The Strange Death of Liberal England

Myspace: LINK

A band I have followed for a while now after seeing them support I LIKE TRAINS on tour many times... They have one album, Forward March (LINK) and are currently recording number two. You can download a new song for free by going here.

Below you can download their first self-released EP, a few tracks later would appear on Forward March in some version.

Review: (thanks go here) The band hail from Portsmouth and include Adam Woolway, Andrew Wright, Andrew Summerly, Kelly Jones & Will Charlton. Their unbelievably clamorous, vibrant and brilliant debut EP Forward March! comes out tomorrow (well it's been out two years now!) on Fantastic Plastic Records. Warning! This is not soft-rock.

The Strange Death Of Liberal England sound like almost nothing before them. Sure, you can spot some Arcade Fireisms, Poguesisms, Pixieisms, some Radioheadisms and Joy Divisionisms and some Joe Strummerism/Billy Braggisms in the mix, however vocalist Adam Woolway has such a damnly uniquely skewed voice. And their ambitious, howling, raging youthfulness makes way for some intense epic, singalong-anthem styled-guitar rave-ups and over the top performances. And when they really get going they sound like an art-goth My Bloody Valentine (huh?). The latest rage? I hope so. Somebody give me a towel.

Esben and the Witch

Another band who are giving away their material, you can find the 5 song EP named '33 here

Guardian Review:
The background: Esben and the Witch are a Brighton trio who take their name from a Danish fairytale involving cruelty to children, ritual slaughter and all manner of unpleasantness. Obviously there was something about the dread that pervades the tale which appealed to the members of EATW. Some of that atmosphere - well, a lot, to be fair - has been brought to bear on the group. Their music is ethereal, only more in the eerie than Enya sense of the word, an eeriness inspired as much by books as any record - they're as into Bacon and Bosch as they are Björk or (Kate) Bush.

It's music for big, dark, gloomy, intimidating but oddly inviting haunted houses; houses that are full of fearful silences, empty rooms, cobwebs and rocking chairs that move, even though no one has sat in them for years. Esben remind you of the malice in wonderland, the beauty in horror and the horror in beauty, that sort of stuff. They claim their influences are "glaciers,
caverns and waning moons", and insist they were encouraged to write the songs - romantically-dark tales of mystery and woe clearly indebted to Poe - on their debut five-track EP, 33, by "literature, nature and sorrow".

They seem to have some knowledge of life's less appealing aspects, a feeling enhanced by references to machetes, and the scything, the drilling noises, the pummelling low bass that underpins the circling guitar of the last track on their MySpace, Corridors. But really, this feeling is everywhere in Esben'stremulous but ultimately tumultuous siren songs.

"We have tried to combine personal experience and emotion with intriguing stories, concepts and imagery to create something unique," they say.

Sound-wise, Esben hover enigmatically between goth, electronica, trip-hop and post-rock. There are echoes in Davies's impeccably enunciated vocals of Siouxsie's unholy caterwaul. In Fisher and Copeman's by turns soft and stormy instrumental interference of Killing Joke's tribal thunder, there are echoes of Aphex's glitchy gall, of Portishead's serene menace and of the abstract invention of Radiohead circa Kid A. These are quietly disturbing sonic fables with gentle yet portentous intros, middle sections full of rumbling foreboding and crashing, climactic codas. "We're certainly not actively seeking darkness," they declare, interrupting a séance to put the dead into deadpan. "It just appears that some of the more interesting things aren't always particularly well lit …"

Blood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes first album, 2008's Box of Secrets was a pretty solid debut album that impressed me throughout but without blowing me away with a singular track that was stunning.

That's about to change because their new track "Colours Fade", the first snippet of their second album (which you can watch below and download for free by going here) is simply bind-blowingly amazing.

The Brighton duo are on tour early 2010 - I have high hopes for the new album...

Songs of the Decade...

Limited to one song per artist and in no particular order are my songs of the decade, will add some more probably, then maybe order them a little.


1. Pressures ~ Apartment

Rebellion (Lies) ~ Arcade Fire

Munich ~ Editors

Whirring ~ The Joy Formidable

Sometime Around Midnight ~ The Airborne Toxic Event

Mr Brightside ~ The Killers
Waving Flags ~ British Sea Power
Fascination ~ Alphabeat
Sea of Regrets ~ I LIKE TRAINS
La Ritournelle ~ Sébastien Tellier
Charlotte ~ Air Traffic
All My Friends ~ LCD Soundsystem
Bad Cover Version ~ Pulp
Going To A Town ~ Rufus Wainwright
The Past Is A Grotesque Animal ~ Of Montreal
Good Weekend ~ Art Brut
Apply Some Pressure ~ Maximo Park
Back When You Were Good ~ The Hours
Made Up Love Song #43 ~ Guillemots
We Almost Had A Baby ~ Emmy The Great
Christmas TV ~ Slow Club
Everybody's Changing ~ Keane
Fat Children ~ Jarvis Cocker
Fashion Parade ~ Misty's Big Adventure
Guitar ~ Prince
Dead Disco Dancer ~ O Children
Politik ~ Coldplay
No One Knows ~ Queens of the Stone Age
Over & Over ~ Hot Chip
Stockholm Syndrome ~ Muse
Golden Touch ~ Razorlight
Michael ~ Franz Ferdinand
I'm A Pilot ~ Fanfarlo
Evacuate ~ The Boxer Rebellion
Helicopter ~ Bloc Party
Smother + Evil = Hurt ~ The Kissaway Trial
Roscoe ~ Midlake
Forever Lost ~ The Magic Numbers
You! Me! Dancing! ~ Los Campesinos!
Dakota ~ Stereophonics
Hurt ~ Johnny Cash
Reptillia ~ The Strokes
Demons ~ Battle
My Advice Is On Loan ~ The Lodger
Embrace ~ Gravity
Murderer ~ Grammatics
Unspoken ~ Hurts
Science of Silence ~ Richard Ashcroft
Wating Game ~ The Cooper Temple Clause
A Certain Romance ~ Arctic Monkeys
Club Foot ~ Kasabian
A Day Another Day ~ The Strange Death Of Liberal England
The Great Escape ~ We Are Scientists
Young Love ~ Mystery Jets
Deux Ex Machine ~ Pure Reason Revolution
Crazy Beat ~ Blur
Pounding ~ Doves
I Predict A Riot ~ Kaiser Chiefs
Four To The Floor ~ Starsailor
Alsatian ~ White Rose Movement
Neon Jesus ~ Crocodiles
Sing ~ The Dresden Dolls
Runaround Getaround ~ Tim Ten Yen
Death ~ White Lies
Lovers ~ The Tears
Seven Nation Army ~ White Stripes
Run ~ Snow Patrol

Stricken City - New Music "Introducing"

Saw these guys for the first time supporting The Joy Formidable at the Barfly at the Sailor Jerry gig, I was pretty impressed, enough to buy their CD which was released by the fantastic Pure Groove (you can see it here), one to follow.

Watch:

Tim Ten Yen

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/timtenyen
http://www.myspace.com/filipinodreamgirls
Buy : Here

I'll find something for this epically talented man soon, but for now, enjoy this...



This was Tim Ten Yen's debut single: Girl Number One

My Year in Lists... 2009

I've already had a crack and my favourite films of the decade... here... that's probably easier than music though, although there are a few things I'd probably change already.
My biggest film advice / learning of 2009 is to write off anything with Kate Winslet in. I'll never get the four hours of my life sat watching The Reader / Revolutionary Road back. Ever.

So 2009, highlights probably the return of Monkey Island on the gaming front, musically I've attempted by own half-arsed lists, my own preferences from what I've been listening to. I'm not really a fan of the lo-fi / folky train of bands that are doing so well at the moment, that probably reflects in these lists. I'll do a top 25 albums of the decade before xmas too.

Okay, enough bullshit:

My Top 25 Albums of the year (2009)
In no particular order but those nearer 1 are better than 25, but actual numbering would change every day.

Editors ~ In This Light and on This Evening

The Joy Formidable ~ A Balloon Called Moaning

The Boxer Rebellion ~ Union

Slow Club ~ Yeah So

The Airborne Toxic Event ~ S/T

Emmy the Great ~ First Love

Fanfarlo ~ Reservoir

The Horrors – Primary Colours

Grammatics – S/T

Jarvis Cocker ~ Further Complications

Franz Ferdinand ~ Tonight

Metric ~ Fantasies

The Joy Formidable ~ First You Have To Get Mad

White Lies ~ To Lose This Life

New Rhodes ~ Everybody Loves A Scene

She Keep Bees ~ Nests

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart ~ S/T

Codes ~ Trees Dream In Algebra

Jeniferver ~ Spring Tides

Manic Street Preachers ~ Journal for Plague Lovers

Gliss ~ Devotion Implosion

Esben and the Witch ~ 33

Crocodile ~ S/T

Loverman ~ Human Nurture

Regina Spektor ~ Far

And also my Top 25 songs of the year;

Again in no particular order but if I were to pick a top ten, those nearer the top of this list would more likely get in.

I've limited this to one track per artist so that it doesn't get a bit silly with Editors / The Joy Formidable whoring!

Will do a mix~tape containing various versions of these songs soon.

Sea of Regrets ~ I LIKE TRAINS
Whirring ~ The Joy Formidable
Papillon ~ Editors
Evacuate ~ The Boxer Rebellion
Death ~ White Lies
When I Go ~ Slow Club
We Almost Had A Baby ~ Emmy The Great
Murderer ~ Grammatics
Sometime Around Midnight ~ The Airborne Toxic Event
Ulysses ~ Franz Ferdinand
Who Can Say ~ The Horrors
Dead Disco Dancer ~ O Children
Crypt Tonight ~ Loverman
I am not a Robot ~ Marina and the Diamonds
The Joys of Finding and Losing That Girl ~ New Rhodes
Velvet ~ The Big Pink
The Walls are Coming Down ~ Fanfarlo
Gimme Sympathy ~ Metric
Contender ~ The Pains of Being Pure at Heat
Salt Air ~ CHEW LiPS
Home ~ Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Sit Down By The Fire ~ The Veils
Sweet Deposition ~ The Temper Trap
Kingdom of Rust ~ Doves
Daniel ~ Bat for Lashes

CHEW LiPS - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chewlips

London trio CHEW LiPS finally unleash their first offering and, oh boy, was it worth the wait. ‘Solo’ is a melancholy slice of shimmering electronic pop that will get wedged in your brain from first listen, and is quite easily one of the most magnificent debuts we’ll hear all year. Watch this space... (from)

The debut album is due January 2010 and the band go on tour too.

The band say: In support of the album & the new single Play Together we'll be off on our second headline tour in January. We have a new ticket store online today so head over there to get your tickets early.

Here are the dates for your diary:
Jan 16th Oxford / Jericho Tavern

Jan 18th Cardiff / Buffalo Bar
Jan 19th London / Hoxton Hall
Jan 21st Bristol / Start The Bus
Jan 23rd Bournemouth / 60 Million Postcards
Jan 24th Southampton / Hamptons
Jan 26th Glasgow / King Tuts
Jan 27th Edinburgh / Sneaky Pete's
Jan 28th Leeds / A Nation Of Shopkeepers
Jan 29th Liverpool / Club Evol @ Korova
Jan 30th Manchester / Friends of Manchester festival

HURTS #2 - "Unspoken" Demo

Two things have happened since I first mentioned Hurts. One, I found a new song and two, they were listed in the shortlist for BBC Sound of 2010 (see here).

A few dates in Feb - I'm intrigued enough to have got a London show ticket - see here for dates.

Anyway, here is the second track. It's called Unspoken, search the tag for the other song, Wonderful Life.

Two tracks in and I am excited by this lot, let's hope more is to come...

The Joy Formidable #2 - Free Christmas Song

GO AND SEE The Joy Formidable on the above tour! It's that Simple really! TICKET LINK

The live CD 'First You Have To Get Mad' has sold out in a week - nice one - it's fucking amazing too.

Being the nice guys that they are you can download a FREE Christmas single (it's the same one as last year hardcore fans) here.

It's called My Beerdrunk Soul is Sadder than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees. So Ho Ho Ho and all that jollyness! :)

Marina and the Diamonds - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace: Go
Pre-Order her debut album (out Feb 2010) here:

A Greek / Welsh singer whom sounds pretty similar to Kate Bush, not normally my cup of tea but I've been very impressed with "Obsessions" and "I am not a Robot", enough to jump on the band wagon, I am sure this lovely little lady will be in the Florence and the Machine / Lady Ga Ga famous stakes by Glastonbury sort of time.

She's welcome around my place if it doesn't quite work out though...

Hurts

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ithurts

A new band, been a bit rubbish at posting new bands recently and I have a few oldies to follow this, here are a band called HURTS, whom to be honest I know Jack about apart from the one song you can watch on youtube and download below too, but one to watch for sure, well I hope! Wonderful Life is nothing short of fantastic.

Something A Little Different - 50 Favourite Films of the Decade

My 50 favourite films of the 2000s*

50. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - 2 November 2006 (UK) - Larry Charles

49. Garden State - 10 December 2004 (UK) - Zach Braff

48. Gran Torino - 27 February 2009 (UK) - Clint Eastwood

47. Donnie Darko - 25 October 2002 (UK) - Richard Kelly

46. The Dark Knight - 24 July 2008 (UK) - Christopher Nolan

45. Open Hearts - 4 April 2003 (UK) - Susanne Bier

44. Wedding Crashers - 14 July 2005 (UK) - David Dobkin

43. The Devil's Backbone - 30 November 2001 (UK) - Guillermo del Toro

42. Downfall - 1 April 2005 (UK) - Oliver Hirschbiegel

41. Chinese Odyssey 2002 - 6 February 2002 (Hong Kong) - Jeffrey Lau

40. The Notebook - 25 June 2004 (UK) - Nick Cassavetes

39. Hellboy - 2 September 2004 (UK) - Guillermo del Toro

38. Watchmen (Directors Cut) - 6 March 2009 (UK) - Zack Snyder

37. Closer - 14 January 2005 (UK) - Mike Nichols

36. Lucky Number Slevin - 24 February 2006 (UK) - Paul McGuigan

35. Azumi - 10 May 2003 (Japan) - Ryûhei Kitamura

34. Wicker Park - 10 September 2004 (UK) - Paul McGuigan

33. High Fidelity - 21 July 2000 (UK) - Stephen Frears

32. Vanilla Sky - 25 January 2002 (UK) - Cameron Crowe

31. Slumdog Millionaire - 9 January 2009 (UK) - Danny Boyle

30. Black Book - 19 January 2007 (UK) - Paul Verhoeven

29. Million Dollar Baby - 14 January 2005 (UK) - Clint Eastwood

28. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - 27 August 2004 (UK) - Rawson Marshall Thurber

27. V for Vendetta - 17 March 2006 (UK) - James McTeigue

26. No Country for Old Men - 18 January 2008 (UK) - Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

25. Lost in Translation - 9 January 2004 (UK) - Sofia Coppola

24. American Psycho - 21 April 2000 (UK) - Mary Harron

23. Lady Vengeance - 10 February 2006 (UK) - Chan-wook Park

22. The Prestige - 10 November 2006 (UK) - Christopher Nolan

21. The Last Samurai - 9 January 2004 (UK) - Edward Zwick

20. Hero - 24 September 2004 (UK) - Yimou Zhang

19. After the Wedding - 9 March 2007 (UK) - Susanne Bier

18. House of Flying Daggers - UK 28 October 2004 - Yimou Zhang

17. Gangs of New York - 9 January 2003 (UK) - Martin Scorsese

16. The Wrestler - 16 January 2009 (UK) - Darren Aronofsky

15. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - 10 September 2004 (UK) - Adam McKay

14. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 - 17 October 2003 (UK) - Quentin Tarantino

13. Spirited Away - 12 September 2003 (UK) - Hayao Miyazaki

12. Battle Royale - 14 September 2001 (UK) - Kinji Fukasaku

11. The Pianist - 24 January 2003 (UK) - Roman Polanski

10. The Lives of Others - 13 April 2007 (UK) - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

9. Sin City - 3 June 2005 (UK) - Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez

8. Memento (2000) - 20 October 2000 (UK) - Christopher Nolan

7. Lord of The Rings Trilogy - 17 December 2003 (UK) - Peter Jackson

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 5 January 2001 (UK) - Ang Lee

5. Pan's Labyrinth - 24 November 2006 (UK) - Guillermo del Toro
-Guillermo del Toro has all of a sudden become on of my favourite film makers, I'd never heard of him until I saw this film. Now I've seen most film he has had an association with. The best however, is undoubtedly Pan's Labyrinth - which is the best fairytale you will ever see.

A fairytale about a girl who wants to be a Princess - Sounds like something out of a Walt Disney script - however this is one movie you don't want your young ones to see. This is a dark, and in places very brutal movie (very brutal and certainly not for the squeamish nor suitable for a young child). Set in Civil War torn Spain there are political elements (discussing a lot of Spanish Franco themes) with the story running consecutively and inter-woven with the fantasies of a young Girl Ofelia who has moved with her Mother to live with her Father-in-Law (Captain Vidal - possibly in the top ten movie villains ever).
I won't ruin too much more (when people write reviews that ruin the story please but spoilers warning first!) but along the way you get to meet some kind loving individuals and some at the other end of the spectrum.

Magnificently atmospheric, you'll be on the edge of your seat one second and then cowering away from the screen the next, you won't want this to end as the fantasy world of Ofelia is quite beautiful as is the whole ending of the movie - certainly you'll miss things the first time around and will be back for a second viewing to only heighten the viewing pleasure of this film.
Brilliantly acted - especially the characters of Ofelia, Carmen and Vidal.

Pan's Labyrinth is dark, brutal, beautiful and unmissable.

4. My Sassy Girl - 27 July 2001 (South Korea) - Jae-young Kwak
- My Sassy Girl is one of the most unconventional love stories in recent cinema. The storytelling is of the most sincere. The comedy, drama and romance are very well balanced. Without raunchy sex scenes and nudity (not even a kiss occurs throughout the film), no one says 'I love you' and yet still, My Sassy Girl is one of the most romantic cinematic experiences I have ever encountered.

The first half of the movie is pure comedy, showing how a hapless and somewhat wimpy boy meets a somewhat erratic and "sassy girl" get to know each through a series of humorous hangouts. The girl only gives a glimpse of the inner turmoil she suffers in the first half. The second half explore her pain more deeply and also explains why the boy is willing to put up with her outrageous and unpredictable behaviour. The last part brings everything full circle.

My Sassy Girl is the perfect balance of the many genres it incorporates; romance, drama, and comedy, it's a heart-warming poetic romantic adventure from start to finish and comes highly, highly recommended..3. Oldboy - 15 October 2004 (UK) - Chan-wook Park
- The story comes from a Japanese comic book of the same name, in which an ordinary family man is suddenly kidnapped and placed in a cell dressed up as a hotel room. Given no explanation for his confinement or the murder of his wife, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) spends the next 15 years alone, weaving in and out of hallucinatory states with only a television to keep him company.

Old Boy is nothing short of brilliant compelling viewing, suspenseful and ultra-violent - you won't see many films like this one in a lifetime. It not for everyone - it is violent and shocking in its nature and subject matter - but we can't have Bridget Jones in every film - and we don't that either do we!!!
Most negative reviews can't seem to handle the gratuitous violence, but personally feel it is necessary to express what Oh Dae-Su has been through the past 15 years.

The film takes you away on a roller-coaster ride of human emotions, a brilliant plot, and sheer brilliance. The acting is absolutely superb throughout. Min-sik Choi did a great job as Oh Dae-Su and Chan-wook Park's direction was top notch.

All I need to see to sum up this film really is - What a film - see it!
I am so glad I went into this film not knowing it's twists (hence I won't give any of them away here) as it really is fantastic working them out as the film is progressing and I can't help but think the film would be a lesser (albeit still a great one) experience if you know what was going to happen.

2. 2046 - 14 January 2005 (UK) - Kar Wai Wong
- Tony Leung is back as Chow Mo Wan but this is not the gentlemanly journalist we met in 2000’s In The Mood For Love. This Chow spends his days writing pulpy erotic fiction and his nights gambling, drinking and womanizing a string of beautiful women (Zhang Ziyi, Faye Wong and Gong Li all star in an incredible A-List cast).

In a voice-over narration Chow tells us about a sci-fi story he is working on. It's about a young Japanese man riding a train through time to 2046 where he hopes to recapture his lost memories and achieve emotional closure. The movie toggles back and forth between the writer's real life in 1960s Hong Kong and the futuristic fictional world of his imagination. Gradually Chow realizes he is writing about himself.

FROM 2046: "I once fell in love with someone. After a while she was gone. I couldn't stop wondering if she loved me or not. I went to 2046 hoping to find her there. But I never found her." Now doesn’t that sound familiar?

The stories are told in nonlinear fashion so you might need to pay attention, or pay it a repeated viewing. Simply put and to avoid an over long synopsis, 2046 is gorgeous, sublime, engaging, hypnotic and unique. Wong Kai Wai is again a true master at work.

But be warned: like many foreign delicacies this film can be an acquired taste.

1. In The Mood For Love - 27 October 2000 (UK) - Kar Wai Wong
- This is surely one of THE most gorgeous and beautiful films of all time.
A heart pulling love story of two strangers brought together by their respective partner’s infidelities, their loneliness radiate toward you and you'd feel a great pull of sympathy. Tony Leung is an actor I have admired for a long, long time and feel that he will be regarded as one of the great Asian actors. The softness he brings and the subtle sense of melancholy to all his actions is astounding. Maggie Cheung matches Leung’s performance, her elegancy and beauty is beyond expression.

The story is a perfect sentiment of the sting of unrequited love, emotions and feelings The notion of fidelity portrayed in the film seems outdated today, but it is exactly the main characters' adherence to that notion which makes the entire story so touchingly tragic, as they refer to their respective spouses, "not be like them” whilst tackling their own desires.

Everything, the setting, the make-up, the clothes, the dialogue, the light, and (first of all) the soundtrack, is just incredibly beautiful. You can't take your eyes off the screen.

The magic in the movie is not that it is a constant thrill-a-minute ride, it's in the feeling it gives. After I saw this movie for the first time, I was left feeling touched like I couldn't imagine a movie to do so. It left me longing for something.

Wong Kar-Wai is a favourite of mine and this is his best film, and my favourite film. I recommend this film to anyone and everyone - please give it 90 minutes of your life - it will stay with you for much longer than that. See 2046, Chungking Express and Happy Together for more.
------------------
The only films I'm yet to see that I think could get into this list are Thirst, Valkyrie, 500 Days of Summer, Inglorious Bastards from this year - probably some older ones I've missed out forgotten or plain ignored.
I realised I missed City of God - I need to rewatch it and see where I'd put it!
I'm interested in your comments :)

Arcade Fire #2 - Neon Bible

Neon Bible takes us into the dark days of the 21st century with music and vocals reminiscent at times of bygone artists and eras (Springsteen homaged so evidentially on "(Antichrist Television Blues)", Echo and the Bunnymen and more), but all is stamped with AF's own unique madness and ambition.
From the opening chords of 'Black Mirror' the listener is unable to settle, a whirlwind of sound awaits and rushes in from different directions to keep the listener attentive. It is the type of album that grabs the listener with two hands and doesn't let go until the end of the hauntingly gorgeous echoes of 'My Body Is A Cage'. It isn't a light album, instead it is a rather deep, intense, brooding offering. My standouts include 'Black Mirror' which starts the album and sets the tone with a dark, almost sinister tone. "Mirror, Mirror; On the wall; Tell me where them bombs will fall;" But the rhythmic beat of the verse gives way to a string led rousing chorus. 'Keep The Car Running' contrasts brilliantly with the opening track, it feels like the optimism after the depression. No Cars Go is a simple, joyous song with its anthem of a chorus that leads into the darkly beautiful, My Body is a Cage which deals with themes of spiritual and emotional imprisonment, ending on the reiteration of the line "Set my spirit free!", which builds to a powerful rallying cry.

I was lucky enough to see AF three times in 2007, in a Church in Westminster before the album came out, then also at Brixton and Ally Pally - all were breaktakingly good. AF are without doubt one of the most unique and talented bunch of musicians of this century.
Album three cannot be too far away now, rumoured late spring 2010, and I for one cannot wait!

Arcade Fire - Funeral

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
Buy: Amazon

The debut LP by the Canadian group Arcade Fire (if you exclude the self-titled EP) propelled them to global success, it's clear to see why, for once the hype was not wrong.

I'm honest enough to say I was late arriving at AF, I only picked up Funeral after its placing in many critics charts, for once I agreed - Funeral is an breathtaking album.

The first song is a stand-out, Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels), is magnificent, a driving and anthemic piece of music that talks of two kids using underground tunnels to arrange a nocturnal tryst in the town square, Power Out bellows such raw surging explosion of energy, "Rebellion" which is probably one of their most accessible songs, it's a song that you can't help but love from first listen; it's catchy, memorable and just amazing, then of course the breath-taking Wake Up, a ready made stadium anthem and will still be in 10 years time.

With a record so heavily influenced with death and loss, it is suprising as to how upbeat and melodic Funeral is.

Apartment #2

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/apartment

See post #1 for some other B-Sides / Demos and a live gig from early 2005. This post has some alternative demo's of some songs that made the album, The Dreamer Evasive, and also some more demos!
Other than a few more live recordings / xfm sesssions which I will post as a third thread over the next week or so, this is everything I have for Apartment - and maybe is close to everything that is "out".

Edit - see http://www.justmusicthatilike.com/2009/09/4-apartment.html for all Apartment downloads.

The Chapman Family - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thechapmanfamily
Buy: Here

Carrying on the Post Punk theme of bands like R O M A N C E, Crocodiles and some more that are breaking into the UK limelight in 2009 are The Chapman Family, from Stockton-On-Tees, the north east has produced some good bands in recent times such as Maximo Park and TCF might well be next to hog some of the plaudits...

TCF release their next single Virgins on October 19th and are on tour in the UK right now too.

More to come...

Crocodiles - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/crocodilescrocodilescrocodiles
BUY: Summer of Hate CD HERE

Another recent find for me, I appear to have crossed into loving the new band of post-wave punk bands that are becoming more and popular this year, probably thanks to The Horrors and a few others bands.

Crocodiles are a US band, hailing from San Diego, Jesus and the Mary Chain similarities are on evidence - Neon Jesus the bands debut single (you can find below) is a really good kind of early eighties electro punk jam, in the vien of Echo & The Bunnymen etc.

Stand-out tracks off the debut 'I Wanna Kill' and the title track off the debut album Summer of Hate - add a distorted fuzz and this band should be heard.

Hopefully one to watch.

I Like Trains - Sea of Regrets

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/iliketrains

Buy: Official Shop

Blurb: From Wikipedia, Guy Bannister Alistair Bowis Simon Fogal David Martin
I Like Trains (styled as iLiKETRAiNS) are an alternative/post-rock band from Leeds, England. The group play brooding songs featuring sparse piano and guitar, baritone vocals, uplifting choral passages and reverberant orchestral crescendos. They draw their inspiration from historical failings and a pessimistic world view.

They debut LP, Elegies to Lessons Learnt was released on Beggars Banquet Records in 2007, and their debut EP, "Progress Reform", was released on Fierce Panda Records in June, 2006.

The brand new single 'Sea of Regrets' is available to Pre-Order now! From the I LIKE TRAINS Online shop. CD for £3 plus P&P. Released on 12/10/09

Emmy The Great

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

Buy: Here

Album Rating: 8.0/10

Emmy The Great has been around for quite a few years now, quietly making some noise through the release of some fantastic singles, slowly building up a following and finally 2009 saw the release of her first album First Love. (tbc) ...

Slow Club - Yeah So

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/slowclub

Buy: Here

Album Rating Single CD 7.5/10 Deluxe 8.9/10

I liked Slow Club, then I saw them last week at Scala, now I love them they were simply fantastic live, the show was both musically brilliant and entertaining throughout - I think the 1000 strong crowd all walked out smiling, which has to be a good thing.

The album Yeah, So is great (review to be added)...

The second CD on the deluxe version of the album is essential for so many reasons...

Fanfarlo - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fanfarlo
Buy: Reservoir Here
Album Rating: 8.2/10

Half-baked Review:

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing for Fanfarlo, I'd go with good as I love them, but it is 100% unescapable not to mention Arcade Fire, so there I've just started with it, there is a feeling of Funeral running throughout, which has to be a good thing when the music is also uniquely different.

The five piece band based in London (the lead singer is orignally from Sweden) are multi talented, playing many different instruments throughout creating a captivating sound. Such is the consistency, it is hard to pick standout tunes, if I had to pick it would be between Finish Line, Drowing Men and The Walls are Coming Down, however, the album for me, is best listened to as a whole. It may not have a classic like Rebellion (Lies) but it is a complete lush album, that won't have you itching to change the record anytime soon, so enjoy this indie-pop music as it's meant to be.

The Boxer Rebellion

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theboxerrebellion
Video: Flashing Red Light Means Go
Album Ratings: Exits 8.7/10 Union 9.1/10
Buy: Union + Exits


I First got into Boxers in 2005, I'm not sure how I ended up listening to Exits, but I did, and I loved it and promptly went to see them at the ICA, support was by Redjetson (RIP :() and Pure Reason Revolution and it was an epically good gig.

Exits was a fantastic debut, bad luck, mis-management or just the ineptness of the British public to see past the Kaiser Chiefs albums meant it was completely missed and alongside illness of the lead singer Nathan Nicholson(which lead them to cancel a well documented tour support slot with The Killers) I for one thought TBR might not return with album two.

2008 there were signs of a return, myspace only singles (at that time) Broken Glass / JKKFC / Waiting hinted at things to come. Fast foward to January 2009 and itunes of all places out of nowhere picks Evacuate as single of the week and releases Union, the second Boxers album exclusively.

It kicks off with Flashing Red Light Means Go, a fantastic drum beat resounding throughout the track and is one of my favourites. Evacuate was a perfect choice for first single of the album, heavy guitars duelling throughout with another great drum beat behind. Another faster paced highlight is a reworking of an old song, These Walls Are Thin, a fast paced guitar number that highlights Nathan's fantastic vocal ability.

Union has more melodic tracks than its predecessor, this isn't a bad thing. Soviets is a beautiful acoustic song then accompanied with yet more drumming and another stand-out is the atmospherics during the enigmatic ‘The Gospel Of Goro Adachi’ whilst final track the beautifully haunting Silent Movie closes the album with wonderful grace.

The album doesn't die with a whimper either, Forces and live favourite Semi-Automatic give it a final gloss and catapults the LP into a must buy of recent times.
Union shows the great confidence displayed by TBR, four years is a long time, but a solid album that shows great development from Exits and is an essential album of 2009.

Released by HMV(!) in September on CD finally, the CD has some nice video extras and a couple of bonus tracks - one of them the stunning Broken Glass. See them on tour in October in the UK.

Evacuate Promo Video:


Broken Glass Promo Video:

Editors

myspace.com/editorsmusic

Buy - Amazon

Blurb - Neo-post-punk quartet Editors formed in 2003. Originally dubbed Snowfield, the group comprised singer/guitarist Tom Smith, lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, bassist Russell Leetch, and drummer Ed Lay, all music technology students at Britain's Stafford University who relocated to Birmingham after graduation. A series of a well-received club dates and a single demo tape earned Editors the interest of British labels large and small, and after a bidding frenzy the group signed to a revitalized Kitchenware, the venerable British indie once home to Prefab Sprout. Kitchenware issued their debut single, "Bullets," in early January 2005 and the record sold out in one day, earning comparison to the dark, dramatic sound of contemporary bands like Interpol and Bloc Party as well as ancestors like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen. Editors' follow-up, "Munich," made them darlings of the U.K. music press, and just weeks after their standout performance at the annual Glastonbury Music Festival, the band issued its third single, "Blood." Their much-anticipated debut LP, The Back Room, followed in mid-2005. "Munich" was reissued in January 2006, placing The Back Room in the Top Five on the U.K. album chart and earning the band a gold record. A joint North American tour with stellastarr* coincided with the stateside release of The Back Room in March, and a Mercury Music Prize nomination followed in July. Editors' sophomore effort, An End Has a Start, came out the following summer, preceded by the single "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Firstly I have to say this - I love Editors, I'm not massively into Interpol, I love Eds and I'm not afraid to say it, The Back Room, AEHAS and the new album, soon to be released, In This Light and On This Evening are all (the last by live performances only) fantastic albums.

The Airborne Toxic Event - New Music "Introducing"

Myspace
Watch: Sometime Around Midnight + Gasoline
Buy: Amazon

Album Rating: 9.1 / 10

One of my favourite finds of the past year, TATE are simply fantastic live and on record to and their self titled album released this year in the UK will be in my top five of this year no doubt.

I only discovered them in October last year when they played Camden's Dublin Castle for consecutive Tuesday gigs, the UK rumblings could be seen in the big cities, a gig at the 100 club sold out quickly, as did one at Kings College. The airplay for Sometime Around Midnight got as far as BBC radio, this time the hype is deserved. Gasoline, a fantastic guitar pop/rock song was the first song I heard and it's still great today. Somewhere Around Midnight has rightly propelled them towards commercial success. The sweeping violin, the slow-burning build up to a spectacularly frantic finish. Perfection. The pinnacle of this album is the last song of the US release, Innocence a Jim Steinman-esque intro, and as with the whole album a tour-de-force of lyrical story-telling.

I've seen a lot of bad reviews for this album, but what do these critical 'expert' reviews mean precisely? I mean Queen II got critically smashed on it's arrival and that is one of Rocks classic pioneering albums and everyone know what followed from the minds of Mr Mercury and co.

I'd rather bands go for something to please their fans, then the critics. I am sure they'd love an experimental shin-dig if it was done for the first ever time but a band with a violinist the isn't Win Butler and entourage - oh my, oh no.

Similarities to The Arcade Fire, The Hold Steady and other bands from the other side of the pond will be drawn, but let that not detract that The Airborne Toxic Event are most definitely unique. Highly recommended 9.1/10

Innocence - Amazing



Sometime Around Midnight Promo: