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