Film Review: Thor (2011)

'Thor' (UK Theatrical Release: 27 April '11) // Words: Ced Yuen

The final pieces of Marvel’s master plan are falling into place. Developing their key characters one film at a time and sowing the seeds of hype with post-credit teases, Marvel have prepared for 'The Avengers' with military precision. Next up is Thor – lesser known, but no less entertaining.

Camden Crawl: 2011 Preview Part II + More Stage Times

Words: Saam Das

For the 2011 Camden Crawl mixtape I put together for Mud Hut Digital, which Nathan from Mud Hut guided you through, every single band/act I chose had already featured on the site. Meaning that the podcast would be a bit redundant for regular readers. So here's some other picks for the festival, and their set times/stage listings too.

Watch: 'Transformers Dark Of The Moon' [Full Length Trailer]

Words: Saam Das

I might be a Michael Bay apologist but even I realised that 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' was horrendous, and a terrible follow up to the surprisingly impressive first film. However, the teaser trailer to the third installment made my top ten trailers of 2010. And the now the first full length official trailer to 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' has emerged - watch it below.

Camden Crawl: 2011 Preview Podcast + Stage Times

Words: Saam Das

The 2011 Gaymers Camden Crawl is almost upon us and to preview the festival, I made a little mixtape for Mud Hut Digital, which you can listen to below. The podcast features my suggestions for "bands to watch" at the Crawl. We've also got their set times and details of stages below.

Photo: Derek Zoolander Center For Kids

Source: Unknown

Definitely not a "center for ants" but possibly not real. I want to believe though....

Film Review: 'The Veteran' (2011)

'The Veteran' (UK Theatrical Release: 29 April '11) // Words: Ced Yuen

At the end of 2008's 'The Hurt Locker', an ex-soldier struggles to choose which type of cereal to buy. Accustomed to life-or-death situations, he is incapable of such a trivial decision. It's a brief scene, but it perfectly captures the difficulty of adapting to civilian life after the horrors of active duty. This is precisely the kind of vibe that 'The Veteran' aims for, but misses entirely.

Stream: Fleet Foxes - 'Helplessness Blues' [New Album]

Words: Saam Das

Following up on their much acclaimed self-titled debut record, Fleet Foxes return with 'Helplessness Blues', released at the start of May. A slightly more ambitious brand of delectable folk this time round. Stream the whole thing in full below to see what you think, and there's also a free download of the title track up for grabs.

Download: Graham Coxon, Bill Ryder-Jones + Paloma Faith - 'Desire'

Words: Saam Das

Every so often Converse puts together three artists and they produce a track for free consumption. Last year, Kid Cudi, Bethany Cosentino and Rostam Batmanglij came together for the brilliant 'All Summer'. This time round sees the "kooky" Paloma Faith collaborate with Bill Ryder-Jones (formerly of The Coral) and the legendary Graham Coxon.

Surfacing: Valentina

Words: Saam Das

It can be difficult to get excited about singer-songwriters, perhaps because many of the successful ones end up being remarkably bland. There are plenty of female solo artists making brilliant music though, from the experimental Grimes to the acoustica of Ellie Makes Music. Valentina appears somewhere in the middle of that pop spectrum, delivering a collection of beautifully heartfelt songs on her debut EP, 'Weights'.

Watch: Three Student-Edited Trailers For Priest

Words: Saam Das

I love me a good trailer, as demonstrated by my trailer catch ups. But I'm yet to feature a trailer on the upcoming 'Priest' vampire film. Because well, I haven't been that impressed by any of the trailers. Perhaps Sony Pictures realised that too, launching a competition for three London students to edit their own trailers for the film then presenting them in Hollywood. Watch the trailers below.

Listen: To Kill A King - Fictional State [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

We were one of the first blogs to write about Leeds folksters To Kill A King, when we did a Surfacing piece on them last October. Things have gone rather well since and they are putting out their debut single on the increasingly prominent, Communion, at the end of May. Watch the video to 'Fictional State' below, and listen to the b-side - a quite majestic cover of 'Maps' by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Stream: Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two [New Album]

Words: Saam Das

When it rains, it pours. I only posted about the full Beastie Boys short film ('Fight For Your Right Revisited') the other day and then they went and put up their new album to stream in full. Listen to the whole thang below, ahead of its May release date.

DVD Review: Woochi The Demon Slayer (2009)

'Woochi - The Demon Slayer' (UK Release: 25 April '11) // Words: Paul Dean

There are all kinds of things I could write about right now. For some reason, the strangest array of topics is running through my head and I feel I want to tell you all about my curtain-twitching neighbours, or the first job I had, or the time I met Bill Bailey in the street, or even a great idea for a book I came up with. In fact, I think I want to write about almost anything except 'Woochi - The Demon Slayer'.

Surfacing: Grimes

Ed's note: Jack joins us to lend a hand new music-wise shortly after setting up his own blog - feel free to say hello to him on Twitter too.

Words: Jack Thomson

Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, is a Canadian musician and visual artist from Montreal, who, on a first listen, may come across as following in the ethereal, doom-laden footsteps of Fever Ray and Zola Jesus. However, on closer inspection, there is something much more substantial to Grimes.

DVD Review: The Chaperone (2011)

'The Chaperone' DVD (UK Release: 18 April '11) // Words: Saam Das

Expectations are hardly astronomic when a new WWE Studios film is unleashed upon the viewing public but simply put, 'The Chaperone' is painful. Even in the previously capable hands of Stephen Herek, director of Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure', there can be little doubt that 'The Chaperone' is a botched job.

Album Review: TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

TV On The Radio - 'Nine Types Of Light' (UK Release: 18 April '11) //
Words: Simon Opie

TV On the Radio have returned after a short break, during which they moved the centre of their operations from Brooklyn to LA. And who can blame them for that - main man David Sitek has suggested the new album benefitted greatly from having the BBQ on demand throughout recording. I guess a combination of surroundings and critical acclaim creates a positive atmosphere for making music and 'Nine Types Of Light' certainly communicates joy as its primary emotion.

Watch: Fight For Your Right Revisited [Beastie Boys Short Film]

Words: Saam Das

I mentioned 'Fight For Your Right Revisited', the cameo-filled Beastie Boys short, in our trailer catch up and now the Beasties have put the short up in full on their YouTube page. Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride star as the trio, picking up from the end of the video to '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)'. Watch the chaotic short below.

BBC iPlayer: Doctor Who (2011) The Impossible Astronaut [Review]

TV Review: 'The Impossible Astronaut' (UK Airdate: 23 April '11) // Words: Saam Das

SYNOPSIS: "The Doctor is summoned to assist President Nixon in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman." (bbc.co.uk)

The only two television series this year that I've been particularly looking forward to have been the return of 'Doctor Who' and the second series of 'Psychoville'. Sadly, the latter is still nowhere to be seen but thank the stars, Matt Smith is back as our intrepid Doctor pal, following the Christmas special. Some spoilers await so I recommend averting your gaze unless you've already watched the episode.

Stream: Mammal Club - The Au EP [New Release]

Words: Saam Das

Back in October, I told you all about an exciting new Northern band called Mammal Club, comparing them favourably to Foals and Everything Everything. Well, they've just announced their debut EP release, which you can listen to in full below. And you should because it's really quite good.

Album Review: The Raveonettes - Raven In The Grave

The Raveonettes - 'Raven In The Grave' (UK Release: 18 April '11) // Words: Rajan Lakhani

The Raveonettes have been one of the most underrated bands in the alternative music scene - 'Lust Lust Lust' (my album of 2007) was critically lauded and they’ve consistently delivered strong pop singles. So why are they not playing in the indie’s premier leagues but confined to the status of landfill bands such as The Pigeon Detectives? Much of this is down to 2005's 'Pretty In Black' which brought the momentum built up by their debut, 'Chain Gang Of Love', to a shuddering halt.

Trailer: X-Men First Class [New International Trailer]

Words: Saam Das

Wasn't sure whether to post about the new trailer to Matthew Vaughn's forthcoming 'X-Men: First Class' considering it's only subtly different from previous looks at the film. But I've kept coming back to it over the past few days so I think it's definitely worth sharing, in case you haven't caught it already.

'X-Men: First Class' arrives in UK cinemas on June 2nd and in the US on June 3rd.

Listen: Beau And The Arrows - 0.7.9.3 [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

Last night I popped down to The Monarch in Camden to see recent Surfacing alumni Beau And The Arrows and their haunting take on post-punk. They've also just unveiled their second single - '0.7.9.3', which you can listen to below prior to its June release.

Surfacing: Spector

Words: Saam Das

Many years ago, during sixth form, me and a bunch of friends ran a fledgling music events company - "hilariously" entitled Permanent Records. We put on a Battle Of The Bands at our school. That was Les Incompetents first gig. (They came second.) Many years on, two of the band are now in Spector, proponents of melodramatic, yearning pop.

Announcement: Joe Bloggers Gig [Curated By FADED GLAMOUR Et Al]

Words: Saam Das

I'm really proud to announce that myself, Flying With Anna and Tim at The Blue Walrus have got together with the help of a splendid chap called Matt to put on a blogger curated night at London's Dingwalls venue on May 19th. The gig will be headlined by Louise & The Pins and FG faves Alpines, Daughter AND Boy Mandeville will all be appearing. There's even one more act to come!

Surfacing: Honour Before Glory

Words: Saam Das

The return of Tom Vek this week reminded me of all those bands I loved back in the mid-noughties. ¡Forward, Russia! were definitely up there. Sadly they disbanded long ago. But with former guitarist Whiskas (otherwise known as Sam Nicholls) playing his first gig of 2011 tomorrow in London, it seems like an appropriate time to finally post about his melancholic soundscapes.

Trailer Catch Up: Super, Fight For Your Right To Party - Revisited, Warrior etc

Words: Saam Das

It's been a fair while since our last trailer catch up and there's been some pretty decent trailers in the meantime. And that utterly ridiculous trailer to new Ah-nuld cartoon series, 'The Governator'. Check out some of my favourite trailers of late below, even if you're way more into music than film - there's actually quite a few musically relevant offerings.

Listen: Tom Vek - A Chore [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

I suspect you might have noticed already but after six long years, this generation's answer to David Byrne returned yesterday evening with a new single, 'A Chore'. From the sounds of that new single, Tom Vek has picked up where he left off with 2005's 'We Have Sound'.

DVD Review: Meet The Parents - Little Fockers (2010)

'Meet The Parents - Little Fockers' (UK Release: 18 April '11) // Words: Ced Yuen

In 2000, Robert De Niro strapped Ben Stiller to a lie detector and interrogated him in a basement lair. That was the high point of 'Meet The Parents' - a witty and alternative romantic-comedy in which a male nurse has to win the approval of an ex-CIA operative in order to ask his daughter's hand in marriage. After ten years, one mediocre sequel and the departure of the director, 'Little Fockers' is an attempt to artificially extend the franchise's natural life with a follow-up that nobody expected, or particularly wanted.

Album Review: Low - C'mon

Low – 'C’mon' (UK Release: 11 April '11) // Words: Simon Opie

Since 2002’s excellent 'Trust', I've found that Low's output has shown diminishing returns – and 2007’s 'Drums And Guns' was one of the few in the clutch of Iraq War-inspired albums that didn’t do it for me at all. So if the pinnacle of their stripped down and raw song delivery was the Steve Albini (excellently) produced 'Things We Lost In The Fire' from 2001 then this album comes as a surprise.

Stream: FOE - Hot New Trash [New EP]

Words: Saam Das

We surfaced Hannah Clark's solo project FOE last May. Almost a year on, she has released a spectacular debut EP of grungey leftfield pop, 'Hot New Trash', produced by Adam "Entrepreneurs" Crisp. Stream it in full below.

Stream: Panda Bear - Tomboy [New Album]

Words: Saam Das

If you hadn't noticed already, today is Record Store Day 2011, celebrating independent record shops with a slew of limited releases and instores. One such limited release is Animal Collective member Noah Lennox's new solo album, 'Tomboy', the follow-up to the widely acclaimed 'Person Pitch'. Stream the album in full below.

Film Review: Red Riding Hood (2011)

'Red Riding Hood' (UK Release: 15 April '11) // Words: Saam Das

The swell of critical anguish toward 'Red Riding Hood', a contemporary reimagining of the old fairytale, meant that prior to viewing I had expected something ridiculous and laughable. But, in fairness, 'Red Riding Hood' was not quite as abysmal as I'd been led to believe. Indeed, fans of the 'Twilight' saga might well enjoy it.

Surfacing: Purity Ring

Words: Saam Das

Warped electro-pop duo Purity Ring emerged as the talk of the blogosphere at the end of January, when their track 'Ungirthed' was unleashed onto the internet. That track is now coming out as their debut single on Transparent Records, paired with the equally dazzling 'Lofticries'.

Photo: Hanksy Or Banksy?

Source: mittsuniverse

Surfacing: Woodkid

Words: Saam Das

Yoann Lemoine is the brains behind Woodkid, who unleashed one of 2011's best music videos recently - directed by Lemoine himself, no less. Moreover, 'Iron' is as epic as its video, inhabiting the same foreboding orchestral sphere that These New Puritans have forged as of late. Seriously incroyable.

Download: Lazy Hurricane - Heartswordsfire [New Track]

Words: Saam Das

Last year, following an appearance on the Tough Love 2010 sampler, I said some nice things about Lazy Hurricane. Now, with the appearance of another brilliant Tough Love sampler, you can download a new track of "futuristic calypso pop" for free, 'Heartswordsfire'.

Surfacing: Daughter

Words: Saam Das

Daughter is better known to her family and friends as Elena Tonra, a 21 year old folk songstress, who is rapidly building praise in 2011 thanks to her entrancing live performances and magical recordings. Her debut EP as Daughter came out digitally earlier this month.

Screen Science: First Orbit [Recreation Of Yuri Gagarin's Spaceflight]

Screen Science will be an irregular column reflecting moments where the science and screen arenas meet in a meaningful and notable manner.

Words: Saam Das

Hopefully you will have noticed that today (April 12th) is the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight. To celebrate Yuri Gagarin's historic flight, a free film "shot entirely on board the International Space Station to recreate the original first orbit of Vostok 1" has been made available to watch in full for free on YouTube, and is embedded below.

Album Review: Young Knives - Ornaments From The Silver Arcade

Young Knives - 'Ornaments From The Silver Arcade' (UK Release: 4 April '11) // Words: Emily Solan

I must admit that after 'Voices Of Animals and Men', I fell out of love with the Young Knives. Not because 'Superabundance' was bad (remember how good 'Terra Firma' and 'Turn Tail' were?) just I’d had enough of the whole art-rock, post-punk revival sound. Moving on to 'Ornaments From The Silver Arcade', and the band are well and truly back in my good books.

Watch: The Wrong Ferrari [Adam Green's Debut Feature Film]

Words: Saam Das

Prepare yourself for (NSFW) weirdness. 'The Wrong Ferrari' is the debut feature from Adam Green, probably best known for being the male half of The Moldy Peaches. The self-asserted "screwball tragedy" stars Green himself and Macauley Culkin, with cameos from several musicians.

Album Review: Grails - Deep Politics

Grails - 'Deep Politics' (UK Release: 14 March '11) // Words: Simon Opie

If any band can rightly be called a project, then I suggest it is Grails. One of many bands to come out of Portland, Oregon – a place which is consistently rated the best city in the world for mountain bikers to live, it is also a production line for alternative musical talent. The four fixed members of the band – all multi instrumentalists – Emil Amos, Alex Hall, Bill Slater and Zak Riles (who plays on only one track on this new album) have various side projects and other bands to which they belong - Om, Jackie O Motherfucker, M. Ward among others.

TV Preview: The Walking Dead

Words: Saam Das

American TV series 'The Walking Dead' makes it way onto UK terrestrial tv for the first time this evening. For those who didn't get a chance to watch the zombie apocalypse show during its run on FX earlier in the year, Channel Five is the place to tune in. FG writer Jake has already reviewed the series so for links to all his reviews - which do not spoil major plot points, unless you read too far ahead in time - look below.

Film Review: Source Code (2011)

'Source Code' (UK Release: 1 April '11) // Words: Ced Yuen

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a train, with no idea how he got there. A total stranger (Michelle Monaghan) treats him like an acquaintance. His reflection in the window shows him another person's face. The train explodes. Colter finds himself strapped upside-down inside a strange machine.

Stream: Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years [New Album]

Words: Saam Das

Cold Cave released their new (heavily 80s electro inspired) album 'Cherish The Light Years' last Monday and you can listen to it in full below. There's also a free download of the album's hyperactive opener, 'The Great Pan Is Dead', courtesy of the Matador Records blog.

Film Review: Blooded (2011)

'Blooded' (UK Release: 1 April '11)
Words: Paul Dean

I am all for faux documentaries and I think I fell a little bit in love with them when 'The Blair Witch Project' managed (fairly successfully, I thought) to marry the unlikely partners that are horror and credibility, creating something whose simplicity made it all the more visceral and unpleasant. Its stoic refusal to admit that it was a work of fiction only heightened its profile further and a good many filmmakers have since been inspired to attempt similar tricks, only to find that the moviegoers are all the more savvy now.

Mashup: The Jackson 5 vs Passion Pit - The Jackson Pit

Words: Saam Das

Xaphoon Jones, producer of hip hop two-some Chiddy Bang, dropped his second mixtape earlier in the week - 'Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Volume 2'. You can download the whole thing for free by clicking on the title. For me though, it's all about the mashup of 'I Want You Back' by The Jackson 5 and Passion Pit's 'Sleepyhead'.

Singles: March 2011

Words: Saam Das

At the end of March, I checked the "March singles" folder in my inbox. 66 messages. Oh boy. A new record. It means that (for this month at least) I'm including an extra list of singles that I think are worth checking out. Before that come ten of my favourite/the "best" singles from March, which I heartily recommend. Listen to them all below.

Watch: X-Men First Class Fan-Made Title Sequence

Words: Saam Das

I've been in two minds about whether to post this Saul Bass inspired fan-made clip because a) it looks brilliantly retro and a perfect fit for the sixties basis of 'X-Men: First Class but b) the sound is somewhat off-putting. Solution: switch the sound off the first time and check it out. Then watch it again with the sound on. Everyone's a winner.

Source: Ain't It Cool News

Album Review: Vessels - Helioscope

Vessels – 'Helioscope' (UK Release: 14 March '11)
Words: Simon Opie

So far this year there has been a lot of new post-rock about. Latest releases from ...Trail Of Dead, The Rock Of Travolta and the mighty Mogwai have all been reviewed here. In addition, Grails have just released a new album – the excellent 'Deep Politics'; Earth, the Godfathers of post-rock, gained mainstream approval for their weakest album for some time; and maybe the best of all is the Sonic Youth soundtrack to the movie 'Simon Werner A Disparu'.

Album Review: The Strokes - Angles

The Strokes - 'Angles' (UK Release: 21 March '11)
Words: Kieran Toms

I was too young to be really aware of The Strokes burst onto the scene in 2001, but when I did get into music it was impossible not to be aware that they were *the* band - the coolest, the most adored, the most influential, their sound being recycled by countless pretenders to the throne throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

Film Review: Sucker Punch (2011)

'Sucker Punch' (UK Release Date: 1 April '11)
Words: Ced Yuen

Zack Snyder has become a name associated with spectacular action, and his attachment to the next 'Superman' project has caused geeks everywhere to salivate. However, some have questioned his talent because of his tendency to rework other people's creations. It may be unfair to say that he has piggybacked his way to success on the works of Frank Miller ('300') and Alan Moore ('Watchmen'), but Snyder hasn't exactly tried to disprove this. Until now.

Album Review: Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now

Caitlin Rose - 'Own Side Now' (US Release: 15 March '11)
Words: Rajan Lakhani

When an album is described as "country", it can unfortunately bring out the musical snob in people but Caitlin Rose’s very likeable 'Own Side Now' puts any such reaction to shame. There is great soul in her voice far beyond her 23 years, which moves the listener with tales of broken hearts and longing.