Music to drink tea by
Archive for April, 2010
The Loves – Sweet Sister Delia
01 year ago
in MP3s
I’ve never really got into The Loves, but that’s largely down to a silly mistake on my part. A few years ago, they played a gig rather locally to me (which I promptly didn’t attend) and for some reason from that point I had it in my head that they were a completely different band altogether. I’m not entirely sure why, but for some reason I had the impression that The Loves were some kind of shitty art band that wouldn’t be even remotely appealing to me. So it’s with a large amount of humble pie that I correct this rather embarrassing mistake. I thought something was odd when members started popping up in The School. By the time they put out a free EP on the lovely Fortuna Pop, it was quite clear the level of my mistake in judging them. The grand irony in this of course is that the band, after (I believe) four albums, is now going to call it a day. Oh well. Myspace.
Stricken City – Animal Festival
31 year ago
in MP3s
There was a time when Stricken City seemed like they could be the coolest band ever. Everything about them hit the right note. Songs that were abstract yet accessible. A hip, arty style. The fusing of indie and dance that seemed to be huge back then. Maybe it was the early expectations, but I’ve found myself increasingly disappointed by their output since. There is nothing specifically wrong with it, at least nothing I can put my finger on. It just all seems a little tired at this point. Maybe that’s the problem with this sort of music. Taste is fleeting, so what seemed cool two years doesn’t really seem as exciting now. There’s still something here, and I can still see Stricken City becoming pretty big. They just don’t hold my own interest in the way that they once did. Myspace.
Night Driving in Small Towns – Come & Tell Me
01 year ago
in MP3s
‘A sound that brings to mind the “lighter” shade of Rilo Kiley’ flaps the press release. This immediately strikes me as odd as much I love the Rilo, I’ve certainly never really considered them to be a dark band by any stretch of the imagination. Still, at that point I’m curious so I go with it. I can’t entirely moan, as there is a definite similarity here, and it extends far beyond tone. Night Driving in Small Towns are an Atlanta (boy-girl) duo that do make the kind of rock-folk skewing sound that originally drew me Jenny Lewis and her merry men in the first place. It’s a bit of a nothingness, but really building to much and being over in no time, but it does manage to fill a gap, particularly when the original flavour is no longer available.. Myspace.
Milky Wimpshake – I Wanna Be Seen In Public With You
11 year ago
in MP3s
I wanna beat you fair and square in chess
I wanna watch you get undressed
I wanna phone you at 5 am
I wanna waste some time with you again
You know when you find a song that just absolutely clicks for you? It can be for any reason at all really. The music just hits the right tone of your mood, or the lyrics are dramatically more meaningful all of a sudden? A song can become important to us for any number of reasons, but the result is always the same.
The first time I heard Milky Wimpshake was on the Indietracks 2008 CD. In fact, it was this song in particular. I liked it, but when the next song played, that was that. Earlier this week though, the iPod sticks it on while shuffling, and it’s something akin to an epiphany. Everything about it just worked. It’s not a particularly complex, largely just a list of “I wanna” lines about an object of affection, but that’s it’s charm. It has a certain innocence to it all that’s impossible to not like. The fact it manages to rock the fuck out at the same time doesn’t do it any harm either.
So this past week has been spent mainly listening to as much Milky Wimpshake as I could get my hands on. There is a bunch to download on the website and I got a bunch more from eMusic too. A new favourite song at the start of the week has become a new favourite band by the end.
The Indelicates release new album on ‘pay what you want’ basis
31 year ago
in MP3s
Say what you want about The Indelicates, they are at the forefront of digital rights, whether it’s music related or otherwise. The band have been consistently arguing against the Digital Economy Bill that has now been rammed through Parliament with no oversight. They’ve also been looking for new ways to get music to people that suits these modern times. The result is Corporate Records, a record company open to any band to sell their music at whatever price they like. The company itself seems to take nothing, with all money other than the 20% in Paypal fees going straight to the artist.
Now this is a brave move in itself, and more so for a small band to release their second album this way. Songs for Swinging Lovers has now been released on the site, and you can pay whatever the hell you like for it. I went and got it this morning and paid a few pounds. It’s a decent album and worth more than that really, but I still can’t bring myself to pay very much for digital releases. Thankfully in the near future the album will be released in the following formats:
- CD
- Digital (inc. iTunes enhanced LP)
- Special Edition: CD + full length book of supplementary essays ‘Apologies and Explanations’
- Extra Special Edition: CD + ‘Apologies and Explanations’ + Art Book + Customised USB album (details TBC)
- Super Special Edition: As above + Simon and Julia will come round your house, perform the album for you, record the performance and sign a contract transferring the rights in the master to you.
Kind of tempted by that last one actually.
MP3 The Indelicates – Sympathy for the Devil
You can download the album Songs for Swinging Lovers for whatever you would like to pay, including nothing (and not the 60p nothing that Radiohead did – actual nothing!) from Corporate Records. Physical editions will follow in the near future.
Onward Chariots – Seven Miles Away
11 year ago
in Indietracks, MP3s
Around this time of year, as the Indietracks announcements start to come out, I tend to start listening to the bands playing the festival that I’m not familiar with. Onward Chariots managed to jump the queue by sending me a nice email, and I’m very happy that they did. Formerly known as Chariots of Tuna (an excellent name in itself), the band is now on a renewed push for indiepop superstardom. The pace that the slightly hushed harmonies propel the song along almost masks just how complex the arrangements on these songs are. Seven Miles Away even has time to rock out just a bit at the end too. It’s all very reminiscent of the dearly missed Beulah. Not exactly the same musically, but this is the closest a band has come to evoking the same kind of feeling to me.. Myspace.
MP3 Onward Chariots – Seven Miles Away
You can download both of Onward Chariots’ singles for free from Tweefort Records. Onward Chariots will also be playing at the Indietracks festival in July. They’d also like some UK bookings around that time, so if you can help ‘em out, give a shout
Mimicking Birds – Burning Star
11 year ago
in MP3s
“Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) gives you Mimicking Birds” proclaimed the promo email. If I hadn’t been paying much attention, I could have easily read that as news of a Brock side project. If I’d played the song, I’d likely have reached the same conclusion too. I even had to double check that Brock wasn’t actually involved anywhere on the recording itself, such is the similarity. It’s not just the vocals that are similar either. Even the gentle yet detailed arrangements of the music has the feel of certain areas of the Modest Mouse discography. The harsh part of me could criticise this as being derivative, but it’s good enough for me to let it go, particularly now that Modest Mouse themselves are more interested in being something else. Myspace.
The week in music bloggery
21 year ago
in Linkage
New stuff
Eardrums Music have a new video from the recently featured Spaghetti Anywhere, entitled Incredible Hulk.
Video of MJ Hibbett covering Allo, Darlin’ on the Indietracks blog. This had better be a new trend in the run up to the festival, or better yet, during it.
A new Born Ruffians song at You Ain’t No Picasso. Not a big fan of the new sound to be honest.
Reviews
She & Him – Volume 2 at The Line of Best Fit. I only just got around to Volume 1 myself.
Paul Hawkins & the Awkward Silences – Apologies to the Enlightenment at God is in the TV. Sounds like a step up from when I saw them three years ago at least.
Faded Glamour review the singles of March. Presumably so we don’t have to.
The Line of Best Fit review The Magnetic Fields live. In Leamington Spa of all places!
Treeswingers review Third Eye Blind live. Seems pretty sad the point they are these days. Semi-Charmed Life is still a hell of a song.
New songs from The National, The Hold Steady and LCD Soundsystem reviewed at Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good. It’s like 2007 all over again.
Miscellaneous
Sweeping the Nation analyses exactly what Radio 1, Radio 2, 6Music, 1extra, Absolute and NME Radio have been playing during the first three months of the year.
Releases and live shows afoot for Edinburgh based blog/label 17 Seconds Records.
An interview with Laura Marling at The Line of Best Fit. I still can’t get on very well with her music, but it’s a good read nonetheless.
The Liberal Democrats have finally decided to not support the Digital Economy Bill. About bloody time.
Darren Hanlon – Electric Skeleton
01 year ago
in MP3s
Well this is slightly embarrassing. I was venturing through all of the SXSW mp3s picking out songs by artists I already somewhat like. Given the number of songs available, it’s rather hellish listening to everything, so it’s a way of being more selective. Anyway, evidently it’s time for an eye test as I clicked play on Electric Skeleton expecting to hear a new Darren Hayman song. Which of course it wasn’t. Luckily for me though, it still turned out to be something rather good. Darren Hanlon is one of those names I’ve always been aware of but never listened to. That or I’ve always been confusing with Hayman. Either way. Whichever, this is a nice little pop folk song, and given there’s a fair back catalogue here, I’m going to be looking for songs from both Hayman and Hanlon in the future. Myspace.
The Big Big Bucks – Futurecar
01 year ago
in MP3s
I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something about The Big Big Bucks’ Futurecar that reminds me of Saves the Day. I know to a lot of people that could be seen as an insult, but given I’m one of the few who will admit to loving that band, I can assure you that it isn’t. The song is loud, it’s fast and it’s covered in distortion, and yet it retains a sense of structure to it all. There’s more to The Big Big Bucks than that though, as little else on the album has the same kind of sound. Some songs seem to take influence from the 60s, others from the 90s US alternative scene. It’s a mixed bag, and some songs work better than others, but it’s ultimately pretty satisfying. You can stream the entire album below. Myspace.
