I've been mega busy lately as uni has kicked off again but thought it was about time I put out a new podcast. The reason it's been so long coming is I've been waiting for permission (which doesn't look like it'll ever come!) to use a few tracks I've been loving recently. If you were wondering the tracks were:
Noah & The Whale - '5 Years Time'. Jangly, poppy, just generally lovely, the sound of all your best summers put together. Guest vocals from Laura Marling makes it even more spesh. Great vid too. Listen [here].
Late Of The Pier - 'Bathroom Gurgle'. This Erol Alkan produced dancefloor monster shows why LOTP are one of the most exciting around at the moment. The falsetto breakdown is amazing. Listen [here].
Fight Like Apes - 'Jake Summers'. Any song that reminds me of my childhood deserves a thumbs up. It helps that this is scuzzy synth pop at its best, combining tenderness and rawness with consummate ease. And it has one of the best lyrics ever, "you're like Kentucky Fried Chicken but without the taste!". Ace. Listen [here].
Maybe they'll even feature in a future podcast! Anyways, this month's podcast is relatively short but chock full of great songs. Without further ado...
Keep Hope Inside Podcast#5(29.34, 27mb)
Intro (with samples from Michael Oster).
1) Jonquil - Lions
[MySpace]
2) Make Model - Glasgow's No.1 Most Wanted
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
3) Nic Nell - It's A Trance Off
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
4) Lo-Fi Culture Scene - Catch 22
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
5) House Of Brothers - Lose Yourself
[MySpace]//[BSM Website]
6) These New Puritans - Navigate, Navigate
[MySpace]
Tracks used with permission or made freely available on the internet by the artist at the time.
DIRECT DOWNLOAD HERE (right click, save as)[link]
Subscribe to podcast feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinsidepodcast
Subscribe in iTunes [link]
Subscribing to the feed means you'll be notified when I do more podcasts in the future. You can do that with podcatchers or through iTunes, as above. You can also do a DIY add to iTunes by going to "Subscribe To Podcast" under the "Advanced" menu and pasting the podcast feed (the feed link above) there.
Cheers if you have subscribed already and you can also subscribe to my regular blog feed to get all the regular posts too if you like - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinside
Here's hoping the next podcast appears a bit quicker!
on Saturday, September 22, 2007
I've spent most of my free time watching Season One of Heroes, pretty good I thought, am looking forward to the new episodes! I just hope it doesn't go the way of Lost and become overly complex. Speaking of watching stuff, the Twenty20 semifinal between the Aussies and India just ended. Cricket's a bit awesome but why are there dancers?! And while we're on a tangent, just a gentle reminder to vote for me in the BT DMAs please, there's a button on the right of the page. Cheers!
Remixes aren't normally my thing but here are a couple that I think better the originals. Both are by upcoming British talents, one just starting out and the other has been coaxed by several major record labels into doing remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani to All Saints via The Libertines. The acts being remixed are equally as polarising, with the first being a celebrated bunch of youngsters from down under, the other an unheard of London singer-songwriter.
So if you haven't guessed contestant number one yet it's Kissy Sell Out, with his White Stallion Remix of 'Just A Song About Ping Pong' by Operator Please. I must admit when I first heard the original, it evoked memories of Be Your Own Pet. Bad memories. However, this remix makes the song much less annoying and adds all sorts of blips and other crazy sounds. It keeps things interesting although running at almost 7 minutes is a bit much for me. I can imagine it being a club hit though, maybe it is already!
Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong (Kissy Sell Out White Stallion Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link] n.b mp3 will be removed very soon
The other remix is by young 8bit enthusiast Lewis, aka W.I.R.E who takes on 'Time Waster' by the lovely and soon-to-be university student Aisha. She quite randomly messaged me on MySpace as she's doing the course I'm doing, which just about everyone else has never even heard of! But as lovely as she is, like most singer-songwriters her material doesn't excite me all that much. However, this remix takes her best song and then juxtaposes a haunting theme with what your old Gameboy used to sound like. Although it is a bit of a mess at times, I think it's pretty ace and nice to see a remix really slow things down which even gives the remix an air of poignancy despite not really meaning anything!
Aisha - Time Waster (W.I.R.E Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Remixes aren't normally my thing but here are a couple that I think better the originals. Both are by upcoming British talents, one just starting out and the other has been coaxed by several major record labels into doing remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani to All Saints via The Libertines. The acts being remixed are equally as polarising, with the first being a celebrated bunch of youngsters from down under, the other an unheard of London singer-songwriter.
So if you haven't guessed contestant number one yet it's Kissy Sell Out, with his White Stallion Remix of 'Just A Song About Ping Pong' by Operator Please. I must admit when I first heard the original, it evoked memories of Be Your Own Pet. Bad memories. However, this remix makes the song much less annoying and adds all sorts of blips and other crazy sounds. It keeps things interesting although running at almost 7 minutes is a bit much for me. I can imagine it being a club hit though, maybe it is already!
Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong (Kissy Sell Out White Stallion Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link] n.b mp3 will be removed very soon
The other remix is by young 8bit enthusiast Lewis, aka W.I.R.E who takes on 'Time Waster' by the lovely and soon-to-be university student Aisha. She quite randomly messaged me on MySpace as she's doing the course I'm doing, which just about everyone else has never even heard of! But as lovely as she is, like most singer-songwriters her material doesn't excite me all that much. However, this remix takes her best song and then juxtaposes a haunting theme with what your old Gameboy used to sound like. Although it is a bit of a mess at times, I think it's pretty ace and nice to see a remix really slow things down which even gives the remix an air of poignancy despite not really meaning anything!
Aisha - Time Waster (W.I.R.E Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
on Monday, September 17, 2007
I haven't mentioned Kate Nash much (it's not like she needed the attention!) but I have really enjoyed her last single and her latest one 'Mouthwash' so here we are. I was a bit apathetic following her debut release of 'Caroline's A Victim'/'Birds'. I thought 'Birds' was a bit lifeless and 'Caroline's A Victim' was a complete mess - anyone who listened to that was a victim. Still when I threw out the idea that 2007 could be the year of the solo artist [link], I would never have expected Kate to have already reached such heady heights. Even with the early hype, I don't think she would have got so far had 'Foundations' not really become one of the huge summer hits (I would say THE summer hit but 'Umbrella' pretty much took that crown). And deservedly so. Both musically and lyrically, Nash uses a simple approach and yet therein lies her charm(/other people's hatred of her). Having a producer of the calibre of Paul Epworth helps too.
Anyhoo, today she recorded a radio session in The Hub for Gideon Coe on BBC 6Music [
link]. I thought I would share the fruits of that session with you all. Christ almighty, what is she wearing though? I realise this was a RADIO session but her skeleton top is an abomination. But music is more important than fashion so let's move on.
The single version of 'Mouthwash' is superior to this stripped down version but that's more because the produced version is pretty great. It's just good pop really. Why on earth the video is an homage to Starlight Express is beyond me though?! The session version of 'Birds' adds a lengthy intro and the addition of a few other instruments compliments the song well but there seems to be something so staid about the whole thing.
Kate Nash - Mouthwash (BBC 6Music Session) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Kate Nash - Birds (BBC 6Music Session) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
There's also a free download on offer via her website of a Tapedeck remix of 'Caroline's A Victim', which is slightly better than the original in a S Club 7 meets Hadouken! way. I think I was a bit over exuberant with the filename and stuck an extra Tapedeck in, the mp3 tag should be correct though.
Kate Nash - 'Caroline's A Victim' Tapedeck Tapedeck Revised Remix [right click, save as]//[D/l on Katenash.co.uk]
'Mouthwash' is released on the 1st October. Preorder at HMV [link]. Buy Kate's debut album 'Made Of Bricks' from Play [link].
Anyhoo, today she recorded a radio session in The Hub for Gideon Coe on BBC 6Music [
link]. I thought I would share the fruits of that session with you all. Christ almighty, what is she wearing though? I realise this was a RADIO session but her skeleton top is an abomination. But music is more important than fashion so let's move on.
The single version of 'Mouthwash' is superior to this stripped down version but that's more because the produced version is pretty great. It's just good pop really. Why on earth the video is an homage to Starlight Express is beyond me though?! The session version of 'Birds' adds a lengthy intro and the addition of a few other instruments compliments the song well but there seems to be something so staid about the whole thing.
Kate Nash - Mouthwash (BBC 6Music Session) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Kate Nash - Birds (BBC 6Music Session) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
There's also a free download on offer via her website of a Tapedeck remix of 'Caroline's A Victim', which is slightly better than the original in a S Club 7 meets Hadouken! way. I think I was a bit over exuberant with the filename and stuck an extra Tapedeck in, the mp3 tag should be correct though.
Kate Nash - 'Caroline's A Victim' Tapedeck Tapedeck Revised Remix [right click, save as]//[D/l on Katenash.co.uk]
'Mouthwash' is released on the 1st October. Preorder at HMV [link]. Buy Kate's debut album 'Made Of Bricks' from Play [link].
on Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I've just watched England win a football match. I'm as shocked as you are. Gary Barry was awesome though. On a sports/corporate advertising note, does anyone know what the music is in this Roger Federer Nike ad? I love the ad, anyway. Amazing player too obviously but he really needs to stop his rubbish emotional breakdowns when he wins.
Adam Russell//Kent, England//[A Disgusting Blemish]
Adam is from Tenterden, where I imagine there isn't all that much to do. So writing a blog is probably a good way to occupy his time. I could be wrong though. Anyways, Adam started his blog as he "wanted to practice writing about music in an interesting way. I'm still learning. I want to write in a professional capacity when I'm all grown up so a blog is possibly a good place to start. Although everyone has a blog. So it's possibly a terrible place to start. I have no idea. I'm still learning".
Adam is "excited about Gossamer Albatross. The stuff he is coming out with at the moment is so crisp and simple, and also really mature for a guy of his age". He also suggests checking out The James Cleaver Quintet. "Just such pure power an wonderful brutality. If they sort out a drummer they'll be astounding live as well".
His blog is still in his infancy but the track he's most impressed with so far on the blog is 'Gallery' by Tellison. "It's a sexual thing, I think. The ending is what it's working towards throughout the opening bouncy refrains. An aim. A goal. This track brings out my inner sexy".
---
Jehan//Paris/London/Nottingham//[Shattered Satellite]
Jehan's been a bit busy recently, starting a blog, dissolving his band and moving to Paris as part of his university degree. Crazy times. He began Shattered Satellite as "I think it's quite an exciting time for music at the moment and I want to try and shed new light on bands/artists, even if they have had plenty of coverage elsewhere". He also enjoys the freedom of writing on a blog rather than with the journalistic ventures he had previously been involved with.
As I alluded to above, Jehan was the frontman for Dirty Hands, and he originally submitted a Modernaire remix of his band's 'Vivid Imagination'. A last minute change meant 'Le Beau Charcutier' by Kotki Dwa was promoted to his favourite track posted so far. The French connection played a part, no doubt. Kotki Dwa are fab anyway. You can read more about what Jehan thinks of the track on his most recent blog post.
Likewise, with his band recommendations, he keeps his response succinct, suggesting "Late of the Pier, Jeremy Warmsley, Elle Milano, Pete and The Pirates, Modernaire, Data. Select. Party., Kissy Sell Out, Riot in Belgium, YAS, Marvin the Martian"
Kotki Dwa - Le Beau Charcutier [Yousendit link]//[right click, save as]
---
Lee//?//[Bloodshed In The Woodshed]
Lee likes music. A LOT. He basically wrote me an essay when I emailed him! I actually feel bad having to condense his thoughts into such a small post. So less from me, more from him. "I started writing Bloodshed because I picked up more tips about new artists from spending an hour rummaging through blogs every now and again then I did in months listening to radio or reading mainstream music press, so I thought it only fair that I nudge others in the way of new artists I like, as people had done with me".
He recommends not only a whole host of bands to watch out for but also musical hotspots from around the world. As well as our own Liverpool and Oxford, he mentions Canada and Oregon, America where "there seems to be quite a few bands following in the foot-trails of The Gossip". Let's just hope they're not as annoying as Beth Ditto. He doesn't "remember music ever being as healthy as this" and says he is really enjoying "Bang Lime a lot at the minute, along with Sir Yes Sir, Wintermute, Joe Dangerous, Cap Pas Cap & The Chapman Family. Little Thief, Amida, Elle s'appelle, Stinky Munchkins, Pencil Toes, Magic Arm & The Novocaines too, all of which i think are destined for bigger things over the next year or so". Lee also mentions Foals and Assembly Now but seems to regard them as (relative!) industry veterans and "almost don't want to mention bands like that". His final thought is that he "sincerely hopes that Scanners have a good year in Britain, too. They're unique in the sense that they seem to be on their way to conquering the States yet to the general music fan here are relative unknowns".
Lee is comparatively quiet regarding his favourite track from Bloodshed but calls the Superkings track "an amazingly emotive piece of songwriting".
Superkings - Hit The Ground Running [Yousendit link]//[Sendspace link]
---
So that's the final past of my new blogger feature, hope you've discovered some new blogs that you like. Hopefully, they'll still be here this time next year!
My new podcast is long overdue but should be out soonish, depending on if I can procure some amazing new singles which are out later this month. Expect it to 'drop' by the end of the month though.
Adam Russell//Kent, England//[A Disgusting Blemish]
Adam is from Tenterden, where I imagine there isn't all that much to do. So writing a blog is probably a good way to occupy his time. I could be wrong though. Anyways, Adam started his blog as he "wanted to practice writing about music in an interesting way. I'm still learning. I want to write in a professional capacity when I'm all grown up so a blog is possibly a good place to start. Although everyone has a blog. So it's possibly a terrible place to start. I have no idea. I'm still learning".
Adam is "excited about Gossamer Albatross. The stuff he is coming out with at the moment is so crisp and simple, and also really mature for a guy of his age". He also suggests checking out The James Cleaver Quintet. "Just such pure power an wonderful brutality. If they sort out a drummer they'll be astounding live as well".
His blog is still in his infancy but the track he's most impressed with so far on the blog is 'Gallery' by Tellison. "It's a sexual thing, I think. The ending is what it's working towards throughout the opening bouncy refrains. An aim. A goal. This track brings out my inner sexy".
---
Jehan//Paris/London/Nottingham//[Shattered Satellite]
Jehan's been a bit busy recently, starting a blog, dissolving his band and moving to Paris as part of his university degree. Crazy times. He began Shattered Satellite as "I think it's quite an exciting time for music at the moment and I want to try and shed new light on bands/artists, even if they have had plenty of coverage elsewhere". He also enjoys the freedom of writing on a blog rather than with the journalistic ventures he had previously been involved with.
As I alluded to above, Jehan was the frontman for Dirty Hands, and he originally submitted a Modernaire remix of his band's 'Vivid Imagination'. A last minute change meant 'Le Beau Charcutier' by Kotki Dwa was promoted to his favourite track posted so far. The French connection played a part, no doubt. Kotki Dwa are fab anyway. You can read more about what Jehan thinks of the track on his most recent blog post.
Likewise, with his band recommendations, he keeps his response succinct, suggesting "Late of the Pier, Jeremy Warmsley, Elle Milano, Pete and The Pirates, Modernaire, Data. Select. Party., Kissy Sell Out, Riot in Belgium, YAS, Marvin the Martian"
Kotki Dwa - Le Beau Charcutier [Yousendit link]//[right click, save as]
---
Lee//?//[Bloodshed In The Woodshed]
Lee likes music. A LOT. He basically wrote me an essay when I emailed him! I actually feel bad having to condense his thoughts into such a small post. So less from me, more from him. "I started writing Bloodshed because I picked up more tips about new artists from spending an hour rummaging through blogs every now and again then I did in months listening to radio or reading mainstream music press, so I thought it only fair that I nudge others in the way of new artists I like, as people had done with me".
He recommends not only a whole host of bands to watch out for but also musical hotspots from around the world. As well as our own Liverpool and Oxford, he mentions Canada and Oregon, America where "there seems to be quite a few bands following in the foot-trails of The Gossip". Let's just hope they're not as annoying as Beth Ditto. He doesn't "remember music ever being as healthy as this" and says he is really enjoying "Bang Lime a lot at the minute, along with Sir Yes Sir, Wintermute, Joe Dangerous, Cap Pas Cap & The Chapman Family. Little Thief, Amida, Elle s'appelle, Stinky Munchkins, Pencil Toes, Magic Arm & The Novocaines too, all of which i think are destined for bigger things over the next year or so". Lee also mentions Foals and Assembly Now but seems to regard them as (relative!) industry veterans and "almost don't want to mention bands like that". His final thought is that he "sincerely hopes that Scanners have a good year in Britain, too. They're unique in the sense that they seem to be on their way to conquering the States yet to the general music fan here are relative unknowns".
Lee is comparatively quiet regarding his favourite track from Bloodshed but calls the Superkings track "an amazingly emotive piece of songwriting".
Superkings - Hit The Ground Running [Yousendit link]//[Sendspace link]
---
So that's the final past of my new blogger feature, hope you've discovered some new blogs that you like. Hopefully, they'll still be here this time next year!
My new podcast is long overdue but should be out soonish, depending on if I can procure some amazing new singles which are out later this month. Expect it to 'drop' by the end of the month though.
on Sunday, September 09, 2007
The first two parts of my new blogger feature seem to have gone down well, in fact so much so that my Fileden monthly bandwidth was totally raped so back to Yousendit for the next few posts. Plus, I can stop talking about the Mercury Music Prize now and start talking about the Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize [link]. Although would Klaxons have won if they were still called Klaxons (Not Centaurs)? I doubt anyone cares. But good news for Amy Wino that 'Rehab' won the Popjustice Music Prize! That's another twenty quid to spend down the pub then. Also, the Girls Aloud cover I posted of 'Rehab' will be disappearing very soon, download it now [link]. What's that? Get on with the post? Oh, okay...
David West//Surrey, England//[Spot The Monster]
David hails from Bagshot, a village whose website proudly proclaims that it "has its own railway station". His dream job is being a music journo or A&R "so writing a blog seemed like a good way to write whenever I wanted to and not having to rely on the school magazine which was what I was doing at the time".
He sent me 'Sunday', a recent b-side by Yorkshire tykes Slow Club as the best track he'd-wanted-to-post-but-didn't-manage-to. A slight error on my original design brief but fine by me. "This is just a perfect example of twee indie pop. The song depicts a day of misfortunate events ('I missed the bus and then the train and my boots filled up with dew') until coming home to the one they love".
David is confident Hadouken! and Cajun Dance Party are approaching mainstream success but instead focuses his recommendations on the "anti-folk thing going on in London, with people like Lightspeed Champion, Emmy The Great and Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit who are worth looking out for". He also mentions Dustin & Garret who make "incredible electronic art rock".
Slow Club - Sunday (BBC Radio 1 Session) [Yousendit link]//[Sendspace link]
---
Sarah Stilettos//Surrey, England//[Ugly Writing]
So apparently Surrey is a blogging hotspot. Sarah is from Fetcham which, unlike David's clearly futuristic area of Bagshot, lacks a railway station but "but you can go for lovely walks" at least. She started Ugly Writing following stints at Artrocker and Playlouder "but even those relatively open minded folk gave me too many restrictions in terms of word count/not wanting double page features on bands no one had heard of/having to keep reviews features and news distinct/not writing things that were completely unpublishable".
Sarah suggests The Low Miffs as a band to watch for, "Simply for managing to include the lyric, 'a song for for extramarital affairs to be discovered to' in a dark, sardonic showtune, and then singing it at White Heat dangling off the stage like a stripper as though it were some kind of twisted lovesong dedicated to the proprieter". For those wondering about White Heat, it's a London clubnight held in a bizarre venue that in all probability, was a strip club. And still might be actually.
Yet another mention (and deservedly so!) for East Midlanders Late Of The Pier on this blog, this time as 'The Bears Are Coming' is Sarah's favourite track that she's written about on Ugly Writing so far. If like me you live your life in a permanent state of paranoia you will relate to the music of Late Of The Pier".
---
John Mutch//Essex, England//[Pop Register]
John's area has a train station. But apparently not a forward thinking local paper. "With just a few opportunities down at the local paper to write, I thought I'd create my own platform. And voila, the Pop Register is born." John also emailed me a photo of his legs claiming it's "enigmatic". I'm not so sure but here it is anyway...
"My favourite tune that I have posted will have to be a Wombats one. I can't get enough of their fluffy goodness. If I had to choose which of their songs I'd settle for the latest single ['Let's Dance To Joy Division'] as I'm by no means bored of it yet, despite MANY listens".
John is obviously a big fan of The Wombats and goes on to recommend them as ones of his bands to go listen to right now, along with Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, The Jessica Fletchers, Los Campesinos! and The Whip. He also singles out Cajun Dance Party who "have been under the media spotlight for over a year now but have only just started to get their releases around. Lots of buzz surrounding them. All completely justifiable too when you listen to 'Amylase' or 'The Next Untouchable'.
The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division [Yousendit link]//[Alt link]
---
The FINAL part of Y!M!B! will be coming soon, after I finish packing a million leaflets for the new international students at my uni :(
David West//Surrey, England//[Spot The Monster]
David hails from Bagshot, a village whose website proudly proclaims that it "has its own railway station". His dream job is being a music journo or A&R "so writing a blog seemed like a good way to write whenever I wanted to and not having to rely on the school magazine which was what I was doing at the time".
He sent me 'Sunday', a recent b-side by Yorkshire tykes Slow Club as the best track he'd-wanted-to-post-but-didn't-manage-to. A slight error on my original design brief but fine by me. "This is just a perfect example of twee indie pop. The song depicts a day of misfortunate events ('I missed the bus and then the train and my boots filled up with dew') until coming home to the one they love".
David is confident Hadouken! and Cajun Dance Party are approaching mainstream success but instead focuses his recommendations on the "anti-folk thing going on in London, with people like Lightspeed Champion, Emmy The Great and Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit who are worth looking out for". He also mentions Dustin & Garret who make "incredible electronic art rock".
Slow Club - Sunday (BBC Radio 1 Session) [Yousendit link]//[Sendspace link]
---
Sarah Stilettos//Surrey, England//[Ugly Writing]
So apparently Surrey is a blogging hotspot. Sarah is from Fetcham which, unlike David's clearly futuristic area of Bagshot, lacks a railway station but "but you can go for lovely walks" at least. She started Ugly Writing following stints at Artrocker and Playlouder "but even those relatively open minded folk gave me too many restrictions in terms of word count/not wanting double page features on bands no one had heard of/having to keep reviews features and news distinct/not writing things that were completely unpublishable".
Sarah suggests The Low Miffs as a band to watch for, "Simply for managing to include the lyric, 'a song for for extramarital affairs to be discovered to' in a dark, sardonic showtune, and then singing it at White Heat dangling off the stage like a stripper as though it were some kind of twisted lovesong dedicated to the proprieter". For those wondering about White Heat, it's a London clubnight held in a bizarre venue that in all probability, was a strip club. And still might be actually.
Yet another mention (and deservedly so!) for East Midlanders Late Of The Pier on this blog, this time as 'The Bears Are Coming' is Sarah's favourite track that she's written about on Ugly Writing so far. If like me you live your life in a permanent state of paranoia you will relate to the music of Late Of The Pier".
---
John Mutch//Essex, England//[Pop Register]
John's area has a train station. But apparently not a forward thinking local paper. "With just a few opportunities down at the local paper to write, I thought I'd create my own platform. And voila, the Pop Register is born." John also emailed me a photo of his legs claiming it's "enigmatic". I'm not so sure but here it is anyway...
"My favourite tune that I have posted will have to be a Wombats one. I can't get enough of their fluffy goodness. If I had to choose which of their songs I'd settle for the latest single ['Let's Dance To Joy Division'] as I'm by no means bored of it yet, despite MANY listens".
John is obviously a big fan of The Wombats and goes on to recommend them as ones of his bands to go listen to right now, along with Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, The Jessica Fletchers, Los Campesinos! and The Whip. He also singles out Cajun Dance Party who "have been under the media spotlight for over a year now but have only just started to get their releases around. Lots of buzz surrounding them. All completely justifiable too when you listen to 'Amylase' or 'The Next Untouchable'.
The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division [Yousendit link]//[Alt link]
---
The FINAL part of Y!M!B! will be coming soon, after I finish packing a million leaflets for the new international students at my uni :(
on Thursday, September 06, 2007
So while many people are still being a bit silly about Klaxons winning the Mercury Music Prize (c'mon guys, M People even won it!), I will be forging on with my new blogger feature.
John Sheil//London//[Beneath The Dutts]
John is into a lot of the same music I am and if you go to his blog, you'll find him veering between cynicism and enthusiasm, whereas I always remain somewhere in between.
John says he created the Beneath The Dutts "because I really liked finding new music from all these blogs, so I thought I might try my hand and it is at least one thing constructive in my life". Seeing as he answered all my questions, I'd say he's done at least two constructive things in his life now.
His most loved track from his blog is 'Augustine' by the ever-so-metrosexual Patrick Wolf. "He is truly original and completely different to the guitar plague currently happening. That particular song speaks volumes to me".
When asked about what bands we should be watching for, John reckons "after seeing Tokyo Police Club and Late of the Pier at Reading, those two are going to massive next year. But a lot of people already know about them so I'll go for Elle S'Appelle or even Kevin Tuffy as my 'surprises'".
Patrick Wolf - Augustine [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
----
Jade McDonald//Kirriemuir, Scotland//[i want to hear what you've got to say]
At the moment Jade's blog is looking a bit sparse music wise (as it's mainly a lifestyle blog) but with her youthful exuberance, it's worth checking back on it in the future. Her Scottish upbringing means she recommended many bands that people reading this might be unaware of. Jade thinks The Law, We Smoke Fags, The Brogues, Luva-Anna, Astro Firs, Damn Shames and Popup all deserve to be big so keep an eye out!
She started the blog, which originally began as part of her Livejournal, as she felt "the need to share music I love with people". She feels the need to share so much that when I asked her for her favourite track posted so far, she gave me three! "I like all of them because they were the soundtrack to my summer really, as cliched as that sounds". Visit Jade's blog for alternative download links.
Giant Drag - Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover) [right click, save as]
Regina Spektor - Loveology [right click, save as]
Air Traffic - Shooting Star [right click, save as]
---
Jamila Scott//Manchester (soon to be London), England//[Fucking Dance]
Jamila put a naughty word in the name of her blog, although not quite as naughty as the word in that single by The Teenagers. Thankfully, her output is a bit less silly and a bit more ace. She also runs a fanzine called Bizarre Prostitution, although that's taking a bit of a breather at the moment. Fucking Dance came to life as Jamila is "always banging on about some new band i've discovered and blogging about it seemed like a good way to get that out to a wider audience than just my friends".
Jamila thinks people should be/are buzzing about "anything coming out of the American Experimental scene. Everyone pretty much knows about Vampire Weekend, YACHT and Dirty Projectors. UK shows late this year!" On a similar note, she plumps for 'Chemicals And Cowboy Boots' by Nick Miller as her favourite Fucking Dance track. "It sounds so timeless, and evokes a crazy flood of all types of emotions in me. Radiohead meets Anthony And The Johnsons. It's haunting and touching and exciting all at the same time".
Nick Miller - Chemicals And Cowboy Boots [right click, save as]//Also downloadable on Nick's [MySpace]
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I hope you manage to check these blogs out and yes, I was being a bit lazy when I couldn't be bothered to do extra download links, sorry. Part 3 coming soon and maybe even a Part 4 but I won't get ahead of myself...
John Sheil//London//[Beneath The Dutts]
John is into a lot of the same music I am and if you go to his blog, you'll find him veering between cynicism and enthusiasm, whereas I always remain somewhere in between.
John says he created the Beneath The Dutts "because I really liked finding new music from all these blogs, so I thought I might try my hand and it is at least one thing constructive in my life". Seeing as he answered all my questions, I'd say he's done at least two constructive things in his life now.
His most loved track from his blog is 'Augustine' by the ever-so-metrosexual Patrick Wolf. "He is truly original and completely different to the guitar plague currently happening. That particular song speaks volumes to me".
When asked about what bands we should be watching for, John reckons "after seeing Tokyo Police Club and Late of the Pier at Reading, those two are going to massive next year. But a lot of people already know about them so I'll go for Elle S'Appelle or even Kevin Tuffy as my 'surprises'".
Patrick Wolf - Augustine [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
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Jade McDonald//Kirriemuir, Scotland//[i want to hear what you've got to say]
At the moment Jade's blog is looking a bit sparse music wise (as it's mainly a lifestyle blog) but with her youthful exuberance, it's worth checking back on it in the future. Her Scottish upbringing means she recommended many bands that people reading this might be unaware of. Jade thinks The Law, We Smoke Fags, The Brogues, Luva-Anna, Astro Firs, Damn Shames and Popup all deserve to be big so keep an eye out!
She started the blog, which originally began as part of her Livejournal, as she felt "the need to share music I love with people". She feels the need to share so much that when I asked her for her favourite track posted so far, she gave me three! "I like all of them because they were the soundtrack to my summer really, as cliched as that sounds". Visit Jade's blog for alternative download links.
Giant Drag - Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover) [right click, save as]
Regina Spektor - Loveology [right click, save as]
Air Traffic - Shooting Star [right click, save as]
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Jamila Scott//Manchester (soon to be London), England//[Fucking Dance]
Jamila put a naughty word in the name of her blog, although not quite as naughty as the word in that single by The Teenagers. Thankfully, her output is a bit less silly and a bit more ace. She also runs a fanzine called Bizarre Prostitution, although that's taking a bit of a breather at the moment. Fucking Dance came to life as Jamila is "always banging on about some new band i've discovered and blogging about it seemed like a good way to get that out to a wider audience than just my friends".
Jamila thinks people should be/are buzzing about "anything coming out of the American Experimental scene. Everyone pretty much knows about Vampire Weekend, YACHT and Dirty Projectors. UK shows late this year!" On a similar note, she plumps for 'Chemicals And Cowboy Boots' by Nick Miller as her favourite Fucking Dance track. "It sounds so timeless, and evokes a crazy flood of all types of emotions in me. Radiohead meets Anthony And The Johnsons. It's haunting and touching and exciting all at the same time".
Nick Miller - Chemicals And Cowboy Boots [right click, save as]//Also downloadable on Nick's [MySpace]
---
I hope you manage to check these blogs out and yes, I was being a bit lazy when I couldn't be bothered to do extra download links, sorry. Part 3 coming soon and maybe even a Part 4 but I won't get ahead of myself...
on Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Now that Klaxons have been announced as Mercury Music Prize winners, thus shattering my 100% win record and signalling the decline of my blogging career, I am about to introduce you to the bright young things of the music blogging world. This is part 1 of a multi part series (hopefully) about new music blogs. That's not necessarily "new music" blogs, rather new "music blogs". If you're still lost, then there's no hope for you. Oh and this isn't about who's better than who, it's simply to point people in the direction of new exciting things.
Anyway, I got in touch with the people behind several music blogs that have popped up recently with a view to finding a little bit more about themselves and their blogs. Here's what some of them had to say....
Sahil Varma//London, England//[Transparent]
Sahil is one of the few bloggers/people that I actually know. He is the editor of Transparent mag, an irregular but impressive fanzine type publication. His Transparent clubnight offshoot has introduced me to many of the bands I've featured on my blog, including Late Of The Pier and Jack Penate.
As Transparent is currently clubnight first, publication second, Sahil decided to start a blog as it "gave us the freedom to post regular updates about new stuff we were into and what Transparent was up to in terms of upcoming nights, DJ'ing and the like".
He recommends Esser, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, Eugene Mcguinness, FrYars and Tinseltown for your immediate consumption before they grow into stadium filling monsters.
Sahil also donates Dan Deacon's 'The Crystal Cat' as his favourite track which has appeared on his blog so far, loving the "high pitched vocals and unrelenting beats". He also claims "Dan's live videos are a bit special". Whether that's actually alluding to any sort of political incorrectness I'm not sure...
Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
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Jon Sidwell//Chepstow, Wales//[Music Liberation]
Jon represents one of the oldest blogs to appear in this feature, having started WAY back in March. He has a no nonsense attitude to blogging, posting swathes of mp3s for his readers to enjoy. Importantly however, when he finds the time writes passionately about the music that he's enjoyed recently.
Jon used to do a weekly radio show entitled 'The Weekend Mash-Up', and considers Music Liberation to be an extension of that. He also "wanted to spread [his] "knowledge" and excitement about bands and artists for other people to read, and hopefully find something new they can listen to".
Mr Music Liberation considers 'Let's Make Out' by the sooooo now Does It Offend You, Yeah? as his fave posted track so far. "It's a mixture of crazy nu rave synths, heavy drums and guitars, powerful and catchy lyrics, full of samples and beats, and with an underlying tone of attitude and having a good time".
As with his mp3 posting, Jon recommends a whole heap of bands to look out for soon - Does It Offend You Yeah?, The Wombats, Alloy Mental, Afrikan Boy, Blamma! Blamma!, Blood Red Shoes, Foals, The Ghost Frequency, Kissy Sell Out, Laura Marling, The Neon Plastix, Evile, Reverend And The Makers, Sub Focus and Turbo Fruits.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Let's Make It Out [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link
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Nestor W//Leeds, England//[The Deku Tree]
Nestor notices that a "blog is a perfect excuse to be completely self-indulgent and ramble about music as much as I like". The Deku Tree features some lengthy reviews on both new and old music, and according to Nestor, there's plenty of "relatively obscure music featured on there that I think a lot of people would like."
When asked who he thinks we should watch out for, much like his blog, Nestor doesn't opt for the fashionable. Instead, he champions The Veils, one of New Zealand's finest exports. He feels that although "their first few singles gained a little hype and airplay, they never quite got the attention they deserved". He strongly urges everyone to go see them on their UK tour in October!
His favourite Deku Tree song so far is 'Little Birds' by Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel) from a live bootleg he posted. "I have this idea Jeff Mangum’s just been in exile for almost ten years writing songs as beautiful as this… and just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine."
Jeff Mangum - Little Birds (Live) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link
---
If you've started a music blog in the last few months (or want to recommend someone else's), get in touch! My email's in the top right hand corner of the page or just leave a comment with your email address included.
Anyway, I got in touch with the people behind several music blogs that have popped up recently with a view to finding a little bit more about themselves and their blogs. Here's what some of them had to say....
Sahil Varma//London, England//[Transparent]
Sahil is one of the few bloggers/people that I actually know. He is the editor of Transparent mag, an irregular but impressive fanzine type publication. His Transparent clubnight offshoot has introduced me to many of the bands I've featured on my blog, including Late Of The Pier and Jack Penate.
As Transparent is currently clubnight first, publication second, Sahil decided to start a blog as it "gave us the freedom to post regular updates about new stuff we were into and what Transparent was up to in terms of upcoming nights, DJ'ing and the like".
He recommends Esser, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, Eugene Mcguinness, FrYars and Tinseltown for your immediate consumption before they grow into stadium filling monsters.
Sahil also donates Dan Deacon's 'The Crystal Cat' as his favourite track which has appeared on his blog so far, loving the "high pitched vocals and unrelenting beats". He also claims "Dan's live videos are a bit special". Whether that's actually alluding to any sort of political incorrectness I'm not sure...
Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
---
Jon Sidwell//Chepstow, Wales//[Music Liberation]
Jon represents one of the oldest blogs to appear in this feature, having started WAY back in March. He has a no nonsense attitude to blogging, posting swathes of mp3s for his readers to enjoy. Importantly however, when he finds the time writes passionately about the music that he's enjoyed recently.
Jon used to do a weekly radio show entitled 'The Weekend Mash-Up', and considers Music Liberation to be an extension of that. He also "wanted to spread [his] "knowledge" and excitement about bands and artists for other people to read, and hopefully find something new they can listen to".
Mr Music Liberation considers 'Let's Make Out' by the sooooo now Does It Offend You, Yeah? as his fave posted track so far. "It's a mixture of crazy nu rave synths, heavy drums and guitars, powerful and catchy lyrics, full of samples and beats, and with an underlying tone of attitude and having a good time".
As with his mp3 posting, Jon recommends a whole heap of bands to look out for soon - Does It Offend You Yeah?, The Wombats, Alloy Mental, Afrikan Boy, Blamma! Blamma!, Blood Red Shoes, Foals, The Ghost Frequency, Kissy Sell Out, Laura Marling, The Neon Plastix, Evile, Reverend And The Makers, Sub Focus and Turbo Fruits.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Let's Make It Out [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link
---
Nestor W//Leeds, England//[The Deku Tree]
Nestor notices that a "blog is a perfect excuse to be completely self-indulgent and ramble about music as much as I like". The Deku Tree features some lengthy reviews on both new and old music, and according to Nestor, there's plenty of "relatively obscure music featured on there that I think a lot of people would like."
When asked who he thinks we should watch out for, much like his blog, Nestor doesn't opt for the fashionable. Instead, he champions The Veils, one of New Zealand's finest exports. He feels that although "their first few singles gained a little hype and airplay, they never quite got the attention they deserved". He strongly urges everyone to go see them on their UK tour in October!
His favourite Deku Tree song so far is 'Little Birds' by Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel) from a live bootleg he posted. "I have this idea Jeff Mangum’s just been in exile for almost ten years writing songs as beautiful as this… and just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine."
Jeff Mangum - Little Birds (Live) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link
---
If you've started a music blog in the last few months (or want to recommend someone else's), get in touch! My email's in the top right hand corner of the page or just leave a comment with your email address included.
on Saturday, September 01, 2007
I've been too busy playing World's Scariest Police Chases (which aren't scary but at least there's the American guy who does the voiceovers on the show!) to notice that an unreleased Libertines track surfaced a couple of days ago. Seriously though, I was desperately trying to complete levels such as "Gangbanger Deathmatch" and "Bus Driver Gone Bad". Pity I couldn't save anything as it's only a Playstation 1 game.
Anyways, so I was perusing thelibertines.org forum [link] earlier and noticed some thread about 'Eight Days A Week', a Beatles cover, which the band recorded during summer 2003 sessions with Bernard Butler. During this time, Butler also produced my favourite Libs track 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun' as well as a storming version of 'Death On The Stairs', amongst others. Ah, the good old days (pun intended). This Beatles cover was supposedly kindly donated by someone who received the track three years ago by a friend who works in publishing. The cover itself isn't all that special yet pleasant enough, but it's always nice when rarities pop up.
The Libertines - 8 Days A Week [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Read more about the track [link] and go forth and download other Libs demos/rarities at Albion Arks [link].
Anyways, so I was perusing thelibertines.org forum [link] earlier and noticed some thread about 'Eight Days A Week', a Beatles cover, which the band recorded during summer 2003 sessions with Bernard Butler. During this time, Butler also produced my favourite Libs track 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun' as well as a storming version of 'Death On The Stairs', amongst others. Ah, the good old days (pun intended). This Beatles cover was supposedly kindly donated by someone who received the track three years ago by a friend who works in publishing. The cover itself isn't all that special yet pleasant enough, but it's always nice when rarities pop up.
The Libertines - 8 Days A Week [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Read more about the track [link] and go forth and download other Libs demos/rarities at Albion Arks [link].
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