After listening for the past week, I can say that Final Fantasy's new album (er, not technically out til the end of May or June depending on where you are) is every bit as brilliant as I'd hoped, as elaborate and strange as it is beautiful and sounding much fuller than last year's sometimes slightly throwaway debut. It even mentions Anne McCaffrey, too, whose books I once spent a lot of time reading and is not a name I imagined coming up in anything I listen to.
Head over to Good Hodgkins for a download of This Lamb Sells Condos so you can hear for yourself.
His website has finally reappeared too: Final Fantasy Eternal
Hot Chip's album also pretty much lives up to the potential of two very fine singles indeed, so hooray for them too.
Yet another Guillemots live review and some more actual features coming soon!
28.4.06
26.4.06
News (26/04/06)
- Home recording from digital radio is killing music. "When I see a device that permits customers to identify the specific tracks they want from a satellite broadcast, record them and library them for future use, I call that device an iPod" - gah. And library is a verb now?
- Sale of 'non-existant tickets' banned.
- Shayne Ward books arena tour for next year - blimey, that's optimistic (Yahoo's typos would have you believe that he's now selling tickets for shows in January 2006 which would be even more impressive and possibly no longer allowed)
- Okkervil River sign to EMI in the UK, rerelease last year's excellent album with inevitable bonus tracks.
- Seemingly daily festival line-up item - Truck line-up announced with mystery headliners that seem likely to be The Futureheads.
One last Camden Crawl post
...before I leave the whole thing alone for at least a year: Music Like Dirt have a really excellent summary of different opinions on it, including my own GoodBooks hyperbole.
25.4.06
Chartsengrafs (25/04/06)
As predicted last week, Gnarls Barkley stayed number one in the UK singles chart on Sunday, ahead of new physical releases from Rhianna (2), today's Stylus Singles Jukebox winner Infernal (4, not quite living up to midweek expectations) and Fall Out Boy (8, same as its much more memorable predecessor). The Kooks continued to perplex and go back up again, and the slightly easily confused Black Eyed Peas and Pussycat Dolls (that's Pussy Dolls to Patrick Wolf) songs were still stuck next to each other. The Flaming Lips, at 16, did indeed end up with their highest charting hit ever, albeit only by two places but Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1 was released in January so doesn't really count.
Next time will see Gnarls Barkley comfortably hang on to number one for a fifth week, as well as taking number one from Shayne Ward in the albums chart, which has not seen anyone manage two weeks in a row at number one since Arctic Monkeys in January/February. Although Corinne Bailey Rae did have two seperate weeks each side of David Gilmour.
Biggest new or semi-new entries in the singles come from The Raconteurs and Dirty Pretty Things (both currently heading for the top five but probably set to drop), with Red Hot Chili Peppers terrifyingly set for the top ten on downloads alone and Snow Patrol joining them based on the full range of formats. Sole non-guitar-based new entry near the top to be from, er, Chicane featuring Tom Jones.
Next time will see Gnarls Barkley comfortably hang on to number one for a fifth week, as well as taking number one from Shayne Ward in the albums chart, which has not seen anyone manage two weeks in a row at number one since Arctic Monkeys in January/February. Although Corinne Bailey Rae did have two seperate weeks each side of David Gilmour.
Biggest new or semi-new entries in the singles come from The Raconteurs and Dirty Pretty Things (both currently heading for the top five but probably set to drop), with Red Hot Chili Peppers terrifyingly set for the top ten on downloads alone and Snow Patrol joining them based on the full range of formats. Sole non-guitar-based new entry near the top to be from, er, Chicane featuring Tom Jones.
News (25/04/06)
- Take That and Robbie Williams drag out the will he?/won't he?/does anyone care? saga still further.
- Some more details on the opera scored by (retiring, of course) Gorillaz.
- Does anyone really need another festival? Well, I guess it's good if you live in Orkney. And like Embrace.
- Similarly, this one sounds ace mainly not because of Clor, Absentee, GoodBooks and The Research, though that helps, but because it's so nearby.
- Muse's new single is called Supermassive Black Hole. That will be restrained, then.
24.4.06
News (24/04/06)
- Smashing Pumpkins reform, unwisely use light-grey text on a white background for their website.
- The Duke Spirit get their stuff stolen.
- Snoop Dogg to write novel.
- Novello award nominations as great as ever - Wires? Even though it came out well over a year ago? Coldplay for best song musically and lyrically?
- Maybe they should nominate Tony Christie's World Cup song next time.
- Fyfe Dangerfield seemingly only has one shirt. (ok that's not really news nor new but oh well)
shopping at Berwick Street's record shops today
I didn't find anything at all worth buying, which is about a first.
Or, at least, I saw a few cheap albums that I knew I'd like at least some of (Snow Patrol's first one, for instance) but didn't find anything which I was willing to give the place on my almost-full shelves to. I've now reached the strange point where the space that a CD will take up is often more of a concern than the couple of pounds it will cost, which somehow doesn't seem quite right.
Or, at least, I saw a few cheap albums that I knew I'd like at least some of (Snow Patrol's first one, for instance) but didn't find anything which I was willing to give the place on my almost-full shelves to. I've now reached the strange point where the space that a CD will take up is often more of a concern than the couple of pounds it will cost, which somehow doesn't seem quite right.
22.4.06
News (22/04/06)
- cd:uk not over after all, just relegated to five.
- Sparklehorse to (finally) release another album, featuring Dangermouse among others
- Carl Barat: Pete wasn't sacked, we just told him not to turn up any more.
Yes, Guillemots again
But at least some of you must love them as much as me - head over to Sweeping The Nation for a friendly chat with Fyfe Dangerfield. Meanwhile as I don't think I mentioned it already, surprisingly enough, their album is called Through The Windowpane (the name of their usual set-opener) and released on June 12th, especially exciting as it's the same day as Hope Of The States' second album and, at last, the release of an exhaustive compilation of The Delgados' Peel Sessions. Also, Keane.
21.4.06
News (21/04/06)
- Doherty surely well into double figures by now.
- Mae, Coldplay, some other people, are very rich.
- They could even afford John Lennon's schoolbooks.
- Ooberman reform! Two days after I finally bought their last album, weirdly.
- Top Of The Pops in breach of licencing laws, possibly taste.
Dirty Pretty Things/Plan B/Captain/GoodBooks/Fields/New Rhodes at Camden Crawl (20/04/06)
So in the end I managed to see 3 of the bands that I recommended in my previous feature - the queue for The Pipettes was too long and Guillemots were scheduled at an inconvenient time at Koko, way too far away from most of the places I was going. And for secret (where secret means 'announced clearly on the programme') headliner I chose Dirty Pretty Things, a good move I think after reading about the queues for The Futureheads and no-one being able to see Supergrass unless they got there hours earlier.
Started off with New Rhodes at Colour, which was too small to actually provide a stage, and a decent start it was - they're a good if unspectacular live band and it turns out they do have a few more songs which match You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back for brisk pop goodness, The History Of Britain probably being the pick of them.
The next three all fall into the category of bands who I really liked the sounds of from a few tracks on their Myspace, and nicely demonstrate the variable success rate of such an approach. Fields, playing the rather larger Lock17, were the disappointment of the night - some impressively gigantic noisy climaxes to build up to but not enough songs to go with it and the icy electronic element of their sound on record almost completely drowned. Their two singers (one male, one female) singing everything in unison just seemed to give an impression of neither of them being confident enough in their own right too, and the two songs that I'd already heard (Song For The Fields and If You Fail, We All Fail) were both great but easily the highlights and played first and last as if they knew it full well themselves.
GoodBooks, on the other hand, were magnificent beyond a degree which could reasonably be expected - superficially probably most similar to The Futureheads but adding a scale and scope more reminiscent of Hope Of The States or British Sea Power at their best to a base of jerky post-punk and electronic beats. With almost every song instantly awe-inspiring, it will be a surprise if they are playing anywhere as small as the out-of-the-way Bullet Bar this time next year, World War One monster Paschendale (including a brief diversion into Billie Jean) probably the finest of a very fine bunch.
Captain, also playing the Bullet Bar, fell somewhere between the two. There was a certain similarity to Fields, not least in the male-female vocals, but aside from the occasionally icky and offputting loving look to each other that wasn't a problem as they had much more confidence. They had a lot more stronger songs too, with their glistening pop showing more than a hint of pleasing darkness live, although a 45-minute set still seemed slightly too long at this stage.
Plan B had to be admired simply for not totally losing a crowd largely waiting for Dirty Pretty Things, with a captivating mad-eyed intensity which lasted for the whole of his set. Not so sure on the music though, and his raps started to get a bit repetitive even in the space of under half an hour - I lost count of the number of 'and then I was 14!'s.
Dirty Pretty Things, finally, played much exactly the same set as last time that I saw them, to slightly diminishing effect, although that might have been something to do with the fact that my feet were killing me by this time.
Thanks to Ada for photos.
Started off with New Rhodes at Colour, which was too small to actually provide a stage, and a decent start it was - they're a good if unspectacular live band and it turns out they do have a few more songs which match You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back for brisk pop goodness, The History Of Britain probably being the pick of them.
The next three all fall into the category of bands who I really liked the sounds of from a few tracks on their Myspace, and nicely demonstrate the variable success rate of such an approach. Fields, playing the rather larger Lock17, were the disappointment of the night - some impressively gigantic noisy climaxes to build up to but not enough songs to go with it and the icy electronic element of their sound on record almost completely drowned. Their two singers (one male, one female) singing everything in unison just seemed to give an impression of neither of them being confident enough in their own right too, and the two songs that I'd already heard (Song For The Fields and If You Fail, We All Fail) were both great but easily the highlights and played first and last as if they knew it full well themselves.
GoodBooks, on the other hand, were magnificent beyond a degree which could reasonably be expected - superficially probably most similar to The Futureheads but adding a scale and scope more reminiscent of Hope Of The States or British Sea Power at their best to a base of jerky post-punk and electronic beats. With almost every song instantly awe-inspiring, it will be a surprise if they are playing anywhere as small as the out-of-the-way Bullet Bar this time next year, World War One monster Paschendale (including a brief diversion into Billie Jean) probably the finest of a very fine bunch.
Captain, also playing the Bullet Bar, fell somewhere between the two. There was a certain similarity to Fields, not least in the male-female vocals, but aside from the occasionally icky and offputting loving look to each other that wasn't a problem as they had much more confidence. They had a lot more stronger songs too, with their glistening pop showing more than a hint of pleasing darkness live, although a 45-minute set still seemed slightly too long at this stage.
Plan B had to be admired simply for not totally losing a crowd largely waiting for Dirty Pretty Things, with a captivating mad-eyed intensity which lasted for the whole of his set. Not so sure on the music though, and his raps started to get a bit repetitive even in the space of under half an hour - I lost count of the number of 'and then I was 14!'s.
Dirty Pretty Things, finally, played much exactly the same set as last time that I saw them, to slightly diminishing effect, although that might have been something to do with the fact that my feet were killing me by this time.
Thanks to Ada for photos.
19.4.06
Mornington Crescent (part 7)
Part seven of a guide to fifty-something mostly new bands, tied loosely together by their prescence on the bill of this year's Camden Crawl. See the whole lot together here.
Website
Myspace
More of more of the same post-punk with nothing remarkable at all. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Acoustic-guitar toting rapper, recently heard on xfm constructing a hypnotic track round samples of Radiohead's finest moment Pyramid Song, though I missed what the song was. More fascinating than outright enjoyable in general at the moment but might be worth keeping track of. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Just after The Pistolas we have The Rifles, who clearly want to be The Jam rather than Gang Of Four, but still don't bring anything much of interest to their attempts. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Despite being named after the Rogers sisters in the band there's actually a guy in the band as well who does many of the vocals, which is a distracting start. Anyway, it's very competent but unremarkable garage rock. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
See The OnOffs. Only with a bit more brass. Forgotten them aready.
Website
Myspace
They'd have to be bloody good to overcome a name like that, and they aren't really. Funky enough dance-punk but it's actually a bit too polite! Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
Reforming veteran punks (who, er, recently played a gig at Selfridges department store) with a large hint of reggae who I had somehow not actually heard before. The cover of Heard It Through The Grapevine in particular is great fun. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
More uninspiring post-punk with particularly nasty whiny vocals. This is starting to get a bit tiring, you know... Avoid.
Website
Myspace
See recent live review. Or in short: great fun, especially live. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
As with The Pistolas. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Leading light of UK rap, I couldn't really tell you if there's any better but his stuff is certainly sparky and almost always very funny. Favourite line has to be the one after he is asked for an autograph by a kid: "Mum, is this how you spell Lemar?" Worth checking out.
Myspace
Powerpop which made a bad first impression thanks to, er, individual vocals but soon begins to win over through sheer catchiness. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Some rather lovely slow building indie which isn't quite ruined by overly angsty vocals. Reminds of The Veils, apart from the bits where they try to be the Arcade Fire, nothing quite takes off as it could though. Unless that's just the effect on listening to fifty bands. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Holy shit, their first song on myspace has 141,000 plays! That's more than anyone else in this whole piece probably. They may or may not all have been thinking 'This sure sounds like the Top Of The Pops theme' (the old one, they may or may haven lost track of it now). Horribly overdramatic Led Zeppelin worship, here. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
More of more of the same post-punk with nothing remarkable at all. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Acoustic-guitar toting rapper, recently heard on xfm constructing a hypnotic track round samples of Radiohead's finest moment Pyramid Song, though I missed what the song was. More fascinating than outright enjoyable in general at the moment but might be worth keeping track of. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Just after The Pistolas we have The Rifles, who clearly want to be The Jam rather than Gang Of Four, but still don't bring anything much of interest to their attempts. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Despite being named after the Rogers sisters in the band there's actually a guy in the band as well who does many of the vocals, which is a distracting start. Anyway, it's very competent but unremarkable garage rock. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
See The OnOffs. Only with a bit more brass. Forgotten them aready.
Website
Myspace
They'd have to be bloody good to overcome a name like that, and they aren't really. Funky enough dance-punk but it's actually a bit too polite! Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
Reforming veteran punks (who, er, recently played a gig at Selfridges department store) with a large hint of reggae who I had somehow not actually heard before. The cover of Heard It Through The Grapevine in particular is great fun. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
More uninspiring post-punk with particularly nasty whiny vocals. This is starting to get a bit tiring, you know... Avoid.
Website
Myspace
See recent live review. Or in short: great fun, especially live. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
As with The Pistolas. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Leading light of UK rap, I couldn't really tell you if there's any better but his stuff is certainly sparky and almost always very funny. Favourite line has to be the one after he is asked for an autograph by a kid: "Mum, is this how you spell Lemar?" Worth checking out.
Myspace
Powerpop which made a bad first impression thanks to, er, individual vocals but soon begins to win over through sheer catchiness. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Some rather lovely slow building indie which isn't quite ruined by overly angsty vocals. Reminds of The Veils, apart from the bits where they try to be the Arcade Fire, nothing quite takes off as it could though. Unless that's just the effect on listening to fifty bands. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Holy shit, their first song on myspace has 141,000 plays! That's more than anyone else in this whole piece probably. They may or may not all have been thinking 'This sure sounds like the Top Of The Pops theme' (the old one, they may or may haven lost track of it now). Horribly overdramatic Led Zeppelin worship, here. Avoid.
Chartsengrafs (19/04/06)
Slightly delayed weekly look back (and forward) at the UK charts.
So, as predicted last week, Gnarls Barkley stayed number one on Sunday, with Shayne Ward at 2 barely making it past half their sales figure with No Promises, seemingly a song bolted together entirely from discarded bits of old Daniel Bedingfield ballads.
This week he's going to be comfortably number one in the album charts though, with sales that will be very high if not quite at an Arctic Monkeys level. So it does look like he may yet prove more of a viable career proposition than McManus or Brookstein, although surely only if he's given some songs which aren't utter shit.
Lower down Sunday's chart, Hard-Fi had the inevitable weekend tail-off to end up at 14, again, Jamie Foxxxxx only got to 16 and Lorraine recovered slightly to a still disappointing 29.
On pre-release downloads, Infernal made 34 (heading for 3 on full release), Fall Out Boy 26 (set to become another top ten hit, somehow) and Rihanna entered at 5, which is going to be turned into 2 this week, still behind the all-conquering Gnarls.
Finally, The Flaming Lips' Yeah Yeah Yeah Song looks set to make the top 20 and probably become their biggest hit ever. Not bad for over 20 years into their career.
So, as predicted last week, Gnarls Barkley stayed number one on Sunday, with Shayne Ward at 2 barely making it past half their sales figure with No Promises, seemingly a song bolted together entirely from discarded bits of old Daniel Bedingfield ballads.
This week he's going to be comfortably number one in the album charts though, with sales that will be very high if not quite at an Arctic Monkeys level. So it does look like he may yet prove more of a viable career proposition than McManus or Brookstein, although surely only if he's given some songs which aren't utter shit.
Lower down Sunday's chart, Hard-Fi had the inevitable weekend tail-off to end up at 14, again, Jamie Foxxxxx only got to 16 and Lorraine recovered slightly to a still disappointing 29.
On pre-release downloads, Infernal made 34 (heading for 3 on full release), Fall Out Boy 26 (set to become another top ten hit, somehow) and Rihanna entered at 5, which is going to be turned into 2 this week, still behind the all-conquering Gnarls.
Finally, The Flaming Lips' Yeah Yeah Yeah Song looks set to make the top 20 and probably become their biggest hit ever. Not bad for over 20 years into their career.
18.4.06
I am the news (18/04/06)
(Yes, apologies for the title)
Charts tomorrow, thanks to the usual bank holiday delay.
- Cliff Richard wants to keep getting royalties for a while yet.
- "One life with each other, sisters, brothers"best lyric ever ever.
- White Stripes sued by producer who 'was influential' in inventing their sound, have Coke ad leaked.
- V festival lineup additions - include The Dandy Warhols, Morning Runner, The Boy Least Likely To and Matt Willis. No sign of Fightstar yet though.
- And Bestival, the Isle Of Wight festival that isn't the Isle Of Wight Festival gets Scissor Sisters to add to Pet Shop Boys.
- Long Blondes finally sign record deal! With Rough Trade.
Charts tomorrow, thanks to the usual bank holiday delay.
Mornington Crescent (part 6)
Part six of a guide to fifty-something mostly new bands, tied loosely together by their prescence on the bill of this year's Camden Crawl. See also part five here.
Website
Myspace
Pleasant, tuneful indie but ultimately lacks the hooks or ideas to make too much of an impression. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
'NeatPeople strike a blow against the homogeneity of the charts and the carbon copy posturing of too-cool-for-school indie boys' apparently. Er, right. Anyway, they supported The Bluetones on their last tour and anyone still following them is likely to like this a lot too - brassy, very catchy guitar pop with a lot of charm and a little style. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
Still somewhat of a mystery how their fantasticly breezy single You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back (more than a touch of The Smiths, there) managed to sneak into the top 40 in early 2005, especially considering that they've done nothing of note since and all by disappeared. Even on just the basis of that song though, probably worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
The available songs are so poorly recorded that it's almost difficult to pick out if there is any potential here but just about deserve the benefit of the doubt. Pleasingly tasteless electro-glam which flirts with chaos to no great ill effect. Worth checking out, perhaps.
Website
Myspace
Ah, I thought that that was too many half-decent acts in a row. Time for some plodding, deeply average singer-songwriter stuff. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Bluesy, none-more-retro rock which sounds quite a lot like The Zutons without any saxophone or particularly great tunes to add much interest. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
Urgh. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Admittedly all that they are really doing to set themselves apart is to lovingly recreate a different section of music past (sugary Sixties girl-group pop) to everyone else, but having not listened to them before they actually turn out to be much better in practise than in theory - so well done it's rather irresistable. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
Pleasant, tuneful indie but ultimately lacks the hooks or ideas to make too much of an impression. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
'NeatPeople strike a blow against the homogeneity of the charts and the carbon copy posturing of too-cool-for-school indie boys' apparently. Er, right. Anyway, they supported The Bluetones on their last tour and anyone still following them is likely to like this a lot too - brassy, very catchy guitar pop with a lot of charm and a little style. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
Still somewhat of a mystery how their fantasticly breezy single You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back (more than a touch of The Smiths, there) managed to sneak into the top 40 in early 2005, especially considering that they've done nothing of note since and all by disappeared. Even on just the basis of that song though, probably worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
The available songs are so poorly recorded that it's almost difficult to pick out if there is any potential here but just about deserve the benefit of the doubt. Pleasingly tasteless electro-glam which flirts with chaos to no great ill effect. Worth checking out, perhaps.
Website
Myspace
Ah, I thought that that was too many half-decent acts in a row. Time for some plodding, deeply average singer-songwriter stuff. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Bluesy, none-more-retro rock which sounds quite a lot like The Zutons without any saxophone or particularly great tunes to add much interest. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
Urgh. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Admittedly all that they are really doing to set themselves apart is to lovingly recreate a different section of music past (sugary Sixties girl-group pop) to everyone else, but having not listened to them before they actually turn out to be much better in practise than in theory - so well done it's rather irresistable. Recommended listening.
17.4.06
Mornington Crescent (part 5)
Part five of a guide to fifty-something mostly new bands, tied loosely together by their prescence on the bill of this year's Camden Crawl. See also part four here.
Website
Myspace
Aussie four-piece seemingly attracting PJ Harvey comparisons all round on the basis of little more than having a female singer. Much better than their name suggests, but their eerie, brooding rock never quite makes the impression it should. Good live from past experience though. Just about worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
Irish support to the likes of Hard-Fi and Dirty Pretty Things, some half decent snarling rock songs don't quite answer the question of whether we really need another Kasabian. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
A messy, uncoordinated combination of post-punk, actual punk, electronica and tuneless singing which only really seems to work at the messiest moments. Potentially entertaining though I wouldn't recommend with any confidence. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Thoroughly enjoyable supporting Elbow in February, but that was seemingly largely due to guitar problems forcing them to fall back on violin-led folk dance, a much more attractive proposition than their usual faux-raggae and erratic Mystery Jets-meet-Libertines style. Probably best avoid.
Website
Myspace
Dirty Pretty Things are a much, much better Libertines tribute band. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
To be able to appreciate, or even offer comment on, all types of music would be great but with relentlessly noisy rap like this I feel way too out of my depth to actually offer a verdict at all, except to say that the remix (well, it's more of a destruction) on myspace of The Rakes' 22 Grand Job is definitely hilarious.
Website
Myspace
More sub-sub-Libertines bollocks, taking unoriginality to an extra level on Young Evil Souls with an astonishingly brazen theft of the riff from Bloc Party's Helicopter. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Single Latchemere is more retro post-punk but manages to rise above nearly anything else of the sort here by the virtue of being very well-played and more importantly having hugely entertaining silly lyrics about a leisure centre sung in a this-is-no-joking-matter way. They don't have anything else up on Myspace to quite match it but it's nice to not have to write them off completely. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
The very first band on the list to not offer complete songs on their website or Myspace page (something to do with being signed to Vertigo?) which is a reason to turn against them right from the start. Missing out on more of what sounds like Mansun if they didn't have any ideas at all beyond a pale replication of their peers isn't too much of a hardship though. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Signed to Mike Skinner's label, guest appearances don't help the feeling that it's often a poor imitation of his own stuff, with too little to say and not even said that well. Listen to Harvey Nicks and the only funny or memorable part is Sway's brief contribution, more on him in a bit though. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Who exactly decided that they could be the next Coldplay? The album makes it sound like they could have done with a while longer before being forced down the unwilling public's throats, but actually has some very fine moments (It's Not Like Everyone's My Friend and Work among them) which amid their bluster somehow turn a certain bewildered awkwardness into an asset in a similar manner to their live shows. Worth checking out if you haven't already made up your mind.
Website
Myspace
Aussie four-piece seemingly attracting PJ Harvey comparisons all round on the basis of little more than having a female singer. Much better than their name suggests, but their eerie, brooding rock never quite makes the impression it should. Good live from past experience though. Just about worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
Irish support to the likes of Hard-Fi and Dirty Pretty Things, some half decent snarling rock songs don't quite answer the question of whether we really need another Kasabian. Forgotten them already.
Website
Myspace
A messy, uncoordinated combination of post-punk, actual punk, electronica and tuneless singing which only really seems to work at the messiest moments. Potentially entertaining though I wouldn't recommend with any confidence. Could be worse.
Website
Myspace
Thoroughly enjoyable supporting Elbow in February, but that was seemingly largely due to guitar problems forcing them to fall back on violin-led folk dance, a much more attractive proposition than their usual faux-raggae and erratic Mystery Jets-meet-Libertines style. Probably best avoid.
Website
Myspace
Dirty Pretty Things are a much, much better Libertines tribute band. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
To be able to appreciate, or even offer comment on, all types of music would be great but with relentlessly noisy rap like this I feel way too out of my depth to actually offer a verdict at all, except to say that the remix (well, it's more of a destruction) on myspace of The Rakes' 22 Grand Job is definitely hilarious.
Website
Myspace
More sub-sub-Libertines bollocks, taking unoriginality to an extra level on Young Evil Souls with an astonishingly brazen theft of the riff from Bloc Party's Helicopter. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Single Latchemere is more retro post-punk but manages to rise above nearly anything else of the sort here by the virtue of being very well-played and more importantly having hugely entertaining silly lyrics about a leisure centre sung in a this-is-no-joking-matter way. They don't have anything else up on Myspace to quite match it but it's nice to not have to write them off completely. Worth checking out.
Website
Myspace
The very first band on the list to not offer complete songs on their website or Myspace page (something to do with being signed to Vertigo?) which is a reason to turn against them right from the start. Missing out on more of what sounds like Mansun if they didn't have any ideas at all beyond a pale replication of their peers isn't too much of a hardship though. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Signed to Mike Skinner's label, guest appearances don't help the feeling that it's often a poor imitation of his own stuff, with too little to say and not even said that well. Listen to Harvey Nicks and the only funny or memorable part is Sway's brief contribution, more on him in a bit though. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
Who exactly decided that they could be the next Coldplay? The album makes it sound like they could have done with a while longer before being forced down the unwilling public's throats, but actually has some very fine moments (It's Not Like Everyone's My Friend and Work among them) which amid their bluster somehow turn a certain bewildered awkwardness into an asset in a similar manner to their live shows. Worth checking out if you haven't already made up your mind.
16.4.06
Someone Says
I haven't looked at DrownedInSound's forums for quite a long time now, but somehow within minutes of doing so I managed to stumble across Tom Smith of Editors, or at least claiming to be him, defending his band against an onslaught of bile (in the long post just over a quarter of the way down). Weirdly funny stuff.
The Picture Show (16/04/06)
Certainly the best week yet - click pics for videos as ever. (apologies for the not even up to the normal standard images as I'm stuck without Photoshop)
Would the new Pet Shop boys video have still been enough of an event to get a premiere on Channel 4 if it didn't feature David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Rock Profiles and Bluetones B-side guest appearance fame? Whatever, it's very funny indeed, particularly the very end. Thanks to Popjustice for posting this originally.
A less instant single than Over And Over but no less brilliant, album 'The Warning' has already been geting a lot of praise and it's not even out for another month. Oh yeah, and this video is one of the best for ages. Think Neil Buchanan... Thanks to Soundbites for this one.
And continuing the kids' TV theme, this really rather clever video which sees Will inserted into Blue Peter in the past. Probably actually best watched online where you might not see the joins quite as obviously.
Would the new Pet Shop boys video have still been enough of an event to get a premiere on Channel 4 if it didn't feature David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Rock Profiles and Bluetones B-side guest appearance fame? Whatever, it's very funny indeed, particularly the very end. Thanks to Popjustice for posting this originally.
A less instant single than Over And Over but no less brilliant, album 'The Warning' has already been geting a lot of praise and it's not even out for another month. Oh yeah, and this video is one of the best for ages. Think Neil Buchanan... Thanks to Soundbites for this one.
And continuing the kids' TV theme, this really rather clever video which sees Will inserted into Blue Peter in the past. Probably actually best watched online where you might not see the joins quite as obviously.
15.4.06
Mornington Crescent (part 4)
Part four of a guide to fifty-something mostly new bands, tied loosely together by their prescence on the bill of this year's Camden Crawl. See also part three here.
Myspace
Bound to suffer from the fact that they are not, as it turns out, the same thing as Field Music, they do still have an impressive line in atmospheric indie with a hint of electronica. If You Fail We All...'s crystalline prettiness in particular worth checking out. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
Having already seen them as a support band twice, I'm already well aware that I find their frenzied, unrelenting At The Drive-In impression briefly hilarious and then deeply irritating. Slightly more tolerable on record for what it's worth, but not by much. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
A bad choice of name (although nothing compared to their song The Gutterati) as there appear to be at least two bands sharing it. One of them have apparently now changed their name to The Lurios and are jangly and slightly forgettable, much recommended over this tuneless derivative horror though. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Currently gaining good reviews all round for their debut single, they tie together various strands of recently popular indie into twitchily catchy, surprisingly cohesive songs, with Walk With Me and Paschendale treading a line somewhere between British Sea Power, Clor and Franz Ferdinand to much better effect than that sounds. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
You probably already know my views on them (AMAZING) but their imagination stands out all the more among some of the company here. If you haven't them yet then, well, why not? Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
Just like Portishead, not in the actually being any good at all sense but in being named after their home town. Actually, their music is very slightly above average for the kind of punk revival stuff that there's far too much of here, but as for the lyrics... Well, here are some examples from Great Britain (as copied from their myspace, where they are proudly available for public display):
'So this is great britain and welcome aboard
A sinking ship thats full of shit and someone nicked the oars
A failing false economy
an anti-punk automony
OUr once unique Identity's
Been washed from our shores
In a land of hope and glory
do we really rule the waves?
The truth is a different story
We're all just a bunch of slaves'
Avoid at all costs. Unless you love The Others, I guess.
Myspace
Bound to suffer from the fact that they are not, as it turns out, the same thing as Field Music, they do still have an impressive line in atmospheric indie with a hint of electronica. If You Fail We All...'s crystalline prettiness in particular worth checking out. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
Having already seen them as a support band twice, I'm already well aware that I find their frenzied, unrelenting At The Drive-In impression briefly hilarious and then deeply irritating. Slightly more tolerable on record for what it's worth, but not by much. Avoid.
Website
Myspace
A bad choice of name (although nothing compared to their song The Gutterati) as there appear to be at least two bands sharing it. One of them have apparently now changed their name to The Lurios and are jangly and slightly forgettable, much recommended over this tuneless derivative horror though. Avoid at all costs.
Website
Myspace
Currently gaining good reviews all round for their debut single, they tie together various strands of recently popular indie into twitchily catchy, surprisingly cohesive songs, with Walk With Me and Paschendale treading a line somewhere between British Sea Power, Clor and Franz Ferdinand to much better effect than that sounds. Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
You probably already know my views on them (AMAZING) but their imagination stands out all the more among some of the company here. If you haven't them yet then, well, why not? Recommended listening.
Website
Myspace
Just like Portishead, not in the actually being any good at all sense but in being named after their home town. Actually, their music is very slightly above average for the kind of punk revival stuff that there's far too much of here, but as for the lyrics... Well, here are some examples from Great Britain (as copied from their myspace, where they are proudly available for public display):
'So this is great britain and welcome aboard
A sinking ship thats full of shit and someone nicked the oars
A failing false economy
an anti-punk automony
OUr once unique Identity's
Been washed from our shores
In a land of hope and glory
do we really rule the waves?
The truth is a different story
We're all just a bunch of slaves'
Avoid at all costs. Unless you love The Others, I guess.
14.4.06
A mystery solved
Referrals indicate that at least a couple of other people have searched for why Guillemots' brilliant We're Here didn't appear in the UK charts at all a few weeks ago and I've found out the answer - it's because they ran a competition with the prize of playing a gig in someone's house, which fans had to buy a copy of the single (and get it signed) to enter. Which is a real shame, although not as much as the fact that I didn't win of course...
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