JAMJARSUPERSTAR

Attention!

2010-08-08T15:14:00.002+01:00

Well I feel very sad about doing this because for a couple of years Blogger was my home but, well, I think I've pretty much officially moved my two sites together into one on Wordpress.

This is my new site: http://scarletsculturegarden.wordpress.com/

I hope all of you find that it's great, because I think it's a lot better than here on Blogger but that's just my personal opinion.

Bye bye Blogger....
*sniff*

The National: Bloodbuzz Ohio

2010-05-15T13:46:00.000+01:00

A good smattering of doom-and-gloom-rock today from New York band The National. They’re releasing their new album “High Violet” very soon indeed and this is the first single to be taken from it. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is sentimental, gloomy, swooning and hazily shoegaze-y in a sort of good way. Well it has to be a good way, otherwise I wouldn’t be featuring this song, would I? Enjoy it, it’s a grower:

The Very Best: Julia

2010-05-11T10:46:00.001+01:00

Another not very freshly squeezed effort again from me today folks, although maybe you've not heard of The Very Best before? If you haven't, they were a project that emerged last year who melded together world beats and ideas with tinges of western dance and electro to great effect. Their debut album "Warm Heart of Africa" came out last year and the title track featured Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig on vocal duties. Here the singing is by Esau Mwamwaya who brings a good sprinkle of African tribal authenticity to "Julia". I have to say that the track takes a while to get going, but don't let that put you off: the backing track may be slight and perhaps undercooked, but that's just to let Esau and the rest of the backing singers really shine through. It'll grow on you:

Crystal Castles: Celestica

2010-05-07T11:26:00.000+01:00

Canadian electro noise-makers Crystal Castles are back with their second (rush-released) album “Crystal Castles (II)” – the fact that they’ve named this effort exactly the same as their debut album has caused slight problems during explanations. Personally, if you just say “Crystal Castles Two” then there should be no problem, right? Never mind that, on to “Celestica” which is a more accessible slice of pie from the often thrashy duo. While their take on electro normally takes no prisoners (imagine someone like Slipknot transferred to synthesisers with strange Nintendo-style bleeps and a screaming banshee in the form of Alice Glass singing), this track is actually quite lovely. Well, anything where we can actually hear Alice singing instead of, er, shouting. It’s still a bit edgy but it’s also a bit dreamy and swooning too:

New Playlist Loaded!

2010-05-02T12:26:00.000+01:00

Hey guys, just letting you know that yesterday I added a new playlist to my radio station, JAMJARSUPERSTAR, for you to listen to! I hope you enjoy it. If you want to know what tracks I've put up this time, I've pasted it all below! I've also added a new widget so that you can click on to my radio station from my Blogger page whenever you like - I've done the same on my sister site too!

MGMT – It’s Working
New Young Pony Club – Lost A Girl
Caribou – Odessa
The Knife – Silent Shout
Delphic – Doubt
Basement Jaxx – Raindrops
Wild Beasts – All The King’s Men
Chew Lips – Slick
Hot Chip – One Life Stand
Yeasayer – ONE
Vampire Weekend – Giving Up The Gun
We Have Band – Centrefolds and Empty Screens
Arcade Fire – Power Cut
Bat For Lashes – Glass
Beck – Youthless
Bjork – Violently Happy
Black Kids – Hurricane Jane
Cajun Dance Party – The Next Untouchable
Camille – Kfir
Charlotte Hatherley – White
Chairlift – Garbage
CSS – Jager Yoga
Daft Punk – Robot Rock
Depeche Mode – Miles Away
Editors – Lights
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
Frou Frou – Psychobabble
Goldfrapp – Koko
Grace Jones – Hurricane
Howling Bells – Cities Burning Down
Interpol – Slow Hands
Kate Bush – Be Kind to My Mistakes
Kings of Leon – The Bucket
Ladyhawke – Professional Suicide
LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
MIA – Amazon
Martina Topley Bird – Carnies
Metric – Stadium Love
Neon Neon – I Told Her On Alderaan
Passion Pit – Little Secrets
Phoenix – Lisztomania
Roxy Music- Editions of You
Roisin Murphy – Ruby Blue
Royksopp – The Girl And the Robot
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound
The Cribs – Cheat On Me
The Gossip – Heavy Cross
The Kills – What New York Used To Be
The Raconteurs – Steady As She Goes
The Rapture – Pieces of the People We Love
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Soft Shock

JJS and SCG: Branching Out!

2010-05-01T11:53:00.002+01:00

Hey guys! You can now become a fan of my personal page on Facebook! Exciting times! If you want to do so, just click on my badge to the right of this and if you do become a fan then I'll respect you forever - seriously, at the minute I don't have any fans so I'll really appreciate your support in this new endeavour. Hopefully you'll get your friends to follow me as well so we can have an even bigger community here on JJS and my sister site Scarlet's Culture Garden (if you haven't already looked, find the link on my sidebar to find my other site!).

Thank guys!

Mos Def and Talib Kweli: History

2010-05-01T11:00:00.000+01:00

I'm not usually into R'n'B/ hip hop/ rap, but this song has been getting some air time and I kinda like it. Mos Def has kind of dropped off the musical radar since he went into acting; he was mostly seen guesting on songs by Gorillaz (most recently Stylo) in-between acting jobs like in Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind and appearing in TV shows like House. But here he is in a very likeable tune that's a little bit old-school, very accessible and very summery. It makes you think of having drinks on a beach somewhere sunny.

Darwin Deez: Radar Detector

2010-04-29T19:18:00.000+01:00

I'm feeling in a summery mood at the minute and to go alongside it I've decided to try and pick some summery songs to go with that feeling. Hopefully you'll feel the same way about them! First up we've got Darwin Deez, a New Yorker with strange curly hair and an overall too-cool-for-school outlook. His album is filled with tunes just like "Radar Detector", bright, breezy, cheap and cheerful with simple guitars and not over-produced. Enjoy this song for its relative simplicity and feel the breeze through your hair:

MGMT: Congratulations

2010-04-28T11:35:00.001+01:00

Can we get something straight here? MGMT have NOT committed career suicide. They haven't gone and made a weird, super-psychedelic and out-there record that isn't accessible to anyone and everyone, and they definitely haven't left their more poppy, "Oracular Spectacular" roots. Anyone who says that obviously hasn't listened to the full album or if they have, they obviously weren't listening very hard.

The fact is that MGMT haven't disappeared into a weird miasma, even though they never intended themseves to be a pop band. Let's be frank here: if you listened beyond the singles of "Oracular Spectacular" and heard the likes of "The Youth", "Pieces of What", "The Handshake" and "Future Reflections" then you knew that there was more to MGMT than that band who did "Kids" (not that I'm dissing "Kids" of course). To all those people who liked MGMT because of two or three songs, the band have just recorded a two-fingered salute to the lot of you. "Congratulations" is for the real fans.

Here's why: in the middle of the record there is "Siberian Breaks", a 12-minute long, strangely compelling piece that sounds more like several songs strung together. Really MGMT have pieced together a medley of 2-minute long songs to make a hypnotic composition, moving from the sultry to the psychedelic to the downright dreamy with relative ease. You get the niggling feeling that every seed that pops into MGMT's heads just about germinate before flitting to another style or mood here. Basically, they're not fully-formed pieces for people who like a good structure. Much like most of the album here.

Of course, we must all know about "Flash Delirium", the swirling and untamed beast (I think it's fair to call it a beast, in light of the fact that it becomes incredibly raucous by the end) that is dramatic and oddly complex in its own detached sort of way. Then there's "Brian Eno", a kind of mad inside joke that sounds comical and could become incredibly annoying to anyone who doesn't get the strange humour in it (of course, "Time to Pretend" was deeply ironic, but how many people picked up on that?)

We mustn't forget that there are actally songs on here though. MGMT haven't completely abandoned the notion of writing a "proper song" and it shows at the beginning of the album. "It's Working" is a wonderful opener, grabbing you and making you instantly realise that the ideas of "career suicide" were just myths and nothing else. "Song For Dan Treacy" too has a defined structure, even if its psychedelic edge might leave some people slightly irritated. In fact, "Dan Treacy" makes me think that the idea of surfing on the front cover is entirely appropriate: I could easily imagine listening to this song while at the beach, riding the waves (if I could ride the waves). "Someone's Missing" is perhaps this album's "Pieces of What", an oddly strained, tender piece that stands out in the album as the kind of sane moment in a sea of relative madness. If you only plump for one song, you could play it safe and go for this.

MGMT haven't written the obituary on their own musical career, although no doubt this album as a whole will alienate a whole army of fans who believe that they're pop princes rather than odd troubadours. But if you were more gripped by the underplayed, underrated songs of "Oracular Spectacular" then after a couple of plays you really shouldn't be disappointed by their sophomore effort. Stick with it.

We Have Band: WHB

2010-04-27T11:25:00.000+01:00

Okay, so before going any further I think I should just explain a little about We Have Band. They’re a three-piece from London who have been working in the music industry for a while now. So bearing that in mind, they should know how to put a pretty decent record together in a sort of “have a go hero” kind of way, right?

Well the answer is: yes! Yes they can. There might be a couple of small hiccups along the way but WHB is a real grower of an indie-dance record. Oh, and when I say indie-dance don’t be put off. It’s a lot better than that actually sounds.

Just take their most well-known song, “Divisive”. It’s a catchy, fast paced affair that is part Human League, part Talking Heads. Hmm, that’s not a bad way to describe the band as a whole actually. The way that the three vocalists (yes, they all sing) gel together on “Divisive” is brilliant, no-one ever trying to overshadow anyone else, giving the sense that they’re really comfortable working together.

Another standout track is “Centrefolds and Empty Screens”, perhaps the record’s loudest and most complicated moment. While most of WHB is filled with songs that try to focus on a smaller aspect of the band’s talents (some songs are more keyboard-led, while others rely heavily on guitar), “Centrefolds” allows each of the three members to come together in a glorious wall-of-sound moment, from its first creepy bars to the last fading synths. On the first spin, you might be hard-pushed to find a better track.

Hard-pushed because in some ways We Have Band want to challenge you a little more: they’re fast to move tone through each song on the album and this could make it hard for some listeners to really see the joys of the record on a first listen. Even I had to spin it about five times before really appreciating the way that they’ve mixed together the slightly downbeat “Buffet” with the instantly danceable “Divisive” or placing “You Came Out”, with its haunting whistling and invasive bassline, in-between “Centrefolds” and “WHB”, two songs more similar in approach. Mix this with the fact that there’s a distinct rustiness in their ability to play instruments and WHB could have been a strangely detached and uninspiring album. But weirdly enough, this isn’t the case at all: once you’ve mapped out exactly where WHB is going then it’s easy to appreciate what they’ve attempted.

WHB isn’t the most polished of records though; on some tracks there’s a small sense of distortion that creeps in slightly (a bit of fuzz on “Centrefolds and Empty Screens”, a hazy sheen on opener “Piano”….) but this doesn’t take anything away from the songs themselves. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t a deliberate attempt on their part to make WHB seem more industrial and gritty, like they’d recorded it in a shed rather than a flashy studio.

Still, despite the sometimes semi-invasive distortion and the fact that lyrically the band are somewhere between naive and simplistic (it’s probably best to ignore this: it’s not like it really affects your enjoyment of this kind of album) We Have Band have managed to piece together a highly enjoyable, likeable debut album. Roll on new material.

LCD Soundsystem: Drunk Girls

2010-03-27T14:19:00.000Z

After a leak a short while ago on the net, LCD Soundsystem have decided to release a new track from their album, "Drunk Girls" as a single. The highly anticipated new album, which still doesn't have a title, is due for release on 17th May (or 18th if you're in the US of A). Fans of the band, led by James Murphy, will lap this slightly rocky number up as it's not too far departed from what they were doing on some of "Sound of Silver". As ever, Murphy's lyrics are great, the music catchy... although it does sound just that little bit like David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging". But never mind; any Bowie connections have to be good, right?

We Have Band: Divisive

2010-03-27T14:16:00.000Z

Here's the latest single from three-piece outfit We Have Band. "Divisive" is a funky little number that sounds like curiously like Heaven 17, Gary Numan and Human League rolled into one - and with such brilliant references, who's complaining? Their debut album "WHB" is out soon:

Caribou: Odessa

2010-03-16T11:49:00.000Z

Caribou is the brainchild of Daniel Snaith, from Ontario, Canada (once again showing that Canada is, oddly enough, one of the places to be for music). Though he's been around for a while (his last album, "Andorra", came out a couple of years ago), he's only just come on to my radar with his latest single "Odessa". It's a strange mix of Royksopp-like vocals, danceable beats and a mind-warping synth that fills in all the vocal gaps. His latest album "Swim" is coming out in April.

Goldfrapp: Rocket

2010-03-16T11:46:00.000Z

"Rocket" is the first single from Goldfrapp's new album "Head First" and, unsurprisingly, they've reinvented themselves again! Now Alison and Will sound like semi-cheesy Europopsters, and while that should sound absolutely awful it's actually not. "Rocket" is actually a real grower - not as immediate as anything on "Black Cherry" (arguably their best album) but a nice return to the glam pop that we're all used to the band making. Kudos in order for making a terrible concept so wonderful and summery - and with the rubbish weather I've been having a good dollop of summer is welcome!

6 Music Saved!

2010-02-28T12:18:00.000Z

After a week or so of speculation, it looks like 6 Music will be saved! For now. The story goes that the Beeb were planning to axe the channel along with the Asian Network in a cost-cutting scheme, saying that 6 Music needed to branch out and get some talent in.

Er, okay... Most of the people on Radio 1 can't be described as "talent" while 6 Music boasts the likes of Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Tom Robinson, Marc Riley, Huey Morgan, Jarvis Cocker, Dave Pearce.... the list goes on! And how come it's 6 Music that will be axed for not having a wide enough audience when the same report said that Radio 2 - that bastion of radio that appeals to people of all ages - was alienating their older listeners in favour of the 30-35 year olds?
Don't these stations have some kind of mission statement where they say who they want to appeal to, how they'll do it, who they'll do it with? Personally, if you were to get rid of 6 Music then there'd be a massive void for the people who are a bit too old and mature for the R'n'B, pop antics of Radio 1 but are still too young for te comort zone that is Radio 2. It'll be like the Black Hole of Calcutta for anyone who wants to be just that little bit left of centre.
So good on you Beeb for dispelling the rumours for now, although as the old saying goes: there's no smoke without fire...

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-02T13:01:00.000Z

Yep, it's that time of year again when we get to fawn over the cuteness of a little groundhog being taken out to see shadows... or not see shadows, depending on what the coming year will be like. Tom Chapin, the editor of the Puxsutawney Spirit newspaper describes Groundhog Day as: "a lot like a rock concert but the people are better behaved and there's a groundhog involved... There's music and entertainment, spoofs of game shows, and people shooting t-shirts and beanie babies."

Wow, sounds like fun. But of course the real attraction of the whole day is seeing Phil the Groundhog energe from his burrow (er, a simulated version of a tree-stump) that's located on the rural site of Gobbler's Knob. If he sees his own shadow then winter will continue for another 6 weeks.

But it doesn't matter whether Phil sees his shadow or not, because he'll "speak" to his human caretakers - known as the Inner Circle - and tell them in Groundhogese what his forecast is. Apparently.

A good fact about Punxsutawney Phil is that he's supposed to be immortal - according to some Phil was born no later than the 19th Century, making him at the least 111 and at the most 210 years old! Phil's secret to longevity is an "elixir of life" that is served to him every year, but curiously there are no photographs...

This year Phil's going technological and will send his forecast out by text (I don't know if it will work here in the UK or if it's only for the US but National Geographic says that if you text "groundhog" to 247365 then you'll get his forecast sent straight to your mobile!) And to prove he's even more down with the kids, he'll be updating his Facebook and Twitter pages!

News just in: Phil HAS SEEN his own shadow so we're in for 6 more weeks of winter, apparently!

Well that was fun - if I can find a video I'll post it later!

Acolyte

2010-01-31T22:22:00.000Z

The first of 2010's best prospects turns out a bit of a mixed bag.

Yes, that's right. They've got some great singles, they've got good potential, they've... very obviously borrowed a lot of ideas. Not that it stopped me naming them my pick of the year's new crop - but let me just point out that it was before I bought their debut album "Acolyte".

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad album by any means but if you looked at the success rate of each of its tracks, there would be a distinct mountain range dipping between the brilliant and the simply okay.

It's probably not right to go track by track since including opener "Clarion Call" would be a bit unfair considering its only really a short introductory pathway through to their killer track "Doubt". The layers of "Doubt" can only truly be heard through the magic of headphones when all the little nuances reveal themselves (much better than say, a scratchy CD player or a muffly laptop with teeny little speakers). "This Momentary" is a slow burner that shows that they can do gentler tracks. This is possibly my favourite of all the tracks on "Acolyte". It's just a shame that "This Momentary" has been out so long as a Kitsune single and yet they haven't truly developed these ideas across a whole album.

"Red Light", for instance, is at first a promising follow up to "This Momentary" but last so long. So very long. So much longer than a track like this truly should. It erodes you like sandstone in a hurricane after about two and a half minutes and only continues for what seems like hours, the repetitive lyrics that make "This Momentary" seem good weigh "Red Light" down like so many lead balloons. Its not easy going. This is luckily followed by a couple of good tracks, the first being entirely instrumental (and oddly enough a thousand times more engaging and captivating than "Red Light" ever could be) and the second being "Counterpoint", their very first single. It's a mix of both "Doubt" and "This Momentary", and Delphic manage to get the balance right between more hushed electro and straightforward pop. Here they show what they can do and that you can have a six-minute-odd track that doesn't become overly repetitive or soul sapping (there are plenty of them out there of course, but many others fail to stop the formula becoming cloying).

"Submission", too, has elements of this balance but cannot reach the giddy heights of any of the singles - after four minutes the invention seems to fade away a little and it's hard to tell where this track ends and the next one begins. Maybe I spaced out at this point, wondering when the next big single was coming along. It doesn't.

It is very possible that this will be Delphic's problem. They have the potential to make good songs, but meld this idea with trying to be dancey resulting in a mish-mash of brilliant electro moments and fairly generic six-minute trudges. It is also possible that their obsession with making long tracks (few on "Acolyte" are less than five minutes long) is hampering their capability to be truly captivating. This is such a shame considering the initial promise they gave us. Use the scissors next time boys.

Star Power

2010-01-31T21:58:00.001Z

I feel like I am the only person on the planet who is actually excited about the new Gorillaz album coming out soon - sooner rather than later, in fact, as "Plastic Beach" was apparently going to be released in September but now it's slated for a March release. Perhaps people have just plain forgotten about them. It has been a good five years since they released any original material (curse you, er, older projects!) and a lot can happen in that space of time.

But they're back, you know! Really, seriously. And with some heavy star power behind them too - Bobby Womack feaures on their first single "Stylo" (link above just click the post title, wasn't allowed to embed it unfortunately) and numerous others will appear alongside the regulars on "Plastic Beach" (such as -gasp- Snoop Dogg, Kano, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Mark E Smith, Lou Reed...); it could be just as eclectic as "Demon Days" and then some.

I could be jumping the gun by saying that they've been sort of forgotten about. I'm sure in a few months the mania will start again and they'll be everywhere, just as they were with "Feel Good Inc", "Dare" and earlier hits like "19-2000" and "Clint Eastwood". Surely no band could contain that many star names and brilliant talent and not be recognised.

It could be their year. Again.

Top 5 Tips For 2010

2010-01-06T11:06:00.000Z

I did this last year and was quite pleased to find that I predicted 60% of my tips correctly. This year I would like to think that my predictions are a little more accurate still, but because I don't always stick to what I know will be popular and go for bands which I hope will gain success, I'm not holding my breath! Here they are anyway:

5. The Drums

Summery surf-pop from New York: it's almost impossible to not like at least one of the songs from their "Summertime" EP but if all that joyous smiling and happiness isn't your cup of tea then the band themselves have said that their full debut will be much darker, like a winter of discontent. Ooh err... But they do know how to put a very good pop tune together, and this one is my favourite:

4. Marina And The Diamonds

Marina doesn't actually have a band called The Diamonds, she just derived that from her surname Diamandis. She does quirky tunes in a voice that stands apart from other girls on the pop circuit and being more distinctive should give her a little advantage against some others. Still, her tunes are accessible, despite the cuckoo noises you can hear here!

3. Ellie Goulding

Well, she's won the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits already - considering what happened to Florence and the Machine last year after their win, surely Welsh songstress Ellie can't go wrong? We'll have to wait and see if she can enjoy the success of iron-lunged Florence but for now we can enjoy the light-as-air pop that's reminiscent of Imogen Heap and Frou Frou. Ellie's influences are also very folky, so we could expect an album that swingss from sparkly to sombre soon.

2. Chew Lips

Female-fronted electronic acts are seemingly everywhere nowadays - is it actually possible to tell each of them apart? Well Chew Lips are just that little bit different. They don't try too hard to be popular and they're bubbling under the surface with slow-burning songs and soulful singing. Their debut "Unicorn" is out soon but hopefully this cut will be enough to keep you interested in the meantime.

1. Delphic

It's hard not to fall in love with either one of Delphic's two faces. On the one side we have a slightly more steely, brash, in-your-face band and on the other there are tunes that are obviously dance-inspired but that seem to float away like a feather and transport you in to another world. Today they reached No. 3 of the Beeb's Sound of 2010 list but a huge chunk of me hopes they do much better than that. Underneath it all they're well-formed and lovable.

Worst of 2009: A Hideous Lookback

2010-01-03T11:51:00.000Z

Well I had to do this - there are just some songs that I dislike so much that I have to "honour" them. By that I mean that I am going to name them, shame them, and post their videos so that everyone will know of their horribleness. Hopefully then we can exorcise them and never again have to be exposed to these awful tunes. Hopefully. Luckily I'm only going to list three of the worst, so you don't get too bogged down in the marshes of unspeakable horror. Er, enjoy?

30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens

This was so overblown that you could just see that singer guy punching the air when he sings "we are the kings and queens". Yuck. I thought emo was dead? No? Well can I have a gun to finish it off now?

LMFAO - I'm In Miami Trick

No-one needs to be exposed to this kind of rubbish and prancing around. Some guys trying to be dance-rap stars and failing miserably. So they think if you wear shiny clothes and sunglasses indoors that makes you cool? No. That just makes you a laughable idiot. What madman decided it would be a good idea to give these a record deal... it's sickening.

Eminem - We Made You

White rap... It should never have been born, let aloe allowed to survive. At least when Eminem, the poster boy of this abomination, disappeared a few years ago it might have signalled the end. So when he came back, that was hard. I hoped, in vain, that the time off would have given him some good ideas - but I was sorely mistaken. That little intro is practically the same as the one he's been using for years, the video is weird and disturbing, the melody is infuriating, and all this time I'm trying to contain my uncontrollable rage and not throw the remote at the TV. Will the real Slim Shady please sit down and shut up?

Tracks of the Year: Part Two

2009-12-31T12:01:00.000Z

Time to conclude my little rundown...

5. Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream

Though overlooked a little in favour of "Daniel" and "Sleep Alone", "Pearl's Dream" was the quiet gem slap-bang in the middle of Natasha Khan's second album (once again hideously overlooked at the Mercury Prize). It showed all of Ms. Khan's pop credentials while still retaining that alluring mystique that shrouds her work.

4. Passion Pit - The Reeling

Okay, so I was a little dismissive about Passion Pit earlier in the year when the only track I'd really listened to by them was their first single "Sleepyhead". That all changed after I'd been exposed to the fluorescent explosion of joy that was "The Reeling" - the guys from Boston know how to put an infuriatingly catchy pop tune together.

3. Empire of the Sun - We Are The People

It must have been because their album was released in a particularly cold part of the year, but pretty much all of Empire of the Sun's ever-so-slightly bonkers album was enough to thaw the icicles that started forming every day going to and from work. Particularly sunny and heartwarming was "We Are The People". Well, acoustic guitars and dancy synths are enough to brighten anyone's day.

2. The Big Pink - Dominos

Now usually I wouldn't be attracted to slightly odd characters like Robbie and Milo, or slightly yobbish singing as displayed here. Or bad grammar for that matter (yes, for the purposes of this single there is no "e" in "dominos"). So what was so appealing about "Dominos"? Perhaps it's the simple and catchy chorus. Maybe it's that swirly synth sound going on in the background. Or possibly it's just the fact that The Big Pink proved they could do a storming rock tune, far away from "Velvet" or "Stop The World".

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

So how did they do it? Somehow the YYYs managed to move into a more synth-pop direction witout losing any of their punk or art-rock credentials.... And the results were amazing. While everyone seems to think that "Zero" is the best track from "It's Blitz!", "Heads Will Roll", in my own humble opinion, shoved all the competition out of the way. The synths jar just enough to give a disconcerting feel, Karen O yelps madly and has never sounded better, Brian Chase provides dancy drums and Nick Zinner strums away at his electric guitar and gives it all that rocky feel. The YYYs have never been boring... but in comparison to this, their back catalogue is about as fascinating as watching paint dry.

Tracks Of The Year: Part One

2009-12-30T18:31:00.001Z

Ah it's that time of year again when I get to reflect on the good and the bad... well, mostly the good - I don't want to be less merry by thinking about some of the terrible tunes that I've endured in the name of research. I've compiled a list of the ten tracks that have stolen my heart this year - feel free to condemn, agree and possibly scratch your head saying "who?" (but hopefully that won't happen too often!).

10. The xx - Islands

Islands is a very rare thing - a quiet and tender track that is at the same time an exquisite single. The xx managed to turn it into a thing of pure beauty, with loving lyrics, a hushed boy-girl duet, simple melodies, a single plucked electric guitar... the year's best antidote to the dominance of chilly electro-pop.

9. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

Who would've thought you could rip off "Rebel Rebel", make an unashamedly 80s-style pop single and yet still retain credibility? Well Strokes frontman Casablancas did it - and he did it so well that it was the ultimate grower. If the video below is your first taste of "11th Dimension" then don't let it put you off. In time you will learn to love it just as I did. It took me a whole month to realise that it was actually an amazingly good tune. Who needs The Strokes?

8. Little Dragon - Feather

Similarly to The xx, Little Dragon's "Feather" floats away dreamily into space and refuses to come back to us on dry land. Little Dragon are never in any hurry to actually get on and play their songs, and it takes a while for this wonderfully light tune to kick in. But if you're anything like me you'll fall for its charms after a single play. Enjoy.

7. Metric - Sick Muse

While their latest album "Fantasies" had its flaws, "Sick Muse" stood out as the best single on the album. Here it seemed to all fall into place for Metric, taking the angry noise that dominated their 2006 album "Live It Out" and taming it into just a little under 3 minutes and 20 seconds of rock bliss. And in a world now dominated by electro-pop, that's a big compliment.

6. Phoenix - Lisztomania

It's unfortunate that Phoenix are one of those bands who people seem to think have drifted into obscurity. Despite releasing albums constantly through the last decade, did anyone actually pay attention to anything apart from their first album "United"? "Lisztomania" helped to change all that. Their slightly dodgy, but nevertheless heartwarmingly odd, English, roots in both funky electro and rock plus Thomas Mars's smooth and appealing voice combined to make this, the first single from their really quite brilliant album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", a standout track.

Update

2009-12-06T15:01:00.000Z

Just informing everyone that I've updated the playlist for the radio (link on sidebar), and it includes:

Asobi Seksu - Strawberries
Basement Jaxx- Cish Cash (featuring Siouxsie Sioux)
Bat For Lashes - Two Planets
Beck - Gamma Ray
Bjork - Declare Independence
Black Kids - Hit The Heartbrakes
Cajun Dance Party - The Firework
Chairlift - Make Your Mind Up
Charlotte Hatherley - Alexander
CSS -Off The Hook
Depeche Mode - Perfect
Editors - All Sparks
Empire of the Sun - Standing on the Shore
Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better
New Young Pony Club - The Get Go
Friendly Fires - In The Hospital
Frou Frou - Flicks
Goldfrapp - Road to Somewhere
Grace Jones - Love You To Life
Hot Chip - Careful
Howling Bells - Treasure Hunt
Imogen Heap - Headlock
Kate Bush - Wow
Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning
LCD Soundsystem - Two
Lykke Li - Little Bit
MIA - Hussel (featuring Afrikan Boy)
Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
Martina Topley Bird - Razor Tongue
Metric - Sick Muse
MGMT - Of Moons, Birds and Monsters
Muse - Hyper Music
Neon Neon - Belfast
Passion Pit - The Reeling
Phoenix - 1901
Roxy Music - In Every Dream Home A Heartache
Royksopp - Vision One
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cities In Dust
The Cribs - We Share The Same Skies
The Gossip - Love Long Distance
The Horrors - Who Can Say
The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dragon Queen
Yeasayer - Forgiveness

Ecowatch: Radiohead @ Reading

2009-09-05T12:01:00.003+01:00

I stayed up too late watching the Arctic Monkeys the night before and then decided it would be a good idea to stay up late again watching a set from a band I never really cared for that much (okay, Just is a good song - I like that one when it isn't being ruined with Mark Ronson and his all-too-eager brass section). I am talking about Radiohead - their music washes over me very easily. Although I can see why people love them so much.

This is beside the point of this post though. At some point during the set, I think it must have been during "Karma Police", I realised that for all his ravings about being eco-friendly, Thom Yorke doesn't have the most eco-friendly stage set-up. The picture above doesn't do justice to what the stage was really like - they did have video screens but I was more concerned about the programmable crystal lights and spotlights that were turned on throughout the whole thing.

However, they could be environmentally friendly lights. On the other hand, to power these things on solar energy alone would be a hassle in this lovely British weather. And I don't see them playing wind-up guitars. I doubt anyone would want to look that silly. Since Thom has an aversion to touring, perhaps he can afford to have a blow-out show every now and then.

I just thought I'd bring this up since it seemed rather odd and contradictory at the time - now I think that it was a good show, despite this moral/ecological problem.

The End Is Nigh

2009-08-30T15:32:00.002+01:00

Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis! Hurrah! Okay, I know there'll be thousands of people across the country, and possibly the globe, who will mourn the loss of who is considered to be an icon of Britpop from the band who came to outlive the genre. But not me. Personally, this couldn't have come soon enough!

Enough gloating though, let's analyse Noel's statement of why he left the band and try and get through the enigma code:

"The details are not important and of too great a number to list": Doesn't this just scream "I just couldn't be bothered any more"? Surely the man would have the decency and respect to turn around to his fans and at least generally highlight some of the reasons why? You know, apart from the whole violence thing which isn't too hard to believe anyway.

"To get me cape and seek pastures new": Any statement like this should be somewhat heartfelt and surely not be comedic. If the reasons are that serious then surely a level of sincerity should be employed during this statement? No, Noel has decided to revert to the grammatically-incorrect vernacular and make a joke of the whole thing. Cape? Who does he think he is, Superman?

"I'd like to say sorry to the good people of V Festival.... it was nothing to do with me": deflecting the blame in this sort of situation is very childish and immature (okay they mean the same thing but I wanted to make the point twice). The suggestion is that it's something to do with Liam but if Noel is blameless, how did he end up in this situation and why is he personally apologizing, and not saying that the whole band at the time were regretful? As the old saying goes, there is no smoke without a fire. Or some cigarette ash.

"It's been a f***** pleasure": Oh dear, what an end. I'm far from being a prude but some things are just a no-no and swearing when you're ending this kind of supposedly serious statement is one of them. Dear me Noel - I do hope the family life and football team will enable you to get some manners or public speaking skills! Actually, don't count on that. Maybe the swearing is meant to be irony and he hated the whole Oasis experience? Somehow I doubt that's entirely true.

This essentially marks the day when Oasis fall apart and mercifully never make any more songs. No-one would ever truly accept an Oasis without Noel or a replacement for him either. But this is probably just as well. Even the songs of their heyday were drawn-out, screechy indulgences. Their best song "Wonderwall" is spoilt by Liam's gravelly, nasally voice. From then it only went downhill. I leave you with the disaster that is "Champagne Supernova". I suppose this was meant to be the point in their career where they went a bit psychedelic like their heroes The Beatles (they always wanted to be them) but instead of turning into a classic, it ended up as a self-indulgent splat on the face of their career. Awful lyrics, it lasts too long and it has one of the most implausible chord changes ever - what more could you not want?

Ah, please do your best not to hurt the screen. But if you're an Oasis fan and have found this entire post insulting and/or ignorant to the fact that Oasis are actually a really great band (tongue in cheek, tongue in cheek) then by all means enjoy:

The Bandwagon: The Easiest Way To Scrape Your Knees

2009-08-30T14:59:00.003+01:00

Today the Observer Review has published an article by Hermione Hoby about the Arctic Monkeys live in Brixton. Now, I hope I am not the only one who thinks that Hermione is trying to jump on the bandwagon as I cannot imagine her ever listening intently to the music of the Monkeys day after day or singing along like the crowd did at the gig itself. The whole review felt like a point-scorer after her stint in the comments section about how (young) women still need feminism (of course we do, dear, we don't need to be told that).

First mistake: claiming that the whole of their third album was recorded and produced by Josh Homme in the American desert. Er, no, actually only about 2/3 of the album was - this is a simple mistake to make of course. Well actually it isn't. Listening to the Sheffield four-piece work their way through the majority of the album in their Reading set last night, it's obvious that while some songs have benefited from Homme's Americanised, yet more nuanced approach, some songs still contain the raw energy and thrashing style of the previous albums, suggesting even to somebody who didn't know about Homme's involvement that there was more than one engineer/producer on the project.

Which brings me nicely to mistake number two: Hoby suggests that every song contains the thrashing style that made the Monkeys famous in the first place. Poor Hoby has shot herself in the foot. Like last night, the Monkeys started their Brixton set with "My Propeller", a dark and heavy song bursting at the seams with double entendres, metaphors and sexual innuendo. The slow build up leads nicely into the first single from "Humbug", "Crying Lightning". Even that doesn't have the Monkeys' 'signature sound' or at least, it is shoved in the background to leave Turner to get on with his singing rather than having his lyrics drowned out by noise. Old songs were in rather short supply, and if the Monkeys showed the same semi-apathy for their old hits as they did at Reading last night then surely there is no reason to suggest to people that they haven't moved on.

Third mistake: the hair. Oh, who really gives a monkeys (no pun intended) about the fact that Alex Turner has grown his hair? Trying to say that his longer hair shows a progression into manhood out of adolescence is even worse! It's childish and pretentious at the same time like giggling at someone's locks in the schoolyard just because it's different to yours or looks "silly" or "rubbish". Get over it. If the hair must be talked about, attribute it to the fact that Turner has so obviously cast off the shackles of his working-class roots and (possibly) been bullied by his it-girl beau Alexa Chung into looking less like a chav and more like a proper rock star. Okay, it's probably more like that it was Alexa and not Alex denying where he comes from - he doesn't seem like the type.

Please please please Hermione! Stick to what you know; actually, what is that exactly?

Fantasies

2009-08-14T12:05:00.004+01:00

In 2006, Metric released "Live It Out", a fast, furious and stressed-out album that exposed their views on things like modern life and the war (on possibly their best song, "Monster Hospital") and frontwoman and keyboard-player Emily Haines adopted a more unconventional singing style, sometimes screaming, sometimes cooing and then warping her voice in the most strangest of manners to represent anguish and desperation. Three years down the line, and one solo project for Haines, Metric have released "Fantasies", a much more structured and adult effort.

Of course, that doesn't mean I prefer "Live It Out". Both albums can top each other in different ways, and here Metric are taking slight advantage of the rise of electro but subverting it slightly and moulding it to their own liking. "Twilight Galaxy" and "Front Row" provide the mellowest moments of the album and allow Haines to truly take the lead, making use of her synth-playing expertise and the experience she gained in making her low-key solo album.

Oh, and then we get stabbing, attention-grabbing guitars straight after, reminiscent of their last album. But unlike on "Live It Out" you're left with more room to breathe in each song - perhaps with the exception of album closer "Stadium Love" which continues their love of not ending albums on a dull note. Indeed, "Stadium Love" is the most hectic song and with its long fade-out, disruptive fuzz and an urgent beat, it's also one of the album's most uplifting songs (for some reason, this album is dark without trying deliberately to be like the night; it's all in the little things that you don't notice after just one play).

"Gimme Sympathy" plays on the old question of "would you rather be the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" I was sort of surprised that this was chosen to be a single but maybe they're trying to reach a new audience with this strategy. "Sick Muse" is a twisted love song hidden behind lyrics about silly people, rejecting money, wanting to be the best and having a mental illness. Nice.

If there's one downside to this album it's that opener "Help I'm Alive" is one minute too long. It has one verse, one bridge and one chorus, each with a different key and a different tone. After four and a half minutes this gets a bit wearing and you get the feeling that the triumphant ending piece should have been taped on just after that bit with the crazy descending penny-whistle noise. Then it would have been better. But that's just personal opinion.

Still, this is a great effort - even my dad likes it so it must have something good going for it. Favourite song? "Satellite Mind". But since they didn't have that on YouTube, I'll let you go with "Sick Muse" instead:

Reasons Why Little Boots Will Never Be As Good As Goldfrapp

2009-05-17T14:23:00.004+01:00

Bless Victoria Hesketh - she's a midget pop star with little vocal range and little lyrical inspiration. Actually, don't bless her - she's ripping off Black Cherry-era Goldfrapp and anyone who doesn't have a ten-second memory knows it.

It's a bit of a sad state of affairs really: things were looking promising when Little Boots started off just using a Tenori-On and a piano doing versions of pop songs (look them up on YouTube if you're interested) and then suddenly.... the hype machine descended.... Yes, that thing.

Suddenly she was grabbed and her hair was done up into loose blonde curls with dark metallic make-up and shiny sequin-decorated clothes and high-heels to match and oh dear! It happened! She morphed into the new version of Ally so quickly that it gave me a headache. Well, a migraine really.

But here's the thing: Vicky just doesn't have the charm or the warmth to be as alluring and listenable as Goldfrapp. Her voice goes from icy squeal to, er, icy squeal and her songs have only one theme which is quite boring after a while. Add to this the fact that all of her backing tracks have a coarse and edgy feel that grates horribly like scraping nails down a chalkboard and suddenly you wonder where the promise of the initial few months went.

Have your imitations if you want, I think I'll stick with the classic model.

Just to prove a point, I think I'll place them side by side in a little video-off for you to decide for yourselves:

Fancy A Bit Of Fun?

2009-05-12T19:19:00.002+01:00

Bat For Lashes are encouraging all of their fans to log on to their MySpace page and try mixing their very own version of "Pearl's Dream", one of the best songs on their new album "Two Suns".

It's certainly unique, and users will be able to save their own little mix and send it to their friends to show off their handy mixing work. Don't like the beats? Ditch them. Not keen on Natasha's layered vocals? Bin it. Want more of the freaky little electro skit at the beginning? Make it run through the whole song, baby!

Ah Natasha! What a fine idea indeed. For those of you who haven't heard the song, here it is:

Now think about your remixes!

We Are The People: They Are The Band!

2009-05-12T16:25:00.002+01:00

Oh peeps! Having listened to the Empire of the Sun album repeatedly over the last, oh, four or so months, it has become apparent that their latest single "We Are The People" is officially one of the songs of the decade.

Yeah yeah, I know you're sitting there thinking that there are billions of better songs but hey, this is my humble opinion - at first you sit there and its simple guitar riff and psychedelic singing wash over you in an amiable way and then after ten or so plays you start smiling. And the smile is more of a beam that you can't contain but have to in case people start staring at you more than ever.

It's a summer song: even the video screams warmth and tropical bliss but then I woudn't expect anything less from a band who like to dress up in wild headdresses and dance around in tribal jewellery while wearing lovely blue chinese suits (who are MGMT kidding? They're nowhere near as far out as these guys!) Ah, if Sleepy Jackson and Pnau are really on hold then it's good news. I want more from Empire of the Sun. I want it now and I want them to tour next week!!

Ahem this video takes a while to get going: it's like a weird narrative but my Spanish has deteriorated badly so please: someone tell me what they're saying!!

Sounds Of The Universe

2009-05-07T12:18:00.004+01:00

Oh, what's happened?! All quiet in the Depeche Mode camp? Certainly not! After all, they've had years of bust ups and additctions and have created blindingly good records through it all. So what? Are we going to get a happy, lovey-dovey, oh-so-corrupted version of the Mode now that they've settled down? Like bells we are.

I will stand by this record, which is ten thousand tmies better than their last attempt, "Playing The Angel" (though in all fairness "Lilian" was quite a good song). It's rockier, more ambitious, and has a slight turn towards their old days. Slight. Not too much. Gone are the bleeps and blops (well, mostly) and in come the melodies and the sexy guitars once again. Yay! It's a return to form.

Opener "In Chains" makes use of some slightly stripped down beats and a lovely electronic-warped guitar, using Dave Gahan's voice as its main force. And what a force it is on this record - it seems there's some new vigor and life inside him and this is shown on their first single "Wrong" in which he powers through unstoppably against fragmented melodies and lets the darkness flow. But a lot of this could be down to Martin L. Gore's songwriting. I'll let Gahan have the credit for "Come Back" which is one of the most effective songs on the album.

We still have gentler moments of evil on "Little Soul" and the short instrumental break "Spacewalker" which hold different parts of the album together nicely. Personally, the final third of this thirteen-track album is the best. "Miles Away/ The Truth Is" is, whisper it quietly, almost like a pop song (eek!) and is probably one of the most accessible offerings here. But I still love it more than their darker musings. Strange, isn't it? "Jezebel" serves as an interlude between this and the storming closer "Corrupt" which just has to be THE best closer to a record I've heard so far this year, and it'll take a lot to beat its rock-infused malevolence.

But I don't understand how "Peace" made the final cut of the record. At just over an hour long, they could have afforded to cut out this part. You can see the idea behind it, with the almost choral layering of voices, but the bitty electronica doesn't quite sit right in-between "In Sympathy" and "Come Back". Is it just me or this section just a little unnecessary? Part of me just doesn't want to sit through four minutes of "Peace" before getting to "Come Back", I want to skip through it!!

But despite this black mark in the middle of the record, Depeche Mode have made a much more engaging and pleasing record than their latest attempts. They wanted it to be the "Violator for the 21st Century". Have they done it? Well, it'll always be hard to match "Violator" but you aren't gonna get any closer than this!!

Two Suns

2009-05-07T10:31:00.002+01:00

You know, I actually didn't know what exactly to expect with Natasha Khan's second album. Her band Bat For Lashes' first album was filled with understated magic and mysticism that only really broke free from simple piano and harpsichord ditties on a few tracks - not that it stopped me from declaring it as one of my albums of 2007.

Two years later and we are presented with the equally hypnotic "Two Suns", a conceptual album that sees our Ms. Khan expanding her sound quite significantly. Having only ever heard "Daniel" and "Moon and Moon" before buying the album I wondered if it was all going to be low-key electronica and yet more piano musings. But no, opener "Glass" sort of blows that out of the water. It seems Natasha has a soft spot for tribal beats and ringing percussion mixed with dark guitars and her own amazing vocal range. And I DO love her vocal range.

"Glass" also shows Khan's love of metaphorical lyrics, singing about things that on the surface are incomprehensible ramblings. But hey, look! There's actually some deep meaning in there! "A thousand crystal towers"? Yes, definitely a metaphor. But let's not linger on her songwriting prowess and instead focus on the rest of the album.

The first five songs are written under Khan's own name but the second half of the album are ung by her alias Pearl, and the songs become increasingly interlinked. See how in "Pearl's Dream" there is a reference to "Good Love Town", the subject of the next song? Nifty stuff. Pearl's songs are undoubtedly bleaker in many ways, but they provide some of the more magical moments on the album. "Pearl's Dream" is perhaps Khan's best pop moment to date, while on "Two Planets" she seems to invoke the spirit of Bjork, yelping and echoing over layers and layers of drums and beats - very "Earth Intruders". In the first half of the record is "Sleep Alone", which looks like it's going to be the next single. It's understated, like a more upbeat version of her first ever single "Trophy" and includes some lovely sweeping vocals and little bursts of electro that give it a tougher edge.

Ah, Natasha. This album will bring you (and has brought you) commercial success. I like an album that shows evolution and progress, rather than a regression or much of the same. And "Two Suns" does that - it's a much more beefed up version of "Fur and Gold" and is intricately clever, using combinations of the powerful and the simple. Buy it - you won't regret it.

Attention Peeps!

2009-04-23T21:54:00.002+01:00

Geocities is closing down so consequently I'm shutting down my site there that was dedicated solely to the radio station.

This means that all news about Jamjarsuperstar Radio will be directed here instead of there - I'm already putting playlists up at the minute but I think there should be some other bits and bobs about it that I'll post up too.

For those of you who haven't checked out the station, give it a go and the playlist is below!

Playlist Update

2009-04-23T21:46:00.002+01:00

Hiya, so I've just updated the playlist for the radio station with some new stuff on there, and here it is:

Athlete - You Got The Style
Basement Jaxx - Romeo
Bat For Lashes - Pearl's Dream
Beck - The New Pollution
Bjork - Crying
Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance
Cajun Dance Party - The Colourful Life
Camille - Kfir
Chairlift - Evident Utensil
CSS - Move
Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes
Editors - Fingers In The Factories
Empire of the Sun - We Are The People
Feeder - Seven Days In The Sun
Friendly Fires - Paris
Goldfrapp - Caravan Girl
Grace Jones - Williams' Blood
Hot Chip - And I Was A Boy From School
Howling Bells - Digital Hearts
Ida Maria - Oh My God
Interpol - PDA
Kate Bush - Moving
Ladyhawke - Better Than Sunday
LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone
M.I.A. - Sunshowers
Martina Topley Bird - April Grove
MGMT - Kids
Mystery Jets - Hideaway
Neon Neon - I Told Her On Alderaan
Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains
PJ Harvey - Highway 61 Revisited
Roisin Murphy - If We're In Love
Royksopp - The Girl And The Robot
Santogold - I'm A Lady
The Long Blondes - The Couples
The Raconteurs - Attention
The Rapture - Get Myself Into It
The Go! Team - The Wrath of Marcie
British Sea Power - Waving Flags
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

Happy NRSD!

2009-04-18T10:37:00.002+01:00

Today is National Record Shop Day in the UK - so to all of those independent record stores across the country, congratulations!

But is NRSD masking a very depressing truth? The very depressing truth that aside from not buying many physical records these days, we're just not buying as much music as we used to altogether?

The members of The Pirate Bay were sentenced and ordered to pay millions in damages yesterday, but their story is testament to the fact that no-one wants to pay money for their music any more. Sites are now offering free access to music that hasn't even been released yet and it's going to cost the industry badly if more sites like The Pirate Bay aren't put to trial (and let's not forget that this problem spreads into film and TV too - "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has recently become the most illegally downloaded film of all time and it hasn't even had a cinema release here yet!)

Aside from illegal downloading, sites like iTunes are making sure that people are only buying singles from albums rather than investing some money in the whole works of a band or artist. Elbow frontman Guy Garvey was particularly furious about this after the release of "The Seldom Seen Kid", saying that he wants people to listen to the whole album and see it as a musical journey rather than spending 79p on "Grounds For Divorce" just because it was played on Radio 1 a few times. It makes you wonder whether artists are just going to release nothing but singles in a few years - Ash has already taken that road, and it wouldn't be surprising if many others followed behind.

Add to this the threat from websites like Amazon and Play - they'll send you CDs and offer you downloads at a fraction of the cost of any record shop with free postage and packaging. The technological age is probably having a particularly adverse effect on stores, so many will probably have to use their own websites to keep afloat.

It all adds up to a pretty depressing outlook for our independent record stores - the only one I can really think of in my area recently closed down (presumably because there was a lack of interest). My most local HMV store has reduced its music section by around 70% and is overloaded with DVDs and games - it's obvious what people want, I suppose.

Well, I don't really want to end on a very gloomy note so I'll just say congratulations again - have some cake, enjoy the company of fellow survivors.

Exciting Times!

2009-04-15T10:44:00.002+01:00

Ooh, I'm currently listening to Depeche Mode's new album "Sounds of the Universe" a whole week before it gets released (that date? 20th April officially). And it's not illegal (but then, why would I want to do anything illegal?)

Anyway it sounds like a return to form so far. A lot of people really hate their latest single "Wrong" but I think I like the rockier feel. They seem to have banished a lot of the bleepy-bloppy sounds found on "Playing the Angel" as well which is a bonus. It's a bit like a hybrid of "Ultra" and "Violator" which spells brilliant.

If anyone else out there wants to listen to it, pop over to NME.com where I found it - you DO have to listen to an advert every couple of songs but I think that's a price worth paying personally, it;s just like listening to the radio!

Oh, I'm very excited about buying it next week (hopefully!)!!!!

Support Me!

2009-04-11T11:38:00.002+01:00

Ah so I've noticed that I've already got a couple of followers but I know there's loads more of you out there who actually read my blog and I thought it would make sense to help you track my posts more easily (I know it helps me to keep track of my favourite blogs!)

Well that's about it really.

Have a great Easter Weekend!

Junior

2009-04-05T14:15:00.003+01:00

Ah, Royksopp.... If I didn't know better I'd say you were attempting to make a very solid pop album. Successfully, might I add.

So how did I come to the conclusion that this was more of a pop effort than a dance one? Well alongside their normal vocal collaborators, we are also treated to the singing of Swedish popstrels Robyn and Lykke Li. Not really being a Robyn fan (find her a bit bland really), I was surprised that "Girl And The Robot" became my favourite song on the album. I might have preferred it if Alessi was singing but hey, you can't have it all and the sweeping synths more than make up for Robyn's apparent lack of vocal range. Lykke has been syphoned, perhaps predictably, to "Miss It So Much", a sweet little ditty halfway through the album where her childishly fey voice gradually finds room to maneuver into the more surprisingly powerful voice found on her own debut album.

But it's strange that Royksopp have put so much emphasis on the singing this time - it's almost as if they're trying to make up for something. All of the songs could probably get by without any vocals at all, so why certain tracks aren't allowed to just glide along like on "The Understanding" is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the pressure to create something that's more mainstream overall has bitten them finally - but that doesn't mean that it's not a great album. The idiosyncrasies of previous albums still shine through on tracks like "Vision One" and their harder edge manages to cut a little deeper on "Tricky Tricky".

It's worth remembering that Royksopp were perhaps one of the first bands to get in with the whole 80s theme before it was cool - now their time could finally have come. "Junior" is a solid album that grows on you with every play. Now I just need to put it on again - I might get to the "love it" stage soon!

Introducing: Phoenix

2009-03-13T09:49:00.005Z

It's a bit stupid that I'm even giving these guys an "Introducing" tag seeing as how I've actually known about them for ages now and just, well, never got round to saying anything about them! So basically they're a bit like Daft Punk mixed with something somewhere along the lines of The Strokes. And if that sounds crazy, well, it's definitely NOT a catastrophe on record.

In fact, they've released 3LPs already, so they must be doing something right. Actually, here's what they're doing right: they don't really mix the two styles which are poles apart instantly - it's more of a case of, we'll use this style on one track and save the guitars for another day. So no, not a mess. So for people who like the more Daft Punk end, go for their debut "United" and for those who would prefer something a little more guitar-orientated then you should probably look out for "It's Never Been Like That" (hmm, appropriate title, considering).

Oh, I've decided not to waffle. Instead, I'll just show you this video for "If I Ever Feel Better". It's lovely stuff, really:

No More... Please!

2009-03-12T09:36:00.003Z

Okay, I can acknowledge that U2 are one of the biggest and most influential bands in the world but then I also agree with the statement that they're a bit like Marmite: you either love them or hate them.

Hate is a strong word - I couldn't exactly say that about them. I think I fall somewhere in between. There are one or two songs that I quite like but then I wouldn't go out and buy one of their albums. So I guess I can just about tolerate them.

Still, this tolerance is being pushed to the limits. Soon I will be pushed into the "hate" camp through simple over-exposure. The BBC seem hell-bent on placing them on every show they possibly can (radio and TV, no medium is safe from the onslaught) and it makes you think: why? Surely they don't need this kind of exposure to promote their album. Bono could simply stand up one day and say that they were releasing a new album and millions of die-hard fans would burst with anticipation until the magical day came.

But no, they have decided to cast themselves out and, I suppose, try and gain some new fans by talking about their "new" sound. Q Magazine even went as far as to say that "No Line On The Horizon" was their best album. I don't know. I've only heard two songs. Now it seems that I can't avoid them for love nor money - I am pushed to the point where I want to scream "nooooo" theatrically whenever "Get On Your Boots" or an interview comes on.

Please, give it a rest guys!

Radio Wars

2009-03-12T09:25:00.003Z

Ah, Howling Bells... how long I have waited for your return. The debut was deliciously dark and lovely, covering your idea of Australia to memorable effect.

But this is hardly the same record. While maintaining their distinctive weeping guitars and the sultry voice of Juanita Stein, the band have gone in a more positive direction, as they put it because they have permanently moved to England. Lovely.

To prove this point, we can compare the lyrics of the opening songs to each of these albums, "The Bell Hit" from the debut and "Treasure Hunt" from this offering. In fact, only a couple of lines need analysing to see that the Bells are moving in a different direction in terms of songwriting. From "Hit": "Promises are empty in a world of emptiness" and from "Hunt": "We are the key that fits". Ooh, differenty.

Still, it's good to hear the new updated sound of the band. Everything is a little more polished, a little more thought out. "Golden Web" and "Digital Hearts" make use of some synths, which are far more prominent on the former.

It'll be interesting to see how these cleaner, slinkier songs sit in with the old ones in a live set. I can't see "Digital Hearts" or "Nightingale" being put together with something as violent as "Wishing Stone" or "Low Happening" but hey, I could be very wrong indeed. The contrast may even be a good point, showing how the Bells have adapted to their new sound and are more comfortable with who they are now in comparison to when they were tied Down Under.

Can't Cook. Won't Cook. Try To Cook.

2009-03-10T16:41:00.002Z

So there's this band called Passion Pit and they're musically a bit weird but if you like the whole idea of men with high-pitched voices (but not in the way that Prince and co do it) then you could check them out.

But their music isn't the point of this post; no, I wanted to show the world what cooking with the band looks like. While browsing around I stumbled upon this short but weird video showing the band cooking "pasta" (and you'll know why it's in inverted commas when you watch it). It's a depressing affair really. I'm not sure what the result looks like - actually more like halfway caramelised onions, but I'm sure my friend Diva will correct me and say it's more like calamari or something. Anyway, take a minute and a half to watch the train wreck.

With a word of warning: there is some swearing so the easily offended beware, and the camera does move in odd ways so I guess if you don't like sudden movements and fast stuff then be careful (just looking out for my readers!):

Introducing: Dan Black

2009-03-10T16:05:00.005Z

Hmmm.... I must be losing my touch. It seems that I should have posted about Dan's lovely mix of electro and pop sensibility about.... two months ago? But after semi-forgetting his first single "Yours" I simply could not overlook him as soon as "Alone" came out. Firstly because "Alone" is a far superior single and more grown-up in a strange little way but also because it reminded me of how catchy and intoxicating his material was in the first place.

But alas, Dan was left to gather dust on the shelf while life took me by the reins and told me not to associate with the blog until I'd got my act together (although nothing bad happened - just a busy period). But now I'm sitting having a good blog day and I'm here to say something along the lines of: Dan Black is the next big thing, and if he's not then something has gone seriously wrong down the line.

Okay, so here's the lowdown: Dan lives in Paris and has done so for quite some time. He used to be part of a band but admits that he was the cause of their break-up, specifically that his perfectionism drove the other members to the insane asylum. So I assume that our Dan is a bit of a bedroom boffin who tweaks his controls in an attempt to get his own perect sound. And perhaps he has. Dan has mixed together some different styles, added some bass guitar and his own strangely affecting voice (okay so maybe it's more aggressive in "Yours" but its certinaly meek at points in "Alone") to create something quite magical.

Despite being undoubtedly mainstream material, there is something to his songs that screams underground and rough-around-the-edges. There is a slighty rustic feel to his approach to electro that gives it the edge over others - if Hot Chip are the polished princes of the genre, then surely Dan is like the aspirational squire. It's modern and entirely danceable. And he's just brilliant. That was the summary: I adore Dan Black.

Video to "Alone":

Interpol News

2009-03-10T15:54:00.004Z

Interpol (the NY band, not the International Police heh heh) have announced that they've began work on their fourth album - but can I say, guys, that I would like more "Antics" and less "Our Love To Admire".

Yes, "Heinrich Maneuver" was a great song, and definitely one of their most upbeat but the end of the album plodded so badly that I thought they'd musically imploded and become a walking cliche, unfortunate for a band who manage to walk the line between indie and gothic so well.

Oh I just long for an album that has more songs like "Evil", "Narc" and "Slow Hands" on it. Please please please let it be so!

New cocknbullkid Single Out Now!

2009-03-10T15:49:00.002Z

Yay! It's finally out! Officially my favourite of all of thecocknbullkid's songs is now out and available to buy on iTunes (heh, what a plug! I'm practically ordering everyone to buy it!)

But seriously, just because I'm nuts about this song in which Anita Blay falls along the same slightly feminist and spunky lines as "On My Own Again" does't mean everyone else will be. But the fact is, everyone seems to be going nuts about her! I think it's really only a matter of time before this girl goes COLOSSAL and attacks the pop world viciuosly - any other outcome would be a crime against humanity!

So without further ado, I present to you "I'm Not Sorry":

Put Forward

2009-03-05T17:07:00.002Z

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have announced that due to a leak on the net that they're going to release their third album "It's Blitz!" earlier than scheduled. In fact, it's gonna be out next week.

I'm listening to their first single on their MySpace site alongside some of their old stuff and I think that apart from Karen O's distinctive voice (which has still pretty much lost its growl), "Zero" sounds retty much like nothing they've done before. They've ditched punk rock in favour of punky electro, which can only be a good thing for me since I'm so into that sort of scene.

Anyway, it would've been niceto have let them work on it a little longer. You get the feeling that with leaks the bands sometimes feel they have to press forward too quickly, so maybe the quality control goes out of the window. Of course, I could be hideously wrong and it might turn out to be their best album yet. But it'll take a lot to beat the immediacy of their debut "Fever To Tell".

In the mean time, here's a video for the single, created on some animation software by some guy on Youtube:

For The Love Of Benji!

2009-02-17T20:01:00.002Z

Okay here's two things that are annoying me about Empire of the Sun that has absolutely nothing to do with them (they're great and I'm listening to the album on MySpace now and it's bliss - I beg you a second time to check them out)!

Numero Uno - Has anyone had the same blood curdling feeling when their parents swipe their music and you find that you've been robbed of something that you've discovered yourself? Mom's excuse - "Well I was into the Sleepy Jackson before you!" Aha, yeah, fine. They're two different bands! Just because Luke Steele happens to be in Empire of the Sun doesn't mean you have to steal them away from under my nose!

Numero Due - Oh why, oh why, oh why have I found that the album is third in the bestsellers list on iTunes? This peed me off terribly. Regular readers will probably know by now that if there's one thing I hate it's a good little band suddenly going big overnight. I bet it's great for them but at the same time I don't want loads of chavs and indie wannabes clawing at them!

(Sigh) What's a girl to do?

Youth Novels

2009-02-15T14:28:00.002Z

A few weeks back I became the owner of "Youth Novels", the first album by Swedish songstress Lykke Li. It took me a few listens to get into - when you've only heard the singles, sometimes it can be hard to warm to the album tracks. Here's why:

Lykke Li's selling point is obviously her unusually cute and childlike voice which sounds like a very talented twelve-year-old. And this is essentially what drives the whole album - many songs get by on little more than hand claps or little intrusions by a piano, particularly "Dance Dance Dance", "Time Flies" and her first single "Little Bit", and occasionally Lykke will allow herself some works with the synth jutting in to make something a little (little being the operative word) grand.

And then there's the opening track "Melodies and Desires" which was a shock for someone not used to hearing the singing of little Lykke. Her real voice, which she also uses on the short and oddly haunting - due to its fast acoustic guitar and vacuous vocals - "This Trumpet On My Head" is deeper and gives the music a little more depth.

But then, who needs depth when Lykke has composed two amazing singles that provide the most magnificent moments on the album? "I'm Good I'm Gone" is another hand-clap-and-piano combo that makes use of some vocoders and gentle drumwork to turn it into something more attention-grabbing than you might first think. But it's "Breaking It Up" with its disjointed choir and repetitive organ that ultimitely steals the show. Placed between the minimal yet somewhat disturbing "Complaint Department" and the sweet "Everybody But Me" (take note of the message in that song - follow Lykke's lead, kids!) it storms through like a piece of jag lightning over a settled ocean. It's these moments of brilliance that keep your attention well and truly going.

Of course, every good album needs a good ending. "Window Blues" sees Lykke showing a more adult side to her singing. Her vocals dip, the piano is urgent and ever so slightly out of tune (in a good way of course) and the harmonies give the perfect ending to a much more diverse and exciting album than you may first think.

Like all the female artists at the minute who, through no fault of their own, seem incapable of selling any albums at all, Lykke Li has created something entirely different to anything else on the market. This is an album that grows on you with each play, with each track developing new and interesting facets with each listen.

New Royksopp Finally Here!

2009-02-15T14:23:00.002Z

So a few weeks back I said that Swedish dance duo Royksopp were preparing their comeback - and it's here a lot earlier than I imagined! "Happy Up Here" sees the band returning slightly to their old days, and sounds a lot like "Eple" with a better beat.

Of course, any big fans of "Eple" (of which I'm not one, the best song of their debut stuff was definitely "Poor Leno") will probably think that they're ripping themselves off but it really is quite different, trust me!

Anyway, I'm looking forawrd to their 3rd album "Junior" and think it will be a slightly more upbeat affair compared to "The Understanding" - just what the doctor ordered in this rather bleak winter!

Scarlet: The Interview

2009-02-15T14:16:00.003Z

Wayhey! So I finally managed to get my interview together from the lovely Diva! It's been a while but hopefully that says to everyone that I've really thought about these questions long and HARD!

Oh, but this will probably be a loooong post so bear with me:

1. I enjoy both your blogs Scarlet. Do you find that it is easier writing for one blog than the other? What motivated you to start them and what is your ultimate goal for the blogs?

I think it’s easier writing for Jamjarsuperstar – I find I don’t have to be as motivated to write things for it. Scarlet’s Culture Garden is a bit more like a place where I can vent some anger or have a good complain – not that it’s all negative mind, you know that I’ve got some positive things about film and TV on there! Jamjarsuperstar is older and at first I didn’t know what the heck I was writing – I think one of my first posts was about the week in music and I didn’t have a clue what I was writing! It’s been pretty natural to move into the whole thing of hunting down bands, introducing them, reviewing stuff and then writing about any other musically-intriguing (or irritating) things that I find out about. I think one of the best pieces I’ve written was about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Boy” – I think it really resonated with a lot of my readers….

I don’t know what really motivated me to start SCG – I think I just wanted to write about some things that were a bit different and I think it shows me as a person more. I think my readers have learned a lot about the way I think from SCG because in a way it’s less detached compared to JJS. Hmmm… actually I don’t know why I started JJS either! Actually, my mum had a blog and suggested that I should try it so I gave it a go and thought that I’d fall off the bandwagon after a few months but I’m still going strong after a year so I must be pretty into it!

For SCG I think I just want to be able to keep writing casually. With that one I don’t feel like there’s any sort of onus on me to write a lot because it’s like the secondary blog – in reserve in case something drastic happens or I want to talk about TV, films, fashion, or whatever! If I was in domination mode I think I’d have to say that I want JJS to steadily become quite influential – I don’t think it’ll really ever happen though so I’m happy as long as I’ve got a steady stream of regular readers coming back and commenting on what I write. That’s more than satisfying for me!

2. Jamjarsuperstar is a wonderful resource for new music. I’ve twice read about a band on your site before they became popular on the radio over here - I’m thinking of MGMT in particular – so I consider you to be something of an oracle. What band do you think will blow up next? Who will we be grooving to in the near future?

Firstly, thanks for calling me an oracle – I don’t actually analyse a band and say “yeah, they’re gonna be big”, I just say that it’s good music and for some reason the stuff I pick always does well for itself! But, if you think that I’m some sort of musical prophet then I guess I can’t complain!

It’s hard to say, really. If I use my head, I’ll go for Little Boots and Florence and the Machine – I like Florence a lot because she’s like a stronger-voiced Alison Goldfrapp singing a-cappella and she’s already won the Critic’s Choice award at the Brits! I think we’ll be seeing more of her…. However, I’m not too fussed with Little Boots but the hype machine has been working so hard trying to get Victoria Hesketh to stardom that it’s bound to happen at least in the UK. Gauging what’s going to happen in the US is always a tricky one though. Trends in music change as much as they do in fashion (which by my calculation is… oh…. every 5 minutes?) so it’s hard to say with my head what’ll be big. Anything R’n’B is always huge in the States though. Too bad I’m not really into that sort of thing though! From the heart and my own personal taste I’d have to go for Magistrates, La Roux and Empire of the Sun – they’re all brilliant in my opinion!

3. Given that you’re in the UK and I’m in the US, I can’t help but think of the British invasion – some of my favourite music of all time came from that era. In your opinion, who is making better music today? British or American musicians? (List examples, if you please)

There are only really one or two British bands that can be classed as truly exciting today and even they wear their influences on their sleeves with pride. I’m thinking about Magistrates (very Prince-like), La Roux (just about anything from the 80s), White Lies (Duran Duran mixed with Editors and Interpol) and Florence (folk for the new age) are the best of the new bands. Of course, there’s people like Editors, Bat For Lashes, PJ Harvey and M.I.A. who fly the flag really well but I can name so many bands from NY alone who are ten times as exciting as anything going on here.

You’ve already said MGMT are a band that are big in the US right now, and I think they’re amazing. It’s the album as a whole that’s so captivating – the singles are okay and I love “Electric Feel” but the sweeping, sometimes disturbing nature of the album tracks are where I think they shine. “The Handshake” and “Future Reflections” are stand-outs for me.

Now I can go through my list: Asobi Seksu, Yeasayer, Interpol, Chairlift, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On the Radio…. all just from NY! Doesn’t this just show you how much better you guys are in the States? I want less indie rock here and more Africa-inspired electro like you!

4. This is the one question I know you will not want to answer, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask it…. where do you find all this great stuff? Do you work in the music industry or is it a personal passion?

NO! I don’t work in the music industry but it would be so amazing if I did! I’ll be honest – it’s hard work trying to find all of the new bands but my top tip is to get to gigs early so that you see the support bands. Quite a few of them have been a bit rubbish but then you get some real gems – when I went to see Beck, for instance, Yeasayer were supporting him so that’s how I clicked on to them.

I guess this is all just a personal passion though! I do it out of the goodness of my heart! Actually, when I started my blog I didn’t think anyone would read it so knowing that people are enjoying my little personal notes and thoughts about music is amazing!

5. You and I differ in our opinion of Kaiser Chief’s “Never Miss a Beat.” While I appreciate your critique, I can’t help be a fan of any song that contains the lyrics “What do you want for tea? I want crisps!” So, dear Scarlet, what do *you* want for tea? What’s your idea of a perfect meal? (Don’t kill me – being a food blogger, you know I had to go there!)

Hahahaha! Why didn’t you just say that you liked the song? I would’ve totally understood! I don’t mind people disagreeing with what I say – as long as you don’t JUST say that I’m talking a load of rubbish and back it up with some reasons WHY I’m talking a load of rubbish then I’m cool with it!

I’d probably say something cooked at home on the food front though – home-made spaghetti bolognese, chili or Sunday Dinner all make my mouth water. The Sunday Dinner in particular – the turkey or chicken is always just right, the stuffing balls are ultra tasty and the Yorkshire Puddings get cooked to perfection (none of that tiny crusty crap that they try to shove on to you when you’re at a pub!). That said, I used to ADORE the grilled salmon in tagliattelle pasta with vodka and tarragon sauce at this place called Barluga – until they took it off the menu!!

Thanks for interviewing me! The questions were oddly challenging – I haven’t had to think this much about myself for ages! But it was fun and you were a brilliant interviewer Diva! Ciao now!

A Belated Slice....

2009-01-24T17:29:00.002Z

Listening to Empire of the Sun right now has made me remember something - during the xmas season my blog passed its first birthday! I think this is quite an achievement actually. I wonder how many bloggers can say that they really stayed the course and didn't leave their fans for weeks and weeks without apologising and introducing them to some new and (in my humble opinion anyway) exciting music!

So Happy Birthday JJS blog! As that Birthday song in Futurama goes (with slightly altered lyrics!):

"What day is today? It's this blog's birthday! What a day for a birthday! Let's all have some cake!"

Go on, take a slice! It's delish!

Introducing: Empire of the Sun

2009-01-20T18:37:00.003Z

Today is the day that I do my first "introducing" segement of the year! Woo! Now, this is a band that I've been hearing a lot about but never really had the opporutnity to check out until now. Basically, Empire of the Sun, named after the JG Ballard novel of the same name, are Australia's answer to MGMT, producing blissed-out, chilled dance music with a semi-acoustic feel. But I mean look at these guys - instead of placing themselves in fields and wearing headbands like their American counterparts, they're dressed up like something out of a fantasy movie and are living in a futuristic city!

The first track I heard was "Walking On A Dream", which is also the title of their debut album. It is easy to say that the vocals are distinctly like those of Andy VanWyngarden, but the other elements borrow more from the likes of Air and Royksopp - in your head you know that the melody is danceable but there's this niggling feeling that maybe, just maybe, this is music to relax to rather than to move to. I know that the more I listen to them, the more I feel like I need to lie down and go into dream world instead of embracing reality.

Hmm.... there's quite a bit of good stuff coming out of Australia right now isn't there? And doesn't that guy with the bushy hair look like that guy who used to be in Wolfmother (sorry about the vagueness!)? Anyway, here's the video for "Walking On A Dream":

Quick One!

2009-01-18T14:20:00.003Z

So I saw Magistrates in the new Observer Music Mag (other music mags available!) and in my mind I went "woohoo! One of my new favourites are getting some recognition!" But then I thought - "Oh heck - does this mean that loads of other people are going to like them too?"

You all know that I freak if I think that a little band that I love are going to go mainstream - you know I all like the feeling of listening to bands that no-one else but all of you have heard of.

Plus point though: they're in the studio. Yay!

Royksopp Are Back!

2009-01-18T13:57:00.002Z

Oh joy! Can anyone believe that it's been four long years since Royksopp released their last album "The Understanding"? Well apparently they're back! They're releasing their new album "Junior" in March, which I'm so happy about I could burst!

On a personal level, "The Understanding" was one of the best dance albums for ages, even bettering Basement Jaxx's soul-infused "Kish Kash" by mixing their more upbeat moments with more understated songs like "Beautiful Day Without You" towards the end of the album. And it includes one of my favourite songs, "What Else Is There" - dreadful sounding with that woman at Glastonbury a few years bak but with the right singer it's a magical trip through despair and being lost. Hmm, I do go for the happy songs, don't I?

Anyway, I had to put the clip up - any excuse to put it up really!

The 10 Best Singles of 2008: Part 2

2009-01-12T16:09:00.004Z

Finally come round to finishing these off... so:

5. Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down

I think 80s pop was really making a comeback, and it's not set to change so sorry fo anyone who hates the revival. This was probably one of the most obvious examples of the comeback - right down to the video! It's amazing to see how far the Jets have come considering they were making much more avant-garde songs on their debut record. It must be something to do with losing the dad factor! Anyway, despite having my most hated musical instrument blaring away towards the end this was undoubtedly one of the catchiest, loveliest, most heart-warming songs of the year!

4. Camille - Money Note

The most danceable vocal performance ever? Maybe, but maybe you know better. But you've got to love her cheeky remarks against Mariah, Celine and every other pop star diva out there today. Even the video is bonkers as our Camille takes the mickey out of just about everything, from scantily clad women in videos, to ballad-style candles and odd acrobatics. And takes a hissy fit at the end when she doesn't get her own way the hula hoop. Crackers, but wonderful:

3. MGMT - Electric Feel

I'm obsessed by this song, mostly because it's so darned happy. I love the bass riffs, love the drum build up, that mystic bit at the beginning where it sets you up for a ride in the Amazon and... well, I pretty much love everything about this song. I can't explain, just like how I can't explain why the heck I can't embed the video on to my page! I'm super upset about it. I want everyone to hear this wonderful song. Just once. For me... sniff.... This version is okay-ish. But doesn't give the record justice...

2. The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful

Sassy, simple, short and seductive all at the same time. This is what The Kills do best. And this song is so evil that it had to be somewhere in my Top 3 for this year (you all know how I like evil songs!). They only needed 2 minutes to fit in all the malice they'd stored up and released it into, what is on the surface, one of their most upbeat songs to date. It's up-tempo but lying underneath there are the themes of madness, desire and money. All the ingredients for brilliance then. Besides, Alison Mossheart is like an American PJ Harvey which is always a bonus!

1. Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool

Ah! We are at the end at last! At first I thought that the Kills would run away with this title when I heard "Cheap and Cheerful" towards the start of the year but then in the summer the more delicate vocals of Ed MacFarlane, the melotron and the samba-infused beats swept me off my feet, to a place where I couldn't look back with any sincerity to say that there was a better song than this in 2008. Disagree all you like - for me, this was the sweeping electro song we all needed. While most people in the genre went for brash, in-your-face drama, the Fires were creating an altogether different kind of melodrama with this terrific, memorable and somewhat emotive second single, which also opened their brilliant debut album. Bravo!

The 10 Best Singles of 2008: Part 1

2008-12-23T13:47:00.003Z

I've decided to split this into two because between me, my ramblings and the Youtube videos that should be accompanying all of these songs, it's gonna take up a lot of room just to do 5 on each post - the top 5 singles will be displayed tomorrow, but for the time being here's the countdown from 10 to 6:

10. Hot Chip - Ready For the Floor

For their first and dominating single from their third album "Made in the Dark", Hot Chip employed one of Daft Punk's best (and sometimes worst) qualities. Repetition. And repetition that would hang around like a bad rash until you scratched it so much that you just had to go out and buy the single. That's probably what makes this song work so well - it may be more accessible and simplistic in style than "One Pure Thought" or "Shake A Fist" but at the same time it allows you to dance. Oh, and that line about "You're my number one guy" isn't a homosexual comment - as Alexis Taylor's outfit might suggest, it's a line that the Joker says to Batman (I forget which one the line's in though, sorry.... I've failed you....)
Video:

9. Neon Neon - Belfast

These guys have practically released every song on their album as a single - which is good because I get to pick my favourite song (although maybe I could've plumped for "Raquel".... ho hum...) You do get a slight shock with how fast the song starts and how aggressive it sounds at the beginning and then there's this whole gothic vibe going on in the middle where it sounds like someone's going a bit bananas with a suped-up harpsichord but Gruff Rhys' delicate vocals turn this into a dark love song to the Northern Ireland capital.
Video:

8. Friendly Fires - Paris

First entry for Friendly Fires (we'll be seeing them later, mark my words) and it happens to be their first single, originally released late last year but then re-released after the success of their second single, slightly revamped and with a shiny new video to top it all off. There couldn't have been a more aspirational song this year as Ed McFarlane lovingly sang of running away to France as soon as he brought some money home to lead a better life, watch the stars and find love. Their passion for samba is not as prominent here, but the percussion manages to give the airy, dreamy synths a slightly serrated edge. I know a song is good when it goes by in a flash despite it being nearly 4 minutes long.... this one passes at the speed of light.
Video (I've chosen the old one because the sound is better):

7. Ladyhawke - Dusk Til Dawn

Inspired by a nightmare, sang like a dream (oh God, I think these cheesy things I write are getting worse). The video showed how our heroine Pip Brown was woken in the night by strange noises only to be attacked by strange men in masks. And one with a Rubik's Cube on his head. Lovely. Why everyone keeps saying that "Paris Is Burning" is her best single, I have no idea.... The fact is, "Dusk Til Dawn" showed us that you can make a great pop song without having to make it overly long... or even three minutes long, for that matter. It had a kind of swaggering simplicity that you wouldn't find from someone who is really so shy. We love you, Pip!
Video:

6. M.I.A. - Paper Planes

She re-released it. But the only reason it didn't score higher was because someone must have told her to fool around with the sound effects on the record because now everyone is playing the "censored" version. Now, she doesn't swear but they seem to think that she does, and the power is lost with the covering up of the chorus with some weedy sound effects. But for your pleasure I've tracked down the original version complete with video! It's the only version you need - take delight in this comment on working just to pay off debt, dead-end jobs and getting pushed into crime. If anything it condemns guns and violence, and as she nicely put it in a an interview earlier this year: "the intelligent 5% will now that it's ironic". Indeed.
Video (not the awful tampered one):

The 5 To Watch For 2009!

2008-12-22T14:53:00.003Z

Wayhey! I like doing this kind of thing - listing people who've done well/ should/ will do well in the future. By the future I mean next year, and this is the list of the 5 bands and artists I'd love to see do well in 2009!

All the bands shown here are compiled by a simple system: great bands and artists who haven't released an album yet! Enjoy!

5. White Lies

Funny that a few months ago I wouldn't have even considered these guys for a list like this. Simply put, I hated their first single! It was worse than Glasvegas (sorry Glasvegas fans, no offense meant)! But then "Death" came along. And I slowly turned on to their almost Interpol-esque feel and dramatic arrangements. And then "To Lose My Life" burst around and suddenly they were all dancey and I was struck in a major artery to bleed happiness every time I heard the song. I hope they don't go back to their roots - but until they do, long may they prosper on the list!
Video for "To Lose My Life":

4. Magistrates

Went off the boil slightly in late 2008 but I can only assume they're up to something good - I hope! Their music is like a British Prince colliding with A Tribe Called Quest and back to some good old fashioned indie disco. For some reason they don't want to put up any more tracks on their MySpace (secretive so-and-sos) but I could listen to "Make This Work", "The Inbetweens" and "Colour Co-Ordination" forever amen! Not bad for a guy who used to work as a butcher in Morrisons....
Video for "Make This Work":

3. Florence and the Machine

This would be taking the tempo down a notch if it wasn't for one factor - Florence Welch's booming, omnipotent voice that makes her songs sound so much more dramatic and imposing than they really are. "Dog Days Are Over" is a burst of sunshine where you can scream along with Florence about letting go and forgetting your worries. And watching horses run along. Then we have the completely misunderstood single. "Kiss With A Fist" is not about domestic violence, no matter how much you hear about the "abuse" that happens between the two lovers. No, Florence's reactions may lead you down that route but it's not true. And she's the winner of this year's Critic's Choice award at the Brits.... Just be mesmerised.
Video for "Kiss With A Fist":

2. La Roux

Elly Jackson claims to make pop music that isn't as accessible as say, Girls Aloud. And she definitely gets there. We could well say that her blend of pop and electro is different - in fact, very different. A one-woman stab at being a more dangerous Hot Chip perhaps? Well, unlike Alexis Taylor she's got a marmite-styled voice that you'll either love or hate. And a distinctly retro form of production behind her. Oh, and don't forget the fact that she'll be terrifying twee Lily Allen fans when she tours with her early next year.... Bravo!
Video to "Quicksand":

1. Thecocknbullkid

Pop doesn't come much better than this. It can't if I'm in to it anyway. I'm not a fan of the whole pop scene right now - everyone has followed the Americans in making either R'n'B tinged ballads or Diva-tinged ballads (here's looking at you, Leona) but here is a British girl who's making sweet music with awesome hooks and simple backdrops that are so effective it's unbelievable. Okay, so I know some people who aren't impressed but... LIKE I CARE!!!! I would much rather have thecocknbullkid singing to me about her thick ex than another completely shallow attempt at sales. I don't need her to wail at a cover version of one of the dirgiest songs for ages to make me feel like pop is reborn. We need more like her. And we need the other people on this list to get their acts together and reclaim the pop banner - let's rebel against the soulless ones!
Video for "On My Own":

The New List

2008-12-21T21:32:00.003Z

Just uploaded the new playlist on live365. And here it is! Hope you like it. Not quite it alphabetical order but I did my best and failed miserably while trying to put it on the website but I hope you like the fairly christmassy feel! Here it is:

1. Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
2. Faithless - God Is A DJ
3. Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
4. Koll and the Gang - Celebration
5. Air - Cherry Blossom Girl
6. Arcade Fire - Neighbourhood 2 (Laika)
7. Basement Jaxx - Oh My Gosh
8. Bat For Lashes - Trophy
9. Beck - Milk and Honey
10. Bjork - Army of Me (Live)
11. Black Kids - Hurricane Jane
12. Cajun Dance Party - The Race
13. Camille - Money Note
14. The Clash - Rock the Casbah
15. CSS - Rat Is Dead (Rage)
16. Daft Punk - High Life
17. Editors - Lights
18. Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool
19. Goldfrapp - Twist
20. Hercules and Love Affair - You Belong
21. Hot Chip - Hold On
22. Howling Bells - Across the Avenue
23. Ida Maria - Drive Away My Heart
24. Interpol - Narc
25. Kate Bush - James And The Cold Gun
26. Kings of Leon - Fans
27. Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow
28. Ladyhawke - Manipulating Woman
29. LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum
30. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
31. Fleet Foxes - Mykanos
32. Elbow - Fallen Angel
33. MGMT - Future Reflections
34. Mystery Jets - Young Love
35. Neon Neon - Steel Your Girl
36. PJ Harvey - The Sky Lit Up
37. Roisin Murphy - Leaving the City
38. Roxy Music - Editions of You
39. Royksopp - Circuit Breaker
40. Santogold - You'll Find A Way
41. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Painted Bird
42. The Go! Team - Doing It Right
43. The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful
44. The Long Blondes - Weekend Without Makeup
45. The Raconteurs - Many Shades of Black
46. Yeasayer - 2080

Oh, and stay tuned because tomorrow I'll be counting down the five best bands to watch next year.... the first of my "End of 08" lists on JJS!!

Quickie...

2008-12-16T16:35:00.001Z

It's getting round to that time of ear when I'll be announcing my special awards to go to bands and artists that have achieved so much over the past year!

Before that though I want as many people as possible to leave a comment saying what their favourite SINGLE, ALBUM and BAND were this year - even if it's an old band who haven't released anything, if you've got a good reason then put 'em down!

I'll be interested to hear from you all before I release some xmas cheer on some very lucky bands!

Although.... as a slight teaser I think one band in particular are running away with all the accolades... Oooh, mysterious....!

"People Shouldn't Be So Scared of Asperger's"

2008-11-28T10:28:00.003Z

This week Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke, revealed that she had Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of autism. She said that she'd only been diagnosed with the condition a couple of years ago, and it sort of explains why her live shows can be so erratic.

She said: "People shouldn't be scared of it or anything. Some people don't even realise that they have it. I went through my whole life not knowing until only a few years ago, when it was just doing my head in and I had to get help.

"I only have a very mild form of it and there are some people who have it so bad that they find it too hard to even write a message to me - I love that I've been able to talk to people and be able to relate (to them) like that."

"I have real moments, quite often in soundcheck, when I just don't feel like I can perform. I don't feel like I can sing. I have these voices in my head telling me that I suck and I can't do it. There's one side of me saying suck it up and do it. And there's another side that says everybody's looking at you and they're judging you."

I think it's brilliant that she's been able to open up about it to try and raise awareness but since she's only really a little artist in comparison to what most people are into, I actually doubt how much of an impact this is going to have. While it does clear up a lot of the grey areas around Pip's performances and she makes a good point about the syndrome, not enough people will be listening. Of course I have and since I always found Pip to be a pretty nice young woman I was a bit shocked to hear that she has the condition. But then, this is exactly what she's trying to say - too many people are ignorant of the condition and don't really know what it's about. In 2004, Craig Nicholls, frontman with The Vines, was also diagnosed with the condition but yet it hasn't stopped him from getting on with life either.

Pip points out that there are many people who ave it worse than her, and I suppose if you want to see a comical version of this then you can look at Jerry in law firm comedy Boston Legal. But even he is quite cuddly and has a heart of gold.

Now if only someone like Kanye West or one of Girls Aloud would come out and say that they have the condition - that might get some more people thinking....

TV... On the Radio!

2008-11-25T19:35:00.003Z

TV On The Radio are a band that have, until now, slipped through my usually water-tight musical grip and have somehow managed to release 3 albums without even crossing my mind or me (gasp) hearing a single track.

That all changed the other week when I finally saw them live on Later... (bless that show, it can, on acassions, be quite revelatory) and lo and behold I was fairly hooked. Fairly because they only played two songs from their latest effort "Dear Science". Luckily for me the band now have their full album on their MySpace page so all I had to do was click and enjoy.

Then, by some crazy coincidence I keep seeing their video for "Golden Age" on the TV and I can't escape them. I think they're trying to tell me something. And it's been told well, since now I can't get enough of their slightly odd and kooky style of music. I can't quite contain them in one frame, as they seem to glide from genre to genre quite effortlessly but I can describe them like this - it's like what Radiohead would be like if they weren't so darned tedious and.... urrgh... (See? Radiohead must be boring since I can't think of any other words to spend on them).

I think you'll agree that there's some mysticism in there:

Introducing: The RGBs

2008-11-13T09:44:00.002Z

I have to thank the guys at Bridging the Atlantic for alerting me to this London-based band who really love a good keytar. Well, the instrument is making a bit of a comeback at the minute and I always marvel at how well everyone can play them, especially since they look like complicated bits of machinery.

Well, that's a different story. I'm really supposed to be talking about The RGBs, who are creating a big slice of fem-disco that is really not that safe if you happen to listen through all of the six tracks on their MySpace site. Little Boots is making a very broadcast-friendly name for herself but these guys will probably only ever be played on late-night obscure shows. Which, as ever, is a huge shame considering that their debut single "The Everlaster" makes singer Becky sound like Kate Bush going all electro. At least in my opinion. Actually, that's the thing that intrigues me about the band: Becky's voice. It seems to change effortlessly with each song but at the same time the music never seems disjointed as a result.

Then again, I would say that: I really hate it when there's only one style of singing or the same tune over and over again. Which brings me to the next point: tunes. I don't know what anyone else thinks but some of those wobbly disco beats and melodies are really catchy!

I can't go on forever, which is why I've found the video for "The Everlaster":

Quick News

2008-11-13T09:41:00.002Z

Asobi Seksu are releasing their third album entitled "Hush" in February next year, and guitarist James Hanna says that it will not feature as many of their thunderous, distortion-filled, seven-minute long musings. Which is a shame because it worked really well on their last album "Citrus" where they got the balance between that and the more classic three-minute-long pop tunes just right.

Well, we'll just have to see how it pans out.

Introducing: Jape

2008-11-12T15:25:00.003Z

So in my last post I said that I wouldn't use the "Introducing" tag for a band that wasn't technically new - well I've pretty much instantly screwed that up by using it here for weirdy electronica man Jape. It's actually a side project from Richie Egan, a guy from the band Redneck Manifesto. But it's a side-project with friends in high places (heh heh, see the coincidence with the picture?) as the Raconteurs covered his song "Floating" on their tour. Not bad for a guy who's often branded as the Irish Beck.

But, er, I wouldn't call him the Irish Beck really.

He's a little bit more folk-like than Beck but on recent album Ritual he's gone more electronic. That's good. I can't actually get "Graveyard" out of my head if I hear it. It must be the kind of plinky-plonky keyboards that introduce it - good funky gravestone music (erm, this is odd since Beck's video for "E-Pro" was set in a graveyard...).

I better stop talking now and just let you make up your own mind. Here's "I Was A Man":

Go With The Flo

2008-11-12T15:16:00.002Z

Not a new band, so I can't put my little "Introducing" tag in the title. However, I am becoming increasingly endeared to Florence and the Machine. While "Kiss With A Fist" was at first annoying with its slightly blues-rocky feel, I think I fell instantly in love with "Dog Days Are Over" - even if some people say that it's a bit like a Kate Nash look-a-like trying to be trendier than Kate Nash.

But come on! I think the Nash comparisons are a bit harsh for Florence Welch: after all, she's her own woman and doesn't look like a little cockney girl in a tea dress. Actually, she's like the rough and ready version of Alison Goldfrapp, as demonstrated by her video for "Dog Days Are Over" (careful if you don't like clowns):

See what I mean? She doesn't sound all weak and girly, and is actually singing people! What kind of a phenomena is that? Someone in this day in age who doesn't shout/talky sing? Great!

Neon Neon Review

2008-11-12T15:15:00.000Z

The Sage Gateshead
7th November 2008

Producer Boom Pip and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys created Neon Neon last year with a goal in mind – to create an album that celebrated the lives, wives and death of car designer John DeLorean. “Stainless Style” ended up being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and with good reason; the album mixed various genres together to create a brilliant collection that has to be one of the albums of the year.
But when they came to the Sage, I didn’t really know what to expect: just a standard show with some flashing lights or something much, much grander?
The group had taken the time to create a series of short films to accompany the music, starting with a look at the manufacturing of DeLorean’s vehicles during “Dream Cars” and moving on to a choppy movie examining the films of actress Raquel Welch while playing an extended version of their single “Raquel”. The mystic voice of DeLorean spoke from beyond the grave to address the band through this time, asking “how did you get inside my head?” after they finished a typically bouncy version of “I Told Her On Alderaan”.
The group were then joined onstage by Har Mar Superstar during “Trick For Treat” and then by their support band, rappers Yo Majesty, for “Sweat Shop” – both sending the temperature to boiling point. They started their encore with the slightly demure “Steel Your Girl” but then ended with a spiced up and feverish extended rendition of “Stainless Style”, marking the death of DeLorean.
This was no ordinary gig – it’s not everyday that you see a band putting in so much effort to try and make the night a special occasion but Neon Neon managed it without looking as if they were trying too hard to impress. It might have been a touch too short but it was spectacular while it lasted.

Introducing: School Of Seven Bells

2008-11-02T10:45:00.003Z

Today seems like the day when all the bells are ringing: first Howling Bells now School of Seven Bells - yet another wonderful Brooklyn band, would you believe? There seems to be a good thread of bands from there thinking along similar lines: if you examine Chairlift, MGMT, Yeasayer and these guys hard enough you'll notice that while they are obviously influenced in some by psychedelia, and have a distinctly dreamy quality to them.

Formed by former Secret Machines guitarist and vocalist Ben Curtis, he recruited Alejandra and Claudia Deheza to sing for him together so that they created harmonies and then branched off in different vocal ways at certain parts in certain songs. They've just released their first proper single (there have actually been quite a few demo EPs), "Half Asleep". As the title suggests it's a typically dream-pop inspired piece of electronica punctuated by some fuzzy background guitar work and some rather spaced out vocals, different to the singing on some of their other songs.

Other songs like "Prince of Peace", which is probably my favourite song right now (can someone please tell me where I can download this!?) - this is quite Yeasayer like, it has a rather eastern quality to it almost completely driven by the girls' vocals as they chant and power away through admittedly repetitive but ultimately lovable lines that put you in some sort of trance.

Everything is distinctly light and airy about this band but with some slightly darker undertones lurking somewhere beneath the fuzz - I would say that if you like any of the bands mentioned above, and enjoy people like Royksopp then you're probable on to a winner here. The debut album is supposedly out.... tomorrow!! But I've had bad luck with release dates before (curse you, Chairlift!) so keep checking. Until then... well I can't find a proper video so I'll just have to leave the MySpace URL. Enjoy:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=82880408

The Wonder of Arrogance... Or Maybe Not

2008-11-02T10:18:00.002Z

Last night I read the extended interview and article about Razorlight in Q Magazine (which is the first time I've bought it, I've been reading it for three days and still haven't quite gotten to Martin Scorsese yet!) and I still think that Johnny Borrell comes across as a bit of an arrogant little so-and-so.

I've heard more new tracks on various programmes here and there and yes, locking yourself away in a little Scottish cottage obviously works as does breaking up with a Hollywood star* (still think it was an odd couple though) - and here's the thing, he hasn't changed a bit.

Okay maybe appearance-wise he's no longer wearing those awful white spray-ons and he's got an earring but big whoop hey? Fact is, Borrell comes across as more accepting of other bands (Keane, for instance, but I would have forgiven him if he wasn't accepting of them) but still thinks that Razorlight is the best band in the world today.

It got me thinking though that maybe you need a touch of arrogance to make it in the music world? Correct me if I'm wrong but quite a few popular bands and artists have made their name through being somewhat arrogant. Sometimes being too shy and reserved can backfire on you, hence Ladyhawke's live shows in which she can't bear to even look at the audience and sings in a super-fragile manner (actually, add Cat Power to that mix as well although maybe it was the drink and drugs with her).

Hmmm.... the whole point of this post I suppose was to make you think whether or not his arrogance is a hindrance to his band or not - if I'm painfully honest I have to say that surely it isn't! People like presence and personality on stage as well as off it. Whether you like it or not Borrell has a large stock of the stuff.

What the Bells? They're Finally Back!

2008-11-02T10:06:00.003Z

It's been nearly three years but Howling Bells are finally releasing some new material and I say... about time! I've been waiting for the follow up to their extaordinarily beautiful and different 2006 self-titled debut for absolutely ages!

They plonked "Cities Burning Down" on their MySpace site ages ago, but have only just come round to releasing a proper single in the form of "Into the Chaos". When I first heard the song my immediate reaction was that they seem to have gone a little bit more "standard rock" (I think you know what I mean) but then when the chorus kicked in I was pleased to hear that Joel Stein hasn't given up his wonderful style of guitar playing. It still contains all the sweeping magic that it did on wondeful songs like "Setting Sun" - and his sister Juanita's voice hasn't lost its slightly breathy and flexible sound either.

Well from what I can gather the new album will be called "Radio Wars" (correct me if I'm wrong but can't seem to get any other information) and I managed to pick up a video for "Into the Choas", albeit a live segment so I've teamed it up with the vid for one of my favourite Bells' songs "Low Happening". Enjoy!

Did You Catch This?

2008-10-26T19:16:00.001Z

So... did you manage to catch thecocknbullkid on Later the other night? No? Not matter, here's a video anyway:

Feeder Review

2008-10-24T10:22:00.000+01:00

Newcastle Carling Academy
Thursday 23rd October

With many influential rock stars having milestone birthdays this year, few people actually remembered that Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas turned 40 – not that getting older has stopped his band from thrashing out an exhilarating set to a packed-to-capacity crowd.
The stage was packed with blinding lights and flashing displays that would accompany the band through their packed set and add to the wonderful atmosphere.
There was hardly time to take a breather between each song, tracks coming harder and faster than the last. Starting with their latest single “We Are The People” from their latest album “Silent Cry”, from which they performed many songs, the Welsh band stormed through all their hits including “Just The Way I’m Feeling”, “Come Back Around” and “Feeling A Moment”.
By the time the band played the first chords of “Buck Rogers” the crowd was going wild; one of their most famous songs really got the temperature cranked up to boiling point. During another song Grant encouraged the audience to sing a rendition of “All My Life” by Foo Fighters and declared the attempt to be the best of the tour so far – pretty impressive considering that I struggled to remember all of the words!
In their encore they played “Seven Days In The Sun” from their 2001 album “Echo Park” and then the crowd exploded again when they finished with “Just A Day”, perhaps their most successful sing-along moment.
So what if they getting “old”? Feeder can still put together a wonderfully fun experience that leaves you with ringing ears and temporarily blind – who says that you can’t rock over a certain age?

Introducing: La Roux

2008-10-21T17:24:00.005+01:00

This is La Roux, a synth-pop star in the making I think. In the latest edition of the Observer Music Magazine Brighton-based postrel Little Boots said that the only people carrying on the tradition of quirky and eccentric British pop were Hot Chip - well if all goes well then our friend La Roux will be able to join them.

Her real name is Elly Jackson, she's based in London and writes odd songs that don't have a clean-cut meaning with fuzzy vocals and brilliant synth hooks - far better than some of the other pretenders we have out there at the minute! An added bonus to all this? Unlike a lot of female artists coming from London lately (I'm looking at you Adele, Kate Nash, Lily Allen etc.) she's not singing in a horrible cockney accents. And she can bend her voice really well, willing it to stretch it to its limits, a bit like Camille singing that bit on "Money Note" when she takes the mick out of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion's faint weak voices then bursts into harmonic screaming, only more British! What a breath of fresh air...

Yep, it really is that good - at the minute she only has just over 2000 friends on MySpace which is nothing so maybe I've picked up on something good here. There's only a minute and a half worth of her single "Quicksand" but it's all you need to get hooked. Then again you can listen to "Reflections Are Protection" and a new mix of "In It For The Kill" in full which is a blessing! It's really a one for people who like singing and not talking, Hot Chip's odd take on electro and a good dollop of eccentricity!

Check out that page anyway, I'll leave the link right... here: http://www.myspace.com/larouxuk

Oh. My. God - This Is Terrible!!

2008-10-21T16:26:00.003+01:00

Well I've just learned that the Long Blondes have officially split up! What a shame, I really enjoyed both of their albums, even the supposedly "dodgy" second album. The reason behind this was because their guitarist Dorian (the one in the red shirt) had a stroke in June and they didn't want to put any pressure on him.

He seems very young to be having a stroke so my heart goes out to him since I bet it was a real shock, and hope you recover soon Dorian!

In the meantime singer Kate Jackson says that she's still writing songs and getting around to writing music for the first time since they broke up. She's thinking about pursuing a new solo career, which should be interesting. I hope it still keeps all the little quirky, Blondie-esque elements of the Long Blondes.

*Sigh* what's a girl to do? I must have cursed them in June when I said that they had no reason to split despite receiving some suspect reviews from some people who probably just thought they were a joke band - fact was, they didn't really sound like anything else out there at the time! When they released "Someone to Drive You Home" in 2006 it was a breath of fresh air from lad-rock and the limited musical scope that it had - at least they were airy and light-hearted with their songs.

Hmm... good luck with everything. I will still have a wonderfully warm and fuzzy feeling when I listen to what you produced in two short years.

Grade E: This Blog Is Rated Excellent

2008-10-19T12:17:00.005+01:00

... by Diva! This is perhaps the only time when an E grade is rated as being great, so I might print this off and show it to people if and when (heh heh) I screw up a bit. Hmm... stickers to paste on work....

And apparently I rock. Nice!

Anyway enough of those ramblings! I need to nominate some people to give this lurvely award to:

Rozella
Brett
Noelia
Popin
Laurie

So there we have it. I've only just got back and I'm already getting awards... Sniff... I feel so privileged.

Thank God For the Fires!

2008-10-19T10:14:00.002+01:00

Did anyone actually catch the triumphant performance by Friendly Fires on Later... the other night? For those of you not in the UK I probably should take a little time to explain that Later... is a show that brings together lots of bands and artists and has them perform different songs together in one room (significantly smaller room than it used to be).

So in what was an absolutely dire show (sorry fans of anyone else on the show), Friendly Fires really brought some much needed life to proceedings. And what a breath of fresh air it was! Even though they only performed their singles it was still nowhere near as plodding and genuinely boring than the other acts - in fact it was about as far removed as possible from it!

So here's just a little reminder of why we all love the Fires, the video for "Jump In The Pool":

The Late Edition: Ladyhawke

2008-10-19T09:49:00.003+01:00

Sending yourself back while keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground? It's what this girl does for a living

Hmmm, so I guess you could say that since this post comes about 3 weeks too late since that's when I actually got the album through the mail that I haven't been doing my job properly! Still, you could also say that it's given me time to fully appreciate the full length and breadth of the album and not just give a general overview.

But then I don't want to blab on forever (which is possible, believe me, but I really don't want to!)

Ladyhawke's album has a wide range of lyrics on it the more you listen to them. Sometimes you think she's just going to stick to the subject of love like on "Back of the Van" - who cares if it was written about a woman anyway!? - but then she veers on to the subject of bad dreams on "Dusk Till Dawn", and drinking and dancing the night away in everyone's favourite European captial on "Paris Is Burning".

Okay, maybe not as wide as some people might like but hey! This album is really about the atmosphere created on it. As my little opening paragraph suggests, she draws on great influence from her 80s icons but while you can hear this there's still an element of bringing this kind of pop right back into modern day. This is most evident when the album progresses into the second half and songs like "Paris Is Burning" and "Professional Suicide" (a great little malicious song attacking people who make comebacks decades after splitting, thus "you had a hit in '89/too bad we don't all age as good as wine"). The retro elements are there in abundance on tracks like "Another Runaway", "Love Don't Live Here" and brilliant "Better Than Sunday" but sometimes the best songs are the ones that give a nice blend between the two...

So step up "Manipulating Woman", probably the best song on the whole album. Can we all really relate to the story of a girl spreading rumours and breaking up friends for her own gain and enjoyment? Possibly yes, which is why I like the song. I think Ladyhawke gets her revenge in this song, singing "you must be used to the pain" as if she's stabbed this woman in the back with a sharp pencil. This particular song has obvious retro elements with the synths in the background but then the guitars and drums sound pretty up-to-date and so you get this wonderful mish-mash of old and new. A bit like the soundtrack to the clothes we're all supposed to wearing now. This version is a re-recording of the one she's had on her MySpace for ages now, and the first time I listened to it the dynamic difference and added malice blew me away. The extra time in the studio really paid off!

Poor Pip Brown probably won't get anywhere fast in the music biz right now - we're too bogged down in rubbishy American "starlets" to even give the slightest nod of recognition to this shy New Zealand girl. It's a real shame, but then the people at Modular Records should have a firm pat on the back for making sure that her album has at least seen the light of day. It's a real gem.

Shameful?

2008-10-12T13:43:00.004+01:00

I feel a bit weird saying this considering that I don't really like this band at all. Just see if you know who I'm talking about before I go any further:

1.) The lead singer was once a member of The Libertines
2.) The drummer released a thirteen-minute album of little ditties for charity
3.) I'm pretty sure they've headlined Glastonbury or T in the Park (maybe both, but a couple of yars back now)
4.) The lead singer was (I'm pushing this now) dating Kirsten Dunst

and... here's the one that'll give it away for most people

5.) Their biggest hit was with a song called "America"

Yep, congrats if you got it within a couple of clues, kudos if you got it at all. But Razorlight's new song is growing on me steadily. All of their songs are watered down mush really but I was compelled by "Wire to Wire" - it's a little bit different for them I suppose but not in the scary way that Keane (shudder) have gone all nu-rave on us.

Edit 19th October - Whey-hey! I've found a place where I can get the embed URL for the Youtube video! Enjoy!!

Just Some Daft Fun

2008-10-02T17:18:00.004+01:00

Actually I've nicked this idea from someone else, not that it matters! We've all probably heard of Brooklyn band MGMT (shame on you if you haven't long-time readers!) but what do these crazy initials stand for?

Now yes, I know that it's an abbreviation of Management but what I want is words to go with the initials. Here's my sensible one:

Moonshine Goes Musical Terrifically

And a not so sensible one (don't ask where I got this from):

My Greatly Misunderstood Turtle

But what does MGMT really stand for? Place your comments and make me laugh, or go serious! It's just a bit of Thursday Fun!

I Did Get Round To It Eventually

2008-09-25T18:27:00.002+01:00

Yes, it's been a while but I've finally updated my playlist on the radio station and here it is in alphabetical order (well I've turned on the randomizer so I've got no idea what's coming next!):

1. Asobi Seksu - Strawberries
2. Basement Jaxx - Cish Cash (featuring Siouxsie Sioux)
3. Bat For Lashes - Sarah
4. Beck - Tropicalia
5. Bjork - There's More To Life Than This
6. Black Kids - Hit The Heartbreaks
7. Cajun Dance Party - Amylase
8. Camille - Gospel With No Lord
9. Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
10. CSS - How I Became Paranoid
11. Daft Punk - High Life
12. Earlies - Morning Wonder
13. Editors - The Racing Rats
14. Faithless - God Is A DJ
15. Feeder - Seven Days In The Sun
16. Goldfrapp - Cologne Cerrone Houdini
17. Hercules and Love Affair - Time Will
18. Hot Chip - Shake A Fist
19. Howling Bells - Velvet Girl
20. Ida Maria - Stella
21. Imogen Heap - Whatever
22. Interpol - Obstacle 1
23. Kate Bush - Hammer Horror
24. Kings of Leon - Charmer
25. Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet
26. LCD Soundsystem - Time To Get Away
27. M.I.A. - Amazon
28. Manic Street Preachers - Empty Souls
29. Metric - Empty
30. MGMT - Kids
31. Muse - Plug In Baby
32. Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down
33. Neon Neon - Belfast
34. PJ Harvey - Good Fortune
35. Rilo Kiley - Close Call
36. Roisin Murphy - If We're In Love
37. Santogold - You'll Find A Way
38. Siouxsie and the Banshees - She's A Carnival
39. Sons and Daughters - Split Lips
40. Super Furry Animals - Slow Life
41. Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha Man
42. The Go! Team - Doing It Right
43. The Kills - What New York Used To Be
44. The Long Blondes - Century
45. The Raconteurs - Attention
46. The Sugarcubes - Traitor
47. Yeasayer - Sunrise

How To Keep Warm In The Winter: Depeche Mode Style!

2008-09-24T16:57:00.002+01:00

I know when I must be starting to feel the effects of dark nights and cold days around September and October because I instantly reach for Depeche Mode's "Ultra". I'm much more of a fan of "Ultra" than any of their other works, which includes the highly praised "Violator" (i.e. the one with "Personal Jesus" on it).

I've done this for a couple of years now, so I'm starting to wonder why it's such a good winter album. Strangely enough, despite the dark undertones there's a sort of coziness and warmth about the album as a whole. Okay, there are some pretty rock moments in "Barrel Of A Gun" and "Sister of Night" among others but then there's other songs that only feel right if you play them at night. I know this sounds weird but "The Bottom Line" in particular makes me think I'm a cat stalking through some dark alley - the fur is soothing! Of course it could just be Dave Gahan's sumptuous voice.

Well, whatever it is I'm sure I won't be getting through the winter without this album. It's like a cure for cold...

Friendly Fires

2008-09-24T15:53:00.004+01:00

What do you get when you cross British electro-pop with some good old fashioned Brazilian samba? A wonderfully eclectic debut

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the appeal of Friendly Fires, a three piece band from St. Albans who are effectively saving the UK from another year of washed-up UK indie-rock. While indie-rock seems to be the genre du jour, electro-pop and all its associated sub-genres are creating an underground storm far more exciting than your Courteeners, Oasises and Glasvegases (yeah okay I know this is really bad grammar!) There's a reason why I'm buying mainly American this year - luckily this band have saved me from saying that I've only actually bought three albums from British acts this year! Now it's four.

"Paris" was featured last year of a taster of things to come from this little band and provided a glittering saving grace from the brash nu-rave that dominated the new music scene. While Klaxons et al were pushing a form of electro that was incredibly in-your-face, "Paris" was a sparkly, dreamy piece of electronica that could be enjoyed by anyone.

So to my despair they dropped off the radar, I thought into obscurity. Then they come back with the equally dreamy and very percussive "Jump In The Pool" which glides along magically as the first track on this album - the soaring vocals at the beginning of the song transport you to a magical world. "Lovesick" is a soulful, totally danceable track where Ed McFarlane's voice morphs so much you can hardly tell that it's the same man singing! There are moments of pure pop heaven as "Photobooth" and "In The Hospital" play and although these are both what you may term as "safe" songs they also show that Friendly Fires are willing to try different things and aren't glued entirely to one style of playing.

"Skeleton Boy" is almost childish in its persona but then it grows up in the chorus, then we have "On Board" which is daft but likeable - it's a bit like listening to Daft Punk in their least repetitive faze when they actually put together a "traditional" song (that'd be on "Discovery"). The most rock moment comes from "White Diamonds" which has a swagger all of its own.

I don't really know what's happened to the UK scene this year - it was all looking up in 2007 but now we've fallen off the bandwagon and gone back to the dirge of a few years ago. Once again America (and in particular New York) is leading the field for inventive and distinctly cool music but at least Friendly Fires are putting up a very respectable battle to save our face. Good on them!!

Another Award! Seven To Give Away...

2008-09-23T16:42:00.003+01:00

I got an award from Brett, thank you very much, as with all awards there are certain rules to follow:

1. Link to the giver

2. Nominate up to seven other fab blogs and link to them

3. Leave messages announcing their rise to greatness.note - You may have been given this already, so that means you are a GREAT blogger

I would like to award this to the following fellow bloggers who are my daily reads no matter what, and cheer me up on a daily basis,

Braindead

2008-09-21T13:58:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to the Kaiser Chiefs who have released what is not only their worst tune but also the most irresponsible piece of music they've ever written!

So for those who've been living under a rock and have escaped being exposed to "Never Miss A Beat", you can count your lucky stars that you haven't heard the following lines:

1.) "Why didn't you go to school/I didn't want to"
2.) "It's cool to know nothing"
3.) "What do you want for tea/I want crisps"

I presume that the Kaisers were thinking of releasing this song as a bit of a satire against the increasing problem of laziness and "something for nothing" in society today. However this bitter irony will probably be lost on many of the people who listen to and enjoy the Kaisers' music, which is where the problem starts.

In the states people started accusing M.I.A. of glorifying guns and violence in her music (particularly "Paper Planes"). Maya sensibly replied: "The intelligent 5% of the nation will probably work out that it's irony and it'll get lost on the rest." I doubt the Kaisers will fall into the same trap because of who they are and what they've, ahem, achieved.

However, it is clearly irresponsible for such a mainstream band to seemingly "back" the actions in their lyrics, even if it is tinged with irony or satire. In discussing this point with friends, they also acknowledged that younger people might listen to the song and start a mini-rebellion against learning. We can't have that now, can we?

I've written a couple of pretty angry posts this week haven't I? Maybe I'll get back to happier posts next week. I'm hoping to grab my hands on Ladyhawke and Friendly Fires and possibly if I have enough left in my budget the old Raconteurs album too - for now I'm letting my anger melt away.

Four Times Meme

2008-09-21T13:47:00.004+01:00

So thanks to Rozella for having faith in me that I'll actually complete this meme!

So...

Instructions: What you are supposed to do...and please don't spoil the fun...Copy/paste, type in your answers and tag four people in your lists! Don't forget to change my answers to the questions with that of your own.

(A) Four places I go over and over: Office, home, H&M and er, various supermarkets

(B) Four people who e-mail me regularly: I really don't get spam (luckily) but just people from work...

(C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Home, Thai, Indian and anywhere that I deem to serve good food!

(D) Four places you'd rather be: On holiday, on holiday, on holiday and er, on holiday

(E) Four TV shows I could watch over and over: Dexter, The West Wing, The Simpsons and Futurama (wow, what a contrast!)

(F) Four people I think will respond: Babooshka, Tara, Brett and Noelia

Have fun peeps!

Gleeful Quick Post

2008-09-17T17:03:00.000+01:00

How silly is this? Last week I was in a semi-conversation with Mark Beaumont aka The Raving Reporter from the NME, discussing the apparent role of Jon McClure aka The Rev of Reverend and the Makers (now of Mongrel. Don't ask).

So basically it was about politicising songs, and I said that if the songs became too political then it would either alienate the fans and they would stop caring because they wouldn't understand OR there would be a mass cheering of "play Heavyweight Champion!!"

He conceded defeat in his next post - he admitted that there needed to be a balance between the two in order to maintain a steady fanbase that keep the more popularist followers.

Scarlet 1, Mark 0!!

Free-Range Voices

2008-09-16T16:21:00.004+01:00

And at the minute they're not going to come too much more free-range than this - Wild Beasts are from Leeds via Kendal in The Lake District and Hayden, the real frontman of this four-piece set-up, has a falsetto voice that's just like Marmite. So basically, you're either going to love it or hate it. Luckily for those of you who are going to fall into the latter category, I imagine you'd be more tuned into Tom and Bert's voices who are described as tenor and baritone respectively.

Well there's one word that you can't apply to this lot: that's boring. Since I've been plugged into America for so long lately and am under the stupid influence that The Lake District is a place where folk music is born and raised, I was surprised when I listened to their songs a few times and was gradually turned on to the melodic harmonies and general weirdness of the lot. "Limbo Panto" is supposedly out now, and here's the video for the very Marmite "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants":

Wild Beasts - Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairevoyant

U R So Shallow

2008-09-14T19:11:00.004+01:00

Why so shocked Katy Perry? Surprised that someone is actually angry that you've realised possibly the most a.) annoying, b.) degrading and c.) infuriating songs of recent years?

Well here I am! Ready to say that "I Kissed A Girl" is possibly the most pre-packaged, vile piece of garbage the music world has known for a while (and that's discrediting some of the reality show stars and, gasp, Miley Cyrus!)

Allow me to explain: Here is the daughter of very strict protestant parents (I think her dad was a vicar or something) who used to sing nice little gospel songs. Someone obviously found her and thought that she'd be a great "rebel" and threw a homophobic song in "U R So Gay" at her. Then America is thrashed with "I Kissed A Girl".

Here's where the vile part comes in: forget all the stories about female "experimentation" and start to thinking about it this way - the song is pandering to the sick fantasies of idiotic men who have wild sex fantasies about, yeah, two women. And I'm not going any further than that. So really the record companies are on to a winner. In the one corner we have a bunch of sicko men who lust over the idea of their girlfriends going around snogging other women and in the other we have impressionable teen girls (and, perhaps most unfortunately, tween girls) who think that it's okay to be lured into this highly sexual world - often too much, too young.

Luckily most of my friends hate "I Kissed A Girl" with a vengeance - but none of them actually stop to think about the almost brainwashing effects that it could have on impressionables. It's obviously a song that's made millions worldwide but at what cost?

Finally, can we please have some sympathy for some great bands and female singer/songwriters who are today struggling to even get the slightest foothold on the chart ladder - that includes my lady of the moment Ladyhawke who releases her debut next week. I am in no doubt that it will not sell nearly as well as I'd like it to, but in an ideal world her warm and uplifting pop would be up there with the best. If you want R'n'B, what's wrong with M.I.A? She's still infuriatingly underground, completely eclipsed by Perry and other so-called "stars".

Be ashamed Perry - you're not only a brainwasher but you're also keeping truly talented people from getting anywhere in this industry!

Congratulations Elbow!

2008-09-11T10:13:00.003+01:00

So to everyone's surprise, Elbow won the MercuryMusic Prize this year for The Seldom Seen Kid. It came as a slight shock to me because even though they write good music and on that level they are deserving winners, the prize is meant to be about innovation and breaking boundaries - something the band have kind of failed to do with their album.

But still... Kudos to you Elbow, hopefully this makes up for when you lost to PJ Harvey in 2001!

Returning To Musical Heaven

2008-09-09T17:19:00.004+01:00

I imagine that if I lived in New York I'd be spoilt for choice band-wise - I already have too many lurvely bands to talk about from there, in particular Brooklyn which is firing forth so many brilliant bands and solo artistes that I'm suffering from a massive overload.

Come forward our latest discovery, whose MySpace site boasts the supreme support of psych-pop golden boys MGMT and Yeasayer - we're talking here about shapeshifting three-piece Chairlift who're getting around to releasing their debut album here in the UK. Soonish.

Well their signature tune is "Planet Health" - it's about a made-up world where the food pyramid is a church and health advice must be given as law. Slightly freaky but it's such a gorgeous song that you're sucked into its charms no matter what. But really, who wouldn't want to live on a planet where disease doesn't exist and people actually care about what they're stuffing into their bodies? The song has a slightly far-eastern feel to it, which stays with the theme that the world really is getting smaller (as proven before by Yeasayer, remember that?). But see what you think for yourself:

Ack, and I'm really sorry about the whole text bunching up thing that keeps happening at the moment! I can't get it to stop!

Houston, There Is No Problem

2008-09-08T18:40:00.001+01:00

For the masses who choose to read SCG instead of JJS:

Scarlet's Culture Garden is now officially re-opened for business! Come back to me after a long break I have finally written! And how good does it feel?

Mercury Round-Up

2008-09-08T17:17:00.002+01:00

Feeling guilty is horrible - I promised to give a full round-up of all the Mercury nominees before the prize was announced. It's being done tomorrow. And I still haven't discussed British Sea Power, Estelle and Burial. So quickly, here's the mini-roundup of these peeps.

BSP - Maybe "Waving Flags" and "No Lucifer" should win it for them. "Do You Like Rock Music" has been touted as being absolutely brilliant, but if I'm honest (and it's not really that easy to say this) I don't think they have a brilliant chance of winning at all. 'Tis a shame.

Estelle - Oh gosh, where to start? Well I think I'll start by saying... WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? Every year there seems to be someone on the list who should have been left off altogether and this year I'm saying that Estelle should be written off. I don't mind different styles of music winning the prize and I have nothing at all against R'n'B - when it's done well. Sorry, but I have no kind words. However, M People managed to shockingly win one year so perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to see why she's in with a shout.

Burial - The outright favourite. By far. Even beating Radiohead and Last Shadow Puppets. I think perhaps this is the true winner - the style never faulters, there's no ego and until recently the guy was completely anonymous, a bit like a Dubstep version of Banksy or something! Unless of course we have a screw-up like last year when (with all due respect) Bat For Lashes was robbed by Klaxons, and the year before Richard Hawley was robbed by Arctic Monkeys, we're staring at the winner right here.

So there. Stand-by for the winner to be announced. Reaction wil hopefully come on Wednesday...

And We Have Relaunch...

2008-09-08T16:32:00.003+01:00

By which I mean that I've been very very bad and neglected the blog for what seems like ages! I must now say that if I seem to have gone AWOL from my blog desk, I must be very busy and bogged down with a whole load of work.

Now for the fun part: here's a little electro number that's pretty, well, catchy, and with (whisper it quietly) a guitar! Yes, it doesn't stop with Hot Chip's "One Pure Thought" because now Metronomy have used everyone's instumental weapon of choice to give me a wake up call.

Now these guys have been around for a good while now, but to be honest it wasn't until I was blasted out of bed with this riff (or rather blasted into the waking world while trying to pick out some clothes to wear - because of course there's nothing in my wardrobe I don't think) and suddenly I've done nothing but think and ever so lightly hum this tune ever since. I don't like particularly everything about the song - personally I think his vocals are a little iffy. Still, see what you think of "Heartbreaker":

Shoot Me - We're Friends

2008-09-04T10:02:00.003+01:00

So here's three things you should know about Friendly Fires:

1.) They all seem to be called Ed in an almost comical Ed, Edd and Eddy kind of way
2.) They're inspired by both samba and electronic
3.) You'll follow their orders when they tell you to "Jump In The Pool"

Although actually it was their debut single "Paris" that drew me into them when I heard it last year. And then I all but forgot about them, thinking stupidly that they'd died the death before I was turned back on when I heard "Jump In The Pool". "Paris" is a simple little song but very catchy although I'll let you decide for yourselves:

Hee hee I'm just loving the Youtube inbed function...

Temporary Loss of Transmission

2008-08-29T14:37:00.002+01:00

So I know I haven't blogged in a little while anyway but for the next week I won't be around because my PC is being dismantled! I might be able to do a little post here and there courtesy of Jerry but don't expect anything major.

Just thought I'd say in case some of you thought I was gone forever...

xx

Reading And Leeds: By Far The Best Quote

2008-08-26T12:16:00.003+01:00

Says grime artist Wiley when quizzed about why he had donned white trainers instead of wellies:

"Someone needs to pimp my wellies, man."

I thinked we'd all love a pair of seriously pimped wellies anyday. Has anyone got the glitter?

A Date For My Diary At Least

2008-08-26T11:42:00.002+01:00

Ah, so I've just learnt that Ladyhawke's debut album will be coming out on 22nd September! I don't know about anyone else but I can't wait - she deserves to be more well known. Her music is, shall we say, slightly retro but with modern twists, not cheesy in any way and although some of it is quite gentle (like "Back Of The Van") she doesn't fall into the trap of being terribly sentimental or insular like Adele or Leona Lewis, or heck, any of those pop divas!

Why am I comparing poor Pip to those people? Well I really can't say that she's rock and she doesn't really fall into a dance/electro category either. She's a lot more pop than people woud like to think - but then along with the Black Kids there's more substance, so it makes it okay!

I sourced this down especially for you: it's the video to her single "Paris Is Burning". Not literally, of course:

Rock Royalty

2008-08-23T11:54:00.001+01:00

You know what? I actually have a slight soft spot for Queens of the Stone Age. Yeah, they're a bit more rock than I'm used to - okay, they're much more rock than I usually go for - but ever since I heard "3s and 7s" I've been slowly warming to them. I can't get away with everything they do but I was more than happy to watch them last night (which is more than I can say for most rock bands like this).

I don't know what it is about this song but I found this footage of them performing "3s and 7s" on T4 and felt the need to put it up, considering I'm becoming a huge fan of this tune. It's something I would never imagine saying, but I have:

Magic Managed, Almost

2008-08-23T11:22:00.003+01:00

And the award for best poncho of the festival goes to... Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT for his massive red, orange and spangles number yesterday at Reading!

In all seriousness though this was a pretty good set from the Brooklyn boys, they sounded quite together even if some of the vocals were a bit rocky now and then. Theunfortunate moment came right at the end when someone thought it would be a good idea to practically turn off their keyboards so that the synths on "Kids" (the core of the song, very important) were barely audible, at least through the TV. It probably would have been an ok finale if someone had just turned them up but unfortunately everything ended up a little drowned by some virtuoso guitar playing and Andy's vocals (his voice ended up a bit muffled by the end anyway when he decided it would be a good idea to use his poncho like a bedsheet to turn into a psychedelic ghost).

Still, the rest of the songs still sounded pretty good (or at least what I saw) so maybe it was just a blip - here's some footage of them playing "Electric Feel" earlier in the year to give a taster of what they do:

P.S. I realise this isn't the best footage but it's the best I could find in a short space of time. Enjoy anyway!

Hit Me With Your Magic Stick

2008-08-22T15:17:00.002+01:00

No idea where this band is from or who it consists of, since their site has very little info apart from when they're touring and what singles they've released. What I do know is that The Magic Wands are seriously hot property, following in the slightly retro footsteps of the likes of Ladyhawke and Black Kids to create a world of fantasy, dreamy pop.

I was first attracted to them thanks to their single "Black Magic" which swaggers along with a killer riff and echoing vocals - certainly the most dangerous of all their floaty pop-rock songs. "Kiss Me Dead" is unusually joyful despite the rather dark subject matter but then I seem to pick my music in this way - you've got to bear in mind that I'm a fan of Asobi Seksu and The Sugarcubes!

This definitely isn't shoegazing rock though, it's setting out a bit of a league of its own. Distinctly less sugary than Black Kids and yet there's something quite sickly underneath it all - but not in a bad way of course. Other favourite tracks of mine include "Kaleidoscope Hearts" and "Starships". I like the distance of the vocals - sometimes it just doesn't work but here it works wonderfully. The lack of immediacy and in-your-face quality just makes everything better while other bands could suffer from not having the singers right in the mix. The overall effect is that the vocals blend lovingly into the music, so you can appreciate both on an equal level.

The production on some of the tracks on their MySpace site is a bit questionable, but hey if it gets ironed out then it could be a good prospect for the future - they're already touring with Black Kids so I see no reason why they shouldn't be big on the indie scene.

Singin' From The Balconies

2008-08-22T11:57:00.003+01:00

Canada's music scene is starting to explode a little even though people seem to know of very few bands coming from the area (hmm, ask someone and they may say Arcade Fire or Feist at a push. But little else if anything). That being said, Canada has a lot of decent bands going for it including this bunch: The Balconies.

They hail from Ontario and are made up of vocalist and guitarist Jacquie Neville (from gazillion piece orchestrated Jetplanes of Abraham), vocalist and bassist Liam Jaeger (of math-rockers For The Mathematics) and drummer Steve Neville - I'm pretty sure that's what they play from the footage I've seen.

Jaeger's distinctly math-rock sensibilities can be heard on "Elephant Lamp" while Neville's soft yet engaging vocals are more prominent on "Battle Royale". They describe their music as being a collaboration of different songwriters and styles coming together to create a dynamic sound rich in texture both vocally and musically. I'm well and truly turned on but as of yet they're unsigned. Sign them up somebody please!