In case you've been been living under a bridge for the last month or two, Mumford & Sons have a new record out. It's called Babel and you can read our thoughts on it here . Today, they popped into BBC Radio 12s Live Lounge to play a mini set for Fearne Cotton and a couple of million listeners. Included within that set was the now compulsory cover, and the tweed-loving foursome chose to tackle Alt-J's 'Tessellate'. It's pretty lovely too, and has been given the full folk makeover. Download: [...]
Frank Ocean has had one hell of a year. Building from the release of his Nostalgia, Ultra last year, he became the most talked about RnB star on the planet by coming out as bisexual before releasing the fantastic Channel Orange back in July. And now we have a new song. 'Blue Whale' popped up on the internet today without any fanfare or explanation. The track certainly sounds like it could have been a song that wasn't thought quite worthy enough to appear of Channel Orange , but so high are Ocean's standards [...]
"The lingering is that for Kanye, when it comes to collaboration, it appears that less is definitely more..." Kanye West & Various Artists | Cruel Summer Kanye West is without doubt one of the most famous hip-hop artists of modern day history, but even creating Cruel Summer must have taken some organisation on his part. You see, this isn't just Kanye's album, this is an album created by a Kanye-formed hip hop supergroup entitled G.O.O.D. If anyone thought Kanye had a slight God complex creating such a group (see the spelling link [...]
One thing seems certain: Lana Del Rey's label are keen to get every single penny they can out of the 'Video Games' era Del Rey. We're not saying they're going to pick her up then drop her down (are we?), but they certainly want to get their money's worth. So, the new 'Paradise Edition' of Born To Die , will come stuffed with 'new' old songs and a handful of covers. And this, a new song produced by none other than Rick Rubin and featuring the lyric "i'm tired of feeling like i'm fucking [...]
It hasn't been long - only a month in fact - since The 1975 dropped their breathtaking debut EP, Facedown . We were rather charmed by its emotive, reverb-soaked anthems . They don't much around these boys, as they stand on the verge of releasing their Sex EP in November, quickly followed by their debut full length. Preceeding all this however is the EP's title track. The tempo is quicker than we've heard from them before, with an added emo tinge to the vocals and some beautifully chiming guitar work. [...]
"The passion and life the Avett Brothers brought so effortlessly earlier in their career is lost in this process of refinement..." The Avett Brothers | The Carpenter North Carolina workaholics The Avett Brothers have returned. On the back of I and Love and You, Seth and Scott Avett and long-time collaborator Bob Crawford made the tricky transition from the independent fringe, with Ramseur Records, to major label, with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings in style. I and Love and You was received to no small amount of acclaim and considerable commercial [...]
It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these magazines, such is the growth of our output and our team. We’re now up to 15 writers, all of whom take the time to soak up new music while holding down full-time jobs. I think we’re onto a good thing here, so I would like to thank each of them for their contributions. Alot of good records have come out since we last put together this mag, so head down to our review section for the best bits of the last few months. We discuss the return of [...]
"This is An Adventure could be the album that puts them on the path to even greater things..." The Lighthouse & The Whaler | This Is An Adventure With their 2007 self-titled debut album, indie-pop group The Lighthouse and the Whaler had established themselves as a solid band. Now, after spending much of the past year in the studio working with producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Metric), the group has made a huge leap forward in quality. Follow-up This is An Adventure could be the album that will put them on the [...]
On October 20th some of the most exciting UK acts descend on Oxford for the inaugural Gathering Festival, headlined by Dry The River and with a bill including Lucy Rose, Bastille, Liars, Spector, Clock Opera, Fossil Collective, The Staves & Karima Francis. To celebrate, we've launched our very own Gathering Festival Spotify playlist, jammed packed with the best tracks from all of the above and much more. Similarly to Dot To Dot, Gathering Festival is a city-wide festival with six different venues opening its doors to over 30 acts. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR [...]
Canadian duo The Zolas served time in one-time-buzz-band Lotus Child back in 2006, which should stand them in good stead for the excitement currently surrounding the release of their second album Ancient Mars . Lead single, 'Knot In My Heart' bubbles with pop hooks and positive energy. A killer groove is the canvas; fuzzy vocals and throbbing guitar the paint. It all adds up to a pretty little picture. Will get you dancing and sighing all at once.
"At times it reaches glorious peaks, but for too long feels like a poor rehash of what’s come before. The sound of a band penned in by their own sound..." Mumford & Sons | Babel It was 13 th February 2011 when Marcus Mumford and his band of merry men must have realised that their brand of banjo-toting folk-pop had got bigger than anyone ever could have expected. For this was the day that, with waistcoats on, neck ties tied and trucker cap firmly clamped on top of brow, Mumford & Sons performed [...]
"A loose album that throws in plenty of shapes and sizes, some moments certainly fare better than others, but it's without doubt an enjoyable listen..." Dinosaur Jnr | I Bet On Sky While a new crowd of young acts (Yuck, Male Bonding, Milk Maid among many others) now ply their trade producing this sort of racket, it is interesting to hear the ones who began it all still plugging away themselves. And listening to I Bet on Sky you can tell that Dinosaur Jnr – a band in their 26 th [...]
We got alot of love for The Weeknd here at WTGR. We named House of Balloons the fifth best album of last year. The first part of a trilogy of albums which will all now be remastered, remixed, edited and released as the suitably titled Trilogy album in November. The first snippet we have is this, a re-dressed version of House of Balloons' 'Wicked Games', the pinnacle of said record. It keeps The Weeknd's USP - that being Tesfaye's sugary-sweet vocal - and suggests that Trilogy will have [...]
When Frank Ocean released Channel Orange back in July, we gushed that "we are not listening to the ‘norm’ of r’n'b culture of clubs and drinking; instead we have been given raw emotion of how memories of life’s highly influential moments can be blissful yet at times cause torturous pain, and Channel Orange thus works, because ultimately, this is something we can all relate to." Featuring Frank shooting up a bar and a bizarre cameo from John Mayer, it's a wonderful little clip. It was directed by Nabil who has previously worked [...]
"This is a record with more than its fair share of big, unashamedly mid-tempo mega ballads as well as power-chord thrashing wannabe anthems..." The Killers | Battle Born It’s funny to think now that at one point, around the eyeliner-wearing, spangly jacket-sporting, Brightside-booming year of 2005 that The Killers were the coolest band on the planet. Arriving fully formed, all cheekbones and anglophilic references, Brandon Flowers and co. quickly became the UK’s bezzy mate, headlining festivals, hogging radio airwaves and indie-disco playlists alike. It was in the build-up to 2006’s Sam’s Town [...]
"While there are now a plethora of copycats, Animal Collective are the only people to sound like Animal Collective..." Animal Collective | Centipede Hz This is the return of the mighty Animal Collective after three-and-a-half years without a proper LP, the breakthrough album Merriweather Post Pavilion , the moment all the plaudits they had been receiving up until then was suddenly matched by commercial appeal and wider recognition. Merriweather's brand of sunny experimental psychedelia hit the spot for many, coming along at just the right time, and sounding like not much else around. While there are [...]
"Keeping up the layered vocals and unusual lyrical arrangements, 'Shields' sees them continue to stand shoulders above the competition..." Grizzly Bear | Shields After a gap of three years from their highly acclaimed third album Veckatimest , the Brooklyn based quartet bring their large following of fans the highly anticipated Shields . Blending, as they do, both the traditional and the electronic, team GB's sound has been categorised as a harmonious melting pot of folk, indie and rock and with this, their fourth album, the Brooklyn four-piece are clearly keen to progress [...]
"They'll need to wait until their third album before trying again to reach the indie-rock top-tier..." The Soft Pack | Strapped Bands are always put under the microscope following a successful debut album. It's how it works. After their self-titled introduction - stuffed full of breakneck indie-rock - shined when released in 2010, The Soft Pack are now subject to this increased level of scrutiny. The San Diego four-piece responded by writing over 80 songs over the next few years before whittling them down to the 12 you see on Strapped , their [...]
This is brand new. Like, brand brand new. Ink, otherwise known as Miriam Massie and Colin Mac, two Londoners via Liverpool and Scotland respectively, are yet to play live and it wasn't until recently that these tracks had even left the studio. But now, in the cold light of day, we're sure glad they did. 'Ink Goes In' is an alternative summer anthem that's come four months too late. A wonderful little left-of-centre pop song. Thoroughly charming it is.
"The purpose and creativity behind every song is so apparent, Coexist becomes infectiously appealing..." The xx | Coexist From the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial, Four Tet, and Xan Tyler, but denying its influence, The xx seem to have been shrouded in an undeniable sense of nonchalant cool since their conception in 2008. Their debut album, xx , was received with unprecedented acclaim – everyone trying to get in on the glamour of their quietly sexy sound. Yet, true to their creatively independent nature, The xx made us wait – quite [...]
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