Music to drink tea by
Archive for year 2007
Jakobinarina
1
Jakobinarina are from Iceland. This isn’t particularly relevant beyond the fact that upon listening you will instantly think they should “foreign” and may be curious as to where they are from. They are all between 16 and 20 too, but they don’t sound young. They sound like a band who have been doing this years, both in technical ability and, more noticably, the sound that manages to rise from the singer’s vocal chords.
This is a band that wants to rock pretty hard, and they do so, most of the their songs over and done with in two minutes. They are also very playful though, which is what wins me over most. This Is An Advertisement cynically tackles the marketing culture in music (“We would even change our name to the Coca Cola band just to get our pockets filled”) while His Lyrics Are Disastrous is made all the more charming by the fact that it’s one of their weakest songs lyrically. Whether or not this is deliberate or a happy accident caused by writing songs in a second language, I don’t know.
MP3 Jakobinarina – This Is An Advertisement (expired)
Below are the videos for both This Is An Advertisement and His Lyrics Are Disastrous. It should be noted that discovering a band that sounds like this look like a bunch of 15 year olds may be mildly disturbing.
Jakobinarina’s debut album, entitled The First Crusade, was released a few weeks ago on EMI/Parlophone.
New Tullycraft: ‘The Punks Are Writing Love Songs’
14 years ago
in MP3s
Well we’re the best band you’ve never heard
We almost always play for crowds of twelve
Quite how apt those lyrics from Tullycraft are I don’t know, but there must be a lot of truth in them. For the best part of ten years, Tullycraft have been putting out perfect pop records, yet most people seem to be completely unaware of them. I myself was in that category until about a year ago, and I don’t tend to consider myself ignorant of quality music.
Still, seeing that I’m finally on board the Tullycraft bus, it’s nice to discover that they will be releasing a brand new album in less than two weeks. If first release The Punks Are Writing Love Songs is any indication, little has changed in the Tullyland. A look at current music trends, jangly guitars and the obligatory ‘ooh-oohs’ are here. While it’s not quite the self aware anthems that Twee and Pop Songs were (both below), it’s three minutes of joy that you’ll be hard pressed to find from other bands.
MP3 Tullycraft – The Punks Are Writing Love Songs (expired)
What others are saying..
“..another in their vast catalog of anthemic pop/twee tunes” – Cable & Tweed
“..despite the fact that their pop sounds are far from what one would normally associate with punk, this song has enough gleeful energy and shouts of “hey!” to do the Ramones proud.” – The Yellow Stereo
“Twee pop pur sang!” – Freakystyle
Tullycraft will release Every Scene Needs A Center on October 23 via Magic Marker Records.
Some of the classics..
MP3 Tullycraft – Twee
MP3 Tullycraft – Our Days In Kansas (expired)
MP3 Tullycraft – Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend’s Too Stupid To Know About (expired)
Remembering the good times with Rilo Kiley
34 years ago
in MP3s
I have to admit that when I first planned this post it was going to be a kind of nostalgic look back at a band that had seemingly gone downhill. Rilo Kiley have been one of my absolute favourite bands for the past five years or so, and so when the I heard the lead single from the new album, Under the Blacklight, I was disappointed. Then I read a lot of negative comment toward it, and my enthusiasm was pretty much killed. This led to me listening to some of their older material, particularly The Execution of All Things a lot over the last few weeks. Yesterday I finally heard the new album in full, and I actually quite like it. Whether the low expectations helped that or not I don’t know, and while it’s certainly not a masterpiece, it’s a fun record. So while the original intent of this post has kind of changed, I still want to give those early albums a little bit of attention.
Looking back, I think Rilo Kiley were the first truly indie band that I got into. I’d already been dabbling with alternative for a couple of years, with bands like Weezer and Semisonic becoming mainstays of my music collection. Then sometime in 2002, I heard a song on XFM (I considered XFM indie then too) that just grabbed me. I don’t recall ever hearing it on the radio again, but it was enough for me to seek it out online, and then even more from the same band. It was The Execution of All Things, which to this day remains my favourite Rilo song.
After that I explored backwards (2001′s Take-Offs & Landings) and when it was released, 2004′s More Adventurous, and however many b-sides and unreleased material I could find in between. Each album holds some special place for me (the latter providing this blog’s title), as do most of the band’s spin-offs and associated projects. To be quite honest, given these, I wasn’t even expecting another album until the announcement came earlier this year. Most of the other bands I hold a genuine affection for are no longer with us (some literally, others musically), so while I’m kind of torn over the new record, I’ll welcome it the best I can.
MP3 Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley – It’s a Hit (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley – Science vs Romance (expired)
Nosferatu D2, we hardly knew ye
24 years ago
in MP3s
Nosferatu D2 formed in June 2005 and broke up in June 2007. For two years they did their thing, recording ten songs and playing eighteen whole gigs. I was lucky enough to be at their final gig, a support slot for Los Campesinos! back in March, although it wasn’t their final one at the time. They played through their songs to a room of 50 or so mildly interested people. I don’t know if that’s a good end for a band or not. Regardless of whether it is, they deserve a little attention.
The band was made up of two brothers from Croydon. Ben sang and played guitar while Adam did his drumming thing. For a band without even a bass player, they developed a rich sound, which is all the more impressive for songs that were (I think) home recorded. Their most memorable songs were upbeat tirades about consumer culture and the modern music scene peppered with some very bizarre tangents. The songs that grew on you were slower, more reflective numbers. Both had their place, and they worked well side by side.
MP3 Nosferatu D2 – Broken Tamagotchi (expired)
MP3 Nosferatu D2 – A Footnote (expired)
MP3 Nosferatu D2 – Springsteen (expired)
Those songs are all from the upbeat end of their catalogue, but you can download all ten songs from their lastfm page. Ben now does his own thing in the more restrained, but no less interesting Superman Revenge Squad.
Nosferatu D2: Myspace
Weepop! & Roadside Poppies
24 years ago
in MP3s
I’m not usually one to get all excited about record labels, but the folks at Weepop! deserve a little love for what they are doing. Having only launched in June, they have already put out releases by Roadside Poppies, Bugs Eat Books, Little My and Desmond Reed.
While this roster may seem impressive in itself, the effort they are going to for each release is lovely. Each release is on a mini 3″ CD (sure beats vinyl), each with detailed artwork, a handwritten certificate of authenticity (each release is limited to 120 copies) as well as other fun stuff that seems to arrive as part of the package. Which is a great deal for all of £3.
As for the music itself, it’s all fantastic twee pop, but the first release by Cambridge band Roadside Poppies is the standout. I wasn’t familiar with the band before I heard their CD, but I’m certainly a fan now. This is perfect upbeat indie pop which doesn’t seem to come from UK bands anywhere near as often as it should.
MP3 Roadside Poppies – Just Another Love Song (expired)
If you’d like to get hold of their CD, which happens to be Weepop! 001, you can order it from the Weepop! website, but seeing as they down to the final 8 copies, you may want to hurry. Alternatively, Roadside Poppies have an entire album (with completely different songs) available on their website for free download. Which is just lovely.
Weepop!: Website || Myspace
Roadside Poppies: Website || Myspace
Ballboy
24 years ago
in MP3s
Ballboy are one of those bands that has existed for years yet only a few dedicated fans seem to know about them. Which is kind of a shame as once they finally come to their end of their road they will probably be seen as one of the great British indie bands of this decade. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The band are from Scotland and make songs that are sometimes upbeat and usually miserable. Thankfully, they don’t sound like Arab Strap, who seem to be the blueprint for all indie bands coming out of Scotland these days. Not that they don’t come close at times. I Hate Scotland is a spoken word diatribe against anything and everything the likes of which wouldn’t seem out of place on an album by that band. But the sound here is so varied that they are far harder to pigeonhole. I Lost You But I Found Country Music is a gentle, mournful song about exactly what it says while Avant Garde Music is the exact opposite gentle and just may be the most sardonic song I’ve ever heard.
Ballboy haven’t released anything since 2004 and their website seems pretty quiet on exactly what they are up to at the moment. They seem to still play the odd shows though, so there must be a little gas left in the tank at least.
MP3 Ballboy – I Hate Scotland (expired)
MP3 Ballboy – Avant Garde Music (expired)
MP3 Ballboy – Donald in the Bushes With a Bag of Glue (expired)
MP3 Ballboy – The Art of Kissing (expired)
MP3 Ballboy – I Lost You But I Found Country Music (expired)
The Salty Pirates
24 years ago
in MP3s
The Salty Pirates are a five piece indie pop band from Sweden, joining the ever-expanding ranks of fine exports that country is sending our way. The songs tend to sound jangly and upbeat but actually are little stories about being a loser in love and everything else. Is loserpop a genre? If not, it should be.
Anyway, the band are one of a few that truly embraces the internet as a way of making their music available, meaning their website has their entire discography (four EPs and a bunch of other stuff) available for free download. None of their songs are going to be classics or even your favourites, but they are a hell of a lot of fun, and sometimes that’s enough.
MP3 The Salty Pirates – Shark Attack (expired)
MP3 The Salty Pirates – Survivalist Guide (expired)
MP3 The Salty Pirates – The Guy You Talk With (expired)
MP3 The Salty Pirates – Common Sense (expired)
MP3 The Salty Pirates – Did You Ever Feel Like Fucking (Up)? (expired)
Irving
04 years ago
in MP3s
Irving are the band that Fountains of Wayne should have always been but could never quite manage. While the latter band often tends to wander far too far into mawkish territory than I may like as well as crafting some painfully bad “hits” (Stacy’s Mom comes to mind), Irving have been quietly in the background making perfect pop records. That the band is nearly ten years old and has only managed to release two full length records may offer up a clue to their obscurity. I wonder when I started calling albums records.
The songs are heavily indebted to 60′s dreampop, but they have gently moved away from that on the most recent releases, allowing them to come into their own. I Can’t Fall in Love is the standout here, a song that manages to remain incredibly catchy even when a melancholic is droning over the top. Irving are a band that deserve to not just be limited to indie circles, but if it stops them writing about a friend’s mother, I guess that’s a small price to pay.
MP3 Irving – I Can’t Fall in Love (expired)
MP3 Irving – Jen, Nothing Matters To Me (expired)
MP3 Irving – Situation (expired)
MP3 Irving – Turn of the Century (expired)
I don’t have a witty title for this.
164 years ago
in MP3s
I went to see the new Harry Potter film today. Entertaining enough, but I spent the bulk of the film being disturbed by the following:
MP3 Art Brut – Fight! (expired)
Los Campesinos!: You! Me! Dancing!
0Unless you’ve never visited this place before, you’re going to already know this one, so I’ll spare you the spiel. Here’s the final, mastered version of the wonderful You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos!.
MP3 Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing! (expired)
For those of you (like me) who don’t deal in vinyl, it’ll be officially released tomorrow as part of the debut EP, entitled Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, which will be released via Arts & Crafts.
