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!
Well, here we are, into March already, and there are so many singles on the desk this week that we’ve had to do two roundups. So, without any delay, let’s get cracking on the first…
WILL AND THE PEOPLE – Addicted
Myspace.com/willandthepeople
We saw these guys support Paulo Nutini late last year and were swept away by the sense of fun in their set and this song captures it perfectly. A tasty slice of pop that you’ll be whistling without even realising it, we like this… we like it a lot!
LATE OF THE PIER – Blueberry/Best In The Class Phantasy
The more astute of you may already be aware that Blueberry was released for download last year, but now it’s available on the vinyl too. To be honest though, the track lacks a punch and feels like three minutes of build up without the payoff, and it’s flip side (or the second mp3) isn’t too much better, a pity because there are some great ideas here that just need a little push to turn into flly fledged songs.
MUMFORD & SONS – The Cave
Island
We like Mumford and his progeny, and this track is a great example of why. Building slowly and, despite it’s simple and folksy sound, it swells into something gorgeous!
EXPATRIATE – Blackbird
Expatriate Music
A pinch of Killers, a hint of Elbow, all blended with plenty of Editors… this is a recipe for commercial rock. That said, it’s by no means bad and if it turned up on the radio, I’d be more inclined to raise the volume than change the station.
THE MISERABLE RICH – Somerhill
Humble Soul
I’ll be honest, prior to hearing this, I’d heard of these guys, but never actually listened to them. What an intro though, quirky music, charismatic vocals, this is stirring stuff indeed and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
It’s time once again for a roundup of the best videos to find their way to our inbox this week, so let’s see what we’ve got for you this time around!
First up we have Two Door Cinema Club with Undercover Martyn, the lead single from their forthcoming album. This is a superb slice of subtly angular indie pop that we think is well worth a look!
Rox is a hotly tipped young artist with a beautifully soulful vocal. We like her a lot and think you will too. Check out the video for My Baby Left Me and let us know what you think
We know Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg as First Aid Kit and we love them for their powerful and simple tunes and the lovely dual vocals. Check out I Met Up With The King and I think you’ll fall for them too.
Of course we couldn’t ignore the video for the latest release from Mumford & Sons. The Cave is one of our favourite tracks from their album, and this promo clip does it justice, keeping the visuals simple to let the sound dominate!
Last, but not least, we head behind the scenes on the making of Placebo’s new single Bright Lights, which is released tomorrow!
It’s time, once again for us to peruse the best and brightest videos that have popped up in our inbox over the past week or two. Lets start with Ctrl Z giving us a remixing masterclass as they show how they went about adding their own spin to a Freestylers classic. If you have any interest in creating your own tunes with computer programs, this is well worth a watch!
Next, we’ll change tack and lets check out the viedo for Mumford & Sons new video. Winter Winds is a cracking track and the clip isn’t too bad either!
If you’ve kept an eye on our news updates you’ll have read about the soundtrack for the forthcoming Flip skateboard movie. So, we thought it’s be good to have a peek behind the scenes to watch the likes of Lemmy and Snoop Dogg working on their tracks!
Let’s take a minute to mellow out again now. We reviewed Richard Walters’ new single a couple of weeks back, so we thought you might like to check out the promo clip for it too. So, here’s the video for Weather Song.
So, to the last video for this instalment. Irish indie-rockers Black Soul Strangers are beginning to make waves throughout the music press, so we thought it’d be a good idea to give you a heads up on them. Here’s a video interview for you to check out!
I have a confession to make… I was absolutely dreading listening to Mumford & Sons debut album. They’ve been the hype band of the year (you know, the one that bloke who claims to know everything about music keeps banging on about and claiming to have been watching for years…) and generally that means I won’t understand the appeal. Last year, for instance, it was Glasvegas that everyone was gushing over and I still can’t understand all the excitement. Anyway, back to this album. I was wrong.
There, I said it.
There’s a wonderfully rich old time Americana feel to Sigh No More. It’s the album I was hoping for when I first heard Fleet Foxes, impressive stuff for a bunch of Londoners! From the opening we have excellent musicianship, but this really comes to the fore with the beautiful ‘Winter Winds’, where Marcus Mumford’s very English folk vocal (it almost feels like an old madrigal) drifts over banjo, strings and even the odd horn, it’s a beautiful mix that is far better than the sum of it’s parts. Perhaps the best track here though is the haunting ‘White Blank Page’, a song that conjures up bleak winter mornings far from towns and cities in places where time seems to stand still… this is a stunning song.
Perhaps the greatest strength of this album lies in the fact that it feels like a lost old recording… it’s hardly going to feel out of date in a few weeks, is it?
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!
Following three limited edition 10″ EPs through Chess Club Recordings, Mumford & Sons are pleased to announce details of their eagerly anticipated debut album, and a special live event to premiere their new video.
The debut album, ‘Sigh No More’, will be released through Gentlemen Of The Road/Island Records on the 5th October. The album was produced by Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Bjork) at Eastcote Studios in London during the Spring.
‘Sigh No More’ will be preceded by a new single, ‘Little Lion Man’ on the 28th September (already declared by Zane Lowe as the ‘Hottest Record In The World Today’ on Radio 1), and Mumford & Sons are also pleased to announce a special video premiere of this new single in London on the 24th August at The Borderline.
Alongside the premiere of the video, the band will be performing an intimate live show.
Tickets are on sale now from www.wegottickets.com for £8.
Mumford & Sons will head out on a full UK tour throughout September and October to coincide with the releases:
24th August @ London, The Borderline (Little Lion Man Video Premiere + Live Performance)
12th September @ Glasgow, King Tuts
13th September @ Nottingham, Bodega
14th September @ Manchester, Ruby Lounge
15th September @ Bristol, Thekla
16th September @ London, Scala (SOLD OUT)
18th September @ Aberdeen, Café Drummonds
19th September @ Inverness, Loopalu
21st September @ Newcastle, The Cluny
22nd September @ Hull, Adelphi
23rd September @ Leeds, Cockpit
24th September @ Sheffield, The Plug
29th September @ Birmingham, Glee Club
30th September @ Oxford, Bullingdon
2nd October @ Norwich, Arts Centre
3rd October @ Tunbridge Wells, Forum
4th October @ Cambridge, Junction 2
6th October @ Brighton, Komedia
7th October @ Bath, Moles
8th October @ Southampton, Talking Heads
11th October @ Northampton, Roadmender
I have a confession to make… I was absolutely dreading listening to Mumford & Sons debut album. They’ve been the hype band of the year (you know, the one that bloke who claims to know everything about music keeps banging on about and claiming to have been watching for years…) and generally that means I won’t understand the appeal. Last year, for instance, it was Glasvegas that everyone was gushing over and I still can’t understand all the excitement. Anyway, back to this album. I was wrong.
