We cut through the hype and give the one thing lacking in so many places these days: an honest opinion. We're not going to put something down for the sake of it either. For an honest outlook on music (and other subjects), you're in the right place!
With grime vocals bolted unceremoniously to beats that I can only assume were designed to blow holes in your sub-woofer, this is a classic British slice of rap/hip-hop with a refreshing electronic edge. If this isn’t already blowing away dance floors on underground club nights then there’s something seriously wrong with the world, and if this is your kind of tune then go ask for it!
TWIN ATLANTIC – What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?
Red Bull Records
Twin Atlantic are, quite possibly, one f our discoveries of the year here at Call Upon The Author, their Biffy Clyro meets 30 Seconds To Mars sound is fresh and engaging and this is another example of how well they know their way around a song. Seriously, if you haven’t heard this band yet then you’re missing out, so get googling now!
BLACK SOUL STRANGERS – Lies
Squeek Records
This Irish quartet have taken up residence in London to try and bring their indie tunes to the masses. They aren’t bad either, though this is certainly not groundbreaking stuff. In fact, if I’m honest this is almost a throwback to the latter days of the Britpop era with it’s singalong chorus, good fun then, in a throwaway fashion.
RUFFNECK ‘09 FT. NAVIGATOR – Ctrl Z v Freestylers
Never Say Die
Furious electro punk anarchy is the recipe of the day here. If you pogo’d round the dance floor to early Prodigy you’ll be right at home here. Having been the subject of a master class in Computer Music on how to remix (and of course, featured in a video here at Call Upon The Author), give this a spin and we defy you not to be dancing around the room!
BAD FOR LAZARUS – Old Rats On A New Ship
Shit Chic
Like the grubby rocker stood in a crowd of pristine skinny jean clad indie kids, Bad For Lazarus doesn’t quite fit. Somehow that makes this single all the more endearing. The screeching vocal and stomping beat, all drenched in distortion, hark back to the grunge era. Do yourself a favour if you get this disc and check out the B side too. ‘Kemptown Animals’ comes on like a prowling animal being sound tracked by The Fratellis, and it’s a gorgeous mix!
So, time for another root through dome of the most interesting and exciting new videos. So, what delights do we have for you this week? How about Foreign Beggars and their council estate hip-hop? Check out the remix that kicks in toward the end of the track, potent stuff! From there we leap into some abrasive electro grooves courtesy of Uffie and ‘Pop The Glock’. With a Pharrell duet in her near future, check out Uffie before she gets massive! We’ve got funky electro tinged pop courtesy of Fenech Soler, and the promo for ‘Lies’, expect this to have people involuntarily taking to the dance floor, this is massively infectious stuff. Next up are the next pretenders to Girls Aloud’s UK pop throne. Bubbel G may have an awful name, but this is a great little pop tune and the video is certainly easy on the eye. Lastly, a complete change of direction as we visit idiosyncratic indie-folk darlings The Decemberists. ‘The Rake’s Song’ is a good little tune, but the video is brilliant, it wouldn’t be understating things to say that this may be the best we’ve yet hosted.
First up on this weeks video roundup we’ve got Wall Street Riots with ‘One More Ride’, it’s a tune built for alternative club nights, with a really dancebale beat thats sure to go down well with the punters. Then we have Mariachi El Bronx, the gonzo offshoot of the hardocre band, proving there’s more than one string to their bow. First Aid Kit are here too, with their first ever proper single, the rather lovely ‘Hard Believer’ comes out at the beginning of next month, but check out the video now to whet your appetite! Sergeant mix their influences (semional 80’s acts like Orange JUice and Aztec Camera) and blend us up a perfect anthem for the last days of summer, this is a truly lovely little gem and I’d really recommend having a look. Last, but by no means least, those Foreign Beggars return with a studio diary showing how they put their tunes together that makes for really interesting viewing.
It’s time once again to share some awesome videos with you, and first up we’ve got one of the very best we’ve ever seen! Foreign Beggars have made one of the best promo clips in a long while and certainly the most innovative and fun yet to pop up on the site here! Of course that’s not all, we’ve got Fake Problems too, they made waves at Leeds and Reading, check out this video to see why. Folkie favourites Mumford & Sons release new single ‘Little Lion Man’ at the end of the month, and we’ve got their video too. We go all urban with Brother Ali – we’re not huge on hip-hop here, but we like this a lot, it’s a wonderfully uplifting tune! Lastly, cuddly lothario Har Mar Superstar makes a welcome return to music, and we’ve got his new promo too – it’s about time!
