No, they didn't! They weren't like the Editors were last year (er, sort of) and I'm well and truly delighted with Midnight Boom! The Kills have not disappointed me. I wasn't sure whether or not I would find any song better than Cheap and Cheerful but there are lots of gems on the entire album. Personal favourites of mine are Tape Song (brilliant build up into punk explosion), Last Day of Magic (oddly melancholic, in its fiery way) and What New York Used to Be (like an atom bomb being dropped to unleash a mushroom cloud of rock over the city).
Ooh, a very early contender for album of the year, methinks....
13 March 2008
Herculean?
Yes, I have heard the new song by Hercules and Love Affair - those disco-infused NY mixers. Well, I actually really like Blind. I'm not really an Anthony Hegarty fan but this gives him another dimension. The backing track is quite cool too - I'm quite captivated really. Something about it really hit me when I heard it at about ten to seven this morning. The only thing is, I think the brass section between verses could have been a bit more spectacular. I'll have to check them out more...
P.S. Just got Midnight Boom by the Kills through the post. So far so spectacular. Will keep you posted.
P.S. Just got Midnight Boom by the Kills through the post. So far so spectacular. Will keep you posted.
09 March 2008
Definitely Spectacular
I'm motivated to write - twice in one day is, as you know, rare for me. However, I have felt the need to write about this band for a while now and have only just come around to it, considering I've just heard their single. Again.
I have a fear to like MGMT in case they become massive but a part of me thinks that they won't because, despite the fact that they're upbeat and led quite strongly by drums (something I hadn't really noticed until I'd heard Time to Pretend for the thousandth time and realised that the drums came out very clearly) they are actually quite psychedelic in their strange, modern way. They talk about drugs too much to become well loved anyway. They went down quite well on Later with Jools Holland though, and every band that has generally becomes popular. Unfortunately. Anyway, the album Oracular Spectacular is out in the very near future, so give it a go. It might just send you to a distant planet.
I have a fear to like MGMT in case they become massive but a part of me thinks that they won't because, despite the fact that they're upbeat and led quite strongly by drums (something I hadn't really noticed until I'd heard Time to Pretend for the thousandth time and realised that the drums came out very clearly) they are actually quite psychedelic in their strange, modern way. They talk about drugs too much to become well loved anyway. They went down quite well on Later with Jools Holland though, and every band that has generally becomes popular. Unfortunately. Anyway, the album Oracular Spectacular is out in the very near future, so give it a go. It might just send you to a distant planet.
Tense... Too Tense
Here's a progression worth shouting about: anyone who has seen, heard or known of The Kills' recent work will surely realise that they are making some wonderfully dark and sexy rock music. I can safely say that their last two singles (the slightly stripped down U.R.A. Fever and the explosively catchy Cheap and Cheerful) are a magnificent triumph that has me ready to pounce at their new album Midnight Boom.
I was gripped by Hot Chip's new effort before, but this is something else. Bearing in mind the rave review I gave to Made in the Dark I will probably be bouncing off the walls to Midnight Boom - and I don't really do that very often. Of course, I'll have to see. Last year I loved the singles that Editors released from An End Has A Start (of which The Racing Rats was probably the best) but was a bit disappointed with the content of the rest of the album - it wasn't that it wasn't good but it didn't live up to my expectations. I knew they were apparently going to be dark and menacing, tackling tricky subjects and moaning about the most depressing of subjects but they could have at least made an album that had the quality of The Back Room (by which I mean that any track could have been a single).
Anyway, I realise I've gone off the subject a bit - back to The Kills. I hope NOT to be sorely disappointed with the album, which is released fairly soon (exact date? No idea!) But, I don't think I will be. I'll have to wait and see. So, as for why I've called this post Tense... Too Tense, it's because I'm anxious about this. Seriously (but you probably gathered that already).
I was gripped by Hot Chip's new effort before, but this is something else. Bearing in mind the rave review I gave to Made in the Dark I will probably be bouncing off the walls to Midnight Boom - and I don't really do that very often. Of course, I'll have to see. Last year I loved the singles that Editors released from An End Has A Start (of which The Racing Rats was probably the best) but was a bit disappointed with the content of the rest of the album - it wasn't that it wasn't good but it didn't live up to my expectations. I knew they were apparently going to be dark and menacing, tackling tricky subjects and moaning about the most depressing of subjects but they could have at least made an album that had the quality of The Back Room (by which I mean that any track could have been a single).
Anyway, I realise I've gone off the subject a bit - back to The Kills. I hope NOT to be sorely disappointed with the album, which is released fairly soon (exact date? No idea!) But, I don't think I will be. I'll have to wait and see. So, as for why I've called this post Tense... Too Tense, it's because I'm anxious about this. Seriously (but you probably gathered that already).
01 March 2008
No Growing Pains
So, I said before that the new album by Sons and Daughters was going to be good, didn't I? Well... It is! It's not as dark or dangerous compared to their last album, The Repulsion Box, but This Gift still has some really good tunes! Maybe this departure from the dark and seedy is just what the Glaswegians need. In my opinion, they're much better than counterparts Glasvegas, can write better tunes and sing better, less long-winded lyrics.
So Darling is, predictably, the best song on the album. But you could put everything else at a close second - they're all wonderful. Chains, for example, is a short song that blasts through like a stampede and lead vocalist Adele is on top form. Well, I can't really single out any particular song for praise because I pretty much love them all. Gilt Complex and Split Lips are probably two of my other favourites. But again, it's hard to believe that they're still a fairly unknown band and are being left in the dark by the likes of Glasvegas and Franz Ferdinand. However, if they keep on going like this they may just show that there's more to the Scottish indie scene if you just scratch the surface.
So Darling is, predictably, the best song on the album. But you could put everything else at a close second - they're all wonderful. Chains, for example, is a short song that blasts through like a stampede and lead vocalist Adele is on top form. Well, I can't really single out any particular song for praise because I pretty much love them all. Gilt Complex and Split Lips are probably two of my other favourites. But again, it's hard to believe that they're still a fairly unknown band and are being left in the dark by the likes of Glasvegas and Franz Ferdinand. However, if they keep on going like this they may just show that there's more to the Scottish indie scene if you just scratch the surface.
28 February 2008
Lord of the Fries
Here's the review I wrote for Hot Chip at Newcastle Student's union:
Electro is back. It’s official. With Simian Mobile Disco playing their take on the genre a few weeks ago, it was now time for Hot Chip to step up to the ring and deliver their blend of electronic rock to Newcastle.
Hot Chip’s second album, The Warning, was Mercury Music Prize nominated and earned them a well-deserved place in the hearts of fans. Tonight they were touring their third album, the acclaimed Made in the Dark. They didn’t disappoint, blowing the audience away with opener Shake a Fist after frontman Alexis Taylor had skipped on merrily wearing a yellow fox mask. The crowd was mesmerized with their live interpretations of their songs, jumping and dancing to every track played.
Other songs such as Out at the Pictures, One Pure Thought and Hold On received a great reception from the frenzied crowd, but the old classics Boy From School and Over and Over proved to be explosive catalysts, making everyone go wild. Synth player and singer Joe Goddard teased the audience before playing the most popular song of the night. People were in raptures when they sang the opening lines of hit single Ready for the Floor towards the end of the set, making everyone crying out for more when they left the stage for the first time.
During the encore, it was obvious that everyone had been whipped up into a frenzy and even through the quiet and gentle Made in the Dark they were cheering them on and encouraging them to continue through the night. All good things have to come to an end though, so when the band finally left the stage there was a feeling of disappointment that they couldn’t have played for longer.
Hot Chip well and truly blew all of their electro rivals out of the water with the clever arrangements and catchy tunes that have made them so popular. The five piece are surely top dogs when it comes to electro.
... And here's the bit I left out:
Poor Matthew Dear! I felt so sorry for him - his electronic music is more sensitive than that of Hot Chip's and it needs to be appreciated in a quiet environment. Note: quiet environment. Well, all you could hear was the chattering of rude and incredibly annoying people who just stood through the whole thing drinking and distracting me for listening to him. He's got some good tunes and is obviously passionate about what he does but the only time anyone paid any attention was when Joe Goddard joined him onstage. For the final song! To be honest, if I was in a band I wouldn't tolerate it. If I noticed someone having a little conversation I'd probably say something really sarcastic to them like, "Having a nice little conversation are you? Good, I'm just hoping you'll stop blathering on about nothing long enough to notice that I'm actually on stage right now." It's shocking. I don't know how he put up with it.
Electro is back. It’s official. With Simian Mobile Disco playing their take on the genre a few weeks ago, it was now time for Hot Chip to step up to the ring and deliver their blend of electronic rock to Newcastle.
Hot Chip’s second album, The Warning, was Mercury Music Prize nominated and earned them a well-deserved place in the hearts of fans. Tonight they were touring their third album, the acclaimed Made in the Dark. They didn’t disappoint, blowing the audience away with opener Shake a Fist after frontman Alexis Taylor had skipped on merrily wearing a yellow fox mask. The crowd was mesmerized with their live interpretations of their songs, jumping and dancing to every track played.
Other songs such as Out at the Pictures, One Pure Thought and Hold On received a great reception from the frenzied crowd, but the old classics Boy From School and Over and Over proved to be explosive catalysts, making everyone go wild. Synth player and singer Joe Goddard teased the audience before playing the most popular song of the night. People were in raptures when they sang the opening lines of hit single Ready for the Floor towards the end of the set, making everyone crying out for more when they left the stage for the first time.
During the encore, it was obvious that everyone had been whipped up into a frenzy and even through the quiet and gentle Made in the Dark they were cheering them on and encouraging them to continue through the night. All good things have to come to an end though, so when the band finally left the stage there was a feeling of disappointment that they couldn’t have played for longer.
Hot Chip well and truly blew all of their electro rivals out of the water with the clever arrangements and catchy tunes that have made them so popular. The five piece are surely top dogs when it comes to electro.
... And here's the bit I left out:
Poor Matthew Dear! I felt so sorry for him - his electronic music is more sensitive than that of Hot Chip's and it needs to be appreciated in a quiet environment. Note: quiet environment. Well, all you could hear was the chattering of rude and incredibly annoying people who just stood through the whole thing drinking and distracting me for listening to him. He's got some good tunes and is obviously passionate about what he does but the only time anyone paid any attention was when Joe Goddard joined him onstage. For the final song! To be honest, if I was in a band I wouldn't tolerate it. If I noticed someone having a little conversation I'd probably say something really sarcastic to them like, "Having a nice little conversation are you? Good, I'm just hoping you'll stop blathering on about nothing long enough to notice that I'm actually on stage right now." It's shocking. I don't know how he put up with it.
15 February 2008
Made in the Light
I haven't posted a blog for at least two weeks... maybe three. I feel very lazy for not doing so but really there hasn't been much to blog about. Until now.
I was recently given Hot Chip's Made in the Dark as a gift - and what a gift it was! It is remarkably better than both of their previous albums - Coming on Strong and Mercury Music Prize nominated The Warning - put together. It must be amazing because for the last week or so I haven't listened to anything but the joyous techno blast that fires at you from the very first song. Strangely, I don't think that Ready for the Floor is one of the best songs on the album; there are plenty of tracks here that can be considered to be singles, including the tribal beats of Shake a Fist, the noisy but well-made Touch Too Much and the incredibly upbeat Out at the Pictures. Even more mellow moments like We're Looking For a Little Love and Made in the Dark are wonderful, smooth ditties that give breathing space between the raucous electro infused tracks. One song really steals the show for me, though. One Pure Thought starts off with a lone guitar that sounds like it's being played in a cave and then moves on to an incredibly effective layering of sassy synths. Little blasts here and there from the guitar give the track a lot of power and Alexis Taylor's almost fragile voice makes the song oddly ethereal.
I can't say that this is a mixed bag at all - a lot of people are saying that it's not as good as previous efforts but maybe they're just blinded by the fact that this album is so much more ambitious than their previous ventures.
I was recently given Hot Chip's Made in the Dark as a gift - and what a gift it was! It is remarkably better than both of their previous albums - Coming on Strong and Mercury Music Prize nominated The Warning - put together. It must be amazing because for the last week or so I haven't listened to anything but the joyous techno blast that fires at you from the very first song. Strangely, I don't think that Ready for the Floor is one of the best songs on the album; there are plenty of tracks here that can be considered to be singles, including the tribal beats of Shake a Fist, the noisy but well-made Touch Too Much and the incredibly upbeat Out at the Pictures. Even more mellow moments like We're Looking For a Little Love and Made in the Dark are wonderful, smooth ditties that give breathing space between the raucous electro infused tracks. One song really steals the show for me, though. One Pure Thought starts off with a lone guitar that sounds like it's being played in a cave and then moves on to an incredibly effective layering of sassy synths. Little blasts here and there from the guitar give the track a lot of power and Alexis Taylor's almost fragile voice makes the song oddly ethereal.
I can't say that this is a mixed bag at all - a lot of people are saying that it's not as good as previous efforts but maybe they're just blinded by the fact that this album is so much more ambitious than their previous ventures.
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