Thursday, September 25, 2008

VV Brown with some "Doo wop indie from outer space" (Hannah Holland Remix)



Man, I've been asleep at the wheel this week. Seriously. Just dropping the ball in this online world that somehow has more influence than my actual life! What the hell have I been thinking? YOU GUYS NEED NEW MUSIC and I am a music peddler...

So without further ado... VV Brown has got a wicked track here called "Crying Blood" that reminds me (well at least this remix reminds me) of a sort of icy electro version of Basement Jaxx and maybe Switch having babies... It's the type of track that works at the meat for the sandwitch that is your DJ mix (or club experience for you non-DJs) that makes people's ears perk up and wonder what they are listening to. Seriously? I can think of a few times that I've been out in the club and what was turning into a grinding set of tunes for people on drugs could have been turned around by a track like this...

VV Brown- "Crying Blood (Hannah Holland Remix)" YSI

VV Brown- "Crying Blood (Hannah Holland Remix)"


VV Brown is a brand spanking new rockabilly maiden with tunes she describes as “do wop indie from outer space”…

First at the mixing desk is one of our favourite DJs Hannah Holland. Resident at the infamous Trailer Trash night in Shoreditch as well as running her own night Bastard Batty Bass (Time Out described it as “one of London’s finest clubs”), Hannah has now branched out into production and this remix gives us a taster of what to expect! Deconstructing the track completely Hannah adds chunky 4/4 beats, a growling b-line and some wonky keys for a jackin’ heads-down stomper… guaranteed to keep your dancefloor locked! Watch out for the launch of Hannah’s new label Batty Bass and the first release ‘Shake It Up’.


I'm totally playing this on my show and I think you'll agree that this will add life to many mixes in need. Hope you dig it... I've got new stuff from GTA Oxford coming up next so stay tuned... oh yeah! I almost forgot! I'm doing the interview with FreQ Nasty tomorrow so that should be up sometime this weekend! Peace...

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Joy Formidable: Quite a surpise... where did these guys come from?


Once people take you half ass serious as a blogger you get boat loads of emails from, well truthfully people like you and I, saying...

"Listen to my track please! It's like Babyshambles/Kraftwerk/Can/Velvet Underground/Underworld/Rick James sort of mix and it'll only take you 10 seconds to listen to! Thanks again, The Squad Of Flying Cats" or some shit...

And no doubt some of it is good. But I also understand now why I didn't/don't get responses from people I admired... because there's too many fucking musicians out there!

But I'm trying to keep my ears open because a few young bands who made debuts on this page have gone quite a ways since... and we don't want to miss out on more of them.

The Joy Formidable have to, I assume, have made in to the NME at some point now... because this song "Austere" is a fucking bonkers good 4/4 rock song... hell for all I know they're megastars... I've stopped reading British music magazines. Too much hype.

I also wanna say, I know up to this point I've always takled about how I dislike the Welsh, and well, I've just decided that I need to let people know I'm joking. They are capable for amazing things lol... just listen for yourself... below...

Here's the bio...
"Growing up in rural North Wales it's hard not to get itchy feet; and after years of playing pranks on each other, school friends Ritzy and Rhydian decided to musically join forces and share their escapist vision with the rest of the world. A chance meeting with Devon-born drummer Justin on a stroll through cyberspace and a few ensuing rants about their shared love of Costello, Eels and Bowie and an instant friendship was formed. A move to London sealed their fate and the melting pot of ideas and energy that is The Joy Formidable was born.

With the intricate darkness of Aubrey Beardsley and the brash naivety of Cable and Granddaddy, The Joy Formidable write whirling, monstrous pop songs, that leave you unsettled but smiling.


I never say things like this but I think they could probably sing children's songs in braile and they would still be popular given how good looking the singer is. I say that from a music critism angle.


Don't you just want to listen to that over and over again? Here's to them making a nice big indie splash... Here's some info that's worth you reading... starting with tour info typed out by the band themselves...

21 Sep Clwb Ifor Bach (Cardiff)
22 Sep Night & Day Cafe (Manchester)
24 Sep Little Civic (Wolverhampton)
25 Sep Bodega at The Social (Nottingham)
26 Sep Leadmill (Sheffield)
28 Sep Thekla (Bristol)
29 Sep Komedia (Brighton)
1 Oct Arts Centre (Norwich)
2 Oct The Cluny (Newcastle)
3 Oct King Tuts Wah Wah (Glasgow)
4 Oct Faversham (Leeds)
6 Oct Academy (Oxford)
7 Oct ICA (London)

If you're planning to attend any of these shows, be sure to say hello and buy our merchandise!! We look forward to meeting you

For those of you who aren't able to browse our merchandise table on the road, we are currently selling 2 limited edition designed T shirts on our myspace page http://www.thejoyformidable.bigcartel.com a snip at £7 and the soon to be sold-out 7" of Austere is still available from Pure Groove and Rough Trade stores.

Flogging aside, you can now listen back to our live Reading Festival performance of Cradle via Radio 1 on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYuTRMk8X3s and see some live pictures. Thanks to all who have contributed, keep sending us those shots.

Talking of live, we have some new dates through October and November to mention.
8th Oct Babyboom@ Lennons (Southampton)
15th Oct Eject.Rewind@ The Royal (Derby)
22nd Oct Now Wave with Those Dancing Days (Manchester)
13th Nov We are so Electric @ The Wilmington Arms (London) (remember those of you who pre-ordered the 7" get in free) and finally...
30th Nov The After Dark Club (Reading)

And the big news til last : we're delighted to announce that we'll be releasing a Japanese album at the end of the year through the fantastic indie label Rallye. http://www.myspace.com/rallyelabel
The release date is set for December 6th with tracklisting to follow. We are so looking forward to this.


Ok here's the meat... I'll post up that song... but in turn I want you go to to here and download the rest of their songs for free. Not a bad trade huh?

The Joy Formidable- "Austere" YSI

The Joy Formidable- "Austere" Rapidshare

Ok, I'll be back soon. Keep it locked!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Albion Podcast, Crystal Castles remix, and a mix from Dance Club...


First off... I felt the need to share 'The Spirit Of Albion' podcast with the world. I already mentioned it a couple times but if you were leery about subscribing it here's a Rapidshare link to the last show :)

THE SPIRIT OF ALBION PODCAST FROM 89.1 WIDR FM KALAMAZOO

Again,
Go to this https://wapps.wmich.edu/iTunes/PublicItunesLaunch.action. That is the public access page for WMU Podcasts. Then go down to WIDR. Once you've clicked on that scroll down and on the left you'll see the Albion logo... and then you can download individually, or ideally subscribe to the podcast!

Next up is one from my boy Micprobes. This cat sent me a wild remix of "Crimewave" by Crystal Castles that I just had to post.
Crystal Castles- "Crimewave (Kilowatt Remix)" YSI

Crystal Castles- "Crimewave (Kilowatt Remix)" Rapidshare

In order to hook this back to something British, because I don't want you to think I'm losing focus of what this blog is all about, I'm going to post (of course) a Bloc Party remix...

Bloc Party- "Hunting For Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)" YSI

I can't give you more downloads on that... YSI will have to do!


Lastky, here's something I overlooked... frankly, it's really hard for me to get to everything I'm interested in, and me posting this mix fell by the wayside. But now that I'm posting about once a day I figured I'd go back and get it. I like Dance Club quite a bit, and while I will admit I haven't listened to this yet, I'm sure it's great because they have impeccable taste! Plus it's Free Nintey Nine so I don't think it's worth passing up all that good material, yeah?

Welcome To Dance Club Mix- June 2008 Mix

1. Sawtooth Sucka - No Ordinary Girl
2. Fake Blood - Mars
3. Santiago and Bushido - For What (The Bulgarian Remix)
4. P Diddy - Bad Boy For Life (La Mode's Bad Motherfuckers' Fuck Up)
5. Geoff K - Vodka and Sugarfree Redbull
6. Michael Jackson - Bad (Mowgli is Bad Remix)
7. Daniel Dexter - Bounce is Back (Malente Remix)
8. Nic Sarno - Jam Boot
9. Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E. (Tenzin Remix)
10. Crookers - Sveglia
11. Twocker - Chopper
12. CSS - Music is My Hot, Hot Sex (Switch Remix ft. Mapei)
13. Hijack - Possessed
14. SebastiAn - Dog
15. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince - Boom Shake The Room (Matt Cox Remix)
16. Riva Starr - I Know You Want My Thang
17. Kelis - Milkshake (Man Eat DJ & Jizm Remix)

Download Here

Between the podcast, those two songs, and this mix, you've got a lot to listen to... I'll be back asap...

Break from Format: Big Gipp (Treasure Fingers Remix)



This is so dope. These dudes at Scion A/V keep pumping out dancefloor gems. And yeah this isn't British... but it's fucking really good... so... today I don't care. Remember this is the exception not the rule! But seriously it's really dope lol... and in sparkling clear 320 kbps for your aspiring DJ self...

Big Gipp- Hot "(Treasure Fingers Remix)" YSI

Big Gipp- Hot "(Treasure Fingers Remix)" zShare

In case you somehow didn't know... Big Gipp born Cameron Gipp (born on April 28, 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia), is an American rapper from the South. He is best known as a member of Goodie Mob, and has also released one solo album and been part of several collaborations, most recently with Ali as Ali & Gipp.

You guys all remember this joint yeah?


Ok, next time I'll go back to format... c'mon, you guys have to admit, I rarely do this!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Ninja Tune and Big Dada bring the noise from Dalston to '1999'!


Every once and a while there is a British institution whose work stands out SO much that they deserve almost total devotion based on quality... (for example Fabric London)...

Another example of that is Ninja Tune & Big Dada which is undoubtedly one of the most important labels with regard to British hip-hop. Granted... it hasn't always been just hip-hop... sometimes dubstep, electronica, instrumentals, rock, whatever... but it really has mostly been grade 'A' quality. I mean, look at some of the Ninja Tune releases this year!

Ninja Tuna- Mr. Scruff 10/08

London Zoo- The Bug 06/08

Love To Make Music To- Daedelus 06/08

'Enter The Newground' Live DVD- DJ Kentaro 05/08

Live At The Royal Albert Hall- The Cinematic Orchestra 03/08

Ninja Cuts - 1000 Mask Mix- DJ Food 03/08

You Don't Know - Ninja Cuts- Various Artists 02/08

No Ground Under- Ghislain Poirier 02/08

Heavyweight Gringos- Zero dB 02/08


Did you notice that all is fucking fire? that Ninja Cuts comp was off the fucking hook... I'm excited as shit about that Mr Scruff (been a fan since he played a record store in Bristol back in 1999)... I mean just since the beginning of the year they've been killing it!

And lets not forget Big Dada! You heard that Cadence Weapon "House Music"? I was just listening to it on the new FreQ Nasty Fabriclive and it's on there and WHOOOOO WEEEEEEE. And there's that new Roots Manuva that's just garnering more and more and more critical acclaim... in fact as I type this I wonder why I haven't written about it... hmmm... anyway...

Here's a brief bio for Ninja Tune (and Big Dada)...

Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started in 1991 by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut, with a strong leaning towards electronic, abstract hip hop, instrumental hip hop, nu jazz, drum and bass, and chillout music. The label has developed a number of DJs, producers, and live acts. Ninja Tune's sister imprints, NTone (now defunct) and Big Dada, specialise in experimental electronic music and hip-hop, respectively. The label has a satellite office in Montreal, Quebec, owned and managed by Jeff Waye. In 2006, a new imprint, Counter Records, was set up to release the debut album of Pop Levi (of Super Numeri), with artists to follow in a rock music vein. The first release on the imprint was Pop Levi's single "Blue Honey" in September 2006, which was followed by Pop Levi's first LP The Return To Form Black Magick Party in February 2007. Artists · 9 Lazy 9 · Airborn Audio.

I got some tracks here that have come from Big Dada and they are balleriffic. I'm so excited to be posting one that's awesome gritty hip-hop... and another that's... well... you'll have to hear it yourself :)

This is from a Dalston based producer and two Texan MCs. It's really really really good... this remix version is hot as fuck and makes me wonder what the original is like...
XRABIT + DMG$- Killin Em (Xrabit Remix) YSI

XRABIT + DMG$- Killin Em (Dmg Xrabit Remix) zShare

And this is some whole 'nother shit. I don't even know what to call it. But I highly recommend it. Bust this out at your New Years Eve party lol...
Infinite Livez v. Stade - "1999" YSI

Infinite Livez v. Stade - "1999" zShare

I just wanted to add... some of you may remember me making a buffoon of myself with Klaxons at P4K festival last year... and during that exchange they were asking about Cadence Weapon. I told them they had to hear "Sharks" and that he was brilliant. An hour and a half later he's rapping onstage during "Magick" during the wall of guitar noise spitting at a hundred words a minute and I was in total awe. Shortly thereafter trying to find a record of said event, I instead found my blog linked to the Big Dada Blog...


Speaking of Cadence Weapon here's a bassline remix from Palms Out Sounds!


Anyway, I'm glad to bring these gems to you guys and hopefully there's more where this came from. Keep it locked!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Teef Remix by Frankmusik


Man I love doing this blogging shit. It's like, if my normal life is eating cow balls, my internet life is off the hook.

I did an annoying mass mailing yesterday to so called 'industry people' to push the podcast around. And as much as we all hate those emails a lot of people chimed in with their support.

One such person is the great Mr. Vincent Frank (aka Frankmusik) with a little treat that should knock your socks off...

A rapper from South London called Teef got a nice remixing from Frankmusik... he's pretty ill... and I really like this drawings so you should check out at his Myspace.

As far as the remix goes? This is one of the the most maximal remixes Frankmusik has done... it has a very French feel to it... like if the last Daft Punk album had a rapper and some melodies on it lol...

I'M JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING! I love Daft Punk...

OFFTOPIC: I had to explain to the wife why this hideous rave flier with Thomas Bangalter's autograph on it had to stay up in our bedroom as it is my favourite possession. If I haven't told the story before I'll tell it now and keep it short... When I was 17 we were in Chicago, it was around Christmas time and the streets were filled with thousands of people. We had come to Chicago to see Thomas Bangalter spin at a Dust Traxx party, but given the plastic masks Daft Punk were using at the time, we didn't even know what he looked like... and suddenly, amongst crowds of thousands, I see this dude with a Cassius t-shirt on that looked to be French and ran after him. If I didn't speak French this would have been a disaster but, long story short, it ended up in my all time favourite artist meeting. Because come on... how many people have met Daft Punk? Bangalter gave me the flyer for the show and, along with his autograph, it's hanging in my room... hideous as ever. I know I've told this story before now that I've typed it but I don't care. That shit was awesome!

Anyway, I'd write more about Teef... but I don't know anymore! So check out his site and bring yourself up to speed because his flow is pretty sick... I'm sure this isn't the last you've heard of him on this site ;)

Teef- "Take Em Out (FrankMusik Remix)" YSI

Teef- "Take Em Out (FrankMusik Remix)" Rapidshare

Saturday, September 13, 2008

ALBION PODCASTING FRENZY!


Holy McFuckenstein! Apparently we've gained some notoriety in the podcasting world with the radio show... which is awesome (I know the record companies just got very excited lol)! We were so stoked both Charles and I posted the same thing on the actual Albion site. I know a lot of fans have been interested in the past in hearing the show but also a lot of artists have wanted to hear the show as well. Well now The Spirit Of Albion is poised to be a global thing. Think globally, act locally indeed :)

I would really appreciate if every one of you subscribed to the show. I really sincerely mean that. A lot.

It's a lot like the blog, you know, except the fact that you're getting a bunch of pre-release, special remix, rare live recording, demo version type stuff in a two hour block. Last nights show (which won't be up til next week) had My Bloody Valentine, British Sea Power, Bloc Party, Wiley, Unkle, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, Radiohead, and got knows what else in a very short period. The show will move from Madchester, to Dubstep, to '90's Bristol tracks, to Post-Punk, to New Rave, to Grime, to well Oasis. The show always has LOADS of stuff that isn't out or is hard to find... high fidelity vinyl (as opposed to 128kbps bullshit internet rips)... WAV tracks from the record companies... and whatever people request from our massive personal/digital/vinyl/cd libraries. Basically what I'm saying is that it's more varied than a DJ mix and... I dunno... just please subscribe to it lol! And tell your friends too hahaha!

The Spirit Of Albion loves you and we hope you love it. It's on from 7pm-9pm Friday night (that's -5 GMT) and you can call and request your favourite British songs at (269) 387-6303. I'm sure I don't need to remind you but we're only at that number for two hours... otherwise you're just calling the on air DJ. I should also mention that last I checked our webstream was not working but was getting fixed... we'll get that sorted out :)

When the show is on air you can check out the playlist LIVE at this link. It only holds about 24 hours worth of sets but if you missed the show and want to know what we played you Brits can check it when you wake up and make sure your record got played lol.

WIDR is also throwing a festival called "Barking Tuna Festival". Day 1 is Friday October 17th @ Papa Petes Featuring.... SOMEONE! We don't know. Keep it tuned to find out.

BARKING TUNA FESTIVAL Day 2 is Saturday October 18th @ Kalamazoo State Theatre Featuring: 1st place of Fight for the Tuna, School of Seven Bells, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Mates of State. There's a ticket that has something for everyone really... I'm not big on the Mates of State front but... I'm all about seeing Black Moth Super Rainbow. I really liked the last record... need to listen to the new one.

Ok here's a couple tracks to bribe you into subscribing lol...

Skream- "Acid People" YSI

Skream- "Acid People" Rapidshare

Radiohead- "Unravel (Bjork Cover)" YSI

Radiohead- "Unravel (Bjork Cover)" Rapidshare

Also here's some live Frankmusik...


And the new Chemical Brothers video featuring crazy shit from Google Earth...

Friday, September 12, 2008

Arcadian Family Portrait: South Central


As mentioned a few times before Arcadia has a group of individuals that comprise a 'family' of sorts. Now some of these people I know well, (or as well as you can know people you've never actually met) and others just have close ties as their people/PR/managers help me out when the time comes for new material to be released... and even the ones I don't they usually are kind enough to do interviews and stuff like that.

SOUTH CENTRAL, however, fit into the first group of people...

I can't even remember how we started talking but I was immediately drawn to their music. I only post stuff I like but they really struck me as being destined for greatness. I've felt like a proud brother or something watching their releases get progressively more and more attention... I was on a certain music retailer the other day and was downloading the Shy Child remixes of "Summer" and was like "FUCK YEAH! There's my guys!" when I noticed the South Central remix (which is the shit by the way).

Due to my enthusiasm, I'm always asking them, "So when are we going to see something new huh?"...

Well the time has come! And I'm very proud to say that you're only going to get this puppy here for the time being! AN ALBION EXCLUSIVE! NEW SOUTH CENTRAL! Ergot (Il Dente del Lupo) is yours to download!

South Central- "Ergot (Il Dente del Lupo)" YSI

South Central- "Ergot (Il Dente del Lupo)" Rapidshare

Distribution will be through KGD Media in the US. The "Crystaling EP" is coming out on ltd 300 12" and digi download in October and features the tracks:

Crystaling
Higher State
Ergot (exclusive to this release)
Higher State 'Live Edit' (exclusive to this release)
Higher State Hyper Mix (exclusive to this remix)


Here's the press info for the album as well... go cop this... these guys are awesome and have provided TONS of free tracks on this site so please support their new endeavor! I suggest those of you who like Crystal Castles' "Vanished" go check out the South Central remix of Van She's "Sex City"... you're missing out if you don't have that one!


'The Owl of Minerva'
"GOING BACK IN ORDER TO GO FORWARD

The shadowy dance rockers South Central commit their first five single releases to CD, previously available only on vinyl this release comprises of tracks culled from the band’s output on five uber cool labels over the last 2 years.

If the shadowy dance rockers South Central aren’t fully on your radar yet, they will be very soon. The chances are that you’ve already heard the unrelenting power of their music, whether it be on Pete Tong’s Radio 1 show, the latest Bacardi commercial or in one of Justice or Erol Alkan’s DJ sets, the sound of South Central is uniquely potent.

Shrouded in mystery (and indeed their trademark black hoods) the enigma that is South Central manifests itself as both a 2-man DJ/Production duo and as a 5-piece live band; the former spectacularly dissolves the boundaries of what DJing and live music are. The latter is the cowled synthesis of guitars and technology that combines the spirit and song of indie rock with the pounding electronics of big-room techno. No surprise then that both the indie kids and the danceheads have signed up for more.

Cast your mind back to Autumn ’06 and you’ll be reminded of the day-glow, neon light that was shining over music labels, night clubs and the radio. The words ‘New’ and ‘Rave’ were being banded about and strung together at every opportunity and the general public started to show real interest in dance music again, with The Klaxons topping the charts and grabbing the headlines. This is also the time when South Central were lifted out of obscurity amidst a combination of adulation and controversy for their now infamous bootleg of said band’s cover of ‘The Bouncer’ (declared Bootleg of the Year by Eddy Temple-Morris in his end of year round up) and their remixes of the Maccabees and Metronomy which were championed by John Kennedy on XFM and Pete Tong on Radio 1 amongst others.

Assured and competent as remixers, in December ’06 they released their own debut single to the outside world via the plucky Leeds based indie ‘Art Goes Pop’, called ‘Nothing Can Go Wrong’, it was later described by the band as an ironic ode to the condition of blind optimism and (often) misplaced faith felt by new bands when they first get together. However for SC the lyrics seemed to become a self fulfilling prophecy, as Fall fans looked on critics debated whether this was a new wave of Glam Rock or just New Rave; whilst the £18 budget video received constant rotation from MTV, in addition to support from Annie Mac and Steve Lamacq.

With a growing back catalogue and fanbase of interest, South Central carried on their label surfing with a string of single releases on Young Turks, Regal and Holiphonic, each one adding a new piece to the puzzle and underlining the South Central ethos of Maximal music, designed for the greatest impact possible but with message in the lyrics. Stimulated by WB Yeats, Orwell, Ouspensky and daring to tackle the taboo subject of child sex rings in ‘Dolls’ on Young Turks, there’s no denying that South Central’s inspirations are deeper than most of their peers.

‘The Owl of Minerva’ is a collection of their finest works of the last 2 years, music that has never been available on CD or mp3, not only acting as a must-have for fans and DJs but also bringing the South Central story right up to the present and paving the way for the South Central debut album in 2009. Taking its title from nineteenth century philosopher Hegel’s assertion that any historical condition can only be understood just as it passes away. It is perhaps no coincidence then that this release also heralds the historic formation of Brighton based ‘Egregore Music’ South Central’s own imprint; realised as means to release South Central output and forthcoming material from like minded souls.

“South Central will have us raving all year long!” - Dazed and Confused

“Golden Dawn has more energy than a hyperactive toddler: a busy blizzard of vocodered vocals, plucked basslines, rave horns and squalling feedback. It’s as if they’re daring people to dance to it, seeing just how far they can push the envelope. Which somehow just makes it all the more indispensable” - IDJ Mag

“This has balls. It’s punk but it’s electro, it hurts your ears but it’s melodic, it’s…it’s…the future I guess, and I like it. This shows a few electro cross-over bands that are out there on our Artrocker radar how it’s really done.” - Artrocker

“…when it goes all old-skool electro it’s rather pleasant - but the overall effect is like being forced screaming into the ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ video and being told you can’t leave until your ears bleed. And believe us, they will.” - NME 

"Miss them at your peril, South Central are at the forefront of British electronic music." - XFM Manchester

After a successful national tour earlier in the year with The Whip, South Central are back on the road throughout October with Does It Offend You Yeah? Please see dates below.

You can catch South Central DJing at their new monthly Saturday night residency at Brighton’s ‘New Hero’ club with a DJ tag team including Nightmoves, Punks Jump Up and Damian Harris and on September 26th South Central begin their France monthly residency at Club NME Paris alongside Ed Banger DJ and the UK’s finest upcoming and established live acts.

South Central (With DOIYY) UK Tour:
Sat 11-Oct-08 Manchester Club Academy UK
Sun 12-Oct-08 Middlesbrough The Empire UK
Mon 13-Oct-08 York Duchess UK
Wed 15-Oct-08 Leicester The Charlotte UK
Thurs 16-Oct-08 Leeds stylus UK
Fri 17-Oct-08 Sheffield Leadmill UK
Sat 18-Oct-08 Birmingham Custard Factory UK
Mon 20-Oct-08 Brighton C2 UK
Tues 21-Oct-08 Portsmouth Wedgewood room UK
Thurs 23-Oct-08 Bristol acd UK
Fri 24-Oct-08 Swansea sin UK
Sat 25-Oct-08 Liverpool academy 2 UK
Mon 27-Oct-08 Glasgow Oran Mor UK
Tues 28-Oct-08 Oxford Regal UK
Wed 29-Oct-08 London Electric Ballroom UK"


Tracklisting for the album...

Aeon
Golden Dawn
Nothing Can Go Wrong
Revolution
Castle Of Heroes
Machine
Higher State Of Consciousness
Dolls
Crystalling


Hell yeah! Enjoy the track! Go buy that shit! South Central forever motherfuckers! I'll be back soon!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

REVIEW of "Everything Is Borrowed" by The Streets!


So, not entirely unlike Bloc Party, The Streets just sort of came out of (almost) nowhere and said "Oh yeah, the album will be out next week". Now this wasn't AS big a surprise as Bloc Party... I suppose we've very quickly come to learn that if we're seeing free tracks, or a single floating around, an album is probably around the corner.

So with all this in mind... how about a little "first listen" review?

The first one, "Everything Is Borrowed", almost reminds me of Kanye West in it's monumental sound. It's a big album opener... I've gotta say right now though that I can't really sit down and enjoy the lyrics because I'm trying to get this written as fast as I can lol...

"The Way Of The Dodo" is a guitar based track that reminds me of his earlier stuff. This song is sort of stark, the rapping is tight and quick... this is a real attempt at showing "Yes, I do really rap, not just write singles"... another strong showing, making me think this album could be a classic if it keeps up like this!

"Heaven For The Weather" (and, of course, 'hell for the company') is a sort of gospel track. I'm sure Fatboy Slim is itching to remix this puppy because it has that feel to it. Mike says (quoting someone I think) "I refuse to end up on fire with lowlifes and liars; then you're destined to for the world ???? and sweatin', the eternal boredom of heaven". Any way you cut it this is a total sing-a-long song. Still going strong, this album...

"On The Flip Of A Coin" is full of scales, a harpsichord? And a guitar that is riffing (think like SRV) a lot but not overpowering the song. This is one I want to come back to and really listen to the lyrics. There is strong songwriting on this album... truly each album he's become more and more of a song writer and not just a producer or rapper.

"Never Give In" is the first song bound for a full on disco remix (a la Basement Jaxx, or Ashley Beedle, or Braxe & Falke) as it's sort of stripped down 4/4 rock. I would nominate this as a single. Certainly there is a pattern emerging of taking things to the mountaintop and then back to the basement sound wise... epic and straightforward, which are frankly hallmarks of any Streets album.

"The Sherry End" is still stripped down disco but on it's ear (think Larry Levan's "Heartbeat" but faster with guitars and funk). It's got funny squeaks and horns and just begs to be danced to. It's really starting to seem like musically this is a great departure from the last three albums but in a really good way... you can't peg this album, but it also doesn't sound like a calculated mess. No one sat down and said "OK, we're going to do this many songs that sound like this, and this many like that..." I love this song.

"The Strongest Person I Know" I all harp really. I mean very quiet and different from the rest of these songs. This is the really personal number like "Never Went To Church" but not a single... which doesn't mean it's not good! It's just more of a lullaby type song. I'm not sure if it's a love song or about a family member because I'm not able to listen to the lyrics in such a cursory listen.

"The Escapist" was given away for free of course by Vice and from what I understand is the first single. It's pretty epic with lots of instrumentation. I don't need to tell you much about this because I just posted it. It's a huge track and you should just go listen to it!

"I Love You More (Than You Like Me)" starts with piano and a stomping beat... once again stark but captivating. Mike Skinner has gotten smart by 'hiding' sounds deep in the mix of these more low key songs so you're actually hearing more than you notice. It seems there's not a lot going on but there really is a bunch going on. There hasn't been a Men vs Women type song so far and this is it. How could you have a Streets album without a song where women don't quite get Mike?

"On The Edge Of A Cliff" is really funky and almost psychedelic. Like really a merging of 3 different types of 'stoner' music lol... there are funk guitars again, horns, rapping... This is groove based, and ironically reminds me a little of the same TIME PERIOD (nothing else) as Elton John's "Are You Ready For Love" (ironic because of the Elton cover Mike Skinner did for Radio 1)... like that late 70's fusion sound. This song is not really similar to the aforementioned one outside of style... it's rock influenced by both disco and Gil Scott Heron.

"Alleged Legends" is MEGA EPIC and is very very very string heavy. The beat is urgent and mysterious. This totally sounds like someone driving away in an Aston Martin surrounded by fog from something secretive. Very cinematic, and a great ending to an album.

I'm not sure I should hook you up with new songs so... instead chew on this...

The Streets- "Your Song (Elton John Cover)" YSI

The Streets- "Your Song (Elton John Cover)" Mediafire

The Streets- "Deluded In My Mind" YSI

The Streets- "Deluded In My Mind" Mediafire

The Streets & Muse- "Who Knows Who" YSI

The Streets & Muse- "Who Knows Who" Mediafire

Here's what The Streets said via email...

"If you can't wait to hear why the critics are getting their knickers in such a twist over the album, then head over to Mike's MySpace. There, you can hear seven of the record's tracks on the music player. Plus, as Mayhem's latest News blog explains, the other four tracks have been hidden on other bands' profiles, scattered across MySpace. So if you look hard enough, you'll be able to hear the whole shebang. And, while you're on MySpace, head over to the music homepage to watch Mike on his trip to Prague to record strings and to check out some of his favourite bands. Deep."

Word.

Here's the new video from The Streets called "Everything Is Borrowed"


While were on new releases, here's the video for Bloc Party's new one "Talons"... can't get enough of these guys!


Ok, that's it for now. Sorry I couldn't get more in depth... just wanted to give you a quick idea what you're in for! Be back soon!

Sunday, September 07, 2008

"Not In The Face"... Howie B Interview!


There's the remix album (a la "I Love Serge" which Mr. B was on) and there's the album remixed, remodeled, and reshaped. One is usually done piece by piece (usually by a smattering of random artists chosen by God knows who)... and the other is a painstakingly involved process that begs commitment and precision, lest the artist ruin the source material...

Glasgow born Howie B did the latter when reworking Casino Royale's 2006
release 'Reale' which he had initially produced. The album did well in Italy but Howie felt there was more potential in the album with a few added tweaks.

This brings us to "Not In The Face", a dub version of the aforementioned album, that has none of the typical "remix album" hallmarks (because it isn't even fair to call it one). None of it feels tacked on or inconsistent... this album is the logical extension of what began when Howie produced the album for the band and Italy... this version is Howie producing the album for himself and the world...

It seems that more and more people are less inclined to listen to albums that are not in their own language. Being a dub album, there isn't a lot of Italian to be found (strains echoing off into the soundscape, or the occasional verse here and there)... but I know despite this fact people will still end up seeking out Casino Royale's other work... "Not In The Face" piques your curiosity and makes you wonder not only what the original sounded like but also what Casino Royale's other work sounds like. One cannot listen to this album, knowing it's story, and help but wonder "How did we get these beautiful sounds? Where did they come from? How did Howie B do this?"...

Despite being a long time fan of Pizzicato 5, and some other non-English speaking artists, I realized I didn't have one album that was sung in Italian! Hell, outside of instrumentals and electronica, I started to wonder if I had much music at all that was sung in another language! Ok, I guess I have some albums in French... and yeah there's Sigur Ros... and I guess I have some jazz albums in other languages but I'm not even sure what those languages are... Suddenly, while listening to "Not In the Face" I'm realizing that, perhaps, I need to make a more concerted effort to get out of the American/British/French music vacuum I'm in!

Whatever thoughts this album may provoke in you there is no question the album is something special. Almost every song on here begs to be put on a compilation of some sort, to be put in a DJ set, or to be used in a soundtrack. With that said, I don't mean incidental music, I mean music that is meant to really draw attention... tracks on this album refuse to just be 'ear wallpaper'. Any one of these songs used in the above ways will draw attention and therefore will no doubt be used for one if not all (provided the label lets them lol)... go on guys, the people at Fabric are nice... licence the shit out this album lol...

ISoA & Howie at the same time Hello?

ISoA: Yup?

Howie B: Hi, Brenden?

ISoA: Yeah, is this Howie?

Howie B: Yeah, this is Howie yeah, hi how are you?

ISoA: I'm doing well how about yourself?

Howie B: Very good very good, it's a nice day in London which is great...

ISoA: Yeah, I was going to say that I couldn't sit around all day doing interviews like you've been doing!

Howie B: Yeah, it's alright it's ok. If it happens once or twice a year it's alright. Those politicians I don't know how they can do it. I'm talking about something good anyway so it's worth it.

ISoA: Ok, first off, your pairing with Casino Royale obviously worked well for them in Italy; were they at all hesitant when you suggested reworking their album?

Howie B: Yeah they we're a little bit but they also, I mean for me, there were two reasons why I wanted to rework it. One was because there was another outlet for it apart from Italy, but I knew the format of the thing had to change for it to go outside. And the other one was whenever I was making it I just felt there was another way that I could express what was happening.

ISoa Were you frustrated at all while you were working on the album? Or did it come after the final product?

Howie B: No, I wasn't frustrated while I was working on it because for me being the producer was to bring the best out of them and make them feel good about what they are doing and make them be the best of what they are doing... feel that they're completing something and expressing themselves. But it was during that process that I felt it could go down another road, but there was no point in me talking about it at the time because it's just a distraction for them. But as soon as we'd finished it I said, 'look I can take this somewhere else, I've really got a strong feeling that this could basically go down another road', and they were pretty supportive cause they're hungry musicians. And They're also very good, and they knew I could do something different with it, and keep the integrity of the band together and their songs. So that was it, that's what I did!

ISoA: Yeah it takes a lot of confidence to let someone rework your stuff like that!

Howie B: I mean it is a lot of confidence, because usually you send a track out to be remixed not the whole bloody album!

ISoA: Right right... both laughing

Your work on 'Not In The Face' will undoubtedly bring Casino Royale's name and their back catalog in to focus for a lot of people who may not have heard their work otherwise. Do you feel that people are hesitant to listen to music that isn't in their own language?

Howie B: I think it depends what language it is, it's really funny... in terms of English speakers we really do entertain the French when listening to music, even though we may not understand it, because there's something really pleasing about the tonality and the words and the language itself whenever it's sung is quite beautiful. But then, in terms of someone singing a ballad in German? I'm not too sure, that's the thing! Or even a ballad in Swedish or Icelandic or in Russian. But French seems to have a certain thing about it, and Spanish as well, there's a couple of languages that English speakers lend their ear towards and are quite comfortable with... and there there's other languages which we can't even begin to comprehend. Even if the melody is good, you think 'wait a minute, this is going right over my head'.

ISoA: Have there been other bands, or artists, that you've wanted to work with in the past but haven't been able to?

Howie B: Eh... not really! I usually.. if a band asks me to work with them, or I get on with them or want to do the project, I always make the time to do it. The only time it has happened, or does happen, is when I'm on tour. Occasionally when I go on a long tour I've had to say no to a few projects. But there's not that many that I say no to because of time restraints or something else because I will make time to do a project.

ISoA: Unlike a lot of your contemporaries in the 90's "electronica" scene your work still as relevant and interesting today as it was ten years ago. This new album is good as your stuff from the last decade. What helps you the most to stay creatively motivated?

I think movement, searching hunger, and non-repetition.

ISoA: This album, as you said, "carries an electronic dub flag" not just the Italian flag. Your body of work has always defied a specific label, what drew you to using a dub sound for the project?

Howie B: I felt it suited the sound we created, and I'm very comfortable with that, and I wanted to challenge myself and put a sort of rock into a dub situation, and challenge them and challenge me, you know by using guitars... you know, but not funky guitars... I mean there are some rock chords and stuff like that. That was the 'challenging thing' for me, that the dub came from. The band has a love of dub and it has a big color in their social life. I mean I didn't want to take it a breakbeat way, or a house way, you know it seemed to lend itself it me taking it on a dub tip.

ISoA: In the same way we were talking about languages earlier do you think there's something about the dub sound that is maybe more universal than other genres?

Howie B: It is. It's universal. There's a love of dub everywhere. It's because of the simplicity, it's because of the instrumentation is very simple. And it's groove based so that as a language is universal. You know we can all get a good groove very quickly! So in terms of 'us' getting intense chord structure, that may be something we have to think about, but in terms of a good groove? That's immediate.

ISoA: Do you listen to dubstep at all?

Howie B: Yeah, of course I listen to dubstep! I listen to it constantly!

ISoA: Is there anyone particularly that you're into?

Howie B: Yeah I like this guy called Marlowe. He's from South of England, he's put out about three or four songs and he's done some mixes for some people. He's good new blood coming out. I like Digital Mystiks, I like Burial... it's different, there's a really good healthy scene here in London and in Bristol just now. It's very British, it's very local, and now it's seeping out now to the States... but it's a very new thing and it's great and it's really exciting. I love where it's coming from, I love the sound and the textures and the people! The guys making it are really cool and not affected by the scene... and it's also a big vinyl based thing as well which I'm really happy about.

ISoA: It's awesome. The sound does seem to be splintering in all different directions which is good for creativity. Hey, this is a cheesy question but I'm still going to ask it anyway. Outside of "Not In The Face", what album of your own do you feel the strongest affinity for?

Howie B: It's interesting because there all so bloomin' different! 'Music For Babies' it think because it was the first time I'd done a total solo project. I'd done albums before but it had always been a joint album, or it was in a band situation, but that was the first self produced album. And I think that was a big one for me, just to have completed that and it have it underneath my belt was a big achievement for me at the time. It gave me my liscence to go make more.

ISoA: And along the same lines, outside of the current project, is there a record you've worked on with another artist that stands out as being one that your particularly proud of?

Howie B: A record I did with Siouxie and the Banshees I did in 1988 called 'Killing Jar'.

ISoA: Realllyyyyy...

Howie B: Yeah reallllyyyyyyy... REALLLLYYYYYY (both laughing). I mixed it in I think 1988, could've been '87. I did two songs with them, one called 'Peekaboo' and one called 'Killing Jar'. I mixed them, I didn't produce them, I just remixed the 7" version. So there's two versions, an album version of both those songs that I didn't do, and then those two 7" inch versions which went into the charts and bum-bumpa-bumpa-bum... and I did the 7" inch versions. And that, again, was a really big thing for me because that was a band I went to see as a kid... when I was 12 or 13, I'd tell my parents I was going to bed, and then jump out the window and go see them in concert! And then 10 years later I was mixing their tracks in the studio. So, that was a BIG one... and it still stands today, I listening to both the tracks a couple weeks ago and I thought 'oh fuck, that was quite good!'

ISoA: That's awesome, I didn't know that about you. I didn't know you had done that.

Howie B: Yeah yeah. I've done a few... I mean, I blasted into public knowledge, musically, probably mid-nineties or something like that, maybe a little bit earlier after Soul 2 Soul and all of that, but before that I'd been working and mixing for 4 years. So I'd been doing stuff with Ryuichi Sakamoto, I'd been doing stuff a few interesting and varied people. David Byrne I did some things with. I did a lot of film work in those days as well, mixing music for film scores and stuff like that. I did probably about 20 or 30 films over 2 years as well.

ISoA: Your body of work is not specific to just music; you've done work with art galleries and have created your own fashion brand. What else is on the horizon in the near future for you?

Howie B: Uh, oil refinery.

ISoA: That's where the money is at!

Howie B: Yeah, think that's what I'd like. I think I can drill for oil! It's in my blood, I can smell it, I know I can do it!

ISoA: Well I wish you a lot of luck with that...

(Howie busts out laughing)

ISoA: ...you'd be in a fantastic position. If you need anyone to help you out give me a call.

Howie B: Ok, yeah, if I need someone to help me drill I've give you a call, don't worry!


Here's an oldie but a goodie for ya... off of "Turn The Dark Off"...
Howie B- "Fizzy In My Mouth" YSI

Howie B- "Fizzy In My Mouth"

EDIT: I got in trouble with because of the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) on this post. Which is kind of wild right? I'm trying to plug this artists new piece of work by posting older work and BOOM got nailed. Well I guess you guys can say goodbye to me posting music "freely" under the assumption that record companies are more interested in their artists selling new music (therefore renewing interest in their old work)!

And that was that kids. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long to post. You know what's funny? All that shit prior to the interview I had written the day before the interview happened! So that stuff about French being pleasing to English speakers was pretty funny.

Here's the video Howie's "Maniac Melody"...



"Not In The Face" comes from Fabric who are of course committed to bringing creativity to light as much as humanly possible :)


Go to last.fm and check out Howie's upcoming events!

Also peep some more info about Howie B over at Resident Advisor! I'll be back with more soon.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Almost have Howie's interview done... Bloc Party vids from last night!


I SWEAR I'm going to get the Howie B interview up today... I'm shit at preparing and transcribing interviews...

You guys have missed out on 3-5 good interviews because of that (speaking of interviews one of the good women at Bang On is still following up on the Foals interview; you will get it eventually!).... but given the increase in this site's profile, and the seriousness with which other people are regarding it, I can no longer treat this like some 'dog and pony show'.

Arcadia has become of interest to people who I only could have dreamed of speaking with, much less working with... so I promise that from here on out this will be a professional operation... you know besides my lack of punctuation, my use of swear words, total over enthusiasm, and fan boy-ish tendencies.

With that said... Atlantic Records hooked your boy up with two tickets to see Bloc Party last night. I know they've been getting a lot of coverage here on the site... usually I don't like to do back to back to back to back posts (unless it's about Flosstradamus lol... who you may remember did work on the 'Mercury' single)...

...Charles and I had to skip out on Bronco Bash which is a GREAT way for 'The Spirit Of Albion' to reach out to new students in the area... we couldn't get a sub so we had to miss out on a great opportunity :( Sorry students... we'll make it up eventually!

Charles hadn't heard the new album so we listened to the whole thing on the way over to Detroit (Royal Oak really). I explained to him of course that my preference is in the 'weirder' tracks on the new album... it got us really psyched to see the show for sure.

When we got there I remembered suddenly spending time in Royal Oak with my ex and her graphic designer friend so it was easy to find parking lol. I also remembered seeing Craig David there a few years ago.. but we won't get into that lol...

First, before I tell you of this awesome show, let's give you some tracks! I try to only upload tracks that a) are non-album tracks, and b) will spark your interest to look into more of their work, not steal their music. My belief is that if you really feel dedicated to a band, and their art, you'll buy the music... especially if someone gives you some free stuff to fuel that fire lol...

Bloc Party- "Like Eating Glass (Black Strobe Remix)" YSI

Bloc Party- "Flux (TomBoy's Cowbell Treat Remix)" YSI

Bloc Party- "The Once And Future King" YSI

Side note: The latter track is a track from the 'non-album' (whose title came from the blogosphere) called 'Another Weekend In The City'... it's quite a good album I might add! It's just more proof that these guys want to please their fans... 'A Weekend In The City' got leaked so they had a WHOLE 'NOTHER ALBUM ready for the fans when it was actually released! You may have all this as it's kind of old news but if you're just getting into Bloc Party (or are just becoming a fanatic) this is what the tracks for the non-album are... they can be bought online and we're the "bonus tracks" for the album in each region the album was sold in...

We Were Lovers/ Cain Said To Abel/ Version 2.0/ The Once And Future King/ Secrets/ Rhododendron/ England/ Vision Of Heaven/ Selfish Son/ Atonement/ Emma Kate's Accident

Anyway, Holy Fuck we're the opener and it was nice to hear them play 'Lovely Allen'! I picked up a nice shirt with a girl covered in a scarf that says Bloc Party at the bottom. We stood in a crowd of mostly freshman age kids waiting for them to start playing. The crowd was completely ecstatic awaiting their arrival...

This mood prevailed all night long and was visible in the bands demeanor as well. It was an important show because this is the first "North American" show for the new album Intimacy. It was also the first show with Gordon Moakes back on bass (he was off taking Daddy Leave)... and it was the first time a lot of the new songs were played. Seeing them (dazed on my end due to that Morphine for my then infected tooth) at Lollapalooza was cool but as good as it was it seemed like preparation for this show. They we're excited and ready to go!

To give you an idea of the awesomeness that we witnessed here's the setlist from Blog Party...

Halo (first time played live) / Hunting For Witches / Positive Tension / Waiting For The 7.18 / Song For Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / This Modern Love / The Once And Future King / Mercury / The Prayer / One Month Off / Like Eating Glass

Ion Square (first time played live) / Price Of Gasoline / Flux / Helicopter


The band was literally all smiles. Kele bounced around and almost acted out the lyrics, thrusting his hips, throwing his arms around... they were all really into it. The obvious high point was Kele jumping into the crowd for 'Mercury'... I didn't rush to get close to him because I've met him before (and I'm a 26 year old man so it would have been more than a little dorky)... he's a nice guy, very level headed.
He was impressed that I had the first EP on vinyl for him to sign when I met him, and his desire to have a little convo made me a Bloc Party convert for life... I feel like I could sit in a room right now with the band and spend a whole day with them and get along really well. That's how it should be with bands, not this holier than thou bullshit. Bloc Party are a band of the people and really respect their fans... because of this the crowd didn't maul him, they treated him like they knew and respected him.

'Halo' was amazing... all the new songs we're really good... especially 'Ion Square' (which is a new favourite). These four songs, Waiting For The 7.18 / Song For Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / This Modern Love, elicited loads of applause and excitement from the crowd. This was where the band got really relaxed and was starting to really soar. They made mention of this being the first North American show, and Kele said the first time they played Detroit he lost his voice saying it was one of his worst shows ever. Of course the crowd disagreed with him!

During 'Song For Clay' Kele struggled to find the notes at first so Russell played the chords to guide him and they took off. It was brilliant. Charles who is a fan, of their 'recorded work' as he put it, said he is more of a fan now after seeing their spirited live show. This was my third time seeing them and I think it was their best. Kele's voice sounded perfect, and his practice was obvious for this tour... the rest of the band kept it really tight, and powerhouse drummer Matt Tong helped keep the show moving during technical difficulties (which the audience didn't even seem to car about).

They did play what I've been calling the 'American radio bound singles' (i.e. "Halo" and "One Month Off") and despite the fact I prefer the more experimental songs, their dedication to playing these songs made me enjoy them more though! I gotta say... this band, despite people being critical of them *cough, Pitchfork*, are getting to the point where they can do no wrong (in my eyes, and I guess most of that audience last night).

"Ion Square" was the first song in the encore, and it was so good I was content with not staying (I knew 'Flux' and 'Banquet' were going to be in the encore and I've seen those... we caught part of 'Price Of Gas')... I'm glad I was able to capture some of this for you guys...

Bare in mind before you watch these that cameras WERE NOT ALLOWED AT THE VENUE. I was searched right before I went in, but as a member of the new school press, a camera magically appeared in my hand although I had not brought one to the show! I didn't want to break any rules so 'swim' took the pictures and videos while standing right where I was for the sake of documenting a historic show for the blogosphere :) What a nice magical thing to have happen. Not unlike the recording from Lollapalooza I didn't make!





Here's "Mercury"... it's dark and distorted.. but Kele jumped into the crowd for most of the song which is why (at one point he was standing right over Charles and I though). Despite the loss of quality it's still worth taking a look at :)




The final word is (and has been) that Bloc Party are an all around AMAZING band, the new album is great (IMHO), and they are killer live. Go and see them if you get a chance... peep an interview over at P4K... go to their YouTube channel... and if it's your thing, appreciate that one of the best and biggest bands of our generation wants to be on the ground level with us.

Ok, come back soon and I PROMISE you'll have the interview you've been waiting for :)


P.s. Here's so videos from the making of 'A Weekend In The City'...




Thursday, September 04, 2008

Still buying time... almost done transcribing... here's something 'SPOOKY'!



So the wife and I aren't huge fans of the television. By television I mean "cable". Not quite my thing. See, since we both are involved in the arts and music, and she's in school and I'm in a grueling line of work... sitting around and getting my brain raped by VH1 reality shows doesn't sound like much fun. That was my life 4 years ago when I was total scum. I'd rather not relive that.

HOWEVER... that doesn't mean I don't want to relive 14 years ago (Jesus I'm old) sitting on the phone with my wife (who then was my 8th grade girlfriend) and watching Kryceck's eyes turn black on the X-Files. Or the total geeky non-porn-porn moments of Mulder and Scully talking to each other so closely that they can tell if the other person has cavities or not. That is the sexiest non-sex I've ever seen... (which means that I Want To Believe made me shit myself... I mean why do you think we went out and bought seasons 1-4 lol)...

Anyway, in honor of my most recent obsession that isn't Bloc Party (who I'm going to see tomorrow!) I thought I'd post up a couple X-Files related songs.

Now, I know I make a lot of jokes about the Welsh over at 'Albion' but I don't really mean it. Some of my best friends are Welsh (rimshot). Anyway, this was a fun one from a while ago... Catatonia's lead singer went on to do her own thing and is still being successful from what I can remember...

Catatonia- "Mulder and Scully" Rapidshare

Oddly enough Noel Gallagher did a song for the first X-Files movie called "Teotihuacan"... which then became an Ian Brown song... apparently "Teotihuacan" is a Mexican site which, like all difficult to imagine structures from this planets history, very well may have been built (or at least assisted in building by) aliens. I mean come on. Take a look at the damn thing. Or the pyramids. Shit Stonehenge doesn't make any sense... how do the pyramids? Or Teotihuacan? Yeesh!

Noel Gallagher- "Teotihuacan" YSI

Noel Gallagher- "Teotihuacan" zShare

Ian Brown (feat Noel Gallagher)- "Keep What Ya Got" YSI

Then this was from the soundtrack for the movie...

The Cure- "More Than This"

The Cure- "More Than This" YSI

Ok that's it for now... I promise Saturday I'll have the interview finished and I'll have Bloc Party pics/vid something... see ya then!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

All sorts of things... Midweek update!


So, I just got done doing an interview with the legendary Howie B... the man can be described as nothing other than a legend, is a really nice bloke, and I could have talked to him for an hour. Apparently his next big move is drilling for oil but you're going to have to wait.

Oh what little treat can I throw your way to satiate your musical urges for a few hours? Hmmmmmm... I gotta give you something to fuel these end of summer parties, club nights, back-to-mines, love affairs, dorm parties... whatever the hell you kids are into now! Hopefully this will do it :)

This is a wicked little rework that came from Prodigy on a comp here recently... surely a better fit than that "Love Buzz" rework.. I mean I LOVE Prodigy but... that wasn't quite my style... this is...
The Prodigy- "Ghost Town" YSI

The Prodigy- "Ghost Town" Mediafire

I can't get enough of Bloc Party and that new album... in fact I'm hoping to see them on Saturday night! Let's cross our fingers on that one :)
Bloc Party- "Flux (BBC6 Session)" YSI

Bloc Party- "Flux (BBC6 Session)" Mediafire

This one is pretty wicked as well...
Bloc Party- "Mercury (BBC6 Session)" YSI

Bloc Party- "Mercury (BBC6 Session)" Mediafire

Now I lost interest in Gnarls Barkley when I lost my copy of their first cd... I'm sure it's in my ex-girlfriends car. Whatevs. But this Radiohead cover is pretty sick.. check it out...
Gnarls Barkley- "Reckoner (Radiohead Cover)" YSI

Gnarls Barkley- "Reckoner (Radiohead Cover)" Mediafire

This has been out for a while as the American extra on the Dizzee Rascal album... but I just got around to listening to it... too much music... Enjoy it though!
Dizzee Rascal- "Megamaster 1.0 (Mixed by El-P)" YSI

Dizzee Rascal- "Megamaster 1.0 (Mixed by El-P)" Mediafire

And lastly this is the leak from Vice for the new album by The Streets... this album is going to be off the fucking hook and I hope you all buy it the day it comes out to make records!
The Streets- "The Escapist" YSI

The Streets- "The Escapist" Mediafire

I thought I would also mention Franz Ferdinand have started blogging on MOG (which if you haven't figured out yet I'm quite fond of. Here's a few links to what they have going on...

http://mog.com/Franz_Ferdinand/blog/186082
http://mog.com/Franz_Ferdinand/blog/186085
http://mog.com/Franz_Ferdinand/blog/186088

Speaking of blogs, you'll notice in the blogroll that Klaxons are in full blog fever... I'm not going to link them all here but you can find them on the side! That second album will no doubt be amazing. The moment that James Ford mentioned it when I was interviewing him my heart jumped... I am obsessed with hearing that record! Even the demos! Come on guys?!?!

Anyway, the Howie B interview will be up soon... it's a hoot. You guys will love it. Check back soon...
Podcast