on Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Following yesterday's foray into the acoustic world [link], featuring Lucy & The Caterpillar, Aisha and Jam On Bread, we address some other exciting happenings in the non-electric world.

Looking Glass is the side-project of Jim Wallis, best known for his role in My Sad Captains, a fascinating band in their own right. The recordings Jim has put up on MySpace include stuff with Andy Bell. He could either be the Erasure singer, Oasis bassist/former Ride man or someone else called Andy Bell. But that little tidbit takes away from just how genuinely enchanting Jim's music is. In the sad event of a My Sad Captains break up, keep an eye on this bloke....

Looking Glass - All Me [Yourfilehost]

Gossamer Albatross featured on my February podcast [#6] and have conjured up some new tracks, albeit in rough demo format. Continuing their tradition of infusing folk with classical music, the new material could represent Gossamer Albatross' finest work yet. Which is quite the compliment, considering their previous efforts. The instrumental sections, in particular, are enthralling.


Gossamer Albatross - The Queen Of The Sea (Demo) [Yourfilehost D/L]

Pick up the other two demos (n.b they're .wma files) [here]

Okay, time for tenuous link of the day. London synthpop affectionados have returned to the fray. I know what you're thinking - electronic music and blog posts dedicated to acoustica makes no sense at all. Well, WRM recently offered up an acoustic version of 'Luna Park', a track from their debut album, 'Kick'. That debut album was produced by Phones, otherwise known as Paul Epworth and combined with a highly regarded debut single 'Love Is A Number', WRM were on the cusp of something big. However, it never quite amounted to anything.

Now, they're back, replacing one member (out goes the ludicrously named Taxxi and in comes Poppy) and putting up a couple of new mp3s of demos on their MySpace. 'Bones' ploughs on with the old sound - an introduction to an album which will probably make or break WRM. Let's hope it's the former. Then again, the acoustic track is compelling enough to question whether they perhaps they could have headed down a different route?

White Rose Movement - Luna Park (Acoustic) [Yourfilehost]
White Rose Movement - Bones (Demo) [Yourfilehost]
on Monday, April 21, 2008
Some may remember my (possibly ill-advised) attempt at showcasing urban music on the blog, entitled The Urban Hour ([Part One]//[Part Two]). Nonetheless, I am moving on with the acoustic version, imaginatively titled The Acoustic Hour. Hurrah? More to come soon, possibly tomorrow.

TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Burnley's quirky songstress Lucy & The Caterpillar is quite twee. She's also quite ace.

Lucy & The Caterpillar is 20 year old solo artist Lucy, accompanied by her Caterpillar, a 3/4 size guitar. I've had my eye on Lucy for a while (christ, that sounds pervy) following her lovely debut single 'Red, Red Wine' which was followed by a more melancholic 'Kings Cross'. Since then she's been working with The Earlies, and new single 'Lucy's Opinion' is the result of that collaboration. Unfortunately, it's not quite as great as her past singles but you can hear a radio session version of it, as well as bee-side 'Bumblebee' below. On the upside, it comes as a special edition cd with handmade sleeve (only 200 copies), so worth buying for that alone. Head to Lucy's website to nab it [link].

Lucy & The Caterpillar - Lucy's Opinion (BBC Radio 1 Session) [Yourfilehost D/L]
Lucy & The Caterpillar - Bumblebee (BBC Radio 1 Session) [Yourfilehost D/L]

Jam On Bread is a ukelele-based acoustic outfit. Jam On Bread is Stephen. Stephen has an amazing beard. And also constructs some enjoyably whimsical folky pop. He's a bit twee too. His ode to Swedish label, Labrador Records is self-indulgent and not particularly chirpy, yet still retains a wonderfully charming essence. A job well done. While we're here, I recommend having a listen to Stephen's song about his desire to have been a manatee on his MySpace too. I don't think genetic engineering can help him just yet.

jam on bread lucy caterpillar mp3 review

Jam On Bread - I Heart Labrador Records [Yourfilehost]

Aisha has appeared on Keep Hope Inside in the past but in remix form. So here we have Aisha in her full unadulterated glory. Except she's teamed up with a fiddle player! Eva and Aisha combine to produce an intensely melodramatic feel compared to Aisha's past delicately bewitching acoustic pop exploits. She's been largely bereft of attention so now's the time to give her a chance. Check out the MySpace for plenty of other downloadable tracks.

Aisha & Eva - Gone [Yourfilehost]
on Thursday, April 17, 2008
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to embark on a feature entitled 'George Lamb versus Music'. Today, we have the second episode with Miss Ebony Bones.

If you're wondering who George Lamb is then head over to my first post [link]. Essentially, he's quite an unpopular radio DJ but he's not as bad as people make him out to be. Anyways, he has some impressive musical guests in to perform on his show and Ebony Bones recently made an appearance.

While receiving little blog hype, she has made a huge impression on print media. I find the whole situation quite bewildering - I remember her as an actress from a pretty abject soap series called 'Family Affairs' on Channel 5. I think the wifebeater from the series now owns (or works at) North London pub/venue Nambucca too, in case you were interested. Probably not.

ebony bones mp3 music
Firstly, I have to mention that she seems to be a bit of a fashionista. Seriously, she makes The Long Blondes look like they're the height of musical integrity. Not that there's anything wrong with having a bit of style but I worry when it might overshadow the music. Thankfully, that's not the case.

Ebony Bones throws in a little bit of everything into her music from tribal rhythms and chants to disco beats. Richard X (famous pop producer) and members of The Damned (seminal punk band) have been involved in her music, which says everything really. If you thought El Guincho [KHI feature] sounded like a carnival, Ebony Bones sounds like two carnivals going on at once, side by side, each vying for your attention. Mental. She could do with better lyrics/song titles though!

Ebony Bones - Don't Fart On My Heart (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost D/L]//[Sendspace mirror]
Ebony Bones - We Know All About You (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]

The single 'Don't Fart On My Heart' is out this week in the UK, followed by an album sometime soon. Ebony Bones is also playing some festivals complete with full band in the summer. Oh and more George Lamb sessions (from other bands) to come soonish hopefully.
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I probably should have mentioned this on one of my recent posts seeing as I've had a couple of appearances at #1 on the Hype Machine's most popular list in the last few days but anyway, this is your LAST CHANCE to listen to my second podcast. It's a year old now so it's being taken to the old podcasts' home to retire peacefully. Details and mp3 [here]. I even namedrop Gareth from Los Campesinos! towards the end.

Also, I've got a poll going on the right (->) to see what you think of the site redesign, it was pretty bog standard before but is a bit better now I hope? If you have any thoughts, feel free to drop an anon comment in this post and obviously, vote! And are my posts too long/short, too little emphasis on the music or have too many photos etc? My subscriber list fluctuates massively. Let me know what I'm doing right or wrong please! I bet no-one will comment now.
on Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Inspired by DangerMouse's 'Grey Album' (remember that?), New Yawk rapper WebbaFied takes on French dancefloor fillers Justice. And what we get is an intriguing reinterpretation of the 'Cross' album.

I was horrifically put off Justice by their Simian combined 'Never Be Alone' effort - played once, it was bearable. Possibly even good. Then after the 300th time of hearing it, I really throught I would never listen to another Justice track ever again. Too many bad memories. Until the following video appeared on my television screen one night:



If you're too lazy to click to see what that is, it's obviously 'D.A.N.C.E'. A stormer of a track in its own light, the video is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. WebbaFied's 'D.A.N.C.E' is just as energetic and his amusingly witty lyrics compliment the work done by Justice. Recent Justice single 'DVNO' sees WebbaFied take more of a backseat but when he chimes in, he always maintains the intensity of the track. WebbaFied does have a strong political stance, like many artists not happy with the way governments are handling themselves, he expresses this in his music. Give tracks like 'Genesis' and 'One Minute To Midnight' a listen for such lyrical spitting. And while not political as such, 'Stress' is viciously brilliant. It's obviously not all perfect though, 'New Jack' for example is just a bit...dull and Mr Fied offers little to 'The Party'. But those are minor points.

webbafied justice mp3 music

I guess the biggest compliment you can pay WebbaFied (and mixer Iron Soloman) is he never seems out of place on the tracks. Considering that 'Cross' is so acclaimed (Grammy nominations, Pitchfork etc), that's pretty impressive. I was going to do the hilarious joke about them "doing it justice" but they beat me to it! All that and more on the behind the scenes vid [link].

Here's a couple of the tracks plus an Immuzikation mashup of Justice and Boys II Men! Probably the only time Boys II Men will ever appear on Keep Hope Inside. Unless....

WebbaFied vs Justice - D.A.N.C.E [Yourfilehost D/L]
WebbaFied vs Justice - DVNO [Yourfilehost]
Justice vs Boys II Men - Phantom II Men (Immuzikation Mashup) [zSHARE]


WebbaFied's touring Europe soon, check the dates and download the whole 'Cross' reinterpreted album via his MySpace [link]. You can read his grammar-free interview at Music Liberation too [link].
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
So while the recent preview of new single 'Pork And Beans' has got everyone excited about Weezer again, it's overshadowed some other new Weezer stuff appearing/possibly appearing on album six, "the Red album". 'Automatic' is a track that will be appearing on the new s/t album and has cropped up in a remix format (to soundtrack the new Gran Turismo game). The other new track, 'Everybody Get Dangerous' was played in the background of recent film '21' and may be appearing on the album.

weezer new mp3 music red album pork beans

Now I don't think Weezer have ever been mentioned on here, which is pretty weird considering they are pretty much my favourite band. Or at least their debut album, 'Weezer' ("the blue album"), has been my favourite album ever since I was about 16. The output in recent years hasn't been quite so great, even my low expectations of Rivers Cuomo's solo album of demos weren't met but could we be seeing a return to form?

There's been a lot of talk about how Weezer's record label (Geffen, owned by Universal) have been prompting a more commercial sound but it's difficult to tell if that's actually going to be the case. Sure, we've got some idea from the previews but 30 seconds clips will never tell the whole story.

What's really quite interesting is hearing Rivers step aside from vocal duty. Apparently, the new album will feature songs written/sung by all the members and I've got one of those songs today, 'Automatic'. Except it's a remix. And 40 seconds long. But it's got Pat Wilson singing! The other track 'Everybody Get Dangerous' is a short clip from the movie '21' and considering it's not on the official soundtrack, this could be the best you'll get from it. Assuming it doesn't appear on the album or as a b-side, of course. Anyway, have a listen, make some judgements if you want. All I'm going say is that, I'm optimistic and excited for the new album!

Weezer - Automatic (LA Riots Remix) 43 SECOND PREVIEW [Yourfilehost D/L]
Weezer - Everybody Get Dangerous 46 SECOND PREVIEW [Yourfilehost D/L]


'Automatic' was ripped from the new Gran Turismo 5 computer game trailer [link], while 'Everybody Get Dangerous' was shamelessly stolen from fansite Weerez.com [link]. 'Pork And Beans' will be downloadable on April 22nd and the new album's out on June 16/17th.

Dare I believe it but supposedly there are some Weezer UK dates (Manchester and London) in June, a little googling will lead you to a source but it isn't the most reliable! So don't get your hopes up. Fingers crossed though!

Now for some pork and beans fun, what's your favourite Weezer track? Pork Triangle? El Porko? Only In Beans? I know, I know....lame.
on Sunday, April 13, 2008
I've had Vampire Weekend already. Yeasayer soon. All I need is Black Kids and MGMT to complete the American hype/buzz bands set! It's like Pokémon all over again. Gotta catch 'em all. So today, I have "new" tracks from #8 and #9 in the BBC Sound of 2008 (a good a measure of buzz bands as any) poll for you.

black kids mp3 music jools holland
Black Kids really captured the imaginations of bloggers worldwide with their free 'Wizard of Ahhhs' EP late last year. While I was more reticient, others clamoured to portray them as the next big thing with an Arcade Fire-meets-The Go! Team sound.

6 months or so on, the hype is still around but as with any hype band, their music now has to stand up to the increased attention. And 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You' has certainly done the business, just missing out on the top ten in the UK singles chart. I think it's a fantastic indie pop track but do they really have anything that even matches that track? I'm not so sure. In the meantime however, let's enjoy what they've achieved already.

Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You (Live On Later With Jools Holland) [Yourfilehost D/L]//[Sendspace mirror]
Black Kids - Hurricane Jane (Live On Later With Jools Holland) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]


Unlike Black Kids, MGMT's hype came long after they'd started and even quite sometime after inking a major label deal. The benefits of this meant the band could release an album on the back of all the hype and that proved to be a successful ploy. #12 in the UK albums chart isn't bad going at all. While the immediacy of Black Kids pop tracks meant they had more attention than MGMT initially, as the psychedlic electropop of MGMT set in, the hype-ball began rolling. And they dropped the whole "it's pronounced management" business, which was a bit silly anyway.

MGMT mp3 music sxsw
The reviews of 'Oracular Spectacular' suggest the album isn't just 'Electric Feel' and 'Time To Pretend' (two definite standout songs, and obvious singles) and a lot of filler. There are a few album tracks on the MGMT MySpace, so you can head there and judge for yourself.

MGMT - Time To Pretend (Live At SXSW 2008) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]


And considering it dropped in my inbox recently, here's a nice mash-up of MGMT, Daft Punk and a bit of The Doors by Immuzikation.

Immuzikation - One More Time To Pretend [zSHARE]


Wow! I just checked my inbox as I was writing this and he's sent me another mash-up, this time melding MGMT's 'Kids' and 'All My Friends' by LCD Soundsystem. Apparently, this was inspired by Alfredo's grandmother. Aw, I love mash-ups. I think I love Immuzikation, even though the track lasts forever!

Immuzikation - All My Children [Yourfilehost]//[zSHARE]


Will MGMT and/or Black Kids stand the test of time? I can't possibly say. But while people like Immuzikation are around, immortalising these bands with ace reinterpretations, I think everyone's a winner.
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Some of my past readers might have noticed a bit of a layout change. If you haven't, press F5 (or whatever the refresh button is) and take a looky. Unless my ugly mug has made your computer break.

What do you all think of the new template? I really like the banner but I'm not so sure about the colour scheme. Also, is the font big/small enough for everyone? Any improvements you can suggest, please do! Let me know if it looks funny on your computer too, I dunno if it will work in all browsers.

And if you prefer a more simple method of feedback, there's a poll on the right, where you can vote for whether the new layout is any cop. Hope you like it and cheers!

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