Return of the Mack...

My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require. ~Edward Elgar

Once again, back again after a period of time and ready again to oust the best of the new music breaking down the barricades of the music world!

Firstly and very quickly, I wanted to note the various people I have mentioned in this blog who have since reached various levels of fame...Flight of the Conchords, Fleet Foxes, Reverend and the Makers, Esser, Jack Penate, Black Kids, The Wombats and Laura Marling...not to say I told you so...buuuuuut.....

Screw trivialities, onwards and upwards to the music!!

Critics, labels and music fans have been swarming around A Place To Bury Strangers with gusto, praising and fawning over the group labeled 'the loudest band in New York'. And all with good reason.
The band provide a wall of sound that pervades the senses in the most fulfilling and satisfactory way, battering at your eardrums with a force like no other. Their debut album, also titled 'A Place To Bury Strangers', exhibits the full range of the bands ability over the 16 tracks. From the frenetic pace of 'Missing You', to the tense, mysterious 'I Know I'll See You', through to the raw, soaring length of 'Ocean', the album succeeds on multiple levels, recalling The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure and My Bloody Valentine, fused into one big cooking pot of musical genius. An album to seek out, put on, turn the volume to 11 and absorb...over and over...

A Place To Bury Strangers' Myspace

Cardamis is a Greek American singer-songwriter fuses the worlds of electronica, glam and pop, throwing in sprinkles of R&B and dance, to craft an odd combination of songs that manage to please with their fundamentally catchy pop sensibility and electronica distinction. By far the best track, 'Bound to Love You' spews forth an old school R&B ethos amongst modern electronic and pop capability, creating an updated ballad for the noughties, that also manages to evoke a cheesy love morality only effective in 60's and 70's soul...until now. His self-titled debut EP has two further tracks, a powerful floorfiller in 'Eat Your Dinner' and a lacking 'Take Me Apart' which upsets as the finale for the three song piece. Nonetheless, the talent shines through and a possible debut album looks promising, if Cardamis can control his internal battle between the many genres that influence him.

Cardamis' Myspace

Onto two new electronic indie artists reminiscient of MGMT and the current wave of electronica types flooding the market. I make it sound awful, but I am loving it, as long as the music is good. And these two bands are awesomes...

Electric Owls are from Carolina in the US of A and showcase a level of musical perfection with the slice of perky, synth styled genius with 'Magic Show'. One can only hope for them to quickly come over to the UK to show themselves off to our island in the rain.

Electric Owls' Myspace

Boy Crisis are another New York act, who hit hard with their blend of indie rock and keyboard bleeping riffs. 'L'homme' may be one of my favourite songs of the year, providing a seething underlying riff with simple yet gorgeous lyrics such as 'I'm on some drugs, you're on some drugs, hey, do you wanna talk to me.' So cheesy. So awful. So freaking perfect!!! They have been called one of the worst bands ever by Pitchfork...but hell to those guys, this band are just pure, unadulterated fun! Listen in and freak out...

Boy Crisis' Myspace

Finally, a brief mention to two artists with experience and reputation.
El Guincho is an excellent modern world artist with an amazing tropical aura when it comes to his music. His new album, titled 'Allegranza', is a tourdeforce of exotic, afrobeat funk that excites, enthralls and entices the listener into wanting to travel to the nearest desert island to join a tribe and dance the night away.
Jeremy Warmsley's second album, 'How We Became', furthers his journey as an adept and intelligent songwriter. Warmsley, a Transgressive Records staple, is a singer with a gift for words as his lyrics weave stories, entangled in a web of folk and indie splendour.

El Guincho's Myspace

Jeremy Warmsley's Myspace

Lovely jubbly, another blog of wonderfully captivating music for your listening machines (your ears.....)! Tune in next week for another exciting segment of NEW NARCOTICS....

PS: I am determined to update this darn thing at least once a fortnight, if not more...so encourage me anyway you can pwease!

XxxX

Poetry....

Music is the poetry of the air. ~Richter

I have not had chance to listen to too much this week but have enough to fill up todays blog. I seem to have descended into slightly older music, so have a few older bands and albums mentioned after a couple of new bands I have decided to love!

Fleet Foxes are a Seattle band I have stumbled across completely at random on the internet but they make harmonic, gorgeous, sweeping music that will be perfect for a summers day, as soon as one comes along that is. The soft and delicate balance of instruments and vocals sound confident and beautiful, stringing themselves together with awesome cohesion. They have 'Drops in the River' available as a free download on their myspace but 'White Winter Hymnal' and 'English House' are the two best on their page. 'In The Hot, Hot Rays' is not on their myspace but i'm sure you can find it on the web somewhere and you should, as it sums up how good they can get. They are at SXSW this year and don't seem to be approaching England but we can hope for the future!

Fleet Foxes Myspace

Drew McConnell, the bassist for Babyshambles, has created his own musical outfit named Helsinki and they are damn good. He is obviously a very talented musician and it is kind of sad he gets overshadowed by the overly excessive (though very talented for the most part) Pete Doherty. He mixes urgent riffs with soft bass and vocals to create songs with an enduring presence and sweetness. 'Ampersand' and 'Ribtickling' are two fantastic tracks that show off Drew's talent clearly. There are rumours abound that Helsinki consists of Drew, The Strokes and Fionn Regan though I am unsure on these statements from the not-so-reliable NME. I hope to hear a lot more from Mr McConnell though!

Helsinki Myspace

Finally, here are a couple of older albums I have finally gotten around to getting and loving!

Hüsker Dü were an American alternative punk band in the 1980's and released a stream of awesome stuff, the highlight of which in my opinion was the concept album 'Zen Arcade'. It managed to influence numerous underground alternative rockers since and showcased a fast and loud ethic to creating a reckless concept album. Standout tracks are the impulse driven 'Chartered Trips' and the expansive 'Masochism World'. Definitely worth a listen!

'Chartered Trips' on Youtube

A band I have mentioned before, but only for their single 'D.A.N.C.E', who released their album '†' (also known as 'Cross') in the middle of last year, is the French electro duo Justice. I have only just got the album due to lack of funds and lack of memory/intelligence/whatever and it is damn amazing and I wish I had gotten it sooner! The pulsing beat of Justice tears its way through every track on the album from the dancefloor perfect 'Let There Be Light' to the robotic force of 'DVNO'. The album embodies a new disco genre, electro disco, and if you are not dancing after one listen, you have no soul!

Justice's Myspace
'DVNO' on Youtube

Thats about it and Happy International Women's Day for yesterday if you missed it!
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