Culturedeluxe

Shoppping in West Norwood

2011-09-02T17:48:00.000+01:00

My very good friend Bob (WNCL) Bhamra now has a shop and here it is. His attention to the details is great as you can see by these lovely label idents.

http://westnorwoodcassettelibrary.blogspot.com/2011/08/wncl-online-store-sale.html

The Mind Pilot

2010-12-06T15:09:00.000Z

NYTimes.com have an essay by Haruki Murakami.

The Mind Pilot

2010-12-06T15:06:00.000Z

Haruki Murakami has a thought provoking essay up on NYTimes.com.

Interview: NRWO

2010-04-09T14:21:00.010+01:00

Florida band NRWO (Nothing Rhymes With Orange) are all set to release their second LP 'The Happiness Struggle' in the UK on May 4th. I caught up with Rich Coccaro to find about a little about the history of the band and to see what we can expect from the album.

How did you guys start out?

When I first started playing I didn't think about joining or starting a band, it kind of just happened. Carl was doing some singing on his own, he always wanted to sing in the band that I was trying to put together.. I wouldn't let him.. I told him he sounded and looked too much like that Bono dude.. Eventually after years of abuse and nagging, I gave in.. from then on we just started writing songs..

The both of us started getting into music and following bands at a very young age. My first show was The Police - Syncronicity Tour. Probably shouldn't have told you that because now you have an idea of how old I am.. Well I was about four or five.. Yeah, I made my dad take me.. That was kinda of the starting point. My first show was in a stadium and I was five.. that says it all..We've always had the mentality of writing BIG songs that could hold up in a stadium or an arena and I think that is reflective of the bands that we grew up listening to. I mean it's a bit more diverse these days but growing up with The Smiths, Oasis, u2, even Springsteen and Petty.. So that's where we've always wanted to go..

How does this record differ from your previous offering, 'Hello Mysterious'?

It's much better! That's the biggest difference I think..I wanted this album to be about songs that are simple and honest. I lent a hand in the writing a bit and tried to get Carl to go in a different direction from the past record. There were a lot of obscure references and I, as I'm sure most, had a problem connecting with. We were trying to be a band that we were not or will ever be and I don't even know what band that is..I think we've always had a much more understanding of what kind of band we don't want to be then the band we want to be. So With this album it was the two of us with an acoustic guitar taking personal experiences, stories, things that happened on a daily basis, relationships, etc. you know the usual, and just letting it go. This is how it is..

You're influenced by a lot of British bands. What do you think British bands offer than American bands don't?

I’m really not sure. Not to say that America doesn't have a ton of great bands I just think Britain has more. To me it's about great songs and less about who can be the most successful, make the most money in the shortest time. I think there is more longevity with bands from the UK. Primarily because I think the songwriting is better and the fans connect more with those types of bands..

You've supported the likes of RHCP and Doves, how did that feel?

It was good. Anytime you get an opportunity to play with bands that have inspired you in some way, it makes the shows that much more exciting. Also keeps us on top of our game. If we're supporting an act of that size, we better not suck!

What have you got planned for the rest of the year?

With the release of The Happiness Struggle, we'll be heading back to the UK in August. Then hopefully a follow up tour in the states, and then hopefully a follow up to that tour in the UK, then back to the states... I don't want to go home, I'd rather just live on the road. Well maybe a week or two back home would be nice.. and I say that now but a month into it and I'll probably want to be back home doing nothing..

How has British reaction to you differed from in the US?

The reaction so far has been pretty much the same all around, which is good and surprising. I think it's still a bit early to know for sure but we're hoping both sides take a liking.. We've always focused more on the UK because we just felt it was a better place to get our music
across.. As I mentioned before I just think there's more of an appreciation for music in Britain. If it's takes a while to break America then so be it..I think America needs their music spoon fed to them, so if that's the case, we'll do it. One at a time if need be. You always hear about bands breaking the UK before the US. Take Kings Of Leon. Perfect example.

What 3 tracks of yours should we track down and love?

Headlines And Deadlines
Escaping Hell
The Happiness Struggle...
and the rest of the album..

There's a place in Wales called Blorenge, which does rhyme with Orange. Does this make you sad?

I actually think I've heard that before.. but no it doesn't make me sad. If anything, glad. Because now maybe we can change the name of the band.

Destined for Stardom

2010-03-26T19:40:00.004Z

Bands have been using the new wave of social media to enhance their status for years now; its most famous child perhaps being Arctic Monkeys, who raced to the fastest sales for a British debut album back in 2006. Now, however, social media has a new Queen. Noush Skaugen is probably the most famous female solo artist that you've never heard of and, remarkably, despite her unsigned status she's racked up a staggering 1.2million followers on Twitter (which is especially impressive when you consider that people like Stephen Fry have 1.3million).

Born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Persian Father, Noush has split her time between Sweden, France, the US and London, completing a law degree at Warwick University in the process. After gaining some musical success she decided not to follow a career in law and having gathered more support through podcasting and Myspace Noush released her debut EP 'Palomino' in 2007. This in turn led to prestigious prizes in the form of 'Alternative Pop Artist of the Year' at the 17th Annual LA Music Awards, and 'National Independent Rock EP of the Year' at The Hollywood Music Awards. She then followed this up with her first full lenth album, 'Lost and Found' in 2008.

Her rise seems to show no signs of stoppng and, after becomming the most popular unsigned artist on Twitter, she became the first unsigned artist to be invited to perform a live-streamed showcase from Twitter's San Francisco HQ earlier this month. On top of this she's had a successful slot at this years SXSW, has toured with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, TV On The Radio, Paramore, R.E.M., Joss Stone and The Mars Volta. Now with a new album due for release in the spring Noush is releasing 'Run Baby Run', her new single, in May, which you can see below. The video is a further example of the lengths that Noush goes to to connect with her fans; she recorded it especially as a thank you after reaching one million fans on her Twitter.

Cerebral Topography 101

2010-03-19T08:44:00.003Z

One of my favourite records is Steve Allen's ‘How To Think’. Allen was a polymath and glittering star of American radio and television culture. How to think is in many ways a precursor to later advisory records such as ‘Wear Sunscreen’. “Use words carefully” or “Look for the evidence” are just two of the observations Allen makes for having an empathic, universal human understanding. Allen also has an innate ability of embedding and encoding each of these instructional observations within a beautiful suite of compositions that are the ultimate in easy-listening, while simultaneously mapping and explaining the psychic territory, inner mechanisms and cerebral topography of the human brain. You can hear it too via this link… Steve Allen - “How To Think” LP (ZIP file)

New Video - Burns - So Many Nights

2010-03-18T22:14:00.003Z

This is a pretty special track from a guy I'm sure we're going to be hearing a lot more of in 2010 - Burns.

Nice French-house influenced loops with some phat beats on a Justice tip, this will make your willy wet.

It’s out exclusively on Beatport now: https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/home/detail/1/beatport#app=3a6&a486-index=9

Physical release is on April 19.

New Video - Hot Chip - I Feel Better

2010-03-17T17:51:00.002Z

The new video by Hot Chip is here, and it's directed by the genuis that is Peter Serafinowicz. Like all the best videos (John & Edward) it's both funny and a bit scary. Enjoy...

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Hot Chip | MySpace Music Videos

I found FOUND...

2010-03-17T11:00:00.006Z

One of the reasons I moved from Edinburgh to London was a frustration at the lack of a music scene, or venues that could attract established bands to come and play. It seems a little like the city is giving me the finger then, to find that a nascent scene has developed in the three years since I left. Maybe I was the millstone round its neck, who knows? Frankly, I'm sure you don't really care, and I don't blame you.

The point is there are now number of great bands doing the rounds in Edinburgh, one of the most interesting of which is FOUND. Their latest album 'Found Can Move' covers almost every genre short of appalachian yodelling, so instead of me giving you an arbitrary checklist of labels, I suggest instead you click the link below to their bandcamp page, stream their album for free, love it, then buy it.

You can thank me (or indeed them) later.

http://found.bandcamp.com/album/found-can-move

Live Review - A Genuine Freakshow - Bush Hall, 25.02.2010

2010-02-26T16:13:00.000Z

As I made my way around Shepherd's Bush Green, en route to Bush Hall, it was throwing it down. It'd been raining for what seemed like all day and I bemoaned another typically damp and cold February. On arrival at the venue it was clear that the inclement weather had dampened the clothes but not the spirits of those who'd braved the journey out.

Firstly, a quick sentence or two about our four support acts of the night. Our Lost Infantry's young, fiery, guitar-driven indie follows in the footsteps of the likes of We Were Promised Jetpacks. They're not quite there yet but they're not that far away either. Next, Bright Spark Destroyer took to the stage. It's an odd thing to say that a band can be overtly nice but that's what happened here. Drawing influence from the late Radiohead should be a good thing but, with wide-eyes and fixed smiles, what could be interesting on record falls a little short of the mark live.

The Gadsdens

Following were The Gadsdens . During their set my girlfriend summed them up pretty well: "They're like Maroon 5, who are obviously shit. But, like Maroon 5, there's also something undeniably catchy about them."

After Our Lost Infantry's gaggle of fans/friends (easily the largest of the night -- for some reason) vacated the area in front of the stage for either the bar or the door it was the turn of A Genuine Freakshow. More fool those who, having fulfilled mates' duties, decided to leave.

As a slight, bespeckled Timothy Sutcliffe and co. took to the stage they held an intangible confidence that marked them out tonight's first 'proper' band. Their pacy, purposeful set was full of energy, menace and confidence. With a line-up including violin, cello and trumpet -- alongside the staple guitar, drums, bass -- it's refreshing to see that takes these extra instruments further than just atmospheric padding -- here they often lead melody with guitars left to create beds of distortion, atmosphere or tremolo picked chaos. When you Sutcliffe's vocals to the mix -- which err on the acrobatic -- the band's sound brings to mind the likes of Grammatics or Mew.

Tonight's performance is solid, as is the material. With a tour currently underway it should only be a matter of time before A Genuine Freakshow fly above the radar.

If you head over to A Genuine Freakshow's MySpace you can download a four-track EP for free.

Sway Delivers New Mixtape

2010-02-26T13:08:00.000Z

UK hip hop star Sway has just popped his latest mixtape into that virtual postbox that is the World Wide Web and, since the Royal Mail haven't been entrusted with its delivery, here is...'The Delivery Mixtape'

Fans of Sway will know his mixtapes are nothing but the highest quality and often eclipse his official releases and this can be yours in exchange for your 'deets', your 'digits' or, indeed, your contact details from Sway's website.

He's also keen to get your feedback on Twitter - just mark your tweets FAO @Sway_Dcypha...

New Ghibli film in cinemas

2010-02-25T10:37:00.008Z

"Time goes slow in the place of work, minutes drag and the hours jerk", so rapped Joe Strummer on 'The Magnificent Seven'. I can see where he is coming from, frankly. Although (or perhaps because) it is the closest day to Spring London has seen this yearl; hence more light than usual is streaming through the window of my office, I am interminably fucking bored.

There is, however, a little chink of joy piercing through the gloom, and that chink happens to be in the shape of a goldfish called Ponyo. The latest film from Studio Ghibli is in cinemas now, and it tells the story of a friendship between Ponyo and a little boy called Sosuke. In typical Ghibli fashion though, Ponyo is a magical fish who decides to turn into a little girl and also has the responsibility of saving her new friend from an angry sea. Having never seen a Miyazaki production on the big screen, I am determined to put that right with Ponyo. Check the trailer below and feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

Souvaris and Sincabeza Combine For 'Clown Jazz'

2010-02-22T23:05:00.000Z

Tomorrow sees the release of a rather wonderful new EP on the rather wonderful Gringo Records label. 'Clown Jazz' is an Anglo-French meeting of the minds over intens, instrumental, noisy, abstract pop with Nottingham's Souvaris teaming up again with touring partners of the past four years, Bordeaux's Sincabeza.

It is now some three years since Souvaris' sophomore LP 'A Hat' and the two new songs on 'Clown Jazz' ('Great Scott' and 'Hello, Antelope') hint at an impressive new groove-driven direction for the third album they are currently working on.

You can check out some sneak previews over at http://www.sincabeza.org/sincavaris/ now or you can try our exclusive downloads below of Souvaris' 'Great Scott' and Sincabeza's 'Malalido' which open and close the EP respectively. Don't say we're not good to you, now!

Souvaris / Sincabeza - 'Clown Jazz EP' (Gringo Records)
1. Souvaris - 'Great Scott'
2. Souvaris - 'Hello Antelope'
3. Sincabeza - 'Bacalacola'
4. Sincabeza - 'Facile a Compter'
5. Sincabeza - 'Malalido'

You can buy 'Clown Jazz' on 12" direct from Gringo Records by clicking here.

Warner to pull out of Spotify?

2010-02-11T18:34:00.004Z

Warner Music has said it will stop licensing its content to ad-funded streaming services like Spotify, We7 and Lastfm.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8507885.stm

Surely this is a backwards step to be taking just weeks after Spotify has been publicly backed by Universal and its premium service has achieved its target of signing up 10% of its users in all but two of the countries it is operating in. I suspect the chairman of Warner has lost his nerve ahead of the imminent US launch of the site. If he really didn’t want to bet the farm on streaming services, why not introduce get-out clauses into Universal’s participation if the US product does not do as well as Spotify hope. The US was always going to be the key market for Spotify, so to cancel on the eve of its launch makes Warner look pathetic, especially when, as yet, none of the other majors look set to follow suit.

Warner, and every other music label, need to wake up to the fact that there is a generation who consider the traditional model of buying albums as a ludicrous, they should be doing all they can to support services like Spotify and make them into viable business models if they are really serious about putting an end to illegal music downloads. It’s interesting to note that Warner chief executive Edgar Bronfman Junior’s alternative to Spotify is to “promote services that require payment”, maybe I’m missing something here, but isn’t that what he is denying Spotify the chance to become?

Like it or not Ed, some people will never pay for music, they are douchebags, but what can you do? Well, for a start you could try and wring some value out of those who sign up for free streaming services but don’t actually buy music. A sizeable proportion of that group will probably buy music merchandise or gig tickets, so why not make it a condition of the free streaming service that users receive say, five emails a week, about tours/merchandise of the 10 bands they stream the most music by. The success of Bandcamp has already proved that people are willing to give their details to a scheme like this to get access to streaming services. This wouldn’t be too difficult to implement either; if google can pin down search demographics involving the whole internet for advertisers to exploit, surely a streaming music site can do so within its own domain.

In short Eddie my man, the way people consume music is changing, and you can’t stop that process, what you can do is deal with the cards you are dealt and make some money from the changes. In case you are reading, I have attached a link to the bandcamp website below so you can see what an innovative web music portal looks like. Enjoy.

http://bandcamp.com/

We Need Answers Spawns No More Women

2010-02-09T23:54:00.001Z

BBC4 devotees should be quite familiar with the trio of Mark Watson, Tim Key and Alex Horne, the three-headed monster host of We Need Answers - the most outlandish TV quiz since the heady days of Channel 4's Remote Control in the early 1990s. Every Tuesday they invite two celebrities of varying quality to fathom out the responses to the 'wackiest' questions sent to text answering services - including those concerning themselves. Outraged Daily Mail readers should look away now as, not only have the BBC thrown licence-payers' money at such a vehicle (and not at something nice like My Family or The Green Green Grass) but they've even allowed them to come up with the only game show even less intelligible. Try it, it's fun!

Eagle-eyed viewers may recognise Tim (on the right) as the bloke from the Strongbow advert who is left paralysed and oblivious by the sheer taste of his first sip of fresh cider, but we won't hold that against him. He's also been at the helm of several popular stage shows, the excellent Radio 4 shows Cowards and All Bar Luke and has an amazing second life as 'poet' Tim Key. Mark's no slouch either: he famously runs 24 hour comedy performances, has had success on Radio 4 and 5 and has three published books to his name. Currently he is wetting himself on Twitter at the prospect over turning 30. Alex Horne (playing the commentator) is something of a multimedia expert, providing idiosyncratic graphics for the trio's endeavours as well as his own live shows including his current tour 'Wordwatching' which comes highly recommended and is also available in book form.

Blog off

2010-02-09T12:58:00.005Z

Do you listen to music anymore? Properly listen to it? Obviously the sound passes through your ears, but does the meat inbetween even acknowledge it? Do you have a problem identifying when you are musically full? The experience of listening to, buying and owning music has been dramatically changed over the last decade by the internet. There has been much talk of how the churn of blogs and internet hype-makers have accelerated the life-cycle of a band/artist to something approaching that of a mayfly, but everyone seems to be missing an important part of this equation; the listener.

All over the world, sweaty fingers are clicking on mice and eyes are dilating as we speak, heralding a new kind of hypocrisy, one we can all believe-in and look up to. A new species of music fan is emerging in the post-physical product age of music consumption, the hoarder. Typically, the hoarder will have a finger in every stylistic pie around, and will spend hours trawling blogs to find rapidshare links to steal newly-released albums before the labels can catch up and flag them as copyright infringement. It’s like file-sharing version of one of those board games where you have to whack a rat as soon as its head pops up through the hole, except the one who really gets whacked is the artist. Often, the hoarder will also display an at best rudimentary understanding of reality by believing that the only people losing out financially through their actions are a few suits who own major labels. They may even have rationalised their actions to such a degree they will tell you what they are doing is part of a winnowing process for the majors, instigating a new model of musical consumption where artist and fan alike will be better off without the tyrannical influence of major labels. So that would be the pay-nothing model then?

In fact the exact opposite is true; major labels will probably continue to exist as long as music itself does, and they will always make money. The people that the hoarders are actually squeezing are the artists and small, independent labels that they profess to love. This is not an argument of legality, this is a matter of not shitting on your doorstep, not fucking the things you claim to love There is less justification for downloading music illegally now than there ever has been, it is now possible to listen to almost any album free through ad-funded sites such as Spotify or We7. This is evolution of the best kind; labels and artists recognising a new revenue source which pulls the rug from those who feel it anathema to actually pay to listen to music on demand. There you go guys, now you don’t have to, as long as you can recognise you don’t have a god-given right to actually own the stuff without showing the dollar.

Except this isn’t enough for our friend the hoarder, driven by an arms-race lust to have more and more new music (more than they could ever listen to or appreciate) they hit up the blogs daily for the latest fix, every day taking more money from the hands of people who don’t have much to start with. Were the pirate-link blogs filled with stuff that people with only a passing interest in music would go for, their existence might be more understandable, but they’re not. There are no links to download the new Gaga album, or Britney’s new record, instead it’s the Autechres and Magnetic Fields of this world who are receiving the dubious honour of “fans” being desperate not to pay to own their work. In any other form of culture piracy is looked down-upon, especially when it is hurting the artists at the bottom of the pile most, but the hoarders have developed a curious self-aggrandising where they feel theft is actually ahead of the curve and everyone else needs to catch up to their insight. I wonder if that line of thought would fly down my local Tesco…While I ponder being arrested for stuffing a pack of supernoodles down my trousers, if you don’t already use it, check out the link for we 7 below.

http://www.we7.com/#/

Looking To Size Up Your Crowds? Simples!

2010-02-04T16:14:00.004Z

You know the feeling. You desperately want to catch a casual ten minutes furtively glancing at images of young, men grappling and grasping, seizing and squeezing, sweltering and sweat-drenched. While some sites may offer you a handful from the same venue there has, up until now, been nowhere for the moshpit enthusiast to, to borrow an annoying lyric, "go compare".

Now, thanks to Gigjunkie.net, you can compare moshpits at any time of the day or night - yes Mr Henderson, not just on your Friday night off! Simply head over to the excellent comparethemoshpit.com and start rating now.

Listen - Gil Scott Heron 'I'm New Here'

2010-02-02T23:06:00.003Z

Social commentary and beautiful music are rarely intertwined as beautifully as when Gil Scott-Heron steps up to the plate. Taking the template that Marvin Gaye laid down on 'What's Goin' On' and running with it has been one of the hallmarks of Heron's long career (along, unfortunately, with run-ins with the law).

But please put his past indiscretions (and successes, which can be just as heavy a burden) aside and give this album a listen - it really is rather special.

Review - Deadmau5 At Play Vol.2

2010-02-02T21:15:00.003Z

It's very easy to be snooty about artists such as Deadmau5. If you are one of those people who class themselves as an EDM purist, it's easy to write him off, and criticise him for trying to take the dance floor into the arena, a lot like the vastly-inferior stadium-dance plodders Pendulum.

But write Joel Zimmerman off at your peril, because one thing is true about this fella - he knows his way around a 4/4. This is a masterclass in house music from start to finish, and sure, whilst it's not got the kick or the tough streak of quality that 'I Remember' or 'Ghosts 'n' Stuff' had, there are more than a few keepers in here that you can drop into your sets with ease ('Attention Whore' and 'This Is Also The Hook' being standout tracks).

This is house music that gives you a slap around the face. This is house music to make your bum clench. This is a decent odds and sods compilation.

Have a listen below and let us know what you think... I think it's a 7/10

'Deadmau5 - At Play Vol.2' is available on March 22nd on Play Records

Not Squares - Asylum

2010-02-02T18:25:00.002Z

'Asylum', Not Squares' debut single, opens with a punch right in your ears delivered by a fist full of drums. Then, before you've had a chance to clear the stars orbiting your head, you're placed in the middle of dance floor and instructed to do one thing and one thing only: dance fucker!

Filthy bass, frenetic drums and angular guitar riffs propel this thrash disco beast out of the blocks at a pace that doesn't let up until its four and a half minutes have expired and you're finding yourself short of breath, the only respite being a breakdown of anthemic chanting and four to the floor kick drum.

Asylum gets a digital release on The Richter Collective on March 1st.

Not Squares - Asylum from Bright Stem on Vimeo.

Pavement Announce Best of Tracklisting

2010-01-25T14:31:00.000Z

That tracklisting for Pavement's new retrospective 'Quarantine the Past' is in. The album, which is released by Domino on 8th March, features a generous twenty three tracks with pretty much all you'd expect present and correct.

Pavement - 'Quarantine the Past (The Best of Pavement)'
1. 'Gold Soundz'
2. 'Frontwards'
3. 'Mellow Jazz Docent'
4. 'Stereo'
5. 'In The Mouth A Desert'
6. 'Two States'
7. 'Cut Your Hair'
8. 'Shady Lane / J vs. S'
9. 'Here'
10. 'Unfair'
11. 'Grounded'
12. 'Summer Babe (Winter Version)'
13. 'Range Life'
14. 'Date w/ IKEA'
15. 'Debris Slide'
16. 'Shoot The Singer (1 Sick Verse)'
17. 'Spit On A Stranger'
18. 'Heaven Is A Truck'
19. 'Trigger Cut / Wounded-Kite At :17'
20. 'Embassy Row'
21. 'Box Elder'
22. 'Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence'
23. 'Fight This Generation'

Video: Ocelot - Our Time

2010-01-24T18:57:00.000Z

How To Get Ahead In The Music Industry - A&R Edition

2010-01-24T18:47:00.003Z

Is this what the inner-sanctum of the music industry is really like? Yes and no.

Brilliant slice of juvenile pisstaking here from Louis Gaston of The Streetlife DJs - check the comments section below for a few comments from popular DJs.

But just remember - it's on spec, yeah? And if you get offended there's probably something wrong with the way you do 'business'...

Where's My Tie?

2010-01-22T13:58:00.003Z

I'm sure you've probably seen all of these around London and the rest of the UK, but if not, check out this Holy Moly article, and this website, where you can *ahem* amend David Cameron's totally fucking nausiating poster campaign.

It made me laugh, mainly because it makes an insincere moron look even more stupid. Simple really.

Make yours here.

The Gorillaz Are Back - Check Out This Cool Little Widget

2010-01-20T22:27:00.003Z

The Gorillaz return after a long hiatus this March with their new album, and as is increasingly the norm these days, there is a pretty slick social media campaign going on to promote it.

I love this sort of shit - I love it when bands and labels actually make an effort to do something interesting, something different with an album release. Maybe I'm just a major label shill, but I'd rather have some big and brassy campaign like this, with plenty of interesting twists and turns, than another fucking email saying that some dreadful dance-rock outfit is playing at The Slug and Lettuce, who have been signed by some fart-sniffing bedroom indie label. But I digress...

Here's the tracklist for y'all:

Plastic Beach (2010)

1. Orchestral Intro (featuring Sinfonia ViVA)

2. Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach (feat. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)

3. White Flag (feat. Kano, Bashy and The National Orchestra For Arabic Music)

4. Rhinestone Eyes

5. Stylo (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)

6. Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)

7. Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon)

8. Glitter Freeze (feat. Mark E Smith)

9. Some Kind Of Nature (feat. Lou Reed)

10. On Melancholy Hill

11. Broken

12. Sweepstakes (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)

13. Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)

14. To Binge (feat. Little Dragon)

15. Cloud Of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack and Sinfonia ViVA)

16. Pirate Jet

You can follow Murdoc on Twitter here.

And you can pick up a neat little Gorillaz widget here. No doubt it's going to have a host of neat little features popping up on it over the next month, including the eagerly-awaited video for the single 'Stylo', and a few podcasts.

Enjoy!

Not so Smashing Pumpkins

2010-01-20T11:09:00.003Z

The Smashing Pumpkins have released the second song, 'Widow Wake My Mind', from the 44 track album Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. News of a new Pumpkins release is fast becoming more nerve-wracking than playing Russian roulette in the middle of a particularly bad acid trip.

Anyone with any interest in the band will be well aware of the massive limitations of Zeitgeist, and the first release from Teargarden... 'Song For A Sun' is absolutely diabolical, something akin to Phil Collins attempting to rip off Led Zeppelin. So what of the new song? Well, the good news is its not terrible, but on the other hand, the best thing you could say for it is that sounds like a very mediocre B-side from the Gish era. ‘Widow Wake My Mind’ is faintly psychedelic, with a decent approximation of the SP knack for a triumphant solo. The piano break in the bridge and lyric about “crawling into my heart” are a bit cringe-worthy, and the track is undeniably lightweight, but overall it’s not bad- and almost certainly better than anything from Zeitgeist.

Musicians like Billy Corgan inspire a particular kind of hero-worship among their fan base, the longer the career; the more this effect is amplified. When a band has such an excellent catalogue of albums stretching over the length of time the Pumpkins do, the albums become more than great pieces of art, they become soundtracks to the fans formative years. They become a trusted friend- always on hand to celebrate the highs and sympathise with the lows. So when the inevitable decline happens, to the long-time fan it feels like more than a band releasing a bad record; it feels like a slap in the face to the band’s legacy, to the fan’s very memories. No-one expects artists to go on making wonderful music forever, but when things do start to go downhill, the clamour for them to bow out gracefully becomes intense.

The plan for Teargarden By Kaleidyscope is to release every one of the 44 songs online for free as it is written, with a physcial boxset to buy when all the tracks have been released, so its seems obvious that Billy Corgan is not willing to fade into the night anytime soon. And, being honest, we shouldn’t really expect him to, its entirely unfair to want someone to just stop make making music because it doesn’t live up to an existing fanbase’s expectations, but the frustration at one member (Corgan) putting out shonky material under the Pumpkins banner with none of the other original members involved is much easier to sympathise with. Having used Zwan and his own name to release music in the past (both of which were considerably better than the current Pumpkins material) why has he now decided that he can justify being the sole proprietor of the Pumpkins legacy?

Sadly, this kind of ego-driven behaviour rarely works out well in a musical sense. There are countless examples of the singer of a much-loved band going on to make highly dubious musical decisions without the input of any of the band’s original members; Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy debacle being one recent instance that springs painfully to mind. The Smashing Pumpkins haven’t yet plumbed those depths, and despite myself I can’t help but like ‘Widow Wake My Mind’ a little bit. With 42 songs from Teargarden By Kaleidyscope still to go, it may even turn out to be an excellent album, stranger things have happened. The part of me that treasures Gish, Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness however, fears that the best days of Billy Corgan, and The Smashing Pumpkins, are long gone.

Free Downloads From Feeder Side Project!

2010-01-19T18:12:00.003Z

I've always had a soft spot for indie rockers Feeder, with 'Buck Rogers' and 'Insomnia' in particular being two tracks that managed to fill my adolescent years with plenty of air guitar moments at indie discos. That sounds naff, doesn't it - but you get the point.

Anyway.

Have some big, power-chord magic on us, courtesy of Grant and Taka's new side project, Renegades!

Download 'Renegades' and 'Sentimental here now, for free! Gratis! Nowt!

Free Download - Ocelot 'Our Time (Bird Peterson Remix)'

2010-01-12T21:08:00.003Z

Coming to you loud and clear from the wilds of Texas and, er, Leeds, Ocelot are James Welsh and Cory Kilduff, and they are pretty fucking good.

The duo first met when Jimmy – from Leeds - was in Texas on a BMX holiday with friends and hooked up with Cory and his hardcore band The Rise. On his return to the UK Jimmy started sending Cory remixes of The Rise tracks via iChat and after the band had toured the UK, with Jimmy acting as tour manager, they asked him to become a full time electronic member of the band.

When The Rise ceased to be, Jimmy and Cory continued to make music over the Internet, from Leeds to Austin. These new tunes, while influenced by their more technical rock background, would take a more electro-pop, house and techno direction - Ocelot was born.

Ocelot first came to prominence for their remixes, with several high profile re-rubs to their credit: Muse Knights of Cydonia, Royksopp Girl & The Robot, Dragonette Competition, The Killers Human and Robyn Be Mine, amongst them.

They’ve had notable props from Franki Chan’s IHEARTCOMIX label ,that rose to prominence during the blog house surge – on of the premier labels in West Coast electro in 2008/09.

Now signed to legendary dance label Wall Of Sound in the UK, Ocelot will release their debut long player in early 2010.

Download 'Our Time (Bird Peterson Remix)' here now!

Review - Radioclit Presents 'Saga Africa'

2010-01-10T23:40:00.006Z

It's difficult to try and explain how interesting and forward thinking electronic music can be when there are so many moronic records in the charts under the banner. Which is whay it's aways reafreshing to hear something fresh from an act such as Radioclit.

The Saga Africa EP is a Radioclit-helmed compilation of tracks themed around Africa, featuring a few up & coming producers like Douster, Myd & Lazy Flow. It's tribal fidgety madness, and my personal favourite is 'King of Africa' by Douster, which contains a sample you may recognise.

Check it out - I think it's brilliant, I just want to know what you think about it now.

Enjoy...

Free Download - Ali Love 'Love Harder'

2010-01-10T14:31:00.003Z

Some of you out there may remember Ali Love from his vocals for The Chemical Brothers on their 2007 hit single 'Do It Again'. Some of you may recognise him as the Hackney street urchin who penned the Sigue Sigue Sputnik-meets-The Ramones goodness of his debut single 'K-Hole'. Either way, he's been around a bit, and after a couple of years in the wilds of East London drinking in his first love, the one that his last record label didn't really want to be revealed - his love of electronica and disco. And you can download his new single here, now for FREE!

Hot on the heels of his low-key single release "Diminishing Returns", Ali is back in February with "Love Harder", his first proper single and a scintillating teaser of his brand new album, to be released in spring 2010. Look out for remixes from Prins Thomas, Jaymo & Andy George and Mighty Mouse, but in the meantime, download the extended original mix here now, let us know what you think, and enjoy the Italo house vibes!

Ali Love - Love Harder (Extended Version) by benstroud

BBC Name Top 5 Ones to Watch in 2010

2010-01-08T11:19:00.000Z

The BBC Sound of 20xx poll has been runniung since 2003 and has successfully predicted some of the biggest names in pop over the coming twelve months on many occasions. Of course, this mere association and pre-release hype does wonders for a fledgling act, but none can deny that there is the raw talent to back up these claims for the most part. Well, I guess we won't mention The Bravery or Sadie Ama...

This year's poll result is in, collating the views of over one hundred critics and broadcasters (i.e. the best of whatever was on their desk in December) and the top five looks like this.

1. Ellie Goulding
2. Marina and the Diamonds
3. Delphic
4. Hurts
5. The Drums

So, these are the artists to hit the blogs for now - ensuring your iPod is the one most lauded in February and most criticised come November.

Interestingly the BBC describe winner Ellie Goulding's sound as as "If Kate Bush, Bjork and Stevie Nicks shared a flat in trendy Shoreditch in 2010, this noise would emerge."

Three middle-aged women living in a flat in Shoreditch? Sounds more like a modern, musical pitch on the Golden Girls - now if they can just convince Duffy to join them I think the BBC might have a true winner here.

Serena-Maneesh Return With New Sound

2010-01-07T09:42:00.005Z

Norweigian psychedelic rock stars Serena-Maneesh have been incredibly quiet since their self-titled debut hit these shores in 2006 backed up with what was, for me anyway, a memorable performance at that year's Reading Festival. Now they return holding an album five years in the making (and recorded in a cave of all places) with what sounds like a surprisingly new electronic, almost jazz-like sound. Imagine Muse with no major label obligations, a little more imagination and a total disregard for radio play and you might just be there...

'S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor' is released through their new label, the legendary 4AD, on March 22nd and features eight new tracks including the rather wonderful 'Ayisha Abyss' which the label are offering up as a taster (they're very good like that).

Serena-Maneesh - 'S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor'
1. 'Ayisha Abyss'
2. 'I Just Want to See Your Face'
3. 'Reprobate!'
4. 'Melody for Jaana'
5. 'Blow Yr Brains in the Mourning Rain'
6. 'Honeyjinx'
7. 'D.I.W.S.W.T.T.D.'
8. 'Magdalena (Symphony #8)'

Link: Serena-Maneesh Profile at Culturedeluxe

Panacea Release Free Download EP

2010-01-06T09:33:00.005Z

This is a bit embarrassingly behind the times, (the thing was actually released in October 2009, civilisations have risen and fell in the blogosophere between then and now), but one of my favourite hip-hop groups have decided to give away their latest EP for free. Panacea's 'Corkscrew Gaps' EP is a collection of rarities, remixes and tracks which didn't fit on to their last couple of albums, and the whole thing is available to download absolutely free.

Anyone who likes conscious & chilled beats with hefty jazz influences should get their digital ass to the link and video below.

http://neosonix.bandcamp.com/album/panacea-corkscrew-gaps-ep

Portishead Tear It Up

2009-12-11T21:00:00.005Z

In aid of Amnesty International, Portishead have just released their new track "Chase The Tear" which is available for download exclusively from 7 Digital - profits going to Amnesty's Human Rights work. It's quite wonderful too - Beth's smooth and sinister vocals are set against a strict tempo collision of Moroder style 70's analogue electronics with some monotone guitar brought in for good measure, in a very dark place indeed. Judge for yourself though - the video's just below, and then purchase your own copy.

Andy J's Top 3 Remixes of 2009

2009-12-09T22:11:00.044Z

As 2009 draws to its conclusion, it's the time of year when everybody tries to decide their favourite album, their favourite single, their favourite film, or perhaps even their favourite version of A Christmas Carol. My thing is remixes. This is my top 3 for 2009....

3: Miike Snow - Black And Blue (Caspa Remix): 2009 was the year where dubstep went overground and indeed woomb woombing free at many of the UK festival grounds. Although it was largely Skream who was responsible thanks to his eventually ubiquitous remix of La Roux's "In For The Kill", it was fellow dubstepper Caspa whose remix of Scandinavians Miike Snow that really performed the magic trick - it just sounds better than the original.

2: Oasis - Falling Down (A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix by Amorphous Androgynous): who would ever think that Oasis would make a chart of cutting edge music. Even in their prime, it would be either a Gallagher brother or a madman (perhaps much the same thing) that would describe their music as revolutionary, but thanks to the freaky-stylings of Amorphous Androgynous (better known as The Future Sound Of London), over 22 glorious minutes Oasis finally sounded if not relevant then certainly interesting. Of course they couldn't top this - this is the real reason behind the disbanding for sure.

1: Saint Etienne - Foxbase Beta (Richard X): difficult what to say here as Richard X and Saint Etienne set themselves an uphill challenge - how do you improve upon what is rightly viewed as a classic without ruining the memory completely. George Lucas should take note. Foxbase Beta captured Foxbase Alpha's original London setting and jetted it over to a sunset beach in Ibiza. Around 1987. There is not a bad remix in the set, and the additional quirks of Beta set it apart in a way that neither fades nor tarnishes the original. A triumph.

Get Struck Dumb!

2009-12-09T21:51:00.011Z

Things just seem to get better and better for Sunderland's finest export, The Futureheads. For the small sacrifice of your e-mail address, new-album taster "Struck Dumb" can be yours to own, forever, gratis, free. Full details on their website. It's the most fun you're likely to have under three minutes tonight for sure. It's also one of the most out and out pop songs (in a early nu-wave kind of way) that they have dared to release yet. A good thing and bodes well for the album.

Visit The Futureheads

Seeing as I'm in the mood for a remix or two (see above), here's a classic interpretation of "News & Tributes" single, Skip To The End by Digitalism for you to feast your eyes on whilst you wait for the futureheads confirmation e-mail to hit your inbox. It's all about the drop ...

Pete D'oherty Does It Again

2009-12-07T22:10:00.006Z

You know the old phrase 'couldn't get arrested' well this obviously doesn't apply to Pete Doherty who has managed to get himself banged up again ..this time in Germany. He had apparently just been thrown out of a bar after asking staff where he could buy some cocaine and had decided that throwing a pint glass at a parked car was the rock n' roll thing to do, was promptly arrested and taken to a police station, near to the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, where he was held for three hours before being booked for property damage and then released.

Steve Lamacq Launches Old T-Shirt Day 2 - Hooray!

2009-12-03T16:11:00.001Z

For some it takes little encouragement to wear washed out, threadbare, mis-shapen band t-shirts to work - and not just on 'dress down' Friday. But tomorrow Steve Lamacq is encouraging everyone to raid their wardrobes for the oldest, weirdest band t-shirts you can find for national 'Wear Your Old Band T-Shirt To Work Day'.

More information and a great promotonal video can be seen here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/steve_lamacq/tshirts.shtml

See how Steve shows his true early 90's indie colours with a selection of Carter USM, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Wonder Stuff and Kitchens of Distinction shirts. He won't wear Kingmaker though, oh no, he leaves that up to Elvis. Meanwhile a selection of Radio 6 buddies show just how far back they go with such ancient bands as Metronomy and Grizzly Bear. Ooh, retro!

Sadly I have tomorrow off work but, if I was going, then a suspiciously musty Back to the Planet t-shirt would be my attire of choice.

XFM Listeners Name 'Songs of the Decade'

2009-12-01T13:08:00.000Z

Listeners to the allegedly alternative radio station XFM have named their Top 10 songs of the decade with the end result one in the eye for the likes of me who criticise radio playlists for blandly replaying the same hits back to back and those who clamour for a rest from groups made up of four or five white blokes. It seems the listeners love this shit, so good luck to them.

XFM Listeners Top 10 Songs of the Noughties
1. The Killers - 'Mr Brightside' (2004)
2. Arctic Monkeys - 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' (2005)
3. Kings of Leon - 'Sex on Fire' (2008)
4. Muse - 'Knights of Cydonia' (2006)
5. Elbow - 'One Day Like This' (2008)
6. The White Stripes - '7 Nation Army' (2003)
7. Ian Brown - 'F.E.A.R.' (2001)
8. The Strokes - 'Last Nite' (2001)
9. The Killers - 'Somebody Told Me' (2004 / 2005)
10. MGMT - 'Kids' (2008)

Culturedeluxe's Top 50 Albums of 2009

2009-11-27T15:40:00.002Z

2009 may have seen X-Factor and its derivatives crowned by the musically-impaired and cash-greedy alike as "the nation's favourite" but, for those of us who scratched the surface (or in some cases dug deep), there were as rich a pickings as any year previously. To this end, eleven of our finest scribes put their collective heads together some weeks ago and delivered our definitive Top 50 albums of the year. If you've yet to hear any of them then get yourself to your favourite record shop / download outlet now and listen with confidence.

1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - 'The Pains of Being Pure at Heart' (Fortuna Pop)

Despite various screams of 'hype' directed at a certain large US indie music website in January, those that had heard their early singles knew that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's adorable retreading of shoegaze-era indie was difficult, nay impossible, not to fall in love with. The musical equivalent of flicking through a new acquaintances record collection and finding you like every single disc - best friends from that moment on.

2. The Horrors - 'Primary Colours' (XL)

Nobody gave them a chance. To come back from their NME-hyped beginnings and a disappointingly sketchy debut album? To shake off their unpopular garage rock sound and fully embrace full-blown krautrock-driven psychedelia? Well, they did and to often startling effect leaving detractors the world over eating their words while uncontrollably nodding their heads. As Dr Foster put it in our May review: "to make your second LP sound brilliant be sure to record a really shit debut." Wise words indeed.

3. Bat For Lashes - 'Two Suns' (EMI)

Natasha Khan released her second album this spring to press adulation and an appreciative fanbase alike. Although not always as immediate as her debut 'Fur and Gold', the end result was altogether a more mature and cohesive affair. Interest escalated this autumn as 'Two Suns' became the bookies favourite to scoop this year's Mercury Music Prize, only to be beaten at the final hurdle by the inferior 'Speech Therapy' by Speech Debelle.

4. Animal Collective - 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' (Domino)

Simply picking up 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' and examining the disorientating front cover was enough this year to warp your mind - and this was before we'd managed to prise out the CD and start playing it. The noughties' answer to the Beach Boys produced their 'Pet Sounds' this year coupling the unexpectedly warm, yet unhinged pop of 'Summertime Clothes' and 'Bluish' with the deranged ramblings of 'Lion in a Coma'. Quite simply a knowingly abstract group at the height of their powers allowing them to quite rightly cross over into the lives of others.

5. The Duckworth Lewis Method - 'The Duckworth Lewis Method' (1969)

The only thing more surprising than England's Ashes win this summer was this delightful collection which arrived out of mid-wicket with a well-oiled bat and a glint in its suprisingly Irish eyes. The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon and Pugwash's Thomas Walsh joined forces, took their name from a confusing mathematical routine for deducing target batting scores and wrote an album around the concept of cricket. From 'The Coin Toss' through the batting order to 'The Nightwatchman' and 'The End of the Innings', this collection never once failed to charm and never more so than the wonderfully whimsical and witty 'Jiggery Pokery' which reminded a nation how much Mike Gatting hates Shane Warne.

6. Florence & The Machine - 'Lungs' (Moshi Moshi)

Florence and her machine topped many "one to watch" polls this January and even picked up a Brit Award in recognition of this fact, but we had to wait until the summer to find out if the debut LP would justify the column inches. Happily, for many Culturedeluxe writers, the collection delivered all the promise and more, from the scintillating sounds of early single 'Dog Days Are Over' to a much-heralded run through the old Candi Staton standard 'You Got The Love'.

7. The Lions Constellation - 'Flashing Light' (BCore Disc)

While American acts such as Ringo Deathstarr and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart jumped on the UK-fuzz guitar retro bandwagon, Spanish act The Lions Constellation scored a point for Europe with a collection of modern-day, psychedelic shoegaze. Proof positive that 2009, for those of us who looked outside the Top 10, was actually more about resurrecting the spirit of Kevin Shields and Jim Reid than Howard Jones and Gary Numan.

8. Mos Def - 'The Ecstatic' (Downtown)

A decade since last being musically relevant and as far away from his Hollywood career as you can imagine, Mos Def returned in 2009 free from major label shackles and with a refreshing new experimental attitude. Production from Stones Throw stalwarts MadLib and J Dilla threw psychedelia and Middle Eastern and Latin grooves into the pot making this one of the most interesting and best hip hop albums in an age.

9. The Phantom Band - 'Checkmate Savage' (Chemikal Underground)

Glasgow's The Phantom Band, famed for playing surprise gigs under various names, finally decided on a fixed moniker in 2009 with the release of their spellbinding debut LP. Healthy portions of classic rock mixed with titillating electronica and, oh yes, the occasional doo-wop solo, to provide one of 2009's most interesting mixtures. While the nation lapped up the mediocre Kings of Leon, here were a band doing essentially the same thing but at an astronomically higher level.

10. Saint Etienne vs Richard X - 'Foxbase Beta' (Saint Etienne Fanclub)

Self-confessed lover of all things retro, Richard X was let loose on Saint Etienne's 1991 debut in its entirity. Thus 'Foxbase Alpha' evolved with measured subtlety to 'Foxbase Beta'; bolstered with a noughties dancefloor sensibility while retaining its old-school feel and original sass. Here Richard X gave everyone a lesson in remixing with due care and love for the source material.

11. Emmy the Great - 'First Love' (Close Harbour)
A very assured debut from Ms Moss and her varied collection of "borrowed" musicians. 'First Love' was at least two years in the making but, due to taking time over her art, this love will not be her last.

12. The Prodigy - 'Invaders Must Die' (Take Me To The Hospital)
Leaving an even bigger gap between albums than that between the huge 'Fat of the Land' and the disappointing 'Always Outnumbered...', Liam, Keith and Maxim took a leaf out of the stadium dance of Pendulum, reverted to their rave roots and were soon back at the top of the charts and many festival bills.

13. Sky Larkin - 'The Golden Spike' (Wichita)
Leaving their native Yorkshire for the Seattle home of their grunge heroes, 'The Golden Spike' saw Sky Larkin's native grit and energy transformed into full-on, driven college rock. With American acts paying tribute to British guitar legends all over the place, here was one band doing the opposite to great effect.

14. Howling Bells - 'Radio Wars' (Independiente)
Delivered two years after their debut, this Australian four-piece introduced a poppier and simultaneously grandiose element to their sound with the results sometimes mellow, sometimes enthralling but always entertaining.

15. Fuck Buttons - 'Tarot Sport' (ATP)
While their debut 'Street Horrrsing' was justifiably acclaimed, it was a mere hint towards where these two Londoners were going with their sound. With legendary producer Andrew Weatherall on board, 'Tarot Sport' is one of the most rivetting rides you'll take all year - sometimes like witnessing an Andes pan pipe band caught in an electrical storm.

16. Passion Pit - 'Manners' (Columbia)
Slammed perhaps unfairly into a large sack marked 'similar' along with Little Boots and Empire of the Sun, Passion Pit managed to push the US dream pop envelope handsomely in 2009 thanks largely to the distinct vocals of Michael 'helium junkie' Angelankos.

17. Sub Focus - 'Sub Focus' (Ram)
Following the slightly cheesy lead of Pendulum, 2009 was the year that drum 'n' bass returned to the nation's consciousness with a bang. Sub Focus aka Nick Douwma proved on this self-titled effort that he isn't afraid of delivering a big sound that snatches influences from all over - be they italo-house, dubstep, breakbeat rave or straight out of Pendulum's own book cf. 'Rock It'!

18. Future Of The Left - 'Travels With Myself & Another' (4AD)
Despite being considered "too heavy for indie fans, too indie for metal fans and too mental for everyone else", Future of the Left combined natural aggression with good humour to bring a broad smile to the face of every one of their niche market - and many more otherwise.

19. The Cave Singers - 'Welcome Joy' (Matador)
Gruff, gravelly, Gram Parsons-esque alt. country came this year from Matador's Cave Singers and a self-referential album title. Taking blues as a starting point and working in the finer points of various musical cultures, they produced one of this summer's most well-rounded LPs.

20. The Raveonettes - 'In And Out Of Control' (Vice)
Having long since perfected their blueprint of "somewhere between Phil Spector and the Jesus and Mary Chain", The Raveonettes followed up the disappointing 'Lust Lust Lust' by injecting some much needed pop sensibility back into their record. The likes of 'Bang!' saw the Danish duo at their most accessible yet.

21. St. Vincent - 'Actor' (4AD)
Picture Emiliana Torrini getting together with Modest Mouse, throw in a lot of fuzzy bass and the occasional abrasive guitar and you're nearing 'Actor' by former Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens collaborator Annie Clark. These warm, fuzzy, lo-fi sounds backed up by a full orchestra led to many falling in love with St. Vincent this spring.

22. Fukkk Offf - 'Love Me Hate Me Kiss Me Kill Me' (Coco Machete)
One of our hot tips in January delivered one of the best dance albums of the year this August when Bastian Heerhorst's potty-mouthed, rave-obsessed act took the sound of sweaty Hamburg dance clubs direct to your living room and then refused to leave until the early hours of the morning.

23. The Soundcarriers - 'Harmonium' (Melodic)
Just as Stereolab called an "indefinite hiatus", Nottingham's The Soundcarriers made themselves available to step into their elaborate footwear. 'Harmonium' seemed less a tribute to the lesser-used instrument than a nod towards krautrock, 60's psychedelia, Lee Hazlewood and obscure library music.

24. Andrew Bird - 'Noble Beast / Brilliant Creatures' (Bella Union)
Likened to Mercury Rev's timeless 'Deserters Songs', 'Noble Beast' became Andrew Bird's fifth album and brought his unique combination of out there jazz and modern rock to a greater audience. The instrumental 'Brilliant Creatures' was a purely voluntary joint purchase which many salivating fans took up.

25. Doves - 'Kingdom of Rust' (Heavenly)
The ever-dependable Doves released their fourth LP after a brief break and announced with it a love for Vangelis and Kraftwerk which was reflected in the album including the giveaway track 'Jetstream'.

26. We Were Promised Jetpacks - 'These Four Walls' (Fat Cat)
The improbably named Scots released their debut LP a full six years after forming at an Edinburgh high school wearing the influences of labelmates Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit squarely on their sleeves - not to mention their shared love of Scots heroes Biffy Clyro.

27. The Qemists - 'Join The Q' (Ninja Tune)
Described by Andy J back in February as a contender for album of the year, 'Join the Q' makes it through its sheer disregard for genre - mixing rock, metal, breakbeat, hip hop, drum 'n' bass and a rare vocal from Faith No More's Mike Patton into an eclectic mix.

28. Wild Beasts - 'Two Dancers' (Domino)
With the dust from the release of last year's 'Limbo, Panto' barely settled, the Lake District's finest upped the stakes considerably with a smart, bold and ingenious piece of work. That's before you even consider Hayden Thorpe's unique and impressive falsetto.

29. Monsters of Folk - 'Monsters of Folk' (Rough Trade)
The oxymoronic name aside, what isn't there to love from a band featuring members of Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket and M.Ward? This late addition to the year's albums prove there can be truly great output from the rather sadly resurrected concept of the supergroup.

30. Broken Records – 'Until the Earth Begins to Part' (4AD)
This Edinburgh band have gradually worked their way up through various competitions, showcase sets and limited edition singles releases. In 2009 the seven-piece released their debut album through the respected 4AD label bringing their upbeat and decidely Celtic take on the indie-folk sound to a greater audience.

31. Blakroc - 'Blakroc' (V2 / Co-op)
Former Roc-A-Fella Records co-owner Damon Dash is the mastermind behind this rap-rock collaborative LP. The featuring artists read like a who's who of credible hip hop with everyone from Pharoahe Monch and Mos Def to Q-Tip and the Wu-Tang Clan lending vocal support.

32. Filthy Dukes - 'Nonsense In The Dark'
London three-piece Filthy Dukes achieved that most difficult of things this year - a credible electronic dance album which stands up over the course of two sides of heavyweight vinyl. Whether the punchy Depeche Mode pop of 'Elevator' or the chilling soundscapes of 'Somewhere at Sea', the music remained multi-dimensional.

33. The Protagonist! - 'Pink Fuzz!' (Stroboscopic)
Never let it be said that we don't look after our own at Culturedeluxe. Late 2009 saw the release of our popular scribe Keith Haworth's first outing as The Protagonist! and his first appearance in the end of year poll voted for by "his peers".

34. Paul Steel - 'Moon Rock' (Raygun)
Although recorded and readied for release by his former label, the fiercely pop-orientated Fascination who apparently wanted to market Steel as a new Mika, 'Moon Rock' sat on the shelves for two years before a labelless Steel decided to release it himself. We're glad he did as sugar-coated pop and extravagant pomp hasn't sounded this good since Freddy Mercury's heyday.

35. Luke Haines - 'Achtung Mutha / 21st Century Man' (Fantastic Plastic)
At the turn of the year the former Auteurs frontman was touring the nation's bookshops confounding listeners with his self-effacing charm punctuated by caustic passages of his book 'Bad Vibes'. Returning to the studio for a double LP, he prove that neither his lyrical ability nor his ear for a tune have left him.

36. Bell X1 – 'Blue Lights on the Runway' (ADA)
County Kildare's finest survived the loss of founder member Brian Crosby and released their third LP this year which impressed fans on both sides of the Atlantic, not least fans of US TV show 'One Tree Hill' on which the track 'Light Catches Your Face' made an appearance.

37. Fanfarlo - 'Reservoir' (Raffle Bat)
More than yet another ensemble folk-rock band with ambitions of being the next Arcade Fire, Fanfarlo coupled their mature, multi-instrumental sound with the incredible offer of downloading it for a mere dollar from their website - now that just makes great financial sense!

38. The Dead Weather - 'Horehound' (Third Man)
Or the latest in a very long line of Jack White-led supergroups. Where the Raconteurs lacked a certain ardor, the introduction of Alison Mosshart from The Kills and Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita gave The Dead Weather the bite that some of White's previous dalliances have lacked.

39. The Xcerts – In The Cold Wind We Smile' (Xtramile)
Proving that the Granite City has, and always has had, more to offer than Annie Lennox and The Shamen, and that Aberdeen's proximity to Scandinavia does indeed have an effect on the hardness and the severity of its music. The XCerts' debut channelled the band's live aggression handsomely, often showing off a surprisingly tender side too.

40. Juliette Lewis - 'Terra Incognita' (ADA19)
Now officially Lickless and somewhat short on Hollywood roles, Lewis teamed up with a new producer (The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez) for an album heavily-influenced by the best of recent alternative rock.

41. Philip Jeays - 'London' (www.jeays.com)
To some Philip Jeays is a natural successor to Jacques Brel and the smoky solliloquies and string-laden laments of 'London' only serve to back this up. For an act best appreciated live, this record does stand up well to repeated listens.

42. Bronnt Industries Kapital - 'Hard for Justice' (Get Physical)
Sadly an extracurricular project with little fanfare, this collaboration between Gravenhurst's Nick Talbot and Guy Bartell was both one of the most interesting and intelligent collections of music to be released this year. With reference points as far-removed as Kraftwerk, Roy Budd and The Strokes, this was a krautrock-soaked collection to keep returning to.

43. My Sad Captains - 'Here & Elsewhere' (Stolen)
With a winning combination of Wilco-style country rock peppered with volcanic bursts of noise, My Sad Captains helped fly the flag for a muted London indie scene in 2009 with a sound often beautiful, often melancholic but always enjoyable.

44. Moderat - 'Moderat' (BPitch Control)
After taking an unusual seven year break between their first EP and this debut long player (due to arguments over how they should sound during which they split back into ModeSelektor and Apparat), Berlin's Moderat finally unleashed this accomplished IDM debut this year.

45. We Fell To Earth - 'We Fell To Earth' (In Stereo)
Featuring former man from UNKLE Richard File and former Queens of the Stone Age / Mark Lanegan collaborator Wendy Rae Fowler, this debut album cleverly saw dance and rock music clashing to great effect. Using the drums as a lead instrument, this record frequently brought back flashes of Portishead at their best - praise indeed.

46. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - 'Beware' (Domino)
The prolific Will Oldham struck again in March, this time in an unusually upbeat mood. Layer upon layer of lush instrumentation provided a fitting backdrop to Oldham's rootin' tootin' songwriting with impressive choral swoops and pedal steel.

47. Arctic Monkeys - 'Humbug' (Domino)
The former chart-toppers entered the "difficult third album phase" with both confidence and a new celebrity producer Josh Homme. Not as immediate as either of their first two offerings, 'Humbug', for those who let it, was instead a work full of majestic subtlety and stands up with their best work - albeit after three or four listens.

48. The Twilight Sad – 'Forget the Night Ahead' (Fat Cat)
The stock of Kilsyth's finest continues to rise with a real progression from their 2007 debut on this sophomore LP. Exploring darker themes and experimenting with atonal soundscapes, 'Forget the Night Ahead' was lauded by pretty much everyone who heard it.

49. PJ Harvey and John Parish - 'A Woman A Man Walked By' (Island)
Long time collaborator John Parish was given equal billing again for the sequel to the pair's 1996 LP 'Dance Hall at Louse Point' on an album surprisingly described as a low key "diversion" for Harvey. Conversely it became one of her most enchanting and beguiling releases in recent years.

50. Music Go Music - 'Expressions' (Secretly Canadian)
Disco became achingly cool for the first time ever this autumn with a record which owed a real debt to the glitzy late 70's boom of Abba, Blondie while simultaneously throwing in the classic songwriting sheen of Neil Diamond and James Taylor. Very much a fun record at a time when the whole damn world needs cheering up.

Bubbling Under
51. Julian Casablancas - 'Phrazes For The Young'
52. Them Crooked Vultures - 'Them Crooked Vultures'
53. Baddies - 'Do The Job'
54. Darker My Love - '2'
55. B>E>A>K - 'B>E>A>K'
56. Titus Andronicus – 'The Airing of Grievances'
57. Royksopp - 'Junior'
58. Willie Isz - 'Georgianvania'
59. Dirty Projectors - 'Bitte Orca'
60. The Von Bondies - 'Love, Hate and Then There's You'
61. The Galvatrons - 'Laser Grafitti'
62. Clint Mansell - 'Moon OST'
63. The Juan MacLean - 'The Future Will Come'
64. Camera Obscura - 'My Maudlin Career'
65. The Silent League - 'But You've Always Been The Caretaker'
66. Major Lazer - 'Guns Don't Kill People Lazers Do'
67. Rebotini - 'Musical Components'
68. Miike Snow - 'Miike Snow'
69. Two Fingers - 'Two Fingers'
70. Euros Childs - 'Son of Euro Child'
71. Grizzly Bear - 'Veckatimest'
72. Air - 'Love 2'
73. The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band - 'The Phenomenal Handclap Band'
74. Jahdan Blakkamoore - 'Buzzrock Warrior'
75. Boys Noize - 'Power'
76. Morrissey - 'Years of Refusal'
77. The Last Dinosaur - 'Hooray! For Happiness'
78. Ryan Driver - 'Feeler of Pure Joy'
79. Seasick Steve - 'Man From Another Time'
80. Isis – 'Wavering Radiant'
81. Dizzee Rascal - 'Tongue 'n' Cheek'
82. Mastodon - 'Crack The Skye'
83. M.Ward - 'Hold Time'
84. Version Big-fi - 'Crux/Dub Collide Hybridize'
85. The Slew - '100%'
86. Felix - 'You Are The One I Pick'
87. There Will Be Fireworks – 'There Will Be Fireworks'
88. Venus International - 'Pléyades'
89. The Cribs - 'Ignore the Ignorant'
90. Revolting Cocks - 'RevCo. Sexo-Olympico'
91. Bob Dylan - 'Together Through Life'
92. Sean Bones - 'Rings'
93. Steel Panther - 'Feel The Steel'
94. Cornershop - 'Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast'
95. Andrew Weatherall - 'A Pox On The Pioneers'
96. British Sea Power - 'Man of Aran'
97. The Little Kicks – 'The Little Kicks'
98. Cats On Fire - 'Our Temperance Movement'
99. Raekwon (ft Ghostface Killah) - 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt II
100. Heads We Dance - 'Love Technology'

The Roll of Honour (Former Winners)
2008 - Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - 'Eine Kleine Nacht Musik' (Modular)
2007 - Justice - '†' (Because)

We Want Our Jackanory Back!

2009-11-25T16:34:00.002Z

Bernard Cribbins would like to see Jackanory return to its original format, and who can blame him? The popular, although admittedly less than it had been, show which featured a guest storyteller relate a classic or contemporary tale to camera in short chunks over five episodes was finally removed from Children's BBC schedules in 1996 after thirty one years on air.

Ok, we're probably all a bit old to be watching children's programming now - and, in some cases, so are our kids - but didn't we have it a bit better in our day? Kids could get a pang of excitement at the notion that the wonderfully expressive and captivating Kenneth Williams may soon be nasally narrating one of their favourite books and, for many, it was an introduction to such wonderful talents as Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Cribbins himself. For me it was Rik Mayall and his legendarily frantic re-telling of Roald Dahl's 'George's Marvellous Medicine'. I doubt I have ever looked forward to a serialised show as much as I did that week and remember audibly cheering when I found out it was to be repeated.

It's such a shame that technology so frequently has to get in the way. Disney movies now come exclusively in CGI and, while they're almost universally entertaining, some of the old 2D line-drawing magic is sorely missing. Sadly, children's programming has also been forced to "move with the times" with show formats changed to involve heavily-edited reality sections, classic swashbuckling animation replaced with gross-out lewdness and even the good lady Blue Peter looking less shipshape and in danger of retirement with every year.

I'm not asking for a second appearance from Prince Charles, presumably to read the compelling sequel to "The Old Man of Lochnagar" - the most famous, yet most boring passages to make it to the show. I simply think there is still a place for tradition on television - parents still read to children in bed so why should their day be full of bangs, zaps, farts and sob stories?

Here Come Your Vans

2009-11-25T09:19:00.001Z

When you think "fashion" you instinctively picture rotund Pixies frontman Black Francis, don't you? Well, perhaps not, but the erstwhile frontman of America's favourite purveyors of LOUDquietLOUD now features on the essential shoes out there this autumn. Vans have produced limited edition pairs of 'Death to the Pixies' skate shoes in both hi-top (see below) and slip-on varieties.

They can be ordered for a reasonable $65 at this address.

The Mercury Curse Claims Another Victim

2009-11-25T08:41:00.002Z

Oh dear...average album...a target market that already knew about her...beneficiary of one of the Mercury Panel's "let's have an 'out there' winner this year" decisions cf. Roni Size, Talvin Singh (for 'out there' read non-caucasian)...now Speech Debelle is blaming Big Dada / Ninja Tune because she hasn't subsequently made a mint.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8377230.stm

Hey, not a word about how the label gave you your break, submitted your album to the award in the first place nor how they will have allowed you complete creative control - something which the new deal with a major label you're hankering after will probably not.

Bye bye Speech...bye bye.

Very Tasty - The Yummy Fur Return for New Dates

2009-11-24T14:33:00.002Z

If you paid any attention whatsoever to the Glasgow music scene of the 1990s then chances are you'll know all about The Yummy Fur, John McKeown's shapeshifting Godfathers of lo-fi indie music. Formed in 1992, The Yummy Fur (named after Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown's comic book) released four albums, seven EPs and singles and contributed to to a number of local compilations; all the while sharing the stage with the likes of Pink Kross, Urusei Yatsura, Lungleg, The Blisters and lo-fi survivors Mogwai...or at least various bands featuring members of some or all of the above. Such was the interchangeable, come-play-in-our-band ideology of the time and nobody subscribed more to this than The Yummy Fur who managed an impressive thirteen members during seven years of existence; most notably Alex Kapranos (then known as Alex Huntley) and Paul Thomson from Franz Ferdinand.

So, the good news, The Yummy Fur are back and will be playing a few shows in 2010. Line-up details are somewhat sketchy at the moment, but general consensus suggests John McKeown will be joined by Paul Thomson for the shows with general guesswork piecing together the rest - however, bassist and founding member Jamie McMorrow seems a likely bet as he has since played with McKeown in 1990s since.

Better still, a hopefully comprehensive "best-of" compilation will be released around the same time through What's Your Rupture?

January 2010
7 - Nice 'n' Sleazy's, Glasgow
9 - Buffalo Bar, London
14 - Kung Fu Neck Tie, Philadelphia, PA, USA
15 - Lombardy, New York, NY, USA
17 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA, USA
18 - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA, USA
20 - TBA, Portland, OR, USA

Own "Boys Own"

2009-11-22T01:31:00.012Z

Should any of you lovely readers be stuck what to put onto your lists for Santa, or indeed what to buy that Weatherall-obsessed completionist, then help is at hand. The DJHistory.com website is currently offering up all of the Boys Own Fanzines in one handy compendium after being largely unavailable for many years unless you have a an e-bay account, and had a run of good luck on the national lottery. And all for the entirely reasonable price of £24.95.

For the uninitiated, Boys Own's place in the UK's cultural history is pretty important - from these humble routes, the four original authors (Farley, Mayes, Weatherall, Oakenfold) would go on to launch record labels, become superstar DJ's, manage stadium techno bands, produce all-time critical successes and provide many a great excess into the mix also. Before all this though they would muse in the hand produced fanzine upon their favourite records, fashions, and the emerging Balearic sound that would prove to be one of the main catalysts for the dance music renaissance in 1988.

DJHistory.com even have a PDF sampler for you to have a squint at. Just here in fact. Now ... someone start compiling mixes of those top tens please ...

Download : Luca C & Ali Love Special

2009-11-20T13:55:00.005Z

Following on from our own Ben Goldrun's review of Ali Love's great new single 'Diminishing Returns', we now present to you a free download of the rather fine Luca C & Brigante remix of the same track. Luca C co-wrote many of the songs on Ali Love's upcoming album and he teams up here with Ibizencan producer Brigante, with whom he shares a love of obscure Italian disco.

Download it here:
http://download.yousendit.com/ZW9DT200WlRtNExIRGc9PQ

If you like the sound of that then you really need to check out Luca C's latest mixtape featuring ten tracks lovingly mixed together including house legend Jamie Principle, the dub version of the Ali Love remix and, oh yes, Bananarama.

Tracklist:
1. Kink & Neville Watson - 'Blueprint'
2. Linkwood - 'Electricity'
3. Zepp 001 - 'Don't Sleep'
4. Chamboche - 'Feverish (The Revenge Mix)'
5. Ali Love - 'Diminishing Returns (Luca C. & Brigante Dub)'
6. Charles B & Adonis - 'Lack of Love
7. Jamie Principle - 'Baby Wants to Ride'
8. B Beat Girls - 'For the Same Man'
9. Ilija Rudman - 'Easy (Dub)'
10. Bananarama - 'Ecstasy (Chicago Stylee)'

Download it here:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/68570239364af00f/

Come On Down - The Return of Steve Mason

2009-11-20T09:12:00.003Z

Following a couple of solo false starts (the patchy King Biscuit Time and highly disappointing Black Affair), former Beta Band frontman Steve Mason gives it another go, this time under his birth name, with new single 'All Come Down' released on December 7th with a new album 'Boys Outside' following in March.

We recently had the chance to speak to producer Richard X who told us more about the LP:

"Steve is a great talent so it's been good to work with him. I like the fact he's into records from any genre, obviously his past records have illustrated this. Originally he got in touch about working on a Black Affair record, but that kind of changed when I heard some of the songs he'd demoed, so we started making a different kind of album. It probably doesn't sound much like anything I've worked on before."

And for those curious, the track was debuted on Mary Anne Hobbs' radio show last week, a rip of which can be heard below.

ReviewDo It Yourself Vol.1 - The Mosaics

2009-11-19T20:20:00.006Z

Sometimes as a reviewer, you can get carried away with the more, let's say, ornate aspects of the English language. Tracks are 'achingly beautiful' 'willfully ramshackle'; riffs are 'razor-sharp', and so on. So in reviewing this latest track by geordie hopefuls The Mosaics, (who I would be pretty positive about on the whole, as they seem to blend early Coldplay with elements of A-Ha without being annoying or smug about it), I'd like you to submit your own review. It's not lazy journalism, it's just a reaction to some of the utter, utter wank posted by sites such as Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound, which are nearly all staffed (barring a couple of honourable exceptions), by a slurry of pretentious, third-rate Lester Bangs impersonators.

'Illuminate' may not sound fashionable, but then again, with the parlous state the UK music scene is in at the moment, that may not be a bad thing. But I want you to get involved and spew your reactions to this in the comments box below... The more the merrier, and try and be constructive innit. And it's out now. So have a listen and let me know what your ears think.

The Mosaics - Illuminate by benstroud

Bear-y Good

2009-11-18T21:33:00.004Z

Kinda good actually. Basement Jaxx continue their rather strong return to form with new single "My Turn" out on December 14th featuring Dev 'Lightspeed Champion' Hynes. But by now you should have really gone and bought the album to be honest.

Chemikal Underground Comes to Aberdeen

2009-11-18T16:00:00.003Z

In association with Aberdeen's Interesting Music Promotions, Glasgow's number one independent label Chemikal Underground comes to Aberdeen's Lemon Tree this Friday with some of the label's best known acts coming together for an unbeatable bill. Recent favourites The Phantom Band, listed as one of the ten best bands of this year's T in the Park by the NME, will share some of their favourites from this year's brilliant 'Checkmate Savage' LP. The bill also includes former Delgado Emma Pollock, a rare solo gig from former Arab Strap frontman Aidan Moffat (although the billed Best-Ofs may still turn up) and former De Rosa man Martin John Henry. Tickets are still available at £15 each plus £1.50 booking fee.

The imp collective have yet more shows in the pipeline with Fence Records' Francois & The Atlas Mountains performing tonight along with The Balky Mule and Rozi Plain & Jakalope, while Japanese psychedelic punk act Bo Ningen with Amber Pilot and Sarah J Tingle will play a week from now on Wednesday 25th November.

On 1st December Scottish singer songwriter Findlay Napier brings his Bar Room Mountaineers back to Aberdeen for a show topped off with Davy Cattanch with Steve Crawford and, get this, Northumbrian sword dance Gaorsach Rapper and Step.

Fast forward to 15th December and there's a headline performance from Sub Pop act Fruit Bats (featuring Eric D Johnson and Ron Lewis of The Shins) along with Puzzle Muteson and local hero Steven Milne. Finally, imp are advertising a pre-Hogmanay show on 30th December with no further clue than a tantalising "very special guests - tba". All performances will take place in Aberdeen's Tunnels venue.

For more information on imp try their MySpace.

Has It Been A Good Year For British Comedy Then?

2009-11-18T14:53:00.001Z

The British Comedy Awards really are unique in that their televisation represents the only time anything funny is ever actually shown on ITV - even if they are second hand clips from superior stations. The nominations for this year's ceremony, to take place on December 12th with Jonathan 'Don't mention the granddaughter' Ross back in charge after a self-imposed suspension, were announced this morning with some interesting choices surrounding the reassurance that ITV1's only foray into chuckledom is a dumbed-down Harry Hill show where he mimics soap operas in front of an audience that have clearly been locked up since Game For A Laugh last hit our screens.

Topping the list of nominations is BBC1's Outnumbered written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin of Drop the Dead Donkey fame and starring Claire Skinner, Hugh Dennis and their three children who give the series its title. It's perhaps the largely improvised performance from the chilldren - Ramona Marquez, Daniel Roche and Tyger Drew-Honey - that has seen all three of them receive newcomer nominations. In fact, we should spare a thought for Dennis as the only main cast member without a solo nomination.

Whether the intention was to irk Charlie Brooker by sticking the rubber-faced 38 year old, a television veteran of nearly a decade, into a category with a nine and a thirteen year old, I'm sure it has worked. 'Comedy Newcomer' refers more to that performers arrival in the nation's consciousness and Brooker's work on Channel 4's You Have Been Watching, a rare terrestrial outing for Screenwipe, the brilliant Newswipe and various republications of his popular musings from The Guardian sees him deservedly nominated.

Elsewhere, Michael McIntyre's amiability and Alan Carr's...errr...teeth get them three nominations each, both vying with Harry Hill in the "entertainment" categories which, largely, have as much to do with comedy as World Wrestling Entertainment has to do with wrestling.

Looking elsewhere on the list, there are deserved nods for Psychoville and Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (sadly the latter is, for the second year in a row, a nominated BBC show that has failed to be recommissioned - following last year's excellent The Peter Serafinowicz Show) and a must-win in a weak film category for the hilarious In The Loop. Despite strong competition from Have I Got News For You and QI, the massively popular Mock the Week is a shoo-in for best panel show while the beleagured sketch show category edges closer to retirement with the patchy Mitchell and Webb Look heading a truly terrible set including the deeply unfunny Kevin Bishop and the long gone to seed Harry and Paul.

FULL NOMINATIONS LIST:
Best Comedy Entertainment Personality: Alan Carr, Alan Carr: Chatty Man (Open Mike Productions for Channel 4); Harry Hill, Harry Hill’s TV Burp (Avalon for ITV1); Michael McIntyre, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (Open Mike Productions Manchester for BBC1)

Best Comedy Entertainment Programme: Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (Open Mike Productions Manchester for BBC1); The Sunday Night Project (Princess Productions for Channel 4); Harry Hill’s TV Burp (Avalon for ITV1)

Best Television Comedy Actor: Rob Brydon, Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special (Baby Cow for BBC1); Simon Bird, The Inbetweeners (Bwark for E4); Robert Webb, Peep Show (Objective Productions for Channel 4)

Best Television Comedy Actress: Ruth Jones, Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special (Baby Cow for BBC1); Claire Skinner, Outnumbered: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1); Katherine Parkinson, The IT Crowd (talkbackTHAMES for Channel 4)

Best New British Television Comedy: Alan Carr: Chatty Man (Open Mike Productions for Channel 4); Ladies of Letters (Tiger Aspect for ITV3); Psychoville (BBC Productions fo/r BBC2)

Best Television Comedy Drama: Dead Set (Zeppotron for E4); Psychoville (BBC Productions for BBC2); Pulling: Special (Silver River for BBC3)

Best Live Stand-Up Performer: Michael McIntyre, Live at the Apollo; Frankie Boyle, Live at the Hackney Empire; Stewart Lee, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle

Best Male Comedy Newcomer: Daniel Roche, Outnumbered: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1); Tyger Drew-Honey, Outnumbered: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1); Charlie Brooker, You Have Been Watching (Zeppotron for E4)

Best Female Comedy Newcomer: Rebekah Staton, Pulling: Special (Silver River for BBC3); Ramona Marquez, Outnumbered: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1); Tanya Franks, Pulling: Special (Silver River for BBC3)

Best Comedy Panel Show: Have I Got News for You (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1); Mock the Week (Angst Productions for BBC2); QI (talkbackTHAMES for BBC1)

Best Sitcom: Peep Show (Objective Productions for Channel 4); The IT Crowd (talkbackTHAMES for Channel 4); Outnumbered: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions for BBC1)

Best Sketch Show: The Kevin Bishop Show (Objective Productions for Channel 4); That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC Productions for BBC2); Harry & Paul: Series 2 (Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC1)

Best Comedy Film: Bruno (Universal Pictures); In the Loop (Optimum Releasing: Peter Capaldi/ Tom Hollander/ Gina McKee/ James Gandolfini); The Hangover (Warner Bros: Bradley Cooper/ Ed Helms/ Zac Galifianakas)

Confused Factor – The Truth About Jedwood, Calvin Harris and a Pineapple

2009-11-17T20:41:00.006Z

The X Factor:First Simon Cowell insists it’s a singing competition then gets rid of contestants that can sing then Louie Walsh claims that the show is all about fun ...so when a member of the audience decides to have some, why he is derided as a publicity seeking idiot.
So what was Calvin Harris thinking about, jumping on stage during Jedwoods performance, clutching a pineapple? Here is his explanation to Radio One’s Chris Moyles:

Chris: Look, we had to get you on and talk about your appearance, albeit brief appearance on X Factor on Saturday. Have you seen it back yet?

Calvin Harris: Yeah

Chris: Are you happy or disappointed?

Calvin Harris: It did everything I wanted to achieve, which was nothing.

Dave: You were there because you were set to appear on the Xtra Factor, were you not?

Calvin Harris: I was, I was backstage I was waiting to go on and I was listening to everyone taking it incredibly seriously. I was just inspired to make a mockery of the show. Because it is a music competition, it is a joke and I think it should be treated as such, so when people were saying “John and Edward, maybe they deserve to stay in this week”, I was like “Are you watching what I’m watching?” It’s terrible, it’s terrible. I need to get out there and basically for the greater good of the nation I wanted to go out there and make an idiot of myself and sort of just bring the whole show into another kind of area in which it’s treated as kind of a joke

Dave: What’s your take on John and Edward, obviously you don’t rate them musically but do you think they have a place in the show for entertainment?

Calvin Harris: Um yeah, yeah, but as entertainment goes it’s pretty much down there with the worst. So compared to everybody else and you know they’re there and it’s funny, but I’ve noticed as the week goes on it’s kind of knowingly funny, whereas first it was kind of “John and Edward. ah they’re rubbish, they should get out of there” and they were doing these terrible performances and it was hilarious, and then the producers cottoned on to this, as occasionally they do, and kind of make scenarios which they thought it would be funnier to put them in, and it wasn’t which was a shame.

Chris: In a weird way though, you may have helped J&E to stay in next week

Calvin Harris: This is what I want to do, I want them to win, I love them

Chris: So you do want them to win?

Calvin Harris: Yeah I’d love them to win because where can they go from there? Not them, where can X Factor go from there? It’s not a music competition

Chris: Would you like to see the demise of X Factor as a show?

Calvin Harris: I think if you look and… I mean obviously I release singles, I try and get in the charts and all this kind of stuff, but separating me from that I’m a fan of music, I’m a fan of pop music. If you look at the chart it’s like a frightening stranglehold that Simon Cowell has got over the entire music chart in the UK at the moment, it’s really impressive but it’s really frightening at the same time. It would be nice to see him use that power a little bit more creatively and maybe use I don’t know interesting producers of music to make songs because pretty much whatever he puts out by Leona or whoever is going to do incredibly well so why not try and make the most amazing music that anyone has ever heard in their life? I think it just shows that he’s not really a music fan.

Chris: I think by his own, and I’m not defending Simon, but I think by his own admission that he makes popular stuff, he’s not there to make groundbreaking music

Calvin Harris: Why can’t he make groundbreaking music popular? The position he’s put himself in he could change the whole country musically and make it amazing and it’s annoying that he’s not doing that, he’s pretty much just releasing the same records again and again and again

Chris: OK so you have a fairly serious point that you have obviously thought through long and hard, so explain to me where the pineapple came in

Calvin Harris: The pineapple was the mimic the hair and it was the only available tool at the time in order to mimic J&E hair, and I think to be honest it did an incredible job

Dave: I think I don’t think any other fruit could have mimicked their quiff in such a way

Calvin Harris: No you’re right

So now you know!

NME Countdown Top 50 Albums of the Decade

2009-11-17T10:20:00.000Z

The idea of thinking back through a whole ten years of largely average music, trying our best to think of how albums made us feel at the time and not now, is a harrowing one at best and, thankfully, professional fanzine and conscious bandwagon-jumper the NME have counted down their Ultimate Greatest Top 50 Albums of the Noughties...Ever! Take a look below and see what you think. Sadly, from a piss-taking point of view, they've largely hit the nail on the head, if not from a musical standpoint, then certainly one upon which indie music was reinvigorated after years of Coldplay / Keane / Stereophonics / Travis dirge through such iconic releases as The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines.

The NME Top 50 Albums of the 00's
1. The Strokes - Is This It
2. The Libertines - Up The Bracket
3. Primal Scream - xtrmntr
4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
6. PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
7. Arcade Fire - Funeral
8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
11. At The Drive In - Relationship Of Command
12. LCD Soundsystem - The Sound Of Silver
13. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
14. Radiohead - Kid A
15. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
16. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
18. The White Stripes - Elephant
19. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
20. Blur - Think Tank
21. The Coral - The Coral
22. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
23. Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future
24. The Libertines - The Libertines
25. Rapture - Echoes
26. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
27. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
28. Johnny Cash - Man Comes Around
29. Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
30. Elbow - Asleep In The Back
31. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
32. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
33. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
34. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
35. Babyshambles - Down In Albion
36. Spirtualized - Let it Come Down
37. The Knife - Silent Shout
38. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
39. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
40. Ryan Adams - Gold
41. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
42. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
43. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
44. Outkast - Loveboxxx/The Love Below
45. Avalanches - Since I Left You
46. Delgados - The Great Eastern
47. Brendan Benson - Lapalco
48. Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
49. Muse - Absolution
50. MIA - Arular

Single Review - Ali Love 'Diminishing Returns' (Backyard Recordings)

2009-11-16T21:19:00.003Z

You get the feeling that life has not dealt an artist as talented as Ali Love a fair hand. You'd probably right. Whilst infinitely inferior bands from his East London manor (hello, The Klaxons) have gone on to enjoy mainstream success, all Ali has had to show from his aborted major label deal (he recorded an album for Columbia, didn't like it very much, they parted company), is a few battle scars and stories of gatecrashing Ronnie Wood's birthday party dressed as a gypsy.

Which is why it's good that he's been given a second chance on Backyard - one of the best indie labels around. And their investment and his efforts have paid off - 'Diminishing Returns' is an italo-flecked beast of a track, tearing synth-pop a huge Moroder-shaped new arsehole, with lyrics that could have been lifted from Princes purple notepad circa 1984. Comebacks don't come much better that this...

'Diminishing Returns' is out now.

Edward Woodward 1930 - 2009

2009-11-16T13:42:00.000Z

The well-loved actor Edward Woodward has died in hospital today aged 79. He had been suffering from various illnesses including pneumonia.

Woodward cut his acting teeth with appearances in such shows as Dixon of Dock Green, The Saint and Armchair Theatre before the latter secured him the title role of Callan in the late 60's spy drama. However, it was his career-defining role as the idealistic, clean-living Sergeant Howie in 1973's The Wicker Man and that of Robert McCall in 80's drama The Equalizer that he will be best remembered.

He continued working regularly until his untimely death with a recent memorable performance as CCTV obsessive Tom Weaver in Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz and a short run in Eastenders this Spring.

He is suvived by his wife Michele Dotrice and four children Tim, Peter, Sarah and Emily all of whom are actors.

Derek B 1965 - 2009

2009-11-16T13:27:00.000Z

1980's hip hop star and producer Derek B has died of a heart attack at the criminally young age of 44. The star is best known for his 1988 hits 'Goodgroove' and 'Bad Young Brother' but was previously and subsequently a respected DJ, producer and prominent member of the UK hip hop scene.

Thoughts go out to his family and friends. Here's the man himself with his best-remembered hit...

Be Seeing You? Will The Prisoner Remake Be Any Good?

2009-11-15T21:40:00.001Z

Thanks to Mr Akira the Don for reminding me today on his blog that the fantasic 1960's series The Prisoner has been remade. The show, starring Jim Catweasel as Patrick McGoohan and Sir Ian McKellan as a sadly permanent and non-interchangeable Number 2 premieres tonight in the USA and the trailer for this may be seen below. Unfortunately it doesn't look as though the 00's version will come close to the joyful quirkiness and sheer madness of the 1967 original.

Video Of The Day - Hitler's NYE Unravels

2009-11-13T17:24:00.004Z

So in case you didn't know, Ministry of Sound are holding a massive event at The 02 Arena on New Years Eve with Deadmau5, Justice, Calvin Harris and more.

Apparently though, one special guest couldn't get their tickets. Although I called my mate at Ministry, who said that they are 'still availiable', so you can still pick them up here if you need to.

Whoever did this, well done - it's turned a very shitty day in London into a much brighter one.

Check this out!

Giving Good Headlines

2009-11-13T13:45:00.000Z

We had a nice letter today from Clare over at http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/, a peculiar site which seems to specialise in both replacement ink cartridge and musical commentary. Hey, in these times of recession, it's a boon to be able to multitask - particularly when you're offering cheap ink into the bargain.

Naturally, you need great quantities of ink to produce attention-grabbing headlines and this great post counts down the ten most infamous headlines ever printed. They're all there, from the NME's famous rumour-mongering (printed right) which led to an all-out battle where music was the loser to the various ways famous singers have shuffled off this mortal coil.

It also reinforces the opinion that, no matter what you think of The Sun and their selfish personal agenda propagation, the buggers have come up with some of the greatest puns of our time.

A Special Night For Swells Announced

2009-11-12T12:51:00.002Z

Celebrated NME journalist (and, really, how often do we get to put those words together these days?) Steven Wells AKA Seething Wells AKA Swells was taken from this world too soon by cancer earlier this year. Quite rightly, a flock of his peers are putting on a special night to celebrate his life at the Albany in Deptford, London on December 4th.

THE NIGHT WE KEPT FOR SEETHING WELLS
Steven 'Swells' Wells, who died of cancer on 24 June this year, was a roaring, radical, iconoclastic motormouth, a verbal timebomb permanently primed and aching to explode.

As a journalist for the likes of the NME and, after his move to the States, The Philadelphia Weekly, he systematically demolished everything middl England held dear and then dynamited the rubble, while simultaneously immolating whiny indie bands, pompous rock stars and Morissey. Before that, in the early to mid 80s, as the ranting poet Seething Wells, he did the same thing, only even louder because he was on stage - headlining one of the earliest Apples & Snakes gigs in November 1982. Tonight some old mates and collaborators celebrate his loud, defiant, wonderful life. Book early!

Featuring

Melodic punk trailblazers The Newtown Neurotics
Speccy troubadour John Hegley
Innovative journo / broadcaster David Quantick
Gothic poetry-pioneer Joolz Denby
New Model Army frontman Justin Sullivan
Livewire anarcho-poet Nick Toczek
Nightingales singer Robert Lloyd
Southern Death Cult / Fun-Da-Mentals Aki Nawaz
Vintage Bradford ranter Little Brother
Music-vidoe innovator Nick Small

With compere Attila the Stockbroker (who shared an EP, a book and countless memorable gigs from Swells)

THERE WILL BE A COLLECTION FOR CANCER RESEARCH AFTER THE SHOW

Tickets cost £8, £5 to concessions and free to selected under 26 year olds. For more information check the website

Get Well Soon Again in 2010

2009-11-12T10:06:00.000Z

'Rest Now Weary Head, You Will Get Well Soon!' was the long-winded, long-loved debut LP from Get Well Soon AKA Berlin's Konstantin Gropper in 2008. Those who heard it loved it for its Coldplay-with-character elegance while those who didn't (and these number into embarrassing figures) still don't quite know what they've missed out on.

The uninitiated will get a second chance, however, with the release of Konstantin's second LP 'Vexations', issued through City Slang on 25th January 2010. That title, if you were wondering, is named after a 1949 piano piece by Eric Satie and, yes, it does roll off the tongue rather better than their debut.

Jacking the Charts in the Name of Charity

2009-11-11T21:29:00.002Z

Now, very few of us still bother to follow the charts these days. Even our own Dr Foster finally had to admit that reporting on ten records you have never heard - and do not want to - simply was not worth spending time over. Well, for those of you at the back with one eye still open, I can tell you that the number one slot in the chart has been filled by an X Factor-related act for weeks now (Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, JLS) and now previous winner Leona Lewis looks odds-on keep that unfortunate statistic rolling.

However, salvation could come in the form of 'I've Got Nothing' by Chartjackers, an apologetically "cheesy pop tune" from Youtube celebrity Charlieissocoollike. The record, a product of ten weeks labor, was released via iTunes this Monday with all profits going towards BBC Children in Need and has already crept into the Top 40 in the midweeks.

The song itself is actually quite catchy and at least one hundred times better than The Kooks (even though that's technically one hundred times nothing) and the video is ridiculous DIY fun. Usually I'd urge you to put an extra quid in a charity box than buy a Children in Need or Comic Relief single but, far from the career-enhancement-dressed-up-as-altruism of most acts who lend their name to charity singles, this seems notihing more than marvellous. Dig deep now and get your copy from iTunes.

Evening All!

2009-11-09T23:01:00.002Z

HealeyIsland

“Not Afternoon, But Evening”

HealeyIsland is one-man arts lab Greg Healey, a man hell bent on creating a slipstream genre located somewhere in the twilight zone between dark electronica and light muzak. This is most apparent in album opener and title track ‘Not Afternoon, But Evening’, a suitably mariachi inspired krautrock affair that as far as openers go is impressively moody. On other tracks such as “Your Final Journey” there is even a hint of Richard Hawley, albeit with an added element of spoken-word poetics, which is not a bad thing at all. This then is an album of thought experiments, and while some of them may not have been entirely successful, they are nevertheless always interesting, as on “Edwardian American Prefab”, which could have been something unearthed by the Ghost Box Label. Other tracks are located firmly in easy listening territory. This is noticeable on “Moments After Joining”, a beautifully understated space – lullaby, all jazzy chords and melodramatic smokey vibes. Add to this the John Barry / Barry Adamson goes Moog atmospherics of “Red Car Crossing A Dimly Lit Bridge”, “Recriminations” and “Facsimile Mountain”, a daytime American TV show starring Angela Landsbury waiting to happen. “Not Afternoon, But Evening” is an intimate album dripping with neon-soaked noir and idiosyncratic cinematic overtones designed to create a headspace that you can get lost in.

Keith Haworth

Just How Long Do The Simpsons Have Left?

2009-11-09T22:34:00.002Z

Everyone loves The Simpsons - that's a given fact. Well, ok...everyone loves The Simpsons apart from a couple I met earlier this year in my local pub, but two out of seven billion can be wrong. This fact was re-impressed upon me yesterday when Channel 4 screened the classic episode 'Simpson and Delilah' (the one where Homer charges hair-growth formula to the nuclear power plant and becomes a powerful junior executive - until he is found out, the formula is spilt by Bart and eventually his influence weakens with every lost strand of synthetic hair) which was originally screened in October 1990 nestling among a universal clutch of "classic episodes". This is an episode I have seen many times but, like so many others, it was with a friendly smile that I greeted this old friend instead of a derisive sneer of over-familiarity. Contrarily, my normal response to The Simpsons on Sky One, where the episodes tend to be recent ones, is "I haven't seen this one - must be crap." Sadly, it often turns out to be true. The series will celebrate its twentieth anniversary on 17th December this year and many may argue this would be a suitable chance to finally call time, not just in Moe's bar, but on the whole town of Springfield.

It's long been said that it's difficult to pin-point the exact point when The Simpsons began to lose its magic, but general consensus puts it, sadly, at around the summer of 1997 when series creator Matt Groening began to look at his new venture Futurama with David X Cohen. The series had run virtually flawlessly for eight triumphant seasons (although there were some near misses in season six!) but, with a disastrous season premiere finding The Simpsons in New York (which had previously been portrayed brilliantly by the fictional 'Capital City') and the first of many ill-advised character developments outside the family (Apu and new spouse in 'The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons') this was the beginning of the end for a show which had simply run out of stories.

From 1997, The Simpsons relied more on celebrity cameos. Famous voices would more often than not play themselves as this previously normal American family increasingly found themselves coming face to face with Hollywood stars, Rock Gods, Teenyboppers and, in the abysmal 'British' episode, the incumbent Prime Minister - who, let's face it, has never been shy of doing anything for a stray dollar. At least when Ricky Gervais was given the honour of becoming the first guest to write and appear in the show, he voiced the smarmy 'Charles', an extension of Gervais - just like David Brent or Andy Millman. However, the wonderful irony at work here is that Gervais has been a long-standing advocate of "quit while you're ahead", wrapping up both The Office and Extras after two series and a special to tie up any loose ends. To accuse Gervais of the same sell out tactics so often employed by his two most famous creations would be churlish, however. This is the Simpsons after all!

That's possibly the problem. Nobody really wants to admit that The Simpsons has gone stale, nor that it did a long time ago. However, voluntary euthanasia may be the kindest gift Matt Groening can give his biggest cash cow. The movie is quite literally in the can (one for you American slang enthusiasts there) and the show's greatest character has completed his journey from gruff, frustrated patriarch to a guff, frustrating idiot savant (minus the savant) with an over-reliance on a skin-crawlingly unfunny, exaggerated whisper. It would simply be kindest to remember him on his greatest day ever...

Watch: 'Simpson and Delilah' (1990)

R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs

2009-11-09T08:09:00.000Z

Gerhardt 'Jerry' Fuchs - very much the hired hands for various DFA and DFA-associated acts (!!!, The Juan MacLean, Turing Machine, Maserati) died in New York on Saturday night at the age of 34.

In a bizarre incident, Fuchs and a friend became stuck in a lift at a benefit party in Williamsburg. Having managed to force the lift doors open, they both attempted to jump to their freedom to the nearest floor. Fuchs did not make it and fell down the shaft to his death.

Tributes from bandmates and friends alike have been flooding in with John 'The Juan MacLean' MacLean describing Fuchs as "hands-down the best drummer I have ever played with or seen for that matter."

Free MP3! The Plasticines - Barcelona (Lifelike remix)

2009-11-08T12:50:00.000Z

Check this spaced-out housey remix by Lifelike of the French girlband de-jour (arf arf) The Plasticines. It's a bit of a stinker for Sunday (avoid if you have a hangover), make sure you have this in your arsenal this week if you are playing out. I like - 7/10

Barcelona (Lifelike remix) by Plastiscines

Video - The So So Glos - 'My Block'

2009-11-08T12:34:00.000Z

YO!

Just got back from a wicked, music-free break in Bruges, which I'm sure you'll agree we all need from time to time. What always cheers me up is when a great video drops into my email account, and this week it's been this newie from Brooklyn's The So So Glos. Coming off like a cross between The Strokes, The Walkmen and The Clash, this is a pretty heady, ramshackle mixture that has the words 'over-exhuberance' running through it like a stick of rock. I like it. Hope you do too. The album 'Tourism/Terrorism' is coming soon, so keep your eyes open for that, and they'll be playing some London dates later this month too (dates on their Myspace)

In the meantime, check this and enjoy... BGR x

The So So Glos - My Block

The So So Glos - "My Block" from Matt Greeley on Vimeo.

Pure Evil!

2009-11-03T10:49:00.000Z

‘Liquid Mercury’
‘The Wickedest Man In The World'
Occultation

The one-man renaissance that is Paul Simpson continues on his Lazarus - like airborne trajectory with ‘Liquid Mercury’, which is yet another mercurial slice of autobiography and hymn to his Liverpool hometown. While in comparison to previous single ‘English Electric Lightening’ this could initially be viewed as a slight affair, it does, like all great Wild Swans moments, seduce the listener on repeated listening. However, yet again, and true to form, the real delight is to be found on the spoken-word flipside. ‘'The Wickedest Man In The World', a Crowley lift, is a beguiling tale of psychodrama and psychogeographic malevolence that simultaneously manages to evoke a scene from Paris Texas while relocating it amongst the muddied sludge of the river Mersey. At a time when I had all but fallen out of love with the guitar, this beautiful confectionary reintroduces that most subtle of things, the intelligent guitarist, in the shape of Mike Mooney. A man who has previously played in other great bands such as The Sex Gods and Spiritualised, but it has to be said, has seldom sounded sonically better than in this luxuriant bubble bath of understated guitar histrionics that effortlessly embeds Simpson’s fine speaking voice as he again narrates a dark tale recalling his love / hate relationship with the city that in turn both fascinates and frightens him. Brush stroked drums and Debussy inspired piano sprinkled wonders evolve as Simpson asks himself, as David Byrne before him, how did I get here?

“What happened to me? I used to catch midnight boats to the Hoek of Holland, make love to punk schoolgirls in shower cubicles, drink Benylin for kicks, steal poetry, do acid for breakfast.”

It’s not such a bad life is it really Paul? Especially when after all those years you can still produce music that is as rich and life affirming as this. Buy this record now and then work your way through the back catalogue.

Keith Haworth

We Have Sound!

2009-11-03T10:47:00.000Z

The Soundcarriers
The legion
Old Street
London

Tonight’s set is cherry picked from debut album ‘Harmonium’s highlights that kicks off with ‘Caught by the sun’. A thrilling start to a stunning show that reveals the exuberant nature of the band in full effect and makes one wonder what will happen when they let their imaginations embrace some of the less explored permutations on offer tonight. You see, The Soundcarriers, like Stereolab before them, appear to be able to seamlessly fit at least twenty different songs into one. This is down to Adam and Pish’s mercurial, liquid rhythm section. Pish, stoic and aloof as always, while human metronome Adam seems to change the tempo and inflection after every bar. One minute, as on ‘Cannonball’ and ‘I had a girl’ kraut groove, the next an understated subtle Pentangle-type rhythm. In fact Adam is possibly the greatest drummer since the Bunnymen’s sadly departed Pete Defrietas, not to mention he is also a man who makes Chris Sharrock look like Def Leppard’s Rick Allen. Add to this the gorgeous three part harmonies of Adam, Dorian and Leonore and at one stage the fact that Leonore’s organ knob twiddling live has now started to recall Eno in Roxy mode, sculpting as she does swathes of sonic prog- wizardry that are both electric and electrifying, momentarily giving a retro flavoured make-over to Old Street and effortlessly turning it into the New York underground circa 1969.

Keith Haworth

Heavenly Make 'Lost' Flowered Up Single Available For Free Download

2009-10-30T13:19:00.000Z

Following the loss of Flowered Up frontman Liam Maher, his former label Heavenly Records have made the ultra-rare 'Better Life' single available for free download via Mediafire.

This distinctly reggae-sounding release (with occasional sonic nods to the slap bass and keyboard histrionics of Faith No More of all people) was intended to follow up the hugely-popular 'Weekender' but eventually slinked out in a 500 copy limited edition 7" release in April 1994, some time after the band had split.

In a parallel world this would have gone Top 10, but unfortunately this country was dancing to the tune of Doop and Take That during this single's short shelflife - there must be a better way indeed...

Download it here: http://bit.ly/4uhUHN

LIVE REVIEW: Efterklang perform Parades with the Britten Sinfonia

2009-10-29T09:07:00.000Z

As the Barbican falls to a hush, the oboe plays its A and the rest of the Britten Sinfonia follow suit with the familiar, comforting and hall-filling sound of an orchestra tuning up. It's was at that point when it dawned on me that tonight could be very special indeed.

Having already performed their much acclaimed album of 2007 with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra (now a DVD and live album) and with the Britten Sinfonia, Efterklang were in a new comfort zone here. Rather than the band playing front and center -- with orchestra behind -- they assimilated themselves in amongst assembled throng of strings, brass and woodwind to become part of the orchestra, rather than a band backed by one. Leading from the front was conductor Paul Hoskins; from the back of the stage Efterklang front man Casper Clausen conducted his men and women -- a picture childish smiles.

Parades obviously lends itself well to being played with an orchestra, the album having strings and brass dappled over all its tracks -- a duty normally replicated live by Peter Broderick (violin), Niklas Antonson (Trombone and tap shoes) and Thomas Husmer (trumpet and drums). What lifted this performance above the obvious width of sound when replicating these songs with an orchestra was the arrangement itself. Stings doubled vocals while brass picked up on bass lines; strings were plucked, picked and scraped en masse to create a canvas of sounds that was part of the performance, not merely an accompaniment.

Even though the band seemed very comfortable in amongst the orchestra it did, I feel, take away from the energy you normally get from an Efterklang solo show. However, this was by no means a normal Efterklang show.

With Parades now performed in its entirety a number of times one can only think what influences this is having on one of the most inventive and stand-alone act of the moment. A new album is promised for the Spring. Those that were there had a little sneak peak during the encore. Glorious.

Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra - Cutting Ice To Snow (live) from Leaf Label on Vimeo.

Restorative Justice Can Be Funny Too

2009-10-29T08:38:00.000Z

I read with interest today that youth crime in Northern Ireland is being cut by having young offenders meet face-to-face their victims and that a similar scheme may be introduced for troublesome 10-17 year olds in England and Wales.

Hey, any attempt at rehabilitation is a good attempt - but how far will it go? Could this satirical sketch from 2001's "The Armando Iannucci Shows" actually become commonplace?

Knife Attack Reunion

REVIEW: The Last Dinosaur - Hooray For Happiness

2009-10-28T15:22:00.000Z

The Last Dinosaur -- Hooray! For Happiness

Release date: 05/11/2009

Label: Dearstereofan / Luvsound

Early in the 20th century popular music was dominated by a collection of music publishers and songwriters, who operated under the moniker Tin Pan Alley. This collective was responsible for the lion's share of musical output of the era, with the performing artists themselves playing second fiddle to the men that pulled the strings.

Now, early in the 21st century, it could be argued that not much has changed. In a world infected with the X Factor, a flailing chart and an army of wannabes demanding their piece of Andy Warhol's oft-quoted prophecy, it is, once again, the producers and songwriters controlling the market we know as "popular music". And what do they do? If something works once, it'll damn well work again: Cher with her vocoder, Rihanna with her "ela-ela-ela" and so on. Even outside the world of pop, how many bands have cropped up that have been given a Libertines, Strokes or Joy Division gloss to their records? What the industry needs is a few DIY purists that can show what's achievable with a little effort, creativity and confidence. What the industry needs is The Last Dinosaur.

Hooray! For Happiness is a DIY record – like, “to the max”. This body of both intimate and widescreen work (more on that later) wasn't created on a Mac with endless tracks at its creators' disposal, it was made on a 16 track recorder. The album's liner notes detail the challenges at hand when recording an album under such constraints: just two microphones were all that could be afforded to the drums (one over head and one in the kick drum) and that the way around harmonies was to use a loop pedal. This admission isn't apologetic however, it's proud -- and rightly so.

Across 12 tracks The Last Dinosaur (Jamie Cameron & Luke Hayden) have managed to put together a record which defies coherent classification. Opening with Every Second Is A Second Chance, a thousand digital raindrops explode over and over again while, slowly but surely, a tribal drum fades into the foreground ready to play call and answer with the piano that follows it. It builds. A saxophone floats in the middle distance. The ebb and flow continues until it climaxes in a bombast of cymbals, guitars and euphoric vocal chanting. In this track alone you could throw comparisons such as Ólafur Arnalds, Broken Social Scene and Explosions In The Sky into the mix.

After six and a half glorious opening minutes we have, ostensibly, a post-rock album in our hands. Think again. Every Second... is followed by Fool -- which has proper vocals. "I'm a fool for you," repeats over and over as the chord progression repeats over and over; pianos, acoustics and bass drive the track in its infancy, its intimacy, while the just-more-than-a-breath vocal mantra loops. Falling over itself into second gear a string section lifts the track out of its intimacy into its grandiose conclusion.

It's this balance between intimacy and the epic that sits at the centre of Hooray! For Happiness; everything is measured and calculated. The loud-quiet-loud dynamic isn't exactly a new idea but its execution here is subtle. Things build naturally. The same trick is rarely employed twice with all manner of guitars, pianos, strings, brass, vocals and percussion taking centre stage on varying tracks. The album takes turns into the hushed folk of Bon Iver (Be That Boy), the soundtrack landscapes of Sigur Ros (The Song Playing at the End of the Film of My Life) and the organic electronics of Fridge (The First Last Dinosaur Song) without ever losing focus or coherence.

An extra insight into this labour of love is the liner notes accompanying each track, giving a gimps into the each piece’s conception; The Greatest Film Never Made (an album highlight) was inspired by the documentary Lost In La Mancha about Terry Gilliam's still incomplete film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, the piano recorded using a 60's ribbon microphone “donated by a very generous older gentleman who would come into Blockbuster every Thursday.” Combine this with a series of video shorts to accompany each track and you have something which becomes more than just the album, it’s a package; a project.

When the Beatles recorded Sgt Pepper they used a four track recorder and still decided A Day in the Life was doable; there’s a lot to be said for creativity through limitation. The Last Dinosaur take this idiom and run with it by creating one of most refreshing, creative and inventive records of the year.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

You can listen to Hooray! For Happiness on BandCamp

Everybody Wants To Be A DJ...

2009-10-28T13:46:00.000Z

For over thirty years crowds have rocked to the perfect timing and dynamic dexterity of the DJ. From local kids wowing neighbourhood block parties with their bedroom experiments to gawdy, Hawaiian-shirted, mobile DJs juggling taxi arrival announcements with requests for the latest Shalamar `joint`, the DJ has successfully (for the most part anyway) kept dancefloors red hot while unleashing an array of quickhand-derived `crabs`, `flares` and `chirps` - always thinking a full three records ahead in his or her mind. Sounds fun doesn`t it?

Now, after some years in development, the latest installment to Activision`s `Hero` series allows armchair gamers to step into a virtual DJ booth as one of the world`s most recognised turntablists. Already released this Monday in the USA and on Friday, 30th October in the UK, DJ Hero is the latest in a long line of lucrative, rhythm-based console games. This time plastic guitars and drum kits have made way for a state of the art wireless controller designed to look and operate in the same way as a turntable and mixer. Just like in the massively popular precursor, Guitar Hero, players trigger beats and samples using three buttons and meticulous timing. A further effects dial, crossfader and `euphoria` button (the equivalent of Guitar Hero`s `Star Power` mode) add the extra flourishes that will mark out a prospective Grandmaster Flash from a sizzling fondue pot of Tony Blackburns. Interestingly, a new "rewind" mode can be earned allowing cyber-turntablists to replay a section fixing glitches and fine-tuning their mix.

ORIGINS
DJ Hero has taken over two years to realise from its initial conception by FreeStyleGames. Impressed, as thousands were, by the unlikely record combinations played out monthly at London`s legendary `Bastard` night at the Asylum, they approached club night organiser Mike Woods (who has achieved some fame as part of video mash-up collective Cartel Communique) to collaborate on new musical games ideas. With access to a far-reaching group of young, tech savvy producers, Woods was able to assemble a talented team from those who regularly performed at the Asylum to contribute musical ideas towards the project. One such talent is Julian Fenner, known to music circles as Jools MF.

"I wasn`t involved in the very earliest stages of the project when the prototype was in early development, at the time I was a civil servant!" he laughs. "By the time I became involved, there was a basic but playable build of the game, it was still in its infancy but the roots of what you see now were very much there. In the early stages the music was more basic, at the point I entered we started to explore how a professional sounding turntablist-style mashup could be put together and made to work in game."
"Josh and Don of Pirate Soundsystem are both full time members of the team and Poj Masta has recently joined us too although he’s been involved in some capacity for as long as me. We`ve also worked with some bootleg people on an external basis, McSleazy, Dunproofin, Agentlovelette and Solcofn, they helped out with mashup ideas"

"There are also many people from outside the bootleg world involved too. In the London studio we have DJ Blakey (2004 DMC champion) and a number of other producers from diverse musical backgrounds, everything from professional hip hop and drum & bass DJs/producers to Radio 1 DJs and guitar musicians. We have a great spread of musical talents or background which is essential with a project where the musical scope is so broad."

THE MUSIC
Jools: "The gameplay / DJ style, is "turntablism", i.e. lots of scratching, cuts, and trickery. The game is therefore very strongly influenced by hip hop DJing and the origins of mixing in this way but the modern Mashup / British bastard pop movement is [also] a strong influence. It’s very much about bold and interesting mixes and about genre clashes and not having any boundaries. We didn`t want to make a "hip hop" game or a "house" game, we wanted to make a music game where everything was included and where no mix was too outlandish. In a way it’s very hip hop in the original sense of the word, taking music from anywhere and everywhere and bringing it together but filtered through a 00’s “mashup” sensibility."

The "bootleg" or "mash-up" sensibility has for some time been synonymous with fun, cheekiness and the reappropriation of old favourites through sonic reinvention. It is then a perfect ingredient for a game aimed squarely at the light-hearted "party" market such as DJ Hero. A quick browse through the available mixes on the new game throw up such unlikely bedfellows as Gwen Stefani with Rick James, The Killers with Rihanna, Gorillaz with Marvin Gaye, Daft Punk with No Doubt and, you thought it`d never happen, MC Hammer with Vanilla Ice.

"It`s about joining the dots between music and being inclusive." explains Jools. "A lot of people would probably expect a DJ game to contain only a few genres or for those genres not to overlap but we threw the rule book away in the true mashup spirit of things and didn’t allow ourselves to be limited. Mashups allowed us to make the game about all music, not just dance and electronic music, you can put in really old music or stuff that would normally be quite out of place and make it work and breathe new life into it."

THE GAME
Following a similar path to Guitar Hero and other musical fame simulators, DJ Hero offers a lasting challenge in single player mode. Like its predecessor, you have to work your way up to `Superstar DJ` status through a period of hard slog. It`s not quite a case of lugging boxes of records from your clapped out Fiesta through the back door of a seedy club, nor is it providing `entertaining background music` for your neighbour`s barmitzvah, but don`t expect to be headlining your own massive beach party from the get go.

Jools: "You start off in your bedroom for the tutorial and then you get to choose from a group of vinyl covers representing challenges set around a specific DJ or type of music. Once you successfully play though a set of songs you unlock the next set of challenges. As you unlock mixes they become progressively more difficult and the completed mixes become available in “Quicklist”: a custom playlist which lists songs by difficulty and can contain up to eight tracks. The player gets a lot of choice here, you don’t have to follow one path, it’s also designed to allow the game to open up quickly and to give the player access to lots of content early on."
"The `Beginner` to `Medium` modes add new controls and `Hard` and `Expert` are about accuracy essentially so, once you’ve learnt the basic techniques, it’s about the intensity of the gameplay and how well you perform the actions. For example, the crossfader is introduced in `Medium` and in `Expert` you have to match the up and down scratches in the music, before that you have to hit the gems [the brightly coloured moving objects which signal when you need to press your buttons] by moving the platter but the direction doesn’t matter. "

"Its similar to Guitar Hero in that respect. In Guitar Hero you`re following patterns of guitar gems and in DJ Hero you`re following patterns of "DJ actions", scratches, crossfades, retriggers, samples, effects. The big difference with Guitar Hero is that you`re `playing the music` but, in DJ Hero, you`re playing the mix via the DJ`s actions. Underneath it all, its about interacting with the music in a rhythmically connected way but conceptually its very different. Being able to work in this way means we can design any gameplay we want via the remixes we create, it means level design is pretty much only limited by our imaginations and musical ability."

So there`s a lot more to it than just keeping two records in time?

"Absolutely," laughs Jools. "The player is kept on their toes! No letting the record play and digging through the crate for three mintues and sipping a beer!"

THE LICENCE ISSUE
Rhythm games often live and die by their content. A game may boast a most intuitive control system, totally immersing you in an interactive music experience but, if the user finds themself playing along to unfamiliar music created on an old Bontempi by "a friend of the programmer", the chances are it will fail. In short, licencing the music for these games is as important, if not more so, than how you actually play it. If you add hip hop egos and notoriously hard to placate major labels to the equation, you find yourself with a seemingly impossible mission ahead of you.

Jools: "The secret to the licensing success was Activision. The licensing task was monumental and unprecedented and it was down to being part of Activision and having the best licensing guys in the business involved that meant we got the songlist we wanted. I don`t know specifics of licensing but, having worked closely with the Activision guys in Santa Monica, I know what a big task it was to clear these tracks. I don`t think anything even close to this in scope and ambition had been attempted before. It’s a gaming first. Were there any that fell through the net that I wish had made the final game? Amazingly we ended up with everything we wanted, we couldn’t have asked for a better songlist."

THE STARS
One of the most impressive, yet most contentious, additions to Guitar Hero 5 was the ability to unlock and play as "avatars" of famous guitarists. This neat touch is carried into DJ Hero with a host of famous plate-spinners converted to pixels. Whether this will lead to legions of fans "upset" that purveyors of cool Daft Punk be seen spinning DJ Yoda`s beat-driven Little Richard mash-up remains to be seen.

"As well as some really cool characters invented by the art team at Freestylegames, they`ve also created avatars for Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, DJ AM, Z Trip, DJ Shadow and Daft Punk." enthuses Jools. "All of the above DJs did mixes for the game as did Dj Yoda, The Scratch Perverts & J Period. Grandmaster Flash contributed mixes including one containing a record from his new album . Flash actually plays a very prominent role in the game, he`s the voice of the tutorial and has a really cool role in the intro movie."

A Jazzy Jeff avatar you say? If a player is unsuccessful when playing as him will they make a spectacular exit thrown through the club door a la The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?

"Haha, indeed!" laughs Jools. "I can imagine the Uncle Phil avatar right now!"

DJ Hero is released in the UK on 30th October 2009

Kraftwerk - Missing Robots

2009-10-25T01:33:00.000+01:00

Kraftwerk are releasing a lovely boxset called 12345678 - The Catalogue. It’s filled with remastered and revisioned versions of the eight minimalist electronic classic albums. They've also released the albums individually with brand new artwork. Why Autobahn needs new artwork I don’t know but apparently it does.

Thing is there are absolutely no extras on any of them, and, unlike The Beatles, Kraftwerk have been very careful to make sure that all their previous works have been digitally remastered to true Kling Klang standards. So, what rarities are there out in the real world that they could have used to create “9”, the boxset's bonus album? Here’s a few selections for you to consider.

First up, how about the original seven inch single version of Autobahn? Totally unavailable on any officially released album this has only been available to collectors via bootleg cd’s providing scratchy versions taken from the old vinyl, or reconstrucions made up from official releases.

Or how about the original version of Kometenmelodie2?

Going onto album number two how about the French extended remix version of Radioactivity?

Actually, there are quite a few French rarities, here’s Mini Calculateur. It’s longer than some versions you may be more familiar with.

Maybe you’d prefer the German Version

Back to the French - original version of Mannequins, anyone?

Kraftwerk did loads of twelve inch versions. I didn’t know about this particular version of Computerwelt.

Having done many French and English version of their songs, they also did German versions of things they originally did in other languages. The most pointless? A German Tour de France - well a German only release of Tour de France. Any jokes about the last time the German’s toured France involved a World War are not appreciated and belong on a lesser site.

The flawed album is Techno Pop. It’s release was delayed by over three years and was given a new name (Electric Café). Now re-released under the original name the album continues to be revised. The full album version of Telephone Call has been replaced with the single version and a twelve inch version. But not this version

But how would you end “9”? Well, I guess you could either go with something pre Autobahn that at the same time showed the world where Kraftwerk were heading, a track like Kristallo, for example

But personally, I would go with this as a hidden cd-rom extra. Kraftwerk, the sit-com

Apparently both Karl and Wolfgang know about this viral and find it funny. I hope Ralf and Florian do, or we’ll be forced to use this…

…and we don’t want that know, do we?

In The City 2009 - Day Three

2009-10-24T16:06:00.000+01:00

Things That I have Learned

Paul Hardcastle is still around and is recording under various disguises, one of which is The Jazz Masters, a smooth jazz combo that does particularly well in America. Their first album was released for Motown, flopped, and the second album was released elsewhere. It became an RnB number one album. Motown phoned him up asking him why he hadn’t given them that album. Well, he did offer…

If you get a room filled with internet pioneers, eight out of ten of them will be wearing intentionally geeky glasses. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Joe Cohen is the founder of Seatwave, a ticket exchange site that looks better than Scarlett Mist but without the desire to prevent ticket touts (hey, the community should stop them) or selling tickets at face value only. He is a great fan of Deepak Chopra, the lifestyle/business guru brilliantly lambasted by Francis Wheen in his books and columns. In fact I blame Wheen for making me suspicious of anybody who follows Chopra. Sorry Joe…

Alex Ljung (founder of soundcloud.com) doesn't buy cd's, but he does enjoy collecting vinyl.

Want to get on Hype Machine? Don’t bother asking until you’ve set up your blog and regularly post stuff for at least three months. Keep posting those tracks and build your fan base. Do not post full albums. Then ask. Hype Machine link to over a thousand blogs and they can afford to be picky about who they monitor.

Funny, Hype Machine clearly links to tracks that shouldn’t be available. They should be the baddies that Sony are going out of their way to close down. And yet they don’t. Is that because Hype Machine are now closely linked to I-tunes and between 10-20,000 tracks are purchased via their site every week? It’s almost as if there is something behind the theory that if you work well with your target audience and don’t worry too much about illegal downloading you can build enough trust to make people buy your stuff anyway.

Another example. The most popular Moby track sold on I-tunes is also the one you could download for free on his website.

During the last Nine Inch Nails tour Trent Reznor sent out a tweet offering a thousand tickets for 800 dollars each where fans could have dinner with him and the band. All the money raised from these tickets would go to charity. They were sold within an hour. Trent made more money on the deluxe version of his last album than he did on his last official release via a major label. He also gave away the album for free. It’s almost as if there is something behind the theory this if you work well with…

Sean Adams is gay for Trent Reznor.

Andrew Collins can do a pretty decent Bruce Forsyth impression just by talking normally.

The last time John Niven came to In The City (back in the late nineties) he spent three days in a hotel room doing coke and refusing to go to any of the events. He did that in the company of a now important employee at Sony. I am not saying which important employee of Sony.

Pete Frame’s Rock Family Trees are back! The Family of Rock is a new organisation dedicated to expanding on Frame’s original rock family trees. The driving force behind this are the producers The Boilerhouse Boys. Expect more soon.

Here is a picture of Pete Frame sitting next to Peter Hook. Do you think they were made to sit next to each other or did they work out the pun themselves?

Peter Hook still loves Bernard Sumner. One of the proudest moments Hook ever had was when New Order snuck into a Spandue Ballet gig in Paris. Hook was watching from the side of the stage thinking “This is shit.” He then noticed water hitting Tony Hadley. He followed where the water was coming from and spotted Barney, cock in hand, pissing on the band from the rafters. He will never stop loving Bernard Sumner.

There will be a sequel to Peter Hook's Hacienda book. It will concentrate on Joy Division. The idea is to make a trilogy of books, with the final one concentrating on New Order and beyond.

DJ Edu has one of the best shows on 1Xtra and you should really take time out to listen to it.

If you get a very earnest moderator a talk about the African music scene can be very boring. Thankfully the right panellists can prevent that from happening.

The problem with the way African music is perceived in the UK can be perfectly shown by using the example of Guy Morley and African Soul Rebels. Fair play to Guy for attempting to create a show where the cream of Africa play in the UK. But why play The Bridgewater Hall, home of the Halle Orchestra? Why not The Warehouse Project or The Apollo Theatre? You know, places where you can dance or mosh. Don’t you end up putting people off who otherwise may have enjoyed it and just get the type of people who think they are clever and superior to others? You know the type, buy vintage clothing and only shop in ethical stores. Twats. Get African rock bands to play rock gigs and leave the snobs to muse on their organic ham and shitty art exhibitions.

Under the right set of circumstances, you can’t help but like Johnny Jay (local music entrepreneur) and John Robb.

The Most Aptly Named Band Award Goes To

The Ray Summers

Brilliant Scottish group who make west-coast psychedelic tinged rock stompers that remind you of good times and the better bits of The Super Furry Animals and Idlewild all rolled into one. Singer looks a bit of a twat, but what can you do?

The “Seriously, Are Front Magazine Trying To Groom Teenage Girls?” Award Goes To

Front Magazine and The Futures

Front Magazine is a porn mag for cowards. It specialises in trying to get teenage girls to appear in their mag with less clothes on than they would wear on a average night out. For this they give the girls a relatively tiny amount of money and the hope that they will get better paid jobs later or fuck a footballer or a DJ or something. To aid them in their hunt for girls of a certain age/mentality Front sponsor nights where perfectly decent pop-metal bands play perfectly acceptable pop-metal songs to a mainly female, teenage audience. The music is fine, but isn’t the concept dangerously close to paedophilia?

The “Ah, So Not All UK Hip Hop Is Good” Award Goes To

The Real Dolls

Hm. Ah well. Maybe they’ll go pure pop and make a record as good as Junior Senior. Their DJ was good, mind…

The “I Bet They Sound Much Better On Record Than They Do Live” Award Goes To

Taxi Taxi!

Two twin sisters, harmonies, sparse instrumentation, songs. Pity they were a bit out of time with the harmonies and the whole songs bit. But I bet on a good day and in a studio they sound fantastic.

The Late Eighties Weren’t A Completely Terrible Time For Indie Award Goes To

The Dutch Uncles

They may list their influences as being Steve Reich, Talking Heads and King Crimson in the little black book you get given as a delegate, but they equally fit in with the music of The Fall and The Wedding Present. Good. The less Manchester bands that sound like Oasis or Elbow or Doves the better. Don’t get me wrong, I love Elbow and I love Doves- I just don’t want them to be the new template that all Manchester bands clone themselves upon. Give me Egyptian Hip Hop and this lot anytime. To some they may be marmite bands, but better a thousand marmite bands than one more Pizza Express band that makes you happy in their familiarity.

The So Good I Stayed For The Whole Damn Set Award Goes To

Asakusa Jintu

Just phenomenal - although fans of punkskapsychobillyhippieeastend Japanese bands may tell me that they aren’t the best in their field. If so tell me more. Their may be a video for this perfomance appearing on line very soon…

The I Can’t Be Bothered With Award Goes To

The Heartbreaks

See The Dutch Uncles rant and concentrate on Oasis. And think Northern Uproar.

The Last Photo My Camera Took Before It Died Award Goes To

Tigers That Talked

So I don’t have a better photo. Sorry. Now, given the rant I had above about Elbow clones, you may not expect me to fall in love with a band that are described in the lbb as “hints of The Cure, Elbow and Ryan Adams influenced as much by Ennio Morricone as they are the ramshackle folk of Arcade Fire.” You would be right. But they are worth more of your time and further investigation.

The “Sadly I Didn’t Get To See” Award Goes To

The Drums
The Nacional
Beatbox Fozzy
Jessica 6
Kong
Rogues
Mount Kimbie
White Sunday
Killaflaw
Your Twenties
Lost Knives

And loads of others. But I’ve heard demos and other people went to see them and so should you! Go out, support bands and enjoy them while you can. The scene is more diverse and interesting than ever, go and find it.

I Hope I'm Old Before I Receive A Lifetime Achievement Award...

2009-10-23T13:07:00.000+01:00

In 1989 the organisers of the Brit Awards erred spectacularly by pairing Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, fresh from a brief appearance in Schwarzeneggar flick 'The Running Man', with diminutive "Jordan-minus-the-publicist" glamour model and pop puppet Samantha Fox. The duo fluffed lines, missed cues and introduced acts in the wrong order, culminating in Boy George's famous appearance as "The Four Tops".

In 1992, The KLF spectacularly announced their retirement from the music business by playing a thrash-metal version of their no.1 hit '3 Am Eternal' with Extreme Noise Terror, firing blanks into the audience from a vintage machine gun and dumping a dead sheep at the after party with a note tagged to it reading "I died for ewe...bon appetit!" Bill Drummond of the group has since said he was very upset their performance led to esteemed conductor Sir Georg Solti walking out.

In 1996, Jarvis Cocker invaded Michael Jackson's horrific, misguided self-ordination ceremony (a cavalcade of messianic delusion) and waggled his bottom in a clip which, thanks to Youtube reaching the USA, sees Cocker demonised more now by lunatic Jackolytes than it ever was at the time.

However, in 2000 the Brits most shameful incident occurred when the panel awarded the Spice Girls with the Outstanding Contribution (AKA Lifetime Achievement) Award for little more than roughly stapling champagne feminism to an unwanted manufactured pop bandwagon. In three and a half years (admittedly a quarter century in dog years) five, and latterly four, mediocre singers and dancers - the equivalent of letting a hen party take over the local karaoke bar - joined an elite including Elton John, Queen, Cliff Richard, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, The Who and The Beatles.

Now, in 2010, the panel are ready to disgrace themselves once again, this time honouring one Robert Peter Williams for his "oustanding contribution" or, in real terms, for 'Angels' and that one album everyone liked from over a decade ago.

Williams already holds eleven Brit gongs (not including another four from his time with Take That) - a record - but the fact must stand that most of Robbie's awards were public voted which is far more a reflection of teen trends than musical appreciation. You only need to look at the "British Breakthrough Act" winners over the years which were won by such flash-in-the-pan acts as S Club 7, A1 and Blue for evidence of this. Keen to be seen as "down to earth", pop stars are usually quick to defend, nay emphasise, the importance of these awards as they're "voted for by the fans" - their fans mainly. Let's face it, the relationship between fanbase and tabloid column inches has long been unsettlingly close.

Thus the Brit Awards must once again hold up their hands and admit their existence is to celebrate the sale of music, the continuation of this dinosaur-shaped industry, the importance of the star over substance and nothing, nothing to do with musical quality. Remember, this is a ceremony historically so out of touch that it gave Nirvana "Best International Breakthrough" in 1993 and Bjork the same award in 1994, despite both acts having enjoyed mass popularity outside of the charts for some years previously.

That Bjork was given a nod at all is a surprise giving her long-term affiliation to the independent label One Little Indian. It's perhaps a similar affiliation towards Mute from Depeche Mode (or Erasure come to think of it) and Factory (for the most part) from New Order that has seen these pioneering and perennially popular acts snubbed year on year.

That Williams has attained a twelfth Brit Award, and this time with no help from the phone lines, in a career peppered with mediocre albums is a travesty. What makes it harder to swallow is that, with a new album out and a "brave" return to live performances, he will probably also be installed as odds-on favourite to pick up Best British Male, a historically pro-White category, in the year when Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Taio Cruz have dominated the charts.

In The City 2009 - Day Two

2009-10-22T22:35:00.000+01:00

Things That I Have Learned

Oil City is the new documentary by Julien Temple. It concentrates on pub rock, Canvey Island and the mighty Dr Feelgood. After doing the festival circuit it will go on general release at the start of 2010.

10.30 is still too early for people in the music industry. The managers are all coked up, the journalists are too pissed and the musicians don’t have their mums to wake them up.

DJ Semtex is originally from Cheetam Hill and went to Manchester Metropolitan University, back in the days when it was still Manchester Polytechnic.

He can spout trade figures for England. He recommends any British artist builds up their own following and take their time to cultivate their sound/audience. Do not get him started about N-Dubz. He respects and likes them. I kid you not.

Master Shortie likes his rock music.

Lethal Bizzle may have given up the indie sound, but expect more rockier stuff from MS in the near future. His manager was in the UK hip hop band D-influence. I almost completely forgot about them.

Emma Greengrass, head of Oasis’ label Big Brother still has a job. Which seems slightly pointless, when you think about it.

Speaking of Oasis, Gered Mankowitz is a well know and respected photographer who has taken photos of everyone from The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix to Patrick Wolfe and Slade. Mojo thought it would be a good idea to get him to take a photo of Oasis similar to the ones he did for The Stones’ “Between The Buttons” album. The session didn’t get to a good start when Noel burst into the room scouling at everyone, jumped onto a couch and fell asleep. Liam came in after him, shouting at everyone, walked into the make-up room and started to roll up a joint. The rest of the group tagged along with him like a gang of kids. Gered had never felt so threatened during a session in his life. This may be due to him being a soft southern wuss. Their road manager, an ex-marine who happened to know Gered from the times he used to tour with Mick ‘n’ Keith, grabbed Noel by the back of his neck and pulled him into another room and told him in no uncertain terms to buck up. “BUT IT’S ONLY A FUCKIN’ PHOTO SHOOT!” Noel replied, stating the obvious. “FUCKING WORK! HE’S A GOOD BLOKE!” was the reasoned answer. To be fair to Noel and Liam, once they realised how good Gerard made them look, they became very professional. Almost friendly…

Pat Nevin likes the label Bella Union. He was studying for a degree at Glasgow University when he left to join Chelsea. You’d never guess any of this from the his analysis on Five Sport.

Mike Smith may very well be the devil incarnate. He thinks he can draw and an exhibition of his sketches are currently available to view at a gallery in Manchester. He signed Ultrasound and Gay Dad. His hatred of file sharers may in part explain why he didn’t attend any of the first day conferences. I wouldn’t want to be in a locked room with him.

Mark Ronson self financed most of the recordings on the Version album. The original idea was to use them as part of his DJ sets and a mix album, but he was encouraged to make a full album by Mike Smith. He managed to get permission to release Stop Me from Morrissey by streaming the track to him via the web while his lawyer had a phone call with Mozzer’s lawyer. Mozzer said yes. He is in the middle of trying to make his new album, which he’s hoping will sound very different from his last album, possibly returning to his hip hop roots. He appear to enjoy looking like a lost member of The Libertines.

Trudie Bellinger was a bit concerned about whether or not she would make Pixie Lott’s first major video when she found out that there were a total of 75 treatments put forward for the gig. As Tim Pope, director of those good Cure videos, pointed out - 75 treatments tends to be an indication that nobody has faith in the product.

Virals and youtube are the future of videos. Funny, I thought that was what was already happening.

The Sound Like An Oasis-lite Trite Award of The Day Goes To

The Law.

Just wrong. I stayed for two songs and wondered if the world had moved on from 1994.

The Wonder Whatever Happened To Menswe@r Award Goes To

The Cheek.

But it’s a bit unfair. Their stylised indie-pop may reflect elements of mid-season Brit-pop but they have some decent tunes and a style to push them through. If they continue to mix it up with twinges of Roxy Music and Japan I’ll continue to want to hear more.

The It’s Bit Early To Have A Sound-like These New Puritans Award Goes To

The Neat

But damn, they are good. It’s a mixture of edgy guitars, repetition and forceful drumming that makes it different enough to demand further investigation.

The Kings Of Leon Finally Have Some Decent Competition Award Goes To

The Vanguards

One of the few bands I decided to stay for longer than I planned. I even went out of my way to get myself a copy of their single. You may be reading an interview with these lad in the future. A pop friendly rock edge that does all the things KoL use to do well, before they became all stadium. But they still have their own feel that makes it worth listening to. I want more.

The Towers Of London But Less Stupid And More Enjoyable Award Goes To

Outcry Collective

They are a walking cliché, a bunch of Surrey lads who make a punk noise somewhere between Chelsea and early Maiden. But bless ‘em, you can’t help but love 'em. At least they are aware of how they appear, and it’s fun. Brain-dead, fun, British rock at it’s rat sewer finest.

The Teenage Girls’ Introduction To Rock Award Goes To

Telegraphs

A light teen metal sound in the Kerrang! Style. Perfectly okay in it’s own right and they could do well. Loads of teenage girls at the front for their gig. Which seems a bit worrying as the night was sponsored by Front Magazine. I can’t help but think there was something wrong about that. You know, like the editor was grooming them.

The New Klaxons Award Goes To

Crystal Fighters

Rave rock played by half naked men who play drum machines, guitars and large planks of wood like they want to be Kasabian, but with a more arty sensibility. They describe themselves as “traditional Basque folk with churning beats to make raved up folktronica.” I have no idea what that means. But then again I have no idea what my description of them means either. Expect them to be in every 2010 list.

The Simply Brilliant Real Folk Group And You Should Listen To Them Now Award Goes To

Hey Negrita

Fantastic real folk blues with the power and passion to light up a room.

The I Seem To Remember Thinking They Were Okay But Have No Memory of Their Music At All Award Goes To

Life In Film

Erm, I remember liking the songs, there was something I enjoyed at the time. But now, but now… sorry. I’ll need to see them again.

Caught By Accident and Rather Enjoyed Them Award Goes To

Gloria Cycles

One song, that’s all. But is was a good song. A song for summer festivals and real lemonade. I wonder if I would prefer them to Life In Film if I heard them both again.

The Played To An Empty Room Award Goes To

Brute Chorus

Yep.

An empty room.

Fuck Camden chic.

Still, it was fun.

They ended up making a fine mess of sounds that Ten Benson would have been proud of. They are a good band and have the kind of force of self belief that the best bands have. In another universe Julien Temple would be making a documentary about them. I left when the crowd reached five. It was less special then.

Somewhere...

2009-10-22T19:11:00.000+01:00

Sitting on the bus which takes me to work, again. It’s a particularly grey morning in London, everyone around me on the bus is wired and connected to something else, be it mp3 players, crackberrys, mobile phone hands free, anything to disconnect them from their present reality. It all has the same effect, alienation. The cute woman opposite me with the green tartan coat and long, lustrous light brown hair is also earphoned off from the world, just like I am. She has no idea that I think I love her a little bit, or if she does she is affecting a healthy disdain for the idea. After listening to the same song on repeat six times (or possibly more) the harsh edges of the journey are starting to fade away, the brusqueness of travelling to a meaningless 9 to 5 slightly easier to take.

I am listening to what is perhaps the greatest single recording in the history of popular music. But the rub is this song does not actually exist in a traditionally recorded sense. The song in question is a cover version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ performed by The Flaming Lips. Wayne Coyne’s voice was surely created to sing this song, his vocal makes me wonder how anyone can express so much hope and love through words and particles of air vibrating at different frequencies. The Flaming Lips performed their version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ at a session for the Santa Monica, LA radio station KCRW in 1999. In the rare live performances (mainly around the same time) where they played the song to close their set they have embellished it with Wayne on Theremin, and once even Stephen Drozd’s dad on sax, but nothing can touch the stark beauty of the simple arrangement of piano and vocal the guys did for KCRW. The track starts with Wayne cajoling Stephen “Come on” and very faintly Stephen can be heard replying “I’m coming on” to sniggers from the band and studio crew. Somehow this unscripted mucking about makes the perfect opening to the performance, channelling the optimistic innocence at the heart of the song and indeed the whole of the film it helped to make famous. Once Stephen plays the first bar of the song everything else falls away to a deathly silence, which the creamy, fractured, analogue piano reverberates around solo for a brief moment before Wayne begins to sing. The inherent psychedelic quality to Wayne’s voice lends an otherworldly quality to the song, he plays it entirely straight but can’t hide the dreamer inside when he is singing of chimney tops where troubles melt like lemon drops, rainbows and bluebirds. Mere words seem perfunctory when confronted with something so perfect, but the closest analogy I can find for this song is that of a watching a child’s face when they unwrap the present at Christmas they have been waiting for all year. Syrupy I know, but…

I have a vague recollection of hearing The Lips covering ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ back in 99, probably from a broadcast of a UK show, but I wasn’t really a fan back then and they barely registered on my musical radar, their version of the song stuck with me though, and I periodically scoured the internet to try and find anything I could about it, without success. Until one glorious day last year when I found someone had uploaded the KCRW session version on to youtube. Fuck; that was an exciting moment, very quickly tempered by the fact that the song inexplicably fades out halfway through, just after the second chorus. I managed to obtain the mp3 from the youtube user who uploaded it and despite it being incomplete; I nevertheless absolutely cherish the little collection of 1s and 0s which makes the sound possible. Wayne has said he thinks it is one of the greatest songs ever written, but I would actually say their version is superior even to Judy Garland or Eva Cassidy’s, not least for the priceless ability to make even the bleakest of situations seem a little more wonderful.

I don’t claim any copyright or any such gubbins, but the link to the youtube video in question is below, and if anybody wants a copy of the mp3 or can put me in the direction of the full audio, please get in touch. Similarly if anyone wants me to take it down or stop distributing the file, please also get in touch, but do so knowing the more people that hear this song the better place the world will be.

REVIEW: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

2009-10-21T05:05:00.000+01:00

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Release Date: 2009
Label: Self released

I whacked on the Cymbals Eat Guitars album Why There Are Mountains this morning, only to be reminded that it's one of this year's sleeper hits. What a wonderful, wonderful noise. They'll be most easily, and not doubt often, compared to earlier Pavement -- but that's just one string to their musical bow.

Indiana, after an intro of amp noise and unintelligible vocals, falls over itself into a toe-tapping, barroom piano-led romp of a track, replete with charming brass and sing-a-long chorus. On the flip side to this What Dogs See is a slow, brooding, post-rock monster that reveals itself slowly through atmospheric guitar loops, bass harp and shimmering vocals. The track finally dissolves into a mess of low-register strings, serving as a segue to what the album's most radio-friendly hit, Wind Phoenix, the track responsible for those Pavement comparisons.

The seven minutes of Share arguably stand as the album's highlight. It opens with slow, huge, My Bloody Valentine distortion you can wrap yourself in; a warm blanket of fuzz. And then it happens: it peaks. An explosion of proud brass and screaming guitars lifts the whole thing to a triumphant climax. It's like Ágætis Byrjun era Sigur Ros, only really fucking loud, and with more foot-on-monitor wailing guitar solos. And then, as if they hadn't already crammed enough into one track, it happens again. The whole thing drops into a four to the floor, disco hi-hats, indie-rock outro. This is seven minutes of yes.

It's commendable that one band can cram so many ideas and styles onto one record and still retain the coherence that Cymbals Eat Guitars have managed. By stealing from a myriad of genre and eras they've somehow manage to carve a niche all of their own. It's a breath of fresh air to find a band who are so seemingly involved in their own sound that they've not bothered to see what everyone else is doing at the moment.

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You can listen to Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains on Spotify.

Liam Maher R.I.P.

2009-10-20T23:39:00.000+01:00

A small but perfectly formed corner of the music world are today mourning the passing of Flowered Up lead singer Liam Maher. Liam`s former label Heavenly posted on their Facebook page today:

"the news has just reached us that Liam Maher singer from Flowered Up has passed away. Details at the moment are sketchy but Jeff will post tomorrow on Caught by the River [the label`s blog at www.caughtbytheriver.net] when we know more."

After some time on various stalls on Camden market, Liam rose to short-term fame in 1990 with Flowered Up`s debut single `It`s On` which went on to score a top 10 placing in the indie chart and began a series of press claims that the band were "London`s answer to the Happy Mondays". The singles `Phobia`, `Take It` and a remixed version of `It`s On` all followed with the band`s debut and only album `A Life With Brian` hitting the shops just before Christmas 1991.

However, it was the epic `Weekender` which clocked in at a chart-unfriendly twelve minutes in 1992, and its equally elaborate promo clip by director W.I.Z., that still resonates most with fans of the short-lived outfit.

The band released only one more record, the somewhat rare, reggae-influenced `Better Life`, through original label Heavenly in 1994 before splitting. Following the split, Liam battled heroin addiction for some time before going clean in 2000 following a spell in rehab.

Liam signed with Alan McGee`s Poptones in early 2001 for a new project called Greedy Soul (also featuring ex-Flowered Up keyboardist Tim Dorney who had just left Republica) but the deal fell through before anything was able to be released.

Instead Liam returned to the market stalls and was not heard from again until a reformed Flowered Up joined "the Manucunian Flowered Up" (as Happy Mondays were never referred to as) for Get Loaded in the Park on Clapham Common in August 2005. Sadly a full-on reunion tour was announced shortly after but sold rather less well than expected.

Understandably various parts of the web are filling up with links to the band`s Weekender video and, not that we`re trying to be different, we`re going with the clip from their debut single `It`s On`. `It`s On` came out at the exact time I was finding my indie feet in the summer of 1990 and remains one of my all-time favourite songs - there`s just something about the mad charm of this band that they thought pan pipes on their debut single made sense...and the video just looks so much fun.

REVIEW: The Slew - 100%

2009-10-20T17:57:00.000+01:00

The Slew - 100%

Label: Ninjatune

Release date: 24/11/09

...and then for his third effort DJ Shadow released The Outsider, at which the majority of his fans breathed in sharply through their teeth and released a collective, "Really?" At the time, Shadow is quoted as saying: "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist." I think we all know what the collective decision was.

A couple of years later and Shadow was back with his old partner in crime, Cut Chemist, touring The Hard Sell, the latest of their collaboration records. Opening for them on these shows they had Kid Koala, the Montreal turntablist who has the pleasure of a Bjork and Radiohead name-drop when it comes to people he's opened for.

A couple of years before this jaunt around the US with two of the world's most respected turntabalists, Kid Koala started working on a rock record with Dynomite D, longtime shoulder-rubber with the Beastie Boys. The pair, who met on the Beasties Boys tour in 1998, had been approached to soundtrack a documentary feature film. The film was eventually abandoned, but with Mario C (Beastie Boys Engineer/Producer) on board for mixing, D and Koala were already deep into the psych rock-influenced score and there was no turning back.

To complete the project, D and Koala teamed up with Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, the rhythm section of Wolfmother (yes, of Woman! fame), and The Slew were formed. The result is a melting pot of psych blues riffs, turntable gymnastics and sample wizardry. The beats and samples on offer ooze with the teachings and influence of classic DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist and Mix Master Mike, and the sleazy, fuzz-drenched bass lines and blues guitars are everything you'd expect from the over the top rock excess of Wolfmother. On paper it sounds horrible. In reality it's quite special.

Opening with its title track, the first thing to hit your ears on 100% is a high pitched wail which is somewhere between James Brown and Robert Plant. Enter a scratchy guitar riff dripping in bluesy rock-n-roll; the riff plays cat and mouse games with a turntable; and then in comes the bass line to get appreciative heads nodding and chins stroking. This is straight up Blaxploitation rock-n-soul. Slip this on some headphones and take a walk: you'll be 100 miles high as the most street walkin', jive talkin', coolest cat in, er, West Hampstead? It's this opening mix of breaks, blues and samples that sets up the whole album.

The Grinder is a bass-driven acid soul groove, Shackled Soul's frenetic break beat and guitar freakout morphs into a guitar solo reminiscent of Van Halen's Eruption battling with a turntable, and You Turn Me Cold has a grimey cock rock riff. Southeast Solilioquay slows things down by taking a Delta Blues sample and applying a thick sheen of hip-hop filth. Album highlight Battle Of Heaven & Hell is all sinister high note strings, osculating phasing and haunted spoken word samples. The album reveals shades of The Free Association and UNKLE along with early Stones and Zeppelin. It's a myriad of competing styles and reference points that somehow manage to gel.

After touring the record and selling limited copies at shows, demand has grown so much that it's soon to see a release proper via Ninjatune. However, if you're quick you can download the whole thing for free here. The download link is set to self destruct on November 1st so think fast. Of course we'll all be putting in an order for the double-vinyl to pour over the samples and gain credibility.
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In The City 2009 - Day One

2009-10-20T00:02:00.000+01:00

Never, ever, loose a wire that connects your camera to your computer. If you do you will spend half a day looking for something you don’t have and another half hoping that Currys have a replacement in stock.

Somebody has misspelt Everything in the ITC logo.

Things That I have learned

The lack Andrew Loog Oldham and a crippling recession means that less people are willing to attend a music convention in Manchester. Attendance appears to be down this year compared to last year. It is certainly true that big execs from the major record companies will not attend. It clearly shows the difference between new media and the old record industry. The new faces are fresher and more willing to listen to and debate about p2p, changes in copyright law and ways to make money in a new world. Older faces are more sceptical and have a protectionist edge towards the whole affair. And quite rightly so. They’re defending their livelihood and after years of screwing the people they were supposed to work for it is understandable if they are cautious about a new group of people they perceive to be just as corrupt as they are.

There is a lot of talk about the record industry and the BPI needing to change the way they are dealing with pirates. None of them are here to listen.

For an artist to earn the equivalent of one download sale via Spotify streamlining, their track needs to be streamed between 150-200 times.

Spotify is currently losing $10,000,000. A month.

The Pirate Party have a proposal that copyright for new material should only last for five years. It is not a popular proposal. A quick chat with Rick Falkvinge, Chair and founder of The Pirate Party, suggested that they are willing to be flexible about this and find a compromise.

Sean Adams, the founder of Drownedinsound.com has very white trainers.

Anthony Volodkin has three full time employees and a couple of people part time. He successfully runs a profitable site called Hype Machine. Hype machine make money. I repeat, they make money. Not a bad thing, but the fact that a web site making money is so rare that I thought that it needed to be repeated.

There is a new documentary coming out in the new year about Creation Records. Mark Gardener (ex-Ride) is helping to arrange a series of live events to where the film will be shown.

A former artist on Creation Records fell in love with a young Asian woman and they ran away to get married. A group of angry Asian men turned up at Creation Records demanding to know where the lovebirds were. “This is where he lives! Tell us where they are now!” The tension between staff and the invaders increased. More angry young men arrived. A fight ensued. This was the second time Noel Gallagher turned up to Creation Records office.

Steve Lamaq was in New York with Therapy? and was stumbling drunkenly out of a bar with them when they fell down in front of a limousine. Out of the car came Alan McGee, a model on either arm. “Alan. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I’m going to Madonna’s after-show party.”
Steve wrote this up in NME with the end line, “He’s done well for himself, eh readers?”
Alan McGee had the paragraph cut out, blown up and hung in a frame behind his desk at Creation.

I Think The Following Artists Were Shite Live

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool

That is all. They were rubbish live and quickly had the crowd either leaving Night and Day or talking to each other.

They Were Blown Out Of The Sky By

The Cordelier Club

A brother/sister duo who have the perfect pop sound. Fresh and breezy, like the best of Little Boots, Florence and The Machine and Girls Aloud all rolled into one. Pity I didn't get a photo.

The World Will Learn To Love

Egyptian Hip Hop

An average age of 17 and sound like a combination of The Horrors, The Klaxons and your new favourite band all rolled into one.

You Can Rock Out To

Cars On Fire

Big riffs. Loud guitars. Rock Action. No photo.

You Can Also Rock Out To

The Gallops

Like an instrumental combination of Late Of The Pier and Electralane, but heavier. Much, much heavier.

You Will Freak Out To

Asakusa Jinta

Punk, ska, swing, and more energy than a thousand fleas. If you get a chance, go and watch them and have fun.

The Truly Incredible New Sound Award Goes To

Tek-One

Fucking Hell. Techno beats, Nintendo-core and metal aggression done with an incredible precision. Especially impressive as there are so many changes happening in the music they sound like it’s been recorded after they’ve been awake for a week on energy drink while playing X-box and PS3 at the same time.

Great Music, Terrible Singer Award Goes To

Dieter And The Gadabouts

Fine funky music, worse singer all night

Nice Bloke Of The Year Award Goes To

John McClure

A solo acoustic set, with friendly banter and sing-a-long tunes. A reminder that he’s released one of the more underrated records of the year. Maybe all the people who downloaded it and liked it should now go out and buy it. Or stream it on Spotify 1500 times…

REVIEW: Atlas Sound - Logos

2009-10-19T13:56:00.000+01:00

Atlas Sound - Logos
Release Date: 19/10/09
Label: 4AD

There's been a lot written about file sharing of late, much of which has been off the back of comments made by Lilly Allen, Queen of The Internet. So, what happens when a band/artist leaks an album themselves, albeit accidentally, when it's unfinished? This is the predicament that Bradford Cox, mastermind behind Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, found himself in last year when he managed to inadvertently leak an unfinished, unmastered version of Logos to the world via his own Mediafire account. When you distribute as much free material as Cox does you've got to be a little more careful. After this Cox was understandably pissed off (at himself you'd guess). After a period of both um-ing and also ah-ing he decided to go ahead and finish the album after all. And here it is: Atlas Sounds' Logos.

When it comes to the world of Bradford Cox, personally I'm a relative newcomer. On hearing Deerhunter's Microcastle last year I was all over anything I could get my hand on, which included Atlas Sounds' first proper LP Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel. Now, just a year later I've got Logos to get excited about. Well, have I?

The album opens with The Light That Failed, a repetition of lazily played acoustic played over a scattering of watery squelches, single-hit tambourine with Albert Hall reverb, and some ethereal vocals lost deep in the mix. Every now and again a intelligible lyrics slips through: "I will never." Following this, and seemingly starting about three minutes into what was recorded, is An Orchid. More unintelligible lyrics but this time the band raises its head a little higher; an acoustic chord sequence is afforded a little strumming action; I'm sure if I listen hard enough there's an actual drummer in there. A shimmering guitar line enters the mix, brilliantly offsetting the mantra-like timbre of the track proper. Oh, hang on, it's finished. Not the guitar line, the song. But it was just getting interesting! And it's this opening salvo that serves to sum up Logos for me. I feel as if I've picked up a copy of Bradford Cox's sketch book; a collection of unfinished ideas which can't yet be called songs.

The album launches in earnest on its third offering, the much-anticipated collaboration with Animal Collective's Noah Lennox. It's here that the album throws up its first 'proper song' and, unfortunately for Cox, it sounds like Lennox's influence here is stronger than his; this could easily be a Merriweather Post Pavilion out-take: the familiar sound of Panda Bear's vocals over an organic-yet-electronic soup of beats and backing. It's easily the album's standout track. Well, it does have another track which rises to the top amongst the litter of sketches and ideas: another collaboration. Quick Canal (featuring Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab) is an eight minute majesty of beats, wall of sound reverb, and washed out in the mix vocals. For fear of sounding like my Dad, it's a laid-back dance groove (man). Obviously Bradford Cox's influence is strong on both of these tracks (even if it's not always in your face) and it goes to show what it achievable if he's working to satisfy someone other than himself.

To dismiss the whole record as a collection of sketches, bar the two collaborations, may be doing it a slight dis-service. Attic Lights is a lo-fi acoustic number with well placed, haunting strings. Sheila starts as a simple three-chord dirgey repetition but soon there's a step-change to lift the whole thing and keep the listener on their toes. However, even with these glimmers there's still, for me at least, more rough than smooth.

I'm sure that this album will get glowing reviews from most reviews that put fingers to keys. But, I have to ask, is that because it's expected? I wanted to like this record -- and I really tried. However, just because someone's reputation precedes, just because you think you should like something, all work needs to be judged on its own merit. For Bradford Cox's disciples Logos will no doubt serve as a record of the inner workings of his mind; for everyone else its no more than a sketch book of potential, and maybe a hint of what lies in wait.
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Listen to Atlas Sound - Logos on Spotify and let us know what you think.

Radio 1 Celebrates The Noughties - But Why?

2009-10-17T13:12:00.000+01:00

Kicking off this Monday(19th October at 9pm) Radio one are running a huge ten part series celebrating the music and culture of this decade as we approach 2010

"Every Monday night at 9 Radio 1 takes you back in time to revisit

the music and the people that shaped the decade - this Monday -Zane Lowe takes you to the year 2000!"

The series features the the likes of Ricky Gervais, The Kings of Leon, The Mighty Boosh, Jay Z, Goldie Lookin Chain, The Strokes, Orbital, Basement Jaxx, NME editor Conor McNicholas, Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis, Stringer Bell/Idris Elba from The Wire, Frankie Poullain from The Darkness, The Arctic Monkeys, Chantelle, Nikki and Craig from Big Brother, Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris, Luke Wright, The Cheeky Girls and Lethal Bizzle

Kicking off this Monday 19th October at 9pm….ZANE LOWE takes us back to the millennium….the year 2000….we hear how Kylie reinvented herself by donning some gold hotpants and doing Spinning Around. Coldplay experienced a meteoric rise to fame. Eminem was THE hip-hop artist of the moment. And Big Brother launched, starting what was to become THE TV phenomenon of the decade - reality tv.

The question is does this decade really deserve 'celebrating'?

Musically it (in my opinion) was a period of little innovation, a time where production values went up whilst imagination went down.This was the decade that being famous while having no discernible talent became celebrated, where a Heat review was deemed more important than that of specialist publication and where Chico had a number one!!!

Marketing became the more important than the product and 'names' sold records not the song.There was certainly a case of 'Emperors New Clothes'with a lot of personalities involved and any decade where the producer became more famous than the act should probably not be lauded.

This is my opinion but as someone who believes that 'music died after '95' it's probably more than a little biased ..so why not tell us what you think? The Noughties (see even the name is stupid) the best musical decade so far or the period where Muse & Coldplay were allowed the reign supreme?

For me, well, it's like punk never happened!

Nirvana Live At Reading

2009-10-16T10:22:00.000+01:00

Below is some new footage of Nirvana at their legendary performance at Reading Festival in August 1992 (apparently one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock’n’roll)

A full DVD of the show will be released in November but until then enjoy this glimpse of their incendiary performance.

Is it just me?

2009-10-14T17:29:00.000+01:00

I got a mass mailout from a P.R the other day, full of praise and blah blah, as is their wont. It was designed to draw attention to the latest single from Grammatics. Anyone who has ever had any dealings with P.R companies will no doubt have come to expect the unctuous descriptions which seek to disguise the mediocrity of their subject. I get that part; just doing their job etc, etc. The punchline in this instance came from the pull quotes (“Grammatics bowl you over with washes of high-IQ indie. Great stuff.” and “Bone Fide Genius”.) about previous Grammatics releases which were attributed to the The Sunday Times and The NME respectively. The NME quote I understand, they have an agenda to create new musical heroes whether they actually happen to exist or not, The Sunday Times though…It is meant to employ critical thinking and judgement right? Not, presumably, to spunk-out praise for any old tosh that comes along. Believing this to be true I was swayed by its opinion and sought out as much Grammatics music as I could find on myspace/youtube, only to be distinctly underwhelmed. Grammatics aren’t a bad band exactly, but there isn’t a lot more I could bring myself to say in their favour. They sounded anaemic and unsure of themselves, like a dilution of ground already covered to baffling acclaim by Block Party and Foals.

Often when finding myself in the minority, I question whether I am in fact the one who is wrong, so much of my subsequent listening that morning was spent revisiting bands I had written off after a few listens, but who had still made it into the indie firmament, if such a thing can be said to exist. Grammatics look well set to join this motley crew, meeting as they do the sole entry requirement of being eminently forgettable. Their best song was ‘Inkjet Lakes’, which featured Blue Roses, and had a genuinely interesting see-saw riff at the hinterland of its final third, however Blue Roses is several leagues to good to need moribund projects like these. But like I said, I had to double check my antipathy, so Block Party, Foals, Snow Patrol and Newton Faulkner all came and went. I sat vindicated. Who buys this stuff? Why aren’t the critics and music lovers rejecting it as the garbage it is? The nadir came with Reverend & The Makers, not only a terrible band name, but musically so unfailingly boring that they make The Bluetones sound like Sonic Youth.

Why is everyone so easily impressed? While we’re at it, why am I seemingly one of the few people in the western world who thought ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ was a 7/10 album at best? Everyone lost it for that record while failing to notice ‘Glory Hope Mountain’ was a work of real genius which occupied similar musical dimensions to greater effect. Are critics too soft on mediocre albums out of fear that there is nothing better to hype up? Are the record-buying public prepared to eat any old shit that is shovelled their way? I welcome your views, comments and opprobrium.

Interview - Richard X

2009-10-13T21:54:00.000+01:00

We've always had a soft spot for Richard X here at CDX. It matches our massive damp patch for arch 60's inspired pop purists/archivists Saint Etienne nicely, so when we heard that the two were working together then we decided that you needed to know the full skinny. So we got Ben Goldrun to track down the elusive pop genius and get him to give us the full run down on his re-imagining of the nineties classic, 'Foxbase Alpha'
Take it away boys...

Hi Richard, how are you today? What have you been up to?

I'm good thank you. I've just been looking at a couple of the tracks I'm doing soon with a band called "The Hundred In The Hands" who've just signed to Warp.

You've remixed one of the classic albums of the 90s, Saint Etienne's 'Foxbase Alpha' - how did you first get in touch with the band?

They'd asked me to do something around the time of "Tales From Turnpike House" but I think it clashed with M.I.A's record or something. A few years later I was asked to remix "This Is Tomorrow" as a possible single and from that we got talking.

When did you start thinking about remixing the album?

I think it was after I'd mixed "This Is Tomorrow" but before we'd recorded "Method Of Modern Love". It may have been at one of the summer festivals last year that we were chatting about how Foxbase was the kind of album you could do something to remix wise and it'd still be in the spirit of the album and the era it came from. I think the idea of what the Mad Professor might do, like a dub version, but in a pop sense, was a parallel. It kind of turned into this idea of a "re-production" as much as a remix. We wanted to keep what was great about the original and spin new ideas out of what was there.

Were you a big Saint Etienne fan when you were younger?

Yes, Foxbase Alpha and So Tough sound tracked my move from the north down to London, so when i got down here it felt like I was nearer the world they had painted a picture off. They used to print their address on sleeves so i went and stood outside what i thought was Bob's house as a student. He didn't appear and I'm not sure what I was trying to achieve. I loved their Icerink label, the Golden and Oval records were my favourites. I am officially Oval's number one fan as I wrote a letter and I was the first of 65 letters to hit their doormat.

You've worked with a number of recording artists, the vast majority of them female - is there a particular reason for this? Is this reflected in your record collection?

It probably is just my taste, I like female vocals and electronic music. It's kind of self perpetuating because when you've done a few records with female artists that's what you're known for and that's what comes your way. And boys smell, of course.

Who have been your favourite artists to work with, and why?

I have to say all of them of course. I'll mention Hannah Robinson who I write a lot with of course as we are on a similar wavelength. Maybe I should do my Top 20 artists I have worked with weighing up factors like talent, soundness of musical vision, quality of humour etc and you could publish it and I'll never work again. My favourite type of artist to work with has a focus on what they want to do but isn't closed minded about how we achieve that, and who isn't too hung up with writing "The Hit Single" on the session although that's often what we're supposedly there to do.

What's it been like working with Steve Mason too? People have always held him up as an example of one of modern music's wayward geniuses...

Steve is a great talent so it's been good to work with him. I like the fact he's into records from any genre, obviously his past records have illustrated this. Originally he got in touch about working on a Black Affair record, but that kind of changed when I heard some of the songs he'd demoed, so we started making a different kind of album. It probably doesn't sound much like anything I've worked on before and it should be out early next year.

Lily Allen has come in for a lot of flack over the past few weeks over her attack on file-sharing. What are your views on this? Do you think filesharing hinders young artists, or does it provide another route outside of the traditional gigs/demo/management route to attracting attention?

Illegal filesharing disproportionately affects younger, less established groups and groups that appeal to younger fans, so that's not good, but at the same time you can't really argue every illegal download is a lost sale. Whether filesharing is totally to blame for what's happening in the music industry, I'm not sure. There's less money being made which affects the whole music eco-system, from the artists and writers and people who work on the records to the shops that sell it and the journalists that review it. As a creative tool, and for the unsigned artist, well you've never had it so good. It's just for those that might go on to have careers in the industry or as an artist will find it even tougher than it has been.

What are your views on the singles chart? Do you think it is still a relevant way of measuring an artist's success?

Yes, and the dumbest thing of recent times was the removal of Top Of The Pops from our screens just as the single had a new lease of life as downloads came in. Nostalgia for that program aside, there needs to be a focal point for the chart not just the rundown on the radio. It feels like it's become niche and irrelevant only because it's lost that focal point so it's self perpetuating that it feels on a downward spiral. It is the chart of the most popular music in the UK at that point in time so surely it has social relevance whether you like what's in the chart or not.

Does all of this have a bearing on how your music will be produced and released in the future?

I'd like to do more things like the Anthonio by Annie release I did this year which was more like where i started from, doing it independently on a wing and a prayer, it felt DIY but it was a good record and I think it stands up. As a producer I can imagine working more on records where the artist rather than the label is funding things and leading the way which should be a good thing.

Do you have any plans to release another solo record? What's next?

In the short term I've got to finish Steve's record and the THITH tracks. I don't think I'd do another X-Factor vol 2 style album, I think that morphed into what I do to this day, making singles for artists I like and trying to make things just a bit different. The plan at the time was for my second LP to be one group, I think Sweet-X was the appalling working act name! Maybe I'll revisit that idea. That might be spurred on by my greatest frustration at what I do which is just the ridiculous amount of time it takes for things I've worked on to come out. One recent release I've produced took over 5 years to come out, it had been in and out of fashion twice but luckily hit the upward curve of trendiness.

And finally, if you could rescue one old record and one new record from a skip, what would they be and why?

What a sad image, it reminds me of when Virgin dumped a load of my stock in a skip after we parted company, rain soaking through multiple unsold copies of my precious album. Tears are welling up as i speak so for that reason I am unable to answer.

Foxbase Beta is available for pre-order now and is released on Monday 26th October 2009

Hoi! What is this blog site for?

2009-10-07T12:17:00.000+01:00

Soon we shall be moving Culturedeluxe over to blog-land. We'll still provide the same great journalism at no cost to you (yeah, read that and weep Murdoch!) and remain as controversial as ever. Not sure why I'm writing this as it's likely to be removed...