A Real Goodbye

Just had my third post in 3 days removed. I've gone to http://musicfromagreenwindow.wordpress.com.

See you there!

Well, Well...

Apparently ranting against how fucking ridiculous this whole DMCA takedown business is gets your posts... well, taken down. Brilliant. It comes on a day already marred by a ridiculous decision in the same vein (although far more high profile of course) - the jailing of the guys behind Pirate Bay. Now I don't agree with torrenting in all its forms, but used to sample music, it is a brilliant way to decide whether to spend your money or not. If I torrent an album, and I decide I like it, I make a point of going out and buying it, and this is a method that's been very useful to me, and ultimately made me buy more than I used to, as I know I like the album. Of course, Spotify has emerged now, but Pirate Bay is being punished for things that happened before there was any other real choice.

I may have to move to Wordpress soon because frankly, everything I put up gets removed for no reason, despite my disclaimer, despite showing that I have no problem being asked to take down mp3s. Blogger is cow-towing to a group of over-powerful companies that are outdated and in serious threat of being overtaken by sympathetic, smaller labels that understand that free music is what the industry is moving towards. I can't wait for it to happen.

Radiohead - Let Down (YSI)

Goodbye, Farewell...

Sorry for the long wait between posts folks, I've been slack after coming back from uni, and I'm afraid I have more bad news, I'll be away for about two weeks from tomorrow on holiday. But fear not, I leave you with something wonderful.

I got an email from Laura Marling's mailing list a week or so ago, proclaiming her to having played with Jeffrey Lewis. Now seeing as I love her and newly love him, this seemed like something I should hear immediately, and hear it I did. For an odd little new section on the Guardian website, Jeffrey Lewis has started singing the news and then performing tracks with other artists, and the result of the first of these was his collaboration with Ms. Marling (link). And a weird one it is too.

They're covering Eminem's "Brain Damage" in a simplistic sing-song style (x4 alliteration), with Jeffrey's tell-tale drawl sitting uncomfortably but wonderfully next to Laura's dictive style. It's not an instant classic, but I've listened to it a lot recently and it makes me smile, which is never a bad thing. And with that I leave you!

Jeffrey Lewis and Laura Marling - Brain Damage (Eminem Cover) (YSI)

BONUS HOLIDAY TRACK!

Weezer - Island In The Sun (YSI)

D'you Know What's Bloody Brilliant?

Tom Williams & The Boat, that's what.

A long while ago, browsing through one of my favourite blogs, Dirty Sexy Music, I found a little gem called "Wouldn't Women Be Sweet". After finding the London new folk scene with Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn, Noah and The Whale and the incredible, should be absolutely freakin' huge, super-brilliant, Mumford & Sons (those superlatives are necessary, I promise), this lovely little ditty fitted right in.

The band are a Tunbridge Wells-based six-piece with a propensity for feel-good folk tracks, and even more propensity for posting all their tracks for free download on their website. The surreal lyrics of love gone wrong, the strains of the violin that sounds like a sea breeze (oo, get you and the pretentious imagery), the gently strummed guitar - it all makes for a song that perfectly complements the sunshine that's hit Newcastle in the past few days, something to walk and smile to. And that's what I've been doing.

Their newer material is a little more band-oriented, and a little poppier and more electric, but no less worthy. But it's one of those odd things, that no matter what they do from here on in, and no matter how mind-blowingly wonderful it might be, it will be this song that will always remain a favourite, one of those personal little tunes you're always happy to listen to.

Thanks to ashleyRtanton for the photo :)

Tom Williams & The Boat - Wouldn't Women Be Sweet (YSI)

Something Very Good

Recently, I've found it harder to find a song that I just want to listen to over and over again like I used to,not because of a lack of interest in music, but because I just want a change. So when a song comes along that really just begs to be listened to repeatedly for a day, there must be something excellent about it.

Fitting nicely into this mould is the debut single from Northern Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club, "Something Good Can Work". As the title suggests, this is a feel-good track, but this isn't just a happy little number, this brims over with energy and pure boundless enthusiasm that it's hard not to want to shout along to it from the first listen.

All airy overlapping guitars, and with a simple drum machine beat behind everything, it would lend itself well to any respectable dancefloor. But the chorus is the masterstroke, with the vocals almost too fast to be understood, but so endlessly uplifting that you don't care that it all just makes you want to take off and fly. Alright, that last sentence was little sickly, but honestly, it's bloody brilliant.

Oh, and a hundred thank you's to The Recommender for, well... recommending it.

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (YSI)

They're Baaaaaack...

Ever since their first album, I've loved Maximo Park. They swept along with the rest of the indie invasion of post-Libs bands at the same time as Arctic Monkeys, The Rakes, Bloc Party et al, but somehow seemed to get swept under the radar initially. A Certain Trigger was simply brilliant, chock full of hooks and the always interesting lyrics of Mr. Paul Smith, whilst Our Earthly Pleasures was certainly more of a grower, but just as good throughout.

Hearing that a new song, "Wraithlike", had been put up for free download, I jumped onto the website and gave it a listen. As it begins, it's exactly what you expected, but still just as enthralling - Deep guitar and bass tones strum incessantly before skipping drums and Paul's voice leap into the mix. Before long a siren-like synth tone builds from below, building and building, increasing expectation, but no chorus comes.

And that's my main problem with the song, it seems like one long set of verses, like they haven't quite finished a promising song. Here's hoping the album lives up to what we all want from it...

Maximo Park - Wraithlike (YSI)
Maximo Park - Limassol (YSI)

"Rode A Dinosaur So Long It Turned To Coal"

I never really "got" Jeffrey Lewis. I saw him at Reading last year, and whilst it was prefectly nice, I just didn't understand the fuss about him. But, getting his new album, 'Em Are I, I've successfully been converted. It's the lyrics, I just want to listen to every single thing he has to say. There aren't many artists with the ability to craft funny, poignant, uplifting and insane things in one song, but he definitely ranks among these lucky few.

The music itself is completely different to my expectation, and I think it's down to the addition of the Junkyard band to the mix, which has resulted in a lot more band-oriented tracks, with Libertines-style guitar, Cake-like freak-outs and even what sounds like a square-dance all represented. But in every track Lewis' voice still takes pride of place. I think I'll just list some lyrics that I love, and you can have a listen for yourself.

"Going bald will be the most manly thing I do"
"I still don't have a cellphone, but this seashell gets reception, and the ocean won't stop calling, and I want a restraining order"
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - To Be Objectified (YSI)

"Everyone you meet is not better than you"
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, oh come on that's not me at all"
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Slogans (YSI)

"I had a pig, it really was a sight, when it was dark, he glowed at night"
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Good Old Pig, Gone To Avalon (YSI)

Damn You Lostprophets!

NME this week released a compilation of covers of The Cure, who have just been entirely rightly given the NME Godlike Genius award. Now the worth of this album was always going to be in question, because surely we should hear the band themselves and, whilst some of the covers are pretty good, there was always the chance of a song by The Cure being absolutely ruined by a lesser band. And guess what? Lostprophets managed just that, the Welsh bastards. By not changing any element of "Boys Don't Cry" except the vocals into a ridiculous faux-american whine, I may never enjoy the original song again, for fear of the painful memories.

Luckily, The Futureheads manage to salvage it a little by putting their usual harmonic genius to good use on a cacophonous version of "The Lovecats", so please, do yourself a favour and listen to that instead.

The Futureheads - The Lovecats (YSI)

No Pain, No Gain

Again, I seem to be a bit late to jump on the bloggy bandwagon here, and I still don't know much about them but The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are pretty good aren't they? The one song I've properly heard enough to pass comment on is "Young Adult Friction", a riproaring romp into twee-land.

The boy-girl vocals, upbeat tempo, happy-go-lucky organ and the general swing of the thing all adds up to a song that cannot help but make you jump around like a 6 year old who just got a dinosaur cake. There'll always be comparisons to the Belle & Sebastian crowd, but it all adds up to create their own style, and one I'll be wanting to hear more of.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction (YSI)

Shufflin' #5

I'm taking a break from reading about the intricacies of High and Low Cultures and their subsequent applications to the study of literature to bring you another three delicious rump steaks of juicy musical goodness from the sacred cow that is my iTunes library. Can you tell I'm hungry too?

Mountain - Mississippi Queen (YSI)

I'm so glad I play Guitar Hero. I really wouldn't have found a lot of brilliant old school rock music if it wasn't for the amazing addictiveness of a game that essentially stops me from wanting to learn to play a real guitar. This song is all about the rumbling boulder of a riff that tumbles throughout the song, whilst the interjections of vocals and lead guitar just add to a song that never fails to garner some rockin' air guitar from me.

Bob Sinclair - Love Generation (YSI)

This is another one of those, well not quite guilty pleasures. Of course, Bob Sinclair got very annoying after this, but this was a shot of unbridled pop joy to the sagging arm of the charts in the UK. Plus, the whistling will never leave your head once you've heard it.

Cold War Kids - We Used To Vacation (YSI)

I am so glad this song came up, because it probably ranks amongst my favourite songs ever. This is the original EP version (it was ever so slightly polished up for the album release) which retains all the elements about it that I love most - infectious use of the piano, the merest shake of a rattle at the beginning, a wonderfully discordant guitar outro and Nathan Willett's hauntingly beautiful lament to the problems of alcoholism. I've already listened to it four times just writing this post, and I could listen to it for just as long again. If you haven't heard it yet, I implore you to give it a spin, it's incredible.

"You've Got It All, You've Got It Made"

I'm going to have to say it again. Good Shoes were/are amazing, and I really want them to come back. Come on guys, The Maccabees have made their return, where are you? well, whilst searching for Good Shoes goodies, I found this really lovely cover of "Small Town Girl" by an (I think) Italian artist, Enrico Boccioletti, who goes by the name of Death In Donut Plains.

I gather this was done for a compilation somewhere on the interwebs, but it's one of those rare covers that keeps the spirit of the original whilst changing it enough to stay interesting. The intro is all airy, hypnotic synths and occasional plucks of distant guitar, before the song proper starts and the jangling chords of Steve Leach are replaced by layers of electronic loveliness. The vocals are tinged with the merest hint of a European accent which, for some reason, I really, really love. I can't get hold of any of his own work yet, but check out his Myspace page for some more great tracks ("Brotherhood" being my personal favourite)

Death In Donut Plains - Small Town Girl (YSI)
Good Shoes - Small Town Girl (YSI)

Radiohead + Marching Band = Awesome

Radiohead - 15 Step
Uploaded by Alisvideo

Just a quick note to say one thing: This video is bloody amazing.

Thanks to I Guess I'm Floating.

Radiohead - 15 Steps (YSI)

Fina-bloody-lly

Ah the summer of indie. After the explosion of the new breed of British band with Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand et al hitting the charts came a raft of brilliant British guitar bands, and amongst them were The Maccabees. Specialising in romantic, high-octane tracks, and topped with the amazing voice of Orlando Weeks, they quickly cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands, live and on record. However, after the release of their amazing debut album "Colour It In" they disappeared into the indie aether, leaving me a little downhearted.

But, checking their Myspace this fine evening, I discovered that they'd released a new track for free download, and almost fell out of my chair. I'll start by saying that "No Kind Words" is a departure from their last album. The first thing to hit me was that Orlando's usually yelped and frenetic style is not present, instead we're faced with deep, almost spoken vocals, with backing vox added every so often, sounding distant and ethereal. The instrumentation is worlds away from what we're used to from the Brighton boys, this song is all about the build up. A kick drum moves to high hats moves to a measured beat, the guitar starts with the occasional strum and moves to a repetitive hook. There's nothing of the breakneck pace of "X-Ray" or "Latchmere" here, but a band that wants you to listen up and listen in, and let them get to the point in their own time.

Essentially what I'm trying to tell you is it's all very, very different. But, tempered with that is the fact that it's bloody brilliant. When the pace ups, when the backing vocals join in with the lead, as the band takes a rest and then bursts into a squealing dual guitar (for want of a better word) solo and as the song ends before you expect it to, it all becomes very much worth the wait. If this is how The Maccabees are going to sound for the new album, I for one am completely behind them.

The Maccabees - No Kind Words (YSI)

What Did I Miss?

I never really got into The Rakes and I'm not particularly sure why. They came about in that great year of British indie rock with Bloc Party, Futureheads, Maximo Park and all the rest but my awareness of them somehow got affected and I never heard the first album.

News of their new album therefore, you might think, wouldn't excite me that much, but after being sent a song off of Klang, "The Light From Your Mac", my ears have pricked up considerably. Alan Donohoe's deep, drawling vocals weave their way all over the top of this track whilst an infectious bass riff worms into your head, and jangling guitars that haven't been heard since Good Shoes were still playing gigs make for a jerking, flailing chorus.

One major part of The Rakes appeal that I actually did pick up on before this track were the lyrics, and they're still just as brilliant - the pick of a good bunch has to be "Yeah you probably had some bad advice, but your flatmates aren't that bright, and one's got a moustache, and she talks a lot of shite". There's just something about this track that pushed its way into my helpless brain from the first time I heard it, and I'm hoping you'll suffer just the same as me.

The Rakes - The Light From Your Mac (YSI)

My God, The Reverb!

At some point I'll get round to making a controversial list of things that really aren't as good as people say they are. The reason I say this is because Animal Collective are, beneath the surface, just a bit rubbish, aren't they? I mean let's not kid ourselves, once you get past all the psychedelia that MGMT made cool again this year, and the reverb, the songs really don't add up to much*.

However, if you are looking for some reverb-drenched beauty look no further than New York's own Crystal Stilts. Now, using comparisions is usually rather vague and unhelpful, but I promise this sums them up: Imagine if Ian Curtis had grown up on a Californian beach, formed a band and they'd all gone to play in a wind tunnel. Honestly, it makes sense when you hear it. A throaty, upfront bass drives things along whilst faraway organs pipe and guitars strum away repetitively, whilst sing Brad Hargett drones his way all over it. It's nothing new, but it's still positively moody genius.

Crystal Stilts - Departure

*This is all opinion. Even if I am right.

Comedy Music. There, I Said It.

I have a confession to make. I really love comedy music. i know you're not supposed to, but I always have, and a good comedy song will always be on just as much rotation on my iPod as the best new tracks. Comedy music is a much-maligned genre, sneered at for its apparent lack of authenticity and artistry. But the best comic songs will always be those with the best musical backing and the most intelligent linguistic flair, and why is that any different to the greatest "serious" music? With that in mind, here's a little rundown of my personal favourites.

Weird Al Yankovic is the Godfather of the comedy song. He's been making it since the '70s, and whilst some of it misses the mark, he's made just as much that's just hilarious.

Weird Al Yankovic - The Saga Begins
Weird Al Yankovic - Bedrock Anthem

Tenacious D never fail to make me laugh. The ridiculously crude lyrics and their attention to detail in making some actually pretty amazing technical metal is brillaint, and their live show is truly something to behold.

Tenacious D - Master Exploder
Tenacious D - Rock Your Socks

Flight of the Conchords are relatively new on the comedy music scene, but they've already hit mainstream popularity and got themselves a Perrier nomination. They're constantly commended for the quality of their songwriting, and with good reason.

Flight of the Conchords - Inner City Pressure
Flight of the Conchords - Think About It

The Lonely Island created probably the funniest song of last year in their Timbaland-aping "Jizz In My Pants", but their collaboration with Justin Timberlake was just as amazing.

The Lonely Island - Jizz In My Pants
The Lonely Island - Dick In A Box

So there you have it, it might be immature, it might not be the height of art, but it's bloody funny, and sometimes that's all you need.

Just A Quick Note...

I've just written a piece about why Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip are important to the modern music industry over at the far-more-brilliant-than-here Sweeping The Nation.

Check it out, and then read some proper music blogging as opposed to my semi-intelligible ramblings.

Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Tommy C

Score One For the North-East

I haven't noticed a really great band from Newcastle in quite some time. Maximo Park are probably the last group from the cruel, biting cold of the North-East (*GENERALISATION*) to really make me prick up my ears. This is all a very obvious precursor to me talking about an awesome new Newcastle band, so I'll cut to the chase.

Little Comets are a bristling bundle of joy who have just released their debut single, "One Night In October". They sound like the English answer to Vampire Weekend, all "Graceland" guitars but set to a very English indie structure. The song itself, despite its name and release date, is a summer-filled burst of sunny guitar riffs and yelped vocals, easy to sing along to and even easier to dance to, and neither of which I've been able to stop doing since I first heard this. After an instore at HMV in Newcastle, they're embarking on a nation-wide tour which I urge you to go see as I've heard they're simply wonderful live. You can buy the single on iTunes right now (please do, they deserve it), and check out their Myspace for other songs and tour dates.

Little Comets - One Night In October

What A Surprise

Sometimes songs will reappear in your head for no reason. You'll start humming a tune, and only recognise what that song is a minute later. I love it when this happens, it's a true affirmation of loving a song, that it's buried almost subconsciously into you. For me, today, it was "Midnight Surprise" by Lightspeed Champion.

To create an epic folk song is no mean feat, but Dev Hynes managed it and then some, the minutes fly by without warning. The amount of times I've listened to it and suddenly found myself on the next track, 10 minutes later, is astonishing. By using country and Western slide guitar, traditional acoustic guitar, strains of violin, classical piano and judicious sprinklings of background Hammond organ he's created a tapestry of a song, flowing like a story from one verse to another. The addition of Emmy The Great's vocals in the mid-section accompanied by pizzicatto violin plucks is just lovely too. There's almost too much to talk about within it, and yet it holds together so well. Would it be impetuous to say that this is the folk "Paranoid Android"? Probably, but I will anyway. And that's two Radiohead comparisons in two posts, I really have to tone that down...

Lightspeed Champion - Midnight Surprise

Sault Of The Earth *Kills Himself*

I'm always behind the current trend of the blogosphere. I didn't hear "Paper Planes" until 2 months ago, I didn't like MGMT for a long time and I never got into Bon Iver. So it should come as no surprise that I've only just fallen in love with Meursault. The Edinburgh-based four piece made it onto many a deiscerning blogger's end of year list, and excited the esteemed Matthew from Song, By Toad so much that he started a record label to distribute their first album, "Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues".

It's not exactly a puzzle as to why this happened either. From the off, this album is something special. Every song sounds simple but on closer listening the complexities of the instrumentation, the flourishes of synths and even the production reveal themselves to be crafted perfectly to create exactly the mood the band wanted. For a band that combines electronic sounds and traditional folk instruments, it was always going to be an ambitious style, but I can't emphasise just how right they've got it. Neil Pennycook's vocals are incredibly forceful, soaring and keening throughout, and yet are always kept slightly muffled behind the melodies. Synths are par for the course this year, as any "one's to watch" list will tell you at the moment, but there's something very different in Meursaults usage of them, dare I say it almost Kid A-like (Yes, I just compared them to Radiohead). They skip and jump over each other, constantly taking left turns, suddenly introducing a fuzzy distortion before moving into clean 8-bit beeps.

The album itself is beautifully put together, never seeming samey with songs like The Furnace combining a synth backdrop with a banjo melody, A Few Kind Words relying completely on the synths to drive it and A Small Stretch Of Land a gently strummed acoustic number. I cannot overstate how much you should listen to this album, if you, like me, haven't already been made aware of it by the countless numbers of other writers who have already sung its praises. It's simply an almost overwhelming joy to listen to.

Meursault - Salt Part 1
Meursault - A Few Kind Words

Simply Unnecessary

Jamie T was always a favourite of mine, Panic Prevention was an absolutely wonderful debut from him, improving and expanding on the demos I'd got to know and love whilst I followed his rise to prominence, the gobby wordsmith of Wimbledon really couldn't put a foot wrong in my books. Today, Jamie T released a new song, "Fire Fire" for free, along with a music video that can be watched on Youtube.

This seemed like great news to me, especially with Jamie himself telling NME that, "It's proper, I'm really fucking proud of it, [that’s why] I'm making a video for it. It's not just like a little 'La la whatever', it's like a big deal for us." Annoyingly, music video or not, it's a rubbish song. There are intermittent periods of Jamie spitting out his usual drawl over a fast paced backing, which would be really rather nice if it wasn't completely overtaken bya whole heap of completely incomprehensible shouting. And the mp3 they've released is actually worse quality than the Youtube video.

I think we'll wait for the next record thanks, Jamie.

Jamie T - Fire Fire

Shufflin' #4

Why yes, I am out of things to meaningfully talk about, so I return to my habit of shuffling three songs on my iTunes and talking about them. Enjoy!

Franz Ferdinand - Eleanor Put Your Boots On
This probably the most understated and sedated song from Franz Ferdinand's underrated (unintentional rhyming overload!) second album, and also one of my favourites. Alex Kapranos' straining voice lilts over tripping piano and gently strummed guitar. I don't know what it reminds me of (quality music journalism there), but there's something almost nostalgic about this song.

The Streets - Your Song
I had a lot of trouble understanding who decided that Mike Skinner should cover this Elton John classic when I first heard it. It's immediately obvious why he approaches his lyrics in a spoken word style. He can't sing. At all. But for some reason, after a couple of listens it became apparent that that's almost why this song is so beautiful, it sounds like an everyman just making up a song for his love, it almost makes the message of the song more real.

The Cribs - Our Bovine Public
A definite difference in style here from the last two. This is an onslaught by the boys from Wakefield, an earthquake of guitar and drum action whilst Ryan Jarman explodes with vitriolic lyrics over the top. I'm not sure he breathes for this entire song. Simply awesome.

It's Just Not Fair!

When I moved to Newcastle from the little village I lived in before I expected a new world of musical possibilities, gigs every night and a general involvement in something bigger than going out to a show once a month or less. Turns out I was just a little naive. Because it seems as though, despite the big Carling Academy and a few other great music venues, no bands seem to come here.

Future of the Left were due to play here last month, but cancelled, and then when I found out that Bear Hands and Hockey, two brilliant new American acts were going on a UK tour (with Passion Pit, who I like a lot less and so will spite by not mentioning them. Except for now.), I was disappointed (read: severely pissed off) to find out they weren't coming anywhere near the North-East. What is it that makes Newcastle an undesirable city to come to? (No nasty jokes please)

Ah well, if you get the chance and they come near you, I urge you to go and see the two afore-mentioned bands, I've blogged about Bear Hands before, their post-punk buildups leading to huge choruses are just wonderful, and Hockey have been described as a synth version of The Strokes, something I totally agree with. Hopefully you'll enjoy them. But I might have to hate you if you do see them.

Bear Hands - Bad Blood
Hockey - Too Fake

This'll Attract The (Karma) Police

I bloody love mash ups. I think there's a certain amount of artistry in finding that perfect combination of two songs that shouldn't work together. From Shaggy and the Beatles to Motorhead and Gorillaz, I'll always appreciate a good combination. Now, if you don't know, I adore Radiohead. They're my favourite band, and I love everything they've ever done. Hell, the sound of Jonny Greenwood licking his guitar whilst Thom wails in a corner would be received well by me.

So today I found out there's an ENTIRE ALBUM of Radiohead mash ups with Jay Z. I think the group behind this are called Minty Fresh Beats (who I immediately love), and frankly it's incredible. It's all so perfect, and a whole album is just the greatest late Christmas gift I could've got. I'll put up a couple of tracks here, but you can get the whole album from jaydiohead.com (and I'd suggest doing it quickly before legal proceedings ensue, a la The Grey Album). Go!

Jaydiohead - 99 Anthems
Jaydiohead - Dirt Off Your Android