The best thing to come out of Wimbledon since The Crazy Gang, Jamie T has a new EP out today. His first new music since Panic Prevention - a favourite here - is led off with Sticks n' Stones, a song that doesn't see Jamie doing anything drastically different from before, which suits me just fine. The tune has two choruses, though, which throws me just a little. But then I'm easily confused.
Saw some video footage of Jamie and the gang performing the song at Glastonbury on Friday - second to Doves on the Peel Stage is not bad at all - and I can't wait to hear the rest of the EP. Album #2, apparently called 'Kings and Queens', is due later in the year.
Warning: Video contains clowns.
[Jamie T official / myspace]
Showing posts with label New music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New music. Show all posts
Let's go out and find some trouble
I am just a bitter boy
Hey guys, here's the final update of this little wave of prolific-ness. It's mostly a heads up: some of my pals in Tallahassee play in a band called The Woods and they've got a new EP that's out today, and can be yours for free. So go and check it out - five tracks of pastoral simplicity. It's folk music, it's Americana, it's music for when you're looking out of the window in the morning with a cup of tea and appreciating the view before it gets to 107 degrees later. NB: this may just be what I do. They also have a new video up for their song 'The Final Breaths of Main Character'.
All the above can be found by clicking here.
Hit them on myspace too, won't you?
The greatest shakedown
Posts on here are once again few and far between, as you may have noticed. This is not - entirely - as a result of the pure and unbridled contempt in which I hold all my readers, but because I'm studying for the Bar Exam, which I'm taking at the end of July. If I pass it, I'll get to chuck an "esquire" after my name and charge everyone hundreds of dollars for the privilege of talking to me. So, as you can imagine, I want to get it right on the first crack.
That said, there is plenty of new music out there worthy of your attention. Today, I wanted to write a little about two albums that recently were released in the UK, which I am lazily lumping together because the bands are from the same country, have both been written about favourably on this site before, and frankly, have a similar sound to one another. Though both albums are accomplished and deserve their own attention, and though music is not a competition, I'm going to pit them against one another for no reason other than my own personal convenience.
In the red corner, My Latest Novel, with their follow up to 2006's 'Wolves', a previous fave here. For the new one, 'Deaths and Entrances', the band has stuck with the formula which worked so well the last time out - massive arrangements, huge strings, a million things going on, layered, harmonised vocals and, for want of a better term, sweeping grandeur. There's less musical variety on offer than was on 'Wolves', and as a result, it can sound a bit samey at first, but I've played the album a few times now, and it definitely seeps in. There's much to admire but some changes in pace would definitely have been welcome, especially in the second half. I'm thinking specifically of the playfulness on songs like 'The Job Mr Kurtz Did' or 'The Reputation of Ross Francis' from the first album - where they kept it small.
The tremendous opening track, 'All in All in All is All' can be downloaded for free here. Do that. Also, see if you can't hear some Arcade Fire in 'I Declare a Ceasefire'. In a good way.
Edinburgh's Broken Records, meanwhile, also have a new album, with the equally dramatic title 'Until the Earth Begins to Part'. I wrote about their EP more than a year ago, and now they've followed through with the album, delivered under the hype and burden of being called "the Scottish Arcade Fire" by people who really should know better. Broken Records have the temerity to name a song 'If Eilert Loveborg Wrote a Song, It Would Sound Like This', and yet the song itself is not absolute pretentious dogshit. The album is conspicuously uneven, though - while 'A Good Reason' still bounds along like a demented gypsy wedding, songs like the title track seem to be BR on autopilot. Start quietly, and then gradually build to majesty. They do the trick well, but they do it repeatedly. They do the same on 'A Promise' and 'Wolves', the latter a song apparently and confusingly named after My Latest Novel's debut album. Crazy. The potential is clear here, but a little more ambition would have gone a long way.
[My Latest Novel official / myspace / buy 'Deaths and Entrances']
[Broken Records official / myspace / buy 'Until the Earth Begins to Part']
Declining society and over-saturated culture
This incredible year for Scottish music* rolls on, and this time, it's the return of the Incredible Sulk. Stereogum are giving away a new track, 'Carry Me', from Malcolm Middleton, so I strongly suggest you go over there and listen to it. Great to be writing about Malky again on AYGH. 'Waxing Gibbous' is out on June 1st, and according to one early review, it's more 'Into the Woods' than 'A Brighter Beat', sadly for me.
And here's a Girls Aloud cover to sweeten the deal. And he's got some other girl band songs on the website.
* Phantom Band, Aidan, Lord Cut Glass, Broken Records, My Latest Novel... That'll do for now.
I know my own worth
My two favourite songs of last year, 'Kriss Kross' and 'Constructive Summer', were both opening tracks on their respective albums. There's clearly something about front-loading a much-anticapted new-release with a stone-cold stunner that really appeals to bands. (Four hyphen-linked words in one sentence? I'm a genius.) Clearly hip to this technique, Future of the Left are back, and their song 'Arming Eritrea', which kicks off new record 'Travels With Myself and Another' (out in June) has made it to "Samir's favourite song of 2009 so far".
'Curses' was certainly not a shabby record, but new tune shows a noticeable progression. Also, they aim to mislead, beginning all quiet and noodly. But close your eyes, count to twenty, and sure enough, Falco's bark will bring you back down to earth. There's a chorus, some melodies, more structure than many of the 'Curses' songs, and a killer outro. I listened to this seventeen times in a row on headphones yesterday. Listen to the song, and a couple of other newies, in raw live session form at The Futurist here.
God, it's good to have them back.
Oh, and single 'The House that Hope Built' has a video. Here it is. Falco ditched the beard.
I laughed like a dog with glee
Short post today: Here's a new song from Lord Cut Glass' upcoming debut album. This song, along with another from LCG, was featured in the newest Chemikal Underground podsketch. The song is ace, a barnstormer with quiet parts too, and brass and pianos and a lyric about a drag queen.
Did I mention that Lord Cut Glass is Alun Woodward? The singer from my favourite band ever, the delgados? Perhaps I should have.
Riderless horses, Noam Chomsky's Camelot
The first taster from the new Manic Street Preachers album hit the radio and subsequently, faster than you can say "Does anyone still care?", the internet, yesterday. The album, 'Journal for Plague Lovers', is out in May, and is noteworthy since all the lyrics on the album are missing guitarist Richey Edwards'. Adding to the "old MSP" feel, the album's cover art is a Jenny Saville painting, just as was the case on 'The Holy Bible'. And a quick scan of the tracklisting reveals such gems as 'Jackie Collins Existential Question Time' and 'She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach". Legendary. So maybe this one will be the oft-promised return to their roots.
Shame, then, that the opening track, 'Peeled Apples', isn't very good. There's nothing I'd like more than for MSP to put out another album that's a stone-cold-classic, but this sounds like a really-heavily produced (by Steve Albini!) slice of rock and roll. Can't wait to hear the album, because I'll always give the band a chance, but I hope there's better than this.
First impressions of 'Dark Days/Light Years'
As you may remember, I thought the last Super Furry Animals album 'Hey Venus!' was pretty good, but all-too-often lapsed into what I called "pretty-but-slow" territory. So, when they announced that for this album they'd be leaving the slower songs behind, I was over the moon. So one 204MB download later, let's do this thing...
Crazy Naked Girls: Reminds me of that Beck album where he went all Prince. Midnite Vultures? But far more weird. Not a bad start at all. Mad, psychedelic, falsetto, with some crowd noise, chunky guitars. Welcome home, SFA.
Mt: They already have a show-stopping song about mountains, but this one is worthy addition to the canon. Sounds like Bunf on lead vocals - strings, simple melody. And welcome, profanity!
Moped Eyes: A little more gentle. Didn't do too much on first listen, but that's okay.
Inaugural Trams: Heard this one before, features a rap in German from one of Franz Ferdinand. Upbeat, light and very fun. "They say the future of cement is set in stone". [listen]
Inconvenience: Yes! Finally, a heads-down, no-bullshit rocker. "Tory scum / Stole my fun". Something about "holy wars". Starts and stops. Singalong chorus. SFA of old peeking through for the first time.
Cardiff in the Sun: Lots of filters over the vocals, Krautrock drums, echo chambers. Can't make out a single lyric, but the crescendos are kickin'.
The Very Best of Neil Diamond: First ten seconds - Sounds like a sitar? This is terrific! A mention of a "crystal skull". Song goes in a few different directions, but I like them chaotic.
Helium Hearts: If this was a band that cared about singles, this song would be one. Does the guy from High Llamas still do their string arrangements, because these are outstanding. I'm sure Gruff just sang "Get drunk and taste the Vegemite". Another great song: short and catchy.
White Socks/Flip Flops: Most assuredly not channeling the Velvet Underground. Bunf singing again: "I look like a loser coming from the gutter". Actually, this does sound very 70s. Chuggin'. Some nice hey-hey-heys.
Where Do You Wanna Go?: This one is okay. A little lightweight. But pleasant enough.
Lliwiau Llachar: Even though this song is in Welsh, I'm sure I picked out the phrase "Howard Devoto" in there. Maybe I'm wrong. Good song, though.
Pric: Mostly instrumental, very layered. Definitely a head-shaker. Loads of sounds on top of each other. Recalls 'Shoot Speed/Kill Light' as a great album closer. Cian brings out all his electronic toys towards the end.
--
All in all, it's solid, more upbeat and will almost certainly be played to death by me. Hooray!
Don't!
I posted in here a while back about Scotland's How to Swim, a ten-piece whose rollocking 'Genesis P and Me' continues to make me smile, dance and scratch my head in plain ol' confusion. Well, it turns out that members of HTS, as well as personnel from many, many other Scottish bands like Dananananaykroyd and Q without U, also form The Second Hand Marching Band. Fittingly for an outfit whose numbers are on the north side of twenty, their sound is massive and rich. Their press notes say that they practice in car parks or in fields, so if you’re ever in Glasgow, keep an eye and two ears out for them. Chaffinch Records just put out their EP 'A Dance to Half Death', and here's a couple of songs for you to enjoy from same. One day I'll post something in here that doesn't - directly or indirectly - concern Glasgow, but don't hold your breath.
[download The Second Hand Marching Band - A Dance to Half Death]
Look to the sun
It's a new year, new administration, new challenges, and here's some new music from old pals Animate Objects. For the price of your email address, you can get their new EP 'Dubs, Grunts and Things' for zero money. This most credit-crunch-friendly of mini-albums features five new tracks, all of which continue AO's brand of laid-back hip hop with lyrics that matter. Check out '4Love' to see why they do all this ish. And below, get yo' hands on the most upbeat track from the EP.
Stay away from fleeting favour
Coming soon, the AYGH awards (?) for this year, and Ms. Marling is sure to be recognised with some glory. In the interim, though, he's an unreleased song that she played on the Marc Riley show last week. It's got a sense of menace previously seen on 'Night Terror' and a fair sense of bleakness. This version is very stripped down, and that suits it just fine.
No lyrics to adapt into post title
Like Robert Louis Stevenson, Trainspotting and yesterday's hot new band How to Swim, Popolo are from Scotland - Dundee, to be precise. They've only got a couple of songs at the moment, and here's one of them now. For an instrumental band, they cram a lot into a short song - it sets a mood and then builds. It's a pity the song is so brief - I'd have liked to hear it unfold slowly like a Mamet play. They've played with Errors and 65daysofstatic, and you can see the family resemblance. As someone that doesn't exercise much, I see myself putting this on the iPod and going for a run, because it's nice and upbeat, and my run will last exactly three minutes - the ideal length for me. See what you think.
I've had too many Christmas drinks
In the scheme of things that I hate, Christmas music is less offensive than Hitler, but less fun than getting caught in rainstorms. Yes, I understand that it's completely seasonal, but since it's that season at the moment, and since both my sister and my girlfriend LOVE that shit, I feel justified in ranting. Every year, I hear 'Feliz Navidad' earlier and earlier, and it makes me want to draw blood and kick strangers. Also, I live in Florida and ten days before Christmas, it's still t-shirt weather, so anything about snow is entirely redundant. Humbug.
Thankfully, there are some great exceptions. 'Fairytale of New York' is one (original or Ted's). Others? I'll get back to you. London-based label Tough Love Records has made available a free 6-track EP of seasonal original songs from a handful of London bands. Gotta admit, I hadn't heard of any of them before, but I listened to the song by Favours for Sailors, and that's enough for me to want to hear the rest. It's upbeat, spiky and there aren't any sleigh-bells. Instead, there's a line about hanging one's self from the Christmas tree, and the imagery of such macabre ornaments over some nice old-fashioned indie rock gets a thumbs up from me.
Download the whole Listen, The Snow is Failing EP here.
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Labels:
Favours for Sailors,
New music
Sit down and shut up
There's a good reason why more bands aren't formed after near-death experiences, involving crashing cars into churches. But that's what happened to Noel Kelly, that led him to form The Hush Now. The band has an album coming out later this month, and before that, here's their single. The verse part is a little wimpy, which almost turned me off, but come the chorus, they stepped on the pedals and it rocks pretty hard. Reminded me of Film School, and that's no bad thing.
[download The Hush Now - Traditions]
[The Hush Now myspace]
[download The Hush Now - Traditions]
[The Hush Now myspace]
Meet me in the dollar bin
You like receiving emails, you like free music, and you like unzipping zip files.
Ergot, go to Wichita Records (homepage), give them your email address and they'll send you a zip file's worth of tunes.
Tunes from Los Campesinos!, Conor Oberst, Les Savy Fav, Peter Bjorn and John (and just Peter by himself), Euros Childs and others can be yours. Oh, and These Dancing Days, whose album 'In Our Space Hero Suits' is called 'In Our Space Hero Suits' and therefore going to be mega. Go now!
Here's a picture of Wichita Kansas, which has no involvement with this promotion at all.
Doin' fifty-five in a fifty-four
Being an east-coast rapper and a member of Oasis, respectively, you'd think that Jay-Z and Noel Gallagher would be no strangers to beef. And so the war of words that erupted earlier this summer between the two over Jigga's Glastonbury headlinery was momentarily interesting, but then, with his little 'Wonderwall' riff, Jay sort of ended that one on top.
Oh, except he didn't - perhaps you've heard 'Jockin' Jay-Z' from his new record. So this feud is still going on, and in case anyone in the world was waiting for it, there's now an Oasis v. Jay-Z mash-up album up on the 'net. It's been put together by Cookin' Soul, and it's available for free on his myspace. The name of the album is "Ojayzis", which sounds like something Dylan Moran would say. And it looks like the album artwork was done by the floating heads guy! Here's a sample from the mixtape, with two of my fave songs by each party.
[download Cookin' Soul - 99 Supersonic Problems]
The Lord take Peth away
I posted an early version of this song a year and a half ago (!) and now The Peth are here, this time to stay. As you may be aware, the Peth consists of Daf from SFA, Rhys Ifans from Notting Hill, and a gaggle of other Welsh talent. Their album 'The Golden Mile' has been long-awaited (I guess) and is out next week. But they've made the single available, and here it is!
[download The Peth - Let's Go Fucking Mental]
[The Peth myspace / youtube / official]
She could've married a Kennedy
There's a new song called 'Anna' from Hello Saferide over at Pitchfork today, and I strongly recommend you check it out. The guitars are beefier than we're used to and there's a neat chorus. Listen here.
Her last album, 'Introducing...' didn't blow up and get the blog love that it deserved, and nor did the 'Would You Let Me Play This EP Times a Day?' EP, which came out a couple of summers ago. I really like HS (aka Annika Norlin), her lyrics are sweet and the tunes simple, but she can raise a smile pretty easily. Her song 'The Quiz', for instance, features a pre-dating checklist for any would-be suitor, including such important considerations as "Will you talk in the middle of Seinfeld?" She has priorities straight.
The new record, 'More Modern Stories From...' will be available in September, and you'll doubtless read more about it on here. Here you can hear two older songs of hers that are great.
[download Hello Saferide - 2006]
[download Hello Saferide - If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die]
[Hello Saferide official / myspace]
Watch these enzymes react
Truth be told, I’m not too bothered about Roots Manuva’s upcoming fourth album ‘Slime and Reason’. Despite having some great, great songs in his back catalogue – not to mention some great guest appearances – I’m still yet to be really impressed by a full-length of his. The last one, ‘Awfully Deep’, was particularly forgettable, and had a song called ‘Toothbrush’ on it, which cost him many cool points.
What’s more, I saw him live at Reading one year, and his show was a shining example of why rap shows are often terrible. Too many hype-men, good songs cut off after a verse, bad sound quality, etc. It was a profound disappointment.
All that being said, the guardian’s just gone and given ‘Slime and Reason’ a five-star review. So my interest has been rekindled. I really hope he’s got it all together. Here’s a classic from an earlier record.
[download Roots Manuva - Juggle Tings Proper]
What’s more, I saw him live at Reading one year, and his show was a shining example of why rap shows are often terrible. Too many hype-men, good songs cut off after a verse, bad sound quality, etc. It was a profound disappointment.
All that being said, the guardian’s just gone and given ‘Slime and Reason’ a five-star review. So my interest has been rekindled. I really hope he’s got it all together. Here’s a classic from an earlier record.
[download Roots Manuva - Juggle Tings Proper]
Get Caught in Showtime
I got sent a few songs by The Pristines. They've got that very 80s, very indie, very jangly thing going on, which honestly, I don't care too much for. But the thing that intrigued me the most about them was that they're on a label based in sexy and glamourous Miami, but the band themselves are from... Coventry. I can't think of a more opposite city to Miami than Coventry. But good luck to them. Or, rather, him, since it's primarly one guy - Jon Hardy. Here's the most upbeat of their songs that I have, see what you think. The shoegazy/reverb-heavy/psychedelia thing has never been up my alley, but I'm sure some of you will enjoy this a lot.
[The Pristines - Who to Trust]
[The Pristines official / myspace / last.fm]
[Buy new album 'States of Mine' from Series Two Records]
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