Click here to view the embedded video. Here's a random find from Youtube. A stunningly good quality version of Darren , a new song by Allo Darlin' about the former Hefner frontman, Darren Hayman . They've been playing this live for a while, including the last time I saw them, but the sound was so muddy you could hardly make anything out in that instance. Recorded in San Francisco as part of their recent US tour, it just whets the appetite for new additional from the band. Handclaps "for the win", as [...]
Giant Sand are yet another band that I've long been aware of, but have been too intimidated by their discography to actually explore. If Wikipedia is to be believed, their upcoming album, Blurry Blue Mountain , will be their 25th release, with the band being active since 1985. When there's this much of a back catalog, I'm never sure where to begin, so I inevitably don't. That said, I am rather enjoying BBM (as the kids are sure to call it) and Fields of Green in particular. The song may set a new standard [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. Each time I discover something new, a gaping hole in my indiepop knowledge is brought to the fore. In this case, we have Phil Wilson , who was lead singer of the legendary indiepop band The June Brides back in the 80s. Shameful as it may be, I've never heard of them, despite being aware of Phil's music for the past year or so. Still, in the grand spirit of doing things backwards, I'm going to start with his latest release and work back from there. [...]
It's been an odd period for Johnny Foreigner of late. There seemed to be a period where they were destined to actually breakthrough and become the next big thing. This never seemed to quite work out for them for whatever reason, and the band started to look like they wouldn't grow beyond their small, if incredibly dedicated, fan base. Changes now seem to be afoot for the band though, most notably a change in record labels as the band jump from Best Before to Alcopop Records. Certainly a hell of a coup for Alcopop, and the DIY nature [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. The rise of Allo Darlin' continues apace with the band releasing single number four from their debut album. Something that should really be pushing it for a record that only has ten songs on it in the first place. My Heart is a Drummer isn't the strongest effort from it, but the opening verse alone makes it well worth it regardless. It says a lot about Allo Darlin' overall that even their weaker singles are far more interesting than anything most bands are doing. [...]
The first word I etched on a desk with a pen was Morrissey And the first time the words meant as much as the music was Morrissey And the moaning that came from my room everyday was Morrissey And the reason my Mum had to ask was I gay, yes Morrissey. There's probably a hundred songs out there by bands trying to articulate their feelings toward Morrissey. To a great many of them he was a [...]
The first word I etched on a desk with a pen was Morrissey And the first time the words meant as much as the music was Morrissey And the moaning that came from my room everyday was Morrissey And the reason my Mum had to ask was I gay, yes Morrissey. There's probably a hundred songs out there by bands trying to articulate their feelings toward Morrissey. To a great many of them he was a [...]
It seems odd to be writing about Remy Zero . The first time I ever heard of them was all the way back in 2002 when they were announced as the support for Weezer on their current tour. The Southampton leg of the tour (which I was at) was certainly interesting. I hardly knew any Remy Zero songs aside a few I'd found online and was largely indifferent toward, and wasn't familiar with Smallville either, the show that used their song Save Me as it's theme. As such, their set fell a little flat with [...]
La Sera is Katy Goodman, who is apparently part of the Vivian Girls, a band I've heard of, but have never really listened to. So if you're looking for any insight into how this compares or the such, I have absolutely no idea. The most surprising part of this to me is that I actually like it. Dream pop doesn't do much for me on the most part, as I like something to latch onto in my music, and the nature of the genre makes that rather difficult when it's all swirling sounds and hushed, distorted vocals. I think [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. I'm not a big fan of live versions of songs, but I'm willing to make an exception here. City of Glass , the debut album by Love Ends Disaster! has very much become a favourite of the year so far (in an already spectacular year), and while there's some stunning songs on it, it's this one that stands out. Conventional wisdom would suggest I was swayed by a Doctor Who reference, but there's more to it than that. That might have got my attention in the [...]
The Just Joans are a band that I've never been able to completely embrace. I'm not entirely sure why this is, and the most logical reason could simply be that I just haven't heard very much of their material. From what I have heard, I've liked some, and disliked others. At their best, they manage to combine brutal honesty with humour (see Hey Boy... You're Oh So Sensitive ), while at the other end of the spectrum they can prove to be too pessimistic even for a miserable sod such as myself. I have no idea [...]
The Just Joans are a band that I've never been able to completely embrace. I'm not entirely sure why this is, and the most logical reason could simply be that I just haven't heard very much of their material. From what I have heard, I've liked some, and disliked others. At their best, they manage to combine brutal honesty with humour (see Hey Boy... You're Oh So Sensitive ), while at the other end of the spectrum they can prove to be too pessimistic even for a miserable sod such as myself. I have no idea [...]
I came to the Lucksmiths party ridiculously late. So late in fact, they had just broken up at the time. I'd been vaguely aware of them for a while, and as is always the way with such bands, the size of their discography always kept me away from them. Earlier this year, I was finally convinced to give them a listen and it was something of a revelation. Starting with Warmer Corners and working roughly backwards, I've now picked up nearly all of their albums, and continue to lament the fact I didn't bother earlier. [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. Shrag 's latest album has become an unexpected album of the year contender for me. I never much liked them in the past and while I quite liked the first album, it didn't really manage to grab me. I picked up the second on a whim though back in July and it's hardly left my car CD player since. Likely much to the chagrin of anyone else travelling in it. So a new video from Shrag is the perfect excuse to remind you [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. Things have been quiet on the Superman Revenge Squad front for a while, so it was a nice treat this evening to discover a new video from the upcoming Dead Crow Blues EP. The video takes the title track and rather simply animates it with the words in speech bubbles, which gives an ideal spotlight to Mr. Parker's songwriting talents. The song also seems to continue the gradual development of the Superman Revenge Squad sound, with beats being added alongside the [...]
It seems that you can't move around in London at the moment without somehow arriving at Tigercats gig. From recent listings, it appears that if there's an indiepop gig happening, they will be there to support. Which isn't a bad thing because it shows they are taking this lark seriously and because they are really quite excellent, particularly for what is ultimately a new band. Of course, the grand irony in all of this is that I still haven't managed to see them. Following on from their great (and brilliantly timely) Konny Huck single, [...]
Something odd happened the other day. I was playing through this Nosferatu D2 album as I quite regularly do and for the first time, I felt the desire to actually open up the lyrics booklet. Now this isn't something I usually do, despite my perhaps unhealthy fascination with the words of songs above all else. It's odder still considering I've known some of these songs for about four years now. Obviously I've played them all enough that I've picked up on most of the words, but there's always the bits that slip through, particularly when you've got something as loud, [...]
Something odd happened the other day. I was playing through this Nosferatu D2 album as I quite regularly do and for the first time, I felt the desire to actually open up the lyrics booklet. Now this isn't something I usually do, despite my perhaps unhealthy fascination with the words of songs above all else. It's odder still considering I've known some of these songs for about four years now. Obviously I've played them all enough that I've picked up on most of the words, but there's always the bits that slip through, particularly when you've got something as loud, [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. There's something about a new Thermals record that makes me interested and apathetic at the same time. I look forward to hearing each new one, and it's usually good. On the other hand, I know it's not going to be another More Parts Per Million or Fuckin A . The band seem to have gone through the same routine that The Mountain Goats have on recent releases. Seemingly given more money to play about in the studio, you get a cleaner, crisper [...]
Captain Polaroid is a one man lo-fi project from Birmingham. He makes fuzzy, noisy, and surprisingly tender songs. I first encountered him on the Show Me A Word That Rhymes With Pavement compilation earlier on in the year, where he contributed a solid cover of Here . Since then I've got hold of a sampler of his earlier recordings and have been following his current Beat Nostalgia releases, a selection of free EPs over the course of the year. Recently released EP2 may be the strongest effort yet, in no small [...]
Another Form of Relief
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
THE MASTERSONS — BIRDS FLY SOUTH
