Salutations, I know everyone's turned into a music snob and now hates the Arctic Monkeys (it doesn't help that they seem to act like complete twats everytime they appear in the media a lá Lily Allen) but I've found some live versions of tracks that will be appearing on their new album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'.
Obviously with the live recordings, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired so it'd be unfair to judge the new material until better recordings appear. Nonetheless, first impressions seem to have already made the melodic 'Fluorescent Adolescent' a fan favourite with its catchy chorus. The stomping 'D Is For Dangerous' has the same energy 'Fake Tales Of San Francisco' did and the first single from the album, 'Brianstorm' is like the bastard child of Klaxons (producer James Ford's influence perhaps?) and Muse.
Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent (Live) // Sendspace download link
Arctic Monkeys - D Is For Dangerous (Live) // Sendspace link
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm (Live At The Morecambe Dome) // Sendspace link
So far, so good I'd say.
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A couple of other new tracks I've come across are from the interesting new electro side project of The Wombats and MC Lars. The new MC Lars track comes courtesy of Live105 [link] and although nowhere near as great as his past material, still shows off some of his post-punk laptop rap skill. Perhaps a bit tongue in cheek but 2 Many JDs show they can not only produce brilliant indie pop as part of The Wombats but also bang out an impressive electro tunes. Good times.
MC Lars - White Kids Aren't Hyphy // Sendspace link
2 Many JDs - Intertwined // Sendspace link
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Oh and if you haven't already, hot foot it over to the Los Campesinos! website to download their new single. For free. How awesome of them. Relive my interview with them [link].
on Monday, February 12, 2007
Lo-fi, pop-punk, speeded-up-Americana, boy-girl vocal sparring, the occasional gem of a lyric and you know you're onto a winner. Birmingham's Johnny Foreigner impressed so much at a club night that the promoter decided to to close the club night and become their manager. Good call! Likewise for me, it was love at first listen.
The band can hardly be accused of being one dimensional with influences seeping through from the likes of Bloc Party to Grandaddy, with harmonies and melodies splattered all over the place and just an overall feeling of hyperactivity for both listener and band. They definately seem to be the type of band who'd be RAWKing just as hard as their fans would be bopping.
Soon to be the next buzz band, á la Los Campesinos!, Johnny Foreigner take you on a bewitching aural journey that leaves you yearning for more. And improved production. But I suppose some of the charm is in the budget recordings and much preferable to potentially over-glossified (that sounds a bit made up doesn't it?) future material.
Sold out debut single 'Sometimes, In The Bullring' sounds like Pavement at their most pulsating, 'SofaCore' builds up wonderfully till its harmonic generator overloads,'Yr All Just Jealous' is a majestic slice of feisty, melodic pop and my favourite 'Yes! You Talk Too Fast' with its pop-punk stylings and silly lyrics (stuff about female pirates and car crashes). All can be downloaded from their MySpace [link].
Johnny Foreigner - SofaCore
Johnny Foreigner - Yes! You Talk Too Fast (almost finished)
To top it all off, the new release on Laundrette recordings is apparently going to have a 3-d cover and come with 3-d glasses. With Johnny Foreigner, the fun never seems to end!
The band can hardly be accused of being one dimensional with influences seeping through from the likes of Bloc Party to Grandaddy, with harmonies and melodies splattered all over the place and just an overall feeling of hyperactivity for both listener and band. They definately seem to be the type of band who'd be RAWKing just as hard as their fans would be bopping.
Soon to be the next buzz band, á la Los Campesinos!, Johnny Foreigner take you on a bewitching aural journey that leaves you yearning for more. And improved production. But I suppose some of the charm is in the budget recordings and much preferable to potentially over-glossified (that sounds a bit made up doesn't it?) future material.
Sold out debut single 'Sometimes, In The Bullring' sounds like Pavement at their most pulsating, 'SofaCore' builds up wonderfully till its harmonic generator overloads,'Yr All Just Jealous' is a majestic slice of feisty, melodic pop and my favourite 'Yes! You Talk Too Fast' with its pop-punk stylings and silly lyrics (stuff about female pirates and car crashes). All can be downloaded from their MySpace [link].
Johnny Foreigner - SofaCore
Johnny Foreigner - Yes! You Talk Too Fast (almost finished)
To top it all off, the new release on Laundrette recordings is apparently going to have a 3-d cover and come with 3-d glasses. With Johnny Foreigner, the fun never seems to end!
on Thursday, February 08, 2007
Is it sick and wrong that I really like the new Snow Patrol and The Fray singles? Probably. Lucky for you this post is about Bloc Party. Or unlucky for you, seeing as they truly are the flavour of the month. Although understandably seeing as their second album 'A Weekend In The City' has finally been released - on first few listens, I think it's a good effort and I'm absolutely loving 'Waiting For The 7.18', reminiscent of the more anthemic nature of the debut record.
Thanks to Purevolume.com [link], here's an unreleased Bloc Party track called 'Vision Of Heaven'. Quite probably future b-side material, it reminds me a bit of The Cure. It's simple and melodic, even with the slightly spazzed out-ness towards the end, 'Vision Of Heaven' remains an easy listen. A bit sub-So Here We Are, yet still pleasant and perfectly acceptable output from one of the finest British bands of the last few years.
And here's your tenuous link for the day - one of the lyrics is about throwing "my mobile phone into the sea" and guess what? 30 fans had their phones nicked at a recent Bloc gig [link], although thankfully the perpetrator was caught and the phones returned.
Bloc Party - Vision Of Heaven
p.s Is it me or does the new BP site [link] look a bit similiar to The Rakes' site [link]?
Thanks to Purevolume.com [link], here's an unreleased Bloc Party track called 'Vision Of Heaven'. Quite probably future b-side material, it reminds me a bit of The Cure. It's simple and melodic, even with the slightly spazzed out-ness towards the end, 'Vision Of Heaven' remains an easy listen. A bit sub-So Here We Are, yet still pleasant and perfectly acceptable output from one of the finest British bands of the last few years.
And here's your tenuous link for the day - one of the lyrics is about throwing "my mobile phone into the sea" and guess what? 30 fans had their phones nicked at a recent Bloc gig [link], although thankfully the perpetrator was caught and the phones returned.
Bloc Party - Vision Of Heaven
p.s Is it me or does the new BP site [link] look a bit similiar to The Rakes' site [link]?
on Sunday, February 04, 2007
*Pull In Emergency
It’s unlikely they’ll become particularly huge this year but with average age of about 13, Pull In Emergency have much to look forward to. A single is due out on Mute Records soon and they’ve appeared on BBC’s Culture Show and in The Guardian recently. Jangly pop akin to The Smiths with Libertines-esque energy and remarkably mature vocals, Pull In Emergency write songs about getting lost on the London Underground and dumping your partner. Awesome!
Pull In Emergency - Bendy
*goFASTER>>
A single due out on This Is Fake DIY in March and gigs all over the place in the near future – it can’t be too long before a major label snaps them up and peddles them as the new Futureheads or something. But no matter for this is quirky, addictive pop along the lines of fellow scousers and generally amazing bands Hot Club de Paris and The Wombats. Plus they have silly song titles, witty lyrics and a genius Guess Who? theme going on!
goFASTER>> - True Love Is Hard To Find (Like An NHS Dentist)
*Foals
Recently signed to taste makers Transgressive Records (Battle, Ladyfuzz etc), they generate an amazing racket somewhere in between The Rapture and ¡Forward, Russia! The aural experience becomes all the more pleasurable when witnessing their pulsating live performance. A mean touring schedule this Spring takes them to SXSW as well as supporting labelmates The Young Knives. A warning for those who will be seeing Foals soon – they have an insane following, beware the moshpits. Or embrace them. This Foals track is a bit of an oldie, check out the newer stuff on their MySpace.
Foals - Look At The Furrows On My Brow
*These New Puritans
Like the fact that drummer George Barnett was named no.47 in the NME Cool List 2006 and their supposed use of Nazi symbolism (see Playlouder interview), I’m not entirely sure what to say about this lot. It’s post-punk but it’s so much more than post-punk at the same time – it’s pulsating, it’s space-age, it’s…just listen for yourselves. With a sold out EP already under their belts and considering fellow Southenders The Horrors managed it (somehow), it could be very possible that they enter the mainstream consciousness this year despite their obvious rawness.
These New Puritans - C.16th
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So that's my top twelve for 2007, we'll have to wait a while to see whether any of them can truly make it big this year but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.
p.s here's some Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man for those who missed it:
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man - A Matter Of Timing
It’s unlikely they’ll become particularly huge this year but with average age of about 13, Pull In Emergency have much to look forward to. A single is due out on Mute Records soon and they’ve appeared on BBC’s Culture Show and in The Guardian recently. Jangly pop akin to The Smiths with Libertines-esque energy and remarkably mature vocals, Pull In Emergency write songs about getting lost on the London Underground and dumping your partner. Awesome!
Pull In Emergency - Bendy
*goFASTER>>
A single due out on This Is Fake DIY in March and gigs all over the place in the near future – it can’t be too long before a major label snaps them up and peddles them as the new Futureheads or something. But no matter for this is quirky, addictive pop along the lines of fellow scousers and generally amazing bands Hot Club de Paris and The Wombats. Plus they have silly song titles, witty lyrics and a genius Guess Who? theme going on!
goFASTER>> - True Love Is Hard To Find (Like An NHS Dentist)
*Foals
Recently signed to taste makers Transgressive Records (Battle, Ladyfuzz etc), they generate an amazing racket somewhere in between The Rapture and ¡Forward, Russia! The aural experience becomes all the more pleasurable when witnessing their pulsating live performance. A mean touring schedule this Spring takes them to SXSW as well as supporting labelmates The Young Knives. A warning for those who will be seeing Foals soon – they have an insane following, beware the moshpits. Or embrace them. This Foals track is a bit of an oldie, check out the newer stuff on their MySpace.
Foals - Look At The Furrows On My Brow
*These New Puritans
Like the fact that drummer George Barnett was named no.47 in the NME Cool List 2006 and their supposed use of Nazi symbolism (see Playlouder interview), I’m not entirely sure what to say about this lot. It’s post-punk but it’s so much more than post-punk at the same time – it’s pulsating, it’s space-age, it’s…just listen for yourselves. With a sold out EP already under their belts and considering fellow Southenders The Horrors managed it (somehow), it could be very possible that they enter the mainstream consciousness this year despite their obvious rawness.
These New Puritans - C.16th
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So that's my top twelve for 2007, we'll have to wait a while to see whether any of them can truly make it big this year but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.
p.s here's some Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man for those who missed it:
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man - A Matter Of Timing
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