So this is the new year

Wherever you are in the world, have a great night

We are not the BBC

So here is the full uncensored version of the best Christmas song ever written



It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, wont see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
Ive got a feeling
This years for me and you
So happy christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

Theyve got cars big as bars
Theyve got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
Its no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold christmas eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of new york city
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the nypd choir
Were singing galway bay
And the bells were ringing out
For christmas day

Youre a bum
Youre a punk
Youre an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse
I pray God its our last

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Cant make it all alone
Ive built my dreams around you

A Lily

A while ago we posted about Yndi Halda. Recently they have been working on side project A Lily. This is the video for 'I am to you'.



Find out what else they have been up to on the BSM blog

Tellison, Tubelord, My First Tooth

I have never been this excited about a gig in Cheltenham. The prospect of these three great bands in a 100 capacity venue is a truly irresistible prospect. Buy a ticket now kids or you will regret it later.

Tellison



Tubelord

Free Mp3 Downloads!

My First Tooth



Tellison Myspace
Tubelord Myspace
Tellison Myspace

Wil Deynes

Wil Deynes plays happy, melodic, indie-pop.



And the great news is, his new EP is free for download, totally legally...

Free download - myspace | torrent

When you've listened to the music if you like it you can go and pay some money in to his tip jar if you want.

In Rainbows exclusive edition

Some would suggest that the box-set of In Rainbows cost enough to make up for the thousands of copies that went for free online! If this is what comes in the box then I'm tempted to say that it's worth it. If you haven't seen the film se7en, I wouldn't bother watching this!



Great work by Adam Buxton

Talking Heads & Bat For Lashes

I saw this video last night for the first time in ages. I love it.

Talking heads - Once In A Lifetime



I finally got round to getting the Bat For Lashes album Fur And Gold. It's ace. Here is the video for what's a girl to do.

our own night :-)

we're hosting this night in Cheltenham, UK... it's gunnna be ace

House of Brothers

No matter how much music you listen to, how many gigs you attend and how many hours you spend chatting about music at the bar, there will always be great musicians out there who you will never hear of. As a music obsessive, this fact is a constant source of trouble to me. I can't stand knowing that musical diamonds exist, longing to be heard, if I only knew where to listen. These missed gems are even more enfuriating when you find out that they were burried in your back garden all along.

I spend a few years living near Nottingham, home of Andrew Jackson without ever really registering who he was. Andrew was formerly a member of The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg, one of the finest post-hardcore bands the UK has seen in recent years. My lack of love for anything hardore (excluding certain 'adult' publications) would explain this gap in my knowledge.





Much like Million Dead front man Frank Turner, Andrew has now embarked upon a solo route which is much more appealing to the ears of mild mannered indie kids such as myself. This solo project is known as House of Brothers. The difference in style is profound, with it's beautifully intecate guitar work and soft vocals which wash over you. I am told that influences include Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Tom Waits, Iron And Wine and Sun Kil Moon. Andrew has also played live with some great names including Loney, Dear, Howling Bells, Jack Penate, Blonde Redhead and Laura Marling.

With the debut EP, 'Deadman', set for release via Big Scary Monsters Records on 26th November, a free MP3 of the title track is available for mp3 download

The EP can be pre-ordered from www.bsmrocks.com and all orders will receive a free, limited edition badge. Buy

House of Brothers Myspace

The least musical city in the UK

According to the Guardian online, Gloucester (my home town) is the least musical city in the UK. It's probably a fair comment. The city does have some promising young bands at school level, but they tend to go their separate ways to go to University. The experience of living somewhere other than Gloucester is usually enough to convince them never to return!

Read the Guardian piece here

I am in the process of setting up my own music business. I hope to help local musicians by operating in an ethical way; by putting much of the money earned back in to local music. Check it out at our myspace page

In other news, you can buy the new Matchbox 20 album 'Exile On Mainstream' on USB pen here.



Above: Matchbox 20 - Lets See How Far We've Come

Maritime

I like this...



The band are kindly giving away some free mp3s on their website

Future Is Wired mp3
I Used To Be A Singer mp3

And there are more free tracks on their myspace.

CDs are of course available to buy.

A new dawn for music

This month will be remembered as an historic turning point for music. Big name bands have finally started to ditch the record labels and go it alone. Radiohead have whipped up a media storm by releasing their album at a price decided by the buyer. Yup that's right, you get to pick the price you want to pay, even if that is £0.00!

Buy it here



Musicians make a very relatively small pecentage of their earnings from CD sales, (which incase you hadn't noticed are in freefall). By releasing tracks for free the band broaden their fan base and generate more cash from ticket sales and merchandise. The band win, the fans win. The only losers are major record labels. At last, those in the industry who refused to allow their outdated business model to be prized from their cold dead fingers, have had the lid of their self made coffins firmly slammed shut. Sorry, got a bit carried away with it all there.

The Charlatans have also decided to release free songs on the xfm website. More details on this story can be found here.

Sweden again!

I've spent a lot of time lately going on about Swedish bands and I'm not about to stop now. I've blogged about I'm From Barcelona in the past I think. We were lucky enough to finally get to see them live last Sunday at the Thekla in Bristol. I was excited all day knowing that I was going to a see 13 happy Swedes playin an upbeat gig on a boat. What a night, what a show, what a band. The quality of the songs and energy of every member, combined with showers of tickertape and balloons ensured that the atmosphere was sensational. Below are live versions of 'Treehouse' and 'We're From Barcelona'.





After the gig, the band put on a short DJ set with loads of Electro and some strange dancing. I believe this may have been my first real life experience of Jumpen (originating from Sweden and involving flailing limbs, Jumpen is to Electro what Skanking is to Ska). The video below shows jumpen at its best, as demonstrated by lego men!



On a completely different note, look out for this guy over the next few months. He's been getting loads of online attention. Below is Andy Mckee - Drifting



I'm From Barcelona Myspace
Andy McKee Myspace

Praise the drummer

I have no idea how this Cadburys advert relates to the product in any way, but it's still a great advert!



I love it and it motivated me to do a piece on drummers. Since the track on the advert was Genesis the obvious place to start is Phil Collins. Below is an amazing 6 minute duet with Chester Thompson.



Whilst researching this post I looked up a number of drummers from big bands of recent years. I tried to decide upon one to put show a video of. In the end I picked none of them and instead went for Stevie Wonder. Ok, it's not the tightest piece of drumming you will ever hear, but it's pretty damn hot, and it's STEVIE WONDER!



Below are two videos of the 1990s, who were ace at Wireless this summer. The drums are the engine of this band, which combined with some catchy rifts makes for some damn good songs.



Above: You Made Me Like It
Below: See You At The Lights (New single)



1990s Myspace

If you want more drums scroll down and check out Cerians previous piece on Danananakroyd.

odds and ends

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I have been a busy boy. I'm in a massive hurry so I'm going to keep the chat to a minimum and the music to the max.

At the moment I'm mainly loving the discordant joys of the Dresden Dolls. Their songs include every ear jarring chord known to man, but some how manage to combine them in such a way as to end up with enchantingly edgy musical masterpieces.



Above: Dresden Dolls - Girl Anachronism

Like that? Watch Dresden dolls - Backstabber

Moving in a completely different direction, I have been meaning to write about Tellison for ages. I saw them at the Huckster Club in London a while back and was very impressed. Here are a few videos to wet your appetite.



Above: Tellison Tour Montage A La New York
Below: Tellison - Reader



Since I'm here I may as well mention that Scouting For Girls next single 'She's so Lovely' is out next Monday. The video is below, go and buy it!



As if all of this isn't enough, we're sponsoring another event!



Kiss My Face Events

Dresden Dolls Myspace
Tellison Myspace
Scouting For Girls Myspace

funk off, jazz on

Firstly, apologies that it’s so long since my last post; I’ve been on holiday, graduated, went on holiday again and been job hunting since we last spoke!

I’m going to jump straight in with tales of the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia. Expectations were high, following a solid performance by Sergio Mendes at last year’s festival. I hadn’t had time to check the lineup, so arrived not knowing what to expect. The band we saw is called Funk Off. Wow, they were sensational. This 15 piece band (verging on full orchestra) is known for playing Jazz on the streets of Italy. On their website it is said that Funk Off are "probably the most exciting street band in Italy at the moment". This is contender for understatement of the year. Unwilling to confine themselves to a stage, the band snuck around the back of the audience in the town square and started the set whist marching through the audience, in to the back stage area, finishing the song on stage to rapturous applause. Carnival atmosphere and spectacular, free flowing jazz followed. This band is a unique visual and aural phenomenon, which you have to experience to appreciate.

Below is a 45 second clip of a street performance at the festival, followed by an 8 minute long full parade for those of you with more stamina!





Check out the band here - Funk Off

Having returned from Italy, my next stop was the equally glamorous Derby, where I was impressed by Komakino and The Strand Arcade. Myspace links are below so you can check them out for yourselves. Derby seems to have a habit at the moment of generating a lot of very good indie bands, all of which seem to struggle in obtaining excellence. Hopefully these bands will have what it takes to break that habit.

Komakino
The Strand Arcade

Dot-To-Dot

After a disappointing day of trudging through wind and rain to watch mediocre performances from a bunch of bands currently being hyped to death by Radio One, and staring in boredom at one-hit crazes, unable to sing along, I stumbled into a small, semi-crowded room feeling cold, miserable and in need of pizza. A band I’d not heard of was about to play and I decided to join the other 5 people waiting patiently for them to begin. Expecting more disappointment I began to send a text as they started their set. Poor guys, no-one wants to play to an empty room. But as I began to listen I was hit with a joyous sense of relief, and I’m guessing I wasn’t alone as by the end of the first song all the people who had previously been milling around the bar, ignorant of the band quietly setting up in a dark corner, were now crowded behind me and I was pressed against the barriers. In a thick Glaswegian accent the singer shouted “WE… ARE… THE PHYSIIIIIICS!”



40 minutes of rehearsed, perfectly timed, madness followed. Self described as ‘mutant science punk rock’ their sound leaps from poppy punk to an Interpol-esque darkness, and jumps, stomps and thrashes about along all the stages in between. Lyrically, We Are The Physics aren’t trying to change the world; just simple yet fun and quirky lines delivered among various shouts, screams and Buddy Holly style hiccups. They embrace the catchy riffs and musical make-up of The Futureheads, only to fuse it with the craziness and electronic zaps of guitar reminiscent of Melt Banana and the fast, excited rhythms of Polysics. Their combination of dark guitar, poppy melodies and catchy drumming, with the quality of their performance is sure to set We Are The Physics up for greater things. Rehearsed to perfection and completely in sync with each other as lead singer Michael jumped around the stage, confident but not arrogant, and executed humorous tomfoolery with faultless comic timing. After the gig my companions and I all agreed that these guys had put on such a performance that they alone made up for the festival ticket price, and as students paying £25 that’s some feat.



Above: Vanity. The split single “Fear of Words/Vanity” is currently available to buy.

We Are The Physics are signed to small Glaswegian label One Records, have just finished touring with Art Brut and have also recently supported Vincent Vincent & the Villains and Polysics. With two singles already released and an album in the pipeline all that is left is to wait with anticipation to see where these guys end up, and to support them along the way at as many gigs as possible of course!

Check them out on their myspace (although it doesn’t do their live performance justice):

As for my final thought… for any ladies reading this, I never thought I’d say that guys in school uniform are a turn on, but trust me; lead singer Michael looks undeniably hot! ;-)

Words by Miss Charlotte Emily Bennett

The Needles the Space

"The Needles the Space" is the second full-length album form Long Island quartet Straylight Run, following their 2004 debut self-titled LP and 2005 EP "Prepare to Be Wrong".

The album starts off with "The Words We Say", a soft, mid-tempo track that would not be out of place on Radiohead's "The Bends" album, and from the first verse the intertwining harmonies of the Nolan siblings, John and Michelle, which have become one of the hallmarks of Straylight Run's sound, are demonstrated to the listener, with great effect. The album is a progression in many ways for the band, not only in terms of being their first release since parting company with Victory Records, having now signed with the Universal Republic label, but also role-wise within the band, with Michelle now taking a fuller part vocally in the band than in previous Straylight releases - highlighted by her lead performances on the tracks "The Miracle That Never Came", "How Do I fix My Head?", "Cover Your Eyes", "Still Alone" and "This Is The End". This is however not to understate John's impetus in the band and the record. His impressive vocal range and powerful delivery are showcased in many songs on the album, in particular the lead single from the album "Soon We'll Be Living In The Future". This song, sure to become a fan favourite is physically impossible to not tap feet and sing along to after just one listen.



Musically too "Needles The Space" is a progression for Straylight Run, with a wide range of styles, beats and instrumentation, relying less heavily on the piano to drive their songs than on their previous works. For example the album features a polka-like feel in part of the song "Still Alone", as well as various tracks including parts played by cellos, clarinets, mandolins, trombones, saxophones and trumpets, as well as the standard piano, guitar, bass and drum line-up. This is not to say that the album is a an over-produced affair, with some songs, such as "Buttoned Down" and "Cover Your Eyes" being very much stripped down with little more than vocals and acoustic guitar. The lyrical content also is wide-ranging, leaving the listener intrigued to listen over again.

"The Needles the Space" is certainly a more technically advanced record than the band's previous work and many of the songs are significantly differently sounding than a lot of their previous material, whilst at the same time the record should still appeal to the bands existing fan-base as well enable them to gain more new fans. It is also one of those records that is good on a first listen, but is improved by every subsequent play thorough, which reveals new things that had previously not been noted by the listener, which is what turns a good record into a great record.

Straylight Run Website
Straylight Run Myspace

Words by Ben Priest

An End Has A Start

I’m a very happy man. Editors are my favourite band of the last couple of years and, with this their second album, have produced the masterpiece of which I knew they were capable. ‘An End Has A Start’ transcends their debut ‘The Back Room’, in all areas. Building on that solid foundation of songcraft, and using the lessons learnt to explore their abilities and reaching out for new clarity and expression.

Editors announced their arrival on the music scene in 2005 with the maxim “we’re misery on the dancefloor”, and it served them brilliantly. The stream of singles which Kitchenware Records kept unleashing in their concerted effort to put Editors’ name on everybody’s lips, were consistent in that intent. Like the very best dance music, Editors are rhythmically complex yet sublimely simple. Tom Smith’s deadpan yet mournful vocal delivery, using much repeat phrasing so reminiscent of that indie-dance granddaddy, New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’, fuses perfectly with the angular, sustain-drenched guitar lines dripping from Chris Urbanowicz’s black Rickenbacker. Everything else serves to drive home this dancefloor message, and like all the best things of outward immediacy, the true complexity behind this band, the swelling choruses, lyrics full of hope in despair, are there to be discovered when you’re intently listening to it at home and away from the club.

For my money, Editors have the same musical juxtaposition that The Smiths possessed – the inspired fusing of soaringly beautiful guitars and morose lyrical subject matter. But here, Morrissey’s Mancunian matter-of-factness gives way to a searching lyricism that sounds like myth being created before your ears. Here are lyrics that seem so profound they might echo through time, even if you’ve only just heard them. This, to me, is perhaps the single biggest reason this band get compared to Joy Division, because outside of a certain similarity to Ian Curtis’ own faux-monumental wordplay, they share little in common. The overall sound is very different, with the sparse claustrophobia of Martin Hannett’s production eclipsed by the overwhelming sound we have here. Where Joy Division were emasculated urban alienation, Editors are entirely at home, gushing with all the emotions of 2007 in every chorus.

Here is truly a band who not only how to write a chorus but show it off too. The skill of arrangement these days often seems like a lost art, the MTV-friendly loud/soft aesthetic being all-pervasive since ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ ruled everything. Instead, here is a band who, with producer Jacknife Lee, sculpt songs with swelling reverb fields of guitars or bass, judicious use of multitrack dubbing or, when required, simple silence. Even the gap between songs sounds measured and intentional.



Above: Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors

The drumming on this album deserves a new paragraph. It’s like this all too easily ignored instrument goes through a journey on each song, building from gently tom-tom pattering to some of the most urgent, driving drumming I’ve heard for years. We might journey from crisp precise Bloc Party-esque beats to a spacious wash to match the build-up of the guitar parts. This is an epic record, with the entire band playing equal parts and the drummer no less equal.

In recent interviews, the band themselves were talking along much the same lines. The debut album had the songs, but this time they’ve managed to somehow bottle more of their incandescent live feel and that unique sculpted wall of sound they project. They sound like they enjoyed every second of making it too – the bastards.

Editors Website
Editors Myspace

Words by Charlie at Left Legged Pineapple

Scouting For Girls

Last Saturday I took the advice of Cerian (who is swiftly becoming one of my favourite musical genii) and went to see Scouting For Girls in Nottingham. The live show was so good I am now in the process of attempting to book the band. In fact, I liked them so much I even bought a t-shirt (despite being male and therefore already owning over a million t-shirts)!



Above: Airplane Song

I guess it would probably be quite easy for the average indie-scenster to dismiss Scouting For Girls as a forgettable or novelty band. But to do that you would be letting them down, you would be letting me down and most of all you would be letting yourself down...

Here is a band that craft pop songs that are so deeply catchy, they will have you humming along in a matter of moments. The music is light hearted, well written and fun. It’s not trying to be groundbreakingly new or ‘the next big thing’. It’s just immensely enjoyable.



Above: James Bond Song (live)

Live, Scouting For Girls give the kind of tight performances only achieved by a band that have been playing together for years. There's guaranteed to be masses of energy and people grinning and dancing continuously from the start of the set. And that goes for the band too, who’s lack of pretension is welcomed and reciprocated.

Roy, Greg and Pete are (lovely) normal guys ready to take on the world and make them smile. With the popular media jumping on their bandwagon (they’re currently on the playlists of many top radio stations, including Radio 1 and 2) you can count on hearing more from this troop in the not so distant future.

Join the wolf cubs at the website to get free stuff!

Myspace
Website

Content by Cerian.

CDs vs mp3s

Ok, the decline in CDs is largely due to internet piracy, but it is also partly because people tend to want mp3s these days and only want the CDs of their favourite artists. Peoples buying habits are changing, just as people wanted CDs instead of tapes in the 90’s. So assuming I want a new album in mp3 format, what’s the easiest way to go about it?

Lets face the issue head on; people can and do steal mp3s. Therefore, the record labels have a very difficult task of trying to sell something which is widely available for free. Luckily there are lots of people out there who are willing to do the right thing and pay for music. "Problem solved" I hear you say; sell the ‘free’ mp3s to those who will buy them. Yes, some people will still steal them, but lots of people will buy them. Sadly the problem was not solved like this. The major record companies decided not to simply sell mp3s. They decided to do something horrendously stupid in making the paid downloads less attractive than the free ones. Welcome to DRM.

Digital rights management software is embedded in the legally downloaded mp3 file. It means that you will be limited in how many times you can copy the file to CDs and to other computers. Some DRM also ties mp3s to particular brands of mp3 player. So if I own two mp3 players (e.g. a 60gb one and a 2gb one for the gym) I can’t put the song on both. And the record labels wonder why people keep stealing downloads instead of buying! The aim of DRM is to stop you buying a track and copying it for all your friends. Maybe a bit of stealing is a good thing. If I steal an mp3 which I wouldn't have otherwise bought and like it so much I buy 3 albums by that band, the record label wins. It doesn't work like that though; by limiting these minor copyright infringements labels are generating larger ones. People don’t like the restrictions on legal mp3s, so are illegally downloading on mass. DRM is fueled by greed and it has backfired horribly.

Apples DRM software is ironically called FairPlay.


An mp3 version of the album (complete with lovely DRM) is likely to cost around £7.99 on iTunes or similar. Selected new release CDs cost from £7.99 on play.com. For the same price you get a physical item, with all the packaging and artwork sleeves. Tracks are of a higher sound quality than mp3. There is no file protection, so you can back-up the CD to unlimited computers, mp3 players etc. You can also lend the CD to your friends. All of these things you won’t always be able to do with a protected mp3 file.

So not only have the labels made legal downloads less attractive than illegal downloads, they’ve also made them less attractive than CDs. It’s an odd decision, given that the costs of distributing CDs are large compared to mp3s. They have managed to make legal download sites the last port of call for music fans. This is yet another example of the music industry attempting to hold on to an outdated business model.

The flow of illegal, free music will be slowed at some point in the next 10 years. Something has to give. Maybe it will be the record labels. Maybe the retailers will persuade them to drop DRM. Personally I think DRM will largely stay, and people will continue to steal because of DRM. Only the death of the CD will signal the decline in illegal downloads. If an track is released ONLY as a DRM protected download there will be no unprotected versions of the files in the public domain and no mass sharing (until someone finds a way around DRM and the next chapter begins!)

At the end of the day, stealing music is wrong. Support the artists you love and pay for their music, but don’t get ripped off; buy it on CD.

The fight against DRM
Time Magazine DRM story

Bush bashing!

We had a go at Margaret Thatcher previously (see the Frank Turner post) and thought it was about time that we had a pop at George W Bush. Nathan Asher and the Infantry are the band providing the political commentary. Below is the video and mp3 for 'The Last Election'.



The Last Election mp3 | Buy

If you prefer your music without a political slant, try these songs. Turn up the faders is particularly good, especially considering they are currently an unsigned band.

Turn Up The Faders mp3 | Buy
Animal Instincts mp3 | Buy
A Hole In The Desert mp3 | Buy

An additional track is available at the bands myspace page.

Myspace
Website

Lots of gigs :-)

I've not got much time at the moment so it's just a quick gig run down today.

Last week I went on a scouting mission for my record label to see Black Cherry. They were a really good live act, but I'm yet to hear anything recorded which shows how good they were. Below is the video for 'Who's Your Enemy'.



The headliners on the night were The Wombats who put on quite a show. Having started with an acapello rendition of Girls, Boys & Marsupials (which they had rehearsed on the toilet) they continued to use their trio of vocals to stunning effect. Their next single (below) is 'Kill The Director'.



Coming up on Saturday (Nottingham), Scouting For Girls. This band create brillianly innocent sounding love songs; and "I love the way she makes me druel, I think you're beautiful" is a great lyric. Below is the video for 'It's Not About You'.



One gig which I will have to miss (due to needing to do some work towards my finals) is The Films. The video below is for 'Belt Loops'. This is a classic dirty little indie song.



Black Cherry Myspace
The Wombats Myspace
Scouting For Girls Myspace
The Films Myspace

Mercenary Rhymes

Mercenary Rhymes are Rob Sandall and Andrew Futral. The easiest way to describe their sound is to give you a brief run down of their history. Rob recently worked on a B side for Dntel, who are a Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service) side project band. Whilst we're on the subject of Postal Service off-shoots, you may also want to check out Figurine. Whilst not making music with Rob, Andrew plays with The Age Of Rockets. Combine the sounds of all these influences in a big mixing pot and Mercenary Rhymes is what comes out. My slightly interesting, but largely irrelevant, fact of the day is that the artwork for their new EP has been done by Frank Turner (formerly of Million Dead).



Above: Postal Service - Such Great Heights



Mercenary Rhymes Myspace
The Age Of Rockets Myspace
Dntel Myspace
Figurine Myspace
Postal Service Myspace

Ejectorseat

A few weeks ago I was hunting for bands to book for a night I'm running in August. With so many bands looking for gigs, it was difficult to know where to start. The main problem faced by a band booker is that a band which sounds great in the studio can be weak live. The actual logistics of running a night are comparatively unimportant; the fate of the night is already designated as a success/failure as soon as you confirm that band. With this in mind, I sought the advice of friends on who they thought I should book. Having investigated a few bands, I decided to go for Ejectorseat, with Penfold Gate as support.



Above: Ejectorseat - What do they care | Buy

Lots of indie kids seem to be drifting in to nu-wave and dirty electro at the moment. Even the emo kids are listening to electro-popified tunes, courtesy of bands such as hellogoodbye. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bit of an electro slut myself on occasion and won't say no to a bit of musical filth on a night out. However, I wish that there were more bands who could integrate these synthy electro beats in to songs more subtly. By doing this bands can produce punchy songs, whilst maintaining the over-riding sound of classic indie-rock. This blend creates memorable, danceable indie classics. Ejectorseat are one such band who play riotous tunes which wake up the dance floor. Next time your out force the DJ to play one of their songs. Think Bloc Party meets Maximo Park and let your dancing shoes do the rest.

Ejectorseat - Attack, Attack, Attack (acoustic) | Download | Buy

Ejectorseat Myspace

Ejectorseat Website

Little Spitfire

If you went to a gig having not heard this band play before, you could be forgiven for expecting to hear a bit of pop-punk or emo. Dressed head to toe in black, apart from the odd stripey tie and pair of red shoes, they do look like that kind of band. If you're one of those indie kids who run for the hills at the first mention of emo, don't get your jogging shoes on quite yet. These power-popping guitar wielders actually play rowdy rock tunes with epic bass lines and catchy lyrics.

Below is the video for 'If I Look I See You', which reminds me of the video for Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow.



If I look I see You Download | Buy

Miss You Download | Buy

Say Hello Download | Buy

Silly Girl Download | Buy

Website
Myspace

Anyone up for a good sonic read?

I hate genre labelling. I'm not very good at defining them or knowing which bands fit in where. (Guess I'll never work for NME then. Sigh.) Lets face it, all music is open to interpretation - thats what this site is all about. And so I offer up for your consideration, the genre defying GoodBooks.

Part indie, part emo, part pop, this is a band that lets you find in its music whatever you're looking for. For me its different everytime. So far its mostly been about the funk of 'Start/Stop' which includes some lovely dirty bass lines that make me want to dance every single time. However recently I have been fortunate enough to hear a few sample tracks from the forthcoming debut album, "Control" (you heard it here first kids!) and I have a new obsession, namely 'Beautiful To Watch'. Its just awesome. I've heard this track before on early recordings and at gigs and its never really blown me away. The album recording however makes it sound MASSIVE. The layers of this track build gradually and by the time the drums come crashing in, its taken you over. Completely. And the rest of the tracks work similarly, showcasing the considerable talent of each member, talent that is glaringly obvious during GoodBooks live shows. First time I saw them, all four members stepped away from their instruments and mics, and started the next song singing acapella, in harmonies and then in rounds. Brilliant.

However, what I love about this band more than anything is that they seem to appeal to such a variety of people. Pretty much everyone I've played tracks to have loved them. (Currently playing the CD at work and people are looking confused and involuntarily exclaiming 'I love this... Why do I love this?') So do yourself a favour and check them out. I can almost guarantee you'll like at least one song, no matter what you're looking for. Think I'm wrong? Think I'm right? Hit the comment button below. But in my opinion, GoodBooks are going to be best sellers for sure...



The Illness, above, was out yesterday | Buy

Website
Myspace

Content by Cerian.

Frank Turner

I had the pleasure of sitting in on Frank Turner recording a set for radio this afternoon. Formerly of Million Dead, Frank's sound has moved towards folk & country since going it alone. When watching Frank play, it is clear he's passionate about writing songs and playing music. It is this passion which flows in to the songs and makes them the masterpieces they are. Below is the video for 'The Real Damage', which is out on Monday.



The Real Damage - EP | Buy

Sleep is for the Week - Album | Buy

I couldn't write a post on Frank without mentioning this song. Below is a live version of 'Thatcher Fucked the Kids'.



Anyone who has known me for more than a week has probably had to listen to a rant about Margaret Thatcher at some point. The lyric "blame the folks who sold the future for the highest bid, that's right, Thatcher fucked the kids" perfectly summarises my feelings on the iron lady.

The set will be broadcast on 2 Hours BC, on LCR next Wednesday at 9pm. You can listen to the radio station live here or on 1350am.

Frank Turner Myspace

2 Hours BC

Last night I had the honour of picking a few tracks to play on Barry and Charlotte's radio show 2 Hours BC. These guys play a blend of post-rock and indie tunes, specialising in new & underground music.



My song choices were:

Data.select.party - she's an eyeful on the alley | Myspace
David & The Citizens - New Direction | Myspace
The Diggs - Everyone's Starting Over (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix) | Myspace

I've blogged about Data.select.party and David & The Citizens in the past but haven't mentioned The Diggs, so here's a live video to feast your eyes upon.



The show is on the old wireless at 1350AM and online at lcr1350.co.uk every Wednesday from 9pm.

LCR 1350 Website

2 Hours BC Myspace

Azwel

Having slaved at my computer all day today, I was after some melodic indie-pop to listen to this evening. My needs were met by the soft sounds of Azwel. This one man and his guitar act is New Yorker Jason Perrillo. Since 2003, Jason already has independantly produced 7 albums and has a load of b-sides under his belt too!

Make It Known - MP3 Download

The songs strongly reflect a number of brit-pop influences, to the extent that at times it feels like the notes got lost on their way to that 80's/90's era. I promised myself never to use the word 'nice' in a review, but Azwel is nice. Unfortunately for Azwel, nice is a word people use to describe things which they like, but aren't sufficiently interested in to merit thinking of more advanced adjectives.

Most of Aswell's music can be downloaded, completely free and legally from his official website.

Azwell Website
Azwell Myspace

Thou Shalt not read NME

Dan le sac VS scroobius pip - Thou Shalt always Kill



We like this. We like this a lot. Mr.DJ, please play this at your disco!

Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile… Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thall shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by it’s cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thall shalt not buy Coca-Cola products. Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend’s best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls’ pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoakes.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you're done just because you’ve finished your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just ’cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you’re never gonna fucking talk to.
Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.
The Beatles - Were just a band.
Led Zepplin - Just a band.
The Beach Boys - Just a band.
The Sex Pistols - Just a band.
The Clash - Just a band.
Crass - Just a band.
Minor Threat - Just a band.
The Cure - Just a band.
The Smiths - Just a band.
Nirvana - Just a band.
The Pixies - Just a band.
Oasis - Just a band.
Radiohead - Just a band.
Bloc Party - Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys - Just a band.
The next big thing - Just a band.
Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music
Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say “Hey” thou shalt not say “Ho”.
When I say “Hip” thou shalt not say “Hop”.
When I say "he say, she say, we say, make some noise" - kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word “Pheonix” P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Bradley at the club last night by saying “Is it”.
Thou shalt think for yourselves.
And thou shalt always kill.

You break my heart, I’ll break your arms

Someone recently said to me “the only good band to come out of Loughborough is the Young Knives”. This isn’t true; the Young Knives are technically from Ashby-de-la-Zouch. However, the statement may soon be inaccurate on a second count. Penfold Gate (a misspelling of a street in the town) are getting plenty of local attention and are surely soon destined to break free from the overcrowded Loughborough music scene. The fact that they haven't been signed already is baffling.

'Here It Is' - Download

I challenge anyone to listen to ‘Here It Is’ and resist the temptation to tap their foot. The song opens with a snappy, danceable drum beat and bass line. The guitar builds charmingly, moving in to an anthemic chorus which longs for the listener to sing along. This infectious tune will one day be belted out at indie discos across the land. My personal favourite ‘Alive In Years’ shows both lyrical and musical maturity which you don’t expect from such a new band. The new songs show considerable promise too. As if this wasn't enough, as a live act Penfold Gate exhibit technical ability (provided they're sober) to match their chemistry and enthusiasm.

Penfold Gate Myspace

Kiss My Face reviews

Last night was Kiss My Face, in my home town of Gloucester, in the Shire. The night kicked off with a dose of hard rock, courtesy of Twisted Wings. This was followed up by the melodic indie stylings of JC's Revenge. Sadly I didn't get a chance to see much of their sets, but I managed to escape my duties on the door just in time to catch the second half of Glow Down's set (by which time Bradbury had already misplaced his shirt)!

Glow Down came with a reputation as crowd pleasers, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Shimmering drums and echoing guitar 'waa' create an eerie atmosphere in 'Apologies'. This band are masters of carefully crafted, slow building songs, which develop in to choruses which send the crowd reeling. Who knows what this band could achieve; but whatever they do, they are sure to have a load of fun along the way. If you live locally these lads are must see live act.

The headline act was The Syndicate. Damn these guys are good. The band played a varied set, showcasing their rock, metal and folk influences. The guitars seemed a little busy at times, but came in useful for powerful rock fueled choruses. 'Ghostdance' is a beautifully chilling, edgy song which is perfected by stunning vocals. It's also catchy enough to have been on constant repeat in my head for the last 24 hours. If you need any more convincing that these guys are cool, they have an accordion and they know how to use it!

Many thanks to all of the bands, staff at Crackers and everyone who came for making it a great night.

The Syndicate
Glow Down
JC's Revenge
Twisted Wings

Kiss My Face

IndiEmo DJs will be spinning records between the bands at this event.





Tickets are £4 on the door.

The bands are as follows:

The Syndicate
JC's Revenge
Glow Down
The Washingline Defence
Twisted Wings

Its pronounced Dana -nana -naykroyd...

Dananananaykroyd have two drummers. Two. This automatically makes them pretty damn exciting in my book. But there is much more to this band than just their number of members and unusual name. The music is (unsurprisingly) loud and fast and raw. It is aggressive but not angry, unpretentious but not bland. With shouty vocals, crushing guitar sounds and relentless beats, it is music to uninhibitedly jump around to. It demands to be played at maximum volume to a room crammed with sweaty people ready to go nuts from the very first note. And the Danannananaykroyd live show does not disappoint. This is a band that is explosive on stage and importantly, seem to enjoy every minute of it. Their energy and sense of fun is as infectious as their tunes. Because of this I was instantly converted into a fully fledged fan after seeing them perform, despite having no real prior knowledge of their music.



I finally managed to get my hands on their 'Japan only' release EP (cue much school girl like excitement) and 'Some Dresses' is the track that I keep playing over and over - check it out if you like shout-a-long intros and songs that seem to implode and then rebuild themselves in their duration. And did I mention they have TWO drummers? What's not to love?!

Website
Myspace

Content by Cerian.

There's nothing more entertaining than men in drag!

Yesterday we went to see the Rocky Horror Show; how much fun is that! The cast, audience and whole experience were fantastic, if a little surreal. I've dressed in drag a number of times in the past (don't ask!) On this occasion I decided it was about time I looked damn cool instead, so I went as Eddie (played by Meatloaf in the film version). This costume also offered the bonus of being able to aquire a free leather jacket.





Everyone who has seen this photo has said I look like Gerard Way. Hmm, maybe. The whole experience has re-opened a question which has troubled me for a number of years... can I get away with wearing 'guy-liner' on a more frequent basis!? Any comments on this deeply troubling issue are welcome!

Whilst we're on the subject of dancing in dodgy clothes, I can't help posting this music video. It's just like being in the 80's again. It's the Wombats - Backfire at the Disco.



In between trips to the theatre this week I've been trying to prepare for a DJ set I'm doing next Tuesday (more details to follow soon). I'm trying to avoid allowing myself to listen to any stupidly obscure music and been digging out songs which people are more likely to be able to sing along to. One song which has been playfully bashing at my eardrums over the last few days is Charlotte by Air Traffic. The forthcoming tour with The Pigeon Detectives should be pretty damn hot. I was pleased to see that they've created a music video which is worthy of acompanying the song.



Great news, there's more eye candy today! We have some new art work.



Many thanks to Cerian for this aesthetic beauty. Check out her website.

The Wombats Website
The Wombats Myspace
Air Traffic Website
Air Traffic Myspace

How do you manage a turtle?

I have no new bands to showcase today I'm afraid, so I thought I would do a post on general music issues. This is a class in band management.



New bands beware!

This link was brought to my attention in todays Lefsetz letter.

Subscribe to the Lefsetz Letter.

The Gig Party!

Lets face it, most of us have been to a house party where, at silly o'clock in the morning after most of the (cheap) beer has been drunk, some joker will whip out an acoustic guitar and start serenading the remaining conscious revellers with poor indie covers. (I grew up in the age of Brit Pop. Painful.) But these days, the humble party is floundering and giving rise to a new entertainment phenomenon - the 'GigParty'.

A GigParty is pretty much what you would expect it to be. Musician(s) turning up at your house, setting up in your living room and playing a show for you and your friends. Sure, it seems scary at first when imagining your house filling up with your (slightly bemused) acquaintances, glancing at the instruments arranged around the edges of the room. To be honest, I never thought it would be an entirely comfortable scenario for anyone - audience and performers alike. In practice however, a GigParty is an amazing experience. It takes the excitement and spectacle of live music and makes it intimate, personal and really rather special. It makes it yours for that brief moment and it creates memories that will survive long after those of your average gig. Because its live music, two foot away from you, in your house. Mental.



Unconventional gig locations are becoming more and more popular with established artists too. Arcade Fire (above) and Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly are just two examples of bands who've recently performed impromptu sets outside venues before or after shows, and Badly Drawn Boy did a tour of chip shops to promote his new album! I'm all for this kind of performance too - no booking fees or ticket touts, just people that make music and people that enjoy it, having fun together! Whats not to love? Plus it makes great stories to tell your grandkids one day...

My own GigParty (one of the best parties ever if I do say so myself...) involved the ace musical stylings of Luke Leighfield and Sam Isaac who've spent the last few months making the GigParty their own up and down the country, leaving a dedicated following in their wake. How can you not be dedicated when you've had someone play in your house?! Check them out. They'll probably come play at your house if you asked nicely - a BBQ tour is planned for the summer. And they're not the only ones. Check myspace for up and coming bands and acoustic artists to invite to your house - try Dave Hughes for example.

Below: Sam Isaac - Compass Scattered Love



Come on all, be part of the party revolution. It's honestly as cool as it sounds.

Luke Leighfield Myspace

Sam Isaac Myspace

Dave Hughes Myspace

Content by Cerian Absolom

I'm not sure if I'm ready to Uff

About 6 months ago I saw pig magazines photo shoot with Uffie. That day, I came as close to falling in love as you possibly can via some coloured dots on a screen.



I listened to a few of her songs and wasn't overly impressed, so I resigned her to my large scrap heap of female artists who's music I don't like but I quite fancy. I'm not really in to the whole internet stalking thing, so I didn't anticipate ever thinking about Uffie again. This plan was going well until recently, when it seems that wherever I turned I was greeted by Uffie enthusiasts. Music bloggers, a girl in a bar, and a random guy in the street, all plugged her to me within a week.

All of this praise sent me scuttling back to the headphones... and back to the Pig photo shoot (purely for research purposes). I have to admit, it did sound a bit better second time around, but I'm still not entirely convinced that my eyes aren't trying to trick my ears!



Pig Photo Shoot

Uffie Myspace

Driving Songs

I'm in a hurry and needed a quick post, so there's not many words today. Sorry! In order to create a rapid post, I took a a trip down memory lane. The songs below were all on the first tape I made for my car when I passed my driving test 4 and a bit years ago. The tape has sadly gone missing and I can't remember all the tracks, so there may be more of these posts to follow if my memory allows!



Above: Nine Days - 'Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)'
Below: Lifehouse - 'Hanging by a moment'



Below: Yellowcard - 'Everywhere' (Michelle Branch cover)
Sorry there's no video, it's just audio.

Is it just me....

...or does the start of 'Bright Eyes - Four Winds' sound just like 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'?



Bright Eyes Myspace

Go ahead, call it a cocoon crash

Last summer I toured Europe and the only country which I didn't like was Belgium (although I do like Tin Tin). It was just so dull. However, my opinion of Belgium went up this week when I saw the following piece of news. UEFA are set to investigate allegations that Belgium goalkeeper Stijn Stijnen threatened to deliberately injure Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo a in a qualifier. Usually I would be very against deliberate malice in football, but lets face it, nobody has liked the winking step-over monkey since his world cup antics.

Anyway, this got me thinking about Belgium and reminded me of K's Choice. Sadly the band split up in 2003; but they were a 5 piece rock band from Antwerp. I'm leaving for a gig in about 20 minutes so can't say much more... have a watch of the videos.



Above: Not an Addict
Below: Believe



Sarah and Gert are now both working on Solo projects.

K's Choice Website

SoKoGirl + SoKoBoy = MiaouMiaou

I love SoKo. She has a very Bjork-esque innocent voice. If you could heard her voice without understanding the words you would assume she was singing about naive kittens wrapped in candy floss. The fact that she’s actually singing about a cold blooded revenge killing is what makes this song so great. She's like an acoustic Frankee!



Above: SoKo - I’ll kill her. (Only 23 views at the time of writing!)

I couldn't mention the impish Icelander and not show one of her amazing music videos.

Below: Bjork – All is full of love



SoKo Myspace

Bjork Myspace

Lets all move to Sweden

I was having a debate with an American recently about who has better music industry, the UK or the US. I argued that all of the best indie and rock in the last few years has come from the UK. Just think of all the recent buzz bands from the UK that have got fans in a frenzy. America still has a long way to go to catch up with British music at the moment. We agreed to disagree on the matter until I said "of course I would put Sweden in second ahead of the US". It was a rash statement I know. I don't even really believe it; but it annoyed an American so it was worth saying!

There is a lot of good music coming out of Sweden at the moment though. Hello Saferide, I'm From Barcelona, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Love Is All and The Sounds, just to name a few. My latest Swedish pet is David And The Citizens. It's happy pop rock in places and melancholy in others. It sounds like Bright Eyes would if he ever woke up and decided to take a happy pill! I won't say too much more as I have a load of work to be getting on with. Have a listen and enjoy.



Above: Graycoated Morning
Below: New Direction



Or listen to some mp3s

Download A Heart & a Hand & the Love for a Band - Buy

Download Are You In My Blood? - Buy

David & The Citizens Myspace

I wish I was a lesbian so I could fall in love with you

I have a soft spot for girls with guitars, and voices that make you melt. Often these artists lack musical substance and are guilty pleasures in my music collection. However, on this occasion I feel justified in my love for Hello Saferide. Following in the footsteps of ‘I’m From Barcelona’, this band are the latest twee exports from Sweden. So what makes this charmingly upbeat indie-pop band so different from the rest?

Download San Francisco Buy
Download Highschool Stalker Buy
Download Valentine Buy

Every song exhibits clever observations on love and life. The lyrical content of the songs is at times funny, sometimes in a subtly dark way. There is also a serious side though, with the comedy often fronting an emotionally explicit narrative on relationships. Annika Norlin certainly isn't afraid of sharing her vulnerabilities and insecurities with the audience, as seen in the video for ‘2006’. Below is the short for ‘My Best Friend’, a video which is as quaint as the band themselves.



You can catch the band in the UK on the following dates.

May 14: The Monto/Water Rats, London. Also playing: Maia Hirasawa.
May 15: The Monto/Water Rats, London. Also playing: Maia Hirasawa.
May 17: The Great Escape Festival, Brighton.

Hello Saferide Myspace

Villains steal the show

I have already blogged about good shoes so wasn't planning on blogging about last nights gig. However, I was so impressed by support act Vincent Vincent and the Villains, I feel I have to. I have listened to the band before but only got hooked after last nights gig. They simply offer good old fashioned rock and roll.



The video above for the song 'Johnny Two Bands' which is about Charlie Waller who left the band to form the Rumble Strips.

VV & The V Myspace

La Blogotheque

Advertising other peoples sites is probably a bad move from a marketing point of view, but this is just too good not to share. Many thanks to Stu for pointing me in the direction of La Blogotheque's YouTube profile. They have their own site at blogotheque.net but it's probably best to stick to the videos unless you can read French. Basically they film great bands doing secret gigs in the streets and put them on the internet for free.



Above is the Guillemots using a lamppost as a drum. Tapes 'n Tapes, Spinto Band and I'm From Barcelona are amongst the other highlights. I live in the hope that one day I will stop to listen to a street artist and it will turn out to be Fyfe Dangerfield / Ben Gibbard / Chris Carrabba or someone similar.

La Blogothque Youtube Profile

We love/hate The Horrors!

The recipients of praise in Charlie’s last post were The Horrors. It seems that most people either love them or hate them. We can see from Charlie’s review that he likes them; however I’m far from impressed. I’ve listened to the album and have tried to like it, but to no avail. I was left struggling to see how they have gained so much positive attention in certain magazines. I couldn’t help asking myself how they had managed to get on the front cover of NME last year, without having released an album, and only having five songs at the time (of which only three were original material).

As a cynic, I would suggest that they have achieved this because they have been able to infiltrate the pretentious London scene with sickening ease. The band has successfully created an image to make them the 'band of the moment'. It’s amazing that all those skinny jeans haven’t hindered people from jumping on the bandwagon. The clique has spoken and it has said that it’s just too unfashionable to dislike The Horrors. This attitude of musical elitism means that a copy of their debut 7” single will cost you around £50 on EBay. Incase you don’t know it; the title is Sheena is a Parasite. The chorus goes like this:

Sheena is a Parasite
Sheena is a Parasite
Sheena is a Parasite
Sheena is a Parasite

Charlie argues that lyrical simplicity isn’t always a bad thing. Dumb is the word here, hard-wired to a part of the brain that bypasses normality – and the Horrors are a celebration of that. The sheer ridiculousness of rock and roll. Let’s compare their words to Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti, arguably one of the most vital records in the history of rock n roll:

A Wop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bam-boom
Tutti Frutti, on rootie
Tutti Frutti, on rootie
Tutti Frutti, on rootie
Tutti Frutti, on rootie
Tutti Frutti, on rootie
Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop bam boom

You see there isn’t much difference here in terms of meaningful content or repetition. The words are nothing more than another instrument on the one hand, and a celebration of sheer exuberance on the other.

I don’t think it’s an accident that legendary director Chris Cunningham chose to break a seven year hiatus in directing music vids to direct the promo for Sheena. He said that he had become somewhat obsessed with the song.

There is a strong PR machine attached to every single band that comes along. Every single artist today has the backing of a PR machine that tries to market that band to a particular demographic. The Horrors visual identity is particularly striking, and I think is just sharper and more ‘obvious’ than many other bands. I don’t even think theirs is an image that is particularly trendy at the moment, just really different. (No-one has used that organ sound since the Inspiral Carpets in the early 1990s) And in a sea of samey bands, many of whom still have that chingchingching Strokes kinda sound, it just really makes them stand out.

I have to agree that there have been many great songs which have been founded upon a simple chorus and often ridiculous lyrics. Similarly, many great bands have relied on PR and image to thrive. The reason I specifically dislike The Horrors is because they get excessive media attention for very little musical talent. If you like the music then the marketing machine is simply good promotion. If you don't like the music, then all of the other stuff appears to be their only merit. It's the people who fall for the marketing (NME readers must be especially singled out here) who create the popular bands with no musical substance to justify their media hype.

The reason they got on the cover of the NME last year was probably because they had the best haircuts. To underestimate the power of the haircut in pop is a dangerous thing. The haircut is the single most iconic part of image, and it is image that drove mersey-beat, glam, punk, new-romanticism, brit-pop etc etc. No-one took any notice of the Beatles lyrics until Revolver, but their image sold them to the world four years before that. I’m not comparing the Horrors to the Beatles, but you get my point?

It is certainly true that image drove all of those genres, but the engine was still good music. The Horrors lack this engine and are currently freewheeling, having being given a push start by the music press.

Despite my disdain, I do believe that someone in The Horrors has considerable talent. Sadly, I believe that it’s is the guy who runs their PR machine. It is said that any publicity is good publicity. Never is this truer than right now. I should stop writing. I can’t though. The overwhelming sense of the unfairness of popular, fashionable bands fuels my ranting.

The fact that we are having this conversation says much about this band. I wouldn’t be having this discussion over Coldplay, put it that way!

Pop has always depended heavily on the dealings of management. Sex Pistols with Malcom McLaren, The Clash with Bernie Rhodes, Elvis Presley with Tom Parker, The Beatles with Brian Epstein, Kit Lambert with The Who – all are unforgettable artists whose image was just as important, if not more so, than the music. One of my biggest problems with so much modern music is the lack of theatricality that surrounds it. There seems to be so much emphasis on ‘cool’ these days that people seem to forget how much power is derived from the frivolous and the downright silly. I’m not talking about The Darkness here, or any other sort of piss-take music. Every band I mentioned above were deadly serious about their intentions, but never forgot that rock n roll is primarily about entertainment, about forgetting the shit world we inhabit and the day to day drudgery. Pure escapism. Pure rock and roll!

So yeah, musical talent be damned! I never mentioned anything like that in my piece, and I dare say that much of the ‘inventiveness’ I discussed was brought to the table by the producer anyway. It’s only the end result I was listening to. Those are my feelings.

Charlie and I have decided that we respectively do & don't like their music. Having made these judgments we then see the surrounding hype very differently; as a good promotion / as a poor substitute for talent. I take solace in the knowledge that Charlie has made his decision using his ears not a copy of NME. However, many people are not so wise. These people are the ones who see the hype and decide they like a band because it's cool to do so, regardless of the music. Don’t be one of them, throw away your pre-conceptions, click the link below, close your eyes, sit back and make your decisions based on musical talent; or the lack of it.

The Horrors Myspace

Give me The Horrors

Before you peruse these next few sentences, please be aware of one thing. In my perhaps twisted opinion, any band which features a Vox/Farfisa organ in their instrumental line-up is automatically in the front ranks of music-making. Forget the brain-bending guitar antics of yer Hendrix, just give me that Vox Continental tone every time; there’s nothing like it.

That said, the much-anticipated debut album ‘Strange House’ from Junk Club impresarios The Horrors doesn’t just excite me in its use of cutting edge 1960s keyboard technology. It is nothing less than a short, sharp assault on the senses. My vinyl copy has been spinning away on the turntable here all day, with me happily turning it over every few minutes for another fix.

Some writers seem to have missed the point of this album. “It’s not serious enough” is one criticism I have seen leveled at the album. Sorry, but if you want to misunderstand the point of rock n roll in all of it’s glorious stupidity and joyous theatricality then you might as well give up and become a Tool fan. The Horrors aren’t doing social commentary. They weren’t borne from the confines of or meant for bedroom analysis, but in a club. They are meant to be good fun. If they get laid lots in the process, then everybody wins, right?

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of intelligence hidden behind those bowl-cut fringes. The eleven short tracks here roar by with a real ferocity, but they are welded together with something else entirely. Their now infamous 60s garage sound is used here as a basis. Whereas so many bands are purely retro-copyists aping a sound they love with no further creativity, The Horrors use that sound as a basis and then layer it with endless invention. Whether that be in use of feedback, distortion, arrangement, time-signature changes or just general tone, they make each song a sheer thrill to listen to over and over. Unlike many new bands, The Horrors know how to use light and dark in their music, it gives their songs momentum and drive. It’s exciting like a good scary movie; you kinda expect what’s coming next, but it’s the subtle changes to the formula that get you in the end.

’Strange House’ isn’t a mission statement. If we indulge in The Horrors rules and take rock n roll at its most primitive and visceral level, then there can be nothing as pretentious as a mission statement. It’s just a fucking good debut album, with a Vox organ.



Above: Sheena Is A Parasite

The Horrors Myspace


Content by Charlie at left-legged pineapple.