George Lamb versus Yeasayer

George Lamb continues to reign supreme over the morning to afternoon slot at BBC 6 Music (that's a radio station, if you haven't heard of it) and as far as I know, people still hate him. I'm still indifferent. Following his sessions with Mystery Jets [KHI post] and Ebony Bones [KHI post], I bring you 'George Lamb versus Music' Part Three, with Brooklyn's Yeasayer.

Now all of you must be familiar with Yeasayer by now. They were part of the buzz brigade of yesteryear comprising of Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Black Kids. From where I'm sitting Yeasayer appear to be the least successful of that bunch. We can probably put that down to their music being a tad too "out there" for the masses. Psych-pop mixing in Middle Eastern and African influences was hardly screaming commerical hit though.


'2080' however, was something of a pop classic - a hypnotic tale of their future, complete with bewitching falsetto and freaky children's choir backing vocals. Thankfully, they played this track (as well as 'Wait For The Summer') for the radio session. In between songs, they engaged in banter with Mr Lamb, where I seem to remember them jokingly calling out fellow Brooklynites Vampire Weekend for fisticuffs and denying that '2080' was proclaiming the end of the world. My memory is a bit shady though so hopefully I haven't made all that up.

YEASAYER - 2080 (BBC 6MUSIC SESSION)//MIRROR
YEASAYER - WAIT FOR THE SUMMER (BBC 6MUSIC SESSION)//MIRROR

For a more authentic African influence, I would suggest looking to Canadian band The Acorn, two of whom actually grew up in Africa. Unfortunatly no mp3s for you but they're like more palatable, less psychedlic Yeasayer. They're quite folky and a UK record deal can't be too far off. It would be well deserved anyway.

Staying on the African front, but at another end of the spectrum, we have WSD, a London band mixing punk rock and the music of their homeland, Zimbabwe. They even occasionally sing in native Zimbabwean language (Shona?). Show offs. Check out 'Bata Mwana Tsike Banana' for such japery. It's their pop anthem, finding its place somewhere between Paul Simon and surf pop yet still managing to sound a bit angry. But a bit ace too.

WSD - BATA MWANA TSIKE BANANA

Longwave

Like the black sheep of the family, New Yorkers Longwave were pushed aside by their contemporaries The Strokes and The Walkmen. I'm not sure the impression they made over in the States but in the UK, they barely scratched the surface. Having accompanied The Strokes on tour around Britain at the height of that "garage rock" scene in the early part of this decade, they didn't really capitalise on that opportunity. To be honest, the only song of theirs I even know is 'Everywhere You Turn'. But it is an excellent song. Watch the vid on [Youtube].

An album or two down the line and with band member Steve making appearances in Albert Hammond Jr's band, Longwave are returning with a new album. They've kindly made one of the tracks appearing on the new record available for download on their MySpace, as well as a handful of new tracks being available to listen. The downloadable song 'Sirens In The Deep Sea' is sounding pretty epic and more dream pop than garage rock or post-punk or whatever they're supposed to sound like. The other new tracks are more faithful to past Longwave material yet at times, they veer toward stadium rock. Hopefully, they haven't succombed to the temptation of a more commerically sounding record, like British band Editors did following their debut LP.

LONGWAVE - SIRENS IN THE DEEP SEA

'Sirens In The Deep Sea' is also available on their MySpace, along with other new tracks from the new album. Longwave are also making a few appearances in the UK later this week, so head to their [MySpace] for all the details.

Heartbeeps

I came across West Yorkshire/East Anglian band Heartbeeps via their mp3 blog, 'be safe, be scene' [link]. Where was my credit for that Gossamer Albatross mp3 ("from the blogosphere")?! Read my Gossamer Albatross post [here]. Poor form, Heartbeeps, poor form.

But I forgave them (him? Craig Nunn?) after hearing their stuff on MySpace and with impeccable timing, their 'Canton EP' appeared in my inbox. It's a bit of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair, with the lengthiest track weighing it at a hearty 140 seconds (2.20). Sweeping The Nation noted their Times New Viking-esque attitude toward production, 'Glacial Valleys' and 'Light have a particularly lo-fi sound.


For me, Heartbeeps' laptoptronica veers from abrasive Pavement-esque riffs to Beirut-inspired ukelele pop. There is an element of dream pop to Heartbeeps too, especially on the enchanting 'Hats & Gloves & Scarf'. The comparison here to recent Keep Hope Inside favourites Banjo Or Freakout is unavoidable. But that's a favourable comparison and these are two acts that deserve to have made a bigger impression than they already have done.

HEARTBEEPS - SCENIC WORLD (BEIRUT COVER)
HEARTBEEPS - HATS & GLOVES & SCARF

Download the EP [here] and grab the Beirut cover from Craig's MySpace [here].

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Iron Man is yet another solid comic book adaptation, apparently the best reviewed film of the year according to rottentomatoes.com. I highly recommend you see it if you enjoy explosions. Downey Jr is an excellent anti-hero and Paltrow's new hair is a winner. Also, watch this awesome 'sweded' spoof trailer on [YouTube], which I found on [/Film], the brilliant film blog. "I am Iron Man, made a pair of knickers from an old tin can". It's probably worrying that I enjoyed that trailer more than the actual film.

New Justice Single

'Stress' is the new single from French electropop duo Justice and its video, directed by Romain Gavras, has sparked a lot of internet discussion today. I'm sure the large majority of those reading this are familiar with Justice but perhaps only a handful know the works of Gavras. Well, he directed the recent video for The Last Shadow Puppets and has done videos for the likes of Simian Mobile Disco and DJ Mehdi. Check them out on his [MySpace].



As for the vid (see embed above), it's difficult to say whether Justice are glamourising violence or providing a cutting social commentary. Or perhaps the video was the director's idea? Either way, as music videos from mainstream artists go, this is disturbing. And a bold move. Maybe even a clever one. The video is provocative and people are definitely going to be talking about this for a while.

Justice are well known for excellent promotional videos but this is distinct and will evoke horror in some and excitement in others. The track itself isn't particularly special but I guess the video emphasises the idea of stress. Referencing films like La Haine, we see the public 'stressed' by the gang of youths, who themselves may be lashing out due to some sort of 'stress'. I'm sure someone will come up with a fascinating indepth analysis of the video eventually. In fact, it would be most interesting to hear what Justice/Romain Garvas have to say about it. As I said previously, it's difficult to understand the underlying motive (glamorisation of violence, social commentary etc).

The band put the video version of the song (different from the album version and presumably different from the single version) up for download on their MySpace so I'm making that available here. I'm also uploading Webbafied's take on 'Stress', who I did a post on a few weeks back [read here]. He's done a rap version of the Justice album 'Cross', basically sampling the whole album. It's good and read the other post for more details.

JUSTICE - STRESS (EXTENDED VIDEO VERSION)
WEBBAFIED VS JUSTICE - STRESS

White Lies Interview

If you were lucky enough to read my blog during the early days in 2006, you would have witnessed a fantastic interview with a little known band called Los Campesinos! - Gareth, Neil and Harriet are officially denoted the best members of the band, of course. That interview went so well [Read here] and the band have gone onto reasonably big things (like appearing on Soccer AM), I haven't felt the need to do another interview since. Until now.

Like LC!, London three-piece White Lies are building up hype and have big things ahead of them. Having dissolved their previous post-punky meets art-rock style outfit Fear Of Flying (who I saw many times, even in their first incarnation as The Flow back in 2004!), they've undergone an intriguing metamorphosis into bleakness, reliving some of the best melancholic bands of the Eighties. So I thought I'd better sneak an interview early before they tire of such frivolous ventures. Here's what Jack LB, White Lies drummer and London clubnight promoter had to say.

White Lies - Unfinished Business

Who are White Lies?
White Lies is Harry McVeigh on vocals and guitar, Charles Cave on bass and myself Jack Brown on drums. Collectively we write and record everything as a 3 piece. Tommy [formerly of the now defunct Mumm-ra] is an essential live addition which allows us to push our live performance.

Why 'White Lies' as a band name? Presumably not after the Paul Van Dyk song?
White Lies was something that came to us without ever listening to Paul Van Dyk. There is no one reason for the name. It's something we all agreed on, and it has a dark tone to it, so it sits well with our music.

How did you get involved with James Sandom (Kaiser Chiefs manager) and Supervision Management?
James got in touch with us after hearing 'Unfinished Business'. He is vastly experienced and shared our vision of what White Lies should be about and where we want to go.

Considering the recent FOALS backlash, are you concerned about being a buzz band?
Although our name has been going around a fair bit, I think we are still a fairly unknown quantity. We're starting to pick up press and radio coverage but we have no internet following compared to some buzz bands. Most people have heard 2 or 3 of our tracks at most, so we still offer a lot more to come. We are developing completely naturally as a result. The buzz won't matter if we succeed in doing what we want to do as a band.

'Unfinished Business' is the debut single out on April 28th. Why was that chosen as the first offering?
'Unfinished Business' is song which includes all the important factors relating to our music. It's a track which covers what we want to do sonically as well as musically. We all feel its a strong first statement to make.

The single's being released on Chess Club Recordings [link], an extension of your clubnight, will we be seeing more singles out on that label?
Chess Club is my label and night that I run with people outside White Lies, so it's not really attached to White Lies in any other way. Chess Club has lots more exciting releases planned for summer, but I can't really tell you who yet as some of it is TBC. All exciting new music from many different genres though.

After a bit of an A&R battle, White Lies recently signed to Fiction Records. Why Fiction?
Jim Chancellor who runs Fiction is the most passionate man in the music industry - that's a fact - and to have him A & R our records is a huge compliment. The whole Fiction team has a very inventive and focused approach to each artist. It's a small team and they will help us build a career that's tailored to our needs. And as a band you can't ask for more than that.

Will you be working with Stephen Street (producer of the two Fear Of Flying singles) on any future releases, such as the album?
There are no plans at the moment for us to work with Stephen. We will be recording the album with Ed Bueller [Suede and Pulp producer] and Max Dingel [mixed the final Fear Of Flying single and has engineered on albums by Muse, Weezer etc] co-producing.

Which band/s are you most looking forward to meeting or simply seeing play on the NME New Noise tour that you'll be heading off on soon?
The NME tour line up is a strange billing for us to be on. We stick out a bit on that bill, but we like a challenge. I'm looking forward to watching Crystal Castles, I hear they're deranged live.

You're playing a few festivals, which one are you most excited about playing and are there any others you'd like to perform at?
VISA permitting we will be doing some great shows this summer. But as the line ups aren't announced I probably shouldn't say too much. We are opening the main stage of Lollapalooza in chicago which is awesome. We will also be playing on a Japanese mountain, but you didn't hear that from me [their appearance at Fuji Rock Festival has since been confirmed]. We aren't doing Glasto this year so that's an aim for sure.

And that's your lot. White Lies are clearly an ambitious, revitalised band that have their own vision of success. I wouldn't bet against them surpassing those goals but it's still early days yet. Many thanks to Jack for taking the time to answer my questions, he's obviously a busy man!

'Unfinished Business' is out very soon on limited 7", stockists are listed [here].

Johnny Foreigner + Album Leaks

So Johnny Foreigner's debut album has leaked. They've had much love on this blog, and I was one of the first blogs to give them a mention back in early 2007. 'Waited Up 'Till It Was Light' is due out on June 2nd, preceded by the 'Eyes Wide Terrified' single in May (see embed vid below). Considering their repeated exposure on here, I think I'll go on a bit of a rant about album leaks rather than focusing on the band, for once.

Now, I imagine the band (and especially their record label, Best Before) won't be too happy about the leak. But do bands bring it upon themselves by sending out promo copies so early? Every album these days seems to leak - even The Raconteurs release which was basically thought to be leak-proof (no promo copies sent out, from recording to release in three weeks) but then iTunes buggered that one up for them. But even with the age of digital watermarking of promo copies, isn't it a bit ridiculous to send your album for review almost two months before it's out? Maybe it is necessary, and someone can shed the light on this process. I certainly have very little experience in marketing and musical press.

And then we have lots of internet people starting threads on messageboards saying how great the album is - do we consider these people as enthusastic, well-meaning fans or arrogant twats? Maybe a bit of both. No doubt anyone reading those threads will now try to procure the album illegally to hear what the fuss is about. Curiousity is an innate part of human nature. So is boasting.


Thankfully for Johnny Foreigner, the early reports seem to be positive. I can't imagine anything worse than having your album leaked early then universally hated. Then again, all but a couple of the album tracks are rejigged versions of previously recorded songs so if you were already a fan, you're almost bound to like it. Considering the immensely lo-fi production of the early days, that would have probably been the only concern. However, it appears that Machine (who has also produced Fall Out Boy, Lamb Of God and lots of other bands that sound nothing like JoFo) has done a sterling job. The album tracks appearing on MySpace are fantastically textured without being too crisp and overproduced.

The problem now is that I've highlighted the leak and am no better than those who do the same. But to actively leak an album? That must take some lack of moral fortitude or some misguided thinking. At least I'm the lesser evil.

Yet somewhat ironically, I have not heard the new album and while I could probably find it, I'm quite content to read how great it is and wait a little bit longer to hear it. I've been waiting for 15 months, I'm pretty sure I can last another one. Maybe they'll even bring the release date forward. To try to convince you to resist temptation, I've got radio session versions of two songs from the album (Lea Room has not popped up in demo form or otherwise till the leak) and download a zip of their 15-track demo giveaway album thingie via [Megaupload].

Johnny Foreigner - Eyes Wide Terrified (BBC Radio 1 Session) [Yourfilehost D/L]//[Sendspace mirror]
Johnny Foreigner - Lea Room (XFM Xposure Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]

Johnny Foreigner are on a never ending tour of the UK, including festivals aplenty so if you have downloaded the album, I suggest you do the right thing and go see them asap. And then buy the album. And if you're yet to experience JoFo live, stand back and await the onslaught of awesomeness.

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Just a quick couple of points - firstly, my third podcast bites the dust on May 20th so listen/download it now! Featuring Johnny Foreigner, Miracle Fortress, a brilliant Joy Division cover and other stuff, listen [here]. And secondly, I have an interview with the much talked about White Lies coming in the next post. They're already signed to a major label and playing festivals like Lollapalooza, even though they've only been going since late last year. Egad! I'm off to revise for my uni exams now, which start next week :(