Thom Yorke / Atoms for Peace - LOVE WILL TEAR US APART

Really really really awesome.

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

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.

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.

ALBUM: Jonsi & Alex - Riceboy Sleeps

There are many words that spring to mind around this side-project of Sigur Ros' lead singer Jonsi Birgisson: Ambient, Ethereal, other-wordly and erm... bindun?

While admittedly the compositions are more stripped back than the full band, they feature Sigur Ros' string section Amiina, the occasional choir, and a penchant for the epic. A return to Sigur Ros pre-Takk without any of their darkness. But the overall sound is pretty darn similar, complete with twisted pianos and rewinded reverb.

That being said, it still is an amazingly beautiful and intimate record, whose only real reference points being the aforementioned Sigur Ros, undisputed kings of their own "Slow-motion Rock" as well as the softer ends of "post-rock" veterans such as Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You Black Emperor. But even Godspeed's quietest lolloping is much too busy being grand and epic to be compared to the sonic beauty on display here.

While songs by other artists seem to have been made longer in the name of being "EPIC", these songs, with many clocking in over 8 minutes, are long because that's exactly what they need. A record made by lovers, but not necessarily for them.

For those already fans of Sigur Ros, there's not huge amount of new ideas here, yet what is here is still extremely enjoyable. For those who aren't yet acquainted with those Icelandic masters, this is another example of how you are really missing out.

8/10

Riceboy Sleeps is out now in Europe on EMI/Parlophone.

Some updates, some news, some opinions.

So I'm temporarily home (literally just for a couple of hours) and I absent-mindedly returned to this blog and had a good trip down short-term memory lane and laughed and "gosh, how funny AM I?" etc. etc.

I'm not going to apologise, you'd never believe. Nor am I going to fawn over this year's selection of "talent", whom by now have all gently slipped off the radar near completely (save for Florence and The Machine, whom I accidentally heard on the radio today) meaning that, of course, the Festival Season has arrived to remind everyone of those bands who "we" all loved in those last cold dark weeks of December when every two-bit music site had us believing that this was the second coming.

A major karmic decision, based on something I did that was clearly so heinous that I managed to block it out completely means that Radiohead are headlining Reading and Leeds the year I decide not to go. On the night I definitely can't go, as I am on my way to Tokyo mere hours later. While the rest of the line-up is predictably sour and much too boring to describe here, I've promised the irrational part of my brain that if Animal Collective and the heavily rumoured Black Lips both play, I will be obliged to attend.

Unfortunately on the new music front I have kind of slipped recently due to the frightening prospect of a dissertation and the smoking crater of real life it has left behind, although I've been trying to keep abreast of a few recent albums. Notably Franz Ferdinand's latest, containing the wonderful "Lucid Dreams". Although if I hear "No, You Girls" one more time I might kill something. Also, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Its Blitz! was the darling of my speakers for a week or so some fortnights ago. The eagerly awaited Fatboy Slim remodelling of The BPA turned out to be so bad you begin to realise why he didn't want his normal moniker included at all. Royksopp's Junior was crazy and sedate in equal measure, in the way only these Norwegian advert musicians can. The tracks featuring The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson being by far the standouts.

I'm sure there were other albums I have listened to, as well as those that I will hit myself for missing (such as the aforementioned Ms Andersson's solo work as Fever Ray, which I eagerly await in the post). However, I have really taken a bit of a step back and instead listened to some old music, checking out post-punk geniuses (genii?) Wire for the first time to find that everyone was right and they are amazing.

Eagerly awaited albums for the remainder of this year are the much-delayed LCD Soundsystem and Beastie Boys albums, as well as Patrick Wolf's latest work. I would go into release dates and the relevant info on further albums, but the only reason I really came on here was because I'm meant to be writing a lovely essay on the co-evolution of the French and English languages and how we like to nick their words but they hate ours. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Radiohead @ Victoria Park, Hackney, 24/06/2008

I've had the undoubtable pleasure of seeing Radiohead once before, on my 18th Birthday two years ago at the Hammersmith Apollo, where, amongst classic tracks, they squeezed in more than half-dozen unreleased "new" tracks that would eventually form the bulk of their next album In Rainbows, over a year later. I was very eager to repeat what was possibly the best gig of my life.

With doors opening at four, and DJs keeping the crowd somewhat entertained (assuming that all of the rumoured 30,000 members of the crowd were familiar with and big fans of minimal beats and filter noise), Bat For Lashes took to the stage in the only scheduled support slot relatively late on. They, AKA Natasha Khan and her backing band, proceeded through a 45 minute set of Bjork-ish music that was far more impressive compared to my aborted attempt to see them at last year's Connect Festival in Scotland. I think my exact words then were "Sod this, this is boring."

After some technical difficulties and a brief acoustic set, the band were able to finish, with almost everything plugged back in properly, with a rousing version of "What's A Girl To Do?", which fitted comfortably alongside some very strong new material for a new album rumoured to be out before the end of the year.

During the brief intermission between acts we discussed the gigs apparent green credentials. The t-shirts, although still extortionately priced at £20, were each made from recycled plastic bottles that had been saved from landfill sites. The stage lights were energy efficient, meaning that they gave off less heat and therefore used less energy. The band themselves were re-using recycled water carriers for their onstage drinks and had elected to take with them "only" twelve guitars and two laptops for the whole tour, and use alternative forms of transport to airplanes whereever possible. All very respectable, but still did not explain why this gig cost £40 a head.

However, as soon as Thom, Jonny, Ed, Colin and Phil walk out on stage, all thoughts on environment and cost are forgotten as they begin with In Rainbows' opener "15 Step", which is just as good, if not better, than when I heard it two years previously. It sets par for the course in which every track, bar "House Of Cards", from In Rainbows is given an airing. It is for songs in before a pre-Rainbows track is played, in the form of the still-amazing "National Anthem", and over an hour into their set before anything pre-Kid A, with "Just" possibly being the most well-received song of the night, although hopefully not just because of Mark Ronson's brassed-up bastardisation, which is followed by the first of three OK Computer tracks; "Climbing Up The Walls".

In the meantime, relatively obscure album tracks in the form of fan-favourite "The Gloaming" from Hail To The Thief and "Dollars & Cents" from Amnesiac. Alongside these is are the fantastic "Pyramid Song" and the blistering former single "There There". Of all the latest tracks, the clear fan-choice is "Reckoner", whereas my personal choice was the awe-inspiring "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi". Even "Faust Arp", featuring just Thom and Jonny, is impressive.

Before "Everything In Its Right Place", a slightly chattier Thom begins a chant of "Free Tibet" with the Tibetan flag draped over the piano and a couple of amps. The main set ends with "How To Dissapear Completely" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", a suitable summing up of the night so far.

In the interim, there is the talk of what they will play for their (possibly) multiple encores, with some naively hoping they will give a certain "Creep" an airing. With Thom returning with a piano anticipation heightens and there is talk of perhaps "Karma Police" or "Sail To The Moon". Instead, there is an audible moan from sections of the crowd as he begins to play one of my favourite In Rainbows tracks, "Videotape".

The rest of the encore is curiously hit-free, almost in defiance to Parlophone's decision to issue a greatest hits record without their permission since their departure from the label. Instead, the brilliant "Airbag", complete with jingle bells, is played, with The Bends' opener "Planet Telex" also being played alongside the curiously chosen "Bangers n' Mash" - a song which only features upon the second In Rainbows disc availiable in the limited edition discbox last December (which incidentally is currently selling on ebay for almost double the £40 original price). The first encore ends with an unfortunately lacklustre version of "The Tourist" from OK Computer.

The second encore again begins with Thom behind a piano, this time alone and playing a barely recognisable version of "Cymbal Rush" from his solo album The Eraser. This was followed by Thom and Jonny performing "You And Whose Army?" with a camera putting Thom's face on the big screen (pictured) as he played piano. Finally, they ended on the classic Kid A track "Idioteque", with the whole band onstage.

Overall, the gig went on to show that Radiohead can pretty much play any song, from any album, and still put on a great gig, showing how consistent they have been ever since 1995's The Bends right through to last year's In Rainbows. Some reviews will criticise the lack of "hits", but if anything, this shows how the band don't feel the need to rest on the laurels and rely on songs like "No Surprises", "Karma Police" and "Street Spirit" to make a show absolutely brilliant.

While it may not be considered a classic gig in terms of their legendary Glastonbury appearances in 1997 and 2003, it just goes to show how great a band they still are and how relevant they remain.

Radiohead continue their world tour through Europe and North America this July and August.

New Sigur Ros Album!

I know its old news now, but Sigur Ros have announced details of their new album out on June 23rd. It is going to be called Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, which roughly translates as "With A Buzzing In Our Ears We Play Endlessly". It also features at least one track in English ("All Alright") and is a bit of a change in direction for the band - who have said they were greatly influenced by their acoustic shows in Iceland that were featured in their documentary Heima.

Track Listing:

1. "Gobbledigook" – 3:05
2. "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" (Within me a lunatic sings) – 4:05
3. "Góðan daginn" (Good day) – 5:15
4. "Við spilum endalaust" (We play endlessly) – 3:33
5. "Festival" – 9:24
6. "Suð í eyrum" (Buzz in ears) – 4:56
7. "Ára bátur" (Row boat) – 8:57
8. "Illgresi" (Weeds) – 4:13
9. "Fljótavík" [A place in Iceland] – 3:49
10. "Straumnes" [A mountain near Fljótavík] – 2:01
11. "All alright" – 6:21

Gobbledigook was made free from sigurros.com, where the whole album is currently streaming, as well as Last.fm, where the album is free to listen to ahead of its release.

It is also availiable as a deluxe "Discbox" for $120 (£60) similar to Radiohead's self-released double-vinyl, double-cd gift set for last year's alum In Rainbows.

Sigur Ros Homepage

Favourite 10 Albums of 2007 (5-1)

5:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
For any band, the second album is always going to be difficult. For the Arcade Fire, following the amazing Funeral would seem to be an impossible task. However, they did what they do best; converting an abandoned church into rehearsal space and recording studio, experimenting with new techniques and new instruments and slightly refining their sound into something much more mystical and ethereal.
From storming opener "Black Mirror" its clear to see this will never be the "difficult second album" that their British indie contemporaries almost always fall victim to.
Release Date: 05/03/2007
Favourite Track: "My Body Is A Cage"

4:


!!! - Myth Takes
Fresh from supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK Tour, this almost unpronouncable dance-punk collective released arguably their best album to date. More complete than both their eponymous debut and their sophomore effort, Louden Up Now, the band, despite the tragic death of original drummer Mikel Gius, and the subsequent line-up changes, have matured and perfected their cacophony of sound. Unlike many of their peers, they are also able to back up great recordings with a great live show.
Release Date: 05/03/2007
Favourite Track: Bend Over Beethoven

3:


LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem, the group revolving around DFA Records boss and producer, James Murphy, released something quite special with their dance-punk self-titled debut, and manage what few others do in creating a follow-up: making it even better. Where the debut had gratuitiously overlong tracks, and therefore an album that was difficult to listen to in one sitting, Sound Of Silver has relative nuggets of crossover genius. Lead single "North American Scum", their self-effacing anthem on their home country is easily as good, if not better than the best parts of LCD Soundsystem. And its all better from there on in.
Release Date: 12/03/2007
Favourite Track: All My Friends

2:


Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen & Simon Tong - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Had it not been the inclusion of a certain Radiohead album (see below), then I could not have justified not having this as my number one. The supergroup's album, touted as "the natural successor to Parklife", is much easier to compare with the darker moments of Gorillaz' Demon Days rather than heyday of Britpop. However, the common themes that are apparent do, of course, share Albarn's intelligent and witty observations, and run through the album like a stick of rock. This, and more such projects planned would seem to sadly, reduce any chance of a Blur reunion, but if Damon Albarn can keep making music as good as this, I don't think many would mind.
Release Date: 22/01/2007
Favourite Track: Three Changes

1:


Radiohead - In Rainbows
Although rumours of Radiohead's ungracious departure from former label EMI (it has been recently claimed that they simply wouldn't meet their pay demands) have recently shed some more light on the motives of this album's unique pay-what-you-like release, when it comes down to whats important, Thom Yorke haven't quite shot up their own collective arse just yet. Being Radiohead, of course, it is not instantly comparable to any of their other albums, but instead achieves the great feat of being an almost retrospective appraisal of their previous work, as well as being something brand new and still relevant today. While "Nude" is an older song dating back from the days of OK Computer, and "Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song newer than my last haircut, they both fit well in an album almost as complete as my personal favourite, Kid A. While I am still not sure where exactly I'd place this amongst the discography, it is nevertheless, regardless of the massive hype surrounding its release, an extraordinary album.
Release Date: 10/10/2007 (Download) 31/12/2007 (CD)
Favourite Track: 15 Step