Holidayyyysssss

Hello reader(s). I am on holiday in Japan as of tomorrow and so will not be updating this blog for the next two weeks. Which means you miss out on my awesome review of the mum album (because I haven't written it yet).

Luckily there is a whole world wide internet out there to discover, and why not start here.

Toodle pip.

EP REVIEW: Modest Mouse - No One's First And You're Next

Modest Mouse are one of those bands who demonstrate the uncannily ability to completely change between albums yet remain immediately recognisable as one of the world's greatest Indie bands. Even Johnny Marr agreed, with this EP marking the end of his short-lived and highly sursprising tenure with the band.

It is a collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks from the sessions surrounding the release of their latest two albums, Good News For People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, continuing the tradition of the prolific band to release almost everything they ever record, with most being of such impressive quality you can see why it befitted release.

Opener "Satellite Skin" is classic Modest Mouse, rip-roaringly anthemic without screaming to the stadiums, obliquely negative whilst being depressingly optimistic. One of those tracks that never seems like its loud enough, with Brock's vocals competing with the carefully crafted, yet excitedly delicate arrangements behind. Modest Mouse songs are veritable house of cards of a strong breeze, constantly on the brink of falling apart but ending up being stubbornly amazing.

"Guilty Cocker Spaniels", released as a single as well as the previous track, is not quite as impressive, and as the EP continues it becomes clear that many of these would have, indeed, not fitted very well with the latest two albums, and hark back somewhat to the Modest Mouse of Lonesome Crowded West or This Is A Long Drive... days, especially with whose video was to become Heath Ledger's directorial debut, "King Rat".

The final track exemplifies Modest Mouse's skill for the quietly self-effacing tracks which litter their amazing discography, but only brushes with the brilliance of tracks such as the understated "The Good Times Are Killing Me".

Overall, this EP is far from the poppy introduction to the band that the last two major label albums have displayed, but is of interest to any and all fans of the band already. Although, arguably, completists will have all these tracks in some form already, this collection is still a worthwhile purchase.

6/10

No One's First And Your Next is out now on Epic.

Radiohead EP update

Ok, so it wasn't an EP.

But the song was theirs.

And its being given away for free.

We still live in hope

Run Toto Run & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs @ Be@Proud Galleries, Camden, 15/08/2009

Tonight settled a short-held ambition to go to a gig at the Proud Galleries at the old Horse Hospital in Camden, and the opportunity to see DNC favourites Run Toto Run, as well as previous recommendation Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.

Run Toto Run kicked off tonight's "Be@Proud" to a swelling crowd, a member short and recovering from a bout of (possibly pig-related) flu. As well as ably showcasing their Plastic Gold EP, including new single "Catch My Breath", there's a couple of new tracks being debuted here and they're pretty damn good.

The new tracks, both newly arranged around the loss of a member, continue where the strength previous material left off, combinining the avant-garde electronica of the criminally underrated Metronomy with the toytronica sounds of Psapp. The only trouble comes from the venue itself giving the Manchester band a taste of support-band-itis - tonight's symptoms involving the synthesised bass sounds bottoming out, making the PA sound like the abused speakers from an eighteen year old's Vauxhall Nova. While the vocals are thankfully unaffected, this time.

Although clearly unsettled by the internal problems they've faced in the last couple of months, the band are soon in full swing before the set is cut off all too soon, only to be revived with an unintentional encore of their cover of Passion Pit track "Sleepyhead" after the DJ cut them off early. But overall, a solid set from a band who can only get better and better. I even enjoyed "Full Stop".

Myspace

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs head to the stage next. Or rather, one guy in a boiler suit with a laptop. The beats start out cheesy, and not in a post-modern knowing sort of Chromeo way, but in a "Back 2 The 90s" "Ministry of Sound Anthems" kind of way. But dwelling on the modernity of the music is clearly not the intention, this is music that you can't do anything but dance too.

The set continues to improve and impress, throwing in the odd remix into his oddball mix of SMD electro and summertime house. Ultimately though, I can't help but feel that an album of this, as demonstrated by Diplo, is a little too tough to handle entirely sober and will not break anyones pre-conceptions just yet. Not that he is pretending to.

Myspace

New Radiohead EP?

Speculation regarding that apparent Radiohead track has lead many to believe that they will be releasing an EP, Album, single or something called "Wall Of Ice" on Monday 17th August. Hopefully this will be something AWESOME.

While some have suggested that the "leaked" track is simply from the soundtrack to the new twilight film, evidence surrounding the leak suggests otherwise. For starters, its sounds like a Radiohead track, not a Thom Yorke track. Secondly, I would hope that Thom Yorke would be well above doing a track for some ridiculoud teenage vampire film. pfffttt

Another New Radiohead Track?

It certainly sounds like Yorke and co.. And its not too bad either.

It's called These Are My Twisted Words and have prompted some rumours of a new Radiohead release as soon as this Monday (17th).

EDIT: Green Plastic have a great summary here.

Hypeband alert: The XX

I've been hearing (reading) a lot about this band The XX recently. I decided to actually check them out. I think with hype bands theres generally a 37% chance I'll like them. 39% if its hyped by Pitchfork. This band are one of the luckier ones.

It took 3 minutes and 8 seconds, or more accurately, the length of their single "Basic Space" for me to make my decision, with their self-conscious undermining of the more mainstream boy sings/girl sings vocal pattern, with minimal instrumental interference, yet a stylish beat. This is RnB on my wavelength.

"Crystalised" further demonstrates how they manage to bridge Indie and mainstream pop so much more subtly than any other band before them. So much so the only comparison that springs to my mind is that of Hot Chip's early output, in the form of the tongue in cheek "Shining Escalade", as far away from this particular incarnation of "indie-soul".

Definitely worth checking out their myspace page for, The XX release their album "X" next Monday through Rough Trade.

Myspace

Lullabye Arkestra

Lullabye Arkestra is the side project of sometime Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene member Justin Small, with his partner Katia Taylor, with the two making a racket with only bass, drums and their voices.

They recently signed to supreme Indie label Vice Records, who released an mp3 and video of their latest single "We Fuck The Night", availiable below, ahead of their album release before the end of the year.

MP3: Lullabye Arkestra - We Fuck The Night

New Radiohead track - Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

(via Pitchfork)

Radiohead have realised a brand new track called Harry Patch (In Memory Of), which is exactly what it says on the tin, a memorial of the recently deceased WWI Veteran. All of the lyrics are quotes from the man himself.

The track is availiable for 1£ from here, with proceeds going to the British Legion.

While this orchestral number may not be a classic, its still worth a quid for a worthy cause any day of the week.

Sensual Harrasment

Today's new band are Sensual Harrasment.

Sounding like an East Coast !!!, Sensual Harrasment are more Daft Punk than Dance-Punk, but this Brooklyn "Reptilian Humanoid Alliance" have hit on something pretty darn good.

Touching points may also include the Presets and their Australian cousins Midnight Juggernaughts, in the way its all synth melodies and softly spoken vocals. There's a hint of Miami Vice nostalgia, but it doesn't quite overpower just yet, at least on the tracks availiable: "Soldier" and "Daddy Long Legs".

Enjoy the latter track below.

Monday Mixtape 03/08/2009

Well well well if it isn't the unwelcome return of the Monday Mixtape. Today's theme, as I sit here surprisingly sweaty for a British Summer, is Summer and the Sun. Original? I thought so.

DATE: 03/08/2009
THEME: Summer
LENGTH: 38:56, 10 tracks

1. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE - Looks Just Like The Sun (4:23) (You Forgot It In People, Arts & Crafts 2002)
2. GRANDADDY - Summer Here Kids (3:36) (Under The Western Freeway, V2 1997)
3. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Summertime Clothes (4:30) (Merriweather Post Pavillion, Domino 2009)
4. FLEET FOXES - Sun It Rises (3:11) (Fleet Foxes, Sub Pop 2008)
5. JUNIOR BOYS - Under The Sun (7:02) (Last Exit, Domino 2004)
6. DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE - Summertime (4:29) (Homebase, Jive 1991)
7. THE KINKS - Sunny Afternoon (3:35) (Face To Face, Pye 1966)
8. PAVEMENT - Summer Babe (Winter Version) (3:16) (Slanted & Enchanted, Matador 1992)
9. THE LIBERTINES - Don't Look Back Into The Sun (2:59) (single, Rough Trade 2003)
10. MORECAMBE & WISE - Bring Me Sunshine (1:55)

So, this list kind of sucks and was made by searching for tracks with "sun" and "summer" in them. I was going to ditch this but it made me realise that there's a Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince album called "Homebase", which for fans of DIY, is amazing.