The Colours of the Farm...

'Music is a safe kind of high.' ~Jimi Hendrix

As my pal Jimi agrees, here are some new narcotics for your earholes...

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The tale of how Grouplove came to meet has been splattered in the blog coverage they have spurned so far and who am I to rob you of that knowledge! The band met in Crete as part of an arts residency, though they come from LA, London and New York.

In one of those beautiful moments of connection, the group have span out a fantastic EP full of Arcade Fire-esque momentum. Each track bounds along in an epic fashion, prompting sing-a-longs and hand waving in a crowd on a wonderful festival evening. 'Colours' brings a ranting, chanting lyrical assembly with 'It's the colours you have, no need to be sad, they really ain't that bad." Sumptuous and fulfilling, I defy you to listen to the likes of 'Naked Kids' without a stupid grin on your face.

Grouplove's Myspace

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Fractal Farm manufacture rhythmic indie rock that snaps and twists its way along. From Wilmington, North Carolina, the threesome are working on a debut DIY ep and looking at tours across the US (but sadly not these British shores yet).

Perfect for summer, the soft angles of their music jut their way into your ribs and you can feel the energy of the band, bold and brash in the recordings. 'Walking' and 'Bone Ideas' blend psychadelia with math rock and indie pop, pushing the neat categorical types to compare them to a whole heap of bands, from Foals to Radiohead to The Shins. But comparisons be damned as these guys forge their own brand and I hope they make it to British shores sometime soon so I can see it all up close and personal.

Fractal Farm's Myspace

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Just One More Hit (or five)

• Sam Buck Rosen is a soulful electronic whiz who has a record out you should find and listen to, which is titled 'Dominant Mind' and is full of wonderment and distortion.
• I have rediscovered possibly one of the greatest albums of all time, in Tom Waits' 'Closing Time'...simply breathtaking from start to finish.
• New Arcade Fire - wondrous as bloody always!
• Janelle Monae has a new album out titled 'The ArchAndroid', a sci-fi, R&B tale of love and identity (I think I love her a little bit)
• Wavves surfing back our way with 'King Of The Beach'; and 'Cool Jumper' as a teaser of what's to come from the noisy talented buggers.
  

Albums out over the next week or so that you should buy include;

• 'LP4' by Ratatat [Perfectly produced sampling and mixing masterpiece with beats that send your body trembling]
• 'Been Listening' by Johnny Flynn [Troubador pretty nu-folk with a buoyancy and certain sweetness]
• 'Memoirs' by Rox [modern soul from Londoner songstress with feeling and sass]

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So! Until next time true believers!!

Ears peeled and eyes open!

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Camden Crawling Commentary and Crap... (Part Deux)

'Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.' ~Maya Angelou


Here is the much belated second part of my Camden Crawl experience, as I stumbled around on a Sunday through a heady mix of booze and bands...

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Arriving at Camden around half an hour before bands were due to really kick off the evening events, we headed to the VIP bar to drink/starspot/soak up some atmosphere. I have never felt more alt-celebrity in my life. Flanked by Rox, Vivian Girls and Comanechi (trying to blag free drinks), whilst We Are Scientists played a secret, mini, acoustic set above my heads...

I could get used to this...

We headed downstairs to see Male Bonding at Dingwalls, a shabby cesspit of a venue (which is a compliment, trust me) where I had previously seen a young Miss Marling at my previous Crawl in '07.

Male Bonding fire off aggression in precise and compact blasts of music, shattering the hush of a packed room. The grunge punk ethos lies at the heart of the trio of masculine musical combatants onstage and they know how to grab attention and then punch attention in the face. Noise and movement take hold of the band with the likes of 'Nothing Hurts' rousing feelings of bile and lust in equal measure. An impressive debut album awaits on a shelf somewhere for you to go and listen...

Male Bonding's Myspace

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Next up was the wonderfully named Gold Panda at the awesomely cramped conditions of the Barfly. Nothing short of a superb sonic assault ensued upon the jam packed, sweaty room, with a little space for some jerky dancing for the few taken over by the spirit of electro. Concussive vibrations and a shattering of any silence that could occur in the waves of noise that Mr Panda emanated, wearing a sinister panda hat atop his head (I WANT ONE...)

The indian base of 'Quitters Raga' imbues a dreamlike electronic sense, showcasing the talent for mixing and sampling embodied in the constantly shuffling and regenerating rota of tracks in the arsenal of Gold Panda. Great one eyed monsters of light swooped and dove over the audience as the speakers pulsated, sending the audience away dazed, confused but gloriously satisfied.

Gold Panda's Myspace

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A trip to the Roundhouse with new and old friends alike to see Stornoway, an act I had checked out previously and held some small promise for after hearing a few catchy tracks here and there on the interweb. I was expecting calm melody and hum-a-long riffs scattered to-and-fro.

Instead, I got Coldplay meets Mumford & Sons minus any possibly decent hooks and interest. The band looked bored, the crowd looked bored and my interest was solely in the two drinks my best bud had decided to purchase for us. Two PINTS of white wine... [PICTURED...]

The mixture of forgettable music and slowly vanishing wine made up my mind, leading to a swift exit into the Camden night.

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My last band of Camden Crawl came in the form of Veronica Falls at the nifty little Blues Cafe. The foursome trot out an impressive set of lo-fi loveliness in muffled tones and fuzzy murmurs. 'Found Love In A Graveyard' is somehow rollicking in its slow, low key fumbling method and the hopping bop and chant behind 'Starry Eyes' buzzes the Camden Crawl to a beautifully serene finale. Until next time....

Veronica Falls' Myspace

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Some Mid-May Musical Moresomes (more crap basically)...

• The National's new album, 'High Violet', is particularly wonderful, depositing the band as one of the indie rock backbones of Americana...
• A collection of possible revolutionaries in Wu Lyf (or World Unite/Lucifer Youth Foundation), who have released a smatter of distinctly different and wonderful tracks, showcasing noise rock, hip-hop, dreampop amongst other stifling genres titles...
• M83 are fantastic. Now, Team Ghost (led by a former member of M83) are fantastic...
• Sleigh Bells kickscream their way into the hearts of the musical youufff with screeching and wailing and fantasmic upbeat tracks such as 'Tell' Em'...

Albums out over the next week or so that you should buy include;

• 'Sea of Cowards' by The Dead Weather [Jack White et al grind and grit their way through a second record]
• 'Here's To Taking It Easy' by Phosphorescent [American folk that shuffles and moseys its way into your mind]
• 'Infinite Arms' by Band of Horses [More beardy Americana, desolate and authentic]

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Byeeeeeeeeeeee...keep your ears open and your mind wiiiide open....
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Bright Lights of Sound...

'Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life.' ~Jean Paul Richter

A quick blast of new music before I escape this mortal realm this evening and sweep away on a magical mystery train to the musical mecca that is Brighton in order to revel and rebel in debauchery, alcohol, dancing, music, friends, floors, oceans, beaches and arcades....

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Damon Albarn is nothing short of a modern musical maestro, stretching his mind and vision across so many artists and creations and managing to maintain such a high standard. His cartoon crafts, known internationally as Gorillaz, are set to release 'Plastic Beach', their third album. And joining the madcap, animated foursome on the record are a range of ridiculously awesome guests, including Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Gruff Rhys and Mick Jones.

The new single 'Stylo' is a simmering track featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack, that stumbles along a dark corridor and emerges into a Disco Ball lit room where Womack growls amongst waves of noise. Definitely a slow burner that sets very high hopes for the upcoming record.

Gorillaz 'Stylo'

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Rox is a beautiful singer songwriter from London town who has been featured on the BBC's Sound of 2010 but don't hold that against her. I was lucky enough to stumble across her myspace last year and played a track of hers on my radio show and want to continue the promotion of her voice, stylings and music as her new single, 'My Baby Left Me', is released

Ignore comparisons to Winehouse et all, she has elements of Lauryn Hill with a jazz background and the debut single bounces along atop lush production and an emotionally outright style. Check out her nu-soul before she explodes.

Rox's Myspace

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A new band just cropping up on the musical radar are based in London as well, known as Foxx Bandits. They have a hard hitting debut demo titled 'Vodka Lines' which breathes a modern folk exhale even though the vocals ooze emotionally crippling lyrics through a subtle lo-fi effect.

One to watch out for, especially with a cracking gig lined up at the legendary Camden Barfly on the 18th March.

Foxx Bandits' Myspace
Go Get Tickets to see them...NOW!

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Some Tuneful Tidbits...

• Serena Maneesh are back with a second album titled 'No 2. Abyss In B Minor' and the Norwegian's alt-rock act is as strong as forever in this cascading wall of sound and vocals that sidle up alongside you in a most seductive manner....Listen to a couple of tracks here
• Japandroids are pretty awesome if I haven't mentioned them before... LISTEN!
• I am going to see The Drums & Girls next week...you should too...

Albums out over the next week or so that you should buy include;

• 'The Golden Archipelago' by Shearwater [Simply pretty indie rumblings...]
• 'Dear God, I Hate Myself' by Xiu Xiu [Insanely amazing experimental fuzz]
• 'Magic Chairs' by Efterklang [Danish indie rockers post rock tinklings]

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Ok, that is all, I shall update you all on new music
next week if I somehow manage to survive
Brighton town after everything I ingest...
BUH BYE! XXX xx X