Indiepop 'darlings' Los Campesinos! recently released 'The International Tweexcore Underground', a pretty amazing take on warring musical tastes, with Gareth on the twee side ("I never cared about Henry Rollins") and Aleks representing hardcore ("I never cared about Calvin Johnson"). Great video to boot, take a peek below. And not only that, they decided to flank that song with two cover versions (one twee, one hardcore) so that it would be a concept single. Crazy bananas.
Their cover of Black Flag's 'Police Story' didn't agree with me at all but I think their remake of 90's twee band, Heavenly's 'C Is The Heavenly Option' (or should that be Twee Is The Heavenly Option....sorry) is possibly my favourite cover this year. And considering how much I love covers, that is high praise indeed. Okay, they are just taking an already good song and adding a slight modern twist, LC! stylee, but maybe it's that relative simplicity which appeals to me. I think Calvin Johnson sounds a bit funny on the original too. It reminds me far too much of the B52s. Not that that's always a bad thing but it is here. Anyways, the LC! cover is below but for posterity, I've decided to upload the original as well - which do you prefer? It's like VHS vs Betamax all over again.
But the A-side is even better so I'm sticking that up as well. Admittedly, only a live version because you should buy the single obviously! Although (brace yourself for some rare negativity) I'm not sure LC! do the business live. I saw them again recently at ULU in London and thought there was something lacking. The sound in the venue wasn't that great though and they did a fantastic dance to 'Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks' but it's a bit sad if a gimmick is the best bit of your performance. On a brighter note, the album is almost destined to be a good un!
Los Campesinos! - C Is The Heavenly Option [Yourfilehost link]//[Sendspace link]
Heavenly - C Is The Heavenly Option [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
Los Campesinos! - The International Tweexcore Underground (Live At London Calling) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
'The International Tweexcore Underground' is available in all good record stores and download stores (iTunes etc). Los Campesinos! are also hitting Europe and USA, check their [website] for further details.
on Sunday, November 04, 2007
If you're a case sensitive fascist, frYars is probably not for you. But if you can look past the ludicrous capitalisation of this Patrick Wolf-meets-Bat For Lashes electronic outfit, then you will enjoy the wonderful sounds technology these days can make. In fact, it is quite remarkable how one bloke can construct such dulcet tones simply from a computer and keyboard, as shown by the BBC 6Music Session I am about to share with you all.
frYars is the brainchild of London teenager Ben Garrett, one of a clutch of talented youngsters in our fair capital. He's teamed up with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Cajun Dance Party, as well as ex-Ladyfuzz drummer and now solo artist, Esser. Esser's pretty good too by the way. Oh and the producer of the recent frYars EP was none other than ex-Clor man, Luke Smith. And while we're here, R.I.P Clor and Ladyfuzz, two London bands that had much more in them than simply one album each.
From the interview that accompanied his performance for Tom Robinson's BBC 6Music show, I gathered:
a) he doesn't much like Radiohead
b) his personality seems to mirror his music, i.e quirky
c) he used to be a drummer
d) he has someone to help him play live (alas I have forgotten their name, sorry unknown musician person!)
e) it's amazing what lovely noise a couple of keyboards can make
The tracks he played for the recent session were 'Horse Or Man', 'Madeline' and 'The Ides', which is also incidentally the title of his critically acclaimed EP (even Pitchfork were fans!). Aside from your enjoyment of the juxtaposition of strings and electronica, you might notice how atmospheric his music is; if a "pop" career doesn't work out then he'd be great at making meditational relaxation backing tracks. As with all offbeat artists, I have no idea what his lyrics are really about but who cares? These tracks are fantastic.
frYars - The Ides (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost link]//[Sendspace link]
frYars - Madeline (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
frYars - Horse Or Man (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
frYars is also playing a couple of live dates at the end of November in London, which could quite possibly be his first ever ones. Check his [MySpace] for more details on those dates and how to buy his EP, which is available on iTunes and from independent record stores.
frYars is the brainchild of London teenager Ben Garrett, one of a clutch of talented youngsters in our fair capital. He's teamed up with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Cajun Dance Party, as well as ex-Ladyfuzz drummer and now solo artist, Esser. Esser's pretty good too by the way. Oh and the producer of the recent frYars EP was none other than ex-Clor man, Luke Smith. And while we're here, R.I.P Clor and Ladyfuzz, two London bands that had much more in them than simply one album each.
From the interview that accompanied his performance for Tom Robinson's BBC 6Music show, I gathered:
a) he doesn't much like Radiohead
b) his personality seems to mirror his music, i.e quirky
c) he used to be a drummer
d) he has someone to help him play live (alas I have forgotten their name, sorry unknown musician person!)
e) it's amazing what lovely noise a couple of keyboards can make
The tracks he played for the recent session were 'Horse Or Man', 'Madeline' and 'The Ides', which is also incidentally the title of his critically acclaimed EP (even Pitchfork were fans!). Aside from your enjoyment of the juxtaposition of strings and electronica, you might notice how atmospheric his music is; if a "pop" career doesn't work out then he'd be great at making meditational relaxation backing tracks. As with all offbeat artists, I have no idea what his lyrics are really about but who cares? These tracks are fantastic.
frYars - The Ides (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost link]//[Sendspace link]
frYars - Madeline (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
frYars - Horse Or Man (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]
frYars is also playing a couple of live dates at the end of November in London, which could quite possibly be his first ever ones. Check his [MySpace] for more details on those dates and how to buy his EP, which is available on iTunes and from independent record stores.
on Thursday, October 18, 2007
I think The Killers are a fantastic singles band - most of the the singles off 'Hot Fuss' were ace and 'Bones' is possibly the best thing they've done so far. The Tim Burton directed vid wasn't too shabby either. So it was pretty weird to discover that they've released an iTunes only single, in the form of a duet with Lou Reed - you know "oh it's such a perfect day". Or I guess you might know him from some tiny band called The Velvet Underground. The song will be on a soon-to-be released b-sides and rarities compilation entitled 'Sawdust'. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting much from 'Tranquilize' (digital only singles can be a bit pap, although 'Stockholm Syndrome' by Muse was superb) but the interesting mish-mash of styles on offer make for an unexpected direction and great return.
The song is a bit morose to say the least and adding Lou Reed's vocals only adds to that. Not that Lou Reed's the only non-Killers vocalist on the track with a squeaky kid (or kids?) making an appearance mid-song. 'Tranquilize' moves through pulsating, trancey keyboard bits to a folky chorus with the verses plodding along the way (although this helps emphasise the sentiment of the song). There's even a Joy Division-esque intro, although that's hardly the most surprising thing ever as they've done a cover of 'Shadowplay', also be appearing on the forthcoming album. All in all, a goodie.
The Killers - Tranquilize [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
n.b considering this is a bit naughty, the mp3s will be removed by the weekend-ish. Get it now basically. And if you've come here too late, head over to iTunes and buy it.
'Sawdust' will be released on November 12th
---
A couple of other things now; firstly, thanks again for voting in the BT DMA's if you did, this is the 44th best music blog in the universe apparently [link]. A bit down from last year but not bad going at all! Congrats to my fellow bloggers who made the list too.
Secondly, my friends at Oops! are putting on a gig at one of my favourite London venues, Nambucca with Keep Hope Inside fave, Nic Nell. He's amazing live! And if that isn't good enough for you there's lots of other bands on the bill, including secret headliners. Ooh. That's all happening on October 23rd, for more details, head to their [MySpace].
The song is a bit morose to say the least and adding Lou Reed's vocals only adds to that. Not that Lou Reed's the only non-Killers vocalist on the track with a squeaky kid (or kids?) making an appearance mid-song. 'Tranquilize' moves through pulsating, trancey keyboard bits to a folky chorus with the verses plodding along the way (although this helps emphasise the sentiment of the song). There's even a Joy Division-esque intro, although that's hardly the most surprising thing ever as they've done a cover of 'Shadowplay', also be appearing on the forthcoming album. All in all, a goodie.
The Killers - Tranquilize [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
n.b considering this is a bit naughty, the mp3s will be removed by the weekend-ish. Get it now basically. And if you've come here too late, head over to iTunes and buy it.
'Sawdust' will be released on November 12th
---
A couple of other things now; firstly, thanks again for voting in the BT DMA's if you did, this is the 44th best music blog in the universe apparently [link]. A bit down from last year but not bad going at all! Congrats to my fellow bloggers who made the list too.
Secondly, my friends at Oops! are putting on a gig at one of my favourite London venues, Nambucca with Keep Hope Inside fave, Nic Nell. He's amazing live! And if that isn't good enough for you there's lots of other bands on the bill, including secret headliners. Ooh. That's all happening on October 23rd, for more details, head to their [MySpace].
on Saturday, October 06, 2007
You've probably already got the studio version but this is a live version of the new Bloc Party single that's been making the rounds over the last few days. The radio rip is fairly different to this version, from the American TV show 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien'. Although that's mainly because the vocals in this version are a bit rubbish - they are meant to be a bit vocodered but that doesn't come off great here. It doesn't help that Kele doesn't sing into the mic at the start.
Anyways, if you haven't heard it already, the new non-album single 'Flux' is erm, an electro ballad?! It's a bit weird. Reminds me of when Stereophonics came up with something a bit different (and surprisingly good) out of the blue with 'Dakota'. I suppose 'The Prayer' had a similar vibe, away from "vintage" Bloc Party. The jury seems to be out on 'Flux' however, with ardent fans championing it and others claiming it sounds "like Sash". Some are in between and disgruntled about Jacknife Lee's (who also produced 'A Weekend In The City') production, and also feel the band are moving in the wrong direction.
Photo courtesy of NBC.com
On the other hand, I like it for its poppiness. Then again, I also liked Sash. It is radio-friendly and I would have thought its purpose was simply to generate interest in 'AWITC', which seems to have been suffering flagging sales. But they could have just released 'Waiting For The 7.18' which would have done the job just as well really. Unless someone is thinking electro is "in" and now's the time to grab people's attention...
Bloc Party - Flux [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
'Flux' will be released on November 12th, with 'Emma Kate's Accident' and 'The Once And Future King' as b-sides. Bloc Party will be doing a handful of UK dates in December.
-----
Thanks for voting in the BT DMAs if you did, god knows what the results were as they don't seem to be doing a Top 50 like last year. We can only hope I beat Lemar's blog this time around at least. Consider my new podcast as a present, download here [link].
Oh and wowzers at the rugby today, have you ever actually seen Paul Sackey and Kele Bloc Party in the same place together? Multi talented bloke.
Anyways, if you haven't heard it already, the new non-album single 'Flux' is erm, an electro ballad?! It's a bit weird. Reminds me of when Stereophonics came up with something a bit different (and surprisingly good) out of the blue with 'Dakota'. I suppose 'The Prayer' had a similar vibe, away from "vintage" Bloc Party. The jury seems to be out on 'Flux' however, with ardent fans championing it and others claiming it sounds "like Sash". Some are in between and disgruntled about Jacknife Lee's (who also produced 'A Weekend In The City') production, and also feel the band are moving in the wrong direction.
Photo courtesy of NBC.com
On the other hand, I like it for its poppiness. Then again, I also liked Sash. It is radio-friendly and I would have thought its purpose was simply to generate interest in 'AWITC', which seems to have been suffering flagging sales. But they could have just released 'Waiting For The 7.18' which would have done the job just as well really. Unless someone is thinking electro is "in" and now's the time to grab people's attention...
Bloc Party - Flux [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
'Flux' will be released on November 12th, with 'Emma Kate's Accident' and 'The Once And Future King' as b-sides. Bloc Party will be doing a handful of UK dates in December.
-----
Thanks for voting in the BT DMAs if you did, god knows what the results were as they don't seem to be doing a Top 50 like last year. We can only hope I beat Lemar's blog this time around at least. Consider my new podcast as a present, download here [link].
Oh and wowzers at the rugby today, have you ever actually seen Paul Sackey and Kele Bloc Party in the same place together? Multi talented bloke.
on Saturday, September 29, 2007
I've been mega busy lately as uni has kicked off again but thought it was about time I put out a new podcast. The reason it's been so long coming is I've been waiting for permission (which doesn't look like it'll ever come!) to use a few tracks I've been loving recently. If you were wondering the tracks were:
Noah & The Whale - '5 Years Time'. Jangly, poppy, just generally lovely, the sound of all your best summers put together. Guest vocals from Laura Marling makes it even more spesh. Great vid too. Listen [here].
Late Of The Pier - 'Bathroom Gurgle'. This Erol Alkan produced dancefloor monster shows why LOTP are one of the most exciting around at the moment. The falsetto breakdown is amazing. Listen [here].
Fight Like Apes - 'Jake Summers'. Any song that reminds me of my childhood deserves a thumbs up. It helps that this is scuzzy synth pop at its best, combining tenderness and rawness with consummate ease. And it has one of the best lyrics ever, "you're like Kentucky Fried Chicken but without the taste!". Ace. Listen [here].
Maybe they'll even feature in a future podcast! Anyways, this month's podcast is relatively short but chock full of great songs. Without further ado...
Keep Hope Inside Podcast#5(29.34, 27mb)
Intro (with samples from Michael Oster).
1) Jonquil - Lions
[MySpace]
2) Make Model - Glasgow's No.1 Most Wanted
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
3) Nic Nell - It's A Trance Off
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
4) Lo-Fi Culture Scene - Catch 22
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
5) House Of Brothers - Lose Yourself
[MySpace]//[BSM Website]
6) These New Puritans - Navigate, Navigate
[MySpace]
Tracks used with permission or made freely available on the internet by the artist at the time.
DIRECT DOWNLOAD HERE (right click, save as)[link]
Subscribe to podcast feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinsidepodcast
Subscribe in iTunes [link]
Subscribing to the feed means you'll be notified when I do more podcasts in the future. You can do that with podcatchers or through iTunes, as above. You can also do a DIY add to iTunes by going to "Subscribe To Podcast" under the "Advanced" menu and pasting the podcast feed (the feed link above) there.
Cheers if you have subscribed already and you can also subscribe to my regular blog feed to get all the regular posts too if you like - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinside
Here's hoping the next podcast appears a bit quicker!
Noah & The Whale - '5 Years Time'. Jangly, poppy, just generally lovely, the sound of all your best summers put together. Guest vocals from Laura Marling makes it even more spesh. Great vid too. Listen [here].
Late Of The Pier - 'Bathroom Gurgle'. This Erol Alkan produced dancefloor monster shows why LOTP are one of the most exciting around at the moment. The falsetto breakdown is amazing. Listen [here].
Fight Like Apes - 'Jake Summers'. Any song that reminds me of my childhood deserves a thumbs up. It helps that this is scuzzy synth pop at its best, combining tenderness and rawness with consummate ease. And it has one of the best lyrics ever, "you're like Kentucky Fried Chicken but without the taste!". Ace. Listen [here].
Maybe they'll even feature in a future podcast! Anyways, this month's podcast is relatively short but chock full of great songs. Without further ado...
Keep Hope Inside Podcast#5(29.34, 27mb)
Intro (with samples from Michael Oster).
1) Jonquil - Lions
[MySpace]
2) Make Model - Glasgow's No.1 Most Wanted
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
3) Nic Nell - It's A Trance Off
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
4) Lo-Fi Culture Scene - Catch 22
[MySpace]//Download [mp3]
5) House Of Brothers - Lose Yourself
[MySpace]//[BSM Website]
6) These New Puritans - Navigate, Navigate
[MySpace]
Tracks used with permission or made freely available on the internet by the artist at the time.
DIRECT DOWNLOAD HERE (right click, save as)[link]
Subscribe to podcast feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinsidepodcast
Subscribe in iTunes [link]
Subscribing to the feed means you'll be notified when I do more podcasts in the future. You can do that with podcatchers or through iTunes, as above. You can also do a DIY add to iTunes by going to "Subscribe To Podcast" under the "Advanced" menu and pasting the podcast feed (the feed link above) there.
Cheers if you have subscribed already and you can also subscribe to my regular blog feed to get all the regular posts too if you like - http://feeds.feedburner.com/keephopeinside
Here's hoping the next podcast appears a bit quicker!
on Saturday, September 22, 2007
I've spent most of my free time watching Season One of Heroes, pretty good I thought, am looking forward to the new episodes! I just hope it doesn't go the way of Lost and become overly complex. Speaking of watching stuff, the Twenty20 semifinal between the Aussies and India just ended. Cricket's a bit awesome but why are there dancers?! And while we're on a tangent, just a gentle reminder to vote for me in the BT DMAs please, there's a button on the right of the page. Cheers!
Remixes aren't normally my thing but here are a couple that I think better the originals. Both are by upcoming British talents, one just starting out and the other has been coaxed by several major record labels into doing remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani to All Saints via The Libertines. The acts being remixed are equally as polarising, with the first being a celebrated bunch of youngsters from down under, the other an unheard of London singer-songwriter.
So if you haven't guessed contestant number one yet it's Kissy Sell Out, with his White Stallion Remix of 'Just A Song About Ping Pong' by Operator Please. I must admit when I first heard the original, it evoked memories of Be Your Own Pet. Bad memories. However, this remix makes the song much less annoying and adds all sorts of blips and other crazy sounds. It keeps things interesting although running at almost 7 minutes is a bit much for me. I can imagine it being a club hit though, maybe it is already!
Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong (Kissy Sell Out White Stallion Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link] n.b mp3 will be removed very soon
The other remix is by young 8bit enthusiast Lewis, aka W.I.R.E who takes on 'Time Waster' by the lovely and soon-to-be university student Aisha. She quite randomly messaged me on MySpace as she's doing the course I'm doing, which just about everyone else has never even heard of! But as lovely as she is, like most singer-songwriters her material doesn't excite me all that much. However, this remix takes her best song and then juxtaposes a haunting theme with what your old Gameboy used to sound like. Although it is a bit of a mess at times, I think it's pretty ace and nice to see a remix really slow things down which even gives the remix an air of poignancy despite not really meaning anything!
Aisha - Time Waster (W.I.R.E Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
Remixes aren't normally my thing but here are a couple that I think better the originals. Both are by upcoming British talents, one just starting out and the other has been coaxed by several major record labels into doing remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani to All Saints via The Libertines. The acts being remixed are equally as polarising, with the first being a celebrated bunch of youngsters from down under, the other an unheard of London singer-songwriter.
So if you haven't guessed contestant number one yet it's Kissy Sell Out, with his White Stallion Remix of 'Just A Song About Ping Pong' by Operator Please. I must admit when I first heard the original, it evoked memories of Be Your Own Pet. Bad memories. However, this remix makes the song much less annoying and adds all sorts of blips and other crazy sounds. It keeps things interesting although running at almost 7 minutes is a bit much for me. I can imagine it being a club hit though, maybe it is already!
Operator Please - Just A Song About Ping Pong (Kissy Sell Out White Stallion Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link] n.b mp3 will be removed very soon
The other remix is by young 8bit enthusiast Lewis, aka W.I.R.E who takes on 'Time Waster' by the lovely and soon-to-be university student Aisha. She quite randomly messaged me on MySpace as she's doing the course I'm doing, which just about everyone else has never even heard of! But as lovely as she is, like most singer-songwriters her material doesn't excite me all that much. However, this remix takes her best song and then juxtaposes a haunting theme with what your old Gameboy used to sound like. Although it is a bit of a mess at times, I think it's pretty ace and nice to see a remix really slow things down which even gives the remix an air of poignancy despite not really meaning anything!
Aisha - Time Waster (W.I.R.E Remix) [right click, save as]//[Sendspace link]
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We're a collaborative British music, film and TV blog. "Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop."
