The initial lineup for Field Day 2009 has been announced, booked in for the 1st August at London's Victoria Park, and it's already shaping up to be a good 'un. I attended last year's event and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some of the internet naysayers would have you believe, a good time was had despite the AWFUL weather. Anyways, here's the announced lineup so far with Scottish post-rock legends Mogwai headlining: Mogwai Four Tet James Yorkston [...]
Seasons Greetings! Posting will continue on Twitter. Expect lots of MP3s and links; no-one wants to read about what I'm eating for breakfast or other tediousness. www.twitter.com/arewenotben I used to wonder what the point of Twitter was, but it seems strangely appropriate for MP3 blogging. Should be keeping it updated regularly as it's so damn quick and easy to post. Follow me!
The Mark Out will be on hiatus for a bit, hopefully it won't be too long. In the meantime, watch some Wire DVDs:
There's a hugeness to Bodies of Water 's second album, A Certain Feeling , that I find irresistible. I've always been fascinated by lavish production; layered music with rich instrumentation - and this has it cracked completely, overflowing with vibrancy and a sense of wonder. If you liked early Polyphonic Spree, Arcade Fire or the majesty of Sufjan Steven's pomp you should be all over this release. The album's eclecticism is certainly 21st Century, where seemingly anything goes, with genres flickering between (to name but a few) quick-step tropicalia bursts of energy, show-like choruses, [...]
I'm still not sure that I've fully got my head around Remember , a live double-album from avant-indie rocksters The Fiery Furnaces , featuring performances from between 2005-2007. To put it bluntly, the album is bonkers. Completely and utterly hatstand, but it's good - excellent at times. It's certainly not your typical live album featuring the usual songs verbatim to the album versions. There's barely any crowd chatter or applause, introductions can occur midway through tracks and there's nary a pause between each song - giving the impression of one huge medley. [...]
Everyone has heard some of the new Metallica material now, surely? Rather than trying to sue everyone on the internet, the thrash titans have decided to embrace modern culture and provide streaming tracks, behind the scenes videos and early access to songs through their Mission:Metallica site which as an exercise in PR after the entire Napster debacle is a truly sterling effort so rather than the veil of secrecy that has surrounded previous releases they're openly sharing the wealth. I'm still not entirely convinced with Death Magnetic ; despite listening to it a number [...]
I've just recently stumbled across As High As The Sky the debut album from Canada's The Mole (out on Wagon Repair ) after reading this excellent Resident Advisor review. It doesn't seem to have crossed over beyond the specialist press, which is a real shame, as it's one of the strongest, varied and most accessible dance albums I've heard all year. I'm not really sure where to start with the highlights - the seemingly never-ending subtle build of Ain't It The Way It's Supposed To Be , a deep nagging bassline rising from [...]
Another dip into The Mark Out's mailbag reveals two rather spiffing new bands itching to get their music heard. First up; Young Sensation! , another band who like their punctuation, and have a sleek line in sharp, indie pop but with a tasty jagged edge to it. Amongst their influences they list Arcade Fire, Interpol, Comet Gain and Wolf Parade which are all pretty much dead-on musical comparisons. Download their excellent new single, Kitty Magic : Young Sensation! - Kitty Magic (MP3) The lead singer [...]
This is a bit old but came to me whilst looking through some old bookmarks; well worth a look: Last.fm/Youtube Mashup Type in your Last.Fm username or any artist - some nifty coding will then produce your own personalised music channel using Youtube videos from the last.fm details. As it'll be tailored to your own personal tastes, don't expect a lot of flicking. Try it for yourself, or give mine a look for some goodness (well, I think so): My Page . Also, without wanting [...]
I don't often go to gigs where I'm not very familiar with the headliner's material. I'd heard a handful of tracks from Jeffrey Lewis but beyond some enthusiastic reviews and recommendations from friends, I really wasn't sure what to expect so it was with a sense of curiosity that I ventured to the Norwich Arts Centre (One of the best venues in the United Kingdom, ladies and gentlemen). Of the two supports, I'm struggling to remember anything from Tiger MCs set; enjoyable enough but nothing at all to lift above any [...]
One of the perks of blogging is that you get sent an awful lot of great music into your inbox to share, the downside is that there's only so many hours in the day. I always try and listen to everything I'm sent so these may be a little "out of date" in internet time but they all have The Mark Out's quality seal of approval. One of my pet hates are blogs that post up seemingly all tracks they receive without any sense they're actually heard, just a copy and paste of the PR and MP3 - [...]
A work of genius. The guy who made this must have the patience of a saint, after spending 10 hours at work on a Bank Holiday this is the perfect tonic. Every moment with Bert in is pure brilliance. BROWNSVILLE!
I've been reliving my formative years this weekend after buying XL Recordings excellent old school rave compilation The First Chapters. Check the full tracklisting below! 1) SL2 - DJ's Take Control 2) The Prodigy - Charly (Alley Cat Mix) 3) Nu-Matic - Hard Times 4) Kicks Like A Mule - The Bouncer (Housequake Mix) 5) SL2 - Way In My Brain (Remix) 6) The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place (Fairground Remix)(MP3) 7) Liquid - Sweet Harmony 8) SL2 - On A Ragga Tip 9) Awesome 3 - [...]
In advance of their forthcoming album Dear Science, (punctuation intentional), due 23rd September, TV on the Radio are streaming a new track, Golden Age , from the release on their website . Guess what? It's great! TV on the Radio - Golden Age (Stream) A slight deviation from their usual style, think Talking Heads with a serious early Prince slinky minimalist funk afflication. There's a touch of Bowie in the song too, with the song seemingly slipping into Heroes at one [...]
I listened the hell out of UK instrumental Sludge/Stoner heroes Capricorns last album Ruder Forms Survive ; it was the kind of album that never left my car, was always the first pick on my MP3 player - I knew every riff, every timechange, every musical shift off by heart. It's quite comfortably one of my favourite albums of the last couple of years. So, I couldn't be more excited when their latest opus, River, Bear Your Bones was released last month. The atmosphere is [...]
In association with UK music website Drowned In Sound , the Shred Yr Face (annoying wannabe Sonic Youth spelling intentional) hits the UK this October featuring the spelling nightmare that are tweecore warriors Los Campesinos! , Sub-Pop's ambient-punk duo No Age and the none more lo-fi Times New Viking . I won't be attending as unfortunately none of the shows are anywhere near me and I've already travelled enough of this godforsaken isle in 2008 [...]
It's always a treat to sift through the tracks in your email inbox and come across something top-notch. Like seemingly the majority of the internet, I've been following the fidget-house scene for the last couple of months and Mustard Pimp have been good enough to send two new remixes of some recent anthems by Crookers and Bryan Cox : Bryan Cox - Let's Go To Work (Mustard Pimp Remix) (MP3) Crookers - Il Brutto (Mustard Pimp El Burrito Remix) (MP3) [...]
Fresh from their Beardism collection a few months back, Disco Beard are back with more free re-edits to please, surprise and generally make you move. A strong 4-track collection, the Beardiality EP near enough instrumentalises the modern classics Over & Over and House of Jealous Lovers whilst Divine's You Think You're A Man is extended beyond measure - the excellent intro beefed up and let run like some twisted fusion of Blue Monday and You Spin Me Round. None more camp. [...]
Fujiya and Miyagi - Knickerbocker I caught up with Fujiya & Miyagi originally in June 2006 for their Transparent Things album and Knickerbocker is the first single from their new LP Lightbulbs , out September 16th in the US (September 1st in the UK I believe). It sounds like one of Can or Neu!'s Krautrock epics condensed into a 3 minute pop song, always on the verge of taking off into the ether as rhythms interlock, synths bubble and the [...]
The Mark Out
James Blake – Live Album
Circo Voador anuncia shows de The Kooks, Foster The People, Friendly Fires, Gogol Bordello e mais
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
