Tagged: review

    Ben La Desh is back for the third outing on Sleazy Beats’ offshoot Black Ops with three cuts that are at once simple, subtle and satisfyingly rich in texture (having previously kick-starter the sub label with Stop That Groove Girl , which centred around an insatiable, heads-down percussive groove). On the opener for Rebound Round EP , the Dutch producer slings a crisp beat over a dream-like churn of murky, otherwordly synths. ‘Escape Route’ [...]

• Ben La Desh - Bohicon Bossa (SNIP)
• Ben La Desh - Escape Route (SNIP)
• Ben La Desh - In The Back (SNIP)

By Rob Crozier May 16, 2013 The Boxer Rebellion ’s Promises is the band's fourth studio album.  This is an international four piece that has formed a formidable indie rock outfit. They've been labelled as Oasis meets Radiohead via Coldplay . Indeed, these are huge claims to aspire to and we're sure the band would dismiss them, because this album sees them attempt to carve out their own style and sound. The comparisons, however, are evident within this new album, [...]

[ Clone Jack for Daze Series ] When it comes to Roman Flügel, imposing boundaries is a bad idea. Yes, the German's music is always unmistakable in terms of timbre and melodic progression, but in recent years particularly, he's built his very success on changing things up. He's gifted us with gentle elegy ("How to Spread Lies"), raucous house freestyling ("Brasil"), affecting hip-hop ("Thank You Jack"), neon-powered funk ("Deo") and rigid techno ("More Is [...]

Loaded with clichés and riffs you've heard somewhere before, rock and roll for the working man is back. Yes, it’s time to raise the flag for Airbourne ’s third album, “ Black Dog Barking ”, produced by Brian Howes (Puddle of Mudd; Nickelback) . Mixed with engine oil and grit, Airbourne (Joel O’Keefe, vocals/lead guitar; Ryan O’Keefe, drums; David Roads, rhythm guitar; Justin Street, bass) are supposedly the next best thing to AC/DC . You can shake your disapproving head at their blatant cheek, [...]

Think tequila mouthwash; think dusty boots; think tobacco chewing and think crow’s feet cutting sun squint lines through weathered skin. This is El Pistolero , the gunslinger, the baddie, the goody, the lover, the fighter, the survivor, the purveyor of death and decay; the vengeance seeker. El Pistolero , produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Chisel, Slayer, Silverchair) , is the eagerly awaited new album from Aussie stoner rockers, Tracer , (Michael Brown – vocals/guitar; Dre Wise – drums; Jett Heysen Hicks [...]

It’s been an absolutely astonishing year for Alt-J . Since releasing their debut album An Awesome Wave almost exactly a year ago, they have gone through a stratospheric rise to fame, earning themselves accolades including the coveted Mercury Prize and the much sought after Altsounds Album of The Year 2012. It goes without saying that nearly every show of their current UK tour almost completely sold out as fans clamber to catch the band before they make the transition into [...]

It’s encouraging to see that although today’s popular music industry does have a reputation for being far too disposable and oriented around scenes, fashions, fads and flavours of the month; tonight’s show at the grand Ritz in Manchester is completely sold out despite featuring just 5 men, some beat up guitars, and some good ol’ fashion blues. Duke Garwood sets the scene beautifully with some hypnotic, fuzzed-out blues. There’s only he and drummer Paul May on the [...]

by BEN BROCK WILKES Creeping out from the quiet warbles and crinkles of the needle drop that begin Wampire’s debut, an archetypal pipe organ leaks notes of familiar darkness. A shadowed, Draculesque figure hunches in front of the haunted keys as metallic, baroque horror echoes off the walls. Buckling to an irresistible curiosity, we approach the figure, a pool of sweat collecting on our brow in the cool humidity of his dungeon hall. We reach the bench where the embodiment of our fears sits, just as he whisks around to greet us with a [...]

There aren't many things more on trend right now than a Brooklyn synth-pop duo, which is good news for Holy Ghost because that happens to be exactly what they are. Having impressed with 20112s self-titled debut album the pair are back armed with a new record, Dynamics , set for release this autumn. It's first single, 'Dumb Disco Ideas', is a glorious, glorious thing. It starts in modest LCD Soundsystem-esque pop song trappings and over the course of its eight minutes develops into something utterly transcendent. The video, which delightfully uses New York [...]

San Fransisco duo The Dodos release new album, Carrier , in August and have today unveiled it's first single, 'Confidence'. The release is the first of the band's since the passing of touring guitarist Christopher Reimer in February of last year and singer Meric Long has explained the influence of Reimer on the new material. “Chris was a huge influence on the way I think about guitar, songwriting, and music in general,” reveals Long. “Seeing how he could transform and shape sound with an electric guitar inspired me to [...]

• The Dodos - Confidence

R.E.M.'s major label debut, Green , was released on Election Day in 1988. It was a canny move from a political band, making their mark on the public consciousness on the very day the Reagan administration turned into the first Bush administration. The record also happened to be the band's entry into the big leagues, going from a small-town Southern band with a knack for jangle guitar and art-punk posturing into a world conquering behemoth that would become one of the most popular bands of the 902s. While the album itself is [...]

Unless you're a dedicated soul connoisseur , you probably only know Mayer Hawthorne from his feat. on Sebastian's brilliant 'Love In Motion' back in 2011. Well, this guy and his smooth voice have been around for a while, with three albums to his name and a string of guest appearance and production credits to boot. Although we haven't really covered Hawthorne's music before, seeing Jessie Ware's name (we know you've heard of her) got our ears pricked, as the Mercury Award nominated songstress has a pretty great track record when it comes to collaborations. The pair have worked together on [...]

• Mayer Hawthorne - Her Favorite Song

Oxford four-piece MMX released their debut EP earlier this year. A collection of ice cold synth-pop beauties, these are dark diamonds that shine very brightly. The group have just unveiled a video for it's closing track, 'Ritual'. The monchrome clip sees the band perform the track in near darkness, which nicely captures the sound of this nocturnal noise. The track itself is strong. Shards of synth and spacey guitar weave in and out of each other underneath an emotive, soaring vocal. Basically, it's really good yeh. MMX's Child EP is out now [...]

In just under a week The 1975 release the last of four EPs that will preceed their debut album, scheduled for release in September. We've already heard the EP's thumping lead single, 'The City' - which we were very honoured to premiere - as well as the echoey dream-pop of 'Haunt // Bed' . Now comes 'fallingforyou'. When we've chatted with the band they've been keen to express that these EPs showcase two very different sides of the band: the radio friendly and the opaque; the atmospheric. This certainly falls into the latter [...]

• The 1975 - fallingforyou

After enchanting listeners with their brand of starry-eyed, 80s nostalgia on Gemini and Nocturne , Wild Nothing enter uncharted new territory on the Empty Estate EP. No longer are Wild Nothing your one-stop shop for hazy, lazy dreamscape sounds- at least, not all of them. On Empty Estate , Jack Tatum and the gang inject much-needed life and color into their music, reviving the dream-pop genre that’s since become cluttered with copycats and all-too similar styles. Wild Nothing first grabbed our attention in 2009 with a cover of Kate [...]

The cover art of  Wampire's   Curiosity  makes it clear the band doesn't take things too seriously. Posed in a warped vision of an 802s family portrait, Eric Phipps and Rocky Tinder give off the impression of two guys just wanting to have fun, sometimes at their own expense. While their giddy joy is apparent,  Curiosity  is also more than just friends goofing around. It's a fine debut from a band that revels in eccentricity, bringing to the masses an extension of their freewheeling live show that made [...]

An evening of graceful ferocity... - by Benjamin Bland

8 années après Human After All , les Daft Punk sont bien de retour et Random Access Memories n'a pas fait rouiller les casques métalliques des robots. Un retour tant attendu qui signe la fin d'une longue période, celle où l'on se disait sans cesse : « Quand est-ce qu'il vont nous pondre un nouvel album?! ». Et bien il est enfin là, dans nos oreilles et on a tellement de choses à vous dire. Daft Punk, produit français le plus exporté au monde C'est une sensation [...]

Mickey Hart Band @ Stage 48 - May 10 Words : Chadbyrne Dickens Photos : Vernon Webb The devil is in the details. Mickey Hart , aka former member of Grateful Dead drum duo The Rhythm Devils, entertained a nearly sold-out Stage 48 venue in New York City last Friday night. Born in nearby Brooklyn, the consummate drummer, only months shy of his 70th birthday, Hart still knows how to satisfy his loyal fan base. In addition to his storied tenure as drummer for the world’s [...]

Vampire Weekend's latest album is a worth sequel to 20102s Contra, presenting songs that truly stand on the merits of their memorable writing and lush instrumentation. WATCH THE REVIEW