Project is perhaps the boldest undertaking in modern popular culture, seeking nothing less than to be the "first spark of creativity that gives life to the hopes and aspirations of the Twenty-First Century." Such claims need backing up, and that's just what The Creators Project did, in conjunction with Vice and Intel, this Saturday with the party they threw at Victoria House in London.

Peaches on the decks with a broken leg. Nice one Peaches.

All those lucky enough to get in were treated to a series of performances from some of the artists who have been profiled by The Creators Project, including Mark Ronson (and his new band, the awkwardly titled "The Business Intl."), Kele and Tinchy Stryder. I was disappointed to miss a set by Yuck, a band who make lovely lo-fi rawk a la Dinosaur Jr. and stuff, influences that belie their north London roots. They also have a drummer who is basically Jonah Hill's bigger, funnier brother.

My disappointment was soon swept away by the strident opening chords of Mark Ronson' latest hit Bang Bang Bang. I've been neglectful before in not saying how fucking awesome this song is. Ronson has moved on it seems from being the super cool guy with a horn-fixation to a super cool guy with some good tunes of his own. The rest of his set was an interesting combination of new, unknown songs that didn't go down as well as some classic covers that had the drunken crowd singing along with abandon.

Whilst waiting for Kele to set up, fun was had in the form of Saam Farahmand's DJ set that utilised footage recorded earlier in the night of party-goers dancing in front of a blue screen. I think i spent the majority of the time either boasting that my moves were better, or trying to copy those i was secretly jealous of. When Kele came on i gave up all pretence at busting out anything that could actually be called a "move" however, instead letting my inner fanboy out to shout along and pump his fist and generally have a brilliant time (thanks free bar). The new songs really worked in a live setting, produced as they are by Hudson Mohawke, a man who knows how to get people moving. Thrown in for good measure were a few Bloc Party classics, although they too tended towards the more electronic, club-friendly end of the spectrum, with the likes of The Prayer and Flux.

The night was about a lot more than just some gigs however, with impressive installations round every corner, such as the UVA light art, or Nick Zinner's photos, or the 8-bit video games that had me baffled in my drunken state despite their evident simplicity.

The future cultural landscape looks set to be in safe hands with The Creators Project.

Things that I'm listening to/want to be listening to...

2010-07-14T00:38:00.000+01:00

Into the first category (things what i am currently listening to) fall the following:

1. On a literal level, i am literally listening to this as we speak/I type:
The Notorious xx- a mash up of The xx's debut album of late night melancholy minimalism and hip-hop hero Biggie. It shouldn't work, but it does. You can listen to it all at Soundcloud. (This is a few months old by the way, i just wanted an excuse to mention it)

2. I've been listening to an online stream of blog darlings Best Coast's debut album, Crazy For You. Online streams of albums ahead of their release seem to be the new thing, The National and LCD Soundsystem just two others to have followed a similar strategy this year. Anyway, you've probably all read about how Best Coast make that lo-fi nostalgia-pop everyone seems to love this year, music that must have a crick in its neck from all the nods it makes to older bands. Despite its zeitgeist-riding derivative nature, it's got some wonderful melodies and enough charm to carry it all off. Listen to it here.

3. Another online stream worth checking out this week is that of Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers, another debut effort. Unlike Best Coast, Mount Kimbie's music could only have been written today, or perhaps tomorrow, a fact i've mentioned before i believe. They're one of those production teams forging a new path away from the wobbly dubstep of of old and into the future, taking with them a whole new army of fans not previously so enamoured with the genre. Listen to it here.

4. Hugo is a singer i'd never heard of until recently when i discovered his intriguing, and ultimately enthralling cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. He turns it into a roots-y, blues-y stomper that's pretty much as far from the original as can be imagined. Well worth checking out, again on Soundcloud.

5. Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma album is pretty much amazing, unsurprisingly, but i've been enjoying the latest video he's released. It's for the track Mmmhmm, which features Thundercat, and was directed by Special Problems. The track itself is pretty deep and psychedelic, a trippy, bewildering amalgam of shuffling beats, pianos and high, velvety vocals. The video somehow enhances all these aspects, a weird and wonderful ride from collage seabeds to space scenes, with some floating Indians for good measure. The space theme in particular seems particularly resonant, it's what FlyLo's productions always remind me of. If such a name hasn't already been made up before, he should be crowned king of space-hop.

And onto the second category of things what I'm looking forward to hearing...

1. Arcade Fire and their new album, obviously. In this i'm probably not alone. Hype for The Suburbs has been building for some time now, hype that i like to think i helped build, and now that we've heard a few songs in full, it seems fever pitch has been reached. We'll just have to wait until August 2nd though.

2. Deerhunter.
I bloody love Deerhunter (childish swearing intended, i'm that excited).
Microcastle and Weird Era Continued were excellent, as were all of the various side projects, such as Bradford Cox's Atlas Sound and Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza. Their new album, Halcyon Digest, isn't out until the end of September, but they're marketing strategy is also of note, harking back as it does to the good old (halcyon????) days of rock and roll and when posters for all your favourite bands were plastered on all the city walls. Cox has designed a poster for fans to print out and stick up around town, with photos of your handiwork earning exclusive ownership of the first single and a non-album track.
Here's the poster (and a link to the appropriate website):

Apologies for the length of this post. I hope it was worth it.

Head on down to Hadestown

2010-07-10T17:50:00.000+01:00

A 20-song folk opera that tells the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, transplanted to a post-apocalyptic America. A Joanna Newsom-cum-The Road-cum-Groovy Greeks behemoth that is surely too pretentious for its own good. Surely? Well, no, actually.

I'm a few months late on Anaïs Mitchell's recent Hadestown album, which is unsurprising really considering the low-key nature of its arrival in April. Neither was it a release that would have caught my eye in the first place: i'd never heard of Mitchell before, rarely listen to folk and have a limited knowledge at best of the Greek myths. The critical response it garnered from those who did pay it some attention was anything other than low-key however, with universal applause directed its way. . On the back of the overwhelmingly positive reviews however, it would have been wrong to have avoided it any longer.

Mitchell has enlisted an ensemble cast including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown and Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem), with each giving voice to a different character in the story. The result neatly avoids any of the ridiculous excesses that blight many a supergroup or concept album. Instead, the piece comes together quite wonderfully, aided by Michael Chorney's scoring, and a true story, or odyssey, unravels.

The songs work both together and on their own, tracks such as When the Chips Are Down making fine stand-alone singles. The aforementioned song, featuring the Haden Triplets, is a wonderful, skronking, soulful hoe-down that demands a sing-along from the first listen. But don't stop there (or start there even), play it through whole, and then do so again, and again. On an album as rich and deep as this there's always more to uncover, and plenty to savour multiple times.

Now go and check it out on Spotify, or buy it.

So here you go...

2010-07-07T23:42:00.000+01:00

There's been a lot of focus on Kele of Bloc Party fame lately, what with his transition from angst-ridden indie front man to happy electro entertainer. Perhaps it's an inevitable and universal shift, such as the classic metamorphosis from student lefty to middle-aged conservative, but either way it got me reminiscing about his early work. Silent Alarm maintains a high, and seemingly permanent, place in my list of favourite albums, and i'll always be an old Bloc Party fanboy at heart, and so i went back and re-listened to much of their back catalogue. It was an enjoyable nostalgia trip, enlivened by the rediscovery of the Silent Alarm remix album, which contains a few corkers, particularly this one:

It's by another old favourite, Four Tet, in which he takes the original and stretches it out, giving it a spacious and euphoric feel. It bears that distinctive Four Tet hallmark, electronic production that sound remarkably organic, giving his work a heart that most producers seem unable to inspire.

Aaaaaanyway, thought i'd remind people (and myself) of the song, and whilst you're there to give some of the others a go, such as those by Whitey, Mogwai and M83.

An update of sorts

2010-07-04T22:13:00.001+01:00

I've been home for two weeks now and can safely say i've spent my time wisely. By day i've done my utmost to preserve my porcelain skin, watching Come Dine With Me repeats rather than dare go outside. At night, whilst failing to fall asleep due to the suffocating warmth and constant buzz of insects, i've been listening to a lot of techno, wishing i was at places like this, rather than in a place like this (although far less idyllic). I've also just gained access to a set of car keys, and i enjoyed spending the weekend zooming around (within all legal speed restrictions) listening to a series of mix cds, most of which are hangovers from last summer. As well as the summer toonz of '09, i've also been listening to more recent choice cuts, such as these.

I've also been prepping myself for the upcoming 1234 Festival, and i've come to the rather inevitable conclusion that most of the Shoreditch vampires whose bands will be playing there sound a lot better live than on record. However, the prospect of seeing Peter Hook playing live the whole of Unknown Pleasures is enough to keep me awake on it's own, 'heat-wave' aside. I'm also looking forward to seeing These New Puritans performing their rather brilliant new album, especially after my girlfriend's rave reviews of a live show she saw earlier this year.

Summer's shaping up pretty well so far then, and it's set to get better, albeit with a few brief library excursions thrown in to remind me that at some point i do need to actually do some work.

Tune for the day: Janelle Monae- Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi)
She's been getting a lot of attention lately, and as a blogger i feel i'm not doing something right if i don't mention her. This song justifies it though. And she looks great.

GlastonTVbury

2010-06-28T20:24:00.001+01:00

You may have missed it due to lack of advertising or broadcasting, but over the last weekend a surprisingly sunny Somerset field was taken over by Glastonbury. I was lucky enough to be able to watch it all on the television, living the same highs and lows as the crowd with the bonus of a daily shower.

The BBC, to their credit, gave pretty thorough coverage, even if every other performance shown seemed to include Florence Fucking Welch (her parents were very prescient). Along with the actual live sets themselves, there was a treat for all those stuck at home in the form of exclusive acoustic performances. These were performances conducted in a carefully designed and constructed studio that made the between-music links resemble coverage of the Chelsea flower show. I ain't dissin' the flower show, but i imagine there are better models to copy from when covering a festival such as Glastonbury. To continue the parallels however, Mark Radcliffe proved an Alan Titchmarsh-esque figure, providing a nice level-headed maturity in contrast to the puppy-dog eagerness of Reggie Yates and crew. The presenters proved perhaps the biggest irritant (especially Jo Whiley and her search for the next Glastonbury "moment"), but fortunately it was never too long before the next musical performance, or not musical, as was the case with the brilliant ping pong juggler and whip-cracking cowboy.

Now i have to admit that i didn't watch as much as i'd first intended, the combination of a beautiful sunny weekend and the depression arising from realising you're not actually there (again) proving too much at points. As such, i'm in no real position to pick out any of my own "moments", but the Flaming Lips looked and sounded pretty spectacular, and it would have been great to have caught LCD as they wind down their wonderful career. It was sad to witness the apparent failure of Gorillaz, particularly after the hugely sentimental success of Blur last year, and it was nice to see a beefed-up (and seemingly chavved-up) Kele performing with what looked suspiciously like a smile on his face. Snoop Dogg followed successfully and entertainingly in the footsteps of Jay-Z, Radiohead (well half of them) played a secret show which would surely have been amazing, and i was disappointed not to see any of what was apparantly a brilliant set by Hot Chip.

The impression from those who were there seems to be entirely positive, the baking sun and the great music taking the edge off a hilariously shit English football performance and adding as further incentive (if it were needed) that i need to get down there myself.

Oh My Gaze

2010-06-23T23:41:00.001+01:00

I love me a bit of shoegaze from time to time, be it My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, and i've made it known before that i'm a fan of bands such as School of Seven Bells who offer a modern take on the sound.

However, the new-gaze (or nu-gaze if you're a fucking twat) revival may have gone a little too far, or at least have been taken too far by journalists in their attempts to come up with new labels and to further atomise the genre.

I was having a browse of Pitchfork's Forkcast section today when bands that fell into the following categories were given a mention:

1. synth-gaze
2. haze-gaze
3. sky-gaze
4. shoegazed indie-pop

This is along with at least three bands described as dream-pop and innumerable others as dreamy and/or lazy.

I listened to all the stuff they chatted about and yeah, you can hear the shoegazey sounds, the swirling effects-laden guitars soundtracking mumbled vocals telling tales of middle-class angst, but the new tags seem largely ridiculous and unnecessary.

Anyway, having waded through the crashing waves of guitars and noise, the best song to emerge from my Forkcast trawling was this:
Gyptian- Hold Yuh (Major Lazer Remix)

Another blog post about summer

2010-06-22T00:18:00.001+01:00

It's been a while, i know, but get off my case. I've been 'toff my head' the past week, and this serves as partial excuse for my lax blogging. However, now that my summer holidays have begun (it's so far comprised watching too much football and cricket: Living the Dream 2010), i foresee a more fruitful and bountiful period of writing.

To keep my hand in until this period of bountiful posting, i've lazily selected some songs i'm currently "diggin'", a process that consisted of trawling through my most recently added and most recently played playlists on iTunes. I use the word "trawling" entirely incorrectly, it makes it sound as if it took some effort.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the George Moore Summer Jamz Playlist 2010:

1. Hudson Mohawke- Ooops (Oh My) A banging remix of the song by Tweet

2. Blonde Redhead- Here Sometimes New Song

3. James Blake- CMYK Summer club chooon

4. Summer Camp- Ghost Train Already mentioned it before, but more appropriate than ever

5. Japandroids- Younger Us As above, go and make some summer memories that you can then reminisce and write a catchy song about when you're a few years older in a moderately successful rock band.

6. Florrie- Come Back to Mine(Elite Gymnastics Remix) Sounds like it should soundtrack a montage scene that looks back over all the good times with your buddies, preferably around dusk, a little like the beginning of the trailer for Kids (but maybe not the second half). Here's the original (not as good).

7. Jape- Floating From a few years back, but still fun and cool and just a darn good song

8. Small Black- Despicable Dogs My favourite song of last summer, good times

9. Memory Tapes- Bicycle (Tanlines remix) (this one's an MP3 BTW) I swear Memory Tapes has remixed and been remixed by just about every cool hip band, but this one's good. Tanlines (who hail from Brooklyn, obv) do a good impression of the kind of Scandinavian pop i'm such a fan of.

10. Serani- Playing Games Irresistable

This took longer than expected. Maybe i'm not so lazy after all. Maybe.
I leave with one final message:

I didn't know you could, or indeed needed to, shorten the word 'enjoy', but why not.

Summerdroids

2010-06-12T19:00:00.001+01:00

As summer shines the fun goes up and the posts go down, so soz about that, but you should all be outside anyway, not reading (albeit brilliant) blogs like this. To keep things in line with the summer vybz, i'll serve up some good old fashioned reminiscence and nostalgia.

As has been shown before, the sunshine seems to stir up all those good-time memories of summers gone by. Japandroid's latest single, Younger Us, is no exception, as it remembers all the things that they used to be able to do when they were younger, such as "that night you were already in bed, said fuck it, got up to drink with me instead". It's a pretty great track that channels the kind of passion and emotion rarely heard in modern 'indie' or whatever, with its preference for insouciance over heart. In this respect the band share a fraternal bond with the likes of Titus Andronicus and The Gaslight Anthem, bands unafraid to raise their voice above a coo and a whisper and to wear their hearts on their sleeves as they say.

From looking at pictures of Japandroids it seems rather premature for them to already be harking back to their younger selves and their reckless ways, but when the results are so thrilling i'm not gonna argue.

Download Younger Us

Back to the Cave

2010-06-10T19:59:00.000+01:00

The final remix of Cold Cave's Life Magazine has just been released. It's the work of Prurient, who delivers a drone-tastic take on the song, adding to the already diverse set, details of which can be found in the post below.

Cold Cave- Life Magazine (Prurient remix)

A slightly warmer Cave

2010-06-03T21:34:00.000+01:00

I think I may have written about Cold Cave before, but i can't really remember. if not, i should have, as their last album, Love Comes Close, was good. One of the stand out tracks from the album, Life Magazine, has since been subjected to the remix treatment on multiple occasions, each new version being accompanied by exclusive artwork. The remixes are set to appear together on an EP released on June 8th, but one such remix that hasn't found its way on there is this one by Spanish group Delorean. It also happens to be my favourite of the reworkings done so far, which includes the one by Pantha du Prince, a previous favourite of mine. Delorean strip away the gothic edge that pervades all of Cold Cave's tracks, along with the high drama of the vocals and synths, transforming it into a suitably summery, Balearic-tinged shimmering pop number.

Download: Cold Cave- Life Magazine (Delorean Remix)

Tom Tom Club

2010-05-31T22:13:00.001+01:00

I first heard The Hundred in the Hands on a Warp Records sampler a year or so ago and was a little bemused. The track being showcased, whilst pretty good, was more reminiscent of Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party with its spiky guitars than the inventive electronica Warp is famous for. More recent tracks that have appeared on the This Desert EP have displayed more of the Warp electronic trademarks however, particularly Tom Tom, which has just earned itself a video. The song mainly comprises some cool riddims, plus a twinkly keyboard line and the occasional stab of guitar. The vocals, courtesy of Eleanore Everdell, are sweet like the lyrics, but fairly unremarkable. The video is also a pretty standard affair, comprising those two great promo staples, a large cavernous space (usually a warehouse or abandoned car park) and abstract projections. The band members also look like they just stepped out of an American Apparel catalogue, but then again, that's not alway a bad thing (amiright??)

The Hundred in the Hands may be just another Brooklyn band, and they have no real distinctions, but there's something about them that i find endearing, perhaps just the fact that they write good tunes. Even if they at first appear out of place on the Warp roster, there's enough about them to justify their place on it.

Buy the EP from Warp now!
Then you can go to their Myspace

New Wav(v)e(s)

2010-05-27T22:34:00.000+01:00

Do you remember the lo-fi, no-fi, oh,hi! noise pop of Wavves? You should, as it was pretty good and his last album was only out last year.

His next one, King of the Beach, is out this August, and there's a taster of what to expect from the tracks Cool Jumper and Mickey Mouse. Both were first heard last summer, but have been resurrected, providing an indication of the greater precision and clarity that Nathan Williams has brought to his music, aided by Zach Hill. The drumming of Hill provides a much needed backbone to the songs, now more vital than ever when each track clocks in at over five minutes.

Wavves may have garnered more headlines last year for his offstage antics (mental breakdown and Black Lips bust-ups for instance) than for his music, but hopefully this year will see the balance redressed.

I'll be checking him out live myself at The 1234 on July 24th, i may even report back.

Here's the Wavves Myspace

The Creator's Project- Peaches

2010-05-24T20:20:00.000+01:00

The Creator's Project have made a video about sexy songstress Peaches chatting about shit, such as her collaboration with the one and only Iggy Pop. Check it out here

Nika+Rory

2010-05-23T21:47:00.001+01:00

Today has been beautiful, a day for sitting in parks and slowly broiling in true British fashion. I'm currently sitting in my room, looking out my window at the sun setting in a cloudless sky.
It's only fitting therefore, that I give you some tasty dramatic goth pop, none of that nostalgic lo-fi chillwave stuff, that's so passe, man.

All y'all regular readers may remember I'm a fan of Zola Jesus, and this song represents the fruits of a collaboration with one of her touring bandmates, a collaboration appropriately called Nika + Rory (appropriate cos that's their names).
Main track, I'm Not Going Anywhere, is most akin to Zola's other output, maintaining the high drama, but with added disco beats. Other songs prove a little more intriguing however, the auto-tuned vocals and massive synths of LA Suxxx, along with Do You Wanna Be, coming off like tunes worthy of the likes of Rhianna, especially the latter of these two tracks.
An intriguing prospect all round, and well worth a listen, and hopefully these early releases will blossom into a proper full length a some point.

Here's an MP3 of the track.

This is their Myspace. All their tunes are massive by the way.

Spinning and scratching

2010-05-20T22:09:00.001+01:00

ROLL UP ROLL UP NEW ARCADE FIRE INTERACTIVE TRACK PREVIEW FUN
check it out now.
A. The Suburbs
AA. Month of May

If this were the format for the whole album, it can't help but be amazing. Imagine if you could spin and scratch the track like you can here on your obligatory ipod wheel. wowzers.

The tracks are called The Suburb and Month of May and they're out on June 1st, which comes just after the month of may for all you calendar fans.

(if you haven't figured it out by the way yet, you can drag around the vinyl)

FM... Awesome!

2010-05-18T22:46:00.002+01:00

I remember hearing a song by Icelanders FM Belfast like, literally years ago and thought it was really good, but then never saw anything about them afterwards. Now, thanks to Stereogum, i've been reconnected, this time with the video to their new single, Underwear.
It's suitably weird, in a way that most things are that come from that Arctic island, lyrics about running up the hill in your underwear seemingly forgetting that it's fucking freezing up there most of the year.
Along with the weird, there's also a good dose of melancholy as they describe living in a place where they "count the days until nothing", a place where everyone "keeps off the grass". I don't advise a trip to Cambridge anytime soon.
It's got a cool video that shows a selection of people dancing in slow motion, matching the elegiac beats of the song.

This is the band's Myspace

Pretty rad

2010-05-17T23:52:00.000+01:00

Everything about the new Scissor Sister's single, Invisible Light, is more '80s than the '80s themselves. It's like stepping onto the dancefloor of Studio 54 and boogying with both George Michael and Ronald Reagan. At the same time. Whilst setting a high score at Pac Man. They were the days.
Seriously though, it's well cool, as most things are that involve a Sir Ian Mckellan spoken-word interlude.
Here it is, in all its ass-clenching glory.

Invisible Light will be on the new album, Night Work, released on June 29th on Universal.

Nice one guys!

2010-05-17T00:01:00.000+01:00

It seems the point of many music blogs, of which this is one, is to provide new music, or dig up old stuff that might otherwise be forgotten. I fear this is something I haven't really been doing, so I thought I'd make a little playlist of some newer songs that you hopefully haven't heard of before, but probably have cos you're all so far ahead of the curve it hurts.
I make no justifications for any of the songs other than that I like them, but you don't have to, in fact I'll let you not like up to three of them- choose carefully.

1. Cults - Go Outside
2. Terror Bird - Cemeteries
3. Jai Paul - BTSTU
4. Heavy Times - No Plans
5. Active Child - Voice of an Old Friend (Summer Camp Bedford Falls Remix)
6. Male Bonding - Franklin
7. White Ring - IxC999
8. oOoOO - Hearts
9. Dominique Young Unique - Show My Ass (Jay Haze Remix)

I've also been re-listening to this album again. It's possibly my favourite-ever album, especially when listened to whilst reading the accompanying notes, yeah, that's right, I read liner notes.

There are loads of great tracks on there, but this one is well cool.
Good bit o' spoken word. Menacing.
Bongwater - His Old Look

Super duper

2010-05-12T22:23:00.000+01:00

Give this a spin. Iss well nice.

Dandelion Gum by Black Moth Super Rainbow

Was out ages ago, well, 2007 or something.

I'm from Bury

2010-05-05T22:58:00.002+01:00

I wish Mark E Smith was my granddad.

Connect with this

2010-05-05T21:43:00.001+01:00

School of Seven Bells' debut album Alpinisms was one of my favourite discoveries of last year and easily passed its subjection to repeated spins. Good news yesterday then when I heard the first song off their second (if I was cool I'd say "sophomore") album, Disconnect From Desire. It's a title that pretty much perfectly evokes SVIIB's (I am cool enough for acronyms however) sound, their dream pop sound and abstract lyrics providing a disconnection from reality, or just from desire, whatever.
The new track is called Babelonia, and you can download it by signing up to their mailing list, which you can do here. It follows on from where Alpinisms left off, the beautiful vocals and harmonies of the Deheza twins backed by chiming guitars, bells and drums which, when they all come together, produce quite the cacophony- a sonic cathedral even??.

Disconnect From Desire is released on 13th July via Vagrant.
Here's their Myspace!

Kele- Tenderoni

2010-05-03T23:26:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I went to a club night where Kele Okereke of Bloc Party was doing a DJ set, a vain attempt to see/listen to something different to the usual provincial club fodder I am perennially subjected to. As Bloc Party frontman, he'd demonstrated a wide appreciation of music, from the Gang of Four aping post-punk of Silent Alarm (still one of my favourite albums) to the more electro-minded Intimacy. I therefore felt pretty justified in hoping for an interesting and eclectic set, but i was left disappointed and disillusioned. What Kele served up was simply another load of provincial club fodder, the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Wiley getting a few spins for example, all going down pretty well on the dancefloor as you can imagine, leaving me playing the disgruntled snob in the corner. I couldn't decide whether this was what Kele really wanted to play, or whether it was a case of pleasing the crowd.

Kele Okereke- Tenderoni

With the release of Kele's first single as a solo artist, it seems this question has been answered. Tenderoni is a pretty brazen electro banger, the most noticeable aspect of which are the big meaty synths that instantly evoke the likes of Wiley's Wearing My Rolex and Dizzee's Bonkers. The vocals prove the only real difference, Kele's distinctive delivery nicely buried in the mix before coming to the fore during the euphoric rush of the chorus.
It may seem a far cry from the spindly guitar lines of Silent Alarm, but there were signs that this was the direction Kele would be heading in, particularly the one-off single Flux, all oscillating bass and soaring, piercing synth-lines.
It's not really a track I'd go back to, but it's not especially bad, i just can't help but feel that nothing has topped that debut release, and perhaps never will, with every further attempt seemingly becoming further removed in both style and quality.

Tenderoni will be released on 14th June, with the full album, The Boxer, appearing the week later on Wichita. Interestingly, it's produced by Hudson Mohawke and XXXChange, both well worth checking out/following in their own right.

Daddy! Come Back!

2010-05-01T17:00:00.001+01:00

The ubiquitous 'they' say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in this instance premature judgements are proved valid, with Usher's single, Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) proving to be as amazing as its cover art would suggest. This is more than artwork for the sake of aesthetics however, acting also as a clear statement of beliefs and values, demonstrating the importance of family over the trappings of our modern, capitalist society, with its mansions, designer labels and swanky cars all relegated to the background. This is emphasised by the knowingly all-too-perfect, shiny veneer, a sweet satirical swipe against our airbrushed world. As mentioned, the song is also extremely good, and can be read as a subtle undermining of the usual bravado and misogyny of hip-hop, case in point being these lines:

"And girl tonight we'll gonna do a lot of sexin',
Can't nobody do your body like this no"

In this cruel, increasingly secular world, where not even the Pope is above suspicion, it is to people like Usher that we turn, their oeuvre both art and moral compass. Further evidence comes in the blasphemy-dodging single OMG, 'oh my gosh" serving as the curse of preference for both Usher and fellow force for good, Will.I.Am. I sadly know little of Usher's previous work and don't know if he has always displayed such a fine moral core, but it seems he is taking his role as child-prodigy-mentor seriously, proving a suitable role model to Justin Bieber. Sadly little Justin seems to have gone off message, implying in his sing Baby that the way to win a girl back is through her inevitable fondness for material possessions, proclaiming that he will "buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring". Oh Justin, what would Usher say...(nice rhyme though)

I'm very bored by the way

2010-04-30T18:30:00.000+01:00

Been around for a few days now, but here's the first taste of what hotly-tipped noiseniks Sleigh Bells' debut album might sound like:

Tell 'Em

D'you like it? Seems to retain the ear-battering effect of their primitive demos, which can only be a good thing.
The song will appear on Treats, set to be released on May 11th on N.E.E.T., the label set up by M.I.A, as previously mentioned.
Here's the Myspace

Swim

2010-04-28T23:33:00.001+01:00

I chatted about Caribou before, but the release of Dan Snaith's latest album, Swim, warrants further attention. I won't bother going into too great a depth, but rest assured it's worth checking out, providing an ideal companion piece to Four Tet's There Is Love in You, with its similar blendng of musical genres, from techno to krautrock, but differing from Kieran Hebden's project in its greater emphasis upon vocals and lyrics, developing themes revolving in particular around love; both lost and found. The result is a heady concoction of evocative electronica that marks a new direction from previous Caribou output, whilst retaining the hallmarks and qualities that made Dan Snaith such a distinctive musician to begin with.

Born free- but it may not end that way

2010-04-26T22:28:00.000+01:00

Q. Is the new M.I.A. video, directed by Romain Gavras, pointlessly violent?

A. No.

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

The almost-nine minute long video to the Sri Lankan stars most recent song, one which features a prominently looped sample of Suicide's Ghost Rider, shows scenes of police brutality, naked flesh, lots of explosions and a suitably bloody ending. Showing a succession of police raids and the deportation of a bunch of ginger teenagers to some kind of death camp, where they must run through a minefield, goes straight for the jugular in its efforts to get its point across. The point is clearly one about oppression, brutality and violence in the world, and in particular that aimed at particular groups of people, reflecting both the troubles of M.I.A.'s homeland, as well as the lyrics of the original Suicide song, "America, America is killing its kids". The fact that it was also made by Gavras, who shot this notorious video for Justice, also helps to explain the ultra-violent social commentary of this "promo" (I don't see it getting played, unedited, on MTV anytime soon).
As well as making apt political and humanitarian points, the video suits the menacing groove of the track's sampled backing, as well as M.I.A.'s snotty, punky vocals, and her assertion that she was "Born Free"- which is also the title of the track as I have forgetfully neglected to mention.
It's a far-cry from the lazy, slacker vibes of breakthrough hit Paper Planes, although Maya's predilection for sampling classic bands seems to have remained. The grittier, more lo-fi approach to the recording is also perhaps the result of getting into Sleigh Bells, recent signees to her N.E.E.T. label, whose sound is not too dissimilar in it's brutal fuzzed-out approach.
Born Free will probably be appearing on M.I.A.'s third album, which is as yet untitled, due out on June 29th in the USA, not sure about the UK release date.

I like short shorts

2010-04-26T00:09:00.001+01:00

As wiser men than me once said, it's "summer, summer, summer tiiiiiime" (hats off to you Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince). Stop me if I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, it is only April after all, but it does feel like summer in all but name. My exams are over for another year, I wore shorts for the first time of 2010 (subjecting my skinny legs to the sun was traumatic for them), yesterday was also the first cricket game of the season and it don't get much summer-ier than that folks. Here's a short guide to summer, with some musical accompaniment to provide this post with some kind of justification.

To quench your thirst for cricket-related popular music (don't lie, everybody has such a thirst), look no further than The Duckworth Lewis Method, a recent project involving The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon.

No media represents summer more than the humble polaroid, turning anything it touches into a hazy, lazy summery paradise, transporting you to what my friends and I call 'polaroid world' (snappy, i know). So sit back and let Ted Leo take you to your very own polaroid world (so corny).

Another reason behind my summery disposition is the fact that I have, this very night, booked my summer holiday flights, which include a Stockholm stop-over, home of all the best tropical pop (and beautiful blond babes, obv). A summer soundtrack of Air France and the gang (maybe not Fever Ray so much...) surely beckons.

Personally, I'm hoping for a summer filled with sun, friends and short shorts, a little something like this in fact.

...into the exam room

2010-04-20T22:55:00.001+01:00

I'm currently in the middle of some pretty sweet exams, so thought I'd share the pleasure with a little selection of songs.

1. LCD Soundsystem- Tribulations
2. Justice- Stress
3. Belle & Sebastian- Wrapped up in Books
4. The Concretes- Lonely as Can Be
5. Art Brut- I Will Survive*

A fitfully depressing mix I feel. When it came to exams, my old history teacher used to tell us that before you could listen to the Andrew WK A-side, Party Hard, you had to first listen to the B-side, Work Hard. I think he made it up, or it was on some really limited edition vinyl somewhere...

*i put very little effort into choosing these songs, and they were done purely on the merits of their titles, rather than any lyrical content. But you can still listen to and enjoy them. I'll let ya do that.

Yeah it is

2010-04-18T23:08:00.001+01:00

It's sadly only too easy to imagine the lead single, Drunk Girls, off of LCD Soundsystem's latest (and possibly last?) album soundtracking "hilarious" frat-boy parties in sub-American Pie (and that's pretty low) films. The irony, the wit and the cynicism that runs through all that James Murphy does will be overlooked for the simple match up of lyric with picture, which, as well as being simplistic, is misleading in that the single is not representative of the album as a whole, being very much an anomaly with its raucous, catchy, shouted vocal line. By contrast the rest of the album is a far more restrained, melancholic affair that rails against hipsters ("talking like a jerk, except you really are a jerk"- ouch), the music industry ("you wanted a hit, well maybe we don't do hits") and life in general. If Drunk Girls corresponds with North American Scum from the incredible Sound of Silver album, then the rest of the new tracks continue in a vein similar to songs such as Someone Great, All My Friends and New York I Love You. Comparisons have been made with everyone from Iggy Pop to Lou Reed to Talking Heads, but the beats remain great; familiar handclaps, squelchy synths and funky bass-lines. Murphy's louche spoken-word pieces such as on opener Dance Yrself Clean, or impassioned sung vocals on closer Home, which is an easy highlight of the album, continue to impress, although is it just me who thinks his singing voice sounds a little like Casiotone For The Painfully Alone at times?

What LCD does so well, and what makes them a great (and i truly mean that) act, is that they temper their cynicism, wit and irony with an unparalleled sense of sensitivity and sensibility. Its this that made tracks such as All My Friend so amazing, lending them a tenderness that many other bands would have been unable to inject, and which sets them apart from the New York hipsters they send up in their songs, most notably on their breakout Losing My Edge, still a classic to this day.
Perhaps it's for the best that LCD are calling it a day, leaving on an undoubted high, before descending into self-parody and losing what made them so special.

LCD Soundsystem are currently touring the UK and Europe, and you can listen to the album in full being streamed on the DFA website.
Here's a song for you to download though - Home

Atoms for Joy

2010-04-16T23:04:00.001+01:00

At last night's Oakland gig, Thom Yorke and his new band the Atoms for Peace, treated the crowd to a second encore consisting of the Joy Division classic, Love Will Tear Us Apart- everyone's favourite alternative love song. The cover is commendable for it's no-messin' approach, adding little to the original, perhaps the best approach to tackling the nigh-on-perfect-already Joy Division. Yorke's vocals are also of interest, seemingly plummeting new depths in their Curtis-mimicking, a far cry from his usual falsetto.
It's this kind of thing that just makes me kick myself even harder over this missed opportunity.
First read about this over at Stereogum.

Liquid Liquid

2010-04-16T00:55:00.001+01:00

If Alan Partridge made music, it would, undeniably, be "liquid". It may even sound a little like New York post-punkers Liquid Liquid, a band who are currently going through a revival of sorts. They recently made their first ever television appearance, a pretty remarkable feat in this modern, technological age (is that some kind of social/cultural commentary?!), on Jimmy Fallon, playing their classic track Cavern. They will also be headlining this years Offset Festival in London, a festival that seeks to unite the great post-punk bands of yore and their young, upstart, modern counterparts on one billing.
This live video of Liquid Liquid playing to the Fallon audience showcases their greatness, delivering a style that feels like a primitive, authentic drum and bass; all bongos, disco beats and a rumbling, funky bass-line that's right up in the mix. Salvatore Principato delivers his clipped, staccato take on vocals over the top, telling us that this is "something like a phenomenon". The emphasis is on the sound and rhythm of the lyrics, as opposed to the content, which, along with the heavy bass and drums, amounts to a rhythmic assault of astonishing proportions.

Here's the Fallon performance:

Summer of love

2010-04-15T00:42:00.001+01:00

The inevitable has happened and the shores of Britain have produced their first 'chillwave' band, the appropriately-named Summer Camp. Their songs channel the same sense of nostalgia as American counterparts such as Washed Out and Toro Y Moi, bands they admit to admiring, telling tales of first love and sounding as if recorded onto battered cassettes, rendering them tender and raw. The band had, almost by accident they claim, retained their anonymity, but have since revealed themselves as Jeremy Warmsley (of Jeremy Warmsley fame) and Elizabeth Sankey (of Platform magazine fame). Whilst still an unknown quantity, there had been speculation that the duo were in fact Swedish, and it's not hard to see how such confusion arose. Summer Camp's music bears many similarities to the tropical summer jams that bands such as jj and Air France excel at, although the duo also cite other influences as diverse as Motown and The Cocteau Twins.

Summer Camp are surely the band to soundtrack the fast-approaching summer, which will obviously be the hottest EVER, their wistful nostalgia perfect for those lazy, hazy summer days, even if they won't be spent at a real summer camp. Alas, if only I were an American kid...(my uncle works here- the lucky, responsibility-shy bastard)

The video for their single Ghost Train (out on Moshi Moshi) evokes perfectly their sound, with it's depiction of teenage frolics on an '80s beach.

Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

The band are currently on tour with fellow Moshi Moshers Slow Club.

You can download Ghost Train, and check out their Myspace for other tracks.

Ariel Pink strikes gold

2010-04-12T23:43:00.000+01:00

Ariel Pink has always had an ear for a juicy hook, but due to his preferred method of home recording they've often been buried by the crackle and pop of the tape, a sound we've all become accustomed to after the recent glut of lo-fi/chillwave/whatever. But just as all these other bands break, Ariel has released an out-and-out pop gem, Round and Round, all silky melodies and relaxed backing, recorded in a more conventional manner that leaves it sounding like a great lost '80s soft rock classic. This stylistic change coincides with the band's signing to 4AD, quite possibly my favourite indie label of all time, well for the moment at least. I'd intended at some point to do a proper piece, maybe with some actual research and stuff, on 4AD, but then i couldn't be bothered, so this Ariel Pink track serves as a nice reminder that I should probably do that at some point, and that anyone reading this who hasn't before, should go and check out anything on 4AD (start with Cocteau Twins, can't go far wrong with them and they're a perfect example of the original sound the label pioneered and promoted).
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti have just finished a US tour and are supposed to be heading off on a European jaunt at some point, along with releasing their 4AD debut full-length, Before Today, on June 8th.
Myspace and official website here.

Download Round and Round here

Drove my Chevy to the levee... and found the Mystery Jets (OMG!)

2010-04-10T21:40:00.001+01:00

On Thursday 8th, the Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour kicked off on schedule (a-ho-ho-ho) at London's Vinyl Factory. The tour, which was some kind of promotion for Chevrolet judging by the name and the liberal placement of various 'Chevys' around the venue, was headlined by Eel Pie Islanders The Mystery Jets. If I'm being honest, this was the first I'd heard of them since the release of their second album, Twenty One, over two years ago, but according to the band themselves they have a third due out in July.
On their debut, The Mystery Jets created some fine ramshackle indie pop, with a few proggy inflections. They fitted into a vibrant and productive scene, sometimes known as Thamesbeat, but were one of the few bands to emerge unscathed and un-imploded, ready to release their second album, a father-less effort that this time took its cues from the '80s, with the high-gloss production on singles such as Two Doors Down, ensuring considerable radio airplay.
When the band took the stage on Thursday, the visible grip of the '80s remained, with all four members resembling Duran Duran after a five day bender, all big suits and wonderful shirts. Their live sound inevitably retained little of the sheen of their records however, but the eternally catchy hooks of older songs such as Half in Love With Elizabeth, Flakes and Young Love ensured the crowd were in fine voice throughout, even inducing some into a spot of crowd-surfing. Four new songs were given an airing, including Bounce and Serotonin, all of which fitted into the set well. One (which i didn't catch the name of) was a particularly sweet, slow arms-in-the-air number, the kind that you can imagine becoming a future live favourite, and the summer festivals will surely treat them kindly, helped by the timely arrival of their third album, which is sure to be a success on the back of what was witnessed in the Vinyl Factory.

Check out their Myspace for updates and tour dates

A geography lesson from The Fall

2010-04-06T00:01:00.000+01:00

The Fall are like a post-punk roundabout, new members constantly coming and going, with Mark E Smith directing traffic from the centre (directing may be doing him a service). Despite their heavy rotation of members, they continue to make great music, and from the name of this blog, it's clear I'm a fan of the band that's "always different;... always the same" as John Peel famously said. One new track that they've been airing live has particularly caught my attention however, titled I'm Not From Bury. The reason for my interest is an old familial connection with the Lancashire town, with far too many horrible Saturday afternoons spent at Gigg Lane watching the Shakers slide to another inevitable defeat. I was therefore a little hurt to hear old Mark E making great pains to tell us he didn't hail from the jewel in the northern crown, but was instead from Salford. The track itself is pretty ramshackle and clocks in at over 6 minutes in its live incarnation, but I'm sure it'll get cleaned up and cut down a little before the release of new album Your Future Our Clutter on April 26th (well, I assume this track will make the cut).

Watch this live performance, and then click on the download below it if you want:

I'm Not From Bury
and this is their latest single, released at the end of last year and also set to appear on the new album:
Y.F.O.C./Slippery Floor

This is a brilliant Fall website, with anything you want to know

What became of the likely lads?

2010-04-02T23:19:00.001+01:00

Well they only went and bloody reformed didn't they (inspired in no small part i'm sure by a £1.2 million pay packet). News that The Libertines are to get back together to perform at the Reading and Leeds Festivals this summer will no doubt have caused a generation of skinny, white indie kids to squeal with excitement and dig out their old "Pete's Innocent!!1!1" t-shirts. I just wish I could be 14 years old again, maybe then I'd be a little more excited, but sadly I outgrew my obsession with the band a few years back when I began to appreciate the sheer scale of their legacy, not something to be proud of tbh (remember these guys? No, i thought not). Their debut album Up the Bracket was pretty special however, and along with their American buddies The Strokes they helped in the transformation of "indie" from an ideology into a genre, again perhaps something they should not be so proud of. Despite this, a small part of me rejoices at the idea of a reunited Pete, Carl, Gary and the other one, back on stage together at last. I remember a few years ago I was at the Get Loaded in the Park Festival in London, where Carl Barat's Dirty Pretty Things were playing, and a secret Pete Doherty set was announced. A huge crowd gathered and sat through a truly atrocious set by Remi Nicole, only to be informed by a brave member of staff that Pete wouldn't be turning up. All my, and the crowd's, hopes of witnessing a reunion were dashed by that announcement, so I'm only to glad to see a reunion that looks like it will actually go ahead.
Have a look at this recent interview, in which Pete hogs the microphone (a little cringily) although he seems pretty lucid and almost witty at times.

Just can't get enough...

2010-03-28T20:36:00.003+01:00

You know that thing where you never notice something until you hear about it or see it once, and then after that you can't help but keep running into it again and again? Well, this is what's happened since I blogged about Cold Wave a month or so ago. I have since had the fortune to discover a lot more about this neglected genre, aided by a spate of new coverage. One of my favourite discoveries was the blog Systems of Romance, which serves, "as a dumping grounds for all great things minimal synth, post-punk, coldwave, synthpunk, industrial, synthpop, and various other combinations of these styles". There are some great records on there, some of my favourites thats I've had a chance to listen to being by Mary Moor, Opera de Nuit and In Trance 95, although there's a lot more on there. I was also pleasantly surprised by the headline topic on this week's Guardian Music Weekly podcast being none other than Cold Wave, and it was reassuring to hear them mention similar influences, influencees (I realise I just made that word up), etc. as I had previously! There was also an interesting recommendation to this Dummy's guide to the movement, which was enlightening and entertaining, and well worth a read to fill in the many gaps in my initial blog post. One video and song I particularly liked was this one of Jacno. I never quite appreciated just how intimidating technology was back then...

It seems, perhaps unsurprisingly, that there is considerable interest in Cold Wave, and this interest is making its way to the mainstream surface slowly but surely, no doubt ready to be appropriated by a new generation of Cold Wave-soundalikes.

Listen to these:
Mary Moor- Pretty Day
Opera de Nuit- Possession
In Trance 95- Desire to Desire

Dive into the future

2010-03-26T21:09:00.004Z

I've already blogged about Fever Ray remixes, but i've recenly come across another of particular interest. This time the track that gets madeover is When I Grow Up, one of the many highlights of the Fever Ray album, and the producer who steps up to the plate is Scuba, the working name of Hotflush Records boss Paul Rose.

The song and the accompanying unofficial video provide a perfect illustration of the future of dance music, as well as its roots. Scuba leaves little of the original intact, save for a few slices of Karin Dreijer's vocals, and instead lays down a slow, druggy-feeling backing that nods almost as much to techno as it does to dubstep. It's this convergence of various electronic genres that Hotflush Records have pioneered and advanced, through the likes of Pangaea, Mount Kimbie and, perhaps most successfully, Joy Orbison. These artisits, along with others such as Floating Points and Joker, often share few real similarities other than a genre-transcending excellence that has left critics searching for embarrassing names with which to label the movement.
Hotfush hail from that traditional home of trend-busting music, Bristol, and the influence of trip-hop is clear in the music they represent. This link is made explicit in the video, which splices together Fever Ray's original with the Chris Cunningham directed promo for Portishead's Only You (one of my favourite videos to one of my favourite songs). The aquatic theme of both videos fits well with Scuba's remix, with it's rippling synth shots and bubble sound effects, worthy of a man with such a name.
Hotflush represent the future of dance music, and in particular dubstep, a genre fast becoming an unwitting parody of itself, if it hasn't already.

You'll feel better after this

2010-03-22T22:24:00.004Z

The video to Hot Chip's I Feel Better shows the band for what they really are, a sexy, beautiful boy band, bedecked in trilbies, cardigans and skinny jeans like a younger Take That. The ridiculously creepy skinny, bald white guy dressed up like Jesus/a mental patient perhaps upsets this aestethic a little, although perhaps it's just the return of Robbie to the fold.

The video was directed by Peter Serafinowicz, which explains the suitably tongue-in-cheek style and hilarious results, but it does underline the fact that this is an incredibly polished and poppy single from the Chip, that wouldn't seem out of place in the X Factor charts if it weren't so damned good. As an aside, anyone who saw the amazing Look Around You, which starred Serafinowicz amongst others, may remember the Music 2000 episode which sought to predict the future sound of music. I'm still waiting for Machadaynu and the Rapping Song to assault the charts, but i'm sure they will do shortly.

Whilst we're (I'm) chatting about boy band videos, i thought i'd highlight another suitably hilarious video, this time from O Children, although this time the hilarity may have been unintentional. The promo to new song Ruins (which is alright) is full of suitably moody shots of the band members, to remind us that they're all goffs and stuff. No matter how hard they try to look cool though, they'll never escape the fact that they used to be in BoNo Must Die.

Purchase One Life Stand here

I ain't lyin' to ya

2010-03-20T21:38:00.006Z

Wherever Sisterworld may be, i'm pretty glad i don't count myself as one of it's inhabitants. If Liars' new album is anything to go by, it must be a relentlessly dark, sinister dystopia. The record evokes paranoia and tension in equal measure, particularly on tracks such as Drip and the string-laden Here Comes All the People, which ends with Angus Andrew creepily chanting that he's, "counting victims one by one" (I doubt there's any way such a line can be sung without sounding creepy). Other lyrics about killing people in the street with a gun prove that this is often a brutal and violent album, but it is also an incredibly well realised one. The darkness of this other world is consistently evoked and sustained, making for an incredibly atmospheric and satisfying whole, their best so far for me.

The track Proud Evolution represents a respite of sorts, sounding almost beautiful, with it's motorik beat and high, resonant synths, and it's also a track that's been given the Thom Yorke treatment. The Radiohead frontman and all-round musical extraordinaire makes it sound like it should be the soundtrack to some sort of horror-circus, with it's shuffling, ADHD-ish beats and wonky organ line, fitting in nicely with the original feel of the album. It's also a fitting track title on an album that represents an evolution Liars should justifiably feel proud of.

Download the Thom Yorke remix here.

Liars are currently on tour, and you can check out when and where on their Myspace.

I also implore you to go out and buy the album, it's well worth it.

The National: not too Terrible

2010-03-16T23:42:00.003Z

I've always felt that The National worked on a level higher than other indie bands, with their brooding, but highly refined take on the genre. Albums Alligator and Boxer are amongst the best records of the last decade for sure, and it seems as if The National could be continuing their run of good form into this new decade with the imminent release of High Violet (released 11th May on 4AD). New track Terrible Love, as aired recently on Jimmy Fallon, retains all the usual National motifs, most obviously Matt Berninger's sonorous vocals and Bryan Devendorf's rollicking drums, and although it is instantly recognisable as a National track and adds little new, it is of course also instantly brilliant.

Download the live version here

Ready, Steady, Able

2010-03-15T19:52:00.007Z

Instead of spending Sunday night at home bemoaning the end of the weekend, I was lucky enough to be at the Camden Roundhouse, playing host to Beach House and Grizzly Bear. For me, this was as good as a double-header, Grizzly Bear having made my favourite album of last year, Beach House the best so far this year, and it would be an understatement to say that the two did not disappoint live.

On record, Beach House make dreamy, hazy, wistful pop, and, by looking at their Last.fm tags, it seems most people agree with this, with gentle synths, pianos and a muted drum machine accompany Victoria Legrand's husky vocals creating a gorgeous lo-fi amalgam. Yet in concert this could not be further from the case. I was little prepared for the booming drums (played live), and instead of gliding along smoothly with the keyboard she played, Legrand's vocals pierced high above it. The fuller, heavier sound was darker and, i hate to use this word, more epic; more nightmare than dream pop. And it was amazing. The quieter, more intimate sound of the albums could so easily have been lost in the cavernous Roundhouse, but instead their sound soared as they played a set of mostly Teen Dream material. There were too many highlights to recall, but closer Take Care was perfectly fitting, Legrand sounding particularly impassioned.

Grizzly Bear take a Walk in the Park

Despite the brilliance of Beach House before them, Grizzly Bear were never really going to disappoint. Like Beach House, they also played songs mostly from their latest album, with some notable exceptions, in particular Knife. The melodies, the rhythms, the false buildups and the eventual moments of cacophonous bliss of their recorded output were all masterfully executed, and beautifully matched by the sparkly-bulbs-in-jars set. Watching bassist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor cycle through his vast array of instruments was always entertaining, and his dedication of one song to the band's mothers (it was mother's days) was sweet, as recognised by the crowds collective 'aaawwww', but overall Grizzly Bear added little to what they have already laid down on record. The only real digression was the inclusion of Legrand on vocals for Two Weeks, which had to be the best song of the set for me, and many in the audience by the sound of it.

Although Grizzly Bear's set may have been flawless, and their songs inherently brilliant, it was the Beach House set that impressed most. It confounded my expectations and really elevated their music to the occassion, although it could perhaps be argued that this was something the Bears didn't have to do to begin with, and it would be interesting to see Beach House in a more intimate setting.

Cold Waaaaaaaave

2010-03-11T15:38:00.006Z

Yesterday my radiator broke. My room was fucking freezing. It was even colder outside. To celebrate this sorry state of affairs I embarked upon a journey into the world of Cold Wave, armed only with a scarf, a sweater and Spotify. Cold Wave was something I only had the vaguest notions of before yesterday, but I liked the sound of it- a largely French (and occasionally Belgian) take on post-punk, gothic rock and other such 70s and 80s music. Inspired in particular by the likes of Joy Division and the production of Martin Hannet, the music sounds familiar, but with a distinct Gallic twist- like all the best things.

Whilst exploring the chilly world of Cold Wave, I also came across a compilation of 80s European minimal wave synth-pop, The Minimal Wave Tapes, which was amazing. Similar in many ways to the Cold Wave bands, the tracks combined Kraftwerk, Joy Division and Gang of Four in various measures. I was struck by the similarities between many of the bands on the compilation and bands that are now pretty hot (see what i did there?). The vocals and synths of Games & Performance by Deux reminded me of The Teenagers (although less sordid and a lot better), and DasDing's Reassurance Ritual was spookily similar to Cold Cave. In reviews of these modern bands, comparisons are often made to the likes of New Order, which are completely understandable, but there so many other bands out there who remain ignored and unknown, but deserve a listen.

My personal highlight from The Minimal Wave Tapes was coincidentally a band more associated with the French Cold Wave, a track called Just Because by Martin Dupont.

Also worth checking out the DasDing song, and if you like that, listen to the whole compilation over at Spotify.

Pantha du Tet

2010-03-09T16:31:00.003Z

You'd never have imagined it, but Four Tet's take on Pantha du Prince's Sticky to My Side is actually pretty good. I jest, it was never really going to be anything but when the artists who have produced, for me, the best electronic albums of the year got together. Having said this, the production does at times feel a bit too busy for Noah Lennox's yearning vocals. Still, well worth a listen.

Norwegian (Green)Wood

2010-03-08T13:30:00.002Z

I awoke from the depths of an alcohol-induced slumber this morning to some of the best news i've heard in recent times. A new Japanese film version of Norwegian Wood, the 1987 classic by Haruki Murakami (second mention in as many weeks, he must be so proud), is to be scored by Radiohead guitarist and all-round musical genius Jonny Greenwood. It's not his first time scoring a film, and anyone who saw There Will Be Blood will remember the incredible music, making me especially excited about this collaboration between one of my favourite musicians and what is easily one of my top ten books finally getting the silver screen treatment.

Foals grow up

2010-03-06T02:29:00.004Z

I was once a keen rider on the Foals bandwagon, but I fell off a while ago and haven't listened to their Antidotes in a while. However, new song Spanish Sahara may change this, along with the new video, which though cinematographically beautiful, doesn't exactly inspire images of either Spain or the Sahara. The new direction these grown up Foals have taken is more post-rock than math-rock (post-math-rock anyone?), with a quiet, slow build up to an inevitable crescendo of squally, shimmery guitars and disco drums. Yannis' vocals reflect this, beginning in uncharacteristically high pitched fashion, before descending into the ranges of old as the song builds. Makes me excited for the new album Total Life Forever, released May 10 in the UK.

Download here

Holy Zola

2010-03-04T19:14:00.002Z

My most played track at the moment is 'Night' by Zola Jesus, and I can't help but think that this is what Florence of "and the Machine" fame could have sounded like if she'd been a bit more of a goth/good.

Check it

Guardian Gorillaz

2010-03-01T18:39:00.005Z

The new album by Gorillaz, Plastic Beach, is currently being streamed in full over at the Guardian's music site, and, as long as you've recovered from the pinches and punches of earlier today, it's well worth a listen. From the few chances i've been able to give it, the record seems to be the strongest they've yet produced, although it has a more restrained feel than their previous attempts, and so far no one track has stood out in a way that other previous singles have. However, this is no bad thing, and as a whole the album works well, although i have to admit that i prefer the Damon Albarn-led tracks on what is a rather collaboration-heavy album. Saying this, the mid-section is perhaps the strongest (and my favourite) part of the record, a section in which Lou Reed, Mark E Smith and Little Dragon all guest. Anyway, don't take my word for it, head on over to Guardian Music, where Gorillaz have initiated a takeover.

Out March 8th

After Dark

2010-02-25T21:36:00.006Z

A series of late nights alone in my room and finishing Haruki Murakami's After Dark, in which many of the scenes are soundtracked by various records, have got me thinking what tracks would provide the best company in the gloom of my room when I should really be asleep. As in many Murakami novels, a central theme is loneliness, and to reflect this the ten songs I chose all possess a sense of melancholia and a quietness that is what being alone after nightfall feels like.

1. Sufjan Stevens- For the Windows in Paradise...

2. Grouper- Heavy Water/I'd Rather be Sleeping

3. Beach House- Gila

4. Slowdive- Alison

5. Squarepusher- Tommib

6. Burial- In McDonalds

7. Marissa Nadler- Dying Breed

8. Portishead- Only You

9. Booka Shade- Lost High

10. Lackthereof- The Columbia

And to herald the dawn of a new day...

11. Yeasayer- Sunrise

I should probably find a hobby/friends/do some work instead of sitting alone in all night in my room...

Xiu Xiu

2010-02-24T21:09:00.008Z

Recent videos from Xiu Xiu have certainly complemented the weird and at times disturbing themes that runs through much of their music, with naked flesh, suffocation and vomit all making appearances in the vids to their newest two releases. If not exactly pleasurable viewing, the videos are certainly intriguing and grimly compelling, and the music's not too bad either.

Dear God I Hate Myself:

Grey Death is also well worth having a peek at, but you'll have to head over to Pitchfork to do so i'm afraid.

You can download Grey Death here.

(is it just me or does the breakdown sound pretty reminiscent of A Place to Bury Strangers)

Happy viewing (or not)

New Caribou

2010-02-21T01:44:00.006Z

This is the accompanying video to one of my favourite songs right now, Odessa by Caribou, a song that was given away as a free download to promote new album Swim. The video is pretty cool, a rather surreal look at what appears to be a car crash, and reminds me a little of Mulholland Drive stylistically. Anyway, well worth a look, even if it's just to have take a peek at what everyone is saying is a walking penis (it's not, it's definitely just a be-hooded person) about 13 seconds in.

King Pantha

2010-02-20T19:58:00.004Z

As much as I love techno, especially of the minimal variety, I wasn't expecting an album many have dropped into this category to have the potential to be in my top albums of the year (I know, it's only February).

However, German producer Pantha du Prince has seemingly achieved this feet with his new album Black Noise. Minimal techno is perhaps the wrong label for his music, although it does contain many of the hallmarks of the genre, but it also does so much more. This is partly achieved by collaborations with indie stalwarts such as LCD Soundsystem and !!! on The Splendour and, most notably, with Noah Lennox and his vocal chords on Stick To My Side (this perhaps all down to his label-change to Rough Trade). The result is a beautiful, captivating 70 minutes of understated, dark techno, but techno that does not simply stick to the repetitive grooves that dominate the style, but branches into wider realms of sonic potential (how pretentious).

Band of the week No.2

2010-02-19T20:17:00.000Z

Life Without Buildings

Collapsing inexplicably in 2002 with just one album and a live recording to their name, Life Without Buildings were a band who pre-empted the post-punk revival of the early noughties. they continued the long tradition of wonderful scottish indie bands, playing fairly standard indie rock, but with an urgency and passion too often missing from other such groups. However,perhaps the biggest draw is lead singer, Sue Tompkins. she speaks (frantically) more than she sings, often over annunciating and repeating short refrains of words ("Hold tight! Hold tight!"), which cleverly mimic and complement the jagged guitar riffs.

the band chose not to tarnish their legacy and instead quit whilst they were most certainly ahead, and yet they have never grown beyond a cult sensation, beloved by all those lucky enough to be in the know. so, if you've never heard such songs as The Leanover or New Town (in particular the rather splendid 7 minute live version), then i implore you to track them down and give them a listen, and to hopefully fall in love, just as i did, and to swear allegiance to the cult of a Life Without Buildings.

Photo: Last.fm

Thom Thom Club

2010-02-15T20:50:00.004Z

News that Radiohead may have recorded a new album is, of course, very exciting. it will be their first long-player since 2007's In Rainbows, released into a media frenzy, most of it focussing around the innovative method of release, rather than the innovative music.

however, my joy at the prospect of a new Radiohead album has been somewhat dampened by my realisation, alas too late, that Thom Yorke will be playing a solo gig at my nearest venue, literally 10 minutes walk from my front door! it's the only gig he has posted until he plays Coachella later this year, and the fact that he has chosen to grace Cambridge with his presence (don't forget he's an Oxford man) is thrilling indeed. if only i'd been quick enough on the draw to secure tickets, i don't really fancy the £100 now being asked, i am a student after all. to any kind soul out there who feels like donating a ticket however, drop me a line!

Re,Re,Re,Reeee-Mix

2010-02-13T15:02:00.005Z

I'm not usually a massive fan of remixes, if i like a song i'll listen to the original, if i don't like a song i'm not gonna bother checking out remixes of it. Every now and then however, a few remixes creep past my reservations and into my ears, sometimes even eliciting pleasure.

There have been two such tracks in particular that have recently made an impression on me, both in a good way.

The first of these remixes is the Gui Boratto take on Paradise Circus by Massive Attack. Taking on a track by arguably the greatest production team in recent times must be a daunting prospect, but Brazilian techno producer Boratto seems unperturbed. At first Boratto maintains the simple, brooding piano and vocals, before adding in a bassline Ennio Morricone would be proud of, instilling a spaghetti western vibe. What results is a fun, funky take on the original, that nonetheless maintains the darker aspects to result in a far more danceable end product. Listen here

Remix number two comes from Brighton duo Fuck Buttons and their reworking of Fever Ray's If I Had a Heart, easily one of the best songs of last year. A thumping techno beat underpins the whole 8-minute song, with added bleeps and beeps supplementing the digitally manipulated harmonies of the original. the song breaks down after about 5 minutes, before resuming again in an even more euphoric fashion, with a shimmering wall of noise laid over it. All in all a transfixing, ethereal and yet distinctly inorganic re-imagining , which compels you to go and relisten to both Fuck Buttons and Fever Ray.

Check it out

Dart for my Shark

2010-02-12T20:11:00.011Z

Bearded bues-rockers The Archie Bronson Outfit have released the first single off upcoming album Coconut (out 23/3/10). The track is titled Shark's Tooth, and whilst it maintains many of the ingredients that originally made the band so great, it sounds like a step up in the production stakes. The song reminds me of the new Flaming Lip's output, and especially Watching the Planets, but with a dancier, funkier edge, added by a nicely loping bassline and some military-style drumming. I have to say i'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the album off the back of this, but you can judge for yourselves by following this link.

Photo: Last.fm

An introduction of sorts

2010-02-11T21:08:00.004Z

I felt it would be a good idea to provide a clue as to my musical leanings, and to supply you with a personal Top Ten Tracks selection. This proved to be a lot harder than i had ever thought, the number of songs i had casually described as "oh yeah, definitely in my top ten ever" slightly exceeded ten, and so i was left with a near-impossible task of culling and cutting, to leave me with this resultant list, which i hope you can enjoy as much as i do. (they are in no particular order by the way, that may have proved a bridge too far)

1. Young Marble Giants- Searching for Mr Right Possibly the greatest minimal, sub-3 minute pop song ever created. Perfectly understated, but with more emotional punch than a Peter Andre love song compilation (and that's a lot). Clear parallels can be drawn with modern upstarts The xx, but for me this song, and indeed this band, will never be trumped.

2. The Stooges- I wanna be your dog Iggy at his snarling best, one of the great riffs that pounds away for the duration of the song, and some of the best jingly bells ever heard on a rock song. How could you turn down the offer of Iggy as your dog?

3. Radiohead- Idioteque Of course everything by Radiohead is experimental genius that cannot be equalled, blah, blah, blah, but this track really is all of those things. From probably my favourite album of theirs it beautifully pulls off the nigh impossible task of making a heart -rending idm track, with it's soaring, glacial synths and Thom's incomparable croon.

4. Mogwai- I know you are but what am i? A majestic procession of pianos, guitars and bleeps that build and collapse, rise and fall in a way that only Mogwai can pull off. Stately, beautiful and an unbeatable instrumental.

5. Modest Mouse- Cowboy Dan This is probably my favourite song off my favourite album ever. A schizophrenic song of two parts, one raging with anger, the other peaceful contemplation of the world, with Isaac "standing in the tall grass, thinking nothing". Amazing.

6. Lee "Scratch " Perry- Black Panta This is Lee "calling the meek and the 'umble" into his world of spooky dub productions, and it's an offer that surely can't be refused after a listen to this.

7. Joy Division- She's lost control almost as minimal as Young Marble Giants, with the haunting, gothic bass and the clattering, incessant drums providing the sole backing to Curtis' equally gloomy vocals and the depressing story of young epileptic. Depressingly brilliant, like most Joy Division really.

8. Cocteau Twins- The hollow men not too dissimilar to the Joy Division track in terms of the intensely gothic atmosphere conjured up by the dissonant washes of Guthrie's guitar and Elizabeth Fraser's abstract wailings. However, in contrast a far creepier, ethereal song is created in contrast to the stark realities of the Joy Division effort.

9. At the Drive-in- Mannequin Republic the highlight on the seminal 'Relationship of Command 'album by the forerunners of some of the worst music to pollute the last decade. the intensity of the song never abates, just as it doesn't across the whole album, and they cannot be blamed for the sad wave of copycat bands who would form in their wake.

10. James Luther Dickinson- O how she dances a clattering conglomeration of drums and guitars and rattles that build, first with Dickinson talking, and then singing furiously, but also amusingly, over the top. Dickinson's vocals are the main attraction and his tale of dancing girls and showmen.

Band of the week No.1

2010-02-10T12:11:00.008Z

James Chance & The Contortions

One of the leading lights of the New York No Wave scene in the late '70s, James Chance and his Contortions created a heady, nihilistic mix of free jazz and post punk, with Chance's distinctive yelps and crys laid on top.

The band imploded in '79, along with the rest of the 'Wave', but Chance continued to make music, although this time under the soubriquet James White.

The reason for me choosing this band as my very first 'Band of the week' (I'm sure Chance would be delighted with the honour...) is that they're playing the Matt Groening curated ATP Festival in May, with the possibility of a few other dates around that time. Sadly i won't be in attendance, but a few friends are, although their excitement is tempered with a little fear, Chance being renowned as a combative performer, picking fights with audience members on occassions.

Whether you intend to go and see Les Contortions, or if you've never heard of them before, go out and listen/re-discover the album Buy, and in particular tracks such as 'Contort yourself' and 'Design to kill'. Happy listening!

photo: last.fm

New beginnings...

2010-02-09T21:59:00.004Z

A fresh blog to join the already swollen ranks of eager amateurs, this one bringing a selection of music-related posts, of an as yet undecided nature, but which will hopefully soon take shape.

This blog comes partly as a means to fill the spare time i find myself burdened with as a student, and partly as an outlet for any thoughts, feelings and opinions i have about music.

Anyway, i hope you find something of interest and perhaps something to entertain, who knows, i can but start with high hopes!happy future reading...