The debut single for The HeebieJeebies is called Misery Guts. I was drawn to this because, well, I can be a bit of a misery guts myself. Anyone that follows me on Twitter will know that I enjoy a good moan about anything from boredom to slow-moving people. Surprisingly though, The HeebieJeebies are not a band that one would associate with the word misery.
The Rotherham via Swindon trio play a blend of tropical indie that sounds positive, uplifting and full of summer vibes. Having been to both Rotherham and Swindon, I have no idea why this is. Both places are holes (no offence if you’re from either place) and it’s refreshing to hear a band that write music that sounds like it’s been made on the West Coast of the USA. Obvious comparisons will be made to the likes of Vampire Weekend and Born Ruffians. Which, despite being lazy journalism on my part, is true. The first Vampire Weekend record and Born Ruffians best singles respectively.
‘Misery Guts’ in particular gave me the same sense of happiness that came when I first heard Mansard Roof and Hummingbird. All around brilliance and yet another band for you to keep your eyes and ears on. Misery Guts is out on August 16th. Go and buy it you tight-fisted file loving bastards!
What glorious weather we are having today! To celebrate that, I’ve got three songs that just sound that much better when the sun’s out. Hell, even if it’s raining buckets where you are, these tunes will make you feel great nevertheless. Don’t say that I’m not good to you.
You don’t have to have ice cream whilst listening to these but it helps!
Really looking forward to the first proper Best Coast record later this year. She’s unbelievable. She’s like Glasvegas if they cheered up a bit.
The Boy Who Trapped The Sun is a charming Scottish singer songwriter that makes ladies melt (apparently). Not literally. That would be quite a good party trick yes but somewhat evil. Imagine the heartbreak of the girl’s parents when the policemen turn up to say: “Allo allo allo. I’m sorry but it turns out that when your daughter listens to beautiful Scottish men singing, she turns into a snowman and, due to the warm weather, she now is no more. Would you like this hat as a sympathy present?”
It wouldn’t be all doom and gloom though because the parents might mistake the beautiful Scottish man to be Paulo Nutini and seek vengeance on him instead. Every cloud. Uh, anyway…
I really didn’t know what to make of the Surfer Blood album when hearing for the first time back in December. I’ve since realised that when it’s cold and freezing, the music just doesn’t come across in the same way. It’s only since the sun has made an appearance again that I’ve realised just how good their album is.
A mate of mine said recently: “Weezer should listen to this and learn how to make good music again”. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Well, in actual fact, I could. He’s northern. I would’ve said it in my beautiful standard English accent. Like a newsreader. Apart from that Welsh one. More like Fiona Bruce. Oooo I love Fiona!
1,2,3 are a new duo from across the pond (Pittsburgh to be exact) that have been drumming up a bit of a buzz in industry circles recently and it’s not hard to understand why.
Nic Snyder and Josh Sickels have only been making music for six months or so but they’ve already developed their own style and sound. There’s something very special about them that I can’t quite put my finger on but I just have this feeling that they could soon become the coolest band around. And that’s what matters these days right?
I don’t put music up on this blog to download very often because I don’t feel right doing so but seeing as the band have made this track available for free elsewhere, I don’t see the harm in sharing it with you here:
Allow me to introduce to you, a brand new London dubstep collective by the name of Modestep.
Here’s their take on a disco classic by Earth, Wind & Fire that sounds brilliant even on my laptop speakers. I can’t even begin to imagine how good it will sound on a bodysonic dance floor!
These guys have grand plans to perform live in the near future (something that is a pretty rare on the dubstep scene) and they thrive on making the filthiest music around. I won’t repeat some of the descriptions they have for their music because you may have recently eaten. If you enjoy reading filth however then become a fan of them on Facebook. Keep your eyes and ears on them. Brrrrrap.
One thing that frustrates me about myself is that I don’t blog enough. The reason for this is that I actually have no idea where to start. I am constantly searching and finding great new music to the point where, when it comes to blogging, I tend to fret about who/what to write about so much that I end up going numb and getting nothing written.
If I was to compare it to anything, I would compare it to having Sky Digital. A load of channels and loads of your favourite shows are all on at one time and because of that, you end up either flicking through the channels watching nothing whatsoever in the process or watching tiny bits of each show for hours on end. That’s one of the downsides of having music on demand I guess, you tend to lose focus.
Nevertheless, I’ve got some new acts to share with you. And here they are:
Disclosure
I don’t have much info to share about Disclosure because they are pretty fresh on the scene. What I can tell you however is that they consist of two brothers (15 and 18) who make downbeat ambient dubstep that sounds amazingly mature considering their age. There’s only two tracks up on their MySpace at present but the potential is clear to see. They’re guys that I am going to keep a very close eye on.
I can’t take the credit for this one because I discovered Get People from the same person that I discovered Wild Palms from. Speaking of which, I recommend her blog to you because she has great taste. Now, enough with the arse kissing…
Get People are also a baby band who by all accounts have just arrived on the London scene. I shouldn’t really make that sound like a bad thing though because the whole idea of this blog is to bring you bands very early on! Anyway, I digress. If you’ve read my blog before, you will know how difficult I find it to articulate how good a band is. No words can ever really explain the feeling music gives me. Call it lazy journalism but you can hear the delightful electronic pop trio on the link below!
Unbunny have been around for a fair few years now (they’re releasing their fifth album in May!) but with a London show happening on May18th at The Enterprise, I thought I’d bring them to your attention as they’re tragically not that well known over here.
Hailing from Seattle, they sound like a perfect blend of Neil Young, Elliott Smith and Neutral Milk Hotel. Their music is so beautifully lethargic, vulnerable and touching that I’m sure you’ll be left saying “how have I not heard these guys before?!” to yourself immediately after hearing them.
When I first heard the name of these guys, I’ll be honest, I expected them to be rubbish. But, the saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover” and I decided to give them a listen before dismissing them.
I was surprised because I expected them to be either a ‘silly’ band or a band who were Hungarian, and let’s face it, Hungary’s not really known for producing great bands is it?
It turns out that they’re actually from Australia. What’s with these Australian bands and the geographical confusion that they cause? First, Philadelphia Grand Jury and now Hungary Kids of Hungary. Whatever next? I am fully expecting to hear about a band from Melbourne called “We Are Spanish” next. There might even be such a band already, who knows?
The band make sunny Vampire Weekend-esqe indie pop music, the sort of music that is clearly influenced and inspired by the glorious weather that the Brisbane quartet are no doubt spoiled with.
Judging by the amount of YouTube plays, I suspect they are perhaps reasonably well known down under, but they’ll be pretty new to UK peeps. At the moment anyway. They are heading over to the UK in a few weeks to do a show at the Great Escape Festival as well as a handful of dates in London. You can find further info about these shows on their MySpace page.
Ah Manchester. Home of Oasis, Smiths and many other High Street retail outlets. I’m joking of course. I don’t need to remind you of the great contributions to popular music that Manchester has made over the years and Ten Bears are the latest band to rise out of the city. The band are set to release their debut single ‘Braces’ on East City Records on April 26th.
What do they sound like? Well, rather surprisingly, they don’t sound like they are from Manchester. They are a perfect mix of indie dance pop that sounds fresh, exciting and perhaps most importantly, they aren’t trying to ride on the coat tails of the city’s musical history like a lot of new bands from Manchester tend to do. In fact, I would liken them more to likes of psychedelic bands such as The Flaming Lips, Aliens, MGMT and Amazing Baby as well as sounding ready made for indie discos across the land.
‘Braces’ is a three minute radio friendly slice of indie greatness with a chorus that’s overwhelmingly infectious to the point of driving you insane. In a good way.
Following the success of Record Store Day last weekend, one would hope that it has turned people on to buying and collecting records again. The debut 7″ single by Ten Bears is one that will be a welcome addition to your collection. Of course, if you still like your music in file form, you can get this for free after purchasing the single.
Firstly, where the hell has 2010 gone? It seems like only yesterday that I was eating turkey. Well, actually, I was eating turkey yesterday because my mum took me out for Sunday lunch but that’s not the point. What I mean is, it seems like only yesterday that I was eating turkey on Christmas Day. This year has flown by.
With the sun shining, summer seems so so close. All the more exciting is the fact that the Camden Crawl is less than two weeks away. The first ‘festival’ of the summer in the UK. You know the drill, pretty much every venue in Camden puts on live music and ticket holders get access to all the venues. More importantly, the Camden Crawl takes pride in bringing new and exciting bands to their audience year on year - most of which go on to bigger and better things. Of course, it’s not just about new music, who could forget the open top Madness gig last year?
The line up this year showcases big name bands of which need no real introduction. However, being the new music obsessive that I am, I thought I would share five bands with you that I recommend you catch over the weekend. And here they are:
The Lost Levels
The Lost Levels are a wonderful Norwich based bunch who create fizzy pop-tunes. They’re not afraid of wigging out to transport you on an mini prog-journey only to set you down with a pop-twist. Their heady mix of 60′s pop marries fractious melodies and bouncy synths to create a happy escape from the current music trends.
Is Tropical are a London trio that sound exactly how The Strokes would sound if they gave up on their hard-rock-Thin Lizzy routes and listened to Ratatat and Justice instead! Listening to them on MySpace is great but it is in not a match for seeing the band live. They are an absolute treat and a must see. But you should know that by now seeing as I’ve been raving about them for almost a year!
Calories are a mix of crashing guitars and killer hooks that will pound through your brain for days. They are signed to the fantastic Smalltown America label who have built up an amazing reputation in recent years – one look at their roster and you can’t deny that they have a gift at spotting talent and Calories are no exception.
Gaggle are one of the most unique acts on the bill at the Camden Crawl and if you haven’t heard or seen them yet then you really need to see them. The 20+ all girl alternative choir are both sinister and sexy. I’m pretty sure that you’ll be freaked out by them – their music is haunting, creepy and evil to the point of being genius. It may not be for everyone but if you’re a goth, you’ll probably love them and even if you’re not a goth, you can’t help but deny their originality and sheer brilliance. And if you don’t like their music, I still suggest you go and see them. If only to see their hypnotic technicolour stage attire.
Chickenhawk are a freaked out riff driven prog force who I am sure will blow away everyone from the casual beard scratchers at the back to the die hard rock heads at the front. I feel sorry for the bands that have to follow these lot. They don’t stand a chance. Oh and the band like zombies.
So there you have it. Five bands that I recommend you see at the Camden Crawl. Of course, there are so many other great bands playing this year that I’ve not written about but to list them all would take me all day and I have got things to do!
For more info, head on over to the Camden Crawl site.
The line up for Glastonbury was officially announced last night (with a few more acts still to be announced) and I am very, very excited about it this year!
First things first, I have made a ridiculously long Spotify playlist which features tracks by pretty much every artist that has been announced so far. It’s eight hours long and rather brilliant. You can hear it by clicking here.
It’s been known for a while that the Pyramid Stage headliners will be U2, Muse and Stevie Wonder but anybody that’s been to Glastonbury before will know that unlike other UK festivals, the headliners aren’t always the reason why people go. In fact, in all the times that I’ve been to Glastonbury, I’ve rarely watched the Pyramid Stage headliners. With the exception of Stevie Wonder, I don’t think I’ll be spending much time at the Pyramid Stage this year. I think Stevie Wonder will be absolutely amazing and much like Radiohead‘s legendary slot in 1997, it’ll be a performance that people will be talking about for years to come.
I’ve seen Muse about ten times now and whilst they are an amazing live band, I feel that I would be missing out on something new and exciting elsewhere on the site if I went to see them. I’ve seen Muse play in toilet circuits right the way up to stadiums and I’ve had my fill. That said, I’m sure after the tragedy that followed their last Glastonbury performance, the band will be extra up for this one.
The same can be said of U2. I’ve seen them on their own tours several times before and I have always said that they are a band that puts on a great show – however, I can’t see how they are going to go from their ridiculous 360 production to one stage. No platforms, no mirror balls, no floating cars, no gigantic cinema screen… I don’t deny they have great anthems but considering that they’ll still be promoting their rather disappointing ‘No Line On The Horizon’ album, I think their performance will be somewhat flat until the last half an hour or so when they do the hits that everyone knows.
For me, as a new music fan, I am always more interested in seeing bands that I’ve not yet seen before and/or bands that are yet to break through. I find these performances to be more… special. If that’s the right word.
That said, I’m also really keen on seeing George “Dr Funkenstein” Clinton, Slash and The Flaming Lips (especially if they perform anything from their ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ cover album).
Also, I might be starting a rumour but with Julian Casablancas playing a solo show and a few slots on the Park Stage to be announced on the Sunday, I’m starting to think that maybe, just maybe, we could see a secret Strokes show?! The Park Stage is known for it after all with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Dead Weather and The Last Shadow Puppets doing shows in recent years. So who knows?
I’ve looked at the line up a lot since last night and every time I look at it, I find something new to excite me and this is before the line up for the BBC Introducing stage has been announced too, which is probably my favourite stage at Glastonbury. I remember seeing The Ting Tings play to 25 uninterested people in there in 2007 and they played last year to god knows how many thousand. Tomorrow’s bands. Today. As the saying goes. Or did I just make that saying up myself?
So here are a selection of the “lesser known” bands that you simply MUST SEE over the weekend:
Tubelord are truly special. Nobody sounds like them and they just have everything you could possibly want from a band. Energy, great songs and they are phenomenal live.
Ellen and the Escapades are playing several shows at Glastonbury this year having beaten thousands of other bands to win the Emerging Talent competition. They play a wonderful blend of folk/americana and Ellen’s voice is one that will grab you instantly. Perfect for a sunny afternoon (I hope I’m not tempting fate by saying that!) and they sound like they were made for Glastonbury.
I can’t stop listening to the latest Beach House album (‘Zebra’) and I am very interested in seeing them live. It’s beautiful floaty indie music that I think will be perfect in the Glastonbury setting.
I’m also keen to check out the progress of two of the most exciting rock bands in the country right now (Band of Skulls and Blood Red Shoes). Band of Skulls are doing what so many other UK bands have failed to do and are making serious noise in the US at the moment and Blood Red Shoes’ second record (‘Fire Like This’) is already a contender for my album of 2010. I’m looking forward to seeing two bands who are really on form right now.
And it wouldn’t be right of me to post a blog about Glastonbury and not mention some of the surprise announcements that have been made either.
Let’s not forget, Snoop Dogg! I just hope the BBC don’t make the mistake of showing him live on TV again. Remember this? Brilliant!
Glastonbury is not known for crowds bottling people off (more of a Reading thing) but if Jedward turn up to perform with Vanilla Ice could this be a first? (I can’t believe I’m posting this here, I’m really sorry!)
I could post so much more but that’ll do you for now! You can view the line up in full at www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk And the line up is great. It covers every corner of my music taste and I can’t wait.
Sadly, tickets are all but gone but there might be a few more appearing unannounced. The best thing to do is to keep your eyes and ears on the Glastonbury website. That is of course if you’ve not got one! If you have! I hope you’re excited. It is going to be spectacular. Glastonbury always is.
One thing I do ask though is that you venture to some smaller stages and make an effort to see new music. That is the best thing about festivals. Well, that and seeing naked ladies every now and then. But that goes without saying doesn’t it?
