INTO THE GALAXY

THIS SCENE IS DEAD

2010-07-18T15:48:00.000+08:00

Moving to Tumblr, seems like the hipster thing to do.

NEO//NOIR

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HYPE

2010-07-12T15:47:00.000+08:00

The Boat People are a band from Australia that have a really cool system whereby the member of the band who writes the song, sings the song. Gomez have a similar methodology in their work and its an effective way to create a varied and versatile body of work. The catch is that for every time you change style and sound, you risk alienating the fans of the previous sound. Damn Defensive is a good example of this, because it doesn't really sound like any of the other songs on Dear Darkly, but I think it's definitely the strongest track on the album. Heartfelt indie rock.

Damn Defensive - The Boat People

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Deep Dive is the new single from Wild Palms. If you like the sounds of early The Killers, Bloc Party, or the sound The Horrors are utilising now, you'll likely enjoy this.

Deep Dive - Wild Palms

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Silver Columns debut was exactly what it should have been. Really strong dance music. It reminded me of a cross between Cut Copy and The Presets. Here's one of the better tracks from Yes, And Dance.

Warm Welcome - Silver Columns

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Cults are going to be huge in the worst way possible soon. It's already started in fact, so enjoy Oh My God while you can. The name makes them sound foreboding but really it's all very indie pop.

Oh My God - Cults

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Anoraak's new song, Above Your Head, is a great step in the right direction. I loved his old work but he's now adding a bit more vocal variation to his work. Can't wait for his album, he's definitely one of the better artists in the Valerie collective.

Above Your Head - Anoraak

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I Know We'll Never is a track from Ex-Pipette Rose Elinor Dougall, the only attractive, and as such, the only talented one in the group. It's a shame her new album Without Why couldn't all sound like this one. Sounds a lot like Kate Nash in a way.

I'll Know We'll Never - Rose Elinor Dougall

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Gamble & Burke have this cool poppy Junior Boys sound. If you like stuff like Chromeo and Ted & Francis you'll dig this too.

Isolated (With You) - Gamble & Burke

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HYPE

2010-07-04T13:48:00.001+08:00

Arcade Made are an unsigned band from Australia, you can find their tracks for free download on their Triple J Unearthed page. They remind me of early Bloc Party, spliced with Tokyo Police Club, and a hint of Foals. This is obviously a great combo, and having such strong material at such an early age can only mean good things, so check them out.

Dinosaur Bones - Arcade Made
Ruins Ruined - Arcade Made

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Shinichi Osawa's new album, SO2, is pretty good. It gets a bit too dancefloor techno at times, but there are some really compelling tracks on it. Definitely give it a listen. Here's a track you're sure to hear soon enough.

Love Will Guide You - Shinichi Osawa

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Elite Gymnastics have a new song, a track from their incredibly tardy EP, Neu! '92. That's fine and all, but it better not suck. Anyway download Montana, it's a love song in the same vein as their previous work.

Montana - Elite Gymnastics

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Magic Bullets sound a lot like The Smiths, in fact, if you squint your ears you could be forgiven for mistaking They Wrote A Song About You as a long lost b-side that everyone somehow missed.

They Wrote A Song About You - Magic Bullets

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Here's another track from Cloud Nothings. Fucking love these dudes.

Can't Stay Awake - Cloud Nothings

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Swanton Bombs have this cool Rock vibe that I haven't really been taken by as of late. There's something about these guys though that I really like. Check them out.

Waistland - Swanton Bombs

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Games sounds like Teen Daze, they sound like Washed Out, they sound like awesome.

Everything Is Working - Games

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Finally here's an incredibly low quality rip of Giselle Roselli's They Stay Down Deep, it's fucking amazing. I still can't work out if this is just a sample or a really short song. I guess we will know soon enough.

They Stay Down Deep - Giselle Roselli

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MILK & HONEY // TWIN SISTER

2010-07-02T01:47:00.001+08:00

The music will turn most away (myself included) but the imagery was so compelling I had to have another look.

HYPE

2010-06-14T03:47:00.002+08:00

Cosmonaut Grechko utilises a very "Late '08" Electro sound and a great Madonna sample to create something rather refreshing in these Lo-Fi times we're living in. Give it a listen.

You're Ready! - Cosmonaut Grechko

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Dan Whitford (Cut Copy) and one the dudes from now defunct Riot In Belgium have a new side project called Voltage. It sounds like a natural extension of their current style, no surprises and it certainly won't change your life, but it's nice to see some new stuff from both of them.

All Night - Voltage

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Mystery Jets' new album, Serotonin, is certainly a grower. It's definitely not as good as the mindblowing Twenty One, but it'd be damn near supernatural for lightning to strike twice. Do yourself a favour and listen to it at least a few times before you make your mind up. Here's the title track.

Serotonin - Mystery Jets

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Memory Tapes remixed a track from Crystal Castles' new album. I find that most of his remixes sound roughly the same, but this one ends up sounding like an alternate version rather than a remix. Certainly not a bad thing though, it just means if you loved the original you'll likely enjoy this rework as well.

Suffocation (Memory Tapes Remix) - Crystal Castles

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Cloud Nothings have this cool Lo-Fi Surf-Rock sound that I'm really liking. They are a bit more upbeat and poppy than the other artists that are operating in the same genre description right now. Really happy vibes to this one, even though it's about break-up.

Even If It Worked Out - Cloud Nothings

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The Drums' album was a fairly predictable affair. While there's not a single bad track on it, it all just felt a bit too "safe" for my liking. However, one could argue that this is far worse than the album being completely rubbish, and in some ways, it might be. Regardless, here's a bonus track from the album.

When I Come Home - The Drums

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Jamaica are already generating enough hype right now as it is, but in case you haven't heard them already, here's some tracks by them. They have a very "Next Big Thing" vibe to them, which means it'll only be so long before teenage girls and meatheads butcher them for you.

Cross The Fader - Jamaica
I Think I Like U 2 (Breakbot Remix) - Jamaica

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BABY I'M YOURS

2010-06-11T00:27:00.000+08:00

HYPE

2010-05-31T04:28:00.001+08:00

Tokyo Police Club's second album, Champ, surprisingly does not suck. One of the few 2010 sophomores that not only didn't disappoint, but really caught me by surprise. Check out Bambi, that riff is ridonkulous. To think I wasn't even going to bother with this album makes me glad I second guessed myself.

Bambi - Tokyo Police Club

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Babara, We Are Scientists' third album, on the other hand; did suck. Big time. Check out Jack & Ginger, it's not as infuriating as the rest of the album.

Jack & Ginger - We Are Scientists

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Thunderheist are breaking up, I'd hardly call myself a true fan, but from what I've heard of theirs, this is a pretty sad announcement. This is their swan song.

Drive In - Thunderheist

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Everything Everything have a new song out, called Schoolin'. It's got the same sort of sound as the rest of their work, in fact, i'm beginning to suspect they are one-trick-ponies. Prove me wrong in August, Everything Everything.

Schoolin' - Everything Everything

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Elite Gymnastics is awesome. It's "Post-Chillwave", and if you never got on the Chillwave bandwagon to begin with then too fucking bad, progress waits for no man.

Is This On Me? - Elite Gymnastics

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Matt & Kim cooked up this infectious song a while ago but I'm late in discovering this one. It's called Daylight, and the keyboard at the start is rad.

Daylight - Matt & Kim

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Underworld were responsible for that massive club hit Born Slippy .NUXX (.NUXX was the version with vocals you iTunes tagging savages; make the correction now) way back when. You may remember it from the closing scene of Trainspotting, or maybe not, but if you youtube it or something you'll have one of those "Ohhhh, this song!" moments. This is their new song and it's really catchy, reminds me a lot of the Skins Theme by Segal, which is a great thing.

Scribble - Underworld

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Tame Impala show that even something as insulting as Midnight Juggernauts' sophomore, The Crystal Axis, is not without its silver lining.

Vital Signs - Tame Impala

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RSA ANIMATE // DRIVE: THE SURPRISING TRUTH ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES US

2010-05-31T03:23:00.002+08:00

DEAR EVERY BAND MAKING MUSIC VIDEOS IN 2010

2010-05-29T02:37:00.001+08:00

Cut this shit out.

The Rabbit - Miike Snow (Music Video)
Miami - Foals (Music Video)

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FLASHOVER

2010-05-26T02:45:00.001+08:00

Took their sweet time.

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RISE // WALK TALL

2010-05-14T16:26:00.000+08:00

Uncertainty.

Risebykeleokereke

Walk Tallbykeleokereke

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FASHIONABLY LATE

2010-05-12T03:23:00.000+08:00

oOoOO is exactly what I'm looking for these days. NoSummr4u has that sort of hopeless emptiness that makes you want to lie in bed all day with the curtains closed. It's the other side of the nostalgia coin, one oft left out in favour of the sunny carefree surf-pop nostalgia that everyone has finally discovered again. I'm very late to the party with this one, I know.

NoSummr4u - oOoOO

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Circle Pit are an awful looking, rubbish sounding, can't-sing-for-shit sort of band. Think Wavves/Girls/The rawer side of The Vines, and you'll know what to expect. They are apparently signed to Modular Records now, but Modular Records hasn't made it known at all, not sure why.

Another Trick is a cool summery garage-surf-rock track, I can imagine hipster couples passing it between each other on cassette mix tapes and remarking on how "ok" it sounds.

Infinity is a slow-jam style love song with this hazy wash over sparse instrumental work. Infinity is the most laid-back song on the album (which is, depending on your tolerance for harsh, raw, garage rock; really quite good).

Another Trick - Circle Pit
Infinity - Circle Pit

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Tex Taiwan are the latest in what is nearing a fucking battalion of Crystal Castles copycats. They've skewed more in a HEARTSREVOLUTION direction however, in that this stuff makes you feel like you're in a Hypercolourbubblegumrobotkitten party in Japan (Where I can only imagine there is a huge market for this sort of music), rather than wanting to kill yourself; as the Canadian duo does.

Won't blow your mind, but it will certainly keep you entertained for two and a half minutes.

Labyrinth - Tex Taiwan

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Born Ruffians have a new album called Say It. It's very similar in style to the first, so there aren't any nasty surprises for the real fans. They are the sort of band you will either love or hate so this little blurb is pretty pointless really, just give What To Say a spin and see what you think.

What To Say - Born Ruffians

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Posted up a remix for Neverest by Hey Champ a while back. Here's the original, carefree electro-pop at its... well I wouldn't say best...

Carefree electro-pop.

Neverest - Hey Champ

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Kamei is a pretty cool dude. He deals in the realm of sampling rad disco hits from yesteryear and sprucing them up (or down), which is a great way to avoid the bulk of the annoying grunt-work real musicians have to deal with.

Falling In Love - Kamei

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NICE GUYS

2010-05-09T18:21:00.001+08:00

Genius.

BABY I'M YOURS

2010-05-09T01:50:00.000+08:00

I've had a weird response to this song. First impressions I had were extremely positive, and then I started to think that the rest of the song was lacking compared to the amazing opening. Now I've jumped back to thinking it's fucking cool. I'll let you make your own mind up. Personally I am liking Breakbot a whole lot more when he adds vocals to his work.

So yeah, I may have held onto this song for a tad too long, making it old news, but if you haven't heard it do yourself a favour right now.

Baby I'm Yours - Breakbot

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NOBODY BEATS THE DRUM

2010-05-07T16:41:00.000+08:00

Check this both of these out, you only really need to see about half of the first video, the second one puts its ridiculousness into context, in a very funny way.

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AGAIN AND AGAIN

2010-05-06T02:01:00.000+08:00

They've done it again.

Shyness - Thieves Like Us

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TEEN DAZE

2010-05-05T01:04:00.000+08:00

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS

2010-05-05T01:02:00.000+08:00

Trent Reznor is always impressive. His new project with his wife called How To Destroy Angels sounds like it's going to be a natural extension of the NIN we saw in Year Zero, which is more than fine with me. The video above is one of several way slick teasers on howtodestroyangels.com.

AMINALS

2010-05-01T02:14:00.002+08:00

If you don't fall in love with this then you are a slimy fuck. Have a great day.

Aminals - Baths

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WATCH

2010-04-29T02:32:00.001+08:00

STATE OF THE INTERNET

2010-04-16T18:45:00.002+08:00

ISO50

2010-04-12T19:20:00.001+08:00

2010-04-07T00:15:00.001+08:00

Heaps of cool finds in the last couple of days.

Sweet Carrie is the new single from up and comers NightWaves. It's heavy on the 80's nostalgia like everything great these days. I'm posting up the Beaumont remix because I think it rivals the original for quality. One of those great remixes that takes nothing away from the original, only adds to it.

Sweet Carrie (Beaumont Remix) - NightWaves

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Matt Van Schie has a similar "The 80's Were The Fucking Greatest" mentality with his solo work, and Two Love is a obvious example of this. He just released his new EP, Balmy Nights. Buy it.

Two Love - Matt Van Schie

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Esben And The Witch have very "Seventeen Seconds-era The Cure" vibe to them. Except they have a female lead singer which I'm not usually a big fan of in traditional band set ups (brace for feminist backlash). But yeah they have a very cool sound, increased by the fact that she's got such a cool voice. Awesomely haunting stuff, Esben And The Witch sound like the soundtrack to the most disturbing of your nightmares.

Marching Song - Esben And The Witch

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Maximalist by Baths won't be for everyone, but I personally love vocal splicing and old samples from forgotten films. This one has a very compelling beat.

Maximalist - Baths

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Clock Opera are the music blog darlings of the entire internet right now. Not sure whether they deserve all the unashamed accolades but Once And For All is definitely an interesting track worth hearing.

Once And For All - Clock Opera

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Whitey has just released his new album, Canned Laughter, with minimal commercial backing. He claims its production has essentially bankrupted him, so I'd definitely suggest going out and buying it because from what I have heard, it's pretty damn good. When Your Sun Goes Down You'll Know is a great track, which reminds me a little of LCD Soundsystem's stuff. Great singalong chorus.

When Your Sun Goes Down You'll Know - Whitey

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Finally, a new track from Miami Horror called Moon Theory. After hearing the final version (which to me sounds a bit flat and demo-ish), I definitely think this song sounds far more compelling live. It stood out in their set each time I saw them even though I didn't know the name of it or any of the words, but I don't know, here it's...tepid. That said, check it out regardless, you may disagree.

Moon Theory - Miami Horror

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HYPE

2010-04-02T15:38:00.000+08:00

Here's a downloadable version of Egyptian Hip Hop's stellar track, Heavenly. I previously linked a streamable version of it, but now you can listen to it as many times as you like internet connection or no. What a bitch it was to find as well.

Heavenly - Egyptian Hip Hop

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Balthazar are a strange band, they mix a bunch of different genres and end up with some pretty interesting results. Their debut album, Applause, is pretty well rounded, and features some standout songs worth mentioning. One of these tracks is Fifteen Floors which has sprinkles of hip-hop flavourings and instrumental break-downs that keeps the whole thing pretty compelling and unpredictable. Definitely worth a listen or twelve.

Fifteen Floors - Balthazar

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MOPP is some dude, and he got some girl to sing on a song called Hold On. It's a pretty damn good electro-party track; the sort of dancefloor filler you wish more DJ's knew about.

Hold On - MOPP

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Oberhofer sounds a bit like The Arcade Fire, but unfortunately for fans of The Arcade Fire, he isn't rubbish. This may be a turn off for some, but I on the other hand think not being awful is a bold yet effective move for garnering praise.

Away FRM U - Oberhofer

TELEPHONE - LADY GAGA & BEYONCE REVIEW

2010-03-23T19:54:00.003+08:00

What follows is the transcript from a video taken as my brother and I watched Lady Gaga's latest creative opus, Telephone.

Alex: Ok, what the fuck is this "Telephone" video clip everyone is talking about!

Alex: Everyone's like "OH MY GOD IT'S THE BEST THING EVER!"

Rob: *Singing the harmonies for The Drums' Best Friend without paying much attention.*

Alex: *Watching* She got sent to prison by the looks of it.

Alex: ...Where she should be.

Rob: For crimes against humanity?

Alex: *Reading the on screen credits as they appear* Lady Gaga, and Beyonce.

Alex: ...And Tyrese Gibson.

Alex: ..."Prison for bitches"? Really?

Alex: "You're going to swim out of here in your own blood bitch"?

Alex: ...Why are these women wearing make-up in jail!

Alex: Pretty sure those outfits are inappropriate.

Alex: Already this seems like a bullshit video.

Rob: Did they just strip her completely naked??

Alex: "I told you she didn't have a dick."

Alex: Is this actually a music video or what?

Alex: Fucking hell how edgy is she!

Rob: *Says nothing*

Alex: She's so edgy. She's wearing sunglasses made of cigarettes, if that's not edgy I don't know what is.

Rob: Which gang is she going to join?

Alex: What the fuck is this shit?!

*Watching as she awkwardly makes out with the lesbian who is almost certainly a dude.*

Alex: Oh my god, did you just see that product placement!

Rob: Nah, didn't see.

Alex: Virgin Mobile!

Alex: *Rewinds* Wait for it...

Alex: Virgin Mobile!

Alex: Oh look, now there's bitches fighting.

Alex: This looks like a UFC action replay.

*The "music" aspect of the video finally begins, 2:55 into the clip*

Alex: *listening to the song itself* ...Fucking hell she's ugly.

Alex: She's got CANS in her hair!

Rob: ...Yeah she is awfully ugly hey.

Alex: Where's Beyonce! Where is she? Cause I am getting sick of this!

Rob: Let's hope, er, let's hope shes wearing the... prison attire.

Alex: *In an inadvertently high pitch* Is this really, is this REALLY what everyone's going on about?

Rob: I think it's more about the clip.

Alex: No it's not! All the critics are going on about both the song and the clip, like, the calibre of it.

Rob: This is first Lady Gaga song i've ever heard.

Alex: Yeah same.

Rob: Tell you what, I'm not going gaga over it.

Alex: It sounds like...the shit that comes out every couple of months...since the turn of the century.

Alex: Virgin Mobile again.

Alex: There is, there is NO reason to zoom in on that computer at all. It's just to advertise that website.

*Beyonce is finally shown*

Alex: There she is!

*Beyonce speaks her first line: "You've been a very very bad bad girl, Gaga."*

Rob: Yeah, she's a good actress.

Alex: Is this a joke!? Cause it seriously feels like a joke.

*Lady Gaga: "You know what they say, once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger."*

Alex: Yeah, not sure that they do say that.

*Beyonce follows with an equally weak and nonsensical analogy: "You know Gaga, Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it's broke."*

*Lady Gaga continues "But you can still see the crack in that mother-FUCKER's reflection."

Alex: Seriously?? It's like she's never sworn in her life.

Alex: ...That's it I've had enough.

*Alex closes the youtube window.*

9/10

SONAR

2010-03-22T12:01:00.004+08:00

HYPE

2010-03-21T15:57:00.002+08:00

Egyptian Hip Hop are going to be big. Produced by Late Of The Pier's Sam Eastgate, Wild Human Child takes a very similar sound to LOTP's work as well. Loving the tropical breakdown about half way through. Rad Pitt sounds like early work from The Cure, if you're familiar with their first couple of albums this will be right up your alley. Both sound completely different, these guys have a lot of versatility it seems. They have another amazing song called Heavenly but all I can track down is an early demo which doesn't do it justice, so here's a streamable version of it only.

Egyptian Hip Hop - Heavenly by Pure Groove

Wild Human Child - Egyptian Hip Hop
Rad Pitt - Egyptian Hip Hop

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Giselle is an artist from Australia, who once again, is going to be huge; probably bigger than Egyptian Hip Hop actually, because she can make young girls cry. One of her songs, They Stay Down Deep, was on episode 7 of the latest Skins season. Naturally, this means that it will explode very shortly. However it is also near impossible to find, but do yourself a favour and head to her Myspace page where you can play what I assume is a preview version of the track, it's only a little less than 2 minutes, but that's all you need (or so I tell the ladies). She recently collaborated with Flight Facilities (who may, or may not be Nick Littlemore) for the song Crave You, it's pretty shit hot so give it a listen. Very chill, loungey sort of feel, her vocals are easily the stand out aspect of the song.

Crave You - Flight Facilities (Feat. Giselle)

Head to Giselle's Myspace to hear They Stay Down Deep.

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Troels Abrahamsen (who is the frontman of the band VETO) just released BLCK, the darker brother it would seem to his first solo album using his real name, WHT. Quite often when listening to BLCK I'm reminded of Radiohead. Of course the witty insightful people who read this will argue that this is a fucking stupid thing to say, because comparing artists to Radiohead is the laziest thing you can do. All I have to say to them is; spot on.

Stop Making That Noise - Troels Abrahamsen

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Kisses remind me a whole lot of The Whitest Boy Alive, who obviously kick ass and take names like it's going out of fashion. This is all you need to know.

Kisses - Kisses

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Nicholas Roy is rapidly becoming the poster boy for Triple J Unearthed. His indie-folky acoustic singer-songwriter vibe has always been safely competent, but now he has one of those catchy-as-fuck singles that is bound to result in him releasing a really really boring album that's suitably lauded by everyone who hears it (also known as "pulling a Josh Pyke"). So yeah looking forward to seeing this guy at every single festival under the sun come the summer of 2010/2011. Listen to It's All My Fault though seriously, it's really good.

It's All My Fault - Nicholas Roy

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This Town Needs Guns strike me as a less cool version of Foals. This isn't actually as bad as it sounds, because Foals are close to the most stylishly nonchalant band I have ever seen. Their debut album Animals has thirteen tracks, all named after animals. The closer, Zebra, completely changes the mood established by the previous dozen tracks (which, while good, all sound basically the same). It's short and sweet, and has a childlike music-box quality to it.

Zebra - This Town Needs Guns

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SPANISH SAHARA

2010-03-02T13:36:00.000+08:00

Listen.

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Spanish Sahara - Foals

HUSTLE

2010-02-28T03:28:00.001+08:00

Bloc Party fucking kills it on the remix of Tunng's brand new single, Hustle. The original is a indie-folky feel good number that's bound to make you forget all your troubles for roughly 4 minutes. But Bloc Party essentially removed all the original instrumental aspects and transformed it into a techno beast. Perhaps it's my unrelenting love for Kele Okereke, and my desperation to hear something new from one of the greatest bands around at the moment, but I love this.

Listen to the original first I think, here it is right below. Then never listen to it again and blast the remix on repeat for all eternity.

Hustle (Bloc Party Remix) - Tunng

COMPLETELY ME

2010-02-28T02:34:00.001+08:00

Here's some pretty damn compelling acoustic versions of songs from Frankmusik's rather disappointing debut, Complete Me. In Step and Better Off As Two were always the best songs on there, and these alternate versions are just as good. You can find both, and the rest of the album in acoustic format on the digital-only release rather imaginatively named; Completely Me.

In Step - Frankmusik
Better Off As Two - Frankmusik

LIGHTS // ELLIE GOULDING

2010-02-25T15:59:00.001+08:00

To be honest, I saw Lights coming a mile away. It's too much for the record label suits to let a female artist with girl next door looks to be anything other than pop. There's no money in it otherwise, and nobody wants that. I also understand how very typical it is for the people who got her to where she is (her original fans) suddenly reject her as soon as she makes it. But that's what's going to happen, people are fickle and the weight of hype is suffocating for all but a select few.

While Ellie Goulding had this charming Electro/Indie/Pop vibe when we first heard her, it's a different girl we're listening to on Lights. Perhaps i'm being a tad melodramatic, but the whole thing feels over-produced and typical. From the album artwork, which will turn everyone but the most stalwart Beyonce fans away in disgust, to the cutesy sentimentality and sappy lyrical work in most of the tracks, it all reeks of a budding young artist steered towards the black hole of despair that is the Top 40 charts by the powers that be. It was obvious with Frankmusik's debut, Complete Me, and it's obvious here.

However like everything, Lights is not without its merits. The opener, Guns And Horses, is exactly what I was hoping for from Goulding with this album. It's catchy as hell but still retains that X-Factor that discerns credible songwriting from manufactured pop. Tracks previously heard and loved by many such as Starry Eyed and Under The Sheets are still there, but little vocal flourishes and production highlights make them sound far more pop than ever before, especially in the former. Your Biggest Mistake is another song that gives us but a glimpse of what could have been, it's a truly compelling track, and the vocal effects utilised remind me once again of Frankmusik, but here it's a great thing, rather than a disappointing similarity.

Which makes me wonder about the tracks that didn't make it on the album. You get a sneaking suspicion throughout the album that this is not her best work, just the stuff deemed least risky by her label.

All of this said, you could do far worse than buy Lights. In a world where people like Lady Gaga can become famous and respected, Ellie Goulding is a breath of fresh air. I sincerely hope this album and her inevitable success doesn't pigeon-hole her for the rest of her career.

5/10

WEBSITE

HYPE

2010-02-25T04:46:00.001+08:00

Here's a whole bunch of what you're missing out on, it's all quality but I'll put the best stuff up top, as I know how daunting it is looking at a big list of songs to download.

Saturday Night (Gloves Remix) - Matt Van Schie
Neverest (Raw Man Remix) - Hey Champ
Never Known Love - Thieves Like Us
Tokyo Getaway - Polygon Palace
Bright City Lights - Barretso
Beach Comber - Real Estate
What You Need (Hey Champ Remix) - Priors
Yes, And Dance (Silver Columns Remix) - Silver Columns
Jeffer - Boys Noize

Mostly electronic stuff this time round, save for the Real Estate track.

BEST IN THE CLASS

2010-02-20T01:34:00.005+08:00

HEAVY DRUG /// CAVALIER

2010-02-18T23:20:00.001+08:00

Two really interesting tracks, on the more downtempo side this time.

First up is a track from UNKLE released late(ish) last year called Heavy Drug (Surrender Sounds Mix). A rework of the version that appears on the album Where Did The Night Fall, it's a slow burning chill-out masterpiece. Definitely worth listening to.

Heavy Drug (Surrender Sounds Mix) - UNKLE

Next is a remix of a song by Silver Columns called Cavalier. The "Time And Space Machine" remix has a slow bubbly beat underneath interesting lyrics delivered in a deadpan and effortlessly cool manner.

Cavalier (The Time And Space Machine Remix) - Silver Columns

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VANISHING POINT

2010-02-17T12:31:00.001+08:00

LESS IS MORE

2010-02-11T13:45:00.003+08:00

Everything moves in cycles. Where a few years ago the best songs were ones with slick production values and bells and whistles, now everything is stripped down and raw. One only needs to glance at The xx and Mumford & Sons to see exactly what I mean.

So embracing the spirit of the age, here are some new tracks that I've been listening to over the past couple of months that I think sum this methodology up perfectly.

Girls' Night - First Rate People
Zorbing - Stornoway
All Is Said And Done - Broadcast 2000

And here's some more exceptions to the rule.

My Keys, Your Boyfriend - Everything Everything
What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
Let Me Take You Out - Class Actress
Marchin' In - Lo-Fi-Fnk

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BLUEBERRY

2009-12-16T11:36:00.000+08:00

Blueberry is here. And despite having to double check through various sources to ensure it was actually was Late Of The Pier I was hearing; I'm liking it a whole bunch. The opening moments convey glimpses of their frenetic and chaotic sound, but then everything melts away into a Beatles-esque acoustic downtempo vocal verse. The chorus then builds into a Midnight Juggernauts inspired space synth frenzy. Were it not for the complete breakdown into insanity in the final moments, you'd be forgiven in thinking that Late Of The Pier had grown up. Thank christ they haven't.

Blueberry - Late Of The Pier

(DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER

2009-12-04T10:18:00.000+08:00

Finally, courtesy of Bicardi's B-Live Originals, Van She's cover of (Don't Fear) The Reaper has a non-radio rip form. Most people have this song by now, but far less have the 320kbps version without the fade in/outs and Triple J presenter's unwelcome presence. So here it is, enjoy.

(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Van She

NEVER AGE AGAIN

2009-11-30T15:20:00.002+08:00

--
Finally the Gloves remix of Miami Horror's genius hit; Sometimes, has landed. You should all know why this is a big deal by now so all I'll say is he's done for the song what Aeroplane and Au Revoir Simone did for Paris.

Sometimes (Gloves Remix) - Miami Horror

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HYPE

2009-11-24T12:00:00.002+08:00

Digital Love (Algeronics Remix) - Daft Punk

Cousins - Vampire Weekend

Your Body Is A Machine - The Good Natured

Quicksand (Alex Metric Remix) - La Roux

When O' When - Is Tropical

Fighter Plane - Ellie Goulding

On The Road - We Are Eyesight

Old School - We Are Eyesight

Won't Go Quietly (Juan MacLean Remix) - Example

Watch The Sun Come Up (Fred Falke Remix) - Example

Help I'm Alive (80kidz Remix) - Metric

HYPE

2009-11-24T11:01:00.000+08:00

I still can't make my mind up about Annie. There's no denying that Anthonio was amazing, and the Fred Falke remix made a nigh on perfect pop song even better, but I think as a whole her collected body of work is rather hit and miss.

Of course anything I think or feel about an artist is instantly reset when I see the words "Produced by Paul Epworth", a man I have almost as much respect for as the lead singer of the band he helped create the perfect album with. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anyway Epworth has co-produced with a bunch of other people that I couldn't care less about Annie's new album, Can't Stop. He took the reigns for one such track, All Night.

All Night is roughly about as poppy as it can get before I switch off and disregard it, but Annie has always had this widespread indie appeal, something impossibly hard to attain for a pop artist but invaluable once it's there. As immediate as her work is, she'll never be a Gaga or a Minogue.

Also, I'll include her upcoming single Songs Remind Me Of You. Stop me if i'm wrong but the instrumentals sound almost identical to New Order's Blue Monday, minus the earth shaking bass. Bit dodgy that.

~~All Night - Annie~~
~~Songs Remind Me Of You - Annie~~

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Now for something completely different, Cage The Elephant. An Indie-Rock band from Texas, their track; Ain't No Rest For The Wicked has this iconic blue-grassy quality that would sound perfect during the opening for the movie in your mind you've always planned on making. Truly an amazing song.

~~Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage The Elephant~~

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LCD Soundsystem created this track; Big Ideas, for the card-counting casino heist film, 21. It's classic James Murphy, who clearly has the recipe for brewing and bottling triple distilled cool. This song is all rise.

~~Big Ideas - LCD Soundsystem~~

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Here's a track from Hey Today! called If I Was Wonderman. Recently Featured on the Bang Gang 12 Inches compilation. Reminds me of Daft Punk before they switched from space-disco-loving-party-throwing-future-robots to inevitable-machine-uprising-human-race-ending-psycho-robots. Robots that refuse to release any new material! Getting real sick of waiting.

Hopefully this will ease the pain.

~~If I Was Wonderman - Hey Today!~~

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Diminishing Returns is a new song by Ali Love, channeling 80's power ballad heartbreak induced love songs. Has a really smooth, laid back feel to it. Very cool.

~~Diminishing Returns (Extended Edit) - Ali Love~~

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Ra Ra Riot's album; The Rhumb Line, is hardly new. If you don't have it go out and get it. This track, Ghost Under Rocks, is probably the best I have heard from them so far. At times you can see how comparisons can be drawn to Vampire Weekend, but this song sounds so much more textured than the stripped down sound the other is known for. The strings that kick in near the end are a really great touch.

~~Ghost Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot~~

--

Buy the music that these people slave over. They don't do it for the love of it, they do it to get money, power and chicks, so help them out.

AND YOU LOOKED SO RIGHT, IN THAT RED DRESS.

2009-11-17T00:02:00.002+08:00

I've convinced myself now that Intimacy Remixed was a cruel ploy by enemies of Bloc Party to damage their untarnished streak of greatness, It was truly awful.

More realistically though, I'd like to think that perhaps Bloc Party didn't have much say in the matter, as the remixes, and remixers; chosen to submit work to the album basically made a mess of the whole thing, which I doubt Kele Okereke would be too keen on if given a say in the matter. The opportunity for fans to remix three or their songs was similarly squandered, with a single digit number worth of remixes worth even mentioning.

Finally though I've found some not necessarily new remixes from Intimacy that have genuinely impressed me.

The mysterious and relatively unknown Adam Jeffery has remixed Letter To My Son under his misleading moniker; Twins, and it's a really good rework. It reminds me of the Silent Alarm remixes: the general trend being that the remixers acknowledged and preserved the heart and soul of the song, only adjusting the mood and atmosphere to create something compelling. Twins has done the same thing here, cut and pasted some vocals, added an eerie instrumental backdrop and amplified the sense of sadness and regret that took center stage in the original. It's remixes like this that should have been on the reinvented iteration of Intimacy.

Secondly, I've tracked down the Frankmusik remix of Talons, which you'd be forgiven in thinking had nothing to do with Frankmusik at all from the sounds of it. But the Electro-Pop wizard's trademark vocal splicing and jittery effects are here and just as effective as always. He's essentially doubled the length of the song, pulling somewhat of a Fred Falke; and like Fred Falke, he's kept it interesting the whole way through.

p.s. Kele recently shaved off the dreads and stacked on, like, 400 pounds of muscle; likely in a bid to intimidate racist punk legends.

--
Letter To My Son (Twins Remix) - Bloc Party
Talons (Frankmusik Remix) - Bloc Party

REVIEW: BRAVEFACE - ESSER

2009-11-12T16:50:00.002+08:00

Esser is a band from Essex lead by multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Esser. It's important to stress this because to the casual observer it would seem that this is simply one man's solo project. Esser appears on all the advertising and promotional material, as well as the album cover, all by his lonesome. Perhaps because he's a rather unique chap, with what could most politely be described as an "interesting looking" face, and all at once one of the most ridiculous yet glorious hairstyles I've seen in a while.

With Esser as both the principle songwriter, and lead singer, as well as playing many of the instruments heard on the LP, it's safe to say that Braveface is effectively his creation. And he deserves a ton of credit as well, Braveface is, in a word; amazing.

Sonically it lies somewhere between Electro-Pop and Indie, with the lyrical delivery having a rhythmic progression reminiscent of that found in UK Grime and Hip-Hop. Although there are outliers which deviate from this description littered throughout the album.

It's clear that Esser aimed for catchy accessibility on Braveface, with most of the tracks being loud, punchy three minute pop-gems with scathing and witty observations at the forefront of the songs. Songs like Headlock and Work It Out are perfect examples of the style most of Braveface's numbers entail. Generally dealing with heartbreak and love-loss, but instead of self-pitying introspection and solemn observations, Esser's tracks generally point the finger at what is clearly a long line of self-obsessed users and unfaithful lovers. It's refreshing to hear this approach after so many artists in the same genre tend to use self deprecation or unfulfilled yearning as story-telling techniques in their songs.

It's not all anger and spite however, the previously mentioned Work It Out is a proposition from one party to their better half, to work out their relationship issues and remember why they fell in love in the first place.

There are numerous moments in Braveface where you think to yourself "Wow, that's a great line", and it's definitely one of the best facets of Esser's debut; the songwriting is spot on ninety-five percent of the time. You'll definitely be singing along to many of these songs before long. A great example can be found in the title track:

"So when you wake up in the morning,

And the sunlight hurts your eyes,

Don't want the world to see your demons,

So you keep them locked inside,

And you put on your braveface."

It's tough to single out sterling examples because there are so many to choose from, every track on the album has its own identity and quality to it, Esser set a high benchmark that is easily met across the board.

However I think some of the best moments on Braveface come from those songs that break the mold set by the surrounding mood of the album. Both Bones, and the album closer Stop Dancing, take down the tempo and attempt completely different instrumental styles. Bones reminded me more than once of Bloc Party's style and sound, which impressed me to no end. Stop Dancing also had tinges of A Weekend In The City and Intimacy to it, but comparisons aside, these are both very much still Esser's songs and two of the best on the album. It definitely serves to highlight the strength of Benjamin Esser's versatility when you hear an amalgamation of so many different styles created so well on a debut album.

It's tracks like these that make me very excited for Esser's hopefully long and fruitful music career to come, he's set himself up to basically go anywhere from here, with a varied, yet cohesive selection of songs that never fall flat or disappoint. It is, however, an album in danger of becoming one of those amazing releases nobody heard; as Esser's popularity has been secured in the UK but the band remains relatively unheard of outside of their own country. Do yourself a favour and pick it up if you can, you owe it to yourself to experience and fall in love with Braveface.

9/10

--
I Love You - Esser

HYPE

2009-11-12T02:47:00.003+08:00

Here's a few cool dancey numbers, all feature really interesting vocal aspects to them. The Aston Shuffle track may at first sound a bit middle of the road but the second half is the saving grace of the song; it changes up completely.

Take My Hand (Justin Faust Deep Mix) - Nightriders
Do You Want More - The Aston Shuffle (Feat. Danimal Kingdom)
Lies (Alex Metric Remix) - Fenech-Soler

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Some really quality covers have been released this year. Mystery Jets & Esser teamed up to cover The Cure's In Between Days and added a cool electronic backdrop over the relatively faithful vocal rendition. It's good that it remains pretty much very close to the path the original took because there's not a whole heap more you can do to this song to make it any better.

Fascination Street, which appeared on one of The Cure's most popular albums; Disintegration, has been basically warped into a completely different creature by Metronomy. Not only does this not sound like The Cure, it also sounds nothing like Metronomy. No, the closest comparison I could probably make is that it sounds like Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release-era Simian Mobile Disco. It's going to either be a song you love, or despise. I personally love it. Either way you have to admire the audacity associated with such a huge departure from the original sound.

Also, Sky Ferreira recently covered Miike Snow's massive blog-universe hit, Animal. Her version is a stripped down acoustic number, just her and her piano. It's got a completely different feel, but it's easily as good as the original. I also included another track of hers, Lolita. This girl is going to be HUGE very soon.

In Between Days - Mystery Jets & Esser
Fascination Street - Metronomy
Animal - Sky Ferreira
Lolita - Sky Ferreira

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Danimal Kingdom is the solo project from Dan The Carnivore, the former lead singer of now defunct band, Bolt Action Five. It doesn't sound like Bolt Action Five really, it's more like Lightspeed Champion than anything else I think. Interesting quasi-electronic indie pop gems.

Girl Boy Girl - Danimal Kingdom
Through The Ice - Danimal Kingdom

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HYPE

2009-11-08T04:37:00.003+08:00

Two Door Cinema Club have just released a new song, a prelude to the debut album release coming early next year. It's called I Can Talk and to be honest, it's not my favourite track from the trio, but it's still pretty damn catchy nonetheless. Also, bucking current trends of all remixes being released lately possessing some truly awful qualities, the I Can Talk remixes seem to be shaping up pretty nicely. I think i prefer both the Crystal Fighters and French Horn Rebellion remixes over the original actually.

I Can Talk - Two Door Cinema Club
I Can Talk (Crystal Fighters Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club
I Can Talk (French Horn Rebellion Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club

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Fyfe Dangerfield of Guillemots fame is releasing a solo album. Here's a great track from the impending release, When You Walk In The Room. Sounds sort of the same, and also completely different from the band's work. Has a cool sort of bluesy-rock feel to it at times.

When You Walk In The Room - Fyfe Dangerfield

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Really can't wait for Fenech-Soler's album to drop, from what I have heard so far it looks to be as cool and catchy as Friendly Fires debut album, with a bit more edginess. Golden Sun features a brass section throughout underneath falsetto vocals and the synthy dance work you've come to know and love from Electro bands of the 2000's.

Golden Sun - Fenech-Soler

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Boy Crisis are a strange band. They clearly have their minds in the gutter at all times, with their songs having a strong sexual undercurrent, and, well actually; a strong sexual overcurrent as well. Strawberries is hilarious, disgusting, wildly inappropriate and insanely catchy all at once. It's a song you'd hate in theory but in practice you can't help but get caught up in the beat and sing along.

Strawberries - Boy Crisis

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Finally, A female singer-songwriter who I feel I could grow to like as much as my future-wife to be, Kate Nash (She will be mine, oh yes; she will be mine.). Ellie Goulding utilises electronic backdrops to sing Indie style songs about love, loss and love-loss. Heard this a hundred times before? Maybe. But nobody has done it as well as Goulding so far in my opinion. She's going to be huge very soon, so jump on the bandwagon while there's still seats available.

Under The Sheets - Ellie Goulding
Starry Eyed - Ellie Goulding

--

Additionally here's a Tom Vek B-Side from the Nothing But Green Lights single called One Horse Race. Hardly new, but like all material from Vek; still one of the coolest songs around almost 5 years on. One Horse Race actually featured on a radio station in GTA IV most recently, so you may have heard it subconsciously without even knowing. Here's hoping he releases a second album in our lifetimes.

One Horse Race - Tom Vek

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SKYWRITER

2009-11-05T15:28:00.004+08:00

DatA's debut album, Skywriter, came out earlier this year without anyone really taking notice. He probably deserves more acclaim and success than he has received, walking the fine line between french touch juggernauts Daft Punk and Justice, and doing it a hell of a lot better than most others I've heard.

Although to say he's a mere clone probably doesn't give him the credit he's entitled to.

The title track from the album features Benjamin Diamond. Now I don't really understand Diamond's deal, because while he sounds amazing when collaborating and guest vocal...i...sing (...?), He's really determined to stray as far into the Pop/Rock territory as his record label will allow on his solo work. And frankly he sucks. Benjamin Diamond should stick to what he's good at. Singing for French dudes.

Skywriter is no exception, my personal favourite on the album, thanks to both an awesome instrumental background and Diamond's silky vocals. Also check out So Much In Love, a very Daft Punk sounding song, with robotic vocoders and all.

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Skywriter - DatA
So Much In Love - DatA

HYPE

2009-11-04T03:40:00.004+08:00

Just when I was about to ask "What ever happened to VHS Or Beta?".

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Feel It When You Know (LA Riots Remix) - VHS Or Beta
Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
Divine (Danger Remix) - Sébastien Tellier
aNYway - Duck Sauce

MATT VAN SCHIE

2009-11-02T20:07:00.003+08:00

Matt Van Schie (Of Van She fame) has decided to take a crack at some solo material. I heard something about this a while back but haven't managed to find anything until now. Saturday Night sounds like something Van She may have made during the 5 years it took them to get their act together and release a debut record.

Here's hoping Van Schie releases some more stuff to keep us happy until the next album from the band. Very cool feel to the tracks I have heard so far.

--
Saturday Night - Matt Van Schie

MYSPACE

GAMMALAPAGOS

2009-11-02T02:16:00.003+08:00

These dudes; Gammalapagos, are from Germany, and from the promo release I have, sound like a completely different band in every single song of theirs. While some my condemn them for a lack of continuity I say kudos for the bravado to keep fluid and ever-changing.

Happily Ever After is a fairly moody track with electronic stylings. Quite subtle, it feels like there's an energy to it that's just bubbling under the surface, ready to break free. Only You Mario Ohnegeplärr is completely different, going for a more straight up indie rock vibe. The vocals sound both cheesy and awesome at the same time. Both tracks are really unlike anything that's out at the moment, and instantly caught my attention.

Not a whole bunch of info on them, but from their press photos it looks like they are a complete idiots; in the very best way possible.

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Happily Ever After - Gammalapagos
Only You Mario Ohnegeplärr - Gammalapagos

REVIEW: IN THIS LIGHT AND ON THIS EVENING - EDITORS

2009-11-01T01:29:00.007+08:00

Editors frontman Tom Smith will always live in the colossal shadow Ian Curtis cast after his tragic suicide. Whether he likes it or not, people will always make comparisons between him and the late Joy Division lead singer for a many reasons. Firstly, and most obviously, his vocal qualities instantly remind you of the downplayed, dirge-like singing style of Curtis, the overall sound of the group itself has heavy Post-Punk tendencies; and being a band from England can't help matters much either. Unfortunately for Smith though, he simply is not as good as Curtis.

Also I'd like to say right now; that is an awful album cover.

All that said, In This Light And On This Evening is certainly my favourite Editors album thus far, their two previous albums left me questioning "Who cares?" when I heard of the impending release of the album. Only because I had heard such great things about this new record that I decided to give it a listen. It's an altogether more electronic effort than their previous work, with a heavy synth presence throughout the LP, and this definitely pulls the band out of their rut of painfully dull Indie Rock. Whether it pulls them far enough is debatable, but it's important to see some serious progress by a band's third album and Editors clearly appreciate the fact as well.

The album opens with its title track, which is arguably the closest to Joy Division they have ever sounded. Ironically it's both one of the best tracks on the album and easily the most damning. By opening with a song that sounds exactly like one of the most respected bands of the 20th century, Editors certainly set me up to compare everything that follows to both this first admittedly impressive track and everything Joy Division have done as well. Bad move, Tom Smith. The song explodes half way into a heavily distorted riff of Muse-esque grandeur, creating, in conjunction with the moody vocals and slow burning synth; a very dark and foreboding opener.

This leads into Bricks And Mortar, a song Editors truly make their own. The synths once again are a standout in this one, sounding like the best parts of the 80's New Wave movement, in a move reminiscent of The Horrors recent sophomore album. Tom Smith is definitely more capable than Ian Curtis at crafting uplifting stadium ballads, and Bricks And Mortar is definitely one of the best examples of the iconic Editors sound that featured on their previous albums, but this time done right.

Which brings me to Papillon, which perplexes as much as it disappoints. When I say Smith isn't as talented as Curtis, this song comes to mind as the perfect example. His lyrical writing abilities just pale in comparison to Curtis'. While "It kicks like a sleep twitch" is an admirable concept to evoke, there just has to be a better way to put it; to sing it; to repeat it over and over. The weakest line on the album and it's given center stage in Papillon, sung ad nausem, jarringly placed and awkwardly phrased. Papillon should not have been the leading single from In This Light And On This Evening. Hearing the single beforehand lowered my expectations (which is perhaps a good thing) and dulled my mild excitement for the album, and within the context of the release it still hasn't improved in my mind.

The Big Exit tries to salvage the mood evoked from the strength of the opening tracks, and for the most part, succeeds. It's a good song to have right in the center of the album, it keeps it alive when it is beginning to falter and it's impression remains even through the disappointing second half of the record. The high point of this down tempo brooding centerpiece is definitely the vocal risks and flourishes Smith attempts. It's a welcome change from his ordinarily dead-pan delivery, and for once we can see Editors as a band of their own, rather than a weak ghost of a bygone era.

The rest of the album begins to blend together into one long song, neither interesting nor inspiring. It's a shame because there are moments here where Editors began to shine, where they finally hit the nail on the head and made me feel something, anything. But it's back to old house tricks for the second half, there's some interesting instrumental work in Like Treasure, but, and do I apologise to Smith for singling him out constantly, as soon as his vocals come in, I just switch off. The lyrics aren't interesting, his singing style isn't good enough to get away with it, and to be honest there's just something about him that really irks me.

While Curtis' vocals took a few attempts to appreciate, there was always an amazingly evocative and literate undercurrent to every Joy Division song. You could just hear in every line that Curtis was a man who never switched off, always thinking, dreaming and evolving, even if it was channeled through a horrible depression, his lyrics gave Joy Division its whole identity. In fact, that's what Editors feel like; a band without an identity, it's like they can't decide who they want to be, or they have, but they just aren't talented enough to get there.

For this reason I don't think I'll ever be blown away by an Editors album unless they change up their game completely. Too many inescapable comparisons are drawn and Editors come out second-best in many of them. There are moments on In This Light And On This Evening that really impressed me, but they are just outweighed and overwhelmed by the incredible nothingness of that which surrounds it. Sometimes obviously stronger tracks can be showcased by the comparison to the weaker ones surrounding them, but on this album, It just feels like they're being dragged down by rest who can't keep afloat.

5/10

--
Bricks And Mortar - Editors

(DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER

2009-10-30T16:14:00.005+08:00

Van She are back with a pretty awesome cover of Blue Öyster Cult's iconic hit, (Don't Fear) The Reaper. Now yeah, I know 70's fossil rock purists will scream in terror as anything pre-1980 is untouchably sacred, especially to some rubbish "electro" band that hasn't even become irrelevant yet! But moronic Luddites excluded, anyone who appreciates anything Van She has done before will definitely like what this cover brings to the table. Slightly more electronic than their work on V, it brings a completely different mood to an already amazing song.

If you haven't heard the original yet, definitely give it a listen. Then download this version and see what you think. Unfortunately it's only a radio rip, but it's one of the less obtrusive ones I've heard so I figured it still worth posting.

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(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Van She (Radio Rip)

MANUEL REBOLLO

2009-10-15T00:07:00.005+08:00

There's not much info about Manuel Rebollo that's in a language that I can understand, but I can tell you he's Male, Spanish and roughly 22 years old.

I really love this guy's drawing style, he has really mastered conveying the female form (which is what he draws almost exclusively) in a very interesting way. He's actually an artist that has inspired me to improve my drawing skills lately, as I have mostly moved to digital format design since the horror that was my high school art teacher; but that's a story for another time.

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Check out his website for heaps more.

manuelrebollo.blogspot.com

SOMETIMES

2009-10-14T18:52:00.008+08:00

Miami Horror have just released a new single titled Sometimes.

Featuring a New Order style guitar riff over the always amazing 80's Electro Miami Horror sound we've all come to know and love. From the second I heard Sometimes I loved it. Hopefully you will too.

Not much info on it, I'm pretty intrigued to find out who the guest vocals are from this time round; remembering that they recently utilised none other than VEGA and Neon Indian's Alan Palomo; it's likely someone from an existing band or project.

Also loving the cover sleeve, Miami Horror definitely have someone in the know working on their visual identity because it's always top-notch. Best i can find is that the Bravado EP cover was done by "DW" as quoted by their myspace page; whoever that is.
(UPDATE: Thanks to NeonLover for correcting me and providing a link to DW's page)
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Sometimes - Miami Horror

Myspace
DW Design

VOLTAIRE TWINS

2009-10-14T18:05:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since I checked in with Voltaire Twins, it would have been at least 2 years ago when I last heard their stuff. Seems like they've been touring extensively with some pretty big names including Miami Horror and Ladytron as well as cooking up some new material.

No album yet but their D.I.L. EP is pretty slick. The title track is rather catchy, and has a very Heads We Dance vibe to it. Check it out.
--
D.I.L. - Voltaire Twins

Myspace

REVIEW: PSYCHIC CHASMS - NEON INDIAN

2009-10-13T16:04:00.009+08:00

Alan Palomo never fucking stops.

Going from GhostHustler to VEGA and now Neon Indian; Palomo's more than content to have multiple identities functioning at once (in the case of VEGA and Neon Indian), and thankfully, his work never suffers as a result.

While VEGA is very much focused on the 80's Electro-Pop, Neon Indian's Psychic Chasms serves to vent Palomo's desires for more left-of-field experimentations. That said, this album will feel both similar and alien to you depending on what you listen to. Psychic Chasms is a thirty minute amalgamation of Daft Punk, Chromeo, Cut Copy, Thieves Like Us and any 80's Dream-Pop channeling band you care to name. Of course I could run off a list of at least a dozen other acts Neon Indian sounds similar to, but such comparisons are a tad lazy.

The album is simultaneously abstract yet accessible, and it's this quality that I believe is Psychic Chasms' greatest strength. Whenever the instrumental sample-ridden and warped synth-laden sound of the tracks are in danger of losing the interest of those with more conservative tastes, Palomo's silky smooth vocals draw you right back in. Every track is dripping in nostalgia and memory, they all seem like a return to the events of a distant past joined by both prangs of regret and joyful resurgence. No track fits the bill more than Should Have Taken Acid With You, a sleepy dreamscape of love lost and drug fueled euphoria, it's definitely Neon Indian's manifesto functioning at its highest level.

I can't help but draw comparisons to Memory Tapes' Seek Magic; it shares with Psychic Chasms a similar sound and similar influences but, for me, Seek Magic errs too far into the realm of aloofness, gaining attention for its unique compositions, then losing it for not ending the songs in half the time they take to get where they are going.

The quality of Psychic Chasms is deftly maintained throughout the LP, arguably because of Palomo's use of segue songs between the strongest tracks on the album. A similar format was seen in Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours, but I think Neon Indian pulls it off more successfully in this release. While it's a shame the album is done before you are; the less compelling tracks are made that much more successful in their shorter length, they begin to feel like intros and outros to the focus pieces of the album. When viewed in this way, it's hard to pick out any songs that really let down the album at all.

When all is said and done, Psychic Chasms is definitely not for everyone. Those looking for soaring, chorus-focused dancefloor tracks, they may be better served to seek out Palomo's more pop-oriented project; VEGA; because you won't find them here. That's not to say there aren't catchy tracks on the album, because there definitely are, and songs like Deadbeat Summer and Terminally Chill are great examples of this, but the album is definitely meant to be taken in as a whole package rather having its importance placed on singular songs.

As far as first albums go, Neon Indian hit the ground running. Although Alan Palomo has had time to refine his approach through his other works, and you can't help but be thankful he didn't attempt an album like this before he was truly ready. Psychic Chasms may take a few listens to take hold of you, but once it does, you'll find a multifaceted soundscape of nostalgia-soaked Chill-Wave that's very appealing.

8/10

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Should Have Taken Acid With You - Neon Indian

Myspace

MONARCHY

2009-10-13T14:21:00.003+08:00

Monarchy are a duo from the UK who are going for a Friendly Fires/Visitor/Junior Boys feel, a sound that's getting a bit of attention at the moment. It seems like the 80's intergalactic space-age sound of the past few years isn't in danger of going anywhere despite what the naysayers may claim. Which is all the better for me because I can't get enough of the stuff.

Gold In the Fire is a relatively down-tempo affair; a slow burning electro track with generous amounts of vocoder and falsetto. If you don't find yourself hooked at first, wait around for the chorus and it might just convert you.

Their visual identity seems to be pretty well thought out too, with some cool retro-futuristic design seen in both their band photo and their website header.

Gold In The Fire - Monarchy
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Myspace

JULIEN RIVOIRE

2009-10-13T14:02:00.004+08:00

Julian Rivoire is a 26 year old Graphic Designer residing in France. He often operates under the moniker Bastard Graphics, and what he lacks in sensible pseudonym choice he more than makes up for in talent.

He tends to opt towards bright colours and bold shapes to achieve a very striking look. Here's some of his recent works; all of it with a very "now" feel to it.

(Note that these are effectively screen captures of his artwork from his website, for a more complete view, click on the link to his page at the bottom of the article.)

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As far as business cards go, this has to be one of the more stylish ones I have seen. Really cool.

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Check out his website for heaps more.

bastardgraphics.com

HYPE

2009-10-12T21:51:00.008+08:00

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Post War Times are a band from the UK bearing more than just a passing resemblance to Foals with tinges of Friendly Fires. Of course too much of a good thing is still a good thing, and these guys have some really solid tracks on their recently released LP; The Greats And The Happenings. While Foals are the closest comparison I can make, that's not to say that the whole album sounds the same. Heaps of changes in tempo and style throughout and well worth a look.

Den - Post War Times
Whole World On Its Head - Post War Times
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From Mystery Jets' Making Dens US re-release; (renamed Zootime), Crosswords is a more dancey number than the rest of the album, and a few years on is still really rather unique against their body of work. I had a mixed copy of this song for so long that was only two minutes long and spent the better part of 2 years trying to track it down. I then gave up for a while, only to finally acquire it recently.

Crosswords - Mystery Jets
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Little Red have shifted their sound from an Indie Rock identity to a more 50's/60's Surf Rock sound. Think Beach Boys and you'll have an idea what to expect. This track is from their Coca Cola EP, which sports a striking bright red cover and the iconic Coke typography. Really cool.

It's Alright - Little Red
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Laura Marling is one of the closest sounds that i've found to that impossible quality that Kate Nash possesses. In fact, New Romantic could easily masquerade as one of Nash's songs due to the subject matter and sound. This one is from her My Manic And I EP.

New Romantic - Laura Marling
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Alphabeat have a new single, called The Spell. It's very 90's in sound; think of the poppy Dance music of the era and you'll know what to expect.

The Spell - Alphabeat
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From Metronomy's first album, a far cry from the band you may or may not know now, is an instrumental track called This Could Be Beautiful (It Is). I'll also throw in a new song of theirs, the title track from the Not Made For Love EP. Not Made For Love is vastly different from This Could Be Beautiful (It Is) so if instrumental songs aren't your thing don't let that stop you from grabbing this one, it's a tragic song about two people wanting very different things from each other.

This Could Be Beautiful (It Is) - Metronomy
Not Made For Love - Metronomy
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That's all folks.

WHOLE NEW WAY

2009-10-08T17:37:00.006+08:00

The Horrors' new sound still takes me by surprise every time I hear their latest works. It's the very best way to be proven wrong when an band you wrote off as rubbish comes out with a fucking amazing album to put you in your place.

Whole New Way was originally on the Japanese release of Primary Colours as a bonus track, but the band have decided to rework and re-release it as a stand-alone single. It very much continues the trend set by the band's critically acclaimed sophomore album, with a tad more electronic elements, especially at the start and finish, to lead you in and out of the song.

Here's the thing though, I can't tell whether I like the original or the re-release version more. There are subtle yet noticeable differences, but neither is convincingly better than the other. In the interest of not removing all reason to buy the new version, which I'm sure will come with B-Sides and or remixes, I'll going to post the original version here.

Whole New Way - The Horrors

Whole New Way is due out November 2nd on XL Recordings. Make sure you pick it up.

thehorrors.co.uk

HORCHATA

2009-10-06T03:20:00.004+08:00

Tell you what, I'm really liking this new Vampire Weekend. Horchata is the first single from their upcoming sophomore album, Contra, and it takes a very chill, laid-back approach. It has a very tropical holiday feel to it, and while at first it may seem like a strange departure from their usual sound, by the end of the song you can't help but want to play it again. Rubbish album cover though, this chick looks well scary.

Horchata - Vampire Weekend

HYPE

2009-10-05T22:49:00.007+08:00

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Tegan And Sara are very close to the release of a new LP after their best album so far, The Con. The first single, Hell, sounds like it's a step in the right direction, with catchy electronic undertones and a bigger focus on a rocky direction than previous efforts from the duo.

First impressions in the opening riff of the song are dangerously close to a bad Paramore track, but give it a chance, it's a grower.

Hell - Tegan And Sara
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Los Feeling by Visitor is one of the more promising Electro-Pop releases I have heard in a while. Hyped ad nausem by most of the blog universe; i've taken my time with this one in order to decide whether it's worth posting or just a one off success from the band. My final conclusion is who cares; this track is the shit. Don't let the cheesy sound and the off-putting intro bring your opinion of the song down, because you'll have this song on repeat before long. And no, after all my investigations, it seems the real name of the song ISN'T "Lost Feeling", although it really seems like it should be.

Los Feeling - Visitor
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HORSE SHOES have that melodic Indie sound that is becoming increasingly popular as of late. Similar in sound to bands like Red Riders, Mercy Arms, The Drums etc. The Imperial School almost sounds a bit like Tokyo Police Club in parts, definitely worth checking out.

The Imperial School - HORSE SHOES
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Ultra Violence And Beethoven sounds like an incredibly distorted mix of MGMT and Passion Pit, with a far stronger electronic presence than both are known for. It's the first song I have heard from Baby Monster, so here's hoping the rest of their work shares the same amount of polish.

Ultraviolence And Beethoven - Baby Monster
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Speaking of bands that sound like Passion Pit, Tim And Jean take that sound and use it in the best way possible. The end result is a song that, while not as mindblowing as Sleepyhead; may just be indicative of a band that can use the same sound without writing about the same tired subject matter over and over. Colour me intrigued.

Come Around - Tim & Jean
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Bye Bye Bicycle are a strange band to place, they sound like an amalgamation of a whole bunch of different bands and sounds. I can tell you that if you like bands such as Sparkadia or New Order you'd probably like the sounds of Haby Bay.

Haby Bay - Bye Bye Bicycle
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So once you're done "sampling" this music, go buy it. Don't be a prick.

THE DRUMS

2009-10-04T21:23:00.004+08:00

So it seems like people are finally feeling the waves of hype Brooklyn-based band The Drums have started to generate. This is both a good and bad thing because while yes, it means that they will receive the success they rightfully deserve, it also means that the most annoying fanbase imaginable will soon attach itself to the winning combo of 60's Surf-Rock and early 80's New Wave Indie.

So before you have to endure hearing teeny-bopper Sex On Fire fans singing all the wrong words to some of the best music I have heard this year, grab these tunes and share them with nobody.

Then buy the album when it comes out because songs these good deserve to be paid for.

Best Friend - The Drums
I'll Never Drop My Sword - The Drums
Saddest Summer - The Drums
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Myspace

AFTER ALL THIS TIME...

2009-10-03T04:11:00.007+08:00

So I'm rediscovering my love for British Indie and British Indie-esque bands lately. This is due in no small part to the recent release of Jamie T's sophomore album, my belated but inevitable acquisition of Mystery Jets' Twenty One, and re-watching Skins Season 3 yet again.

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Half In Love With Elizabeth (Delorean Remix) - Mystery Jets
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Percussion Gun - White Rabbits

Actually from New York though.
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So Tomorrow - Official Secrets Act
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Conductor - We Were Promised Jetpacks

Take note Glasvegas, cause there's a way to sing with a Scottish accent and not be serious contenders for the "Most Unpleasant Sound In The Universe" award.
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My Turn - Basement Jaxx

Makes it in because it features Lightspeed Champion, and for all intents and purposes is a Lightspeed Champion song. I actually prefer when they don't fuck around with guest vocalists' pre-established style in songs; another example of this below.
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5 Verses - Jeremy Warmsley
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It's Not The Things You Say - Tiësto

One word; Kele Okereke.
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As always, these songs are for sample purposes, buy the music or delete it.

JAMES WHITE

2009-10-01T11:47:00.004+08:00

Ok finally got some bandwidth back to search large images and the like online so here's another graphic designer/illustrator for you.

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James White (AKA Signal Noise) is an American graphic designer who has that retro futurism look i'm so fond of completely mastered.

Check out his Website for more.

HYPE

2009-09-30T15:37:00.007+08:00

Well I've finally found a band that sounds similar to Bloc Party. And no, contrary to popular belief, it's not every fucking band you can think of from England. I mean christ, I feel like Jason Segel's character from How I Met Your Mother when he is looking for the perfect burger and morons consistently suggest the most obvious places to look.

Undeserved animosity aside, We Are Tokyo, an Indie band from Bristol certainly sound a whole lot like Bloc Party's early stuff, mixed with the sounds from A Weekend In The City. They currently have a few EPs out at the moment, and unfortunately, no, they aren't anywhere near as talented as Kele and the gang, but hey, Bloc Party's pre-Silent Alarm releases were rough around the edges too.

Possibly not as exciting to anyone else as they are to me, but We Are Tokyo are definitely going on my "To Watch" list.

A Victory, I - We Are Tokyo
Perfect Hands - We Are Tokyo

MYSPACE

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Here's a pretty chill track from an artist called Baxter, if you're a fan of Anoraak then definitely check this out. Like all good songs, Proof is about the slow decline of a relationship into collapse, with silky smooth vocals and spacey synth-work. Very difficult to find information on this guy, so apologies for not being able to provide a link to his website.

Proof - Baxter

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Lo-Fi-Fnk are a Swedish Electro Duo who released an album; Boylife, in 2006 which was largely ignored by all but the most tenacious musical explorers. This is likely due to the lack of release in many countries, but don't let that stop you from ordering it online or searching yourself at any good record store. Considering the date of release, this stuff was pretty cutting edge back in 2006, these days Lo-Fi-Fnk will sound similar to a few bands kicking around at the moment, great Electro-Pop without a doubt.

Steppin' Out - Lo-Fi-Fnk
Change Channel - Lo-Fi-Fnk

MYSPACE

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Friendly Fires recently re-released their self-titled debut, and I would definitely recommend the purchase if you haven't already picked it up. For $19.99AUD I got the album, a CD of previously unreleased bonus songs and remixes and a DVD with four music videos and a live concert, Friendly Fires Live At The Forum. If you haven't heard Friendly Fires before, think of a mix between Klaxons and Metronomy; if you haven't heard Metronomy before; they are a combination of Friendly Fires and Klaxons. And if you haven't heard Klaxons before; kill yourself immediately.

Kiss Of Life - Friendly Fires
Bored Of Each Other - Friendly Fires

MYSPACE

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As always, go out and buy this music please, these songs are only for sample purposes, if you like what you hear, then buy the albums these artists slave over, if not, then delete them, the futile defence against music piracy begins with YOU!

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (10-1)

2009-09-20T12:02:00.003+08:00

Come with me, come with me,
We'll travel to infinity,
Come with me, come with me,
We'll travel to infinity,
I'll always be there oh oh,
My Future Love,
I'll always be there for you,
My future love.

A genre of sound created almost entirely for the teenage population (play it for your parents and you'll see what I mean), Gravity's Rainbow, and Klaxons, felt like the new Smashing Pumpkins of our time, an icon for all to rally under and celebrate the foolhardy experimentation of youth.

NUMBER 8

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

From the opening guitar riff, you're hooked. Mr. Brightside is the best song The Killers have written. The critics seem to think it's Read My Mind from the crime against humanity that was Sam's Town, but they're wrong. Play Mr. Brightside at a party, and everyone goes crazy; the people who listen to nothing but commercial radio, those who obsess about music and have extremely specific tastes, people who don't listen to any music at all and every point in between. The obsession of every single aspect of his ex-lover's new relationship is such a human and flawed quality that the lyrics connect with all listeners even if they haven't experienced it, it's written so plausibly, so honestly that it couldn't be anything less than true. You just can't hate this song, it's amazing in every aspect, it's accessible. memorable, emotional, intelligent and iconic. And I'd be lying if i hadn't acted out every line of the song in a drunken charades-inspired dance routine less than twice.

NUMBER 7

Pogo - Digitalism

Digitalism have always fought an uphill battle unfortunately. Always under the shadow of Justice's juggernaut of a debut album, Idealism's release, actually a month before the release of †, was never allowed the time to gestate and grow in popularity. Of course I say it worse than it is, Idealism proved to be extremely popular in the right circles, and the critics generally praised the album and band. But the similarities between the two bands, both part of the huge boom in European Indie-Dance music that occured in 2007 meant that hype governed which band was more at the forefront of people's minds. Sure, Digitalism were a great sidekick for Justice, they were a great support act, they had a similar sound and their album was pretty good, but † was seen as the better album.

However there was one song that Digitalism had in its arsenal that always made people sit up and pay attention, Pogo. Pogo always felt like Digitalism's track, separate from all else, incredibly catchy and with a more band-orientated feel, helped by the fact that vocal duties were taken up by one half of the duo. Because of Jens Moelle's decision to sing, rather than employ the talents of a guest musician, the act felt more like band than an electronic act like Justice or Simian Mobile Disco, the presence of a song heavily sampling The Cure's Fire In Cairo gave Digitalism an aesthetic that was more aligned to those who ordinarily wouldn't listen to Electronic music. Pogo was the figurehead of the ideology of indie-rock infused electro that Digitalism wanted to convey. Simple but strong lyrics, an obvious danceability, the all important X-Factor, impossible to describe but instantly recognisable, that lets you know these guys are for real. Pogo is all about partying hard and living life to the fullest, one of the best parts of the song being the simple repetition of the line "We could get so wasted" as the track fades out. The song has the perfect mix of uncomplicated lyrics and a more complex electronic instrumental presence, and this gives it its wide demographic of appeal.

NUMBER 6

Kelly - Van She

Van She have this incredible talent of spanning a whole plethora of sounds and genres in their music whilst still maintain both the feel of a Van She song, and more importantly, the undeniable quality. Kelly sounds like the perfect mix of 80's New Wave tributes and modern day New Wave sensibilities. The best thing about Kelly is that it's perfect for any mood or time. It's got a heartfelt melody to it, but a driving force that keeps the tempo up and maintains an interesting and catchy feel for the whole song. The chorus' anthem-like lyrics and the poppy synths, the simple bass and guitar of the verses juxtaposed against, and the overall feel-good mentality of the track as a whole give it a great appeal. One of the most light and carefree tracks the band has created, and one of the most convincing reasons for the argument that they are really something special.

NUMBER 5

Face To Face - Daft Punk

One of the more obscure tracks from Daft Punk's second album, Face To Face never really got the attention it deserved. The lengthy intro lures you into a false sense of security, sounding like Face To Face will be a capable instrumental track and nothing more. Then the vocals come in. To say Face To Face is well written would be an understatement. The vocals, sung by Todd Edwards rather than Romanthony or Robots From The Future, sound both fitting yet unique within the album. The lyrics perfectly summarise a failed relationship, and the reasons involved. It's clear Edwards' voice is perfect for the soul-infused electro identity of the track, and the way its sung, with such passion and vigor, that gives every line lasting meaning and impact. The jittery cut up backing vocals and instrumental work is really interesting, and again, quite unique against the rest of the album. It really feels like Daft Punk were saving best for last with Face To Face, being the second last track right before the epic closer Too Long. Face To Face is easily my favourite Daft Punk track to date.

NUMBER 4

Flux - Bloc Party

Flux was Bloc Party trying to prove to the world that they were a band capable of anything. Born out of Kele Okereke's fear of being pigeonholed into any one sound or genre, Flux sounded like nothing Bloc Party had done before it. Casting away the introspective, overly emotional sentimentality of A Weekend In The City, and the raw angular identity of Silent Alarm, Flux took a decidedly electronic path. With Okereke's vocals auto-tuned and synths and drum machines replacing the traditional instrumental set up the band was used to, Bloc Party were determined to push themselves, kicking and screaming, into greatness. And in my opinion, that's entirely what they did. There are still nuances of the song I am still only picking up on now as i write this summary, all the layers and effects creating a perfect cacophony of electronic brilliance that seems so unlikely for a band that had never even attempted this type of sound before.

The best thing about Flux is that it has an emotional core that Bloc Party are so well known for, but the mindless enjoyment and club-suited sound of the song not only doesn't suffer, but compliments it perfectly. For me, Flux sounds like the painful realisation of a failed relationship occuring in the parallel universe of the night, on a chaotic dancefloor, surrounded by people but never having felt more alone. It sounds like the sonic representation of laser shows and smoke machines, strobe lights and disco balls. Flux is the higher state of mind you reach when you have no clue where you are or what you're doing, when your brain is racing a hundred miles an hour and not functioning at all simultaneously. Flux is Bloc Party proving they are going places, and you're coming along for the ride.

NUMBER 3

Weak Become Heroes - The Streets

Weak Become Heroes was one of the first tracks I heard from The Streets and it still remains my all time favourite. With an effortless style that can only come from a perfect simplicity, Weak Become Heroes uses a simple piano loop over a electronic club beat that never seems to get old, and Mike Skinner's trademark speak-rapping, with observations and phrases so obvious and genuine you wonder why nobody else had thought of them first. The lyrics themselves deal with Skinner's first experience with Ecstasy; the mindless euphoria and the blindly optimistic view of the world that comes with it. Everyone is your best friend, every plan is flawless and genius, every aspect of life, undiscovered until this moment, is beautiful in its inherent existence. I've never taken the drug and even I feel like I know exactly what its like from Skinner's methodical depiction. Weak Become Heroes has this chill lounge feel to it that is so hard to perfect but instantly amazing when conveyed correctly. Even if you think aren't a fan of The Streets' sound, Weak Become Heroes will prove you wrong.

NUMBER 2

Signs - Bloc Party

Signs is the most beautiful and serene song I have ever heard. I could describe why, but it wouldn't do it justice. Just listen to it.

NUMBER 1

All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem

All My Friends is the closest thing to a perfect song I have heard in my life, not just this decade. The slowly building grandeur of the first 1:20 might be a turn off for some, but don't let it make you give up on the best song you will hear in a long time. All My Friends feels like the title track from the endless ups and downs of that is the album of your life. As cliche as that sounds, there really is no other way to describe it.

The repetition of the instrumental work throughout the track is a perfect metaphor for the passage of time, the lyrics deal with regret and mistakes, with the innocence and wonder lost as we get older. But most importantly, the importance of the person we are and the path we choose to get there.

People tend to associate different songs with heartbreak, love, parties and friendship, but All My Friends applies to all of them. I can think of a line from the song to relate to every important thing that has happened in my life recently. One that always sticks for me relates to the feelings i started to have when high school finally ended, like my life and friends were completely changed and there was no way back to those times in life when we didn't have the burden of responsibility.

You spend the first five years trying to get with the plan,
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again.

All My Friends is one of those songs that just sticks with you from the moment you hear it. Epic and timeless in its execution, genre defying, emotionally riveting and lengthy while still holding your interest. It feels like James Murphy wanted to create a song that would last and mean something for decades, not just months or years. I believe he succeeded in doing so.

TOP SONGS OF THE 2000's (19-11)

2009-09-18T12:07:00.007+08:00

Goodbye,
This town,
These streets,
Your friends,
We'll never,
See,
This place,
Again.

NUMBER 17

Time To Pretend - MGMT

Time To Pretend is one of those tracks that I believe will help define the 2000's as a music era. Yes it was almost completely ruined by hype, ignorant thirteen year olds and record companies, but no other song has conveyed the ideology of living fast and dying young so perfectly. Filled with youthful optimism, the cliche things that everyone promises to each other in the throes of teenage existence, and a movie soundtrack sonic aesthetic, everything about this track brings forth strong feelings and memories. Time To Pretend deals with the realisation that life isn't exactly how you wanted it, and that you've lost sight of what you dreamed of when you were young. This epiphany invariably results in overcompensation, you want to feel alive to prove you're not wasting life. MGMT captured the fear of mortality in such an appealing package it's not wonder why they were everyone's favourite band for fifteen minutes.

NUMBER 16

Sunshine - Atmosphere

Atmosphere is one of those Hip-Hop acts that really stand out against the rest of what's out there. Sunshine is a perfect example of why. The simple piano/drums approach gives this really peaceful summertime feel to the track that you can't ignore. Musically it's simple, lyrically it's uncomplicated and succinct, and the end result is a really appealing and accessible song for anyone, even if you don't like Hip-Hop. The lyrics themselves deal with recovering from a hangover after a big night out, and seeing the beauty in every day life; the simple things, weekends spent with families, times spent with friends and not having a care in the world. It's one of those tracks that would likely get hidden within the rest of Atmosphere's body of work, but it really is so well crafted that it deserves to be heard by all.

NUMBER 15

Naïve - The Kooks

The Kooks first album was one of my favourites of 2006, and i attached lots of great memories to every track. Naïve was always my favourite, the almost reggae quality to both the vocals, and the instrumental work, combined with a strong Indie focus created a really unique song. Naïve is about a cheating partner, and the heartache associated with infidelity. I'll always love The Kooks at this stage, knowing they had to prove themselves, they really released one hell of an album, the poppy melodies and sing-along lyrics were so simple and effective, and there's just this earnest quality to every song. I really felt for the second album, Konk, the benefits of fame really went to their heads and that cocky demeanour really shone through in each track, the songs felt like they were completely in love with themselves. But at least we have Inside In / Inside Out to give us straight up love songs and Indie-Pop for simpler times.

NUMBER 14

Banquet - Bloc Party

Ok I have to say this now, I decided to limit myself to only three Bloc Party songs in this countdown, If I had my way at least half the list would have been by the four-piece from London, but I showed restraint for the purposes of feigned objectivity. Furthermore, of all the songs on Silent Alarm, Banquet is not my favourite, but it earned this position for being the most iconic, the most reflective of Bloc Party's manifesto as a band. Banquet combined the best parts of Indie Rock with Electronic Dance, while only using traditional instruments (guitars, bass, drums). With Banquet, it was Kele Okereke's objective to create a rock song with the danceability of an electro track. And it's plain to see the band really did achieve this, there's something so catchy and enthralling to every aspect of the song. The alternating guitar work between Russel Lissack and Okereke, the always impressive drumming of Matt Tong, and the distinctly noticeable basswork of Gordon Moakes, just makes the whole thing sound like a band working together flawlessly. Banquet is the figurehead of an amazing debut album, the song that ties all of it's tracks together, regardless of tempo or experimentation, it's the perfect mid-point to sum up the band. If someone asked you what Bloc Party sound like, you'd play them Banquet and know you've explained them perfectly.

NUMBER 13

Hearts On Fire - Cut Copy

Hearts On Fire is Cut Copy nearing the zenith of their potential. With a perfect combination of emotion and danceability not seen since New Order, Hearts On Fire feels like a track straight out of the 80's. The smooth vocals and New-Wave guitar work, the rising synth and saxophone make everything sound so retro and iconic. Cut Copy make electronic music for people who appreciate thoughtful songwriting as well; more intelligent than Trance, Techno and House, more catchy than IDM, Hearts On Fire fits into a niche that was sorely absent before the 2000's and the Indie-Electro revolution came to pass. Hearts On Fire glides above the stratosphere, filling you with this elated feeling of nostalgia and longing.

NUMBER 12

When The Sun Goes Down - Arctic Monkeys

This was Arctic Monkeys utilising their strengths perfectly. When The Sun Goes Down features witty, punchy lyrics with raw indie rock, this was Arctic Monkeys when they were young, brash, rough around the edges and altogether amazing. The song starts slow, then immediately shatters the peace with heavy and loud guitar riffs, Alex Turner's voice picks up and the excitement builds, spinning the tale of the red light district after dark with complete abandon. At its loudest When The Sun Goes down feels like it's about to burst forth from your speakers and strangle the apathy out of you. I really wish Arctic Monkeys would venture back into the raw unrestrained realm that When The Sun Goes Down so perfectly conveyed.

NUMBER 11

Someday - The Strokes

The most catchy and breezy track from The Strokes. Someday has this careless relaxing feel to it that makes it one of the most popular songs by the New York band to date. The iconic catchy guitar and bass aspects of The Strokes are here as always, and the vocals sound both rough and distorted while being accessible and friendly at the same time. Someday really is a feel-good song at heart and it really comes across in overall sound very well.

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (29-20)

2009-09-16T14:15:00.005+08:00

The 2000's are really one of the best eras to be in musically. Of course both the very wise and the very ignorant will argue against this statement, but no other point in time before this has it been both so easy to create music and share it with the world, and so possible to have it sound like whatever the hell takes your fancy.

I've always described the 2000's as an amalgamation of all of the best parts that have come before it. Whether it's fashion, design or music, all of it cuts and pastes from trends of the 60's, 70's, 80's and (thankfully least of all) the 90's. However due to the wonderful power of hindsight, we can trim off all those ugly fads that took the world by storm when we knew no better, and what we're left with is the best of the best.

And what better way to celebrate the versatility of this great time we live in (creatively at least), than to count down the top 100 songs of the 2000's.

JUMP TO:

100 - 90
89 - 80
79 - 70
69 - 60
59 - 50
49 - 40
39 - 30

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NUMBER 29

You Only Live Once - The Strokes

With an opening bassline reminiscent of Queen and David Bowie's Under Pressure, You Only Live Once opened The Strokes' third album, First Impressions Of Earth, with a bang. Casablancas took a slightly different approach to the singing style with this one and it's a really nice change of pace from their previous work. Everything sounds so strongly produced and deliberate, every sound and instrument plays its part and the great lyrics tie it all together. Easily one of my favourite songs by The Strokes, It's one of those songs you never skip no matter how many times it comes on.

NUMBER 28

The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager (Part Two) - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

Sam Duckworth, who for all intents and purposes is Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly; combines a strong acoustic focus with electronic backdrops to create some really interesting Indie-Pop that doesn't sound like much else out there. Made to be played on perfect days with cloudless skies, Chronicles has this deeply calming quality to it that really makes the song. Dealing with lost opportunities and past mistakes, the rapid delivery of the lyrics is an interesting touch, while the writing itself is well thought-out and introspective.

NUMBER 27

Get Free - The Vines

Get Free was the song that started it all. The raw emotion and barely contained bad behaviour of Craig Nicholls took the world by storm and ensured The Vines' place on every critic's "To Watch" list. There was something so abrasive and violent about the rough Garage Rock approach, yet it was so marketable, so appreciable, especially to the waves of teenagers who were too young for the angsty grunge movement of the 90's. The Vines were going to be huge. And they were; for a while. The first two albums, Highly Evolved and Winning Days; were incredibly good; taking strong influences from both the 60's and the 90's, splicing them together and creating some truly amazing songs, with an equal distribution of the very loud and surprisingly, the disarmingly peaceful.

But Nicholls' self-destructive tendencies and ongoing battle with Asperger Syndrome eventually tore the band apart, and some serious downtime was necessary. When they did eventually come back for their third album, Vision Valley, it was a much more restrained affair, not without its quality, but it felt like the soul of the band had been ripped out. With the forth album, Melodia, it was dishearteningly clear that The Vines weren't the same band that we heard and fell in love with six years prior. It's true that the most fleeting stars burn brightest, and for a while, The Vines were blindingly good.

I read in NME a few years ago a review of a Vision Valley single, and it really disgusted me actually. They basically went on to say they were completely wrong when they heralded The Vines as an amazing band destined for great things, then proceeded to "admit" that the first two albums weren't that good in the first place. Now while this is obviously indicative of the backtracking NME are notorious for, it really grinds my gears to see two of my favourite albums of the 2000's being dragged through the mud because it's cool to hate the band now due to the awful tragedy of mental illness.

It's clear their latest work isn't up to the quality of their first LPs, but that in no way cancels out that previous quality, those albums are as good today as they were back then. Buy them now.

NUMBER 26

Cut Here - The Cure

Cut Here is a great example of what makes The Cure great. Sounding both refreshingly new, yet appealingly retro, Cut Here would sound completely at home back in the 80's, but it blends perfectly into the 2000's thanks to the huge New-Wave revival that's taking place. Cut Here is a return to the great songwriting of the "In Between Days" period, and covers the always popular topic of love-lost and regret. The chorus may throw you at first, it certainly took a while to grow on me, but as an overall package this is one of the best songs by The Cure you will hear post-2000.

NUMBER 25

The Devil's Crayon - Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts have a very unique sound and approach that frankly, you will either love, or hate. The Devil's Crayon is an Avant Garde masterpiece that has a strong sense of nostalgia, drawing forth memories you haven't even had yet and feeling all at once new and familiar. The song alternates vocal duties between the more accessible, though still confronting voice of Tom Fleming and the androgynous, high pitched shrieks of Hayden Thorpe. I can say with great confidence that you won't like this song based on one listen. But if given a chance, something will keep drawing you back to it, again and again, until you can recognise and appreciate all the nuances of its genius.

NUMBER 24

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit

Sleepyhead is the closest Passion Pit have come to the greatness they have been touted as. Every critic, professional or otherwise, will put Manners as one of the best albums of 2009, a move which has perplexed me from day one. There are at most, three standout songs from the self titled debut that are worth having, the rest all blend together into an annoying, campy, overly sentimental mush that rarely breaks rank to try something interesting or different. Sleepyhead is definitely the exception to the rule.

This is an example of Michael Angelakos' shrill vocal qualities perfectly executed, and used in the best way possible. The synthline that comes in after the first verse is in a word, genius and really adds something to the track you just can't find anywhere else on the album. The chimpmunk-skewed backing vocals, while initially reminiscent of an awful Hip-Hop track, really do combine into the overall cacophony very well and drive home the high energy output of the relatively short track. Sleepyhead has an indie credibility that isn't present in the rest of Passion Pit's songs, It's not overtly romantic and sappy (although it actually is) like the rest of their songs, and the electronic elements are far more at the forefront than most of their other work. Sleepyhead made me fall in love with what Passion Pit could have been, Manners brought my lofty expectations crashing down to earth.

NUMBER 23

Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine - The Killers

Hot Fuss was the best The Killers will ever get. Almost every track on it was of the highest quality, It wore its 80's influences on its sleeve and it didn't try to be or say anything more than it was. It was The Killers unencumbered by the burden and ego-warping qualities of fame, it was simple well written songs with both mainstream appeal and Indie sentimentalities. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine opens with a Morning Glory-esque helicopter flyover, the bass and synth enter, and then the impassioned vocal work of Brandon Flowers kicks in and you just know this is going to be an amazing song. The song itself deals with the murder of a girl and presumably the suspect's interrogation by the authorities. Of course, read into it deeper it could be a metaphor for the death of a relationship, rather than the death of an individual, and a rather interesting spin on it I must say. A great opener for a great album, Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine shows us what made The Killers so great in the first place.

NUMBER 22

Growing On Me - The Darkness

Channeling the awful/awesome Glam-Rock modus operandi of every rubbish band in the 70's and 80's, The Darkness create truly amazing anthems while taking the piss out of everything their sound stands for at the same time. It's this self referencing parody that makes it all the more surprising that Growing On Me is such a good song, I'll admit it took me a while to actually give it the chance it deserves, but once I did it found itself on high rotation in my music library. It's one of those songs you initially laugh at, perhaps expressing ironic jubilation in much the same way you would with a Cindi Lauper or Bon Jovi track, but at the same time, there's a quality to this, and many other songs by The Darkness, that pulls you in and leads to you genuinely loving it, singing along, and missing it when it's gone. There's something in that I think.

NUMBER 21

Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem

Someone Great is a track that really displays James Murphy's versatility in spades. Although the whole of his second album, Sound Of Silver, is an overall much more mature affair, Someone Great has a melancholy to it that isn't shared by any other song LCD Soundsystem has released so far. The simple synth and percussion work creates a moody atmospheric feel, but still retains this warmth that permeates throughout the song. For me, the song reminds me of early winter mornings, when the sun has only just come up and the chill is almost numbing, but there's a feeling of approaching change that is impossible to ignore. There's an interesting synergy there, as the song itself is about the surreal nothingness associated with sudden unexpected death. Nothing changes, but nothing feels the same. When people pass away, unimportant things are never altered but the way we see the world is distinctly different, and that in turn changes everything. It's that hollow emptiness that is conveyed so well in Someone Great. I still find it hard to imagine something this evocative and human coming from the man who created Daft Punk Is Playing At My House.

NUMBER 20

One More Time - Daft Punk

One More Time was the herald of a new era for Daft Punk. Gone were the House and Techno sounds that heavily featured in their debut album; Homework, replaced instead by Synth-Pop 70's and 80's tributes, Space Disco anthems and robotic auto-tuned vocal work. Matching their new sound, the duo were transformed into robots in a freak accident when a sampler exploded at 9:09am on the 9th of September 1999. What resulted is one of the most highly regarded Electronic albums released in the 2000's.

One More Time is a party track through and through, it utilises Daft Punk's unique skill of repetitious lyrics that surprisingly never get old, vocoded singing and a sonic identity that always reminded me of the space concert in Jetsons: The Movie. One More Time, and Discovery, are examples what Daft Punk should sound like all the time, instead of the mostly average Homework and the truly awful Human After All.

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (39-30)

2009-09-15T18:55:00.004+08:00

I'm losing my edge,

To the art-school Brooklynites,

In little jackets,

And borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties.

Incredibly cool, timelessly stylish, side-splittingly witty (if you're a wanker like me) and increasingly relevant in the horrible throw-away culture we now all live in.

NUMBER 34

Rebellion (Lies) - The Arcade Fire

Note to all pretentious self-proclaimed Indie girls and boys: the following bands will not appear in this list; Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Architecture In Helsinki, Jeff Buckley and any other song by The Arcade Fire bar this one. So don't sit there waiting, sure of the the fact that they haven't been seen in the list yet is because it would be an insult to place them anywhere below the top ten; rather; it would be an insult to the bands that have made it into the my top 100 to place them next to these these hype driven Pitchfork Media lapdogs. Rebellion (Lies) was the only track worth hearing on the universally lauded drink-coaster that is The Arcade Fire's debut album; Funeral. But seriously, what a track it is. With an epic and timeless sound that's perfect for long drives and sing-along sessions, it radiates qualities that make it a track to have your best memories to. The Arcade Fire are a big band, and it certainly sounds like a big band song. It'd be amazing to see live I'd wager, however probably not amazing enough to suffer through a whole set of these guys to see.

NUMBER 33

Paint The Silence - South

Man oh man, what can say about Paint The Silence...

Well for several years, I would listen to it every night before i went to bed without fail, until I literally broke my CD player from playing it on repeat too much. I subsequently broke two more for the same reason. Some songs will always have memories and times attached to them, and this is ultimately a deeply personal experience that is different from person to person. For me, Paint The Silence will always remind me of late summer afternoons, when the sun begins to set, just as it's starting to drop to a barely tolerable temperature and the breeze picks up. You're almost filled with a sense of hope like "Hey, maybe tonight i won't lie in a pool of my own sweat as i shift back and forth in my bed, sleep evading me with every turn!" of course, that was never the case, but for 5:54 I couldn't care less because Summer made Paint The Silence. The two matched each other perfectly and listening to the song in any other season just didn't do it justice. The acoustic guitar, strings and high pitched echoing feedback compliment the swirling drums and simple, almost childlike piano-work while the atmospheric vocals add to the overall soundscape rather than dominate it. It really is the perfect length, and while it serves some songs better to be fleeting affairs, if Paint The Silence was any shorter you'd feel disappointed that it was all over too soon.

NUMBER 32

The Great Escape - We Are Scientists

We Are Scientists are a triple threat, they have the brains, they have the musical ability, and they have the looks. Capable of driving the chicks crazy, writing perfect three minute Indie-Rock songs, and having the comic timing akin to some of the funniest TV shows you have ever seen (think Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, 30 Rock, etc.). We Are Scientists are everywhere you wanna be. The Great Escape is a punchy, angular, rapid and catchy track which effectively reflects the mood and tone of the rest of their body of work. Accessible songs about the most relate-able subject matters around; girls, parties and disfunctionality, We Are Scientists are one of those rare bands that never takes themselves too seriously while still delivering the goods. Often, in fact, they err on the side of self deprecation to achieve humorous results, and their website, youtube channel and blogs are all indicative of a couple of guys fucking around and having a good time, not sucked into political Bush-hating bangwagonisms or melancholic suffering artist introspective pieces, We Are Scientists make catchy and intelligent music to dance to.

NUMBER 31

Taper Jean Girl - Kings Of Leon

Taper Jean Girl is Kings Of Leon doing what they do best, Southern Rock influenced Indie anthems with great instrumental work with wide demographic appeal.

NUMBER 30

Blinded By The Lights - The Streets

Blinded By The Lights is a perfect example of what makes Mike Skinner unique. Lazily tossed into the "UK Grime/Hip-Hop" genre, The Streets at their best sound anything but. From his concept album, A Grand Don't Come For Free, Skinner conveys his incredible talent for identifying the nuances of everyday life and converting it into song format with Blinded By The Lights. While more often than not his songs simply involve talking over the top of instrumental work, it's the delivery that makes it so appealing. The electronic repeating synth and the thumping bass drum create a simple backing for the story of unfaithful lovers on a drugged up weekend in a club. Simply discussing the act of waiting for his girlfriend to arrive and the drugs to kick in, Skinner creates a mental image of the situation so vividly in your mind simply by applying it to everyman, summarising in succinct statements the events of the story. There's a unique sadness to Blinded By The Lights that I've yet to find conveyed by any other artist.

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (59-50)

2009-09-07T13:46:00.008+08:00

The 2000's are really one of the best eras to be in musically. Of course both the very wise and the very ignorant will argue against this statement, but no other point in time before this has it been both so easy to create music and share it with the world, and so possible to have it sound like whatever the hell takes your fancy.

I've always described the 2000's as an amalgamation of all of the best parts that have come before it. Whether it's fashion, design or music, all of it cuts and pastes from trends of the 60's, 70's, 80's and (thankfully least of all) the 90's. However due to the wonderful power of hindsight, we can trim off all those ugly fads that took the world by storm when we knew no better, and what we're left with is the best of the best.

And what better way to celebrate the versatility of this great time we live in (creatively at least), than to count down the top 100 songs of the 2000's.

100 - 90
89 - 80
79 - 70
69 - 60

--

NUMBER 59

Maybe - N*E*R*D

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo's band project set out to sound like Rock, infused with elements of Hip-Hop/Rap, Funk, Electronic, Pop and all points in between. Maybe was an instant stand-out from the second album, Fly Or Die, featuring a surprisingly heartfelt direction, covering the degeneration of a relationship and its long-lasting effects. When I first heard it, I was instantly hooked, I then subsequently played it on repeat, exclusively, for roughly 7 months or so, putting it on every mix CD i burnt that year. Other tracks would be swapped and removed, better songs came and went, but Maybe was perennial. The decidedly simple instrumental identity of the song, with marching band drums, uncomplicated piano and a memorable, but unobtrusive guitar riff; helped put the focus on Pharrell's ambiguous faux-rap quasi sung vocals, and the meaning behind them.

NUMBER 58

The Hardest Button To Button - The White Stripes

Elephant is the one of the best albums from The White Stripes. There's at least four or five songs from it that I could easily replace with The Hardest Button To Button on this list, with one pretty obvious track coming to mind. But the reason why The Hardest Button To Button won out for me was basically because of the music video. Both songs are incredibly strong, and although while it could be quite successfully argued that Seven Nation Army was more iconic, the stop-motion video for The Hardest Button To Button stuck in my mind from first viewing. Directed by the same man who created the famous Lego-animation music video for Fell In Love With A Girl; Michael Gondry returned to direct The Hardest Button To Button, which featured no less than 80 identical Bass Drums and Fender Amps.

NUMBER 57

Such Great Heights - The Postal Service

The hugely successful collaboration between Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and the guy nobody knows from Dntel spawned a heap of great tracks for those waiting for Transatlanticism's October release in 2003. Reflective of an electronic spin on the best years of Gibbard's musical career (rather than the rubbish ones of today), every track on The Postal Service's debut, Give Up, was well thought out and catchy. Yanking the heartstrings out of everyone's chests was the lead single, Such Great Heights, which was a message to a lover far from home that's being missed terribly by their significant other. One of the best moments of this song is unbearable headache the opening electronic blips give you when you listen to this track with quality headphones and the volume cranked up to 11.

NUMBER 56

If You Got The Money - Jamie T

Sounding like a strangely compelling mix of The Kooks and Bob Marley, Jamie T fell into the shortlived resurgence of a genre of indie music generally from South London called "Thamesbeat". If You Got The Money was the lead single from his impressive debut album, Panic Prevention. Featuring only an acoustic guitar and a reggae style rap combined with bubbly, carefree lyrics, it was essentially the most effortlessly feel-good song to come out of 2007. You just can't help but sing along, even if you can't keep up.

NUMBER 55

Paris - Friendly Fires

Paris was the second single from the 2008 eponymous debut LP by Friendly Fires. With Electro-Rock sensibilities, and covering the common desire to live in one of the greatest culture capitals of the world; it's no wonder this song was a huge hit in the UK and around the world in slightly more indie circles. The simplicity of the idea behind the song, and the core lyrics of the song; "One day we're going to live in Paris, I promise, I'm on it." is its key to success, taking a concept that's so universally appealing and summing it up so succinctly ensured the promise, and the song itself, became instantly accessible. A highlight of the track is the inspiring and uplifting instrumental fade-out of coming in with about 50 seconds left of the song. It really creates this euphoric state of mind that drives home the message of the song that anything's possible.

NUMBER 54

California Waiting - Kings Of Leon

Contrary to the popular belief of their recently gained tweenage fanbase, Kings Of Leon had a successful music career and three albums previous to the massive release of Only By The Night. During this time they released a slew of standout tracks that really complimented the Alternative Guitar-Band movement co-led by The Strokes, TV On The Radio and similar bands. California Waiting was one such track, with the idiosyncratic catchy southern vibe that is strangely absent from all their recent work. The sing-along chorus is the undeniable hook of this song, and it's clear pretty quickly that this is one of the best California-related songs to be released in the 2000's.

NUMBER 53

Mind's Eye - Wolfmother

Australian Classic Rock revivalists Wolfmother are one of those bands that grow on you. For a very long time I really despised their sound, the endless and numerous guitar solos, and the cat-strangling vocals of Andrew Stockdale. As of late I have warmed up to them, but Mind's Eye was always a track that sounded like the very best of the band; what they could achieve if they went less Led Zeppelin and more Pink Floyd. Suitably epic, and ultimately unique within the rest of the self-titled debut album, the psychedelic keyboard solo two thirds in is a definite high-point of the song.

NUMBER 52

Daydreamin' - Lupe Fiasco

Sampling a cover of a cover of a cover, Daydreamin' is one of Lupe Fiasco's most interesting works lyrically. Literally about a giant robot rampaging through a city, piloted by a daydreaming Lupe, and featuring the passionate, soulful vocals of Jill Scott, its a very memorable track. Reflective of Lupe's tendency to favour melody and lyrical structure over shameless self-promotion and ego massaging, Daydreamin', like most of Fiasco's work, really does stand out against the over-saturated Hip-Hop/Rap genre this decade.

NUMBER 51

Apply Some Pressure - Maxïmo Park

Fast paced indie rock from UK Post-Punk Revival band Maxïmo Park. One of the best tracks from their first, and best album, A Certain Trigger. The constant change in tempo, Paul Smith's iconic vocals and the angular guitar work creates an incredibly compelling package from start to finish.

NUMBER 50

Shadowland - Youth Group

Ok, I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong (when there's no escaping it at least). I was positive that Youth Group were going to be huge. I really was. Not because of the initially interesting, but ultimately infuriating cover of Alphaville's Forever Young. But because of the main single from their second album; Shadowland. Great melody, a punchy, repeating drum line, strong vocals with abstract lyrics. The overall sound of the song had a sort of timeless quality that borrowed from retro teenage anthems of decades gone, the single cover followed suit, and about a hundred or so plays in it still hadn't lost its appeal. This song was the start of something, you can just feel it when you hear it, when you slowly learn the lyrics and feel the urge to sing along, by the way it makes you feel when you hear it on a lazy summer afternoon. While Forever Young was eternal in name only, Shadowland really feels like a link to long lost times of youth where days could last an age and limitless free-time was taken for granted. Youth Group found a way to bottle and mass produce nostalgia in song format.

Unfortunately it turns out Shadowland was the band's only encounter with greatness. And while it was always amazing live, the rest of their show was really pretty bland, the quality of Shadowland was more hurting than helping, really driving home the fact that they didn't have much else worth hearing. Apparently they are up to their fourth album now but you probably wouldn't even know it. It's a real shame that they couldn't keep a good thing going, but even though they understandably fade into obscurity, it would be a real shame if Shadowland disappeared forever with them.

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (79-70)

2009-09-03T18:23:00.009+08:00

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (89-80)

2009-09-01T18:43:00.010+08:00