Musical Musings

Cheers, Germany

2009-11-20T10:52:00.000Z

Described by NME's New Music blog as Germany's answer to Foals are Beat! Beat! Beat! I'm not usually a fan of loud, unexpected bangs erupting from the sky, but their version of Fireworks I like very much. I can certainly see the Foals comparison with this song and the one I've posted below, but some of their other 'choons' have a much softer, more stripped back sound to them. I particularly like Stars, and their EP of the same title contains a nice little remix by The Cinematics. Lovely.

Amamamamazing

2009-10-29T14:51:00.002Z

Last night I finally got to see Dananananaykroyd and Dinosaur Pile-up live.
Preceding these two on stage were Calories, who warmed the crowd up nicely with some lovely indie-pop.
Then Dinosaur Pile-up took to the stage and I was absolutely blown away by their performance. They were even better than I expected and they have an incredible drummer. If you ever get a chance to see them live, DO IT.
Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any better, Dananananaykroyd (all six of them) exploded into the room and gave possibly the best live performance I've ever seen. They have so much energy. There was crowd surfing, a wall of hugs and loads of head-banging, hair-shaking amazingness. I suggest that you buy their album. Do it now!

And briefly...

2009-10-22T13:56:00.011+01:00

Arcs are a four-piece hailing from London, who play some delightful, moody prog rock. They are supporting both Nine Black Alps and The Chapman Family in the coming weeks and are at the Buffalo Bar in Islington tonight, along with the next band I thought worthy of a mention...

Duke Raoul are a Brighton based indie group whom I like very much. They are playing at The Freebutt in Brighton with the amazing We Were Promised Jetpacks - I'm a sucker for a Scottish accent - on November 13th. Here's a video so you can revel in the brilliance of the latter yourselves, if you haven't already...

Brainwash

2009-10-22T13:04:00.003+01:00

Is it just me or is there an influx into the music scene lately of bands with animal names or some crazy variation thereupon, such as 'beasts'?...Well anyway, in keeping with this trend, whether I've imagined it or not, are Elephants. I am actually in love with this band. There's nothing like a bit of old fashioned indie. Plus the singer's voice reminds me slightly of that of vocalist Jack Steadman from Bombay Bicycle Club, who are possibly my favourite band EVER.

Further proving my point are a band I only discovered this morning. Bearsuit use a multitude of instruments to create sounds which include screamy punk vocals and a DIY effect reminiscent of the days of Riot Grrrl scene, poppy electro beats and sound effects, with the odd classical vocals and brass and wind instruments thrown in for good measure. Phew. They're signed to London-based Fantastic Plastic Records, along with the likes of The Victorian English Gentlemens Club and are worth checking out.

A few other bands which have caught my attention of late include Bear Driver, Wonderswan, Pulled Apart By Horses and Chickenhawk. I rest my case.

I believe the majority of the above will be playing at the Brainwash Festival, which is in it's fourth year and takes place in Leeds next weekend.

COOL

2009-10-20T15:30:00.000+01:00

I urge you to listen to Not Cool. Specifically, the song Wonderful Beasts. Crazy-mad 'gutter pop'/rock/other genres may be included.

http://www.myspace.com/notcoolisaband

Not Cool.

Poprocktastic

2009-10-10T14:47:00.001+01:00

You Animals are a lovely upbeat indie-pop group. Here's the video for their debut single which they released earlier in the year. http://www.myspace.com/youanimals

They're playing the SWN Festival in Cardiff at the end of the month - you know, the one Radio 1's Huw Stephens put together?...The line-up includes some amazing bands such as Johnny Foreigner, Tubelord, The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club, Soft Toy Emergency...why the hell don't I have tickets for this event? http://swnfest.co.uk/site/

I'm also enjoying the slightly rockier sounds of These Waves, who seemingly have some sort of link with You Animals. By that I mean they're in one another's top friends on myspace. Go and have a listen. You don't even need to type their name into your search engine of choice, I've gone and done the hard part for you, you just need to click here: http://www.myspace.com/thesewavesuk

Perfecto

2009-10-07T16:04:00.000+01:00

Have a listen to the perfect pop of Perfect People. The singer's amazing voice, topped off with a lovely cockney twang, gives an edge to their songs, some of which would otherwise be verging upon 'too poppy' for my liking. They will be taking to the stage at the Concorde 2 in Brighton with Doll and the Kicks and The Perils tomorrow night. For now, here's a video that Daniel "Pilau" Rice of Hadouken fame made for them:

Perfect People logo animation from Real Time TV on Vimeo.

http://www.myspace.com/perfectpeople

Invade away

2009-10-01T10:17:00.002+01:00

I've recently stumbled across Invasion and I think I'm in love. Psychedelic goth sounds, reminicent of classic rock and thrash bands, with a modern twist. AMAZE. Their album is launched tomorrow night and I'm going to see them play with Dinosaur Pile-up at the Halloween Ball at Koko.

http://www.myspace.com/invasion

Also, I saw The Maccabees play on Tuesday and they were BRILLIANT, obviously. And my tickets for the NME Radar Tour, featuring Marina and the Diamonds, Yes Giantess, Local Natives and Golden Silvers, have arrived. Jealous?...
This is becoming more of a brag than a blog, so I'm signing off before your eyes turn emerald green permanently.

Musical Melbourneons

2009-09-28T15:40:00.000+01:00

Check out the 'original doo-wop punk' sounds of Little Red. They come from Melbourne, which is totally on the other side of the world. Thank God for technology and its capability to share their musica with us.

http://www.myspace.com/littleredmusic

Something GOOD

2009-09-28T15:34:00.000+01:00

I forgot how much I like Two Door Cinema Club until I stumbled upon an article about their upcoming Kitsuné tour with Delphic. Lovely.

Pint, shot...missed the riot

2009-09-22T13:05:00.000+01:00

I'm rather sad to have only just discovered Pint Shot Riot. Apparently this song was really popular last year, I must have gone temporarily deaf to have missed it.

Well. Good.

2009-09-22T12:40:00.001+01:00

There seems to be a what I am terming a 'band boom' of great metal and rock artists at the moment. Outcry Collective, who seem to move in the same circles (or should I say on the same stages) as the aforementioned Deaf Havana and Young Guns, are one such group. They are rather popular on myspace, so I can safely say I'm not way off the mark here and to be honest, you've probably already heard of them. So at the risk of sounding like one of those unfortunate souls who thinks they are up on their music because they've just got into Marina and the Diamonds, I couldn't resist giving them a mention. They are playing with the brilliant Blakfish in November too. Yeeah.

http://www.myspace.com/outcrycollective

Rocks and Metal

2009-09-16T15:56:00.000+01:00

Deaf Havana are by far one of my favourite bands at the moment and since they kicked off a new tour this week I thought it was an appropriate time to share the love. The all-male five piece from King's Lynn combine death growling and pop-rocky vocals perfectly. They are signed by A Wolf At Your Door Records. The boys started off 2009 by touring with We Are The Ocean and will be supporting Fightstar in October. Their debut album, Meet Me Halfway, At Least, is out now. http://www.myspace.com/deafhavana
Here's the video for Oh Howard, You Crack Me Up, my favourite of their musical offerings.

On tour, DH have support from the superb Young Guns. If you like your rock a tad less heavy, go check these guys out, I love them. http://www.myspace.com/youngguns
They will also be playing with both Fightstar and The Blackout at the end of the year.

YUM

2009-09-08T18:22:00.006+01:00

This week I am addicted to The Penny Sweets - very apt considering I have a borderline obsession with pick 'n' mix...Moody pop with a classical edge and stunning, powerful vocals. You can download their album for free and everything on their website: http://www.thepennysweets.com/index.php

Get set for Offset

2009-09-02T13:00:00.002+01:00

To anybody going to Offset Festival, please go and watch Dead Kids, who are headlining the New Bands Stage on the Saturday. They really do put on a fantastic live show, with singer Mike Title clambering all over the place and crowd surfing whilst mantaining some fantastic punky vocals. And they know how to party, trust me...Check out their delightful collaboration with American hip-hop duo Yo Majesty entitled 'Into the Fire' on their myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/youaredeadkids

I'm also a fan of the weird and wonderful sounds of pop quartet Wild Beasts, who are playing the Clash Live Stage on the Sunday, along with Gold Panda, whose songs make me feel like I'm holidaying in The Orient don't you know. Check it.

I've been a fan of indie band Hatcham Social for a while now but I'm still yet to see them live. They are gracing the ECC Stage with their presence if you get a chance to see them.

For those of you who like something a bit heavier, I'd recommend checking out Turbowolf on the Hardcore Stage. They rock.

http://offsetfestival.co.uk/

I say buy the record.

2009-08-28T14:59:00.008+01:00

Folky bands such as Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons seem to be the bands of the moment. With this in mind I'm pleased to see Curly Hair, a band I've had my eye on for a while, starting to get some well-deserved recognition. The blend of male and female vocals gives these guys a slightly unique sound which I absolutely love. They recently toured with Klaus Says Buy the Record and are signed by Brighton-based Toy Soldier Records, with their first single due for release in September. This will be available to download for free and will be followed up by an EP entitled 'Ivy League', which I think you should definitely purchase if you love a bit of lo-fi pop-folk.

http://www.myspace.com/wearecurlyhair

My band of the week - Not to be confused with a clothing fastener

2009-08-28T02:56:00.001+01:00

Hook and the TWIN, not Hook and the Eye as I keep mistakenly calling them, are probably my favourite recent discovery. I couldn't even try to place the musical creations of this duo hailing from London into a genre, but they describe themselves as Electroacoustic/Concrete/Blues. I particularly enjoy Bang Bang Cherry. It reminds me of Captain Scarlet. Here's the video for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.myspace.com/hookandthetwin

Welcome...

2009-08-27T21:36:00.000+01:00

Due to my bad timing in graduating during a recession and thus being unable to procure a job for myself, I have alot of free time on my hands to research lots of lovely new bands who I believe will become rather popular in the not so distant future. Thus, I thought I would share with you some of my favourites.

On Wednesday I saw the best live gig I've seen in a long time at The Brighton Coalition. The headline act was The Perils, who gave a brilliant live performance. They describe their music as Indie/Punk/Rock on their myspace, a perfect evaluation, with a great blend of all three genres apparent in their songs. The only semi-downside was the fact they seemingly refused to perform an extra song at the end of their set, despite the demands of their fans - in actuality the bassist clearly couldn't handle the nicotine deprivation any longer and had crowd surfed off the stage and straight into the smoking area...but this only added to the traditional rock 'n' roll image the topless frontman had already created, in my humble opinion...

http://www.myspace.com/theperilsarecoming

The support act were also brilliant and are another band to keep an eye, or should I say ear, out for. Fronted by ex-Kooks bassist Max Rafferty, The Third Man claim "We sound better than we look. And we look good!" Those boys don't lie, go see for yourselves.

http://www.myspace.com/thethirdmanbanduk

They were supposed to be playing the Beachdown Festival in Brighton but, alas, the organisers have had to cancel this event due to the aforementioned economic crisis. Boo.

The Perils will be playing at the White Air Extreme Sports and Music Festival, which takes place on Brighton beach from the 18th-20th of September. You can watch and take part in 'over 40 sports' as well as being entertained by the likes of White Lies, Doves and Biffy Clyro. Artists also taking to the stage whom I'm particularly excited about are Doll and the Kicks, The Boxer Rebellion and This City - if you haven't heard any of these bands yet, I urge you to check them out.

http://www.myspace.com/dollandthekicks

http://www.myspace.com/theboxerrebellion

http://www.myspace.com/thiscitymusic