Fistful Of Awkward: This blog makes me uncomfortable.

Carl Barât solo @ Scala - London Kings X (Oct. 27, 2010)

2010-10-28T22:46:00.007+01:00

I very excitedly attended my first solo Carl Barât gig on Wednesday night at the Scala in Kings Cross. I thought I might pull the old blog out of it's sleepy summer slumber, just for this occasion. I have to say, I was blown away... and I don't think I was alone. I'm always unsure when Carl starts a new project how the collective masses and myself will feel about it... But his solo venture is pretty ace, as demonstrated by last night's performance.

The show saw Carl pull out a few Dirty Pretty Things songs, such as Bang Bang, Deadwood, and Truth Begins as well as old Libertines numbers, such as Man Who Would Be King, Up The Bracket, Death On The Stairs, Time For Heroes, and closed with a rousing rendition of Don't Look Back Into The Sun, which saw the show's first crowd surfers crop up onstage. More musical brilliance could be found in the songs from his new solo album. I've been waiting to hear The Magus and The Fall live since I got my grimy fingers on the album (which was not easy, considering the bloody box set I ordered STILL hasn't been delivered to myself or anyone else!!!). The Magus is something special, part circus, part pop, part punk, and so incredibly dancable. I couldn't stop videoing the show, as I am fully aware of scores of people who could not attend and all demanded footage of different songs. But it is quite difficult to dance and video, let me tell you. The Fall is different than most things Carl has done. The song is just the darkest of the dark, as he snarls the words into the mic and out towards the audience. SHIVERS.

The set was substantial, but left me quite sad at it's conclusion. Always wanting more!

VIDEOS (Geesus, I've never taken so many vids at once gig before!!!) (Scroll down for pics)

Man Who Would Be King

Carve My Name

She’s Something
The Magus
Up The Bracket
Death Fires Come At Night (Still not totally clear on this song's title?)
9 Lives
The Fall
Truth Begins
Don’t Look Back Into The Sun

~Jules

Interpol's new music video for 'Lights'

2010-06-23T17:40:00.001+01:00

Interpol have a new music video for their song 'Lights' from their upcoming album

You can watch it here for now, until it makes its way to youtube. It is also available for HD download.

It is quite visually pleasing. I really really enjoy art films, etc. But, to be honest, I'm not quite sure what the director of this video was going for, message-wise. It seems completely independent of Interpol's song, but I suppose that is subjective!

The Juliets- The Juliets Album Review

2010-06-21T00:40:00.000+01:00

Ok, so we've been gone for a while, but we were busy graduating from uni and such. Now that we are back in the states for the summer and working, our concert schedule has become blank. That certainly doesn't mean that I've taken a break from the music scene. I tend to spend my summer researching new bands, so I have something different to listen to. One of the bands that I have come across this summer is The Juliets.

The Juliets is a classical indie pop band from Detroit who remind me of the growing baroque chamber pop scene in London. Their self-titled debut features a wide variety of styles and sounds and really showcases the band's various abilities. The album starts out strong with the happy and up-tempo track, 'Sweetheart,' which makes good use of their string section, in a rather surprising way. The song is wonderfully layered and it took me a few listens to separate each of the individual instruments. Next up is 'The Letter,' which begins slow, but quickly picks up to a catchy pop beat. The song is a bit too repetitive for my liking, but to be fair, it is an indie pop song.

The third track and the band's first single is 'This Just In,' whose violin intro makes my heart flutter. It reminds me a bit of an Irish folk song, especially when it slows down mid-song for a bit of crooning. The next song, 'Sunday Song,' is in fact a perfect song for a Sunday, with its slow and sombre sound. However, about a minute and twenty seconds in the song has a brief screamo interlude, which caught me off guard, and not in a good way. As a whole I really like the song, but it could really do without the screaming outburst.

One of my favourite tracks on the album is 'Rimbaud and Verlaine,' though I am a bit biased as I've been on a Rimbaud kick as of late. The song is driven by the perfect combination of drums and violin and manages to be sentimental and cynical at the same time. The album concludes with 'Drive You Hope,' which is indie pop perfection as it is cute and makes me want to dance, perhaps even waltz.

Check out The Juliets Here

~Casey Shea

Carlos D leaves Interpol

2010-05-09T20:23:00.000+01:00

We're back! (Although still probably a bit sparse this week...)

We have returned with a good news/bad news situation for you... or at least for fans of Interpol. Good news? Interpol have finished recording their new album. Bad news? Carlos D it seems, has left the band following the record's completion.

From Interpol's website:

Dear fans,

As some of you have surely heard, Interpol has completed it's new album.
It was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, and mixed with Alan Moulder at Assault and Battery, London.
The four of us poured our collective heart into this music and we are very proud and excited to share it.
It's a heavy record. But we're feeling limber; and we're going to carry it all around the world for you.
Touring begins this summer, so check here soon for announcements and show dates.

There is more:
Sadly, Carlos will not be joining us.
After the completion of the album, Carlos informed the rest of us that he would be leaving the band. He has decided to follow another path, and to pursue new goals. This separation is amicable, and we whole-heartedly wish him great happiness and success. We will remain, as always, deeply respectful fans of this blazingly talented individual.

We can tell you that we have some very exciting new recruits joining us on the road. So stay tuned - we will promptly be revealing the identities of these illustrious players.
We eagerly await the opportunity to reconvene with you all
- the greatest fans known to Rock.

Thank you.
Interpol

Weekly music news!

2010-04-26T12:51:00.002+01:00

From The Guardian

Malcolm McLaren's funeral procession (April 22nd) paraded through a packed Camden High St. and was attended by 'punk royalty', including members of the Sex Pistols, Adam Ant, Bobby Gillespie and Bob Geldof.

The Fratellis have pretty much hinted they are splitting up.

Hole have announced a small string of US tour dates! Their new album, Nobody's Daughter, is out today (26th) in the UK! (And tomorrow, 27th in the US).

Mystery Jets' new album, Serotonin, will be released July 5th! NME has the tracklisting here!

This past Friday The Rime of the Modern Mariner film (narrated by Carl Barat and scored by Anthony Rossomando) premiered as part of the East End Film Festival. Music from the film was performed live by members of Babyshambles (Drew McConnell) and Klaxons (Jamie Reynolds and Steffan Halperin) with Anthony in charge. There are some lovely photos here! Carl Barat was also in attendence and was apparently up for a few live songs. He sang the old Libertines song, 'Anything But Love', and rumour has it that 'We'll Meet Again' was performed no fewer than three times! haha

On a Libertines note... a video of baby-Libs has appeared on youtube. The band play an old Libertines song, 'Love On The Dole'.

In support of their new single, 'Wake Up' Dee Plume and Sue Denim of Robots In Disguise took to the streets busking:

Rory leaves Kasms...

2010-04-25T12:54:00.000+01:00

Photo from Kasms MySpace

Sorry this is a bit late, but, according to Kasms blog, Rory is leaving the band, stating:

"...I have decided to leave Kasms, bands are complicated, dynamics and relationships change over the years you spend together in a band, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. I've had a lot of good times in Kasms, it has been great spending time and making music with some of my oldest and dearest friends but the dynamic has changed heavily over the last year and I no longer feel comfortable in my surroundings and have decided to concentrate on my other creative persuits, such as recording bands. I may start making more music at some point but have no idea in what capacity at the moment.

Lot's of love to the rest of the band, I hope Kasms continue to make great music and play great shows. Also, without being too corny, thanks to anyone who came to see us play and bought our records, it was a nice surpise when it turned out people liked the music we were making!"

It does not, however, appear as though this is the end of Kasms. The band lineup remains with Rachel Mary Callaghan, Gemma Fleet, and Scott R Walker. Victoria Smith is to play drums, at least at their Camden Crawl gig. And apparently, she is "shit hot." We look forward to that then!

Babyshambles confusion!

2010-04-21T20:37:00.001+01:00

Sorry, but this pic seemed oddly appropriate...

Confusion reigns as Pete Doherty randomly changes Babyshambles line-up.

Various sources and fans have mentioned the absence of Drew McConnell and Adam Ficek from the 'Babyshambles' gig last night (20th). There is currently a running thread on the FDW forum RE what the hell is going on.

Though I would stress that this is all quite speculative as to how permenant this new line-up is, as Pete was billed for a solo show. However, Babyshambles' guitarist, Mick Whitnall was present while the other two members were not.

Earlier today, Adam posted on his twitter hinting that he was just as confused as Babyshambles fans. So no news there. NME has a report as well, but with very little conclusion except to confirm that fans, and seemingly the rest of the band, are confused as well.

With the annoucement of the future Libertines reunion it had been both reported and then denied that Babyshambles had broken up. However, at present there is no confirmation on whether:
A) Babyshambles has broken up
B) Babyshambles has a new line-up
C) Babyshambles remains unchanged in the long run.

Apologies for posting nothing but other peoples' confusion.

~Jules

Weekly music news!

2010-04-19T19:50:00.001+01:00

Blur have released their first material in seven years! The single, 'Fool's Day', was put out on limited release as part of Record Store Day. But you can download it for FREE from Blur's website!

Carl Barat has been interviewed by The Observer regarding The Libertines reunion, amongst many other things!
Barat has also recorded a song called 'Let's Get Fucked' for Russell Brand's new film, Get Him To The Greek. Jarvis Cocker has also contributed three songs!

Supposedly Pete Doherty's currently incarcerated manager is trying to get The Libertines as a whole to participate in Soccer Six, the charity football game featuring celebrities playing to raise money for Samaritans.

Kate Jackson, former frontwoman of The Long Blondes, has appeared on MySpace with a new song!

NME is reporting that several UK bands have been missing performances abroad, most notably The Cribs missing their slot at Coachella.

The Paddingtons and Adam Green collaboration song, 'Lady Boy', was released this week. The song was co-written with Anthony Rossomando and is inspired by Adam Green's encounter with a Paddingtons' fan in Hull. The Lady Boy Tapes EP has been released on vinyl, but can also be purchased digitally.

Adam Green is to host his first art exhibition in New York on April 22nd-24th at Morrison Hotel Gallery (formerly CBGBs). The exhibition, entitled Teen Tech, will display his 'caricatures of cartoons'-style. Teen Tech will run concurrent with his NY tour dates, on the 23rd and 24th.

You Say Party! We Say Die!'s drummer has passed away...

2010-04-18T21:39:00.003+01:00

You Say Party! We Say Die! live in Nottingham, 2007

You Say Party! We Say Die!'s drummer, Devon Clifford, has passed away this morning after suffering a brain hemmorage while onstage in Vancouver.

There's not much more to say, but there are a few more details here. It is currently unknown how this will affect their current tour supporting their new album, XXXX. Assuming it is postponed or cancelled, I will post any updates.

Weekly music update to follow tomorrow, as YSP! WSD! is one of my favorite bands and thought this sad news deserved its own post out of respect.

~Jules

The Paddingtons @ O2 Academy (2) - April 11th, 2010

2010-04-12T22:03:00.002+01:00

Photos from my flickr, Horrorshow!

For some reason I thought it'd be a good idea to run over to Islington to see The Paddingtons on a Sunday night. I'm now exhausted, but of course it was a good idea!

The Paddingtons seemed a bit sleepy at first, with guitarist (Josh Hubbard) questioning, "This is London, right?" or something to that effect. It seemed as though the excitable crowd managed to quickly bring about the band's change from indifference to their usual intensity. The Paddingtons played new songs, such as 'Walking In The Rain', 'Wrong Un', 'Pretty Pity' and 'Consequence' off of their new release, The Lady Boy Tapes E.P. Which is, incidently, OUT TODAY. I was a little disappointed that they didn't play 'Lady Boy', but what're you gonna do without Adam Green being present, I suppose. I did, however, spot ex-Dirty Pretty Things member, Didz Hammond, in the audience on my way out. You too can spot Didz here, in The Paddingtons video for the song 'Lady Boy'.

The band also played old favorites, such as 'Panic Attack', '50 to a £', and 'Tommy's Disease'. 'Punk R.I.P.' sounded particularly good live, although I maintain '21' is the Paddingtons song to hear live, as it has an unbeatable shambolic all-in quality. By the time they got to 'Sorry' the feisty crowd had created a moshpit and invaded the stage, only to be pulled off in time for an encore. Tom was shouting the lyrics with his eyes squeezed shut and Josh was pulling the best faces as the overwhelmingly-male moshpit scrambled onstage. The band are great at interacting with their audience, and all but invite the punters onstage at every Paddingtons show I've ever been to! Anyways, the show was genius, as usual. And I need some sleep.

~Jules

Watch videos (or scroll down for pics):

50 to a £

Stand Down
Worse For Wear
Punk R.I.P.

Robots In Disguise w/ The Franklys and Scream Club/Electrosexual @ Kings College (April 9, 2010)

2010-04-10T13:46:00.006+01:00

ROBOTS IN DISGUISE

THE FRANKLYS ELECTROSEXUAL/SCREAM CLUB

Photos from my horrorshow! flickr

The Franklys were one of the best opening acts I've seen in ages with their indie rock/punk riffs and jokes about Alex Turner. Absolutely worth listening to!

Scream Club/Electrosexual were an energetic conundrum. Lesbian mix tape stardom sounds genius, no?
Their music, part hip hop, part electro, part riot grrrl, was such an odd mesh. First I hated them, due to my intense hatred of rap and audience participation. Then I liked them for their enthusiasm and stage presence. So I'll just go with: Scream Club/Electrosexual are the most fun I could ever have with ze hip hop.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROBOTS IN DISGUISE

I've never had the pleasure of seeing Robots In Diguise before, but RiD are one of those bands that you just know are good live. It was no let down. Dee Plume and Sue Denim are incredibly charasmatic frontwomen. They shout the lyrics you wish you had written ('Girl') and wear the ridiculous clothes that you wish you could pull off. Sue and Dee jump around the stage to their bouncy electro-punk as their equally-kitted-out audience dances about in the pit.

The Robots played most of their hits, including 'Turn It Up', 'Girl', 'The Sex Has Made Me Stupid', 'The Tears', and 'Don't Copy Me', with their music videos and random bright colors projected on a screen behind them. The band also played their insanely-catchy upcoming single, 'Wake Up'. The Robot girls have been raising money for their fourth album here (and donating part of the profits to the Alzheimer's Society <3). This venture has, apparently, been working as 'Wake Up' is out April 19th, and their target seems to have been met!

Other highlights of the show include Sue and Dee stage diving, the world's most polite stage invasion as the band invite the audience onstage, and the dancing robots that took the stage (and remained throughout the whole show! Dedication!). The set finished with a collaboration between RiD and Electrosexual/Scream Club and Dee diving into the crowd (see below).

Watch videos (or scroll down for pics):
Turn It Up
She's A Colour Scientist
Girl
La Nuit - In which a large portion of the audience ended up onstage!
Robots In Disguise w/ Scream Club (Wake Up) - Dee stage dives!

Photos from my horrorshow! flickr

~Jules

2010-04-08T19:26:00.003+01:00

The Paddingtons and Adam Green have made a strange yet highly amusing video for their equally strange yet highly amusing song, 'Lady Boy'.

The Lady Boy Tapes E.P. will be released April 12th through Mama Bear Records.

More info on The Paddingtons MySpace

~Jules

Harlem 'Hippies' Album Review

2010-04-06T19:22:00.003+01:00

So recently I have been on the hunt for new danceable, fun, lo-fi music, similar to what I listened to when I was in high school as I have been stuck in an indie folk rut for about the past two years. Nick Drake, The Leisure Society and Bon Iver have their place, but right now I need something more youthful and frankly something a bit less depressing. Thankfully, I have found the perfect album to fill this void in my current music collection. Said album is from Austin's rebellious indie garage rock trio, Harlem, who haven't officially released an album since 2008. Harlem's sophomore album, Hippies, was released state-side today on Matador Records (it will be out at the end of the month in the UK), though this album has been the talk of the blogosphere for months. The album consists of 16 post punk/indie pop songs, with just two exceeding the three minute mark.

The album's first track, 'Someday Soon,' sets the tone for the rest of the album with its simple lo-fi garage rock charm, 50s pop rock influence, and high pitched vocals. Each of the songs has a distinctively childish appeal, which is both frantic and upbeat and compliments the slightly scratchy sound of the album. This is most noticeable in songs like 'Friendly Ghost' and 'Number One.' My favourite song on the album has be to 'Be Your Baby' as I am such a sucker for the cutesy 50s vibe. At the moment, this is my ideal song for an indie pop dance party. The most exciting song on the album is 'Faces', which is both fun and manic. Another must listen track is 'Gay Human Bones,' whose upbeat swagger manages to distract the listener from the almost incomprehensible lyrics.

There is nothing really remarkable or new about Harlem's Hippies. It is just straight forward garage rock goodness, not bold or experimental, but I think that is precisely what I like about it. While I am busy trying to understand the appeal of Animal Collective or Grizzly Bear, I can sit back and enjoy this album. So if you too are tired of pretentious 'hipster' indie rock, I recommend you give Hippies a listen, dance around, and relive your youth.

Check them out here.

~Casey Shea

Weekly music update!

2010-04-05T20:49:00.002+01:00

Photo from The Leisure Society's myspace

The Leisure Society's cover of 'Inchworm' from the Sing Me To Sleep charity album can be listened to on American Laundromat Records myspace. There is a link for purchasing as well, of course!

Arctic Monkeys have made plans to record their next album immediately after their current north american tour ends.

Crystal Castles are releasing a new single, 'Doe Deer', on a (500 copies) limted-edition vinyl release, with no plans to release a digital version, on April 17th.

It has been announced that Johnny Flynn is collaborating with Laura Marling on his new album, Been Listening. The album is to be released June 7th! Tracklisting here.

Record Store Days is coming up on April 17th! Celebrations include parties, live acts, and the like.
If you're in the UK you can find out if your local independent record store is here... and see if anything is happening near you.
US here! Other countries here!

Devendra Banhart has broken his leg in a skatboarding accident, resulting in the remaining shows of his current american tour being cancelled. Oops.

Julian Casablancas being interviewed by Brian Williams is up now on NBC here.
Interview with Julian Casablancas the does not constantly repeat the same questions. (Time Out Chicago)
And... Julian performed on Jimmy Fallon this week:

The Libertines held a press conference and played a guerilla gig at the Boogaloo in London this week. Therefore there is an insane amount of Libertines-related news to report!
Including interviews and articles regarding their recent reunion:
Overview from BBC
Times Online article with an oddly passive-aggressive bias... We get it. Pete did/~~does~~ drugs.
A lovely interview with Gary from Rhythm
And they were on the cover of this past week's NME. Still in shops!

And video of their press conference/interviews:
NME full video of the press conference
Post-conference interview with Sky News
Post-conference interview with Channel 5 = loltastic
Behind the scenes interview with The Sun (really sweet!) - below
A clip of the surprise gig

~Jules

The Leisure Society @ Tabernacle - April 1, 2010

2010-04-02T22:43:00.005+01:00

Photos from my flickr, horrorshow!

Casey and I went to see The Leisure Society supported by Kristin McClement and Sons of Noel and Adrian. We had been discussing before the concert how badly we wanted to see another Christian Silva show, luckily we were placated when the venue put on '88 Key Alphabet'!

I was starting to wonder how I would be able to write up another Leisure Society show for this blog, but every show has something wonderful and unique! This particular show took place at Notting Hill's Tabernacle venue. The band were joined onstage by Amy May, playing violin. I believe she's been playing with Elbow?

The Leisure Society opened with their single, 'Save It For Someone Who Cares', before playing other favorites, such as 'Love's Enormous Wings' and 'The Sleeper' as well as 'A Matter of Time' later in the set. They seemed slightly reserved at first, though it was later revealed that this may have been due to the fact that they we were debuting three new songs! The first new song, 'Into The Murky Water', was a bit moody and infused with an almost-haunting sound. It was absolutely gorgeous. I might even go so far as to say it is one of my favorite Leisure Society songs, despite having only just heard it. The second new song, 'You Could Keep Me Talking', (about being rubbish at a party) is positively infectious. Casey and I were singing just the You could keep me talking! Keep me talking! Keep me talking! bit on the way to Sainsbury's today. We just couldn't stop... like a broken record!
I've failed to recall the name of the third new song, but it was equally good, but a bit quieter. Other unreleased songs, including 'We All Are Lost' and 'This Phantom Life', were also played. The mix of Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy's vocals on 'We All Are Lost' never disappoints! 'This Phantom Life' did not disappoint either, as the whole band rocked out!

Notting Hill has an earlier noise curfew than other places in London, so The Leisure Society were a bit pressed for time. When the audience clapped and stamped their feet for an encore, the band returned to perform a (quiet) acoustic version of 'Bona Fide'. Nick and Christian stepped off stage and into the audience, directly in front of us. Lucky! It was so perfectly lovely and quaint.

~Jules

Watch videos (or scroll down for pics):
Into The Murky Water (new!)
You Could Keep Me Talking (new!)
This Phantom Life
Bona Fide acoustic (dark, but gets a bit brighter when house lights come on, and is so sweet!)

The Libertines @ NME Behind the scenes covershoot video

2010-03-30T15:03:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the mass Libertines hysteria that has taken over Fistful of Awkward as of recent, but come on, The Libertines reuniting for Reading and Leeds, and possibly beyond... is BIG NEWS that many of us have been waiting to hear since 2004....

NME have made The Libertines their cover story for the next issue, and released a behind the scenes of the photoshoot. It is worth watching for any libs fan. Trust me. The official NME one (HERE) isn't embedding right now, so:

LOVELY. *sniffle*

~Jules

Weekly music news!

2010-03-29T15:43:00.000+01:00

It looks as though The Libertines have officially been added to the Reading and Leeds Festival lineup!!! BEST NEWS EVER???

And Pete Doherty will be playing a special Easter weekend show in Camden at the Blues Kitchen. I believe there are still a few tickets left...

Some more album news from Courtney Love's new version of Hole: The tracklist of their forthcoming album, Nobody's Daughter, has been released, which you can find here! It includes the genius 'Skinny Little Bitch' and 'Samantha'! The album is out April 11th!

The Cribs are re-releasing their first (AND BEST!!!) album along with early demos, so if you missed it the first time around... check it out!

The Black Lips are hoping to release their new album this summer.

MGMT's new album, Congratulations, has been leaked online. As a result, the band have released the album for free streaming already...

As previously mentioned, The Strokes are recording without Julian and he is to add his vocals at a later point.

There is also an old school tour promo from Julian Casablancas:

A trailer for The Rime of the Mariner, narrated by Carl Barat and scored by Anthony Rossomando, has appeared online. There is also more information from NME about the film.

Ben Folds has been playing amusing 'gigs' on Chatroulette, check it out:

~Jules

Libertines reunion!!!

2010-03-26T18:39:00.000Z

OMG OMG OMG OMG. Sorry, but this is no time to contain my inner fangirl:

Libertines Reform For U.K. Festival

Cult British rock band THE LIBERTINES are set to stun fans by reforming for a special guest slot at the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals this year (10).

The group - fronted by Pete Doherty and Carl Barat - were hailed as the saviours of British rock music when they shot to fame in 2002, but split up just two years later when Doherty's drug addiction led to huge bust-ups with Barat.

Doherty went on to form Babyshambles while his pal launched Dirty Pretty Things - but rumours of a Libertines reunion have swirled around the pair ever since Barat's band split in 2008.

Now they have finally inked a deal to play a set at the twin festivals in Reading and Leeds in August (10) - as a final farewell to their fans.

The band's inclusion on the bill will be confirmed when the festival line-up is officially announced on Monday (29Mar10).

Source = Contact Music

No Julian?

2010-03-25T22:43:00.001Z

Some interesting/wtf news from The Strokes... I'm slightly terrified this album will never get made. And if it does, will it even have the same Strokes charm?

The Strokes Recording Without Casablancas

THE STROKES are recording their upcoming fourth album without frontman JULIAN CASABLANCAS - the singer will hit the studio to add his vocals once they finish.

The rocker admits he can be a commanding presence in the studio and he thinks removing himself from the recording process will give his bandmates more freedom to be creative.

Casablancas explains, "I'm pretty opinionated. Nothing pushy to the point of it's my way or no way, but I'll hear a song and be like, 'Hmmm, it feels like the bass should be like something different'. Whereas if I feel like I wasn't in the room then they could just kind of spread their wings."

And the frontman is happy with the results so far. He adds, "I think they did a good job. Just tracking the songs. It's been nice to get my hands on it."

The currently untitled album, the follow-up to 2006's First Impressions of Earth, is due for release in September (10).

Source = Contact Music

We Are Scientists with Drink Up Buttercup @ The 5 Spot – Nashville – March 23, 2010

2010-03-25T14:33:00.007Z

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Review by our lovely guest blogger, Katie! Check out her own music blog, Giving Up The Gun...

After spending some time hanging out in their mystic sci-cave bunker and working on some comedy shorts for MTV UK, We Are Scientists are back. At the 80-capacity 5 Spot in Nashville, the Brooklyn-via-SoCal trio previewed material from their upcoming album Barbara, accompanied by sunny psych-rockers Drink Up Buttercup. The Scientists seem to be getting back to their roots, with new songs sounding closer to the aggressively danceable rock of 2006’s With Love And Squalor, which should be welcome news for those left politely puzzled by the more adventurous follow-up Brain Thrust Mastery. Singer/guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain did not disappoint, with plenty of their trademark comedic swagger to go around. Their live chemistry comes with a practiced ease, and early singles like “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and “The Great Escape” still sound as fresh as they did four years ago. Once again, We Are Scientists proved themselves to be a band made truly exceptional by the strength of their live performance. The stage banter alone is an unmissable experience that must be seen to be believed.

Setlist:
Nice Guys
I Don’t Bite
This Scene Is Dead
Inaction
Impatience
Let’s See It
Rules Don’t Stop
Nobody Move
Pittsburgh
Ambition
The Great Escape
Dinosaurs
Jack & Ginger
After Hours

For more information, check the sci-cave.

The Libertines Are Back??? If only...

2010-03-23T07:07:00.002Z

Yeah, so, I woke up to this sexy headline today:

The Libertines Are Back

23rd March 2010
TEMPERAMENTAL pals Pete Doherty and Carl Barat sealed a deal to bring back The Libertines with a cuddle.

My spies spotted them in a hug with ex Boys In The Band, bassist John Hassall, 29, and drummer Gary Powell, 40, at London’s Dove bar.

I told you last year that Pete, 30, and Carl, 31, had already signed a management deal for a full reunion.

Seems like the lads, who unofficially split in 2004, can stand one another now.

Related photo and source = The Daily Star

So... tabloid rubbish? Or awesome news? You decide.

Weekly music news!

2010-03-22T20:33:00.004Z

According to the BBC, Carl Barat has finished his solo album, although no release date or touring information is available as of yet. Barat describes his new album as being more 'naked', 'stripped down', and mature.

Less positive Libertines news comes from the Pete Doherty camp today as it is announced that Peter has been arrested under suspicion of supplying drugs in relation to the death of his friend, Robin Whitehead, who had been making a documentry about Doherty at the time of her death.

Graham Coxon and Pete Doherty have given their opinions in an interview for Instigate Debate. The video sees Graham Coxon claiming, "Part of me wants to kind of clear America like an old overgrown field that needs the stubble burning and start again... Just keep all the nice Americans somewhere while we do it."
Graham and Pete: Video 1 Video 2

Jack White has confirmed that he has worked on a song with Jay Z, with little more being said about this collaboration. Interesting choice I suppose :S

Jack White has also taken the opportunity to defend Meg White's drumming this week, stating "In the end she's laughing all the way to the Prada handbag store... She wins every time." Which is pretty genius... AGREE.

The Dead Weather's new album is to be released May 7th and will be called Sea of Cowards. The first single from the album will be 'Die By The Drop'.

The Strokes next album has reportedly been delayed until 2011. What the hell.

Devendra Banhart has released a music video for his song 'Baby' which includes Fab Moretti (The Strokes) and Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT).

Devendra Banhart ~ Baby from Ron Winter on Vimeo.

Weekly music news!

2010-03-16T20:51:00.005Z

One Jug Of Wine, Two Vessels

Loads of freebies this week! For copyright reasons, I shall do nothing but link...
You can download Bright Eyes' Happy Accident and Neva Dinova's Poison from NME. The songs are taken from the re-release of their split EP (2004), One Jug Of Wine, Two Vessels (out March 23rd).

MGMT are offering a free download of their song, Flash Delirium, from their website. The song is taken from their new album, Congratulations, to be released on April 12th.

Bloc Party's Russell Lissack's new band, Pin Me Down, are offering a free download of their song, Time Crisis, from their website (if you haven't already stumbled upon it yourself!). The band will be releasing their first album, on 19th of April.

Also loads of new music videos!
O Children! - LOVE THIS.

We Are Scientists!

Lonely Island ft Julian Casablancas?! I have to say I really don't 'get' this, but it becomes 100% better and more amusing when Julian appears and starts singing, so no worries!
And while I'm on Julian news, just a Strokes sidenote to say they have confirmed that the band are playing Lollapalooza in September. They also hope to release their new album in September as well!

She and Him!

~Jules

Weekly music news!

2010-03-08T23:55:00.003Z

Incase you have managed not to notice the outcry, the BBC has decided to shut down BBC 6 Music as well as the Asian Network to cut costs. However, the public are not taking this lightly. Many are strongly against such cuts, as evidence of several facebook fanpages and petitions, one of which you can sign here. BBC 6 Music has some brilliant presenters, including Jarvis Cocker, Guy Garvey, Queenz of Noize, Steve Lamacq, and many others. Even if you do not listen to the radio, bands you like may have gotten there start there and concerts you've enjoyed may have been sponsored by the station as well!

The Kinks have announced plans to put out a new album which will feature previously unreleased material with the possibility of some new songs as well! More information here...

Noel Fielding twittered that he was attacked by some chavs... :(

If you haven't done so yet, you can watch this year's NME Awards in its entirety on NME.com

In continuence of that, apparently Lily Allen and Courtney Love continued their backstage NME Awards fight on twitter for a few days, each posting unattractive photos of the other and 'having words'.

Some touring news:
Adam Green is planning an extensive North American tour! Dates here.

Flight of the Conchords are touring the UK in May! Dates here.

Hole are playing some more UK dates as well! Listed here.

The Leisure Society have announced a small string of dates across the UK with fellow Willkommen Collective members, Sons of Noel and Adrian. Dates here.

The Leisure Society have been quite multi-media this week, with some high quality footage of their December show at St. Giles church (below) as well as footage of them at the End of the Road Festival (LINK) surfacing on the internet this past week.

~Jules

Doll and the Kicks @ Barfly - March 4th, 2010 - Camden, London

2010-03-05T17:09:00.005Z

Photos from my flickr, horrorshow!

I caught Doll and the Kicks again last night at the Camden Barfly. I have to say, they were even better than last time! If I understood correctly, it was their first show to sell out? They also aired some new songs. I'd never heard the first song of the set, which is possibly titled 'Girl In The Band' (if I read the setlist right). This featured Doll on keyboard, before the instrument was swiftly moved offstage at the song's end. Another song, introduced as new, was called 'American'. Crowd favorites were also played, including 'You Turn Up', 'Roll Up The Red Carpet', and 'He Was A Dancer'. They slowed it down with 'If You Care', and the crowd sang along.

The crowd were really lovely as well. Two people had apparently come from Belgium to see Doll and the Kicks. The band seemed quite chuffed. How sweet! Anyways, a stoic audience is a boring audience. By the end of the set, people were bouncing around everywhere. Doll had made a deal with the audience earlier in the show that if three people crowd surfed, she would do so in the last song. I don't really mind crowd surfing girls, but I have to admit, I have an aversion to holding up sweaty men! Anyways, the ones that did pass over seemed quite polite for crowd surfers. And their heroics incited Doll to elegantly fall into the audience, pass to the back of the venue, and then back to the stage at the end of 'He Was A Dancer'. The band then briefly left the stage before returning to play a one-song encore of 'He's A Believer'.

The show was so much fun! Plus it is always nice when the band seem to be having a good time as well. There is not much else to say about Doll and the Kicks that I didn't mention the last time I saw them. Anyways, I'll continue to see Doll and the Kicks every chance I get, if not just to see what stage outfit Doll comes up with next! I tried not to focus all my photos specifically on Doll, but I fear she is terribly photogenic. That is not my fault.
And if you haven't heard Doll and the Kicks yet, check them out on their MySpace for some proper audio!

Watch videos (or scroll down for photos):
Girl In The Band (?)
Roll Up The Red Carpet
He Was A Dancer (w/ Doll crowd surfing!)

crowd surfers and audience

~Jules

NME Awards @ Brixton Academy - Feb 24th, 2010

2010-02-25T15:40:00.013Z

Jarvis playing Catchphrase @ NME Awards, photo from nme.com

NME Awards last night! It was incredibly surreal, and packed full of celebrities I fangirled over as a teenager!

Jarvis was a bloody good host! He kept us entertained by playing Catchphrase all through the show, handing out sandwiches, playing with a beach ball, and having a bit of a workout in front of some hoola hoopers dressed as super heroes.

Musical performances:
Maccabees opened the show!

Kasabian played ‘Vlad the Impaler’ with Noel Fielding mucking about the stage and audience in a gorgeous cape and exaggerated makeup, spitting drink, carrying severed heads and limbs and chucking them about.

The Specials played after receiving the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ awards.

Biffy Clyro collaborated with Marina (Marina and the Diamonds), who performed in what could only be described as the world’s most glittering bin bag. She’s usually quite stylish; I didn’t quite get that look.

The Big Pink performed ‘Dominos’, with Lily Allen coming on to sing a bit of ‘You’re So Vain’. Yeah… Maybe I just didn’t really get it? Nor did I get the robotic pole dancers. I am literally talking about robots on a pole, gyrating, which somehow the camera on the massive screens still managed to objectify, running the camera up the robot… fail. The saving grace was Akiko from Comanechi on drums. As my NME Awards partner in crime declared, “I want to be her!” Hell yeah.

Courtney Love performed with her new version of Hole. She fucking rocked it, meshing a cover of The Rolling Stone’s ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ with her own, new song, ‘Skinny Little Bitch’ by bridging the two with Kate Moss’ famous (although insanely stupid) qoute, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Hole also played their new song, ‘Samantha’, which then ran back into ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. This was my favorite performance of the night.

Paul Weller, AKA the Modfather, closed the show performing hits including ‘Eton Rifles’ and ‘A Town Called Malice’, after having accepted his ‘Godlike Genius’ award.

NME has all the winners listed on their website.
Particularly exciting awards included Bombay Bicycle Club winning the Radar Award, Blur winning best Live Event Award (they were all present, except Alex James!) and the Mighty Boosh winning best DVD

Although never actually brought up at the awards, Karen O won hottest female! I approve. Matt Bellamy won hottest male… now that is a head scratcher. Uh, what? Haha. And amusingly, Lady Gaga won both best and worst dressed… which is kind of fitting, if you think about it.
Courtney Love and Noel Fielding presenting
Kasabian award, photo from nme.com

Some gossipy shit:
Apparently Lily Allen and Courtney Love got in a fight. Courtney Love also slagged off an earlier presenter called Ke$ha (you have no idea how much it pains me to write that chick’s name with a $ sign. ARGH.) Courtney then rode Noel Fielding offstage. What I’m getting at here, is basically, that Courtney Love is awesome.

Damon Albarn seemed really excited by The Specials, as he danced through the whole montage about them.

Noel Fielding seemed really excited by Hole, and could be seen taking pictures of their set with (presumably) his phone. I later caught a glimpse of Julian Barratt with a finger in his ear during Paul Weller’s set. It wasn’t even that loud! But I must say, I enjoy that he acts his character. Haha

Apparently whoever voted Paramore as best international band were not in attendance, as the announcement was greeted with boos and jeers. Genius.

Shane MacGowan seemed insanely pissed. Now this may come as a surprise, but I could not understand a word he said! O dear. It’s a shame, because he, Mick Jones, Bobby Gillespie (all present) as well as Nick Cave, Johnny Depp, Chrissie Hynde (and others my mind has let slip) had organized a cover of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ for Haiti relief. It was actually quite good! More information here…

Others in attendance included, We Are Scientists, The Horrors, Mark Ronson, Slash, Agyness Deyn, Miquita Oliver, Matt Horne, Alexa Chung, Friendly Fires, and Maximo Park. I’m also told that Melissa Auf De Maur and Johnny Depp were supposed to be there... if this is true, well, geesus!

NME has a great deal of photos and stories on their website and full information on the winners. And you can watch interviews with the winners as well!
If you're in the UK, you can catch highlights from the show on Channel 4 at 11:25pm on Friday (26th) and then on T4 on the same channel at 11:10am on Saturday (27th).

~Jules

Weekly music news

2010-02-22T22:38:00.007Z

Crystal Castles photo from their myspace

Touring news:
Crystal Castles have announced a mixed bag of tour dates, including London!

Julian Casablancas has announced a US tour, dates here!

Kings of Leon have sold out their Hyde Park gig, their largest ever, in mere seconds! So good luck getting tickets to that... 65,000 tickets in seconds?! Geesus.

Lightspeed Champion is releasing their new single, 'Madame Van Damme', on may 10th. He's got a UK tour planned as well!

Album news:
The Rapture are at work on their new album after quite a gap of time since their 2006 release of Pieces of the People We Know. The album is being produced by Phillipe Zdar in Paris, and they are hoping for a June or July release. And apparently the "new album's gonna be fucking 100 times better than the iPad." Okay then!

Elliott Smith's debut album, Roman Candle, has been remastered and is to be re-released on April 5th.

Hole, Paul Weller, Kasabian w/ Noel Fielding, Biffy Clyro, Marina And The Diamonds, The Big Pink, The Specials and The Maccabees are all playing the NME Awards this year! PSYCHED. Hole two Wednesdays in a row.

Adam Green has been interviewed by Clash magazine and posed for an accompanying fashion shoot.
Adam Green's video for 'What Makes Him Act So Bad' also appeared online this past week... It's not as fun as drag queen Adam in 'Morning After Midnight', but what is???

~Jules

Hole @ Shepherd's Bush Empire - Feb 17, 2010

2010-02-19T16:57:00.023Z

Finally in the right place at the right time, I managed to see Courtney Love's new incarnation of Hole! I believe the show was sold out, and there certainly was no empty space around me...
The first opening act was a band called Little Fish (MySpace) from Oxford. They were exactly the type of band you'd expect to open for Hole, with a rock sound and a strong-voiced frontwoman.
The second opening act, however, was a bit of a puzzle. Foxy Shazam? Are they for real?! It was like an indie Spinal Tap of sorts! Don't get me wrong; I was amused... and it's not that the music was bad. It's just, their stage presence was a bit offbeat. They filled every moment of their slot with strange stories, dancing, and antics (climbing each other, rolling about, playing the piano upsidedown, and dance moves that made his legs look rubbery).

Little Fish

Foxy Shazam
Video of Foxy Shazam live

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hole came on around 9:30, as scheduled. Courtney looked beautiful, almost like a grunge barbie doll with her exaggerated long blonde hair and layers of cloth and accessories. I was also excited to see guitarist, Micko Larkin, as I was a massive fan of his previous band, Larrikin Love. It was actually quite strange to see him in the context of a Hole show, as the two bands are not exactly similar... but welcome nonetheless. The new band line-up sounded great to me. The only thing is, they're all dudes. I quite liked the appeal of Hole as a female-majority-band, but that's mostly aesthetic, isn't it?

There were a few mistakes here and there, and Courtney admitted (multiple times) that she was using a teleprompter. She also informed us that several songs were a bitch to play, and shouted, "This shit is hard!" in her defense. I don't think anyone was contradicting her, as her fingers were, apparently, bleeding at this point.

I know many people were looking forward to hearing Hole's new material, although personally, I just wanted to shout along to 'Violet' live. And I got my wish! Reliving my childhood n all that jazz. Not that I didn't enjoy the new songs, but I confess I knew nothing except the song 'Samantha'. I also enjoyed, what I have since been informed, is called 'Skinny Little Bitch', off of Hole's upcoming album, Nobody's Daughter. It would seem that much of the audience was in the same boat, as they too sang along loudly with 'Violet', 'Miss World', 'Reasons To Be Beautiful' etc. Not surprisingly, 'Celebrity Skin' drew the biggest reaction. I watched the audience surging around and bouncing up and down in the pit from above. I think most in attendance would agree, it was a bloody good show!

(Scroll down for photos)
VIDEOS:
Reasons To Be Beautiful
Intro to Pretty On The Inside/ Sympathy For The Devil (Rolling Stones cover)/ Skinny Little Bitch
Miss World
Northern Star (best live version ever?!)

And my absolute favorite...

Micko!

~Jules

Skybox- Morning After Cuts Review

2010-02-18T22:18:00.002Z

So I have been failing as a blogger recently, due to my 9-5 sucking up all of my time. However, all of the time that I spend commuting to and from work on the tube has given me plenty of time to catch up on NPR and new music. My best find as of late is Skybox's album Morning After Cuts, which has made leaving for work at 8 am a much more pleasant and happy experience.

Skybox emerged out of Chicago's rather impressive indie scene back in 2006 and have yet to gain much popularity, but I believe that will soon change following the release of their amazing sophomore album. I have been playing the album's title track at least twice a day since I stumbled upon it. 'Morning After Cuts' is not just a song about the beautiful mess which follows a night of drunken revelry; instead it combines the brilliantly twee elements of of Montreal with the eccentric, psychedelic pop sounds of Animal Collective to create a track which is wonderfully danceable and sure to get stuck in your head.

The album's second track 'Lights' maintains the Kevin Barnes-esque falsetto vocals but slows down the pace in order to transition into the following track, 'Slipping,' which is the album's token slow song. It is not a bad song, it even has a particularly interesting string part, but I certainly prefer the band's more upbeat songs. 'In a Dream,' which was the first single released off of the album is a slower dance track; something you would expect to hear at the end of the night. Its echoing vocals, which I usually find rather annoying, work very well in this song and add depth by creating an additional beat. Furthermore, this song falls into the category Jules has recently created for songs that have vocals that are not in fact words.

My favourite tracks on the album have to be 'Buckets,' with its fast tempo and circus-like interludes and 'Fences' with its staccato pace and charming backing vocals. Overall, Morning After Cuts is just genuinely fun album with a superb mix of slightly serious slow songs and kooky dance tracks.

Give them a listen on myspace

Or even request a sample cd here

~Casey Shea

Whilst we put up with snowmageddon...

2010-02-15T20:54:00.003Z

For some reason the fact that The Strokes have released a new logo this week seems to be newsworthy.
According to The Strokes' drummer, Fab Moretti, the band are hoping for a september release of their next album.
The Strokes are still busy in the studio this week, and have released a 'behind the scenes' documentry of sorts. A bit along the lines of In Transit, the band are both behind and in front of the camera. Very funny for a Strokes fan. O, and apparently Nikolai broke the zoom.

Bright Eyes in collaboration with Neva Dinova have recorded four new songs to be included in the reissue of their EP 'One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels'. The EP is due out March 23rd.

Kaiser Chiefs are also recording new material in their drummer, Nick Hodgson's studio.

Franz Ferdinand have started working on their fourth studio album!

The New Pornographers have announced a new album as well, entitled 'Together', to be released May 4th.

Jarvis Cocker is hosting the NME Awards! Jarv! :D

Courtney Love has spoken and answered questions at the Oxford Union on February 12th. You can read the highlights here, via NME.

The White Stripes are quite pissed off, as apparently the US Air Force ran an advertisement during the Super Bowl using what 'sounded like' a re-recorded version of one of their songs (Fell In Love With A Girl). The band are angered because they did not appreciate the use of their song to promote recruitement for a war they do not support. The musician who recorded the song claims it was original and the likeness was a coincidence, but did apologise to The White Stripes.

~Jules

Comanechi and O. Children @ Borderline - Feb 12, 2010 (London)

2010-02-13T20:46:00.004Z

I saw Comanechi and O. Children last night at the Borderline opening for The Soft Pack. The night was part of 'HMV's Next Big Thing', as apparently they have been promoting new bands across London. The night was also sponsored by XFM, so John Kennedy from XFM introduced the bands. I can't say that I stayed around for The Soft Pack, I actually peaced out right after Comanechi's set finished. However, I can say that both Comanechi and O. Children are definitely bands to keep an eye on!
(scroll down for Comanechi review/photos/video)

Photos from my flickr, horrorshow!

O. Children are a great band! Although I'm not particularly taken by their song, "Ace Breasts"... really guys? I am also slightly distressed by the fact that they didn't play "Dead Disco Dancer", as that is the song that catches my attention the most. Nevertheless, it was a strong set filled with a mix of doom and gloom and 80s-tinged punk. The doom and gloom is an effect created primarily by their delivery, as the band remains stoic throughout the set. Their singer (formerly of Bono Must Die), has the most unexpectedly booming voice. That alone makes O. Children a nice change from their musical peers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photos from my flickr, horrorshow!

Comanechi took the stage following O. Children. They managed to play quite a few songs, including "On and On," "Close Enough to Kiss," "Rabbit Hole," and "Mesmerising Fingers." They also played "I Wish," which is apparently written for the Klaxons, as well as "Crime of Love." "Do you know what this song is about?" their drummer/singer, Akiko, asks the audience. "It's about unprotected sex!" Keeping it classy then, "Crime of Love" ends in Akiko screaming "Wanker! Wanker!" repeatedly. And yeah, I don't know why it is funny when it's a girl shouting these things, but I'd have to slap a guy in the face for the same statements. The guitarist, Simon, spends the set hunched over his guitar, playing the type of low grungy-rifts that you can feel in your stomach.

I suppose it'd be irresponsible to not mention Akiko's fabulous outfit. It looked a bit as though she had a party supply store hanging around her neck. I mean that in the nicest way possible, she was all colors and glitter! It would be equally irresponsible to leave Simon's penchant for women's tops unmentioned as well. The last time I saw Comanechi, he had a kitten on his t-shirt, and last night he had sparkly bows on a tunic! Win!

The set concluded with the band's favorite song, "Death of You." Comanechi are even more fun live than their debut album, Crime of Love, suggests. So go! Go see them!

Videos (or scroll down for photos):
Crime of Love
Rabbit Hole
Close Enough To Kiss
Mesmerising Fingers

~Jules

Whilst we do our best to hide out from the Super Bowl in the London...

2010-02-08T12:46:00.003Z

photo from Amanda Palmer myspace

An unlikely group of artists are slated to record with Dresden Dolls', Amanda Palmer, and her bandmate Jason Webley, on their project called Evelyn Evelyn. Having been enlisted to record 'gang vocals', those taking part include Francis Bean Cobain, Tegan and Sara, Andrew W.K., "Weird Al" Yankovic, Neil Gaiman, and Gerard Way. Evelyn Evelyn also has an incredibly strange back-story, which you can read about here!

Future album news:
The Dead Weather have nearly completed their sophmore album, which could be released as early as April!
The Strokes have officially started recording their new album in New York with producer Joe Chiccarelli.
James Mercer has announced plans for a new Shins album... but not until 2011.
Shirley Manson has hinted at a new Garbage album as well. Via facebook, she wrote, "Guess who I just spent a week in the studio with?" ... "Would you be pleased if I said one of them was called Steve and one of them was called Duke and another was a Grammy-winning producer?"

So. Pete Doherty. This week, he has appeared in some sort of mock-instructional video for the correct way to use a photo booth, in German!
He also overslept in Russia, and managed to show up late for his Babyshambles show in Moscow. The result? Audience members threw bagels at them.
Although, the Daily Mail wish to claim that he was in Russia to escape inquiries about the death of Robin Whitehead, who had been filming Doherty up until her death.

Meanwhile, Carl Barat has been quietly going about his work in the play, Fool For Love.
There is a lovely interview with him here!
The NME also has a video of him giving a tour of his dressing room with Sadie Frost. Although it is not particularly interesting, bar the amusing bit about their various onstage wounds towards the end.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new, hauntingly amazing, video for their song 'Skeletons'.

~Jules

Adam Green @ Electric Ballroom - Feb. 4th, 2010 - Camden, London

2010-02-05T14:37:00.005Z

Photos are mine @ horrorshow! on flickr

I saw Adam Green last night in Camden! I think he gets progressively more insane every time I see him. Last night he wouldn't stop crowd surfing and falling into the audience. Which is amusing... but the crowd surging does start to get old after a while (as does the prospect of holding up a sweaty Adam Green). Adam and his band played a mixture of old and new songs, with an emphasis on his latest release, Minor Love. These songs are so new that Adam confesses that he still has not figured out how to dance to 'Buddy Bradley'. I have to say, that is a bit of a shock, as I have never noticed any plan or structure to his dancing in the past... Admittedly, he is a white-boy-dancing wonder!

Adam picked up his acoustic for 'Boss Inside' which he claims is about a horrible woman from Long Island (?) who says the words 'milk' and 'fish' wrong and is unable to find a boyfriend because she has nothing to offer. That's a bit harsh, isn't it?! Along with 'Boss Inside', Adam also aired 'Cigarette Burns Forever', 'What Makes Him Act So Bad', and 'Goblin' off of Minor Love. However, I particularly enjoyed 'Drugs' and 'Novotel' off of his Jacket Full of Danger album. He also played an acoustic version of 'No Legs', which is, somehow, always a crowd pleaser.

At one point Adam informed us that his favorite hotel in Camden is the Holiday Inn, and he once had breakfast there with Robert Pattinson and his manager. He then attempted to do his hair up ala Pattinson, and gush about how handsome he was. Make of it what you will... haha. Adam also attempted to stand still with his arms over his head for an entire song, but failed partway through... He ended the show by plucking a pink-haired girl out of the audience and carrying her offstage over his shoulder. Ridiculous!

Adam Green is so fun live. This is the third time I've seen him, and hopefully not the last... I've also procured a golden t-shirt that has a picture of Adam with a carrot in his mouth and I think I saw Josh Hubbard from The Paddingtons. Win!

Scroll down for photos or watch some videos?
(first attempt at HD, amazing!!):
Drugs
Nat King Cole
Hey Dude
Friends of Mine
Buddy Bradley

Click image to see larger

~Jules

Carl Barat & Sadie Frost in Fool For Love @ Riverside Studios - Jan 29, 2010

2010-01-31T21:03:00.006Z

Obviously no cameras allowed, photo from twitter

Review of Fool For Love

Fool For Love was funny and fabulous! Although, not always funny for the reasons intended. I'm sorry, but Carl Barat standing on a bed dressed and speaking like a cowboy and attempting (and succeeding more often than not!) to lasso a chair is just always going to be funny since I'm not used to seeing him in that context. Carl plays the character of Eddie, a rough cowboy type who shows up periodically, just long enough to fuck with the emotions of his on and off lover, May (played by Sadie Frost).

The play is set entirely in May's run-down motel room near the Mojave Desert. May was already curled up on the single bed while Eddie sat eerily motionless with his head tilted down, just a couple feet away from us as we were filing in. What follows is a series of fights and passionate make-ups between the two characters. A third character also lurks on the periphery of the set, starting out in the audience and chiding the two characters from, what seems to be, beyond the grave. There is also an unseen character, another (very jealous) lover of Eddie's. She shoots the window out of Eddie's truck, and later wreaks more havoc from outside the motel.
The new man in May's life, Martin (played by the director, Neil Sheppeck), arrives to take her to see a movie. However, as May closes herself in the bathroom to ready herself, Eddie regales her new friend with the tragic and somewhat sordid tale of his romance with May. He eventually incorporates the peripheral character, his father... who, it turns out, is also May's father (played by Gerard McDermott). Martin is shocked by this revelation, to which Eddie 'reassures' him that they are only half brother and sister. "Which half?!" asks Martin. "Top half," shrugs Eddie. May eventually finishes the story when she emerges from the bathroom. They embrace and seem to make-up, only to be interrupted by the sound of horses and the glow of fire outside the tiny room. Eddie assures May he's just going out to check on this. He leaves, and May immediately starts packing her suitcase. She explains to Martin that he isn't coming back.

Of course, I'm not reviewing this as a seasoned theatre patron, nor a hack with a stick up their bum. And of course I was going to enjoy seeing Fool For Love. I jumped at the chance to be there opening night for Carl Barat's acting debut! I had already seen a couple reviews from the press night, where they stated that Carl and Sadie lacked the dramatic intensity needed. It is true, there were dips where they were clearly holding back, if not just to protect the set! At one point Carl slams down a glass with such force that it unintentionally breaks and ends up cutting his hand with his blood apparently having ended up on Sadie's foot! Further proof can be found dotted all over Sadie, as she is absolutely covered in bruises which we are later informed are due to the large amount of physical fighting in the play. The accents are a whole other matter. Sadie's is good in its understatedness, but she falls out of it with posh inflections and endings at times. Carl keeps to his, but it does sound a bit like a cartoon cowboy to me. However, that may stem from the absurdism of hearing the quick and quiet-speaking libertine spending just over an hour in a rather-loud southern accent. Just being aware of the lead roles' history and being fully aware that they are putting those accents on and that they are not american detracts a bit. Having said that, I thought the play was fun, if not just to see Sadie Frost knee Carl Barat in the crotch to the point that he's rolling about the floor.

The after show talk was quite amusing too. I was surprised by all the intelligent questions being asked about the characters, the play, and its development, as I somehow expected it to turn out like 'durr Sadie you're pretty' and 'Omgz I love your hair Carl! How do you get it so shiny?' Which I suppose is fair enough too... We find out that Carl wanted to do this play because it had sex drugs and rock n roll. To which Gerard scoffs that that wasn't really acting for him. Carl looked sheepish. We also find out that Sadie is working on another play simultaneously. Carl also asks the audience if we think the kisses were too much. I must admit, being so close that I could hear the smacking of lips was not terribly palatable. They also discuss working with each other as friends and working on the chemistry necessary for the play. Carl complains of the pre-show work of practices and improvs, which somehow included him pretending to be Sadie's baby?! I laughed. Another amusing thing was how bad all four of them cringed every time an american asked a question, as they realized we could be objectively critical of their accents. The talk ended slightly early as someone in the audience took quite dramatically ill, though everything seemed to be handled well as we quickly applauded and filed out.

Whilst we re-adjust to Greenwich Mean Time…

2010-01-25T13:37:00.003Z

This week has seen an onslaught of interviews and articles about Carl Barat and his upcoming role in the theatre production, Fool For Love. I shall be attending this week (YESSSSSS!) so check back soon for a review of the performance. Should be interesting... to say the least.
BBC interview
Evening Standard interview
Times Online interview
Carl discussing solo album plans
Carl discussing possible 2011 Libertines reunion

Good news for Strokes fans, as Julian Casablancas has announced that The Strokes are hard at work on their new album!

Late of the Pier's singer, Sam Eastgate, has spoken to the NME about his side-project plans. He also casts doubt on any plans for a new Late of the Pier album this year.

Suede are to play a one-off gig for the Teenage Cancer Trust... however, they shall do so without Bernard Butler. According to Butler, he was not invited to take part and shall be throwing peanuts at them from the front row...

Pixies' singer, Black Francis, is releasing his new solo album on April 5th, entitled NonStopErotik.

The White Stripes have announced plans for the release of their first live album on March 15th to accompany the dvd release of the documentary of their 2007 Canadian tour, Under Great White Northern Lights.

The Paddingtons have also been busy lately and are releasing a series of videos in support of their new EP, The Lady Boy Tapes. The first of which can be seen here:

You can also watch the second and third videos in the series of songs off of Adam Green's new album, Minor Love.

~Jules

The definitive Libertines sightseeing post!

2010-01-13T19:01:00.010Z

Because the directions to various Libertines-related places are scattered all over the internets, I've been having people ask me how to get to these locations. From now on, I shall link everyone here! The two best places to visit are the Albion Rooms and Up The Bracket Alley. However, if you have more time and are really keen, might I also suggest the Bagel shop/Vallance Road, Filthy McNasty's, and the Boogaloo? I also suggest you take some maps with you if you don't know the areas, as it doesn't always lead you around the nicest places. For simplicity's sake, I tried to stick with main streets as much as possible.

First stop: Albion Rooms! (112 Teesdale Street, Bethnal Green)

Take the tube to Bethnal Green. Turn left onto Bethnal Green Road and cross the street. Keep an eye out on your right for a oneway street called Canrobert St., turn onto this, and follow it until you get to Old Bethnal Green Road. Turn left onto Old Bethnal Green Road and cross the street. Teesdale St. is about a minute ahead on the right. Just wander down until you get to flat 112 A (it's the blue one). Ta da! Albion rooms! There's not a lot to see, but hey, you can say you've been there. ;)

Second stop: Up The Bracket Alley! (Hare Row) From The Libertines - Up The Bracket video

Back up Teesdale St. and turn left back onto Old Bethnal Green Road. Follow this all the way up to Cambridge Heath Road and turn left. Walk up Cambridge Heath Road. Keep going until you see a pub called The Hare on the left side of the road. This is where you turn left to find Hare Row. Head under the bridge. You've made it!

To get back to the tube station, just walk back up Cambridge Heath Road and keep going until you spot the station.

MAP from Bethnal Green Station---to---Albion Rooms---to---Up The Bracket Alley

Also in this area is the bagel shop from THIS PHOTO and Vallance Road.

To get to Vallance Road from the tube station, turn left onto Bethnal Green Road and keep on the left side of the street. After about half a mile, Vallance Road should be on your left and you can turn there. You can either carry on down Vallance road or walk part-way down and turn right onto Cheshire St. to head towards the bagel shop and then turn left onto Brick Lane (Beigel Shop - 155 Brick Lane). It's nearly a half hours walk from Up The Bracket Alley to Vallance Rd/Brick Lane, so you may prefer catching a bus to the area.

It is a bit closer to get the tube back from Whitechapel instead of retracing your steps back to Bethnal Green.

From Vallance Rd, just follow it to its end and turn left onto Whitechapel Rd. The tube station is a bit ahead on the left.

From the bagel place, walk a bit further down Brick Lane and turn left onto Buxton St. and carry on until you can turn right onto Vallance Rd. Then follow Vallance Road to Whitechapel Rd and turn left. The station is just a bit ahead on the left side of the street.

MAP from Up The Bracket Alley--to--Vallance Road--to--Bagel place--to--Whitechapel Underground

Filthy McNasty's is in Islington, so you have to get the tube up to Angel station. Be forwarned, all the adorable photos have since been removed. However, if you're still interested, then from Angel, turn onto Pentonville Road and make sure you're on the left side of the street. Then turn left again onto Amwell St. Filthy's should be on the left side of the road, the second corner down.

The room where Pete and Carl played is not in the front room, but through to the back area.

MAP from Angel underground---to---Filthy McNasty's

The Boogaloo, home of the first Pete/Carl reunion after The Libertines final breakup, can be reached by taking the tube to Highgate. Turn onto Archway Road and walk down just a bit, the Boogaloo is on the left.

MAP: The Boogaloo

Have fun!

~Jules

Whilst we are repeatedly snowed in...

2010-01-10T14:45:00.000Z

The Libertines performing on Johnathan Ross

Johnathan Ross has resigned from the BBC. Why is this music news? Well, Ross has aired quite a bit of British musical talent over the years.

Travis's singer, Fran Healy, is working on his debut solo album featuring collaborations with Tom Hobden (of Noah and the Whale), Neko Case (of The New Pornographers), and Paul McCartney on bass!

Jack White has hinted at plans for his own solo album in an interview for Rolling Stone.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke has written three songs for a new documentry entitled When The Dragon Swallowed The Sun. The documentry is reportedly about Tibet's political problems and the Free Tibet movement.

Pete Doherty has announced a late-night residency at the Rhythm Factory in London on January 14th, 15th, and 17th. Been there, enjoyed that before! Babyshambles has also announced a Shockwaves NME Awards show date: Feb 17th at Koko (London).

Courtney Love's reincarnation of Hole has also announced a Shockwaves NME Awards show date the same night of Feb.17th at Shepherd's Bush Empire (London). This is their first UK show in 11 years! Omg.

Morrissey has recently split with his management and is still without a record label. Fingers crossed this isn't a hint of another massive hiatus, like the six-year gap between his Maladjusted and You Are The Quarry albums!

The Yummy Fur reunited, in some sense, in Glasgow this Thursday. The reunion incuded Jackie/John McKeown of the 1990s as well as Paul Thomson of Franz Ferdinand. However, Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) did not assume his bass duties, although still attended the show. NME has a review up here!

Vampire Weekend are currently streaming their new album, Contra, on their MySpace. The new album is out on January 11th (UK)/(12th US)!
Vampire Weekend's new music video for 'Cousins' is online as well!

Further album news comes from Adam Green, who releases his new album, Minor Love, on the 11th as well (UK)/(12th US). NME has it streaming here.
Adam has created a series of webisodes to promote Minor Love. Follow Adam in the first of his series as he completes a rather surreal/random art piece.

Whilst we return from our holiday hibernation...

2010-01-03T23:48:00.004Z

OMG OMG! SOUNDGARDEN ARE REUNITING! With their last show being in 1997, it will be their first time together in 12 years. Proofs here! O and more info from the NME... Please make a new album! Pleeease! Now remember how awesome they are here.

A tiny grunge sidenote: As I keep seeing this everywhere, I might as well pass it on... Kasabian's new music has been influenced by Nirvana. I'm actually slightly intrigued, myself.

Some more gossips, which in this case, probably is just all gab... nevertheless, The Sun is reporting that Graham Coxon may be joining Babyshambles ala Johnny Marr joining The Cribs.

Eminem has agreed to drop his homophobic lyrics from his songs for his appearence at the Wireless Festival this summer. Wow. What an upstanding young man. :P

Owen Pallett has been nerded out of his moniker, Final Fantasy, by the same-named videogame, Final Fantasy. Pallett will be releasing all future work under his own name to avoid confusion with the video game.

A tiny triumph for tiny music venues in England... as they are no longer required to be licensed for audiences of less than 100. Thereby offering more places for new musicians to play and more opportunities for these small-scale venues.

Apparently, Mika says he hates taking off his clothes, including for the video of 'We Are Golden.' Then why do it??? Could have fooled me.

Late of the Pier have returned with a new song, produced by Erol Alkan, called 'Blueberry'! The video is a bit meh, but the song is quite good! Have a listen:

~Jules

Our favourite concerts of 2009!

2010-01-01T21:29:00.005Z

Casey and I have attended a significant number of concerts this year... some of which were pre-blog. The best of the best have been included below, along with a few extras from the previously unblogged gigs...

Feb. 24th: Ipso Facto supporting Comanechi @ 100 Club

More photos of Comanechi

More photos of Ipso Facto

April 14th: The Leisure Society supporting Loney Dear @ Scala

More photos of The Leisure Society

April 20th: 1990s @ Water Rats

More photos of 1990s

April 29th: The Rakes @ Koko

More photos of The Rakes

Sept. 14th: Okkervil river @ Scala

Sept. 15th: Mando Diao @ Islington Academy

Oct. 14th: Willy Mason @ St. Giles Church

Nov 25th: The Leisure Society @ St. Giles Church

Dec. 3rd: Julian Plenti @ Scala

Dec. 15th: Devendra Banhart @ Shepherds Bush

~Jules and Casey

Top 20 albums of the past decade! A totally objective list by Jules… ;)

2009-12-31T18:53:00.006Z

I tried to pick just ten albums. I really did. But come now… there was so much amazing music in the noughties... especially in the first half of the decade!

Libertines – Up The Bracket: Filling the #1 slot was easy. Up The Bracket is one of the reasons why many of the following bands became popular. A garage-punk classic! It’s all about glorifying a mythical version England in a (musically) intense and f’d up way. I fell in love.
Notable Tracks: Up The Bracket, What A Waster, Horrorshow, The Good Old Days

The Strokes – Is This It: This album would be the other reason why good music prevailed in the early 2000s. With this album, The Strokes gained acclaim as saviors of guitar rock on the other side of the Atlantic.
Notable Tracks: Last Night, Soma, The Modern Age

Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo To Anywhere: Carl Barat’s post-Libertines venture may not have had quite the same spark, but this album sure as hell kept the arcadian spirit alive and well.
Notable Tracks: Gentry Cove, Gin and Milk, You Fucking Love It

Christian Silva – Onward!: The voice! The piano! The somewhat-obscure and surreal lyrics! I’m at a loss for a genre or what I could compare Onward! with to explain the beauty of this release. However, I can say that it is full of the most gorgeous sounds that have ever graced my ears. How this album did not propel Christian Hardy to instant stardom is beyond me.
Notable Tracks: Break From The Past. Onward!, The Chopping Board

The Long Blondes – Someone To Drive You Home: The Long Blondes fashioned perfect retro pop, but with a feminist twist.
Notable Tracks: Separated By Motorways, Giddy Stratospheres, Madame Ray

Neils Children – Change/Return/Success: Unf. Few can match the psychotic goth punk of Neils Children. It may be a bit hard to locate nowadays (?), but so worth your effort.
Notable Tracks: Come Down, I Hate Models, In The Past, Getting Evil In The Playground

The Paddingtons – First Comes First: Having appealed to much of the same audience as The Libertines and co., The Paddingtons made an absolute knees-up album of their own. This raucous indie band, hailing from Hull (UK), is what good punk should sound like.
Notable Tracks: Stop Breathing, 21, Panic Attack

Adam Green – Friends Of Mine: O, which album to choose?! I settled on Friends Of Mine; however, it could easily have been Gemstones. This anti-folk hero has charmed his way into our hearts with his goofy, nonsensical, and downright obscene lyrics and snappy melodies.
Notable Tracks: Jessica, Bunny Ranch, Bluebird, Salty Candy

The Leisure Society – The Sleeper: An alternative folk dream, The Leisure Society’s debut album is the only 2009 release to be included.
Notable Tracks:
A Matter Of Time, We Were Wasted, A Short Weekend Begins With Longing

Special Needs – Funfairs and Heartbreak: Nostalgic pop-rock? Yes please. Still bitter that I’ll never get to see them live. Just sayin’.
Notable Tracks: Blue Skies, Stick Around, Sylvia

Help She Can’t Swim - Fashionista Super Dance Troupe: Punk that packs in some girl power alongside heavy sarcasm. Really, it was a tie between this album and their last album, The Death Of Nightlife.
Notable Tracks: The Dance Party Turned Into A Wake, Bunty Vs Beano, What Would Morrissey Say?, Fermez La Bouche

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell: In my opinion, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have not produced anything as badass or entertaining since this debut album. Nevertheless, this stands out among the great albums released by New York artists in the past decade.
Notable Tracks: Date With The Night, Black Tongue, Rich

Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand: Franz reinvented art punk with their first single, ‘Take Me Out’! Can you imagine a world without that song? Or ‘Michael’? Oh the hours of fangirling I, and many friends, may never get back.
Notable Tracks: Michael, Take Me Out, Darts Of Pleasure

Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights: If you like your New York alternative a bit gloomier and monotoned, then you’d probably agree with the inclusion of Interpol’s debut album.
Notable Tracks: PDA, Say Hello To The Angels, NYC

The Horrors – Strange House: This album was epic. I still don’t understand the genre change and watering down of their second album. However, they did an amazing job gaining popularity with the sound of early Neils Children. Every single song on this twisted Victorian-goth punk album is unique and mind-blowing.
Notable Tracks: Gloves, Sheena Is A Parasite, Little Victories, A Train Roars

Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors: ILU Moz! This album was even better than You Are The Quarry, which was a spectacular return to form as well.
Notable Tracks: You Have Killed Me, On The Streets I Ran, At Last I Am Born

The Hives - The Black and White Album: It sounded like all the brilliant Hives albums… Yet this release was slightly more accessible, featuring an insane number of hooks and the phrase: TICK! TICK! TICK! BOOOOM!
Notable Tracks: You Dress Up For Armageddon…, Tick Tick Boom

Larrikin Love – The Freedom Spark: As an incurable anglophile, I did not 100% appreciate Ed Larrikin moaning about England. However, the gypsy-esque folk and bouncing pop/rock sucked me in, and I could not escape!
Notable Tracks: Six Queens, Happy As Annie, Edwould

The Moldy Peaches – The Moldy Peaches: Perhaps the originators of anti-folk? Well, something had to spawn Adam Green. Any indie kid who is worth their weight can belt-out the most pointlessly amazing song, ‘Who’s Got The Crack?’ Also, Kimya is lovely. It had to be said.
Notable Tracks: Who’s Got The Crack?, Steak For Chicken, NYC’s Like A Graveyard

Graham Coxon – Love Travels At Illegal Speeds: Faultless rock. You did it! Another one of those albums that doesn’t have a song worth skipping.
Notable Tracks: You and I, You Always Let Me Down, I Can’t Look At Your Skin

Other awesomesauce albums of the noughties include The White Stripes’ Elephant, Black Wire’s self titled album, Be Your Own Pet’s self titled debut AND Get Awkward, Elle Milano’s Acres of Dead Space Cadets, The Kaiser Chief’s Employment, The Kings of Leon’s Youth and Young Manhood, Klaxons’ Myths of The Near Future (cheers for starting New Rave, haaa), Mystery Jets’ Making Dens, Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief, The Rakes’ Capture/Release, The Violets’ The Lost Pages, We Are Scientists’ With Love And Squalor, and Yeti’s The Legent of Yeti Gonzales.

Yes, I’m aware it was totally cheating to make a list, and then mention many more albums. Oops.

~Jules

Casey's Favourite Albums of the Decade

2009-12-31T18:22:00.008Z

Well as it is the last day of the decade, it is certainly time to put together a list of the best albums of the past ten years. The 'noughties' saw an major boom in the Indie movement, as well as a rock revival, and the release of many brilliant albums. Therefore, selecting my favourites was not an easy task. I have limited myself to two albums a year, or else my list would have been endless. This means that some very good albums from excellent music years, such as 2005, were left out. But what can I do? I'm sure they have made other 'best of' lists.

2000

Elliott Smith - Figure 8

Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica

2001

The Strokes - Is This It

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World

2002

The Libertines - Up the Bracket

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights

2003

The Decemberists – Her Majesty, The Decemberists

Elefant - Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid

2004

Mando Diao - Ode to Ochrasy

Tegan and Sara - So Jealous

2005

Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow

2006

Tilly and the Wall - Bottoms of Barrels

Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

2007

The Hives - Black and White Album

Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

2008

Christian Silva - Onward!

Johnny Flynn - A Larum

2009

The Leisure Society - The Sleeper

The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control

I expect that many people will disagree with these choices for the best albums of the decade, but they were certainly the albums that defined the decade for me.
~Casey Shea

THE top 10 albums of 2009... according to Jules...

2009-12-30T18:54:00.005Z

The Leisure Society – The Sleeper: O the hours that Casey and I have spent lazing about and singing along to this album. Folk/pop/alternative/brilliant. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… It’s like a musical hug.
Notable Tracks: A Matter Of Time, We Were Wasted, A Short Weekend Begins With Longing

Peter Doherty – Grace/Wastelands: Grace/Wastelands is a gem, as it posesses the beautiful subtlety that Babyshambles, perhaps, does not. Peter allows his lyrics and other talented musicians (read: Graham Coxon) to bolster these songs. The quiet-whispery quality to his voice on this album also aids in its success, as his vocals remain unstrained and less distracting than on previous releases.
Notable Tracks: *A Little Death Around The Eyes, 1939 Returning, Salome

The Raveonettes – In And Out of Control: Another spectacular release by The Raveonettes! The album, ranging from the pure pop of ‘Bang!’ to the dreamy retro rock of ‘Breaking Into Cars’, is definitely one of 2009’s best releases!
Notable Tracks: Suicide, D.R.U.G.S., Breaking Into Cars

The Rakes – Klang!: Release an album and then break up, why don’t you?! Klang! is still worth a listen, full of the catchy guitar riffs and cheeky lyrics one had come to expect from The Rakes.
Notable Tracks: You’re In It, The Woes Of the Working Woman, Bitchin' In The Kitchen

Mando Diao – Give Me Fire: Mmm Swedish alternative rock. A catchy anthem about dancing, a sexy song about the power of high heels, and the intensity of ‘Blue Lining, White Trenchcoat’, make this album a must have.
Notable Tracks: Give Me Fire, High Heels, Dance With Somebody

Doll and The Kicks – Doll and The Kicks: Indie pop/punk at its best! Doll’s stunning voice is not wasted over perfected guitar riffs and lyrics that you just cannot get out of your head.
Notable Tracks – Roll Up The Red Carpet, He Was A Dancer, You Turn Up

Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young: Not quite what I was expecting, yet surprisingly good despite the slight genre leap from the guitars of The Strokes to the electronic blips of Phrazes for the Young. Yet the electronic tinge found on many of the songs on the album are quite pleasing, particularly in the single, ‘11th Dimension’.
Notable Tracks: 11th Dimension, Out Of The Blue, River of Brakelights

KASMs – Spayed: This girl-fronted London-based punk band delivered a shriekingly good debut album. Although, perhaps lacking some of the glamour and insanity of KASMs’ live shows, it is a pretty solid debut album from a remarkable new band.
Notable Tracks: Insects, Bone You, Taxidermy

Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper: I included this album after also seeing Paul Banks live. While the album is slightly muted for my liking, it offers up the brilliant single ‘Games For Days’ as well as many more ambient songs, such as ‘No Chance Survival’.
Notable Tracks: Games For Days, Fly As You Might

Comanechi – Crime Of Love: Could not leave out my new love, Comanechi! Shrieking and obscene vocals over crunching guitar riffs that you can feel in your belly. It is dead good.
Notable Tracks: Death of You, Close Enough To Kiss, Mesmerising Fingers

Dangerously close to making the top 10 was also the 1990s – Kicks, Eugene Mcguinness’s self titled release, as well as The Dodoz’ self titled debut album.

~Jules

Casey's Underrated Albums of 2009

2009-12-30T13:53:00.004Z

Many have said that 2009 was a rather disappointing year for music (Jules), but perhaps that is due to the release of underwhelming albums by indie favourites, such as, The Decemberists and Conor Oberst. However, 2009 did see the release of many good albums by bands that have yet to receive their well deserved attention. Additionally, some albums by well by well established artists that have been overlooked. Here is a list of albums that you need to listen to, if you haven't already done so yet.

Bishop Allen- Grrr...
I really thought that 2009 was going to be the year of Bishop Allen as they were picking up hordes of fans in the indie pop community, but sadly the Bishop Allen buzz was short lived. Notable tracks: Dimmer, Cue the Elephants, True or False

The Thermals- Now We Can See
This is one of those bands whose sounds has never really changed, but at the same time their music continues to improve. This is the perfect lo-fi garage post-punk album.
Notable tracks: Liquid In, Liquid Out, When I Died, Now We Can See

Brendan Benson- My Old Familiar Friend
Remember when Brendan Benson was a solo artists before The Raconteurs? Well, he was quite popular back then, but his new album seems to have been completely forgotten.
Notable Tracks: Garbage Day, Poised and Ready, Don't Wanna Talk

Vandaveer- Divide & Conquer
I cannot hide my love for Vandaveer, but I honestly think that anyone that likes indie folk, or just folk, should give this album a listen. I am sure you will understand then.
Notable Tracks: A Mighty Leviathan Of Old, Woolgathering, Long Lost Cause

Eugene McGuinness - Eugene McGuinness
Orginally released in 2008, but released in the US in 2009, so it counts. When I first listened to this album I wondered why I hadn't heard it sooner. Can't get enough.
Notable Tracks: Nightshift, Fonz, Rings Around Rosa

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
So, perhaps this album was only underrated by me. Critics always seem to love Andrew Bird and I did too when I was 16. Anyway, I grew tired of him, but this album is brilliant.
Notable tracks: Fitz and the Dizzyspells, Effigy, Anonanimal

A. C. Newman- Get Guilty
I cannot even count how many people I forced to listen to this album, convinced that they would love it as much as I do. It is better than anything the New Pornographers released.
Notable tracks: Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer, Thunderbolts, The Palace at 4AM

1990s- Kicks
Jules and I have seen 1990s at the same venue more times than we would like to admit and continue to wonder why they are not more popular. Ridiculous indie pop goodness.
Notable tracks: Balthazar, 59, Everybody Please Relax

The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground
It seems like the Boy Least Likely To are the unluckiest people. Great album, which stayed under the rader. Also, most depressing twee music one could imagine.
Notable tracks: I Keep Myself to Myself, Every Goliath Has Its David, Saddle Up

Beirut- March of The Zapotec and Realpeople Holland
Ok, Zach Condon is the indie golden boy, but this album, which broke from his usual sound would completely overlooked by critics and fans, but I still love him.
Notable tracks: My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille, The Shrew

Foregin Born- Person to Person
I first saw Foreign Born as a support act in 2006 and instantly liked them, yet it wasn't until this year that anyone else seemed to mention them. Now my FB shirt is hip.
Notable tracks: Early Warning, It Grew on You, That Old Sun

Other great albums of 2009 include: Leisure Society- The Sleeper, The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control, Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and M. Ward - Hold Time, but all of these albums were fairly well received, therefore, they did not make my list.
I welcome all challengers and further suggestions.

~Casey Shea

Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension music video

2009-12-24T03:01:00.001Z

Normally I wouldn't post just a music video, but Julian Casablancas's '11th Dimension' video is so kickass, it seems necessary. So enjoy...
-Jules

MERRY CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST!!!

2009-12-21T23:57:00.004Z

Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Were Christmas Today
Bright Eyes - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
The White Stripes - Candy Cane Children
The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song
The Hives and Cyndi Lauper - A Christmas Duel
Sufjan Stevens - It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again
The Raveonettes - Come On Santa
Soho Dolls - Dead By Christmas
Of Montreal - My Favorite Christmas (In A Hundred Words or Less)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Annunciation Day / Born on Christmas Day
John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
The Kinks - Father Christmas
Devendra Banhart - The Spirit Is Near
The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)

~Jules and Casey

Devendra Banhart @ Shepherd's Bush 15/12/2009

2009-12-20T09:15:00.002Z

I've been meaning to see Devendra Banhart for years, but I always seem to be in the wrong country at the wrong time(story of my life). Therefore, I was really excited when I booked my tickets for his Shepherd's Bush gig, there may even have been dancing involved. Shepherd's Bush is a relatively small venue for such a popular act and tickets sold out quickly. This was obvious from the amount of people that I saw packed into the venue behind me. However, my excitement fizzled somewhat when I got to Shepherd's Bush, only to discover that there would be no support act, and Devendra Banhart therefore would not be on until 9. This also meant that we would have to wait outside in London's surprisingly chilly weather for an additional 30 minutes. However, I must say that the hour and a half that we were waiting inside the venue before Devendra Banhart took the stage was not an entire waste, in fact it was somewhat entertaining. Knowing that there was a long wait ahead of them, the majority of the crowd took a seat on the floor as soon as they entered the venue. Within half an hour, Shepherd's Bush Empire looked like a refugee camp for dirty hippies, hipsters, and Devendra look-a-likes as these relaxed fans sat around it a circle drinking beer, creating a scene that was oddly reminiscent of Woodstock. But what else would one expect from a Devendra show?

When Devendra finally took the stage with this recently re-named band, The Grogs, and special guest from The Bees, Paul Butler, it seemed like the wait was well worth it. To begin with, the drummer appeared on stage in a hairy/woolly costume that resembled either a muppet of a character from Sesame Street. Devendra, on the other hand, looked had a certain hobo charm about him; in fact, if I had seen him outside the venue after the show, not knowing who he was, I would probably have given him my spare change. The show began with a good deal of fun an excitement, combining songs from his latest album and his previous releases, including a crowd pleasing performance of 'Baby' and perhaps that campest verison of 'Shabop Shalom' that I could have imagined. Devendra's wonderfully ridiculous dancing and wrist flips certainly added a perfect touch to each song. Other songs that were very well received by the crowd included, 'Lover,' 'Carmensita,' 'Long Haired Child,' and 'Chinese Children.'

After his more popular, quick paced songs, Devendra slowed it down for what he referred to as the 'spoken word part of the evening'. This began with Devendra explaining how kissing the toilet paper roll after you use it is actually a good deed because it is as if you are kissing the bum of whoever uses it next. He then proceeded to play 'Little Yellow Spider' and 'Seahorse' which the somewhat disrespectful crowd talked through. (Apparently the acoustic part of a gig is also known as your chance to chat to your friend about the show and ignore the evil looks people are giving you?) Additionally, Devendra Banhart played some of his earlier songs including, 'The Charles C. Leary' and his cover of Johnny Thunders' 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory,' one of his favourite songs. During this part of the set, a member of the audience threw a joint on the stage while the surprised and thankful Devendra explained that it was the best tomato that anyone had ever thrown at him.

After his acoustic interlude Devendra passed the centre mic over to the bassist, Luckey Remington, whose song was surprisingly good despite having a different sound and style from Devendra. Every other member of The Grogs had a chance to take the lead for a song, and none were too disappointing, though Noah Georgeson's was rather slow and uninteresting. Devendra then concluded the show with the upbeat and tropical, 'Foolin'' and the fast-paced, '16th &Valencia, Roxy Music,' which Devendra explained was about his bad luck night-clubing, when he would inevitably end up going home alone and sober. (Not unlike The Leisure Society's 'We Were Wasted'?) The set concluded after about an hour and a half and then Devendra came back for a brief encore, playing 'I Feel Just Like a Child.' After such a long set I almost forgot about the equally long wait before the show. Overall, my first Devendra Banhart show was not a let down, though it was a bit slow at times.

~Casey Shea

Album Review: Comanechi - Crime of Love

2009-12-08T22:26:00.002Z

COMANECHI – CRIME OF LOVE out now!

Stream the whole album if you’re in the UK.

I happened upon Comanechi by accident, opening for Ipso Facto at the 100 Club. I was blown away by the crunching guitar and the punky girl screaming and swearing behind her drumkit.

Personally, I could not be anymore in love with Comanechi's singer/drummer, Akiko Matsuura, at this point. She is wonderfully flamboyant and obscene. Comanechi is comprised of just Akiko and Simon Petrovitch (on guitar). The two-instrument ensemble creates a lo-fi indie-punk sound, tinged with a bit of riot grrrl.

The noise and distorted vocals of the album’s near-30-second opening track, ‘Prologue’, is a good indication of the direction the music is going in. LOUD. Comanechi may never be accused of being overly poetic, but Akiko’s screams of obscenities do not leave the listener feeling deprived of any lyrical genius. These lines are shouted over some impressively intense grunge guitar riffs. The best example of such is one of their first singles, ‘Death of You.’ While the vocals of the album are largely atonal, one of the most melodic songs, ‘Close Enough To Kiss,’ even features a bit of harmony! The duo’s current single, ‘Mesmerising Fingers’, has a gothic-dirge twist to their otherwise edgy-punk style. The song finds Akiko repeating “mesmerising fingers, mesmerising fingers…” in a cold and indifferent way, which the music video somehow manages to make sexy. ‘My Pussy’, tells the tale of a lost cat. She leaves a series of treats out for said cat. However, the song ends with the line, “but he never came back to me!” Tragic.

You may have a throbbing headache by the album’s conclusion, but, somehow, I doubt you’ll care if you made it that far…

Watch Crime Of Love or Close Enough To Kiss @ 100 Club or…

~Jules

Whilst Obama was channelling George Bush...

2009-12-06T17:20:00.002Z

Things are in motion for a new film about The Kinks! The director, Julian Temple, already has several music-related films under his belt, including the one about the Sex Pistols and another on Glastonbury. Temple explained the appeal of The Kinks story by citing an interest in the love/hate relationship between the two brothers, Ray and Dave Davies.

As of Monday, The Courteeners will be giving away their song ''Cross My Heart And Hope To Fly'' for free on their official website.

The Strokes are set to play together again in 2010, at least at the Isle of Wight festival and the Rock Ness festival in Scotland.

Would you buy footwear co-designed by Morrissey? Moz is currently collaborating with Stella McCartney on a leather-free range of shoes!

Some more light news comes at you in the form of Shane MacGowan in a reality show based on him and his girlfriend growing vegetables in their garden. I'm not even kidding. 'Victoria and Shane Grow Their Own' is set to be air on RTÉ One on December 8 at 10:15pm.

Pete Doherty has been all over the media this week! Unfortunately, much of this coverage focused on his rendition of the Nazi's version of the German national anthem. This was reported by people in his camp as an error, but of course, tabloids love to speculate! Having said that, Pete's fairly-heavy involvement in the Love Music Hate Racism charity over the years pretty much squashes any arguements of nazi-affinity. Full-stop.

In other Peter-related news, he has rescheduled the Irish tour dates he missed following his stay in the hospital. However, his recent Swedish dates were cancelled, first due to 'transportation issues' and then due to ill health. Make of that what you will...

But wait, there's more! Doherty's band, Babyshambles, have announced plans for a new album in 2010. Babyshambles' guitarist, Mik Whitnall, has already been working on demos and is just waiting on some lyrics.

Lastly, the NME have up a photo collection entitled 'The Wisdom of Pete Doherty' here. Pete can be poetic and wise, but I'm not sure that's entirely reflected in this particular collection of qoutes... haha

Blur's 2009 reunion has been recorded and turned into a documentary called No Distance Left To Run. The documentry is do out next year. View the trailer:

Julian Plenti @ Scala - December 3rd, 2009

2009-12-04T17:22:00.002Z

More photos @ Horroshow! flickr

Happy birthday to me, I went to see Paul Banks' alter ego, Julian Plenti, at Scala last night! I've been waiting years to review something Interpol-related, just so I could remark, HIS MUSIC SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE JOY DIVISION. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can tell you that the show was, honestly, way better than I could have imagined. Paul kept the set alive, alternating his slow songs with his fast songs. He even played a new song called "Goodbye to Toronto", which he intro'd with the winter/holiday-themed song, "Let It Snow." He also dedicated a cover of "A Horse With No Name" to his mother. Aww, bless!

I have seen Interpol before, and I feel like there was something a bit more lighthearted surrounding his Julian Plenti show, at least that was the case last night. The guitarist was really into it, mouthing the lyrics and bouncing around stage. He seemed like quite the character. I have to say that, thanks to The Leisure Society, I am now a huge fan of unexpected cello. So the cello player was, certainly, a great addition to the band as well! Paul seemed to be in a good mood; he smiled and swayed to his music. He looked sheepish as audience members shouted marriage proposals, cheered every song, and shouted his lyrics. He looked even more sheepish when two guys, one after the other, managed to get onstage towards the end of the show to give him hugs and kisses. He wiped his face, joking, "Next time send women!" But all he got was his own guitarist, giving him another kiss. Bless. The set ended with his single, "Games for Days," before he thanked the audience (for the millionth time) and disappeared backstage.

~Jules

Scroll down for photos, or watch:
Games For Days
Fun That We Have
Fly As You Might
Goodbye Toronto

Whilst we were nomming Thanksgiving...

2009-11-29T21:12:00.004Z

Peter Doherty has spoken about his time in the hospital. He revealed that his heart stopped at one point, although also stated that it was not drug-related. However, he also hazily recounts the situation, saying "I was running into the walls, making steering wheel signs with my hands. And then I just… stopped. My body just stopped."

Meanwhile, Carl Barat has been confirmed to be taking part in the theatre production, Fool For Love, alongside Sadie Frost. The show begins running in January and dates go through March at Riverside Studios in (Hammersmith) London. Tickets and information can be found here! I am sooo there.

We Are Scientists have been starring in a series of shorts for MTV called Steve Wants His Money! You can catch up here! Very. Funny. Watch as Keith and Chris approach various celebrities and businesses with insanely stupid ideas to make money to pay back some bloke called Steve.

Now I know this will come as some surprise to you... but Morrissey has contemplated suicide. He discussed this, and similar subjects on Radio 4. Unfortunately, he is already being slammed for 'glamorising suicide' with comments such as: "I think self-destruction is honourable. I always thought it was. It's an act of great control and I understand people who do it."

Scottish indie band, The Yummy Fur, are reuninting! The band, which features Jackie McKeown from 1990s, Alex Kapranos and Paul Thompson from Franz Ferdinand, and guitarist Brian McDougall, appear to be sans Alex at the moment... However, they will be playing a string of dates in America and the UK, supposedly in support of a compilation album. Dates here!

The Strokes have been hinting at a January recording session via Twitter.

Cold War Kids have released an teaser for their upcoming EP, Behave Yourself!

~Jules

The Leisure Society @ St. Giles church - Nov. 9th, 2009

2009-11-27T15:43:00.003Z

More photos at Horrorshow! on flickr

So Wednesday night, Casey and I were wandering through some wonderfully dodgy Soho alleyways, only to pop out at St. Giles church for the last show of the last Leisure Society tour of the year! And it was sold out! Exciting times. Luckily, we got there a bit early and managed to secure a spot at the front. The opening band, Erland and the Carnival, were good. Quite good actually! However, I was slightly distracted as I busied myself fighting with the pews; they are impossibly uncomfortable to sit in. Ouch.

The Leisure Society seemed determined to make this show as special as possible. I had never seen so many people onstage at one of their shows, even though the band already consists of seven members. They had a mini-choir composed of, what I’m going to go out on a limb and assume, are others from the Willkommen Collective. There was a ‘uke orchestra,’ composed largely of Willkommen musicians, which spilled into the choir area of the church during ‘A Matter of Time.’ They also had an extra flute player and a pedal steel player, called Horse. This prompted a nice anecdote about the various animals that the band members were. In case you were wondering, Christian is a duck, Nick is a Sasquatch (although I really feel that it is debatable as to whether a Sasquatch is an animal), Helen is a swan, and the rest are all bears. Other fun anecdotes included Nick mentioning that he hadn’t been that terrified in a church since his first communion. As well as Christian mentioning that audience members kept popping up by an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the church, asking if that was where the bar was.

The band looked quite dapper, having dressed up it would seem. This was certainly the longest Leisure Society set we've been present for. Definitely got our money’s worth! Some of the highlights included Nick and Christian’s harmonies, the instrumental bit of ‘We Were Wasted,’ and the massive amount of people active onstage towards the end of ‘A Matter of Time.’ It was also the first time we heard ‘A Fighting Chance,’ their cover of the Beatles’ song, ‘Something,’ and a new song called ‘I Shall Forever Remain an Amateur’ live. This song was so new, that some of the band hadn’t learned all of it yet. As the song carried on, more and more band members filed onstage to pick up their instruments and join in. Nick explained the songs meaning as being about the band’s Ivor Novello nomination and quitting his job at a factory the same day that other workers were being made redundant. Which, as he mentioned, does seem incredibly bittersweet. Another highlight was ‘This Phantom Life,’ as the band got really into it. It has become obvious that we have seen this band too often, as Nick appears to have a new, and quite lovely, guitar. It was fun watching Nick rock out in his proper suit, as you know that the vast majority of the suited businessmen on the tube during rush hour wish they could be doing just that. The set finished with the band’s brilliant cover of ‘Something,’ which never ceases to induce a bit of a musical swoon.

-Jules

Scroll down for photos, or watch videos of:
This Phantom Life
Bona Fide
A Fighting Chance
I Will Forever Remain an Amateur
and Something:

uke orchestra!

Whilst we all made a wish on 11/11...

2009-11-15T15:44:00.005Z

Photo by horrorshows!

Since The Rakes split, singer Alan Donohoe has announced future musical plans. So far, these plans include music different from The Rakes as well as remaining 'in disguise' as he does not wish to ride on the success of his former band.

Cobbled together from various sources, it would appear that the Klaxons are currently in LA working on their 3rd album with producer Ross Robinson, several years after the release of their highly successful album Myths of the Near Future. Although, the album has been under production since 2007, when they were recording with producer Tony Visconti. So I wouldn't expect a release too soon. Blah.

The Futureheads drummer, Dave Hyde, is working on a solo project with Neil Basset, from The Golden Virgins, called Hyde and Beast. There are plans to release an album through their own record label, Nul Records.

Jeremy Warmsley is currently giving away his new EP, 5 Versions, for free! You can download it here!

Carbon/Silicon, the band created by The Clash's Mick Jones and Generation X's Tony James, is releasing their new album, The Carbon Bubble, for free here! This is just one of many albums that Carbon/Silicon have released free of charge. Cheers men! I'm quite enjoying what I've heard so far...

Something quite terrifying: !!!'s drummer, Jerry Fuchs, has died after attempting to jump a gap of a malfunctioning elevator and, ultimately, getting his clothing caught and falling. What a horrible freak accident... :(

One last thing: Patrick Wolf's new music video for 'Damaris'!

-Jules

While effigies were burnt...

2009-11-08T17:52:00.000Z

Yeah, that's right, I busted out the MOZ WITH A KITTEN photo!

So... Morrissey's tour is just not going very well! After his recent onstage collapse in Swindon, Morrissey has walked offstage in Liverpool after being hit in the head by a bottle during his second song. What a way to end such a dramatic UK tour... (Tickets were refunded!)

Babyshambles performed this week at the Camden Proud Gallery. Doherty aired a couple new songs, including the BNP-Bashing 'The BNP Blues'. Nice! And of course, the show ended in chaos as fans spilled onto the stage.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are set to play their first (and best!!!) album, Fever To Tell, in its entirety at the ATP Festival in Somerset.

Kings of Leon now have their own clothing line. No, I'm not kidding...

Bloc Party frontman, Kele Okereke, is working on a solo album.

Meanwhile, Lightspeed Champion is set to release a new album early next year (February 1st) entitled Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You. The first single, 'Marlene,' is to be released January 25th.

And because it wouldn't be a weekly news wrap-up without some Strokes-related news:
Julian Casablancas has announced plans to release a Christmas song, according to the NME.
He has also claimed that his live shows are going to have a Pink Floyd-esque laser show. Let's just hope this is a joke.

Strokes bassist, Nikolai Fraiture, has finished 23,347th in New York Marathon. I'll just leave you with this sassy photo of him, via the NME...

~Jules

Album Review: Julian Casablancas' - Phrazes For The Young

2009-11-02T14:34:00.009Z

Album review by our guest-blogger, Sonja! Who, clearly, is the only person who could ever write such a thorough review of this album!

       One of the most anticipated albums this year, at least since July when this mystery project was unveiled to the public with the cinematic trailer, is Phrazes for the Young (inspired by Oscar Wilde's Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young) by Julian Casablancas, to most known the best as the singer/chief songwriter of The Strokes. While the Strokes' 3-year hiatus saw most of the members working on various side projects, the mastermind behind it all was strangely quiet. Some of the aforementioned side projects were, frankly speaking, sounding at times more like the first two Strokes records (Is This It and Room on Fire that helped redefine rock'n'roll) than even the Strokes' third album First Impressions of Earth. Needless to say, being able to see where Julian's head was at for the last 3 years was more than tantalizing. Surprisingly, in spite of his rock'n'roll roots that are evident through most of the album and his signature vocal, the sound of this record takes Julian on a much different kind of ride than anyone could have expected. For a huge Strokes fan like myself that could easily spell disaster, but it is in fact impressive in its own way. Julian's well-known songwriting is evident, and some tracks (especially the first three) even sound like they could have been easily Strokes tracks, if only the keyboard parts were played on the guitar. He goes all out on this one, though, not restricting himself with a specific number of instruments. He uses synths, trumpets, even a banjo, yet it's never too literal and in your face. A relatively small record of only 8 tracks does have that sought-after replay effect, with all the songs being crafted to a near perfection. It'd be a crying shame if he decided to put few fillers in there and ruin the album that works so beautifully as a whole. He flirts with a different music genre on every track, from the 80s pop, soul/blues to country/folk, showing his versatility, yet the ability to make them all entirely his own. Every song, no matter the style he was experimenting with, is undeniably Casablancas. More than anything, he single-handedly innovates each genre he puts his hands on. In his own words, he wanted to make a record which would be a mix of older, classic music and the modern music. In the process, he even managed to make something completely new out of it.

       The opener titled Out of the Blue (accidentally or not) starts off synth-heavy like it's trying to leave the impression that this is not another Strokes record. But soon enough, when the drums and the guitars kick in, it transforms into the Strokes and Johnny Cash's lovechild. The combination of the music and lyrics plays on one of Julian's biggest strengths. He is one of the best ones out there who can make an uplifting song with sad lyrics. "I know I'm going to hell in a leather jacket/at least I'll be in another world while you're pissing on my casket" sure can come off dark and depressing on the paper, but is anything but when you hear it sang through a joyful melody. The track ends with a guitar riff that will make any Strokes fan all warm and fuzzy inside. Many critics have tried to use the next song as the best example of the 80s throwback, while in my opinion, it's actually one of the most Strokes-y sounding tracks. The Strokes have always been the 80s, or should I say 'the 80s before it was popular again to be the 80s'. Especially on their second album Room on Fire, that combined their gritty 70s rock'n'roll with the 80s catchiness to full effect. From Nick Valensi's guitar in 12:51 (that actually sounds similar to keyboards in Left & Right in the Dark) to the guitar riff in Automatic Stop that was, by Julian's own confession, inspired by Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Left & Right in the Dark, with its piercing synths, melodic guitars and tight drums is the 80s dance anthem for the new age. Julian sings in an uncharacteristically fast and high-pitched fashion, climaxing in the chorus that can weird you out a bit at first, but it doesn't take too many listens to realize the melody he's creating makes his voice just one of the many instruments. It is also a track that introduces for the first time on the record his sense of (musical) humor that will be more or less the recurring theme. It wouldn't be fair to give any spoilers for this one, but the ending is only the most hilarious ending of a song ever. 11th Dimension is a great track that, unfortunately, suffers because it was the first released track from the album last month and the fans have overplayed it while waiting for the whole thing to be released. Nevertheless, including cheesy keyboards, cool guitars, radio-friendly chorus and distorted-sounding bridges, among other things, there's way too much going on, yet everything seems to magically work. It's the closest he gets to indie disco.

       Then the album takes a sudden curveball, starting off with 4 Chords of the Apocalypse, which was, interestingly enough, co-written with Fab Moretti and Nick Valensi. This is Julian taking a stab at soul and blues. As much as being unbiased and not that much of a fan of a band can result in much more professional reviews, this is the kind of thing that benefits more if you know a thing or two about the person in question. When having in perspective that Julian is a big fan of Sam Cooke and A Change Is Gonna Come being one of his favorite songs of all time, 4 Chords of the Apocalypse is that much easier to understand. Years ago, NME made a very good point while reviewing Room on Fire, that the song Under Control is a good example of how Julian writes a ballad. There are no sappy melodies, acoustic guitars and the like, he just slows down the tempo. Singing slowly, he mocks Beyonce's vocal style. He leads the song to the chorus and then comes a guitar solo where he busts out into one of the most rock'n'roll moments of the record, bringing the late 60s Beatles to mind. On the other hand, Ludlow St. is a completely surprising gem. Talking about the demise of Manhattan's Lower East Side, the song symbolically opens with psychedelic Native-American intro that breaks into a full-on country number. With a recognizable indifferent drawl, Julian sings from the Bob Dylan-esque folk in the verses, even putting on an accent at times, to the old American folk melody in the chorus that sounds like he gave the Gangs of New York soundtrack a listen or two. The highlight of the song is a banjo solo which is the silliest slash the most genius thing you'll hear all year. It makes you laugh, and that's okay. After much deliberation, I have decided what makes it so brilliant is that it was written like a solo for the guitar, but was then played on a banjo. Jack White is somewhere, wishing he had written this song.

       The song I personally didn't like much outside of the full album is River of Brakelights. I think it was a mistake on Julian/his management's part to pick this track to stream on his website before the album coming out, because it's kind of misleading pulled out of the context. When listening to the full record it makes a lot more sense. I still think, though, it's the weakest track on the album of 8 great songs. Glass is a thing of beauty, a song that was teasing fans since the album trailer. Casablancas is one of the few modern musicians out there that still write songs as a classical composition and this just might be one of the most gorgeous compositions my ears ever had privilege to hear. From the intro, which for some reason reminds me of Wham!'s Last Christmas, the synth-heavy verses bring SciFi movies about aliens to mind. There is a beautifully epic chorus, with the guitar solo that sounds like something Mozart or Beethoven would have written on electric guitar if they were alive today. If this is not Julian's masterpiece, I don't know what is. The last track, Tourist, makes for a clever fusion of Oriental vibe and experimental rock. One more old music versus new music combo tackled. One more innovation on the genre. Check. One more impressive guitar solo. Check. More of that deep rich voice singing, more beautifully written lyrics, one Gogol Bordello/Beirut-inspired finale with the horns blasting through later, and it is clear that this is a perfectly chosen finishing track. And so the album that, in most parts, contemplates urban decay and finding your place in this world closes with a line "Everywhere I go I am a tourist/but if you stay with me I'll always be at home."



JUST FYI: The NME is still streaming the album HERE.

While our teeth were rotting from Halloween sweets...

2009-11-01T13:54:00.002Z

Quite a few interesting videos this week... above is Adam Green and Josh Hubbard (of The Paddingtons) playing their new, and incredibly ridiculous song, 'Ladyboy from Hull.'

The Leisure Society have been touring all over Europe this week. You can watch their performance of 'Save It For Someone Who Cares' above... the video is quite arty, but be aware the band doesn't appear until nearly 1 minute in...

All traces of Julian Casablancas' performance of 11th Dimension on Conan have been removed from Youtube, but if it resurfaces anywhere, might I suggest checking it out? If not just for his wee bit of dancing...

Neils Children have resurfaced + 2 new bandmates - 1 bassist. Vocalist, John Linger, and drummer, Brandon Jacobs, remain as the core of Neils Children. Although I assume this means the band is on their third bassist now? In the video posted on their website, I'm given the impression that they're sticking with their most-recent sound... with extra drum! Personally, I'm just happy they didn't pack it in like nearly every other band from the time period they emerged in! Cheers boys. You can read more about it on their myspace!

It should also be mentioned that Morrissey is, seemingly, doing much better following his dramatic collapse in Swindon last week! After being released from the hospital early this week, he went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Apparently Moz feigned collapse during 'How Soon Is Now', only to bounce back up to say "Thank you Swindon!" Always the cheeky one, he later added, "The doctor said I shouldn't smile. I told him I don't." O Morrissey...

According to the NME, The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt are currently working on both an album and a film, due to be released next year.

Meanwhile, The Dead Weather have announced plans to record a second album in December!

The Cribs are dusting off their cover of the Kaiser Chiefs song, 'Modern Way', and are releasing it, along with 'Mirror Kisses.' The song is available to download from iTunes, as well as the other usual suspects. The profits are going to the Cash For Kids Action On Neglect Appeal charity. Read more about this on their website...

While on the subject of The Cribs... this week Johnny Marr has spoken about reuniting The Smiths... and not in a favourable manner. He admits all the gab about a reunion is just a bit boring to him.

The NME is currently streaming Julian Casablancas' album here! Although for how long it shall remain up... I do not know. Tomorrow we shall have a review up of Phrazes for the Young from a lovely guest-blogger...

Halloween Playlist!

2009-10-30T16:19:00.003Z

I present: a playlist full of dark, creepy, eerie, fantastical, halloween-themed songs for your aural pleasure!

Play (most of) this playlist on LAST FM! Some of the gaps are filled in with youtube...

1. Be Your Own Pet - Zombie Graveyard Party
2. The Kinks - Wicked Annabella
3. The Bon Bon Club - Lullaby
4. Queen Adreena - Soda Dreamer
5. The Black Elevators - 13th Floor
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Graveyard
7. Hatcham Social - Til The Dawn
8. Horrorpops - Walk Like A Zombie
9. Dionysos - King of the Ghost Train
10. The Hives - A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors
11. The Horrors - Little Victories
12. Ipso Facto - Circle of Fifths
13. Jeff Buckley - Witches' Rave
14. Metric - Monster Hospital
15. Radiohead - We Suck Young Blood (Your Time Is Up)
16. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
17. Soho Dolls - My Vampire
18. KASMs - Taxidermy
19. Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup - Jabberwock
20. North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - Do They Know It's Halloween?
21. David Bowie - Sense of Doubt

~Jules

The Invasion of... GARY POWELL! :D 25-10-09 @ Water Rats

2009-10-27T12:36:00.004Z

More photos at my flickr, horrorshow!

Casey and I went to see Gary's new band The Invasion Of...'s first ever show on Sunday night at Water Rats. I have never knowingly been at a bands first gig. I also have not seen Gary Powell in over a year. CRIME! Therefore, Sunday night was superfantastical!!! And seriously... who doesn't love Gary?! I was a little disappointed that the GARY! GARY! GARY! chant never successfully broke out, as this has occured at every other occasion that I have seen Gary. Although bless 'em, one guy did have a go at starting it.

There were three support slots ranging from metal to indie, and one with a really overtly-angry frontman. Casey and I really wanted to give the last band's guitarist a hug for hanging in there. There was also The Guns of Pig Alley, who were quite good. It was during their set that we caught sight of Carl Barât! I attempted to keep my fangirling to a minimum instead of chasing after him. That being said, maturity is a bit dull. So I gave Casey a wee shake, and mouthed 'oh my god!' We later saw Carl and Anthony Rossomando outside smoking (of course). I love love love that they came to see the band's first show!

We then watched as The Invasion Of... set up. A man positioned a camera to record the show next to us, so we moved front and center! Gary then came over and jokingly complained about having to set up his own equipment and not having a techie to do it for him. He then pretended to throw bits of the drumkit at people as he dismantled and reassembled it to his liking.

The Invasion Of... took the stage as the headliner. Now, I'm having a slightly hard time classifying their music. It was indie-punkish, but the singer brought a bit of an urban feel to the music that caught me off guard. Admittedly, I had not expected them to sound like The Libertines or Dirty Pretty Things!
The band played a rather short set, which included a cover version of the Human League's 'Being Boiled' which they jokingly prefer to call 'Being Baked'.

You can watch their cover below and one of their own songs HERE! Or scroll down for more photos!

~Jules

Devendra Banhart - 'What Will We Be' Album Review

2009-10-26T11:26:00.001Z

     Does it seem like Devendra Banhart has become omnipresence in the past few years? He has finally gotten the attention for his music that he was begging for back in 2005. The Nietzsche-like character did not expect to ever gain mass appeal because his music is not something that is easily absorbed by the general public, but look at him now. He is singing duets with Gael Garcia Bernal, creating wonderfully ridiculous albums with Fab Moretti (side note: if you haven’t listened to Megapuss and enjoy the musical stylings of Adam Green, go look them up now), and donating artwork to indie charities. Devendra is now competing with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy for indie god status. However, is he really indie anymore? I suppose that depends on whether you consider ‘indie’ to be a genre or a status. It is no secret that indie fans will lose respect for a musician once he signs to a major label, but will What Will We Be mark Devendra Banhart’s shift away from the indie hipster community into the mainstream? I don’t think so. Whilst the album has a cleaner sound that may appeal more to the mainstream crowd, it still has Devendra’s quirkiness, which may scare off the unfortunate Devendra virgins.

     Perhaps I am in the minority, but I would like to begin by stating that I enjoyed Devendra’s previous album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, with its somewhat goofy and zany, ‘Shabop Shalom,’ fun Spanish, ‘Carmensita,’ and beautiful and heartfelt ‘So Long Old Bean’ more than his latest album, What Will We Be. This is his seventh album and major label debut; it maintains Devendra’s classic style and charm with a smoother sound, but I expected a bit more. The album begins brilliantly with the sunny and upbeat, ‘Can’t Help But Smiling.’ This song combines Devendra’s famous South American sound with a slightly Caribbean feel. Following ‘Can’t Help But Smiling’ is my new favourite song, ‘Angelika.’ I will probably keep listening to it on repeat until I make myself completely sick of it. It begins with a soft, Cat Stevens-like hippie sound, which makes me want to dance around barefoot in the grass, before switching into a deeper Spanish sound mid-way through the song. The very end of the song switches back to the hippie sound from the beginning. This breaking up of the songs, until it sounds like several different songs mashed together (reminiscent of The Beatles –‘A Day in the Life) is not uncommon on this album.

     The third track on the album, ‘Baby’ is the song that is mostly likely to bring Devendra Banhart some mainstream success. ‘Baby’ is to What Will Be what ‘Lover’ was to Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon; meaning that those who do not like the album may still like the song. Further proving that Devendra is indeed a genre-bender, ‘Baby’ features a peusdo-funk, almost R&B like sound with its slow tempo and gentle vocals. Whilst this may be the track with the most mass appeal, the standout of the album for me is ‘Chin Chin & Muck Muck’; perhaps because I prefer Devendra’s more ridiculous songs. This track features the mash up of songs, which I previously mentioned, and seems to include at least three completely different songs. The song begins with a distinctly jazz intro and the line, ‘When I was a young boy I had a lot of young boys and we taught each other dearly how to love,’ which I am choosing not to read too much into. Then after about a minute and 40 seconds the tempo picks up and the song develops a fun, quirky sound, which I have come to expect from Devendra. About 3 minutes in, the song takes on an almost music-hall like sound, before switching back to the danceable upbeat tempo. Whilst the song features so many individual elements, they all work well together, creating a wonderfully eccentric song that only Devendra is capable of crafting.

     The fast, three minute long track, ‘16th & Valencia Roxy Music’ is perhaps the closest thing Devendra will ever have to a dance-floor anthem. The drum and bass like tempo paired with ‘Tonight we’re gonna find our lover’ sounds so similar to a song that one would expect to hear at an indie night club. Yet, I could also imagine this song being played in the background a police chase scene from an 80s action movie. Perhaps this is just another song thrown on the album because it is a major label debut. The two songs that sound most like Devendra’s earlier albums are ‘Brindo’ and ‘Walilamdzi.’ Both songs feature Spanish vocals, beautiful composition, and impressive, yet simple, acoustic guitar. ‘Foolin’,’ the final track of What Will We Be, brings the album full-circle, repeating the Caribbean sound of the first track and ends the album with an up-tempo and happy song. To conclude: What Will We Be is not my favourite Devendra Banhart album, but it is a great major label debut album. It includes classic Devendra songs, and some which have more mass appeal, but never loses the classic quirky Devendra hippie sound that we have come to expect.

~Casey Shea

While the Royal Mail was enjoying some time off...

2009-10-25T14:19:00.004Z

Morrissey has collapsed onstage at his concert last night in Swindon. Apparently he had to be dragged offstage and was unconscious at one point. He was then taken to the hospital for breathing problems. The audience was told that the singer was 'seriously ill'.
I was reading people's comments who had been at the show, and it sounded quite sad. I cannot imagine having Morrissey collapse right in front of me! I'd probably cry too... Get well soon Moz!

A coalition of musicians, including REM, Billy Bragg, Pearl Jam, and Rage Against the Machine, are pledging support for President Obama's plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison in 2010. This comes after reports that many artists' music have been used as a form of torture at the prison. Campaigners are also asking that the details of the music played be released under the Freedom of Information act.

Jarvis Cocker and his band shall 'install themselves in the Village Underground' November 9th-11th. I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around this, but he will be playing for yoga and pilates classes as well as being open to 'jam' with members of the public who show up with instruments. Interesting! You can watch it all go down on a webcast, via his website, as well. This is not the first time Jarvis has taken part in such an event, having previously done so in May at Galerie Chappe in Paris.
Jarv has also secured himself a DJ slot on BBC Radio 6, Sundays at 3:30pm!

Julian Casablancas' new album, Phrazes for the Young, may be out November 2nd. But if you fancy waiting until December 18th, you could get your hands on the delux edition of his album. Go on... guess how much it costs! £18? £20? £25? Maybe even £30? Well no... £55 actually. To be fair, the 'antique-style' box set contains:
-The album
-180-gram vinyl
-An autographed 48-page book
-CD of demos and B-sides
-DVD of solo acoustic performances

GEESUS! Some more Strokes-related news. Apparently the band are having a bit of a disagreement over whether the songs for their forthcoming album are finished or not. Julian has told The Sun that he believes this disagreement is a consequence of the band not living in close proximity, stating "It's weird with the band, a band is actually a great way to ruin a friendship." Boo. :(

NME is currently streaming Sufjan Stevens' new album, BQE, released this past Monday.

Kings of Leon are the subject of a new exhibition at the Proud Galleries in London. Photographs by Jo McCaughey will be on display, and you can take a peak at NME.com.

Noel Gallagher discusses plans for a solo release here.

Lovely interview with Carl Barât in which he explains his current musical/acting(?) standing... can be read here!

The Leisure Society are currently on tour and accidently driving into seagulls. Ew! (UK, Germany, Paris, Amsterdam)!!!

As previously mentioned in more detail, The Rakes have broken up this week. :(

Former Be Your Own Pet singer, Jemina Pearl, has a new single out ft. Iggy Pop. Have a look/listen:

-Jules

RIP The Rakes

2009-10-23T15:43:00.007+01:00

The Rakes @ Koko 29/4/09

For those of you who do not already know, as of yesterday, The Rakes have broken up. GUTTED. If you had told me this before their last record, I would have been less shocked. As my friend and I had noted their website hadn't been updated in months and months before the release of Klang!. But I had percieved that The Rakes had some measurable commercial success with the album, including selling out the one concert of their's I was able to attend at Koko in London. ...Plus it's a bit strange breaking up right before a tour!

A statement from their website reads:
-----
'To our fans, sorry if this abrupt end is an unpleasant surprise and might piss any of you off, particularly those who were coming to see us on our UK and US tours. Under the circumstances we just couldn’t continue… We of course don’t want to piss anyone off, we never took canceling shows lightly - but it’s best to leave you all on a high note, rather than unimaginatively continue, on and on, until before you know it you’re playing an OAP home in Eastbourne and discover all the audience are younger than you.

Sincere thanks for all your support. Here’s our collective thoughts:

The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100% to every gig we’ve ever played. If we can’t give it everything then we won’t do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one.

After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can’t give it 100% anymore and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day. We are sorry to let down all the people who were coming to see us on the UK & US tours. Writing your own obituary is a surreal thing to do but we want to give particular thanks to our much-loved fans, all the great people we’ve worked with over the years, our management and loyal record label. We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write music together and perform around the world. Genuinely, thanks for the good times…. That was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep.'
----
Singer, Alan Donohoe, apologises for pissing anyone off with their breakup, but fears The Rakes would be playing to OAPs younger than themselves if they were to carry on.

I have to say, I am a bit confused as to WHY they cannot give 100% or why they fear still being a band at an old age.

I will miss your crazy eyes and even crazier dance moves, Alan.

~Jules

While balloon boy was hiding in a box in the attic...

2009-10-18T13:50:00.004+01:00

{Insert your own Village People joke here...} ;)

One of my favorite news stories this week has to be that Carl Barât and former bandmate, Anthony Rossomando, have been collaborating on a film about the east London Docks. The concept is actually a bit interesting, as it focuses on the myths and folklore of the area. Anthony is in charge of the soundtrack, and surprisingly, Carl is in charge of narration. Now I know what you're thinking... but Anthony has insisted that we'll be able to understand him! More from BBC6 here...

My least favorite news story of the week was Pete Doherty's hospitalization due to breathing problems. There were even whispers of a trip to intensive care, but I cannot vouch for the accuracy of such talk. Interestingly enough, no one has mentioned anything further... So let's just assume he's okay and being looked after! It should also be noted that his Irish tour has been postponed at this time.

Tegan and Sara will be returning to the UK for the first time in nearly two years! They are set to play shows in just London, Manchester, and Edinburgh in November. This is followed by many Scandinavian, European, Canadian, and American tour dates, more information on their website! This is all in support of their new album, Sainthood, coming out October 26th. Their first single off the album, 'Hell', is out Monday!

The Holloways are planning an extremely extensive UK tour in support of their new album, No Smoke, No Mirrors.

Kings of Leon are releasing a live DVD of with footage from their performances at the O2 Arena in June (2009). More information and Tracklist on their website!

Visit Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong's MySpace and scroll down to download their new song, 'One Woman', for free!

Jarvis Cocker will receive an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in November. You can read his response here...

Adam Green played a free show in London at the Flowerpot on Wednesday night. Adam was joined by members of the Hull-based band, The Paddingtons! They performed a new song called 'Ladyboy In Hull' which was co-written with Anthony Rossomando AND will be released as a B-side by The Paddingtons next year! I can only assume, at this point in time, that 'Ladyboy In Hull' is one of the best songs in the world, given the names attached to it and its title.

The release date for Julian Casablancas' solo album, Phrazes For The Young, has been pushed back to November 2nd.

In slightly related news, The Strokes' bassist, Nikolai Fraiture, has made plans to run the New York marathon on November 1st. NME has a bit more information...

Here's a fun game! Well not so much a game, as a hacked version of Google Maps Streetview in which the band, Editors, place themselves and randomers in various parts of London at night and slightly surreal situations. Click a number on the map and then click yourself down the street and towards the middle of the target until you see a red arrow. To be honest, this is kind of fun even if you're not a huge Editors fan.

~Jules

Willy Mason and guests @ St. Giles Church 14/10/09

2009-10-15T21:12:00.008+01:00

Willy Mason, it has been a while.

Photo credit: Flickr User Brother G

Last night Willy Mason emerged from his self-imposed isolation to perform a beautiful set at St. Giles-in-the-Field Church in Soho. Playing along with Willy were his mother, Jemima James, brother, Sam Mason, and several friends and local musicians including, Sofi Thanhauser, Mara Carlyle and Nina Violet. The instrument line up included ukulele, double bass, accordion, violin, drums, and of course, acoustic guitar. The church setting was amazingly warm and intimate, despite the freezing weather outside, and the combination of his friends, family, and fellow musicians created the perfect American folk evening. Imagine a small town folk night at the village hall or local opera house in rural America (yes, I have been to several such occasions), but now throw in a surprisingly brilliant musician; that is what happened at St. Gile's last night. Willy Mason has not played an international show in years and has only done a few American shows in the past months, yet you would never have known this from the performance he gave.

Mason, James, Carlyle, Violet and Thanhauser. Credit: Brother G
Willy Mason described the set as his 'first proper concert.' At first he seemed a bit nervous, stumbling over his words and laughing awkwardly, but he soon settled in. He opened the set by explaining, and almost apologizing, that most of the songs he was going to perform were new and the audience therefore would not have heard them before, but he promised a good show and that is what he gave. The second song of the set was one of my new favourites, 'If It's The End,' which combines his simple, soothing acoustic guitar with his somewhat melancholy, yet uplifting lyrics. After a few songs from Willy, his mother Jemima James took centre stage and first thanked the British for having the sensitivity to appreciate Willy unlike the Americans, to which I wanted to shout, 'but, I'm American and I love Willy Mason!' but thankfully I managed to keep it in and just smiled to myself. Jemima then played one of her own songs, 'Cowboy Calling Card,' which is much more country than Willy's music, but good none the less. The rest of the set followed this pattern with Willy playing a few songs and then introducing a guest musician. Most were country/folk female singer songer-writers. They were good, but to be honest Willy definitely stole the show.

Sofi Thanhauser. Credit: Brother G
The other new songs that Willy Mason introduced last night were the slow paced, 'Pickup Truck,' 'Shadows in the Dark,' 'I Got Gold,' and 'Show Me the Way to Go Home.' All of which are beautifully written and show great maturity from the 24 year old folk singer. With each album he releases, Willy Mason seems to grow a good deal and improves dramatically as a musician and I certainly look forward to his next release. All of his new songs seem to be about growing up, finding his place in the world, and constantly wanting to return home. 'Shadows in the Dark' is perhaps the best song lyrically. The song begins, 'the sun is going down. The sun is going way down. I hope you're finding places to call home. I'm doing all I can to find the things that stand true. I don't know the plan but I'll follow through.' This song like 'If It's the End,' is both uplifting and melancholy. It makes me feel warm and sentimental whilst making me somewhat homesick. Willy stated that he did have one religious song to fit into the church atmosphere, a song about 'the religion of the blues.' It was in fact a beautiful folk song with a distinctly blues element. Mason ended his set with two songs; one written by his mother, and one 'The Way I Am,' which his father, Michael Mason taught him. It sounded like something Willy would have written himself, and was a brilliant conclusion to an amazing set. Can you imagine in entire family of folk musicians? I now understand why he enjoys locking himself away at home.

The Brothers Mason. Credit: Brother G

Willy Mason left the stage for just a few seconds before returning for the encore which the audience loudly demanded. It was during this solo encore that he played some of his more familiar songs. He began with the much requested 'Where the Humans Eat,' and was assisted by one of his, then off-stage, guest singers, shouting 'Me!' after he sang, 'why are you still now yelling at me?' It was cute and unexpected, and made the timid Mason laugh. Next up was the powerful, 'We Can Be Strong,' which always makes me want to cry or drop out of university. Finally, he concluded with his now classic, 'Oxygen,' to which his fellow musicians swayed and danced along. It was the perfect end to a perfect, and proper, concert. Hopefully, Willy Mason will do a full tour sometime soon.

Check out his new songs here.

~Casey Shea

While Ozzy Osbourne passed his driver's test (on his 19th attempt)...

2009-10-11T13:22:00.009+01:00

The Dead Weather's music video for 'I Cut Like A Buffalo' is online now! Jack White being exceedingly creepy, LOVE IT.

Adam Green is giving away his new song, 'What Makes Him Act So Bad', on his website! Although his new album, Minor Love, is not set to be released until January of 2010.

The Arctic Monkeys will be releasing their latest single, 'Cornerstone', on Nov. 11th. A rather-long string of UK and European tour dates can be found here!

Glastonbury tickets sold out in their first day on sale without any acts having been confirmed. Wow. Apparently there will be a small number of tickets back on sale in early 2010 (as a result of any failed orders) so if you're desperate to go, you've still got a chance!

Some future album news from...

Radiohead say they will continue to make albums, and have stated plans for future 'conventional' releases.

Having not released an album since her 2006 hit, Back To Black, the Amy Winehouse camp are hoping to put out a new album 'next year'.

Johnny Marr contends that he shall continue with The Cribs, including recording another album. NME.com has the whole interview here!

Lastly, Carl Barat, 'The Rev' Jon McClure, and Brett Anderson took to the stage together to cover 'Venus in Furs' at Jack Daniel's birthday party.

-Jules

Doll & The Kicks @ Camden Barfly - Oct. 9, 2009

2009-10-10T21:15:00.007+01:00

Doll and The Kicks supported by Ray and Sound of Guns

Ray: I liked them more and more the longer they played. The singer looked a bit like Kurt Cobain, yet sounded more like Alex Kapranos. I'm a bit confused because they were called Ray, but seemed to be promoting their new stuff as the Damn Vandals. I am also confused as to whether or not they really do play at old peoples' homes. But bless their cotton socks if this is true! They are of the indie rock persuasion, if that interests you, check their new stuff out here!

Sound of Guns: Indie pop/rock, check them out here if you are interested!

Photocredit: Horroshow! flickr

Doll and The Kicks were in top form, despite the oddly sweltering heat inside the Camden Barfly. Perhaps Doll could have used a bit more clothing, as sassy/sequined and lacy as her outfit was... but to be fair, and as she pointed out herself, it was really bloody hot. The bassist's massive hair was a sweaty sprinkler by the end of the night. Geesus!

Doll and the Kicks perfected the art of a spot-on indie rock performance. This Brighton-based band have spent a great portion of the year touring with the one and only, Morrissey! Although, last night, it was they who were headlining the show. I have to say, Doll has a surprisingly strong voice for such a small person, and it never faltered. She took off her heels just one song in, after garnering support from the women present. She danced around the stage in her socks, hopping about to the perky beats and melodies. Doll has quite the stage presence, so it is quite hard to take your eyes off of her!

The music was very bouncy and fun and the band played with confidence. The bass, particularly apparent in their latest single, 'Roll Up The Red Carpet', was highly danceable. Another highlight was their forthcoming single, 'You Turn Up'! (For which, we were informed, they are currently looking for people to be in the music video... just fyi.) They closed with 'He Was A Dancer', only to be near-bullied back onstage by the baying crowd. MORE! MORE! MORE! etc. They acquiesced. We were all thankful.

~Jules

You Turn Up and He Was A Dancer

His shirt was very cool. Want! (click for larger image)

More photos at Horrorshow! flickr

Fistful Of Awkward: This blog makes me uncomfortable.

Carl Barât solo @ Scala - London Kings X (Oct. 27, 2010)

Interpol's new music video for 'Lights'

The Juliets- The Juliets Album Review

Carlos D leaves Interpol

Weekly music news!

Rory leaves Kasms...

Babyshambles confusion!

Weekly music news!

You Say Party! We Say Die!'s drummer has passed away...

The Paddingtons @ O2 Academy (2) - April 11th, 2010

Robots In Disguise w/ The Franklys and Scream Club/Electrosexual @ Kings College (April 9, 2010)

Harlem 'Hippies' Album Review

Weekly music update!

The Leisure Society @ Tabernacle - April 1, 2010

The Libertines @ NME Behind the scenes covershoot video

Weekly music news!

Libertines reunion!!!

No Julian?

We Are Scientists with Drink Up Buttercup @ The 5 Spot – Nashville – March 23, 2010

The Libertines Are Back??? If only...

Weekly music news!

Weekly music news!

Weekly music news!

Doll and the Kicks @ Barfly - March 4th, 2010 - Camden, London

NME Awards @ Brixton Academy - Feb 24th, 2010

Weekly music news

Hole @ Shepherd's Bush Empire - Feb 17, 2010

Skybox- Morning After Cuts Review

Whilst we put up with snowmageddon...

Comanechi and O. Children @ Borderline - Feb 12, 2010 (London)

Whilst we do our best to hide out from the Super Bowl in the London...

Adam Green @ Electric Ballroom - Feb. 4th, 2010 - Camden, London

Carl Barat & Sadie Frost in Fool For Love @ Riverside Studios - Jan 29, 2010

Whilst we re-adjust to Greenwich Mean Time…

The definitive Libertines sightseeing post!

Whilst we are repeatedly snowed in...

Whilst we return from our holiday hibernation...

Our favourite concerts of 2009!

Top 20 albums of the past decade! A totally objective list by Jules… ;)

Casey's Favourite Albums of the Decade

*THE* top 10 albums of 2009... according to Jules...

Casey's Underrated Albums of 2009

Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension music video

MERRY CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST!!!

Devendra Banhart @ Shepherd's Bush 15/12/2009

Album Review: Comanechi - Crime of Love

Whilst Obama was channelling George Bush...

Julian Plenti @ Scala - December 3rd, 2009

Whilst we were nomming Thanksgiving...

The Leisure Society @ St. Giles church - Nov. 9th, 2009

Whilst we all made a wish on 11/11...

While effigies were burnt...

Album Review: Julian Casablancas' - Phrazes For The Young

While our teeth were rotting from Halloween sweets...

Halloween Playlist!

The Invasion of... GARY POWELL! :D 25-10-09 @ Water Rats

Devendra Banhart - 'What Will We Be' Album Review

While the Royal Mail was enjoying some time off...

RIP The Rakes

While balloon boy was hiding in a box in the attic...

Willy Mason and guests @ St. Giles Church 14/10/09

While Ozzy Osbourne passed his driver's test (on his 19th attempt)...

Doll & The Kicks @ Camden Barfly - Oct. 9, 2009

THE top 10 albums of 2009... according to Jules...