Japandroids – Celebration Rock

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

By Russell Warfield

Japandroids were on the cusp of splitting up when they released their career-igniting Post Nothing a few years back; a record which allowed them to do the one thing which they seem to care about doing most of all: tour like fuck. Recently, the band have admitted in interviews that the primary motivation to write and record this tremendous follow up Celebration Rock was to have enough new material to justify more extensive touring. And indeed, you only have to look at the two album covers to realise that Japandroids don’t view Celebration Rock as a vast artistic leap forward from its predecessor – instead offering up another eight-tracked, high-adrenaline bombast of frantic rock. But in putting together a crop of material specifically crafted as fuel to the fire of their raucous live shows, Japandroids have also half-accidentally created a studio recording as excellent as you could ever expect this band to provide. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club & Eleonora, Prince and Matthew Dear

Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club & Eleonora - Divine (Vincenzo Remix)

By Stef Siepel

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘Divine’ by Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club & Eleonora (Vincenzo remix)

Vincenzo isn’t afraid to do some deep house, and this track lends itself perfectly for the Vincenzo treatment apparently. Good beat for the dancefloor, and what I assume is Eleonora sure has a nice set of vocals for this without having them too much on the fore. I like it when the vocals go from way out in the backgroud and then come towards you, which is capped by the beat coming in and taking you along for the ride again. Love the contrast in terms of where the sounds are coming from (way out back or more to the fore) and how he plays with the beat and the contrast in that. I assume that the fade out isn’t the actual end of the song (if it is, off with his head!), but these four minutes do give a nice indication of what one can expect on the dancefloor. Really nice house cut. … Continue Reading

The Walkmen – Heaven

The Walkmen - Heaven

By Greg Salter

It can be strange to hear a band you’ve followed for years begin to grow up and grow happier – particularly when that band have made a career out of providing you and countless others with bittersweet, desperate sing-alongs like ‘Thinking Of A Dream I Had’, ‘In The New Year’ or ‘The Rat’. Potentially, this can be as unnerving as meeting up with someone you knew five or ten years ago to find they’ve somehow acquired a house, a partner, maybe children – it can be difficult to reconcile an uncertain past with a more settled future. … Continue Reading

Now Playing: Antony And The Johnsons – ‘Rise’

Antony And The Johnsons - Rise

Now Playing – twice every week, a roundtable of our writers will give their views on some of the recently-released new tracks. It’s as simple as that! If you want to tell us what you think of the song, feel free to leave a comment below.

Track: ‘Rise’ by Antony and the Johnsons … Continue Reading

Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

By Russell Warfield

A great number of debut records see a band chuck a crazy number of disparate ideas at the recording desk, but far fewer see such an approach cohere into something complete, exciting and unique. But this is exactly what Alt-J have achieved: a stunning playground of music positively alive with ideas, simultaneously carving an uncannily well formed identity over the course of thirteen tracks. If you’ve been following the tantalising drip feed of songs from this band over the last year or so, you’ll be pleased to hear that An Awesome Wave more than delivers on that early promise, while continuing to expand the already impressive breadth of ambition displayed within cuts like ‘Breezeblocks’, ‘Matilda’ and ‘Fitzpleasure’. … Continue Reading

The XX announce their new album, Coexist

The XX bu Jamie-James Medina

The XX have announced the first details of their second album – it’s called Coexist and will be released on Young Turks on 10th September in the UK and a day later in the US. It’s the follow-up to their Mercury Prize-winning self-titled debut album. … Continue Reading

Introducing: The Carpels

The Carpels

By Leanne Sherman

In recent years, it’s safe to say that Birmingham has not been at the very forefront of indie music, with East London leading the way in taking new music from underground to… overground. But that appears to be changing as a whole host of major labels pile into the region to grab their piece of a growing scene that’s unlike any other in the UK currently. … Continue Reading

Exitmusic – Passage

Exitmusic - Passage

By Russell Warfield

It comes as no real shock to discover that an album of such histrionic drama and cloying atmospherics has been part-created by a professional actress. More well known (for now) for portraying Angela Darmody on Boardwalk Empire, Passage sees Aleksa Palladino team with husband Devon Church to create a cinematic, crackling monochrome of dour dream-pop – thunderous rises and falls of eerie and powerful texture, steered by Palladino’s impressively versatile vocal, moving from whisper to bellow to suit the ebbing textures. … Continue Reading

Sponsored post: Future of the telly box?

Remember when it was perfectly acceptable to have a black and white tv with a dial you turned to change channel? Or perhaps you’re not quite as ancient as me and you watched Byker Grove and Grange Hill on a colour set with a remote as big as a bedwetting nappy and an ariel that the youngest kid had to stand and hold during bad weather?

… Continue Reading

Now Playing: Theophilus London – ‘Morning Kisses’

Theophilus London

Now Playing – twice every week, a roundtable of our writers will give their views on some of the recently-released new tracks. It’s as simple as that! If you want to tell us what you think of the song, feel free to leave a comment below.

Track: ‘Morning Kisses’ – Theophilus London … Continue Reading