Tubelord – Our First American Friends Review

You probably haven’t heard of Tubelord I would gather, but they are a band that everyone should listen to, because I’m sure they will become alot bigger than they are now. Recently signed to Hassle, Tubelord are a British band that are simply astounding, I saw them live the other day in Southampton and was totally blown away by how their music transitions to a live environment. Even before I was really into them, I heard praise of them from many of my friends, I picked up the I am Azzerad EP a couple of months ago, which I really enjoyed. The quality even then was fantastic, but the album promises better recordings and a greater achieved sound. Does it deliver? Yes.

As soon as it begins, you can tell that the band have benefited greatly from an enhanced studio, it’s not just them simply singing in a higher pitch or extended songs, the quality is much better so it becomes fantastic. Straight from the opening of the album, with “Your Bed is Kind of Frightening”, the echoing of ’sleep it’s over’ in the begin and then when it crashes into the sonic disruption practically trademarked by the band. Follows on with the song “Somewhere Out There Is a Dog On Fire”, the ‘Blada bleep, blada bleep’ lyric, they subsistuted for “Meryl Streep, Meryl Streep’ live, that sounded weirdly better. But again the album quality flows through this song, my personal favourite and definite standout, “Night of Pencils” just reeks brilliance, in my opinion the song sounds so much better now, real stand out song from the album and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was headed for a re-release as a single.

Other highlights for me include the eternally awesome “I Am Azerrad” and “Synthesize” both originally from the former song’s EP release. Having the original recordings, the new albums versions are most definitely of a better quality. In conclusion, definitely seek out and buy this album and it is sincerely one of my favourites of the year, I just love it, as much unfounded negative press that this release may have been getting, I can’t help but enjoy Tubelord. Buy it now.

Download Night Of Pencils

Battle For Paris EP Review

The tooth-shatteringly loud Battle For Paris are a band I’ve seen live twice now and been consecutively impressed with. So in your face and confrontational sounding that it belies how good the music is. It’s not just fight music, their sound is awesome. The “With A Gun Between Your Teeth, You Only Speak In Vowels” EP is their debut release, on the brighton based Tangled Talk records and it opens with the frankly fantastic and live favourite of mine, “Fuck Your Deja Vu” which I blogged before in a previous gig review. The song is a perfect choice for the opener, and sets up the second two tracks for the listener really well. It’s loud, abrasive quality to the music contrasting with the shouting/screaming/sometimes singing vocals works really damn well, which follows with a similar fashion into the next song, “Baby, You Are My Ammunition Dump”

My favourite though is the ender, “I Have the Jigsaw Man’s Hands (Download) and its frankly epic bass intro. Which nicely juxtaposes itself against the rest of the song. I do love the band, really do, but there is only one nagging problem I find with this EP, it is essentially fulfilling a void until I actually see them live oncemore, their brilliant and obviously consistent stage presence and live showmanship is a sight overwhelmingly brilliant to watch, something that you need to witness for yourself. This EP IS good, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t help but feel that Battle For Paris lose some of their charm when recording, but nonetheless, buy the EP, check them out, support this great band and make sure you see them live.

Myspace
Tangled Talk Records

Editors – In This Light and On This Evening Review

Editors have gone all synthpop on our asses. Where the first two albums they were Joy Division, they’ve now become New Order, without the lead-singer suicide. Ok, Editors haven’t just been blatant rip offs of Joy Division, they’ve actually carved a nice little niche for themselves, whilst taking influence from that seminal Manchester band. Their lovingly depressing rock was capitialised with two fantastic albums; “The Back Room” and “An End Has A Start” which were both brilliant and the sophomore effort definitely started the shift towards what this album has granted.

It could be considered more euphoric? I question that, because simply I am undecided, listening to the brilliant first single, “Papillon”, its so uplifting, despite morose lyrics plus, you can hear “Blue Monday”, seriously it’s underneath the song. But that’s irrelevant, they may have had a lot of different points of reference and influence, their music has evolved, yeah you could call it still an aspect of mainstream, but it’s so nice and also refreshing that a band swapping guitars for synths actually can pull it off well! There is also a stronger sense of an industrial sound behind them, ok, the first album with songs like “Munich” pulled that aspect off, but the synth power, reminiscent of Kraftwerk, definitely with the second song of the album “Bricks and Mortar”, a favourite of mine off the album, you can also detect a Depeche Mode influence. Anyway, the song is really like, just happy, yet sombre. It’s the juxtaposition in their songs on this album that really do it for me, it comes across with really contrasting music and lyrics, I adore how the songs do come together in their various elements.

My favourite song on the album sounds to me, alot like New Order’s “True Faith” and by taking a leaf out of Radiohead’s book with a bizaare song title (“Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool”, I mean what is up with that?) Editors have a song here, being the penultimate of the album, which stands heads and shoulders above the rest of it, in my opinion. It is brilliance. Pure brilliance. I saw this live on Jools Holland a few weeks back and it was just a fantastic performance from the band, so outgoing, bold and the music just stood out strongly.
I heartily recommend this change of direction for Editors, it has proven a brave and great move, the songs sound good and as ever lead singer Tom’s almost monotonous voice, which has definitely improved, sounds ever more brilliant. Get it now, my favourite track for download below
Editors – Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool

What I’m excited for in the music world…

….this time it’s BLAKROC.

I’m pretty sure I’ve watched that trailer about a million times already. Ok, exaggeration slightly, but the prospect of this album coming out very soon (26th of November to be exact) is very exciting, I literally cannot wait to hear the full deal.

Simple enough, the premise behind this immense collaboration is lovely indie-blues band The Black Keys have made an albums worth of rap-worthy instrumentals, what do they do? ONLY GO AND GET SOME AWESUUUHMM RAPPERS TO LAY DOWN SOME RHYMES! Mos Def, Raekwon, Ludacris, RZA and an inclusion of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard amongst others, it’s a pretty stellar list and judging by the trailer the sessions in their might fine studio (lovingly covered wall to wall in vinyl and equipment) went seriously well.

Once I watched, I probably watched a good few times more and then watched the webisode series, currently running on blakroc.com which have subsquently got me hyped up even god damn more. The most recent has RZA’s explain his use of weed to get into his “spiritual place” before he puts down some “awkward licks” and “spits” on the track, which is pure brilliance.

One track has leaked out already, the fairly impressive “Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)” (Download) which features Mos Def and Jim Jones on vocal duties.

I CANNOT WAIT!

READING FESTIVAL 2009 WOOOOOO! part one – FRIDAY

Finally, I get round to writing my review. I need to write this, it’s the best weekend I’ve had this year and as well as the lows, it needs the glorification for the definite highs.

FRIDAY
I started the Friday morning ridiculously anxious for the music to start. Thursday night is so downright boring because nothing is happening, only the drink and company kept me going. But for the first band, I chose to head over to the NME tent and see Dananananakroyd. The Scottish rockers were simply fantastic, I don’t know all of their stuff, but was quite blown away by the really good atmosphere and being really close, actually saw them rather well. They were only let down by their rather futile attempt of a crowd running and hugging game, WAAAYYY too early in the day for it to work.
Dananananakroyd – Hey Everyone

I saw a little of The Ghost of a Thousand next, heard of them through a mate of mine, being kind of labelmates as his band, on the lovely Holy Roar, which are doing a Ghost of A Thousand release later this year. I thought they sounded shit. We were standing outside the lock up tent and quickly decided to not bother and look around the arena site.

We then saw the brilliant Virgins after I picked up a nice checked shirt from the vintage clothes stall. Another good set and brilliant opening with Teen Lovers, which i love, being possibly my favourite song of theirs. Overall it was good, but not knowing all the songs was a downside and I couldn’t sing along to my heart’s content. After this I’m sure we saw New Found Glory, just so my mate Tom could see them play Kiss Me. I’m not a big fan. We then met HUW FUCKING STEPHENS as we were walking to the NME tent. He is a well nice guy to talk to and after shouting his name in his general direction, he approached us and we got to have a chat with him. He thinks New Found Glory are shit, word up Huw!

Got to see Little Boots and despite what you say, she was actually really good. It was just an incredibly bizaare thing to witness and be part of. Literally everyone in the tent was dancing (I heard there was moshing? WTF?) and singing along, especially to CHOOONS like “Remedy” and “New in Town” Yeah, it could be considered shitty electro-pop but Little Boots put on one hell of a show. Sticking to the NME tent, we got to see The Horrors after. I enjoyed it, the others I was with did not. They played all new material and the electrifying, moody, brilliant music just made me pretty happy, the album just sounds even better live. I love their new direction and to see them on such good form was the icing on the cake, tooooooo good. Was even better when I noticed a reasonably hench security guard singing along to them.
The Horrors – Three Decades

Jack Penate was the next act to see, his brilliant dancing and dancable tunes, like Little Boots made the friday a little more fun. And his second album material, which I’m not fond of, sounded alot better in the tent. Be the One in particular raised the roof. I think he opened with “Torn on the Platform” which was a very good choice, it was that or “Second Minute or Hour” but either way, I was dancing away to the music whilst drinking over-priced cider.

Florence and The Machine next, i had a good spot sitting on a metal fence near the side of the stage, and their performance was alright, a suitably mad Florence livened it up a tad and the inclusion of a megaphone, but her lame-ass stage climbing was pathetic. After they finished it was time for Friendly Fires, who were too good! More dancey incredible hip shaking and the electro wouldn’t stop. They were damn near irrepressible on that stage and they got huge cheers for Kiss of Life, Jump in the Pool and my favourite, Skeleton Boy. I really enjoyed their set, but not being ditched by mates who wanted to see Kaiser Chiefs. Idiots.
Friendly Fires – I’m Good I’m Gone (Lykke Li Cover)

I then got to see half an hour of Jamie T (only knowing one song, luckily my favourite with “Operation”, as he opened with all new material) before heading back to the main stage to watch Kings of Leon. To be honest, I was blown away. They topped off the first day for me. Played some mega hits, as well as lesser-known classics, a setlist enjoyable to all, but nonetheless they got a bit of the hump, not sure what arrgavated them so much but whatever it was they were annoyed majorly yet the songs they played was a good pick, a good and broad selection of the discography. Can’t remember if they played Red Morning Light or not any more? But nonetheless, an amazing set to hear and I’m probably wont get another chance to see them apart from a huge stadium which I am not keen on to be fair, yeah a festival isn’t much different, perhaps worse, but they seemed right at home playing.

To conclude, friday was an awesome first day, though how the weekend was staggered meant that it was consecutively topped twice.