tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77595249480655315972011-11-28T00:24:03.501ZThe PopscenerModern Life Isn't RubbishThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.comBlogger2431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-32166632162032379332011-05-01T13:27:00.003+01:002011-05-01T14:55:43.747+01:00Revolution Rock: North African protest music
Musicians oil the wheels of change in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya
The news in 2011 has been dominated by regimes teetering over like disturbed dominos across North Africa. Brutal fighting between anti-government rebels and the strong arm of the ruling classes has already seen despots deposed in Tunisia and Egypt. Meanwhile, the prospect of a Benghazi bloodbath in Libya musicians. Mariah Carey’s The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-60275960509732988802011-04-10T16:20:00.004+01:002011-04-19T16:35:59.487+01:00Album Review: Panda Bear - TomboyThis review will feature in the April edition of Notion Magazine
For all the wild exaltation heaped on neo-psych savants Animal Collective, it seems the most dedicated of discerning musos have found greater kindred spirit in Panda Bear, the solo side project of AC founder-member Noah Lennox. Scene-screening blogs Tiny Mix Tapes and Gorilla vs. Bear both picked the last Panda Bear record, 2007’s The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-45991338335162939572011-04-10T15:44:00.000+01:002011-04-19T16:12:13.558+01:00Top 10 Rock DocumentariesIn honour of the release of the Foo Fighters' career-spanning documentary Back and Forth, we pick out some of the finest examples of the trials, tribulations and tantrums of rock stars ever committed to tape...
Don't Look Back – Bob Dylan
Dylan: truculence personified
Generally regarded by those in the know as the finest rock documentary of all time, D.A. Pennebaker's 1967 film follows Dylan The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-45160073403134145372011-04-06T23:50:00.002+01:002011-04-06T23:54:55.894+01:00Best Records of 2011: January, February and March - Part 2Part 2 of our round-up of the best albums released so far in 2011, featuring PJ Harvey and Black Francis.
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Universal/Island (14 February)
20 years into a career categorised by wilful eccentricity, flashes of genius and intermittent flirtations with a popular adoration about which she never seemed comfortable, Harvey’s eighth The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-46294383122374402852011-03-28T00:14:00.000+01:002011-04-06T01:02:46.796+01:00Best Records of 2011: January, February and March - Part 1From James Blake to Cloud Nothings, The Popscener provides a handy round-up of the records released so far in 2011 that you should have heard...
James Blake - James Blake
James Blake - James Blake
Atlas/A&M (7 February)
Those who dismissed this much-anticipated debut as the death of a dubstep producer and the birth of a genuine – read: boring – singer-songwriter missed the mark. The loopedThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-25773431637372673032011-03-23T22:53:00.001Z2011-03-23T22:55:47.041ZListen Up! No. 99: Architects of Grace - ReflectionThe brainchild of 30-something media professional Duncan Robert Illing - an admirably ill-hidden truth revealed by a simple Google search - and shrouded in the kind of gloomy, brooding promotional aesthetic one might associate with a Donnie Darko soundtrack, Architects of Grace should be a study in synth-pop miserablism. Me? I hear more Psychedelic Furs than Depeche Mode in the four bright, The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-76321631140246217122011-03-21T23:15:00.003Z2011-03-23T22:56:34.362ZListen Up! No. 98: The Strokes - GratisfactionThe Strokes' new album, Angles, has been given variously short shrift - "tired", "lazy", "lacking ideas" - by critics who seem at least partly pre-disposed to twist the knife. Sure, the band haven't helped themselves with a series of wretched interviews veering from disinterested to repulsed. And sure, it's no masterpiece. But then neither was Is This It?, and 'lacking ideas' - beyond the The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-25807159073724591032011-03-15T19:52:00.004Z2011-03-21T20:42:26.546ZListen Up! No. 97: Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me HighWhen LA female noise-pop quartet Dum Dum Girls' debut LP I Will Be surfaced last year, it felt like a missed opportunity. The had a look, built around the gutter-goth style sexual aura of frontwoman Dee Dee, which screamed alt-icons. They were well connected - East Coast pal Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs contributed guitar in the studio. Meanwhile, songs like 'Jail La La' proved a band The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-27407719833162483602011-03-13T19:07:00.002Z2011-03-21T20:42:06.843ZListen Up! No. 96: Bing Ji Ling - Move OnBing Ji Ling is the pseudonym of New York producer/writer/multi-instrumentalist Quinn Luke. When not pursuing his day job as one sixth (at last count) of marauding post-hippie troupe the Phenomenal Handclap Band, Luke apparently likes to indulge himself in a spot of breezy, feel-good '70s soul. On latest single 'Move On' (released earlier this month), he duly treads a fine line between a The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-88852342569995981982011-03-10T01:00:00.005Z2011-03-31T14:40:00.047+01:00Listen Up! No. 95: Art Brut - Unprofessional WrestlingArt Brut records have an uncanny knack of seeming as instantly disposable as an Eddie Argos bon mot, while invariably leaving you feeling as warm and fuzzy as the red wine, cheap cigarettes and pitiful romanticism around which their world is framed. You miss them, dearly, like an old friend from school you never realised you had so much in common with.
Luckily, fans haven't had to wait too long The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-42079461358267200512011-03-09T23:45:00.003Z2011-03-20T20:18:51.628ZAlbum Review: Bardo Pond - Bardo Pond
Bardo Pond: Transcending boundaries of meter and time
Noise-rock nearly men (and woman) return with first ear-splitting record for four years
Philadelphia sextet Bardo Pond don’t like change. 20 years and 8 records served, the band’s droning noise-rock and psych-folk flourishes remain comfortingly embalmed in post-alt-rock boom 1993. The songs still regularly breach the 10 minute mark – The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-88960699350968093572011-03-07T23:41:00.001Z2011-03-20T20:19:45.843ZInterview: Liam Bailey
Liam Bailey: Music to savour from this years soul saviour?
When Amy Winehouse founded Lioness records at the height of her tabloid nadir in late-2009 as a medium through which to promote the precocious talents of her 15-year old goddaughter, eyebrows were raised. Dionne Bromfield’s record of soul and Motown covers duly stumbled into the charts at 33. The vultures sniggered. But they were The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-68035051544806284082011-02-24T21:26:00.003Z2011-02-24T21:28:49.247ZPolitics/Music #6: Jekil and Hide
Party politics and rock ‘n’ roll. East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. Of course, I’m not intending to singlehandedly disregard and henceforth abolish the rich heritage of political rock and roll, but where parties are involved the motives, ways and means can turn sour. Imagine my surprise then to read that the Scottish National Party’s new year giftThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-23856818304275246222011-02-24T18:24:00.000Z2011-02-24T21:11:35.644ZAlbum Review: Banjo or Freakout - Banjo or Freakout
Yet another autonomous bedroom-introvert negotiating the psych-ambient divide under an unfathomable nom de guerre might not set the pulses racing, so Banjo or Freakout’s Alessio Natalizia at least has the good sense to have a mildly diverting back story. He grew up in a small medieval Italian town called Vasto. He started playing classical guitar at 8. He listened to Italian artists Claudio The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-14303784506553310602011-02-24T17:03:00.008Z2011-02-25T16:14:03.928ZIndependent Record Store Treasure HuntTwo of the most fun things one can get up to on a lazy Saturday afternoon - with your pants on, anyway - are visiting one of the few remaining independent record stores, or going on an elaborate treasure hunt for awesome prizes. Imagine our delight then, to find out that the cheerful directory-specialists over at Yell (that's like a digital Yellow Pages for those of you reading in black and whiteThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-76507540679301184312011-02-14T00:27:00.001Z2011-02-22T00:35:26.762ZAlbum Review: Wye Oak - Civilian
Baltimore, Maryland duo Wye Oak’s first two records, 2007’s If Children and 2009’s The Knot, sounded like a band with the all the tools required to be master-sculptors or their art, but one lacking in the requisite experience – and often direction – to fashion something truly worthy. Although their enviable ear for a hook was plainly manifested, the songs’ attempts to subvert de rigueur ‘trends’The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-12689622719955764992011-02-11T15:43:00.001Z2011-02-18T15:44:10.871ZAlbum Review: Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
Ever wondered what the Super Furry Animals get up to on tour? The sex, the drugs? The indie rock ’n’ roll? Well, according to SFA frontman Gruff Rhys, the one boundary of decadence most often pushed is the pilfering of vast quantities of hotel toiletries. Such was the childlike enthusiasm and wonder with which Rhys approached professional touring after the band signed with Creation in 1996, he’sThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-37827496074748169492011-02-07T20:39:00.000Z2011-03-21T20:41:08.122ZListen Up! No. 94: Black Francis - Bad NewsEccentric as ever he is, in 2008 former Pixies master of ceremonies Black Francis knocked up a film score to compliment German silent-film The Golem: How He Came Into The World for a screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Quite what bespectacled art-house film buffs in tweed jackets and corduroys made of it is anyone's guess, but Francis thought the score worthy enough of a The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-17010090740811165842011-02-04T21:03:00.001Z2011-02-08T21:11:02.056ZAlbum Review: Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo - Almanac
Emily Barker is something of an enigma. The Australian born singer-songwriter has, since forming alt-folk outfit The Low Country back in 2002, racked up several remarkable musical milestones. She has enjoyed a critical kudos which has dutifully persisted from her earliest output through two outings with current foil the Red Clay Halo. She has toured with luminaries such as Jose Gonzalez. She The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-13066731887023639352011-01-31T17:29:00.000Z2011-01-31T17:29:33.113ZListen Up! No.93: Swimming - Sun in the IslandMidlands quintet Swimming’s debut release on East Village Radio records sounds like an amalgamation of the most humdrum of jargonated indie-speak and rock wittery... ‘kaleidoscopes of sound’, ‘sonic exploration’, ‘textural dexterity’, ‘waves of electronica decorating a psych-ambient canvas’ – just the kind of verbose guff you might be used to reading on these very pages, then. Thankfully, the The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-7965896991057875382011-01-31T00:54:00.000Z2011-01-31T00:54:16.940ZListen Up! No. 92: Liam Bailey - You Better Leave MeHaving got rather excited about this Nottingham newcomer's star turn amidst the hedonistic drum'n'pop of Chase and Status' 'Blind Faith', not to mention last year's sublime lo-fi EP 2AM Rough Tracks, it's both a joy and a relief to find that Liam Bailey's forthcoming debut solo single - due to be released on March 13 - is a winner. On 'You Better Leave Me' he slides seemlessly into neo-soul mode,The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-6304179577056981552011-01-26T16:17:00.001Z2011-01-26T16:18:15.452ZListen Up! No. 91: Anna Calvi - BlackoutWith an album mostly pitched somewhere close to the refined, emancipated fem-rock of PJ Harvey, Londoner Anna Calvi was a predictable choice for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. A worthy one, too, as her startling self-titled debut veers between wee-hours, hushed minimalism and borderline-symphonic collages of sound with some distinction. However, such ethereal indulgences don't always translate to The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-14008965253403496162011-01-24T13:18:00.000Z2011-01-24T13:18:55.002ZListen Up! No. 90: Glasvegas - The World Is YoursAlways seemingly teertering on the edge of a precipice of self-destruction - just as their obvious stylistic and musical reference point The Jesus and Mary Chain always did - some wondered if Dalmarnock anti-heroes Glasvegas would ever re-emerge intact to deliver a riposte to their stunning debut. Writer's block, a malcontented drummer and the perils of fame and fortune might have led singer The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-43138154614850464872011-01-19T20:58:00.001Z2011-01-19T21:00:38.590ZListen Up! No. 89: Cage the Elephant - Shake Me DownBemused as you, me or anyone else - besides whoever is buying the records, ofcourse - may be that this Kentucky quintet's middle-ranking, wholly derivative alternative rock has pierced the upper echelons of the Billboard charts with second album Thank You, Happy Birthday (currently sitting at #2), you can't help but admit their stones. They are to Jay Reatard's earlier output what Tokyo Police The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-5238740190834406092011-01-17T23:54:00.000Z2011-01-17T23:54:33.823ZListen Up! No. 88: Wire - Bad Worn ThingWatford's avant-garde punk pioneers Wire returned earlier this month with Red Barked Tree, their twelfth studio album and first since 2008. Amidst the familiar mixture of hand-on-heart four-chord calls to arms, nuanced, expertly manufactured textures and intrepid lyrical explorations of pop culture lies a sparkling pop jewel of a song. At once inhabiting new territory and still somehow The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-42398410791346335062011-01-17T23:29:00.001Z2011-01-17T23:30:58.878ZListen Up! No. 87: Austra - Beat and PulseThe latest signing to Domino Records, Canadian bedroom-beat artiste Austra (or Katie Stelmanis) takes the label's usual ear for fresh, saleable young talent and reroutes it into a leftfield world of metronomic menace and dark entrancement on debut single 'Beat and Pulse'. The Knife might be a glaringly immediate reference point, but the motorik chug high in the mix gives an inescapable Krautrock The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-68894504681934391832011-01-15T11:58:00.000Z2011-01-15T11:58:50.338ZListen Up! No. 86: Lykke Li - I Follow RiversSwedish singer Lykke Li may already have earned her stripes as the artist du jour where stark, haunting electro for finger-on-the-pulse indie kids is concerned, but new single 'I Follow Rivers' - taken from upcoming sophomore record Wounded Rhymes - also suggests she has the chart chops to boot. No less gothic than her previous efforts, the track adds a hint of Balearic beat and a Gaga-esque The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-67746188189795494242011-01-13T20:41:00.001Z2011-01-13T20:42:51.338ZListen Up! No.85: Alex Winston - Don't Care About AnythingMuch-fawned over Detroit siren Alex Winston shows she has the handle on the twiddly stuff as well as chart-friendly pop-crossovers and advertisement soundtracks with a new song, gleaned from forthcoming mini-album Sister Wife. With production duties split between Florence and the Machine co-conspirator Charlie Hugall and Rihanna right-hand men The Knocks, you'll know roughly what to expect when The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-79245669366435299022011-01-08T16:42:00.001Z2011-01-11T00:11:07.171ZListen Up! No.84: Chase & Status feat. Liam Bailey - Blind FaithLondon producers Saul 'Chase' Milton and Will 'Status' Kennard shot to prominence thanks to 2009's 'End Credits', a collaboration with rapper-cum-blue-eyed soul singer Plan B which was featured in the Michael Caine film Harry Brown. Their second album, No More Idols, will drop later this month, and if the lead single is anything to go by, it could be a hot seller. 'Blind Faith' adds an early '90sThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-52709584100229876872011-01-08T00:34:00.001Z2011-01-08T00:35:32.091ZListen Up! No. 83: The Lionheart Brothers - The DesertNorwegian quartet The Lionheart Brothers serve notice of their impending second record, due later this year and as-yet untitled, with new track 'The Desert'. They've reigned in the bright psychedelic tones of their well-received (and Norwegian Grammy nominated) debut, 2008's Dizzy Kiss, instead opting to decorate a pulsing rhythm section with murky vocals and a blizzard of pitch-shifting shoegazeThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-73952436949033328172011-01-06T00:01:00.000Z2011-01-06T00:01:54.819ZListen Up! No. 82: The Vaccines - Post Break-Up SexFurther fruits of their labours from a 2-week recording stint at RAK studios back in Autumn 2010, forthcoming single 'Post Break-Up Sex' (released 24 January) sees UK rock n' roll's latest pre-eminent 'Bright Young Things' further sand the edges off what began as a somewhat-thrilling, splintered indie-punk sound. Let's hope it's the obligatory landfill ballad for the Columbia execs, and not a The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-12951971497101061682011-01-03T23:42:00.000Z2011-01-05T23:44:46.872ZListen Up! No. 81: Tennis - BaltimoreAfter making their name via leaked demo tracks - how very 21st Century - this married couple from Denver, Colorado sparked enough interest in their familiar take on glassy-eyed dream pop with a Spector-esque '60s hum to win themselves backing from Young and Lost Club, and have readied their first official releases for early 2011. Debut single 'Baltimore', which drops later this month, sounds likeThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-85787322168170265382010-12-29T17:47:00.000Z2010-12-29T17:47:50.124ZAlbums of the Year 2010: 5-1
You've seen the albums that nearly made it, and the ones we couldn't stand; now it's time to reveal the Popscener's records of the year 2010. It's the final countdown...
5. These New Puritans - Hidden (Angular/Domino)
Proof that innovation is alive and well outside the claustrophobia and one-upmanship of London’s inner city scenes, Southend-on-Sea’s genre-hopping The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-2959196059727348022010-12-28T16:29:00.003Z2010-12-28T16:39:13.131ZWorst Records of 2010
Hadouken!: PLEASE MAKE IT STOP...
Amidst the abundance of wonderful, inspiring records released in 2010, there were also a handful of stinkers so unspeakably bad that they deserve to be shamed. Some were merely coma-inducingly tedious, others were self-important in epic proportions; the worst were so sadistically unlistenable they would cause nightmares for even the leastThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-78257934229558577392010-12-27T16:52:00.006Z2010-12-29T19:32:16.081ZAlbums of the Year 2010: 15-6
The Soft Pack: Instantly likeable and eminently listenable
Part two of the best albums of 2010, as chosen by the Popscener...
15. Vampire Weekend - Contra (XL)
Still in thrall to Paul Simon and his adventures in Afrobeat, the unashamedly preppy New York quartet nonetheless put their Columbia book-smarts to more considered effect than on the carefree frolic of their debut. The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-84945828243703474112010-12-26T22:07:00.003Z2010-12-26T22:29:54.134ZSongs of the Year 2010: 25-1
Japandroids: Chords for celebration
No gimmicks, just part two of the run-down of the best 50 songs (including album tracks and singles) of 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...
25. These New Puritans – Drum Courts (Hidden, Angular/Domino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAtzrQtNJfU
24. Shimmering Stars – I'm Gonna Try (n/a, Almost Musique)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-24802429511286727272010-12-23T23:03:00.003Z2010-12-23T23:12:26.341ZSongs of the Year 2010: 50-26
Wolf Parade: Oh YES, old things...
No gimmicks, just a run-down of the best 50 songs (including album tracks and singles) of 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...
50. Kelis – Acapella (Flesh Tone, Interscope)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8D9xCBcfzw
49. Pernice Brothers – Fucking and Flowers (Goodbye, Killer, Ashmont Records)
Spotify link
48. Jenny and Johnny – Big Wave (I’m The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-34561220714639311072010-12-23T19:46:00.009Z2010-12-24T04:07:12.413ZAlbums of the Year 2010: 25-16
Part one of the best 25 albums released in 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...
25. Black Francis - Nonstoperotik (Cooking Vinyl)
The Pixies man returned to twisted, ingenious form on Nonstoperotik, which could have been the soundtrack to a film-noir/porn crossover with Francis as the lusty master-criminal protagonist.
24. Best Coast - Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
Bethany The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-31445622352841318382010-12-23T12:06:00.002Z2010-12-23T12:06:59.802ZInterview: Shimmering Stars
Shimmering Stars: Rock 'n' Roll saviours?
Having forthrightly plugged Shimmering Stars’ latest single, ‘I’m Gonna Try’ (released last Monday), which made a late run for one of my favourite songs of the year, I thought it might be an idea to talk to let the charming Vancouver quartet introduce themselves and do some plugging of their own. I caught up with singer/guitarist RoryThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-1152994049367762052010-12-22T15:11:00.003Z2010-12-23T19:56:37.924ZAlbums of the Year 2010 - Honourable Mentions
MGMT: 'Congratulations' for the honourable mention
It's that time of year again! Over the past couple of weeks, music hacks the world over have been holing themselves up in dimly lit bedrooms, agonising for literally moments over whether they prefer The National or Arcade Fire's chord changes, or desperately racking their brains for that obscure, enigmatic pick that will The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-76393424667070324582010-12-20T22:40:00.001Z2010-12-20T22:41:19.951ZBrief Lives: 5 Tracks from 2010's Dearly DepartedWith every year that passes, another sorry constellation of musical bright lights see their stars burn out forever, their souls going to join John, Freddie, Jimi and the rest in rock-star Valhalla. Whilst any passing life is distressing to contemplate, at least musicians can continue to touch people posthumously through a legacy which will far outlive them, and may even grow in breadth, stature The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-62067424778020802012010-12-18T23:07:00.003Z2010-12-19T23:54:02.494ZListen Up! No. 80: The High Wire - Pump Your Little HeartThe third single from this London quintet's criminally underrated album The Sleep Tape, which dropped in March, 'Pump Your Little Heart' sounds like the last sighs of a destructive relationship, wrapped up in dizzy dream-pop, where guitars fade in and out of consciousness and dashed hopes rise like log-fire smoke with each breathy vocal line. It's tailor made for a day snowed in with a saucepan The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-82888775405889122262010-12-17T12:46:00.002Z2010-12-19T13:09:24.583ZListen Up! No. 79: The Loves - December Boy'60s pastiche past masters The Loves return in the new year with their final album, ...Love You, the culmination of a decade long career for musical lynchpin Simon Love and an ever-changing support cast that has spawned a string of delightfully throwaway singles and four patchier but ultimately likeable records. Despite a vocal on latest effort 'December Boy' that sounds uncannily like a female The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-10894807685042023812010-12-16T10:35:00.000Z2010-12-19T02:59:57.314ZListen Up! No. 78: The Milk - 54-46 Was My NumberFour white boys from Essex - who almost called themselves Nigel Winterbottom and the Flat Back Four - playing a knees-up knockabout mix of motown, soul, ska and '60s r'n'b? Really? Hearing is believing, and skeptics beware: not many unsigned bands would have the cojones to take on the blissful reggae-swing of Toots and the Maytals' '54-46 Was My Number'; less still could make it their own by The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-36309535483997557512010-12-14T02:08:00.000Z2010-12-19T02:09:48.117ZFirst Aid Kit and Dungen for Third Man Records' Blue Series releasesThird Man Records' Blue Series will continue in January 2011, serving up a two-course menu of Swedish artistry, with Jack White once again taking on production duties.
Critically acclaimed Stockholm psyche-rock quartet Dungen are first up, releasing two new tracks - including the "psych-pop odyssey" 'Oga Nasa Mum' - on 11 January.
The following week (18 January), all-girl duo First Aid Kit willThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-84614825463598052802010-12-12T10:48:00.000Z2010-12-15T00:45:14.801ZPolitics/Music #5: Bad ReligionCheck out my politicsSLASHmusic column in this month's splendid Notion Magazine as I offer up some free PR work for punk-rock legends Bad Religion and their excellent new record, reliving my youth as a 15-year old punk in long-shorts and Vans hoodies in the process. Includes a potted history of the band's finest sub-30 minute classics, plus an exploration of how they fitted into the early-80s The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-24048086718183508052010-12-09T14:17:00.000Z2010-12-14T01:14:47.474ZListen Up! No. 77: Wye Oak - CivilianBaltimore duo Wye Oak will make a welcome return in March 2011 with their third album, Civilian, due to be released through the City Slang label. The title track, available below, is a typically foreboding little folk number that suddenly erupts in a gleeful crescendo of shimmering distortion as it reaches its conclusion. Add them to next year's 'wish list' if you haven't already.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-88877756272704830692010-12-07T15:33:00.000Z2010-12-14T00:53:22.346ZYou Animals give away free EP for ChristmasDerby sextet You Animals are offering a free download EP to anyone who signs up for their mailing list before Christmas day.
The band - whose reliance on instant melodies and a bustling rhythms bring to mind a less plaintive Tokyo Police Club - have recorded leftfield alternate takes of two tracks ('What You Want/What You Need' and 'What A Shame, Lorraine') set to feature on their debut album, The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-47662167276823487782010-12-04T23:57:00.000Z2010-12-13T23:59:19.799ZListen Up! No. 76: Here We Go Magic - CasualLuke Temple's Brooklyn psychedelia merchants serve up another rhythmic swirl of repeated guitar figures and chugging atmospherics, taken from their 2nd LP, Pigeons, which was released back in May. Unremarkable, perhaps, save for a bizarrely unnerving video - overseen by Kodak Vision Award winning young directors Nat Livingston Johnson and Gregory Mitnick - which features gallons of fake blood andThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-29714074244139841392010-12-02T18:22:00.000Z2010-12-08T23:51:40.018ZListen Up! No. 75: Shimmering Stars - I'm Gonna TrySimple '60s doo-wop melodies, full-band harmonies and understated production values? Ten seconds in and you might think you've heard it all before - and recently - but Vancouver quartet Shimmering Stars offer something more substantial than many of bands contributing to this year's surf-pop zeitgeist. They're singing about love, not lust, and not through a haze of weed smoke; instead a sense of The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-26253755596602821412010-12-01T23:23:00.001Z2010-12-08T23:26:32.752ZListen Up! No. 74: Harrys Gym - Old ManIcier than the involuntary December speed-skate to the tube, but balanced with such lush production you'll dream you're wrapped up cosily in a log cabin; those Scandinavians (Norwegians, in this instance) certainly know their way through the brooding, ethereal pop forest.
Harrys Gym - Old Man from heide on Vimeo.
You can also pick up a free remix of this track by heading here to download.The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-4239785297984311532010-11-26T14:13:00.001Z2010-11-27T02:15:51.161ZWave Pictures announce new singleMisanthropic quirkophiles The Wave Pictures return this month with a new 7" single, 'Jonny Helm Sings'.
The three tracks are sung by Pictures' drummer Jonny Helm (the clue's in the title), and showcase a stripped down interpretation of their usual brand of twisted indie-pop. However, seasoned fans will be pleased to know there are still plenty of lyrical bon mots on offer.
The band had also The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-89586788290292769702010-11-25T13:48:00.000Z2010-11-27T01:57:16.351ZListen Up! No. 73: Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo - Little DeathsBAFTA Award-winning Australian songwriter Emily Barker sings wistful, undulating songs with a endearingly breathy fragility. It's as if she's staring out of a window at rolling hills, her gentle ruminations and lightly strummed guitar later commited to a tape of Red Clay Halo's more than capable accompaniment. At once melancholy and uplifting, minor in key but major in depth, this kicks the crap The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-69460768676363150682010-11-23T18:34:00.001Z2010-11-27T01:12:15.064ZListen Up! No. 72: Cerebral Ballzy - Insufficient FareRe-invigorated by Bad Religion's best record for almost a decade, I've been telling anyone who'll listen for the past month or so that punk-rock is cool again. Here's the proof - in hardcore form - for the uber-trendies who hitherto refused to believe me. They're from Brooklyn (tick it off, uber-trendies) but they're also ethnically diverse, and you won't see them in oversized sweaters and deck The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-38427469001333525962010-11-22T12:23:00.001Z2010-11-22T12:23:35.285ZFree Download: Asobi Seksu - TrailsBrooklyn noise-pop quartet Asobi Seksu are back, armed with beautiful new track 'Trails' to fill the guitar-pedal shaped hole in your life until their fourth full-lengther, Fluorescence, drops on 14 February 2011.
This one showcases a slightly more 60s-ish vibe than the pitch (im)perfect dreamy shoegaze delivered on their finest effort to date, 2007's Citrus. However, they wear it well, meaning The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-56080249816475726192010-11-18T15:04:00.001Z2010-11-21T19:08:41.327ZListen Up! No. 71: Palmyra Delran - Shut OutFormerly the songwriter/guitarist in forgotten 90s trash-rockers The Friggs, Palmyra Delran shows she's not averse to staying on trend with new single, 'Shut Out', her first new material to surface since 2008's debut EP She Digs The Ride. Despite half a Hole-ish nod to her 90s roots, on 'Shut Out' Delran still positions herself comfortably amongst this year's noisy, female fronted The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-75966392686929516192010-11-17T15:16:00.005Z2010-11-17T15:22:36.457ZBest Coast and Wavves team up for Christmas track
Sunglasses and hotpants, trust us
In a move emulating every warehouse-party-going wear-your-jean-hotpants-and-shades-in-November (and that's just the blokes) Shoreditch resident's wet dream, pre-eminent US surf types Best Coast and Wavves have teamed up to create a Christmas song, 'Got Something For You'.
The winter warmer has been thrown together for Target's Christmas Gig compilation, and The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-68514281720698088602010-11-17T12:37:00.003Z2010-11-17T15:26:03.894ZListen Up! No. 70: Napoleon IIIrd - The Unknown UnknownComing across a bit like punk Caribou - heartier, less clinical and more songful than his stateside contemporary - Leeds troubadour Napoleon IIIrd honed his craft playing the country's toilet-circuit armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and a few laptop loops. With a grand name, and big ideas to boot, new record Christiana (which dropped last Monday) should get him the credit he The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-27592561600276279532010-11-16T20:21:00.000Z2010-11-16T20:21:42.743ZListen Up! No. 69: Two Wounded Birds - Keep Dreaming BabyHaving been picked up by The Drums guitarist Jacob Graham's online music venture, Holiday Records, and been tacked onto the US band's support for their ongoing European tour, medway upstarts Two Wounded Birds are now flying dangerously close to an airspace marked "better than The Drums at their own game". Slightly less obvious and, consequently, slightly more rewarding, single 'Keep Dreaming BabyThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-83603831812603537542010-11-10T19:05:00.002Z2010-11-10T19:07:24.458ZPulp reform: 5 great songs from Britpop's forgotten heroesIt probably won't have escaped your attention that Pulp have reformed to headline a handful of shows next summer, notably London's Wireless and Barcelona's Primavera Sound festivals.
Whilst their motives might have more to do with large lorries turning up at Jarvis and chums' houses stuffed with pristinely rolled 50 pound notes than personal reconcilliation or 'the music', it's still ruddy good The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-14924583828529738182010-11-10T18:07:00.000Z2010-11-10T18:07:28.511ZFree Track: Beady Eye - Bring the LightOasis (or 'Beady Eye' if we're nitpicking) signalled their Noel-less second coming yesterday by offering up a free track, 'Bring the Light', to whet the appetite for next year's projected full-lengther.
And you know what? It's not bad. Not bad at all. Sure, it goes round in ever-decreasing lyrical circles, and features all the of technical virtuosity of, well, Oasis. But Liam's throaty whine The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-10689923599448299882010-11-08T09:44:00.003Z2010-11-08T09:46:32.418ZFree Download: The Duke Spirit - ProcessionAlt-rock quintet The Duke Spirit have heralded their hotly anticipated return by giving away two brand new tracks, 'Procession' and 'Everybody's Under Your Spell', as a free downloads.
The band, who shaved the UK top-40 with debut record Cuts Across The Land back in 2005, are set to release their third long-player in February.
Check out the widget for 'Procession' below, or head over to The The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-12649989213823809232010-11-07T16:40:00.001Z2010-11-07T16:40:45.781ZNew Video: The Drums - Me and the MoonBrooklyn trendies The Drums have unveiled a new video for forthcoming single 'Me and the Moon', which hits the stores on December 13.
The track is the fourth single to be released from the band's eponymously titled debut, which peaked at number sixteen on the UK Album Charts back in June. It is also the first to be released since founding guitarist Adam Kessler left back in September.
The The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-40371144697440045102010-11-06T15:33:00.001Z2011-01-24T20:34:59.761ZFree Track: The Wombats - Jump Into The FogScouse rapscallions The Wombats have released a new track, 'Jump Into The Fog', which can be downloaded for free on their website.
The song is taken from their forthcoming record, set to drop on 10 February 2011, and was recorded with Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand co-conspirator Rich Costey.
Those used to the immediate hooks and driving pop-punk rhythms of their debut may be left disappointedThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-14731259175876583612010-11-04T12:45:00.001Z2010-11-04T12:46:29.547ZWhite Lies announce new record 'Ritual'Die-hard Joy Revisionists White Lies have released details of their forthcoming sophomore record, Ritual, which will drop on 18 January.
Produced by world-renowned mixing-desk man Alan Moulder, the record is the follow-up to the Ealing band's chart-topping debut To Lose My Life.
Having caught the band headlining Shoreditch Town Hall last month, I can reveal that the new tracks sound like Joy The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-76555382758860459622010-11-03T21:41:00.000Z2010-11-03T21:41:53.119ZJack White produced Laura Marling single gets limited Rough Trade releaseTwo songs recorded by British folk starlet Laura Marling with White Stripes frontman Jack White are to be released on a limited edition run of 7' vinyl next Saturday, 13 November.
The tracks, recorded as part of Third Man Records' 'Blues Series' collection of special one-off releases, will be available on tri-colour vinyl exclusively through Rough Trade East record store on Brick Lane, London.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-74348280060561874422010-11-03T21:22:00.001Z2010-11-03T21:23:09.503ZListen Up! No. 68: Belle and Sebastian - Come On SisterOne of Britain's most endearing and enduring bands, Belle and Sebastian returned last month with their 8th studio album, Write About Love, recorded with de rigueur chart-indie producer Tony Hoffman. However, the Fratellis this ain't; instead the Scottish 7-piece have created another beautifully conceived mix of quirky guitar-pop and misty-eyed baroque ballads, tied together thematically by words The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-70650876393442672652010-11-02T13:58:00.008Z2010-11-06T15:47:36.038ZInterview: Everything EverythingInterview with Manchester-based art-rock chart champions Everything Everything. Check out the condensed version over at Spoonfed.co.uk, or the expanded reissue below.
Hype can be a poisoned chalice. The balloon can quickly burst on some poor feted next big thing, whether commercially or critically. Worse still, a band can be left trailing in the triumphant wake of their like-minded peers, The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-11417643646207049792010-10-30T16:13:00.001+01:002010-10-31T17:32:39.407ZListen Up! No. 67 - The Horn The Hunt - Old Town CowBedroom-electronica with an urban-folk slant, this Leeds lot borrow liberally from those Swedish masters of icy dance landcapes, The Knife. And I thought Knife crime was on the wane. Still, when they're this good at impersonations, who can blame them? Perfect winter listening.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-80024658739209425812010-10-30T16:00:00.001+01:002010-10-30T16:01:49.328+01:00You Say Party We Say Die Unveil New VideoBritish Columbia dance-punk types You Say Party We Say Die have debuted the new video for forthcoming single 'Lonely's Lunch'.
Shot in Mumbai, the vid shows bizarre gas-masked and boiler-suited baddies chasing an unfortunate victim for reasons I couldn't begin to fathom. Meanwhile the song kinda rocks.
They've also just released a new record, REMIXXXX - full of remixes, no less - and are The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-43390001268465030282010-10-28T14:32:00.000+01:002010-10-28T14:32:30.798+01:00Listen Up! No. 66: Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. - The Night Last Night
I hadn't planned on becoming a de facto PR chief for Ronson's ever expanding Business Intl. empire. However, faced with Record Collection - an album saturated with stylish, groove-endebted contemporary pop classics - I was forced to reconsider my role. This gorgeous collaboration with Rose Elinor Dougall is the record's highlight, her vocal oozing an elegant melancholy which adds a higher The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-26085122899300376602010-10-28T12:25:00.000+01:002010-10-28T12:25:17.970+01:00Politics/Music #4: New New Labour and Brothers in ArmsGo and check out the PoliticsSlashMusic column in this month's Notion Magazine for a (not very) detailed exploration of the Miliband's infighting and the death of New Labour. And then a few columns of guff about brothers in bands who liked to fight one another, like The Kinks and Oasis. You can thank me later.
The article can be found on page 37 using the Digital Reader at the following link:
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-71182411620090084372010-10-28T12:06:00.001+01:002010-10-28T12:07:16.120+01:00The View give away free trackScotch indie-disco favourites The View have announced that they will be giving away a brand new song for free this Monday, 1 November.
The track, 'Sunday', will be available to download via their website, www.theviewareonfire.com. It will be featured on their as-yet-untitled new record, which is due to drop this Spring and was helmed by London producer Youth. The band will be debuting tracks The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-86554651963166888882010-10-28T11:48:00.003+01:002010-10-28T12:07:58.240+01:00Be a star with cheeky new HP video campaignWant to be a star? For those of you who wish you had a bit more glamour and glitz in your lives (who wouldn't?), electronics-wizards HP have the short-term answer. They've cooked up one of those fab video skits where you upload a photo and become the star of said video. You can make your own over at http://www.hp.com/uk/star. In the meantime, here's mine:
What I like best is how they've reallyThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-80126701861664051242010-10-25T10:05:00.001+01:002010-10-25T10:08:12.471+01:00Listen Up! No. 65: The Walkmen - Blue As Your BloodThe New York quintet prove two things with new record Lisbon - firstly, there is life after 'The Rat', it's just taken them six years to come to terms with it. Secondly, 'singer' Hamilton Leithauser can, er, 'sing', which adds an agreeably tender slant to the band's lived-in approach to melody. Things are looking up then.
Here's one of the best cuts from Lisbon, 'Blue as Your Blood':
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-89764686450856896372010-10-23T01:31:00.003+01:002010-10-23T01:34:44.993+01:00Listen Up! No. 64: Young Rebel Set - Measure of a ManAnything that manages to sound like Suggs' cover of 'Cecilia' and Deacon Blue not only deserves a pat on the Ricky Ross, but is probably also worth a listen. Go on then.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-56628040639400180762010-10-20T17:30:00.000+01:002010-10-20T17:30:05.414+01:00Seefeel announce first record for 15 yearsSeminal Warp favourites Seefeel have released deatils of their first new record for 15 years, set to drop on 7 February 2011.
The band, who according to Warp co-founder Steve Beckett were the first signing to the label "who had guitars", reunited in the studio after playing the Warp 20th anniversary bash in Paris last year.
The new record, which is to be self-titled, is the band's first since The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-16381577386976165882010-10-19T18:24:00.002+01:002010-10-19T18:26:12.749+01:00Miles Kane single Inhaler and first ever London showFormer Rascal and bonafide Alex Turner chum Miles Kane has announced his first ever London solo show.
The gig will take place at the Monto Water Rats Theatre in Kings Cross on November 23, following dates in the likes of Liverpool and Manchester earlier that month.
The gig will coincide with the release of his new single, 'Inhaler', which not only drops the day before, but also reminds me The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-50368289079433228052010-10-19T17:43:00.002+01:002010-10-19T17:44:17.483+01:00Magic Kids add new date to UK tourBeach Boys soundalikes Magic Kids have added an extra date to their forthcoming UK tour, which kicks off tonight in Oxford.
The quintet will be touring their excellent debut album, Memphis, which excited me enough to blog about it a a month or so ago.
They'll now be playing two nights in London, having added a show Upstairs at the Garage on October 27 to warm up for their show at the Lexington The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-18753998917043893382010-10-19T14:37:00.000+01:002010-10-19T14:37:00.129+01:00Listen Up! No. 63: Emanuel and the Fear - Jimme's SongHotly-tipped New York City eleven-peice (yes, eleven) Emanuel and the Fear offer up another slice of ochestral rock 'n' roll with this special live version of 'Jimme's Song'.
Their debut record Listen has had critics on both sides of the pond salivating at the pristine orchestral flourishes, and this version brings a welcome touch of the good ol' fashioned wig-outs to the table. Highly The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-4225130843201392382010-10-18T17:38:00.001+01:002010-10-18T18:26:29.662+01:00Klaxons New Single and Extra Tour DatesKlaxons return to boost the lukewarm reception to their sophomore record Surfing The Void with new single 'Twin Flames'.
Unfortunately, they're as shoddy at finishing videos in time as they are at producing second albums - which is a shame as the track is head and shoulders above the rest of the dross they've served up recently.
While they wait for the acid comedown to complete work on the realThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-60966621546713898502010-10-17T16:28:00.000+01:002010-10-17T16:28:02.452+01:00Sean Lennon project debuts new trackThe Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, the musical collaboration between Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, have premiered new track 'Jardin Du Luxembourg' over on Stereogum.
The dreamy acoustic number features nods to 60's folk-pop and the unmistakable hint of father John's voice in Sean Lennon's vocal delivery.
Orginially released as a Mark Ronson-produced 7 inch, the track has now had a gentlerThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-3464288925332090872010-10-17T14:00:00.001+01:002010-10-17T14:01:55.690+01:00Live Review: The Joy Formidable at Koko, Camden, 14 October 2010Live review of The Joy Formidable headlining the NME Radar Tour at Koko in Camden on 14 October 2010 for Subba-Cultcha.com.
If the ever-expanding number of NME tours tells us one thing, it’s that the demand for seeing bands work their magic in the live arena has never been greater. We’re constantly told that it’s touring, not record sales, that is keeping all but the very highest echelons The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-15276953646506034392010-10-15T20:06:00.001+01:002010-10-15T20:06:23.442+01:00Carla Bruni Cover of Bowie the Worst in Pop History?Carla Bruni's cover of Bowie classic 'Absolute Beginners' is one of the "worst covers in the history of rock" music, according to Telegraph critic Jean Daniel Beauvallet.
The French rock writer goes on to say: "I find the cover insignificant, a rush-job, badly recorded and badly produced as if done between a cigar and a glass of eau de vie".
Bruni joined musicians such as Duran Duran and The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-70904589245110848792010-10-15T19:38:00.000+01:002010-10-15T19:38:33.739+01:00Harper Blynn Announce New EPBrooklyn indie-rockers Harper Blynn have released details of a new 5-track EP set for release in October.
The shaggy-haired quartet recorded the as-yet untitled EP at Ben Folds studio in Nashville, Texas. It will feature recorded version of tracks such as Models and Dancers and Bound To Break, both of which have been doing the rounds during their recent live sets.
Here's a taster of what to The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-9212509963348945252010-10-15T19:18:00.001+01:002010-10-15T19:19:31.254+01:00Video Exclusive: Mark Ronson - Somebody To Love MeImpeccably bequiffed tastemaker Mark Ronson has premiered the video for new single 'Somebody To Love Me'.
Featuring songwriting/performance credits from a high calibre coterie of supporting artists, including Boy George and Jake Shears, Ronson's latest would-be smash further hones his connoisseurs ear for danceable hits.
This one adds a dash of afrobeat-ish rhythmic shape to the usual dose of The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-6691042833053292892010-10-15T19:02:00.004+01:002010-10-15T19:06:20.405+01:00FHM After Dark Special
Listen up men! FHM are once again spreading their exquisite taste in women, culture and the finer points of modern life with a brand new After Dark Special issue. This month's essential reading features an exclusive 16-page 'sexy vampire' showdown, covering the hottest totty from the current craze of vampire-related TV and film.
Ever wondered what 'Twilight' goody-two-shoes Angela Webber (The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-8444232648763296782010-10-14T12:54:00.000+01:002010-10-14T12:54:03.683+01:00French Horn Rebellion Announce New EP and VideoSynth-pop duo French Horn Rebellion have released details of a brand new EP, This Moment, which will be released on 22 November by Once Upon A Time Records.
The EP will feature 'This Moment' as well as new track 'Last Summer', plus remixes of the former track by hip East Village producer Kap10Kurt, amongst others.
There aren't any UK tour dates in the offing at present, but we can only hope.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-18121419560495470612010-10-14T12:20:00.000+01:002010-10-14T12:20:55.759+01:00Free Game: 56 Sage Street
A free game? From a high street bank? Apparently those cheerful money-lending types over at Barclays don't just give me free money at the back-end of my student account then (thanks guys), they also commission very playable office time-wasters such as 56 Sage Street.
This isn't your average stick-men playing 'cricket' against the backdrop of child's MS Paint drawing though, it's a proper The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-5578451471349917312010-10-14T12:03:00.000+01:002010-10-14T12:03:19.010+01:00New Video: Kate Nash - Later OnKate Nash has released the video for her latest single, 'Later On', which is due to drop this Monday, 18 October.
The track is a slight departure from her usual mockney piano-pop formula, featuring twinkling electronic peeps 'n' whirs and framed by fuzzy atmospherics. Just don't waste your time with the lyric sheet.
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-28313553575148530822010-10-13T20:54:00.001+01:002010-10-14T14:31:17.964+01:00Free Track: Stereolab - Sun DemonStereolab are giving away new track 'Sun Demon' as a free download. It's bright and bouncy, with just enough circling kaleidescopic queasiness to make it unmistakably Stereolab. That, and it's all framed by Laetitia Sadier's vocal, which rather gives the game away.
The original run 'downloaded' out, apparently, but you can take your pick over at Soundcloud.
Meanwhile, if instant gratification The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-17760185610259069662010-10-13T14:16:00.001+01:002010-10-13T14:16:57.673+01:00Skinny Lister Tour, Single and YouTube VideoFloppy-haired accordion-experts Skinny Lister have announced details of a new single and an October tour of the UK.
The single, 'Kite Song', is out on the 1 November, and the band will be playing a celebratory show that night at Enterprise in Camden.
The full tour dates can be found here. Meanwhile, here's a slightly bizarre homemade YouTube video with more tour details:
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-9066721903863077852010-10-12T18:28:00.002+01:002010-10-12T18:30:20.997+01:00Under the Radar Indie LabelsGuest blog on 'Under the Radar Indie Labels' for Virgin.com/music...
As another week of the X Factor bites the soporific dust, in its wake 21st century music aficionados could be forgiven for feeling a little left out.
Simon Cowell owns the airwaves; High Fidelity-esque niche independent record stores continue to close at an alarming rate. Oh, and Phil Collins is back in the top five of the The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-681922521956764902010-10-10T16:27:00.001+01:002010-10-10T16:27:51.067+01:00Interview: Gang of FourGo and check out my interview with post-punk legends Gang of Four for my politicsSLASHmusic column in Notion magazine...
http://theenvironment.vfolio.co.uk/notion/64/ - Page 40 of the Digital ReaderThe Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-59933599992695935192010-10-10T16:16:00.002+01:002010-10-10T16:17:48.047+01:00Interview: Someone Still Loves You Boris YeltsinSome words I did for Spoonfed.co.uk after a chat with SSLYBY...
They are firestarters, twisted firestarters
Being as easily amused as small child at Christmas, I’ve always tended to love bands with faintly amusing names – ‘The Yummy Furs’ (snigger), ‘Japandroids’ (guffaw), ‘Roy Division’ (somebody stop me). Presumably the exact same strand of my uncomplicated DNA encourages a partiality to The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-29675347017415752422010-10-07T17:37:00.001+01:002010-10-07T17:39:51.071+01:00YouTube Pull Lola Dutronic Video
Internet overlords YouTube have pulled the latest Lola Dutronic video from the site, according to reports (i.e. an email in my inbox).
Baffled PRs over at Red Star Digital Music, who manage Lola, say "mild nudity" is the reason the video for 'Whisper' has been given the heave-ho.
"YouTube should get with the program", they add. Since I have no idea what 'getting with the program' means, I The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-59096186645778944322010-10-07T16:42:00.000+01:002010-10-07T16:42:52.391+01:00Listen Up! No. 62: No Age - Valley Hump CrashHaving finally got around to throwing this acclaimed LA duo's sophomore effort, Everything In Between, I was hit with two waves of aural stimulation. The ramschackle riffs 'n' drums of the pithier numbers, such as lead single 'Glitter', got me hooked. But it was the hazier efforts, mixing equal parts jangle-pop, shoegaze and dreamy sound collages which kept me hitting repeat play on the stero. The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-81646326319184222442010-10-06T18:20:00.000+01:002010-10-12T18:21:39.624+01:00Live Review: Placebo at 02 Brixton Academy, 28 September 2010Some words I did on the Placebo show at 02 Brixton Academy on 28 September 2010 for Subba-Cultcha.com...
It’s hard to believe that Placebo first surfaced back in 1995, some fifteen years ago. Back then, even as the young whippersnapper that I was, their punky, angst-ridden slant on the alternative-rock scene grabbed me immediately. I should have been 16 and into marijuana and perfectly executed The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-18707395916368691782010-10-06T14:26:00.000+01:002010-10-06T14:26:38.431+01:00Listen Up! No. 61 - Hollerado - AmericanaramaBeing a lo-budget Ok Go might be a gas, but what happens when you run out of zany-video money? Write some songs?
The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759524948065531597.post-64468073737808334932010-10-06T13:51:00.000+01:002010-10-13T14:01:34.079+01:00Heavenly Sign Sea Of BeesThe lovable rogues over at Heavenly Records have unveiled their latest signing, 25 year old Sacramento singer-songwriter Sea of Bees.
Kudos to Heavenly, because by the sounds of it she's got the twiddly guitar-chops and ethereal vocals thing honed into a perfectly marketable art-form.
Here's a taster:
Sea Of Bees "The Woods" from Riot Act Media on Vimeo.The Popscenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04443269540018182832noreply@blogger.com0