Great Eskimo Hoax/Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Only two degrees of separation from math-poppers Foals, whom I was checking for information about their new album (soon, please), both of these bands caught my attention.

Firstly, the Worcestershire Math-poppers Great Eskimo Hoax, who while they may be blessed with a sixth form band name, play a number of tracks in the same vein of foals, with more than a passing nod to Kinsella brother's latter day ands such as American Football and Joan of Arc.

Myspace

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, however, share not only the dinosaur obsession with a certain Diplo (formerly Diplodocus) but also his uncanny ability to make something sound absolutely toss yet genius at the same time. Taking 80s beats and pads that really were horrible at the time and making them sound new and vaguely exciting: proof that you can polish a turd.

T.E.E.D. will be supporting Bent's greatest hits tour and have an EP out now.

Myspace

Monday Mixtape 26/01/2009

Today's very lazy theme is the best tracks on 2008. Well, my favourite tracks. So ner.

DATE: 26/01/2009
THEME: Best tracks of 2008
LENGTH: 10 Tracks, 38:43

1. CRYSTAL CASTLES - Untrust Us (3:06) (Crystal Castles, Lies/Last Gang 2008)
2. METRONOMY - Heartbreaker (4:09) (Nights Out, Because Music 2008)
   
3. XX Teens - Darlin' (4:12) (Welcome To Goon Island, Mute 2008)
   
4. LATE OF THE PIER - The Bears Are Coming (3:23) (Fantasy Black Channel, Parlophone 2008)
   
5. BORN RUFFIANS - Hummingbird (3:08) (Red, Yellow & Blue, Warp 2008)
6. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Walcott (3:41) (Vampire Weekend, XL 2008)
   
7. FOALS - Red Socks Pugie (5:08) (Antidotes, Transgressive 2008)
   
8. DEERHUNTER - Agoraphobia (3:22) (Microcastle, 4AD 2008)
   
9. BURIAL - After Dark (3:54) (Untrue, Hyperdub 2007 (but I don't care))
   
10. BECK - Chemtrails (4:40) (Modern Guilt, XL 2008)
    

This list is a bit similar to the first one I did. But I'm lazy. And I don't care who knows it.

SATISFACTORY ALBUMS OF TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT

The late late edition. I'm getting worse and worse at keeping up with this. I could blame many things for this. The current state of the Middle East, for example, distracting me from listening to new music and instead relying on my musical library to cheer me up. Everyone current excuse of "y'know, the credit crunch and all that" which, if I hear as a phrase one more time (even in the form of the BBC's cautiously optimistic "economic downturn" complete with mainly downward facing arrows) I'm gonna scream.

I could also blame the mountains of university which I have also clearly not completed, even a small amount, or the endless hours of shifting sportswear to the ironically overweight for pennys. But in reality, I'm just lazy. 2009 is ages away, I said to myself, why worry about it now? Erm...bugger.

So here it is, my Top 15 (extra 5 from last year!) especially for you jolly good people that I banged out in about 15 minutes between getting home, eating my dinner and procrastining until the red dawn light. Enjoy:

15: Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
14: No Age - Nouns
13: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
12: Portishead - Third
11: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend Review

10: Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue Review
9: Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
8: Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles Review
7: Santogold - Santogold
6: British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? Review

5: MGMT - Oracular Spectacular Review
4: Beck - Modern Guilt

3:

Foals - Antidotes
While my review didnt take particularly kindly to this album back in April, it has worked its way back to my affections on repeat play alone. There is something to be said about an album that I could sit there and listen to quite comfortably on more than one occasion. For a while it was my "go to" album of choice - what you listen when you can't think of anything else and are too impatient to use the shuffle function.

In April I criticised it, rightly, for not featuring Foals' two best tracks. Namely "Hummer" and "Mathletics"

2:

Deerhunter - Microcastles/Weird Era Cont.
Bradford Cox's second entry on this list, and none more deserved than for this fantastic album of shoegaze, noise and lo-fi perfection, with Weird Era Cont. winning the prize for best bonus disc of any album, possibly ever. But don't just take my word for it, read the original review here for the thoughts of me just one month ago. (or scroll down a bit)

1:

Metronomy - Nights Out
Joseph Mount's follow up to wonky debut Pip Paine finds his former solo moniker now including live partners Oscar Cash and Gabriel Stebbing this time around. And while the album has failed to reach the chart success it should, tracks such as "My Heart Rate Rapid" and "Heartbreaker" have proved dancefloor hits of their own.

If nothing else, Nights Out has blended pop themes and sensibilities with minimalist beats and an aching, awkward dancefloor noise.
Album Preview

ALBUM: Foals - Antidotes

After the brass band intro to "The French Open", its pretty much business as usual for the Oxford quintet. Most recent single "Cassius" follows next, beginning a group of songs both old and new. Which begs the question, why isn't "Hummer" on this?

Foals' math-rock leanings and guitars that never seem to slip below the 7th fret worked well on a number of singles to date. However the aforementioned "Hummer", possibly their most well known song thanks to a certain Skins, and "Mathletics", their second single, do not feature apart from on the special edition bonus disc. Which seems a bit silly. Especially as they would be the best tracks.

However, that isn't to say that whats left isn't any good. Forthcoming single "Red Socks Pugie" starts off like Battles with clean vocals and soon continues in a much poppier vein. "Olympic Airways" starts with the same Battles-esque avant-garde guitar shapes that eventually come together later on, as if guitarists Yannis and Jack want to introduce everyone to all the notes they'll be using in that song.

It seems as if Foals are some sort of "gateway" band, channelling the spirits of their math-rock heroes (Wikipedia says Yannis' favourite band are cult math-rock outfit Sweep The Leg Jonny) and making the music poppy and accessible.

To a point.

There's not really a bad track on the album, but it gets to a stage where the formula, which appears so complex at first sight, becomes so easy you could probably predict the next instrument to enter the fray, the point where the chorus will drop in, when that quiet bit they always have in the middle is going to end or which note the guitars will choose to repeat over and over next. Some would say this is a good position to be in, but I disagree. Although admittedly the end results of each song is of similar quality - they're all pretty good - the album suffers.

"Balloons" and "Two Steps Twice" stand out for me, but only because I remember hearing them live. They are probably the most danceable on the album, but every other track sounds like them. "Electric Broom" and closer "Tron" are a happy experiment with synth noise, but still with the same Foals cliches.

Ultimately Foals have made an album that they wanted to make. On one hand I respect them for that, they haven't churned out some filler nor have they stuck their biggest tracks in the album just because. On the other hand, the album doesn't flow particularly well either, and the tracks that have made it on can't really replace those that were sacrificed.

If you do get a copy of this album, make sure you get the bonus disc, which not only include Hummer and Mathletics, but an early Foals set from The Liars Club in Nottingham and a couple of B-sides.

7/10

Antidotes is out now via Transgressive in the UK on April 8th via Sub Pop in the USA.

Reading/Leeds Festival Line-up reaction (NME/RADIO ONE STAGE)

READING FRIDAY/LEEDS SATURDAY
NME/RADIO 1 STAGE
BABYSHAMBLES
Young scallywag Peter Doherty returns to Reading once again with the rest of Babyshambles. While some say he is a tragic genius, and others say he is a scrounging waster, their show will be interesting. Probably.

THE WOMBATS
While the only of their songs that I ever listened to and vaguely enjoyed was "Let's Dance To Joy Division", I was surprised to learn that they had previous released an album in Japan. Weird. I'll be on the main stage.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
The latest in a long line of New York hype bands and the booking that will arguably fill out the NME tent.
Can't Wait To Hear: Walcott

MGMT
The duo bring their spaced-out stylings to Reading for the first time, and will hopefully be as electrifying as they have been on TV.
Can't Wait To Hear: Time To Pretend

READING SATURDAY/LEEDS SUNDAY
NME/RADIO 1 STAGE
MANIC STREET PREACHERS
They may be past it even more than U2 and REM combined, but the majority of their set is well worth the headlining set they've earned, even if its in the tent rather than on the main stage.
Can't Wait To Hear: If You Tolerate This...

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
BFMV tour their new album Scream Aim Fire. Yes.

JUSTICE
French electro house duo try out their best Daft Punk impression in the NME tent. Let's hope they're a bit more spectacular than when I saw them, but a festival crowd may yet be more favourable for them.

FOALS
Having done the now typical "release-an-album in march then play Brixton in October" that has been exemplified in recent years by We Are Scientists, Kaiser Chiefs and Klaxons, its not a shock either for them to have been pushed up to the NME stage after their electrifying set on the Carling Stage last year. While they arguably won't be as big as Klaxons, the early signs are promising and it may well end up being one of those albums that hangs around in the top 20 for a while.
Can't Wait To Hear: Mathletics

READING SUNDAY/LEEDS FRIDAY
NME/RADIO 1 STAGE
THE CRIBS
I have to say I've never really seen the appeal of the brothers Jarman and although their songs aren't unlistenable, and possibly even preferable to Metallica, I both don't know enough and don't want to know enough to make a judgement.

CONOR OBERST
Okay, this is a bit weird. Conor Oberst, who I always assumed was the only "real" member of Bright Eyes, is playing a solo set under his own name, with Rilo Kiley's drummer, amongst others. But Wikipedia tells me that Bright Eyes was always a group project. Either way, he'll probably chuck in a couple of Bright Eyes tracks anyway.

PENDULUM
When they first appeared, they were frequently referred to as being "the new Prodigy", probably by those who thought their remix of Voodoo People was an original song. To be honest, past Slam I'm not that familiar with anything of theirs, past the fact that people always seem to want to request some when they don't like a DJ at a club.

More bands announced soon...

Foals, 27/11/2007 @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth

The Followills have captured so ne'er do well new-rave refugee with a telecaster wandering around in the desert. At least that was my first impression of the band first on tonight, Kentucky 5-piece Cage the Elephant. Based around Schultz brothers Matt (vocalist) and Brad (Rhytm Guitar and wearer of all things red), their resemblance to the Kings Of Leon plus one is uncanny.

Although initially the influences seem to be rather obvious classic rock during opener "In One Ear", they begin to live up to their appearance during their second song "Soil To The Sun", which could easily have been a hijacked KoL B-side. However, the band really come into their own during "No Rest For The Wicked", Despite this being another heavily derivative track (this time sounding like Red Hot Chili Peppers before they got a bit rubbish), the bands musical, if not their creative, skills shine through.

Obviously still excited after supporting Queens of The Stone Age stateside and set to tour with The View and The Wombats shortly, they are a band to watch for the future.

http://www.myspace.com/cagetheelephant

The next band to face the cynical nodding and the sceptically folded arms were hotly tipped New Zealanders Cut Off Your Hands, althought they arguably received a better reception, even despite lead singer, Nick's belief that "no one in here wants to party" along with his inclination to leap into a crowd of despairingly indifferent fans and climb onto speakers that are already nearly touching the ceiling.

Although they got better as the set went on and as Nick decided to calmed down a bit, their jangly powerpop soon gets boring as each song is as formulaic as the last. Their best, or at least most memorable song was a cover by The Sonics. Whose name I forget.

http://www.myspace.com/cutoffyourhands

Not long after Foals came on, ditching the formerly infamous Gwen Stefani introduction that they used to perform, and, after Yannis broke a string that was hastily replaced by some helpful members of Cut Off Your Hands, they soon made up for this with a host of songs, old and new, that seem set to feature on their debut album.

Unfortunately for them however, theirs and tonight's two biggest songs, the amazing "Hummer" and equally danceable "Matheletics", are apparently not set to feature on their LP by their own choosing. A risky move perhaps, but with every indiephile worth his salt surely already to be found with these mp3s on their computer already, they appear to be banking on the strength of their other material, which tonight doesn't fail to impress, with highlights including "Cassius" and "Oxford Step".

In fact, the band seem to be going from strength to strength and gaining in confidence, with Yannis finally getting a voice when he needs to (although still singing with his back to half the crowd, perhaps for technical issues), and the band actually looking slightly less serious and slightly more like they were enjoying themselves.

While this particularly brand of Indie-dance isn't quite to everyone's taste, and it certainly seems as if they will not be the next band to make it big in the pop charts, they and their scenester fanbase wouldn't have it any other way.

Good, if not overwhelming, their debut album (minus "Hummer" and "Mathletics") looks set to be released via Transgressive In March next year.

http://www.myspace.com/foals