Album Review: Thomas Tantrum - Mad By Moonlight

Thomas Tantrum - 'Mad By Moonlight' (UK Release: 13 June '11) //
Words: Jon Sidwell

'Mad By Moonlight' is the second album from Southampton based four-piece Thomas Tantrum. It is the successor to their critically acclaimed self titled debut record which came out in 2008. Led by the rather enigmatic Megan Thomas, the group can count pop mistress Lily Allen as a fan, with her appreciative musings surrounding the band’s quirky ‘indie pop’ debut helping to promote the band far and wide.

Live Review: Thomas Tantrum @ Hoxton Square Bar + Kitchen

Thomas Tantrum live @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London (27 April '11) // Words: Saam Das

I generally do my best to avoid Hoxton on any given evening but I do like me some Thomas Tantrum so I popped down one April evening to see them headline at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. The Southampton quartet have subtly altered the wonky pop of their debut album, with the live set showing off some of their more mature indie-pop.

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.

My Year In Lists Part Deux

I don't know how people compile their top 50 albums of a year. I'm only compiling a top eight here and even that was a bit of an extended effort. Just hours and hours and hours of listening to albums, most of which were largely forgettable. And my list is only eight albums long. I can't imagine doing so much work for such little reward. I imagine there isn't always a lot of job satisfication being a critic.

Nevertheless, I do pay attention to some of these lists and it's always interesting to see which albums keep cropping up. This year's consensus seems to be along the lines of Frightened Rabbit, Cut Copy, Bon Iver and M83. Seeing as I haven't even listened to the latter three yet, my list is going to be a wee bit different. But that's the joy in lists; I'm going to seek out those albums now and maybe you'll pick up something new from my list.

EIGHT ALBUMS FOR 2008

8. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Angles
I'm very pleased to see this album appear on a few blogger best-ofs at least, although I still feel it's a bit underrated. The juxtaposition of Dan Le Sac's electronica and Scroobius Pip's spoken word created an intriguing pop album, both lyrically and musically. Sure, there's a fair bit of filler but it's far from the one-hit wonder exhibition that I expected.
Download: 'Thou Shalt Always Kill', 'Angles', 'Fixed'


7. Hot Club de Paris - Live At Dead Lake
Not a live album as the title deceives but a competent studio follow up to one of my favourite albums of any year, 'Drop It Till It Pops'. Showing their influences on their sleeves by including a Minutemen cover, their general jitter-pop sound remained. However, I felt it was a bit too understated. More a grower than a shower. And if you get confused with that line, I don't mean the apparatus for washing yourself. Mind you, the statement would still apply.
Download: 'Hey Housebrick', 'My Little Haunting', 'Sparrow Flew With Swallows Wings'


6. Thomas Tantrum - Thomas Tantrum
In the year of "wonky pop", I just don't understand how Thomas Tantrum have barely made a blip into the mainstream. A fantastically off-kilter twee-post-punk-pop band with killer singles, an attractive frontwoman, and Lily Allen bigging them up on MySpace. Remind me again why they're not massive?
Download: 'Work It', 'Swan Lake', 'Shake It Shake It'/[DOWNLOAD LIVE READING FESTIVAL 2008 VERSION]


5. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Til It Was Light
After leaving me waiting for about two years, Johnny Foreigner came up with the goods on their lively debut album, with almost all the classics on there. Strong proponents of Kinsella-core but not scared of melodies, something they exploit to wonderful effect.
Download: 'Yes! You Talk Too Fast', 'Salt, Peppa And Spinderella', 'Yr All Just Jealous'


4. These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
A remarkably ambitious and refreshing album, especially considering this is a debut. For such an inventive and atmospheric album, there is a striking immediacy to 'Beat Pyramid'. There is so much more to them than being a new age version of The Fall.
Download: 'Navigate-Colours', 'Swords Of Truth', 'Elvis'


3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
I've only been listening to this album for the last week or so but wow. I can see why it's topped so many polls, the album flows effortlessly. In years to come, I could well look back at this and consider it my favourite from 2008. Although it would take a lot to depose my top two. I'm sure you've read about this album in countless places by now.
Download: 'Family Tree', 'Halfway Home', 'Dancing Choose', (recent radio session [here])


2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Probably the 2008 album I was most looking forward to prior to its release. It didn't disappoint. A touching, emotive album with plenty of lyrical gems ("While I'm alive I'll make tiny changes to the Earth", "Jesus is just a Spanish boy's name" etc), its anthemic folk vibe has produced tremendous critical acclaim.
Download: 'The Twist', 'Head Rolls Off', 'The Modern Leper' (opening track on Keep Hope Inside podcast #7, listenable [here])


1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
At the start of the year, I would never have guessed that this would be my favourite album of 2008. I didn't really get caught up in their hype and came to the album only in the second half of the year. I wish I could pinpoint the day when I first listened to the album. The African influences breathed fresh air into indie-pop and the album is so strong that almost any track could have feasibly been a hit single. An absolute pleasure to listen to.
Download: 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa', 'Campus', 'A-Punk'/[DOWNLOAD READING FESTIVAL 2008 VERSION]


So there's my somewhat unconventional list. I wasn't a big fan of some of the albums I've seen feature highly in other lists - things like Bloc Party and Mystery Jets, which were especially disappointing considering how much I've enjoyed their past material. Los Campesinos! would have snuck in at #9 but I'm still not sure which one of their two albums of 2008 I prefer more. I am gravitating towards their latter release after my dislike of the debut's abrasive production.

Next year I suggest you look out for debut offerings from Grammatics, Sky Larkin, Fanfarlo, Fight Like Apes and The Joy Formidable's Japanese LP. And then there'll be welcome returns for the likes of The National and Patrick Wolf hopefully. Although to be honest, I still have to work through this year's missed albums, like The Acorn, Cats In Paris, Why? etc....any other recommendations? Have a happy new year!

Festive Fifty

I'm not sure what exactly I was thinking when I suddenly decided to compile my favourite 50 singles of 2008 at about 4pm on Christmas Day but here it finally is, my version of the "festive fifty". John Peel probably would be ashamed but this is my list and not his. It's not a definitive "best of", just the singles I liked the most this year. Stuck to one single per artist, all with UK release dates in 2008.

The Daily Growl did their version a few days ago, which you can read at their brand spanking new [site]. As mentioned there, the list can seem a bit arbitrary at times but I have enjoyed all 50 of these songs so it nay matters. And while you're still paying attention, add me on [Twitter].

TOP SINGLES
50. Cats In Paris - Foxes
49. Gossamer Albatross - The Ground Will Take Us Down
48. Bloc Party - Mercury (download session version [here].)
47. Miley Cyrus - See You Again (would be the awesome cover by The Mae Shi but that wasn't a single. Maybe one day.)
46. Late Of The Pier - Heartbeat (see what I said [here].)
45. Little Boots - Meddle (download the acoustic version [here].)
44. We Have Band - Oh!
43. Tubelord - Feed Me A Box Of Words
42. The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
41. Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire

40. Kunk - We're Not Who You Think We Are (read what I said [here].)
39. Cajun Dance Party - Colourful Life (read what I said about the demo from 2006 [here].)
38. Sigur Ros - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur (unpronouncably good.)
37. Frank Turner - Photosynthesis
36. The Joy Formidable - Austere (download session version [here].)
35. Stricken City - Tak O Tak (hear it on [KHI Podcast #9.]
34. Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (if only for the Heather Mills vs Paul McCartney video mash up on [YouTube]. Sodding amazing.)
33. Iglu & Hartley - In This City (it's like Len vs Crazytown and thus ace.)
32. Pull In Emergency - Why Aren't You Dancing? (I'm taking their debut single to be a double-A side because it would be impossible to consider that such an anthem is a throwaway b-side.)
31. Thomas Tantrum - Swan Lake

30. Frightened Rabbit - Head Rolls Off (to be honest, the N-Trance cover on the b-side is even better.)
29. Future Of The Left - Manchasm (another single with an amazing b-side, this time 'Suddenly It's A Folk Song', making it probably the best all-round single of the year.)
28. We Are Scientists - After Hours
27. The Verve - Love Is Noise (enough justification for the reunion alone, plus the only single in my list to pull off Pingu-esque sound fx.)
26. Mystery Jets - Young Love
25. Black Kids - I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (turns out they have no other good songs but this is still a corker.)
24. Guillemots - Get Over It
23. Esser - Headlock
22. Biffy Clyro - Mountains (how many indie points do I lose for liking Biffy more now than when they were less commercial?)
21. Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool (overshadowed by 'Paris' but still an amazing dream-pop dance extravaganza.)

20. Adele - Hometown Glory (her only good song. But a beautifully emotive one at that.)
19. Los Campesinos! - My Year In Lists (one of those songs you'd wish lasted just a bit longer then suspected that that change might ruin the charm.)
18. Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked
17. These New Puritans - Elvis
16. James Yuill - No Surprise (immense head-nodding, foot-tapping folktronica. Download a live version [here].)
15. Hot Club de Paris - Hey Housebrick
14. Grammatics - D.I.L.E.M.M.A
13. Johnny Foreigner - Salt, Peppa & Spinderella (there's a moment at about 2:16, when you're just blown away by the awesomeness of this song, and this band.)
12. MGMT - Time To Pretend
11. Pendulum - Propane Nightmares (who cares if it's D'n'B-lite, this is stunning singalong pop.)

10. Hot Chip - One Pure Thought [YouTube vid]
Yeah, you read that right, it's not 'Ready For The Floor'. 'One Pure Thought' was the underrated single to emerge from the latest album. Softly-softly vocals + party percussion = win.

9. Laura Marling - Ghosts [YouTube vid]
The standout pop single from the ever youthful Laura Marling. A magical song befitting such a graceful voice.

8. Fight Like Apes - Jake Summers [YouTube vid]
It's been a year of thrilling singles from the Oirish synth-punkers but 'Jake Summers' was the song that made me fall in love with them. Jake Summers is the man. They really need to make a t-shirt with "You're like Kentucky Fried Chicken but without the taste" on it. Download a BBC 6Music session version [here].

7. Alphabeat - Fascination [YouTube vid]
Bringing pop back to our shores like only the Scandanavians can do. Most indie types saw it as irritatingly catchy, I just saw it as catchy. Criminally, it did not get close to the #1 UK singles slot.

6. Weezer - Pork & Beans [YouTube vid]
A triumphant return for pretty much my favourite band ever which managed to capture the same effervescence of their early years. Amazing novelty video too, featuring a bucketload of internet viral sensations.

5. Coldplay - Viva La Vida [MySpace vid]
They may have stole a thing or two from Satriani but this has definately been the mainstream pop single of 2008 for me. The overt classical tones enthralled me from the first listen. Shame about the ludicrously bad video.

4. Wild Beasts - The Devil's Crayon [YouTube vid]
Ambitious, beautiful and sadly underappreciated. The combination of Tom Fleming's soulful tenor and Hayden Thorpe's quivering falsetto is breathtaking. A glimmering beacon for quirk-pop.

3. White Lies - Death [YouTube vid]
The eighties have never sounded better. I love that atmospheric sound. A song that would sound every bit as good in Wembley Stadium as it would in a toilet venue in an English market town. The way things are shaping up, that dream's not far off.

2. Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa [YouTube Vid]
Not as punchy as 'A-Punk' but a wonderful exposition of their afro-pop. Certainly my most-played track from an astounding album. Go to about 1.10 of this [YouTube performance] and I think you'll get me. "I'M FUCKING PUMPED, I LOVE THIS SAWNG". Me too.

1. Dan Black - HYPNTZ [YouTube vid]
Pretty blasphemous to have a cover as a #1 of anything yeah? Well, this is how I roll. Dan Black's cover of Biggie's 'Hypnotize Me' is all wrong, yet so right. The juxtaposition of the 'Umbrella' beat with ethereal samples from the film 'Starman' creates something profoundly affecting and that's even before Dan's aching lyrical delivery. In fact, calling it a cover is shameful. This is a work of genius. Download 'HYPNTZ' from [Radarmaker.co.uk (right click, save as)].


Firstly, if you've made it this far, congrats. Secondly, you may notice some pretty obvious omissions - two of the biggest pop singles of 2008 in 'American Boy' and Dizzee-Calvin combo 'Dance Wiv Me', Santogold's 'L.E.S Artistes'/'Lights Out', none of the hyped Broken Records singles nor 'I Kissed A Girl'. The latter is mainly left out because it's utter gash. I've kissed a girl, you don't see me going on about it.

In general, this is a list about songs that I was enraptured by, perhaps no longer, but certainly at the time. It's a list that I hope you can take something from but it would be good to hear about your own favourite singles of the year, especially if you have other suggestions.

THOMAS TANTRUM - SWAN LAKE (LIVE AT READING FESTIVAL 2008)
WE ARE SCIENTISTS - AFTER HOURS (BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND 2008)
COLDPLAY - VIVA LA VIDA (THIN WHITE DUKE MIX) (also available on [coldplay.com] until Jan 5th)