HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Album of the Year 2010 - The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae

I know I keep banging on about Janelle Monae, but in my opinion she is the most talented performer, and this the best album of 2010. Part of a three piece suite, The ArchAndroid is a hugely diverse, eighteen track album, which seeks to resurrect R&B from its sorry modern state, and remind us that the genre can be full of fantastically accomplished and dynamic rhythm, and truly soul-felt, understated blues. Drawing on hugely wide spread musical influences, from Romantic era classical music to musicals, sci-fi movies to field recordings, Monae’s debut full-length album twists and turns all over the place. When listened to in its entirety, its is actually quite staggering how varied her influences are; one minute its Thin White Duke era Bowie, the next its Carlos Santana style guitars, poppier Misfits tracks or Cher circa “Believe” jumping out from your speakers. That is not to say however, that her work is a simple montage of influences; Monae certainly has her own voice – and a cracking one at that. She has a powerful set of pipes – clear and rounded, with perfectly developed tone, grain and most importantly – faultless delivery. The content that she delivers is also solid. Her lyrics are slick, clever, and actually mean something, and are not simply some kind of fake narrative based around disappointingly shallow concepts of sexual politics/polemics.

Conceptually this album is also strong, both as a whole body of work and within specific songs and sections. There are cute little idiosyncrasies, like the proper, classical style Overture for the first and second parts of the album. The whole concept of the album is its strongest point, however, which is based around the themes of androids, science fiction and most significantly, the film Metropolis. Monae doesn’t simply use these as the basis of her concept album but develops it in an incredibly astute and philosophical fashion, extending the “Other” nature of machines and cyborgs to the Other-ness, the feeling of being different, of being an outsider, which is very universal. Clearly, Monae is incredibly intelligent, wise and savvy. This album has no self-indulgent introspection; there are no dirges or self-pity. The album is upbeat, young and positive throughout, with tunes that have good credentials for boogie-ing on down.

What more need I say? A phenomenally good album, and if you haven’t heard it yet – bloody well shame on you! Do it now. I promise you will find it a composed, futuristic, positive and diverse album. Promise.


See this at HCE: http://t.co/aPi2wKM

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Ones to Watch 2011 - Midi Midis

The Midi Midis have been around for a couple of years now as a significant and vibrant part of the Reading scene, gigging both as a two piece and separately doing DJ sets at cool South East venues. Rumours have it the band are on the cusp of being signed by label giant Sony BMG, and if so, 2011 should be the year Midi Midis finally release a full length album, and when we see the band generally ascend towards true indie greatness.

The band have a fresh, cool, dispassionate exterior, with hip taste, bang-on aesthetics, and most importantly an exciting new sound. Interpreting sonically the current renaissance of early video game appreciation (think Scott Pilgrim), Midi Midis combine chip-tune style 8-bit sounds with thrashing garage rock guitars, to create innovative, lo-fi collage effects. If you are in anyway familiar with the game sounds of original Zelda, Final Fantasy and the like, Midi Midis’ music should have a lot of nostalgic resonance. The 8-bit samples supply most of the bass and drum sounds heard, which is interesting in itself, and leaves the duo free to mash their guitars during live performances, which are themselves electric and contain much furious guitar playing.

Their music is not just a gimmick though – it works. The mixture of 8-bit samples and guitars just reeks coolness, but the vocals actually have some genuinely deep content as well, such as April’s single There’s Just Far too Much Going on Upstairs for Me to Feel Truly Comfortable with Myself, which deals accurately with the topic of depression. Coupled with the melody that accompanies the lyrics, which are often delicate and friendly in nature, this band really do offer an awful lot, presenting clever, sharp, and overall pleasing ideas.
See this at MTTM: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/2011-ones-to-watch-midi-midis/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Christmas Tracks

It’s Christmas time, but there’s no need to be afraid – for I have complied a simply spectacular playlist of awesome X-mas tunes for your perusal. There is a mixture of Christmas classics that we all know and love, and some alternative tracks as well. Hopefully there is something for everyone to enjoy. Unless you don’t like Christmas, in which case, why are you reading this? Weirdo.


“Driving Home for Christmas” – Chris Rea
Anyone who has had to travel home for Christmas should understand the lovely sentiment of this song. It’s mellow, yet very evocative of an important journey that many people take every Christmas.
“Christmas is Awesome” – Reuben
This track is brilliant – so funny, with a really English approach to humour and indeed Christmas generally. Check it out below:

“Let it Snow” – Dean Martin
This song has a lovely melody, warmed by Dean Martin’s rich voice. The sentiment too is wonderful – because snow is absolutely fantastic – providing you have no place to go.
“Happy Holidays, You Bastard” – Blink 182
I love short pop-punk songs, and Blink 182 do them very, very well. The rapidity of the song, coupled with the mass of swear words within made this a favourite for my fifteen-year-old self.
“Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)” – The Darkness
Ah, remember The Darkness? I do – they were lush! This track was a really nice change from the usual X-mas chart stuff at the time, and a welcome return to a more jovial, cheery, 70s style of Christmas song.
“All I Want for Christmas is You” – Mariah Carey
Yes, this track is beyond cheesy, but a bit of cheese and sentimentality can be lovely at Christmas. It is also a genuine sentiment I feel towards my beau – that the best present is to have him to myself all day. Ahh.
“Christmas Wrapping” – The Waitresses
I’ve always liked this Christmas song ever since I was little, possibly because two sassy, independent ladies sang it. As I’ve gotten older though it has remained high on my favourite Christmas songs list as it well represents the busy rush of buying presents, wrapping presents, getting and preparing food, etc. and the desire surely everyone has in December at least once – that it might just be easier and more enjoyable to spend Christmas by oneself.
“Fallen Snow” – Au Revoir Simone
Not technically a Christmas song, but more relating to winter, this is a beautiful and lyrically brilliant song discussing the importance of love when its very, very cold, (FYI, the video is depressingly summery).

“Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues and Kirsty Macoll
If you ask people what their favourite Christmas song is, many will suggest this Pogues masterpiece. It sounds wonderfully merry and Christmassy, but well captures the fraught tensions that many of us feel when spending so much time with our families.
“Do They Know its Christmas (1984)” – Band Aid
Of all the incarnations of band aid there have been, the first was clearly the best. David Bowie, Sting, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Boy George – what a line-up that has endured through to today. And of course the message behind Band Aid is forever important, monumentally so at the time.
“White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
To me this is the perfect Christmas song. It is gentle, peaceful and warm-hearted, as well as simple and elegant in its execution.
“Its Christmas So We’ll Stop” – Frightened Rabbit
Simultaneously covering the disappointment and heartache Christmas can bring with the romantic nature of the Christmas season, this is lyrically detailed, painstakingly gentle and very new folk song is subtle and beautiful.

See this playlist at HCE: http://t.co/OKhPUm0

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Happy Memories

It is nice to have a happy playlist - one that can cheer you up when you are sad, or enhance a good mood when you feel great. I have a very large happy playlist, which has over 80 songs in it, so I have broken down the highlights into two parts; tracks, which have happy music, and tracks that have happy memories. This week, the second week, I am covering the more memory-based side – tracks that both have a happy feel and have a happy memory linked to it from my life and that. So here is a nice little insight into what makes me happy, and I invite you to think of, and perhaps make a playlist of all the songs that remind you of happy times.

1.    “Crashed the Wedding” – Busted
Ah Busted. Hated by many a music connoisseur. Not me though, I bloody loved them! This song takes me back to being in 6th form, when I was very young, and very free, and my biggest problem was that my boyfriend hated Busted and I loved them. Bliss!
2.    ‘Dreaming of You” – The Coral
I adored this song when it came out, and it did become a general favourite with my contemporaries too. As everyone liked it, it became a happy, zeitgeist-capturing track.
3.    “Growing on Me” - The Darkness
This track came out when I first started to fall in love with my boyfriend Ricky, and it captured our feeling towards each other precisely. I later found out it was actually about genital warts, but the humour has only added to its genius in my eyes.
4.    “Dammit” – Blink 182
This track just makes me happy. It was around a lot during a very happy time of my life, and automatically takes me back there.
5.    “Make a Choice” – Thirst
This was Ricky’s favourite track when we first started going out, and our band also tried to learn it at one point. It will forever remind me of Ricky, and of being very young.
6.    “The Road” – Tenacious D
This track reminds me of my first year at uni, singing in the kitchen, desperately badly, to this track, in my dorm room, top floor kitchen, looking out over rainy London town.
7.    “The Middle” – Jimmy Eat World
This track has a great message, stating that although everything can feel like a big mess sometimes, everything should work out in time. It has given me solis during the stagnant 18 month I have been having, but in a positive way.
8.    “Novocain” – Strung Out
This track came to me on a Fat Wreck compilation just as I was leaving school. Throughout 6th form I was besotted with pop punk, especially stuff from Fat Wreck, and this song just encapsulated all my favourite music from a really happy time in my life, and also rounded it off succinctly.
9.    “Hey Ya!” – Andre 3000
Yes, this song was done to death when it was release, but it is a great, positive track, which seemed to have been played a lot in great situations – house parties, birthday parties, road trip, etc.
10.    “Ready for the Weekend” – Calvin Harris
This track came out last year around the time I first left Uni and started to work again. Whilst this was quite depressing, it was very elating to finish work at the end of the week and have this blasting out of my car stereo on my way home for the weekend.
See this at Here Comes Everyone: http://t.co/lqUERuk

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (EP REVIEW): To Bury A Ghost - The Hurt Kingdom

The Hurt Kingdom is the primary release by as yet unsigned band To Bury A Ghost. Producing self-determined “Art-Rock”, TBAG have here produced a complex, layered and deep release using numerous instruments and effects. There is a definite collage feel to the music; each of the parts on each song sound separate, isolated and developed. However, throughout this EP there is a cohesive and well-honed feel, with a mixture of cool indie synths and guitars, classical instruments (with classical parts as opposed to pop parts on classical instruments), and dreary, surly vocals. 

Whilst TBAG’s music can certainly be defined as art-rock, to me there is a definite progressive vibe. Although there are little prog-rock pretentions within The Hurt Kingdom, there are obvious influences from the likes of Muse and Mogwai, as well as true prog-rockers like Mike Oldfield and even Genesis. The track "Beginning is the End" especially falls into this genre, being over six minutes in length, and having no discernable vocals to speak of. An interesting EP though, which certainly prophesises great things to come. 
See this review at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/to-bury-a-ghost-%E2%80%93-the-hurt-kingdom-ep/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Best New Artists of 2010

All these artists released their debut albums this year and have enjoyed growing success throughout 2010. These are my stand-out new artists of 2010.

There have been so many burgeoning female solo acts over the past couple of years; it could be easy to over-look Marina and the Diamonds as just another quirky female pop act. To do this though would be a huge mistake. Marina has been one of my stand out acts of the year because she really does offer a perfect pop package, but with an awful lot of substance. Marina looks the absolute figure of beauty, and she packages herself in the most gorgeous wardrobe of cute, individual and interesting clothes. Aestheticism is clearly an important aspect of Marina’s act – not only does she look fabulous, but her videos, music sleeves and general promotional material are presented in a way that is fresh, cool and intriguing.

Most importantly, Marina delivers music that is accomplished, heart-felt and captivating. She has a truly magnificent, powerful voice, with a huge range and a very rich tone. Marina really uses her voice – musically it is her biggest attraction and focal point – with curious techniques that enrich her wry, idiosyncratic lyrics. The lyrical content of her work is very personal, yet it speaks of universal feelings, situations, worries and triumphs. Combined with her fantastically on-trend new-new-wave instrumentation of perfectly chosen synth timbres and traditional band instruments, Marina really has been one of this year’s gems (pardon the pun).  Here’s to 2011 and hopefully a new album!

Janelle Monae has not become quite as big as Marina this year, here in the UK, but she is currently enjoying a lot of success in her native America. She has been touring and performing in the US for the past five years, but with some helpful input from industry mentors Big Boi and Sean Combs, she has now released her first LP in May this year, which has subsequently been nominated for a Grammy for best R&B album.

The Archandroid is a stupendous debut release, demonstrating good old school R&B as it should be – bouncing, hip and soulful. Most exciting though, there’s not a “slow-jam” in sight! Janelle’s work is upbeat, fun, cool and most importantly not centred purely around the topic of sex and relationships. Indeed, the lyrical content is much more about Janelle as an individual, and individuality in general.
Musically, Janelle’s work is fantastically accomplished and diverse, taking influences from genres and acts as varied as James Brown, David Bowie, OutKast, Debussy, indie-pop, afro-punk, soul, funk, dance-punk, electro, turntablism and jazz.

Even with all these influences though, Janelle still has her own sound and personality, with a delightfully androgynous look and an impulsive, marionette style of dancing. Janelle Monae is pure talent and ingenuity through and through, an added breath of fresh air in the world of R&B.

Pretentious, preppy and very, very cool, The Drums are my favourite new band of 2010. They emerged from the current creative hub that is Brooklyn, NY last year, and have since blossomed into the awkward, lanky and talented band that we know today. Signed to hip UK independent label Moshi Moshi, and with perfect indie influences including The Smiths, Joy Division and The Wake, The Drums both look and sound perfectly aloof and clever, and create a good mixture of old world new-wave and new indie pop.  Lyrically, their music is typically a mixture of either cautious optimism or matter of fact melancholy – which is very fitting for what has been a continuingly tough year for a lot of people – young people especially. Their music has the perfectly measured mixture of US surf and baroque pop and cold UK post punk which creates a quirky take on the usually indie post-punk revival scene, sounding fresh, modern and now. With their spot on fusion of jangly guitar and poppy synth, they are the best version of a burgeoning new area of indie talent.

See this article at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/new-artists-of-2010/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Happy Music

Playlist of the Week: Happy (Music)
It’s nice to have a happy playlist - one that can cheer you up when you are sad, or enhance a good mood when you feel great. I have a very large happy playlist, which has over 80 songs in it, so I have broken down the highlights into two part; tracks, which have happy music, and tracks, which have happy memories. One for this week, one for next week. This week, I am covering the music-y side – tracks that a really happy feel, positive message and/or upbeat vibe. So here, take a sonic happy pill:

1.    “El Scorcho” – Weezer
This is just a nice, happy song. The rhythm has a lot of emphasis on the 3rd beat of the bar, which makes its quite physical – good to walk and dance and drive to. The singing is also just so unashamedly chirpy, and it has a very sweet, crushed up vibe.
2.    “On Mercury” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
A truly upbeat track off what was essentially quite a sombre album (By The Way), this track is fast and funky, but with an accessible pop-like feel.  Foot-tapping fun, with ace archetypal RHCP vocal harmonies.
3.    “Next to You” – The Police
The reggae-ska-punk feel of early Police is just the epitome of upbeat. The sweet youthful message of it being enough to just be with someone when you miss them is also quite heart warming.
4.    “Free” – Estelle
Again, a lovely message of positivity is present in this track, but also, for an R&B track, this is really light, comfortable and warm in its production and delivery. It also has a polyphonic, collective musical approach, with lots of parts and lots of percussion.
5.    “Let’s Go Surfing” – The Drums
Is there any action more happy and carefree than whistling? Of course not – as this great song by The Drums demonstrates. With cool surf style meets Brooklyn cool guitar parts and a joyously nonchalant positivity, this track is just great.
6.    “Little Secrets” – Passion Pit
This track is so filled with upbeat, layered licks, riffs, samples and vocals that it just encourages positive physicality. It has a transcending quality through its complexity, where the track becomes greater than its parts, turning itself into a positive ball of energy.
7.    “Go Wild in the Country” – Bow Wow Wow
Again, the polyphonic percussion and complex rhythm section in this track provide a good platform for mad, happy dancing. …’s singing is also so obviously excitable and happy it cannot help but be infectious.
8.    “Bang Bang Bang” Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.
Possibly the best thing Mark Ronson has done. The staccato rhythm of the lyrics adds to its cool bounciness, it has a lot of pleasing musical events like pauses and repetition. I also personally cannot help but smile at this much synth. Gotta love synth.
9.    “The Way My Heart Beats” – Good Shoes
Yummy, complex and well put together guitar parts really make this song sing. A good degree of build up and release of punchier parts and softer parts is also very pleasing.
10.    “A-Punk” – Vampire Weekend
Ah – happiness personified. Such an upbeat song with a wonderfully excitable guitar part and a cute flute part. This track always reminds me of summer, which is never a bad thing.
11.    “Tightrope” – Janelle Monae
This track has such cool, whipped rhythms and percussion parts, which just fills you with a jangly positivity. Janelle’s perfect, fast-paced rap-scat with word spilling over word never fails to bring a smile to my face. Foot tapping, finger clicking, this is the funkiest R&B.

See this post at Here Comes Everyone: http://t.co/TJ2xPIa

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff Released 29th November 2010:
James Blake – “Limit to Your Love”
I have to admit, I know little about James Blake, but what I can tell you is that today he has released an absolutely beautiful song. Very simple, with often just a piano part, vocals, and dark, throbbing ambient backing, this track is stark and haunting, with very interesting production and effect laid throughout that only serve to increase the generally somber, depressive atmosphere. Its not a happy song, and lyrical its content also reflects this. If you like you music to be happy happy smiley nicey then this won’t be for you, but if you like a bit of bleak realism every now and then, check it out. I found it staggeringly good, and the accompanying video is subtly fantastic too.



Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. – “Somebody to Love Me”
The video for this track just makes me long for the 1980s. Fair enough, there was a bad economy and no one had any jobs then either, but there was a vague romanticism in the air, of rebellion, of impulse, of individuality. We’ve all got a bit boring and sensible in the past 25 years. Anyway, I digress. Here, Mark Ronson provides us again with a great single from his new album, which in my opinion is much better and far more interesting than his last offering. More slow paced, but still with a strong beat and chorus hook, this is a good song, and demonstrates that behind all the scandal and exaggeration, Boy George is still quite a good singer.



Bad Stuff Released 29th November 2010:
Nicki Minaj – “Right Thru Me”
Aside from the dreadfully unnecessary introduction to the video, with a positively gratuitous usage of the word “disrespecting”, this track is a perfect example of the shitty levels contemporary R&B has sunk to. It’s become a weird amalgamation of turn of the centaury dance music and quite storm, which to me sounds sooo dated. I also don’t like her hard, Newe Yeork style of singing, and just generally am getting so sick of the strong independent black girl/all I need is a good man thing. Yet it’s had 9.5 million hits. Go figure.



See this at Here Comes Everyone: http://t.co/uauX25j

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Angry

I have an angry playlist. I listen to it when I feel angry as a way of channelling the strength and sense of purpose I often feel when angry. Sometimes it’s quite a cool feeling - embracing that emotion. This is a selection of the best tracks from my own playlist that help channel my anger in a positive way; that essentially help me let off steam. They aren’t all thrash metal or horrorcore, I’m a lot subtler than that, thank you very much. These tracks are about releasing contempt, cynicism, and brooding anger, both musically and lyrically. These are about dealing with anger in a real way, not just about incitement to literal aggression. As follows:

“Holiday in Cambodia” – The Dead Kennedys
Hardcore punk is perhaps a fairly obvious choice for angry music; the Dead Kennedys an archetypal example of the genre; and “Holiday in Cambodia” their best known song. But it is a thrashing stamped of political aggression that pulls no punches, and a fast pace to get that angry heart pumping.
“Grounds for Divorce” – Elbow
Deep, dark guitars rule this track, which have a formidable power and pulse. Good for angry walking.
“Devil’s Spoke” – Laura Marling
Since Laura Marling makes soft, low-key folk, this might be an odd choice for some, but through this song the guitar has an inexplicable disquieting affect on me. She also has a passive aggressive quality that is very typical of an angry woman.
“Catch Hell Blues” – The White Stripes
Again, the guitar in this track has a sinister, menacing quality throughout it that is a complex, rotating ball of anger, with various parts, all of them angry. Great for when all you feel is just fucking pissed off.
“Beetlebum” – Blur
Swelling, pulsating, low frequency guitars wind throughout this track, which are perfect for brooding negativity.
“Get Innocuous!” – LCD Soundsystem
The slow, repetitive nature of this track’s development for me epitomizes the anger you can feel about a frustrating situation that slow grinds away at you, making you more and more angry, never being resolved, just perpetuating.
“96 Quite Bitter Beings” – cKY
Again, as this track is essentially metal in its origins, the link to anger might be a bit more obvious. The snarly vocals spiting bile and the jagged guitar riffs are perfect anger material.
“Perfect Day” – Lou Reed
Whilst the BBC may have chosen to develop a positive interpretation of this track, Lou Reed’s original version, though sedate, is riddled with a brooding, introverted negativity. Its quiet cynicism regarding a seemingly perfect day that is actually riddled with heroin addiction is great for when feeling particularly despondent and angry at life in general.
“Song for Clay (Disappear Here)” – Bloc Party
Eerie and pained, the beginning of this track reflects the quiet desperation that often goes hand in hand with anger. Then the track explodes with fast, thundering guitars at an aggressive pace, great for releasing bottled-up tension, especially when feeling disillusioned.
See this post at Here Comes Everyone: http://t.co/EVhnw7m

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (LIVE REVIEW): Caitlin Rose – South Street Arts, Reading

My initial reaction when entering this relaxed arts venue was surprise at the audience demographic. Considering that Caitlin Rose is currently doing the rounds as part of the Twisted Folk tour, the scene last night was a fairly typical older English folk crowd. Few people looked below the age of forty, and even fewer looked younger than thirty. At twenty four, I was perhaps the youngest audience member. However, whilst the crowd may have been filled with beards and hiking boots, the support acts for Rose were the complete opposite of crusty folk. Both Peter Wolf Crier and Hannah Peel demonstrated a gloriously current, fresh and quirky sound, which was exactly the kind of hip, new, alt-folk I had been expecting to witness.

Then Caitlyn Rose came on stage, and my confusion regarding the audience was resolved. Rose’s music, for the most part, is country based music, and country-folk is generally more appealing to an older, mellower and more reminiscent audience. They certainly all seemed very familiar with her songs, and were clearly there for her, and her alone.

From what I had heard of Rose’s work previously, I was aware that her music had a distinctly country edge, but live it is clear that she is a true Nashville doll, with a wide, southern drawl, lots of telecasters and pedal steel guitars, and a backing band that look like the Allman Brothers circa 1975. She’s quite a cute and chatty performer who is clearly comfortable on stage both musically and personally. She was coy, youthful almost to the point of immaturity, and feisty. Technically competent as well, she seemed at home with both the guitar and microphone.

Ultimately though, it is Rose’s stellar voice which is her biggest attraction, and why her audience love her. She is technically excellent, with a wonderful tone and timbre to her voice. Her voice is strong, clear and faultless on all numbers, with a soft and contemplative or bright and punchy edge depending on the track in question. Her and her band kicked out the rockier numbers well, although for me, the quieter numbers, when she takes the guitar away and focuses on singing, is where her true ability lies. When this happens she adds a more vulnerable, subtle quality to her performance, which is very powerful, and outclasses the confines of the country genre. The track For the Rabbits in particular was really endearing, as well as her final two encore tracks, which she performed alone.

Rose is clearly enamored with country music and performs it well, although the sheer proliferation of pedal steel guitar throughout the performance made the definite country vibe hard to escape from. The audience loved this, although personally, being more of a folk-ie rather than a country-nut, I preferred the more toned down tracks, which had a much more transcendental, and touching quality to them. Over all though, it was a good performance, and Rose a charismatic and talented performer.

See this review at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/gig-reviews/18112010-caitlin-rose-south-street-arts-reading/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Interview with Wild Palms

With a forthcoming release of a AA side single and a string of UK tour dates ahead of them, we caught up with Lou Hill from Wild Palms to give us an insight into the band.
More Than The Music: What a year it’s been for Wild Palms! You only formed in the past couple of years, yet you’ve had a string of festival dates, are in the midst of your UK tour, and have your third single coming out next month. What do you think your success can be put down to?
Wild Palms: We’ve been together about 2 years actually, but our relative success is down to being resourceful and hard-working, making sacrifices, and also not compromising ourselves or our music. We keep close-knit and push each other to keep progressing.
MTTM: How did you find the Festival circuit this year? I saw you at Offset in September and you were great!
Wild Palms: Offset was good, although James’ kit was basically swimming on that stage he had to keep like chasing it because it was moving around. The festival season kind of just went by quite quickly actually, there were a few really good ones like Standon Calling, Camden Crawl, Great Escape and a couple of European dates; but we had our minds on making the record so we were a bit preoccupied this summer I think.
MTTM: I understand you have signed a three-album deal with One Little Indian Records. It must be great to have such a significant amount of security and creative independence, especially with the music industry being the way it is at the moment?
Wild Palms: Yeah that’s basically what it has given us. The best thing about One Little Indian is that they give us complete creative control: there’s a lot to be said for that, especially in relation to us we wouldn’t do well with people sticking their oar in and messing with our music I don’t think. But in fairness security will only stretch so far, its not a charity we still have to create good music.
MTTM: You’ve sited a variety of musical influences previously; Captain Beefheart, Sonic Youth and Talking Heads to name a few.  Are these artists a great influence on you creative output generally, or are you more influenced by everyday life, relationships, personal anecdotes etc.?
Wild Palms: I’d say everyday life, but listening to music is part of that life y’know. Our minds are basically filters: some stuff sticks some stuff evaporates, its whatever strikes chord with you day-to-day: music, images, writing, conversations, events, glances etc etc…
MTTM: Who would you say your contemporaries are? Where do you fit in the modern music market?
Wild Palms: I don’t know. I tend not to think about it. In fact I make a concerted effort to keep that out of my consciousness and general life as much as possible and especially out of the studio: we all do. We never bring that into the studio, I think it could potentially have detrimental effect on the music, more specifically on what you create and the reasons why.
MTTM: Aestheticism seems to be an integral part of your work; with your singles sporting beautiful art work and photography. Will you be continuing this with the new releases?
Wild Palms: Yes, most definitely. This is all down to Aneel Kalsi (art direction and graphic design) and Ben Westoby (photography), they are a pair of very talented friends who we sat down with about a year ago and worked out an overarching concept and aesthetic that we thought represented WP and which would run throughout all releases and any affiliated artwork. We are heavily indebted and thankful to them.
MTTM: I loved the thick, heavy sound of your previous single Deep Dive. Will this vibe continue within your work, or do you aim to diversify?
Wild Palms: We always aim to diversify. Deep Dive was essentially a transitional song I think, I hope its heavy and deeper now than it ever was but the I also think that the sounds lighter and more mellow in many songs on the album, I think the whole album is fairly diverse actually,  which coincidentally Deep Dive is not on.
MTTM: You have a new Double AA side single out on the 8^th November (To the Lighthouse/Draw in Light). Can we expect your debut album anytime soon?
Wild Palms: I think Until Spring will be released in February.

See this interview at More Than the Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/interviews/wild-palms/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff Release on or before 25th October 2010
Best Coast – “Crazy for You”
If you haven’t heard Best Coast yet I really advise you to check out their new release below, and then track down their other stuff asap. Best Coast are really rather bloody good, and so totally hip and now, so you really have no excuse. The hype for these guys in growing within circles in the know, but for those of you who have not yet been blessed, let me sum-up their sound for you right n-n-n-now. Best Coast create Lo-fi, fuzz-based garage pop, with surf influences, a sunny disposition, cute lyrics, and an even cuter female vocalist. With a bit of the Beach Boys, a bit of The Drums, a bit of Stereolab, and Au Revoir Simone, they are upbeat and dreamy, with short but sweet songs. Find them at the till at Urban Outfitters, or else do the smart thing and get it for the half the price on Amazon.



White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun”
Fair enough, the percussion style in this track, though very interesting and engaging, is a blatant rip-off of the Burundi beats used in the 1980s by groups such as Bow Wow Wow and Adam and the Ants. But, as the original usage of this percussion style was also a blatant rip-off of the original African tribal music technique, I don’t really want to criticize White Rabbits too much, especially when they pull off both the Burundi beat themselves, and the whole track in general incredibly well. This track has a really cool, curious vibe, with a fantastically melodic bass line, which works perfectly with the sparse guitars, and jagged piano parts. The vocals are really interesting too, and add well to the subtly passionate, yet collected feel of this track. A really good new release from White Rabbits, do check out the video below.



Bad Stuff Release on or before 1st November 2010
Ne-Yo – “One in a Million”
Errggh. Yet another offering from ladies-man Ne-Yo, and what an awful offering it is. Here, Ne-Yo offers more of his own personal brand of Ken doll-smooth R&B, and my god it is just awful. The music in itself is fairly uninteresting; essentially it is typical R&B pop style timbres and production, with an over produced sound, a sparse yet polyphonic rhythm section, and very basic synth bass and synth-pad accompaniments. What is really stomach churning though is the narrative concept and lyrics of the track. It is pure, featureless, unrealistic idealism. Women who naively subscribe to Ne-Yo’s overt romanticism - I can tell you categorically that no man in the world honestly subscribes to this approach to love and relationships. Sure, they may feel/say that they love you and that you are very special to them etc., and I obviously don’t want to put a sunder on that, but such an earnest dedication of love as “One in a Million” only has one purpose – to get you into bed.

YOOMOOT ARTICLE: Albums You Must Hear from the 1980s

Below are my top ten albums from the 1980, in order of gravity for the reader/listener. Again, I have taken into consideration the quality of the entire record in terms of music, song writing and production, as well as the album’s longevity, importance and influence on popular music as a whole. The 1980s were such a prolific time for music generation, where the seeds of the 1970s really bloomed into some juicy music goodness. Here’s what I think are darn good:

Number 10: Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)
By 1980 punk in the US had mostly mutated into hardcore, and Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is the best example of this powerful, aggressive and exciting genre. This album is moody, angry, and disenchanted, but it is also incredibly funny, witty and intelligent. This was properly political punk, not just an empty nihilistic concept and fought the good fight against Reagan’s far-right, neo-Christian presidency.

Number 9: De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
3 Feet High…   was the first hip hop album that exampled the genre’s branching out into more sensitive, culturally informed areas, later to be known as conscious rap. The album had a really sincere, positive and upbeat vibe, which was unusual for rap in the era of Public Enemy and N.W.A. Including mainstay feel good hits such as “The Magic Number” and “Me, Myself and I”, De La Soul included literally hundreds of samples in this album, from artists as diverse as Funkadelic, Billy Joel and Led Zeppelin. A really innovative album, in production techniques and attitude.

Number 8: N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton ( 1989)
With its vocal and instrumental brutality, profound use of swear words and generally heavy attitude, Straight Outta Compton invented the gansta-rap genre, and put west-coast rap on the musical map. N.W.A. included some of the most important names in rap; Ice Cube, Dr.Dre, and Eazy E to name but a few. This album took the continuing problems with race relations in the US, and California in particular, and addressed them fully and forcefully. “Fuck tha Police” is a perfect example of the approach on this album.

Number 7: Bow Wow Wow - See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy (1981)
This album was probably the most perfect of Malcolm McLaren’s orchestrated projects (Adam Ant and The Sex Pistols being notable others), with a fully formed musical direction and great, exciting tunes to boot. Their music has aspects of surf-style, Brazilian pop, new wave and the famous McLaren mainstay – Burundi beats. Bow Wow Wow also constantly courted with controversy, fashion, and commercialism.

Number 6: Duran Duran – Rio ( 1982)
Without doubt, Duran Duran wrote some great pop music, and Rio is the greatest collection of their work. “Rio” itself is a work of pop art, and at over five minutes long, it is epic with it. Feisty, fast and very very 80s, this album was smooth and high-gloss, and the set the shape for pop to come.

Number 5: The Pogues – Rum, Sodomy and the Lash ( 1985)
Incredibly folk, yet very punk, obviously Irish, yet English too, The Pogues’ music combines these key elements in what was a very unique way at the time. This was not simple, misty-eyed folk. This was raw passion, punchy and poetic, with haunting timbres and melodies. It must be said though that Shane MacGowan’s lyrics are the pinnacle of this album. His lyrics are so perfect they are almost like prose, providing a grim, yet romantic outlook on traditionalism and inner-city living. There is certainly a lot more to the Pogues than “Fairytale of New York”.

Number 4: Madonna – Madonna ( 1983)
Madonna has obviously been a hugely influential entertainer and musician though the past three decades, but with this album her whole career, and concept started. Though her eponymous, Madonna made great strides in the dance-pop genre, and bought electronic based instruments, such as the Linn Drum machine and the Moog bass machine to the fore. With infectious, flirtatious ditties, and coy, girlish vocals, this album was the start of something big.

Number 3: Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain ( 1984)
Point blank, Prince is one of the greatest musicians and performers of the modern era. This huge talent flooded through with Purple Rain , which is still probably Prince’s best album to date. His sound here combines rock, pop and soul amongst a myriad of other styles with lots of synth in a way that was truly innovative.

Number 2: The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow (1984)
Due the bizarre way UK record companies used to release singles and albums separately, Hatful of Hollow , the most renowned group of tracks by The Smiths, is not even a studio album. Containing “How Soon is Now?” “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” and “This Charming Man”, it is actually a collection of all the singles released by the group to date, as well as some studio sessions. Containing some marvellous and diverse guitar work by Johnny Marr, and superbly witty and poetic lyrics (‘England’s mine and it owns me a living’) this album is growing in relevance again, and is a vital influence on all indie generally.

Number 1: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 – The Message (1982)
The Message was the debut studio album from Grandmaster Flash and co., and is considered to not only be the first true hip-hop album to have been released, but was also one of the most accomplished and influential. Demonstrating perfectly hip hop’s unprecedented use of samples for a wider audience, The Message bought hip-hop to the world. Unless you grew up in the Bronx in the 1970s, this album will have influenced your hip-hop some how. It also introduced a wider audience to the genuine disillusionment and depravity of many inner city communities in the US that before this record were mostly unknown and obscure.


See this article at Yoomoot: http://yoomoot.com/articles/top-10-tips-albums-you-must-hear-from-the-1980s/

YOOMOOT ARTICLE: Could the Price of an Album Really Drop to £1?

Last week, Rob Dickins (former head of Warner Music) radically advised that in order for the music industry to survive in its current model, CD album prices should be slashed to £1 per unit as soon as possible. Speaking at the In The City music conference in Manchester on Thursday 14th October 2010, Dickins claimed that the erosion of unit prices over the past ten years will continue as the record industry dwindles, and that drastic action must be taken. He argues that radically dropping the purchase price of CDs will encourage consumers to buy music much more frequently than at present, and that people will think less about the commitment of purchasing an album and just do it. Dickens additionally claimed that by creating a micro-economy within the album market, the problem of piracy could be at least partially be solved. This micro-economy could keep the record industry quietly ticking over, and artists could make their major profits through live tickets and merchandise, (indeed there is usually a direct correlation between an increase in album sales and an increase in live ticket purchases).

As a music lover, I can categorically say that I would buy many, many more albums if the universal cost price was reduced to £1. Instead of buying one or two albums a month, I would buy ten. If I wanted an album, I would just purchase it, instead of ruminating over whether it was actually worth purchasing. And I think most consumers of music are like this – Rob clearly knows his market, and understands how consumers of music think these days.

Unsurprising though, this clearly intelligent, proactive advice was not well received the vast majority of industry representatives at last week’s conference, and will almost certainly not be heeded. Clearly there will be a huge amount of hostility and resistance to a specific and purposeful drop in the price of albums, mostly because record companies are so embarrassingly stuck in the archaic culture of making millions from album sales, and are continuing to feel very sore from their current situation. As an example of this démodé frame of mind, Jonathan Shalit (an artist manager) stated at In The City that "A piece of music is a valuable form of art. If you want the person to respect it and value it, it's got to cost them…a significant sum of money”. This comment is to me a frustratingly small minded, hypocritical, unworkable and arrogant frame of reference, for the following reasons:

Firstly, a CD is simply a material object containing what is a metaphorical piece of work. The music is entirely autonomous to the CD; it can be replicated by the artist to a live audience or by a fan, by an i-pod or by a car stereo. The CD copy of this music is just a captured example of the organic, base track. Therefore, attempting to value a piece of music in itself is a theoretical quagmire that cannot be easily argued within this context.

Secondly, the price of CDs still does not reflect the amount an artist actually receives for their creative work. When broken down, artists themselves typically get less than 5% of the money acuminated through album sales. Most of the money goes to retailers and the artist’s record label. This monetary arrangement clearly does not respect the true value of the artist, or their work.

Thirdly, if you are going to parallel albums with art, surely the cost price of each CD should be determined by the albums importance and quality in terms of overall artistry and creativity? Should we therefore be finding albums like Sergeant Pepper and Led Zeppelin IV being sold of £20, and Blue’s Greatest Hits for 50p?

Clearly, Shalit’s argument is uninformed, short-sited, and ultimately rather greedy. But it is also, unfortunately still the prevailing attitude from within the record industry. Many artists are now beginning to align with the changing music market, and from Dickins’ speech, some industry bods are finally beginning to wake up too. Unfortunately though, most of the industry continues to refuse to deal proactively with the changing market. Lets just hope they wake up soon to positive, market friendly suggestions like that of Rob Dickins, before the record industry implodes entirely through ineffective market strategy. 



See this article at Yoomoot: http://yoomoot.com/articles/could-the-price-of-an-album-really-drop-to-1/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): Imelda May - Mayhem

Mayhem is the second major label album from Imelda May, which was released this month on Decca. May has had a considerable amount of previous success in her native Ireland (her first album Love Tattoo went triple platinum there), but her popularity is beginning to spread, with the first two singles from Mayhem charting in the UK, and a string of dates lined up for her imminent European tour. This growing success of May’s is easy to determine; not only does she have a sassy, foxy, powerful presence, in both her demeanour and vocal ability, but she also produces catchy, upbeat songs.


The jazzy, bluesy, rockabilly vibe of Mayhem is also an obvious crowd pleaser, and May submerses her work in this genre with a significant degree of panache. Musically, there is a lot of brass, surf-style guitars and double bass action. Visually, May is all wasp-waists, red lips and catty eyeliner, with her backing band sporting quiffs and 50s bowling shirts. The whole album really fits into this retro idea; her work could sit quite nicely alongside The Stray Cats, Royal Crown Review, and in her punkier numbers she could even be considered to have a musical resemblance to horror-punk groups like The Horrorpops and The Misfits.


Vocally, May is very talented, and throughout Mayhem her vocals are clearly the star of the show. She has a good vocal range, rich tone and a lot of expressivity. Retro vocal effects such as fuzz-boxes are placed over her vocals at times, but this is produced well and doesn’t mar or encroach on May’s vocal performance. The production on this album is generally very good, especially the double bass, which has been captured perfectly.


Whilst most of the tracks on this album are upbeat, there are a few slower, more melancholic tracks thrown in for good measure. Although these add a nice change of pace, the quieter, sparser instrumentation of these tracks often uncovers some fairly cheesy, weak lyrics. Kentish Town Waltz is a particular culprit here. Generally, the upbeat tracks on Mayhem are of better quality as they contain more instrumental diversity, catchier licks and divert attention from the sometimes weak lyricism. I must say though that Too Sad to Cry, is an exception here, for whilst it is incredibly melodramatic, it also demonstrates effective lyrics, great vocal and instrumental performances, and has a marvellously haunting atmosphere.


See this review at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/imelda-may-mayhem/

YOOMOOT ARTICLE: Albums You Must Hear from the 1970s

Below are my top ten albums from the 1970 seventies, in order of gravity for the reader/listener. While compiling this list, I have taken into consideration the quality of the entire record in terms of music, song writing and production, as well as the album’s longevity, importance and influence on popular music as a whole. Hopefully I have here complied a less than obvious list of truly great 70s records, that everyone with even a passing interest in music should try to listen to - especially if you are below the age of 30 and were not around to listen to them the first time! Please feel free to comment, or add albums of your own choosing.

Number 10: Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (1970)
Avant-garde and Jazz-fusion is certainly not for everyone, and Bitches Brew is a perfect example of this fact. With two disks and only six tracks, two bass players, three drum kits, two pianos and very little vocals; this is still a challenging, confusing and bizarre record. It is however a very important record that fused rock and jazz, and it has had a lasting influence on both genres, as well as laying the foundations for funk. The production, the sparseness and the sheer erogenous nature of this work is very interesting and engaging, and if you can take it, being immersed in Davis’ soundscape can be rewarding and even captivating.
Number 9: Brian Eno – Another Green World (1975)
With Another Green World Brian Eno, producer, musician, and one time member of Roxy Music, essential created the ambient music genre. The instrumental content here is muddled, thick and often contains very little traditional structure. It does however demonstrate fantastic usage of (the then groundbreaking) effects such as treated synths, tape effects and rhythm generators, and has enchanting vocal content, delivery and production. Any ambient-style music released post-1975 will have been influenced by this.
Number 8: The Police – Outlandos d’Amour (1978)
There is a clear reason why so many people still listen to The Police – they wrote great, catchy songs that are continually enjoyable and relevant. Outlandos d’Amour was the debut album from The Police, and is full of youthful energy, exuberance and excitement, fusing the contemporary genres of punk, post punk, new wave and ska perfectly. Marvellously upbeat, with at times curiously dark lyrics, this album is a near-perfect aural experience. 
Number 7: Elvis Costello – My Aim is True (1977)
This album combines quirky, simple instrumentation with excellent song writing. The upbeat mixture of punk with reggae and Buddy Holly style rock and roll continues to enthral, but it is Costello’s lyrics that perhaps most resonate with a modern audience. Each track on this album perfectly captures varying states of dissatisfaction, with work, with love, and with life, in a way that is matter of fact but not depressive. It is a microcosm for a continually British state of mind.
Number 6: The Specials – Specials (1979)
This was the first official release from the emerging genre of 2-tone, and in many ways is more an album of the 1980s, the future and of things to come than the 1970s. The overt fusion of black ska and white punk was fresh, exciting and different, and well represented the changing attitude of British youth away from the archaic attitudes of the national front that worryingly gripped the country throughout the 1970s. This album both addressed these oppressive attitudes and importantly provided transcendence from them through the upbeat music.
Number 5: John Lennon – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
This cathartic album contains some of the best work John Lennon ever completed. Free from the constrains of “The Beatles” brand, this was the first body of work Lennon completed where you really felt like he was making the music he wanted. This album is angry, negative, biting and fierce, with beautiful poignancy and lyrical mastery throughout. Everyone, working-class, English or otherwise, must listen to “Working Class Hero” at least once in their life.
Number 4: Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)
This album was Lou Reed’s most commercial effort, with fairly traditional instrumentation and song structure, and many tracks from Transformer are considered to be Reed’s definitive work. Cool, edgy, bluesy and glam, this album at face value is fairly upbeat and easy to swallow. Underneath this palatable exterior however is a wealth of drug-ridden angst and complex sexuality issues. With important contributions from both David Bowie and Mick Ronson, this album is the epitome of early 70s art rock.
Number 3: David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
This album, for want of a better description, is just so seventies. From the production of the album, to the timbres of the guitar parts, to its melancholic optimism, Ziggy Stardust just really captured the zeitgeist of the early 70s in the UK. A concept album based around Bowie’s well-known alter ego, this album is filled with some of Bowie’s best known tracks, such as “Starman” and “Suffragette City”. The album is a perfect example of glam rock, and fully established Bowie as the monumentally talented musician/performer that we all know he is.
Number 2: Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express (1977)
This album, without doubt, is one of the most important albums in the history of modern music. Here, with their sixth album, Kraftwerk fully and completely absorb themselves in early sequencer experimentation, essentially developing a style of music/instrument that continues to be prolific to the present day. Hip-hop was massively influenced by this Kraftwerk album, as well as disco and dance music variants, from techno to hard-house, and pop - pretty much any music that uses either synth, sequencing and sampling technology. This album was truly the beginning of something huge, and it did so in what is still a stupendously haunting and alien fashion.
Number 1: The Clash – London Calling (1979)
This is perhaps an obvious choice as the most important album to listen to from the 1970s, but apart form the prevalent title track, many have not really listened to much of this superb album from The Clash, and I strong advise that they should. Whilst “London Calling” is a truly anthemic, sonic synonym for punk, the rest of the album has 19 fantastic tracks, covering genres as diverse as rockabilly, pop and reggae. With gems such as “Lover’s Rock”, “Lost in the Supermarket” and “Koka Kola”, this album manages to both encapsulate the drive and raw dissidence of punk, as well as providing a definitive full stop to the genre, and the decade generally.

See this this article at Yoomoot: http://yoomoot.com/articles/top-10-albums-you-must-hear-from-the-1970s/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): Mitchell Museum - The Peters Port Memorial Service

The Peters Port Memorial Service is the debut album from Glasgow band Mitchell Museum, which was recently released on Electra French Records. The band are steadily gaining attention throughout the UK indie/folk scene, with October 2010 seeing in the release of their third single, and the commencement of a new UK tour. Mitchell Museum’s growing popularity and generous critical acclaim is certainly understandable. In essence, at a base level, their music is positive and upbeat, but in a contemplative, inauspicious fashion that is very Scottish. Not brash or boorish in their optimistic sonic outlook, Mitchell Museum have here managed to create a mild yet anthemic soundscape which is exuberant yet measured.


Another reason for the growing success of Mitchell Museum is that this album specifically captures the zeitgeist of folk-based variants that are particularly popular and prolific at present. Psyche-folk, anti-folk, pop-folk; TPPMS could be placed within any of these sub-genres; although alongside freak-folk contemporaries such as Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and The Antlers is where Mitchell Museum seem to fit most comfortably. Much of this album contains typical freak folk elements such as lo-fi production elements, and is laced with subterranean feedback. The album’s title track has strong reminiscences of the fantastic Antlers’ album Hospice, with low/no vox and delicate, sparse instrumentation and production. I must say though, Mitchell Museum are a band of influences. I can hear elements of many bands, such as Arcade Fire, the Happy Mondays and their freak-folk contemporaries, amongst many others. The vocals throughout the album in particular sound vey much like Polyphonic Spree, both literally (with their layering of many voices) and stylistically (with regard to the actual timbre and grain of the voice). Personally I would like to hear a bit more diversity with the vocals, perhaps having some tracks with just a strong lead vocal instead of multiple vocal tracks.


In terms of instrumentation however, The Peters Port Memorial Service is sound. The music is deeply layered and textured, and there is a diverse range of instruments and sounds. The drumming especially is often complex and more than accomplished. Production wise, the sparser tracks are perhaps more interesting, with songs such as Cut Lantern leaving room for rather more curious production. So over all, an interesting album, an enjoyable listen, and ultimately a positive addition to the freak-folk genre.


See this review at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/mitchell-museum-the-peters-port-memorial-service/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff Released 11th October 2010:
The Joy Formidable – “I Don’t Want to See You Like This”
Hooray! The Joy Formidable are back with their first new track of 2010. They return fresh from their recent signing with Atlantic records, sounding a little bit more polished, but still the same essential band that I know and you will soon love. They have been around doing the gigging circuit since 2008, but have held off from a major label signing for a long time in order to ensure creative control. The video is a bit more direct and straight up than their previous work (which was quite arty), but they maintain their far-scaping sound, complex drums and upbeat melancholy that continues to make them special. The melody is great, and Ritzy Bryan’s vocal style and delivery is unique and passionate. It is perhaps slightly less catchy than previous singles, but still, a pleasing new release.

The Ting Tings – “Hands”
Love them or hate them, the Ting Tings unarguably create catchy upbeat pop music, and I have enjoyed having this track in my head since I first heard it a week ago. The line “Clap your hands if you’re working too hard” will be an obvious club pleaser, and whilst her vox are quite thin and high pitched, the lyrics are ok. This track is decidabley of the moment in that 80s based post-modern style du jour, and sounds quite similar to a few other current acts, including essences of The Hundred in the Hands, The XX and Gaga. The synth timbres are intensely dominant, so if you don’t like synth you will hate this. Personally I think synths can be great though, and here the Ting Tings have nailed each and every part and timbre creating a fresh and vibrant track.

Bad Stuff Released 11th October 2010:
Michael Buble – “Hollywood”
This track is for the most part just typical Buble: simple, dated melodies, soulless delivery, and that annoying voice, with its bizarre vowel pronunciation and smooth arrogance. But coupled with the video, which is simply made up of the song’s lyrics on screen, and you are really made aware of how awful the music Buble churns out is. The video is ridiculously weak in itself, but it also highlights the vacuous lyrics in a way that turns this release into a proper artistic catastrophe. I have a real issue with the lyrics especially, which seem to be essentially saying why bother having ambitions and dreams, when I, Michael Buble, is all you will ever need. Yuk. It will however be popular with the usual Buble crowd (i.e. tasteless mums).

Christian TV – “When She Turns 18”
What an absolute disgrace this track is. That the music itself is pretty weak becomes a rather moot point, for the message of the lyrics and the video here are just so atrociously spoilt and void of any appeal that their despicableness completely dominates this track. You really should watch for yourselves, but a here is a brief synopsis. Spoilt brat gets no attention from daddy who is at work, working, probably to provide the daughter he loves with a nice home and life-style etc. This charming young lady is not happy about the situation and goes on to simulate sex on the copy machine at her dad’s office with Christian TV man. Wow. What Christian TV man fails to address is that he is in a physical relationship with a girl under the age of 18, which makes her below the age of consent in the US. That and the fact that poor old daddy will probably be there to pick up the pieces when he ditches her for not putting out. The only people this track will appeal to is spoilt brats. And Americans.

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Just Best Stuff!)

Good Stuff Released 20th September 2010:
Janelle Monae – "Cold War"
First things first, I must just announce that I absolutely love Janelle Monae, and I implore those of you that haven’t encountered her music yet to listen/watch the video below, and then check out her back catalogue. For you R&B heads, she is a beautiful young lady who offers a cool, slick package, with excellent guest stars, and fantastic vocals. For you scoffing rockists out there, she offers real R&B, with fantastic and diverse instrumentation and arrangements; complex, vibrant and innovative timbres and that all-important authenticity. To labour a point, Monae is pure talent, processed in an organically enjoyable and accessible manner. "Cold War" is no different, fulfilling all these labels and determinates. It is heartfelt and passionate, and demonstrates Monae’s formidable vocal talent. The song lyrics and Monae’s delivery are so powerful and focused that the vocals could be completed acapella, but thank God they aren’t, because the instrumentation here is diverse and in my humble opinion, precisely fantastic. Up-to-date synth timbres, well placed percussion and backing harmonies, upbeat/minor key juxaposition-ing, a nice old skool guitar solo, and top-notch production.





Summer Camp – "Around the Moon"
OMG I love Summer Camp! I have to say that nine times out of ten I love everything that Moshi Moshi records release, but Summer Camp are particularly special when it comes to instrumentation and production. The timbres on this song are beyond diverse, marvellously synth orientated and just cool. This is the post-modern sound of now, cool kids. The synth bass is a special personal favourite, so thick, rich and rounded. The lyrics are really sweet and touching too; positive and uplifting, especially as Summer Camp are partners in love as well as music. Cannot wait for the album to come out!





The Wombats – "Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)"
Ok so yes, the The Wombats are very pop, lets not pretend they’re not, but just because they are pop doesn’t mean they are bad. They make light-hearted indie pop, which is very enjoyable to listen to, and this new track from their impending second album does not disappoint. This track sounds very similar to their previous stuff; with a recognisable vocal style and pronunciation, track build-up, and their trademark distorted bass sound. Various synths are still thrown into the mix in abundance, and the lyrical content continues to be OK; very good in a pop context. Not bad at all.

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): Stereolab - Not Music

Not Music is Stereolab’s tenth full-length studio album, which is curiously due for release within the depths of the group’s current, self-imposed musical hiatus. Recorded in late 2007, this album was created during the sessions that spawned the group’s most recent release, 2008’s Chemical Chords. Interestingly, however, although these two most recent offerings from the group emerged within the same creative origins, Not Music really breaks away from the band’s typical fair, presenting darker, synth-laden edges and fresher rhythms, as well as the light, upbeat, lounge inspired qualities for which Stereolab are known and loved; indeed, a number of tracks would not feel entirely out of place in a Stella Artois commercial or in one of the Pink Panther movies.

Laetitia Sadier’s restrained yet rolling French pronunciation and delicate vocal timbre fits perfectly within this aesthetic. Her lyrics are not always discernable (though they are quite interesting when they are) and her voice is often used purely for these instrumental and stylistic qualities. The group’s instrumental abilities throughout this album are of a high quality, as is the crisp production. It is rhythmically interesting, with a high ratio of drum machine patterns, which lends many of the tracks a cool, post-modern edge.

The album does not display as much guitar action as previous Stereolab releases – it is not even distinguishable on a number of tracks – although there is a varied and interesting mixture of instruments on display, including a fair bit of brass, some strings, and a lot of tuned percussion. The standout area of instrumentation of the whole album, however, is the proliferation and variety of synths on offer. Some have a fresh, post-modern, dream-pop inspired quality similar to the works of hip Brooklyn outfits such as Au Revoir Simone or Savoir Adore; others sound beyond analogue, with thick, heavy, sci-fi inspired sounds. Silver Sands (Emperor Machine Mix) especially sounds like something Vangelis forget to put in the Blade Runner soundtrack – completely different from the original, quaint mix of the track from Chemical Chords.

Throughout Not Music there appears to be an awful lot of direct influences (and influencees), from a huge variety of areas; from Krautrock to post-rock, 1960s Euro-pop to electronica. However, Stereolab are the ultimate post-modern mixers, and what could have turned into one huge sonic mess has actually evolved into what I feel is their most interesting and current release to date.

See this review at More Than The Music:http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/stereolab-not-music/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Notes on Offset - A New Style of Festival

First impressions of Offset are striking, curious and quaint. This tiny festival, with probably less than 500 tents in the camp site, and with a short five minute walk from end to end, is a wonderful harbour of eclecticism and individuality. The site is situated in the haven that is Hainault Country Park, and is filled with beautifully hip, young people, with marvellously inventive clothing that just reeks originality. There is a vintage fair with a purchasable selection, and a good variety of food from independent (that buzzword again) sellers – you certainly won’t find a £6 hog roast or a warm pint of watered-down Carling here. But for me something that is noticeably different at Offset in comparison to other festivals is the friendly, laid back atmosphere. Everyone is polite, and there is no aggression to speak of, and whilst everyone is here to have a good time, listening to the music is the main reason why they are here. Ultimately the music steals the show, with the best and coolest new music on offer throughout the whole of the UK festival programme.

The music is very diverse, from the mad genre collage of Chrome Hoof, to the aggressive shredding of Pulled Apart By Horses, and the awesome electricity of Caribou. There are a few big names; 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Mystery Jets and Atari Teenage Riot in particular spring to mind; but the big thing here at Offset is the promotion and circulation of unsigned, or small label bands, always with a lot of talent. There are five indoor tents focusing on more low-key bands. From this selection, there is a lot of emerging talent on offer, but bands I found particularly striking were Conan Moccasin, within their precise musicianship and interesting grooves, and Blue On Blue, whose cool collectivity and intriguing riffs are almost guaranteed to be a mainstream success. Within these tents the sound was very loud at times, and some of the engineering was a bit slap-dash, but on the whole the experience within these festival microcosms was mostly sound.

The atmosphere on the main-stage was great too, developing in intensity throughout the day, from mellow, grass-sitting spectatorship in the afternoon to mosh-pit mentalists by the dawning of Atari. Monotonix were predictably a highlight, with wild stage antics that drove right into the crowd for the majority of the performance, and 80s Matchbox were notable for the sheer adrenalin of their performance.

 I can truly recommend Offset Festival; it is a marvellous place to spend a weekend. My only slight bugbear was the under-representation of women in the festival line-up, especially considering so much of the audience was female. This issue can often be true however of any festival line-up, and certainly didn’t actually mar my enjoyment of the weekend. Some ultimately, the best fun I have had at a festival in ages. Bien Offset, Bien.

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff released 30th August 2010
Beyonce  – “Why Don’t You Love Me?”

Sometimes I love Beyonce, sometimes I don’t. With this track, I absolutely love her! Here her work is the most fantastically perfect pop - very catchy, with an intricate and highly stylized video. I love the artistic direction in this video, and fuck me is Beyonce pulling out the big guns in terms of sexiness! She exudes a frank, aggressive and sultry style of sex, mixed with the classic appeal of 1950s’ glamour, which is also reflected in her vocal style. We all know Beyonce’s got a good set of pipes, but she really grinds her voice here, releasing desperation, anger and power whilst also exampling her formidable range. The lyrics are great too - arrogant and strong, combining female vulnerability and strength in the contradictory manner that only us females can truly master. I also enjoyed the deeply pitched piano and poly-rhythmic percussion. The best thing Beyonce has released in a while.



Bad Stuff released 30th August 2010
McFly – “Party Girl”

So this is McFly trying to reinvent themselves after being dropped by Island Record in 2007. Now whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the original McFly package, they did have a certain pop-based charm that was light-hearted, upbeat and kind of fun. This new record is none of those things. It is still essentially pop based, but Taio Cruz’s influence as collaborator on this new track (and their subsequent soon to be released album) is clearly evident. This new track is very much American current pop in style. It’s produced within an inch of its life, and is utterly devoid of personality, spirit or humour, which is something you could at least say in defence of old-skool McFly. If it could be likened to anything, it does sound, bizarrely, a bit like a cheaper, shitter, boy-style version of Lady Gaga, with maybe a splice of Pendulum throw in. Weird, no? With the video additionally considered, it feels like they are really trying to get onto the next Twilight soundtrack. Check it out for yourselves:

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MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): She Makes War - Disarm

Disarm is the first independent, full-length release by She Makes War, a.k.a. Laura Kidd; multi-instrumentalist, session musician, and some-times singer of The Young Punx. Purveyor of grungy, lo-fi indie, She Makes War’s style of self-proclaimed “gloom-pop” tackles the disappointments of everyday life in a typically matter of fact fashion, revealing and discussing life’s negativities in a way that is solidly influenced by the 1990s grunge scene. Fusing Seattle’s style of nihilistic despondency with the aggressive yet girlish styling’s of the likes of Riot Grrrl bands, She Makes War creates guitar centric music with slices of post-modern synthetic sounds and feminine vulnerability.

Vocally, Kidd provides a variety of styles, typically layered in a manner that demonstrates well her vocal diversity and range, often creating an appealing tapestry of timbres and textures. Tracks such as Ghostsandshadows and (Love) Like Liars demonstrate particularly well how great her vocal work can be, and additionally, through these more sparse tracks Kidd often creates space for more instrumentally adventurous, dynamic fare. Lyrically too her work is good; at times there are flashes of excellence. For me though some of the tracks were a bit obvious in terms of subject matter. NIMN (Not in My Name), for example, felt like an obvious subject for aggression, addressed in an obviously aggressive way. I also grew tired of the general dystopian attitude of the lyrics at times.

Kidd is also a very talented guitarist; and can command her axe in a variety of ways; from slow, purged crunches to delicate acoustic melodies. Indeed, she is a good all round musician generally, and it must be said that Disarm is a competently composed, arranged and executed album. There are times when she creates an enjoyably diverse and interesting soundscape, although ultimately the softer, more subdued tracks are of superior quality. However, the strength of her influences is beyond tangible, and so rooted to the 1990s that it has saturated every aspect of this album, from guitar timbres to lyrical content, in a way that for me isn’t ultimately positive. Just a small twist away from the 90s towards more modern aspects of her music (such as her usage of certain synth timbres and cleaner vocal production) would turn Disarm from a good album into a great album.

See this post at More Than The Music: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/she-makes-war-disarm/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff released 9th August 2010
The Drums  – “Lets Go Surfing”
The more I get involved with The Drums, the more I like them. They are subtle in their intrigue and abilities, presenting a softly humoured and careless approach to the world. This particular track is just the perfect thing for this time of year; gently upbeat, fun, and most obviously, perhaps, about the ultimate summer pastime – surfing! Originally released last year on the group’s first EP Summertime!, The Drums fuse a post-punk mixture of influences such as Joy Division and The Smiths, but with a modern, nonchalant twist that could only originate in New York. And the track has whistling in it – I mean, what’s not to love?!



Bad Stuff released 9th August 2010
Metric – “Eclipse (All Yours)”
Metric are a bit of an odd band. They seem to have very little character to speak of, falling into the dull and over utilized category of an American, female fronted pop band with soft rock tendencies. They have no edge or intrigue to speak of of any kind, which perhaps explains why they have lent themselves so wholeheartedly to the Twilight franchise, as it gives them a more determined angle and demographic. Unfortunately that demographic is the sombre, fatalistic teenage girl, a type not well know for their discerning taste or emotional integrity. This track is pure indulgence for that type of girl. There is a lot of head-down vague ambling in the video, general emo references such as dark forests and too much eyeliner, and of course lovely Twilight clips interspersed throughout. Musically, this vibe continues, with thin, constricted vocals that are just weeping weak female emotivity, accompanied with typical “rock” instruments placed incredibly low in the mix. The focus here is on the female, but unfortunately it specifically aimed at female vulnerability, whether that is realised sonically, visually or narratively. In this way it really is rather regressive, pin-pointing the vulnerable group that is teenage girls (and women with adolescent tendencies) instead of empowered women that aren’t that into moping about. You have to give it to Metric though, they have fitted their track for Twilight well, too well, in fact, for most of us to enjoy or tolerate.

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff released 2nd August 2010
Arcade Fire  – “We used to Wait”
An obvious choice perhaps – one cannot ignore the simply marvellous Arcade Fire when they release new stuff. The track starts off sparse, but it does grow in richness and timbral diversity as the song progresses. The beginning staccato piano chords are repetitive; yet work as a good hook. As the track develops, some interesting guitar sections enter, as well as some attractive female backing vocals. On a personal level, I’m not sure the vocal delivery has the same broken, vulnerable quality that we heard throughout previous Arcade Fire works, and perhaps this new track doesn’t have quite the same gentle grandiosity as Funeral did. The track does develop though, and swells in a way that is atypically soft and unassuming yet quietly captivating.



Breakbot  – “Baby I’m Yours”
What a curious little item this track is. The accompanying video is gorgeous; a visual masterpiece of wondrous watercolour and fantastic animation. The sonic side of the track is slightly strange, but in a good way. The track really feels like a piece of 1970s disco-based soul. The music is upbeat and synth-bass driven, with multi-timbral percussion and androgynously falsetto vocals. You’d be excused for thinking Breakbot were from New York, possibly Brooklyn, as they were previously signed to the Moshi Moshi label, but actually these guys are French. Don’t even try to hold that against them though; they make some good English language hooks. A bit of a post-modern mix then, but this track is really rather nice, do check it out…



Bad Stuff released 2nd August 2010
Laura Steel – “Feedback”
I cannot figure out who would buy this, apart from 14 year old girls. The music in itself is a pretty standard weak pop does rock-chick thing, and doesn’t add anything to the genre sonically speaking. The lyrics are repetitive and based around a simple concept, with pronunciation taking on a typically American twang. It has guitars and drums, but the whole thing has been so over-produced and completely saturated with effects that you cannot really distinguish any separate instruments. It just has that rock sound, like the producer has just followed three simple instructions on the instant rock sound kit. Perhaps obviously, the only thing that does have any definition in the track is the vocals, but then it is pop, and the voice is what pop audiences want to hear. Visually it’s not a treat either. Steel looks like one of the nasty girls at school, whose favourite pass times were bitching and scratching each other’s faces with keys.



Ne-Yo – “Beautiful Monster”
Here, Ne-Yo perfectly exemplifies how R&B’s current romance with dance music often creates a whole lot of crap, life-less music. Both genres have the potential to create gorgeous music, but when combined, it’s very difficult to make music that moves away from the over-produced and the obvious. Both genres are so slick, so polished and POP, it ends up being really rather soulless. Here, Ne-Yo creates a track like you would expect. It’s so smooth – he’s so smooth, it’s just a bit dull. The subject matter is ever so typical of current male-fronted R&B as well; “heartfelt” crooning about some really sexy complicated lady. Its proper ladies man material; it just speaks to simplistic female desires of being loved for you who are (as long as you’re really gorgeous, being high-maintenance is ok). Fair enough, his voice is ok, but its not really anything different to that of Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo et al. But he’s pretty, and the music is inoffensive, so it’s sure to be popular.

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff released 12th July
Darwin Deez – “Up in the Clouds”
Darwin Deez is certainly growing on me, and indeed this song is very cute and interesting. The lyrics are a bit coy and obvious at times, but it works well within this song’s innocent/ironic context. Musically, the guitar is made up of mostly simple and unassuming riffs layered in a complicated yet pretty fashion, with a great tone. The cheap 80s electronic drum sound is also very cool and hip right now, an aspect that I always personally enjoy. It is relatively unassuming generally this track, which gives it an amiable, soft quality. The video is also quite interesting, creative and sweet. I still don’t like the moustache/perm combo though.



Janelle Monáe ft. Big Boi – “Tightrope”
God how cute is Janelle Monae?! For such a teenie tiny baby of a thing, she has a lot of talent. Here she offers a gorgeous old skool style of R&B, which really has rhythm, blues, style and substance, and is certainly not cheap manufactured pop style R&B from cheap manufactured women (and men). Her vocal abilities are of such good quality, with soul that could have literally stepped right out of 1960s Detroit. There is depth and interest in the brass that goes beyond simple licks and samples, subtle uke and guitar parts, and Big Boi’s guest is good stuff too; his smooth low toasting really complements Monae’s vocals. And my god this girl can move her feet! Check out the video if you need more evidence:



Bad Stuff released 21st June
Justin Nozuka – “Heartless”
For fucks sake why is this kind of stuff still in the charts? Its just the kind of vomit inducing, nicey-nicey, weak, dated, dull kind of shit that frequents the likes of Heart and Magic playlists, and quite frankly the world could really do without it. Everything about the track, from the vocal style and lyrics to backing vocals, guitar timbres and the melody line are reminiscent of the worst kind of late 90s easy listening euro-trash. Its even got the bad fade out thing going down. This is music for dull mums and even then they really should at least be listening to Tina Turner. She’s got way more balls than this piece of crap.