Less than cooly named Mstrkrft..seriously??? its only a few letters guys...
Always making good music however since the sad demise of Death From Above 1979 they have now brought out a classic with...drum roll...John Legend. I kid you not. Always sucker for 'Just Ordinary People' its understandable in a sense as the man has some talent.
And in fairness the song works, strangely complimenting the duo's beats it caught my attention straight away and ever since has been in my playlist.
While I am on the topic of guest vocals a massive massive song at the moment is funnily enough by the normally talentless button pusher's Flithy Dukes.
Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees has his lyrics chopped up and moved around from the song 'William Powers' which features on the new album 'Wall of Arms'
It works, and really really well. No credit taken from The Original as it is my favourite song on a brilliant album. In all fairness it dosent even sound anything like the original and it would take a Maccabees fan to notice the lyrics
So...two brilliant brilliant new songs with guest vocals..
What next then?
Lady Ga Ga staring on Madonnas's new album? how ironic..
So its been a while...actually it feels more like decade since I last spoke my free mind on this wonderful blog. Summer it seems has brought about quite a few changes ranging from me actually having a job to buy and actually do things. I am in a stable relationship which seems to be going somewhere...and last but not least Man City and Real Madrid have spent about the same amount of money that it will cost me to finish university and it’s pretty obvious that they will finish in the same position next year.
However good as come musically and in the form of Bombay Bicycle Club. It seems that for some reason they have bypassed me for a long time now and it was only until they released ‘Always like This’ that they finally caught my attention. In all fairness they never seemed to have much about them, a poor mans Good Shoes if you will. However after watching them at Live at Leeds and playing their E.P’s ’ How we are’ and ‘The Boy I Used To Be’ I fell in love with Jack Steadman’s shakey vocals.
In all fairness it would be easy to say that I have loved this band since they started and try and blag that I have ‘watched them grow’ into their new sound that they have on recently released ‘I had the blues but I shook them loose’ but I haven’t and instead found out about a wonderful band at the right time. It seems critics wise they haven’t found many friends with numerous reviews slating the album and ridiculously giving it 5 out of 10 or 2 out of 5. This all comes about in a period in which the most lyrically talented artists such as Little Boots and La Roux are being rewarded with success. Give me a break please. ‘I’m gonna take you out tonight, I’m gonna make you feel alright’ she’s no Bob Dylan that’s for sure.
Album wise BBC are pretty tip top with ‘Lamplight’ and ‘Cancel on Me’ being standouts. The whole concept of the album is brilliant in a sense that no one song sounds the same. They should in all fairness be awarded for having the steel to be able to not just get a safe sound and stick with it which seems a common pattern of late.
Highlights for the summer easily come from The Maccabees, Passion Pit and Animal Collective with a sneaky little number from the Virgins(only one song mind) in the form of ‘Love is Colder Than Death’ at least they have musical talent for 5 minutes.
Next Goal Wins will be vacating our not so sunny shores in a few weeks to visit the Rhineland and maybe catch Hasselhoff on the Berlin Wall...or not. So expect tales a plenty as well as some fabulous holiday snaps. Nathanial Day-Lewis (Thanks Andy)
After the huge success of last years Stag and Dagger Festival in London it returns once again boasting a fresh and talented line-up as well as two new cities. Stag and Dagger will now stake its claim in Leeds and Glasgow as well as the Big Smoke.
The festival last year was the first of its kind “the first one-ticket-gives-access-to-all music event” will be no different. The bands this year are also some of my favourites. Cold War Kids are intense live and you would foolish not to expect and emotional show. Texan Hipsters White Denim will also be there with a ferocious return. The line-up also boasts up and coming talent such as Delphic, Michachu and Dananananakroyd.
Tickets are priced at a tidy £15 and are available from the website http://www.staganddagger.com/ so be sure to snap them up before they all go.
My friend Calvin posted me a link for the new Maccabees album...
now I wouldn’t usually get this worked up over and album...nor would I of imagined in a million years that I would download the album for free before its release as The Maccabees are in my world on par with Jesus. No offence intended to anyone out there but I have ye little faith in the old big G.
I am currently sat in my university Library trying to reach a deadline for 12pm tomorrow and I have listened to 'Wall of Arms' 4 times in 3 hours.
I know I got a tad little bit worked up about The Horrors even though it still is a masterpiece but this Maccabees album is what I have been looking forward too since they released 'Colour It In' although that album ranks in my top five albums of all time it was released at a time where many people had already heard the majority of the songs in the build up.
What is different this time is that like White Lies they have only given away one or two songs for people to listen to which are 'Love You Better' and 'No Kind Words', each completely different and wonderful in their own right. This album is fresh, new and unheard materiel which nearly knocked me off my chair.
This 5 piece sound like they have matured into their sound and rather than try something completely different like The Horrors they have instead tweaked their songs to make them even more heartfelt than before which I didn’t think was possible.
I will be able to give more of a detailed review once I have maxed out the album but for now I am just sat here with a small smirk on my face wondering how anyone could of ever doubted they weren’t going to nail it...
P.s I wont be posting a song up on here from the album until after the release date as I feel guilty for even having it.X
It was to my dismay that I found out the other day that one of my favourite groups Vincent Vincent and The Villains had parted ways after what seemed like a long hiatus. The group in which Charlie from The Rumblestrips started out in had always been a firm favourite with me because of how different they were to other bands around at the time. Bringing elements of 50/60's rock n roll they were Londons Finest. Seeing them support Good Shoes in Bristol was one of my favourite gigs of all time, it just cant be beaten.
So after finally getting a chance to listen to the Horrors new album in full and to which I have since then put on loop for about 5 days straight, I can still safely say that it is the work of art that I thought it would be...and none of this Turner prize winning rubbish! I mean Andy Warhol scale art.
As I have said before I was never a big fan of the Horrors. Always over hyped and over dressed they seemed to have no real heart in their music when compared to bands around in the same period such as The Maccabees who just shone with passion. Not to lump them in the same category however or to dismiss them as they have obviously had big influence on bands such as SCUM and Ipso Facto.
The album Primary Colours brings out a new and creative side I never thought I would see from a band that cared more about how big their hair was than making something worth listening too.
Starting with an electro beat feel “Mirrors Image” is to perfect antidote for people who are used to listening to the franticness of the old Horrors, we are then sucked in by their new sound as we move onto 'Three Decades' which finally reveals how good Farris’s voice is. 'Who can say' which is a personal favourite of the album sounds more like Joy Division than anything else with distorted Guitars and an eerie keyboard building up for Farris to declare to the world “and then I kissed her, with a kiss that could only mean goodbye”.
The album picks up the pace quite a lot with ‘The New Ice Age’ and we hear a more ferocious Ferris than we have in earlier tracks. Scarlet Fields which another personal favourite tones down the mood and allows the band to show their true colours with Rhys Webb on keyboards bringing a touch of magic to the track. It is at this point that the album really comes together and in which I realised how much of a complete and well thought album this is.
According to Interviews they recorded in a studio in Bath which had no windows and which sent them nearly insane and it is clearly evident on this album. I can only assume that the influences from this album came from Farris break up with the Ditzy and rather unimpressive Peaches Geldof who is now currently dating The Lead singer of the Virgins who are hotly tipped but have as much talent as Mr Casablanca’s has in one finger. The lyrics aren’t as dark as their previous album but talk more of loss and desperation which is evident in ‘I only think of you’.
The next two tracks which include the Title Track and the newly released 'Sea within a Sea' are a brilliant way to round off such a stunning album. 'Sea within a Sea' lasts for exactly 7.58 minutes and it contains everything in one track that was needed to completely change my verdict on The Horrors and make me take notice and listen. You should too... The Horrors Website The Horrors-Scarlet Fields Mp3
After following his career for a few years now and being rather a big fan it was a pleasant surprise to be able to interview Eugene McGuiness and try and find out what his personality is really like...
N.D-You’re currently on tour with The Rumble strips. How’s that going?
E.M-Yeah it’s going really well they are really nice guys to tour with.
N.D-When performing Live what is your favourite song to perform?
E.M- To be honest I love performing them all, I obviously like performing the newest ones the most but if I had to pick one it would Moscow State Circus
N.D-My personal favourite is “a girl who my eyes shine for...” do you mind if I be a bit cheeky and ask you to play it tonight?
E.M- That’s funny, someone asked me to play that last night, I must be on to a winner with that one.
N.D-Your brothers in Swanton Bomb’s who are starting to get a name for themselves. Do you help out at all with them?
E.M- Yeah I helped out on the last E.P and he is in my band. We both play with each other when we can and it’s a lot of fun. He recorded with us on my album. I’m currently recording the next one. It’s mainly down to if we are both free and it works then we love playing together.
N.D-You are normally based in Liverpool but I read you moved to London?
E.M- Yeah I was at university in Liverpool and then moved to London for a year which was really great. I currently have a flat In Liverpool but I’m moving back to London hopefully before or after the summer. I miss it too much
N.D - Is Liverpool not enough then? Haha
E.M- No, No It’s a great city but London just has so much life about it and so many different areas. Most people that visit London only really go to the Tourist areas or the Hip places like Shoreditch, Soho and Camden but there’s so much more too it.
N.D- You are signed to Domino Records. How did that come about?
E.M- It all came about through MySpace. I was on the dole when they contacted me so I jumped at the chance.
N.D- Did you have any labels chasing to get your signature?
E.M- I wish. It wasn’t like that at all. No one obviously wanted me ha-ha.
N.D- Who are your main influences?
E.M- I would say The Beatles, Nick Cave as well as David Bowie that man is a genius. I’m sure he’s a Martian.
N.D- Who are your favourite bands at the moment?
E.M- I love Grinderman, the new Horrors stuff is amazing as well, they have completely changed from the last time I heard them.
N.D- With White Lies gaining massive success in the charts to you feel this puts too much pressure on bands like this when they are returning with a second album?
E.M- It all depends if they have the right people and if they have their heads screwed on. If they have that then they will just produce something as great. As long as they are still enjoying what they are doing that’s all that matters.
