The steady, tinny drumbeat from Steve Mason's latest single 'Lost and Found', along with the atmospheric vocals, always hinted its remix potential and now Active Child has stepped up and produced it. The remix has been described as 'sci-fi tinged' and the layers of synths and keyboards do sound like they belong in an indie sci-fi flick. Despite the relentless pace througout most of the track Active Child has still managed to produce a very chilled out remix and you can find it here.
You can also check out the single in its original format below.
Biffy Clyro's latest release is undoubtedly one of the highlights of 'Only Revolutions' with its (excuse the pun) bubbling verses and rousing sing-a-long chorus. However, the major draw for many is the inclusion of a solo by Josh Homme of QOTSA. It's a sign of how far Biffy Clyro have come, as well as the strength of their music philosophy, that they have been able to attract such a name.
“Someone like Josh, it’s like he’s a musical lifer,” says vocalist/guitarist Simon Neil. “We are as well, and I think when you meet people you can see in their eyes whether they really mean it or not. It’s kind of weird being friends with someone who’s a hero like Josh, but I see in him what I see in myself and he sees in us what he saw in himself, that kind of hunger and willingness and doing it for the right reasons. It’s really easy to connect with people because of that.”
The single is due for release on April 26th ahead of their UK tour. You can find the dates for the tour and the video for the single below.
The folk rock slide guitars and soft vocals that wash over you at the start of Harper Simon's latest single 'Shooting Star' conjure images of Simon and Garfunkel and well they might. Harper is the son of Paul Simon. Being the son of a superstar hasn't been a guarantee of instant success as it has been for so many others as it's only now, at the age of 37, that his eponymous debut album has been released. I've only been able to listen to the few tracks that are on his myspace page but it seems as though Simon is the superstar child most likely to gain independent success (over the likes of Sean Lennon and James McCartney for instance.)
The album is due out on April 5th so it remains to see whether he can retain the consistency throught a full 10 tracks. However, with contributions from collaborators of Elvis and Patsy Kline, as well as from Sean Lennon and Paul Simon himself, the signs are encouraging.
'Shooting Star' is below and you can head to his myspace for more information.
Joshua Radin is another of these singer songwriters in the vein of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz et al and 'I'd Rather Be With You' is the second single to be released from his sophomore album 'Simple Times'. If I'm completely honest it does sound a little bit formulaic; start off with a single acoustic guitar and a soft voice, bring in the drums and a second guitar to give it a fuller, bouncier sound and ride out to the end. However, even if you think you've heard it all before, when it's done this well it doesn't really matter. Given the strength of this and previous single 'One of Those Days' I have high hopes for the album.
'I'd Rather Be With You' is released on March 22nd with the album released on April 12th. You can watch the video below, which features Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.
Just a quick update for you. After I informed you about Alan Pownall a few weeks ago it has come to my attention that he has a new single out next week on the 5th April. Called 'Chasing Time' it's a very catchy yet laid back track, suitable for someone dubbed the British Jack Johnson. It has a bit more punch to it than some offerings by Johnson though and will certainly get him plenty of space on the radio airwaves and a lot more fans. You can watch the video for the single below.
Oh, and as an added treat you can also download Alan's EP for free from his website.
I always like finding new bands and in recent months I've become very receptive to Australian bands. I don't know if it's because I see them in a sentimental light after falling in love with Powderfinger but there are loads of talented young Australian bands coming through at the moment in the UK market. Bands like Sneaky Sound System last year and teenagersintokyo this year have slowly been capturing our imaginations and now it looks like it could be the turn of Operator Please.
The band, still all in their early twenties, have already won an ARIA award in Australia and have announced the first single from their sophomore album 'Gloves'. 'Logic' keeps things simple with a dirty, garage band feel, constructed of a fuzzy bassline and drum combination for the verses and then a few well placed chords are all that are added to produce a catchy, sing-along chorus. They've very kindly given us the option of having the track as a free download, which can be found here.
And more information about the band can be found at their myspace.
Owen Pallett's latest release is a very mixed bag, stylistically at least. The intro is threatening to take us in to sonic territory before a whirl of strings and a gentle drum beat combine to create a driving rhythm over the gently bubbling electronic. Add to this Pallett's soft vocals and we are left with an absorbing starter to the main course towards the end of the song. A subtle change in drum beat and a slow re-introduction of strings, along with Pallett's increasingly strong vocal refrain, create a suitably 'epic' finale to a song that will only serve to enhance Pallett's already rapidly increasing reputation.
After the success of his eponymous debut album in 2008 Eugene McGuinness has been a busy boy, recruiting his brother amongst others, to form a new band, The Lizards. Performing under the name Eugene and the Lizards the band released their debut 'Glue EP' late last year and we're now being offered the first singles from the EP in the form of a double A-Sid.
The single, scheduled for release on March 1st, will include the tracks 'Bugjuice' and 'I Want Action'. If you want a taste of what's in store then you can watch the video for 'Bugjuice' below or head to Eugene's website for a free download of the same track. If you like what you hear then Eugene will be playing a couple of solo shows in London over the coming month. You can catch him here:
February 5th: Hobby Horse in Dalston, London. February 16th: Lock Tavern in Camden, London.
I feel sorry for Matt Ward. It must be hard being in a band where 99% of the focus seems to be on your band mate. Then again, it's not everyone who shares a band with a major Hollywood star in Zooey Deschanel, most recently seen in the wonderful (500) Days of Summer. Zooey has always had an interest in music and had recorded many self penned home demos before her movie career took off but, ever since, it seems she's used her films as a vehicle for her voice. I can remember her singing prominently in Elf, Yes Man, and there was a karaoke scene in (500) Days of Summer as well, but fair play to her.
Now She and Him are back with the first song to be taken from their sophomore album, 'Volume Two'. 'In The Sun' is a summery, feel good tune with a catchy piano hook and a fun chorus with guest vocals from Tilly and the Wall. I can't quite make my mind up about Zooey's vocals though. They're perfect for this kind of music, sugary and sweet but I don't see any real power to it, which I suppose is a moot point if they keep on putting out sunny pop like this.
'In The Sun' is released on March the 15th and you can listen to it below.
After the storming 'Papillon' Editors return bringing with them a track which, in my opinion, was the highlight of current album 'In This Light and On This Evening. 'You Don't Know Love' is the album's dark, brooding ballad and, despite having over a minute cut for the radio version it still retains its core elements. a steady build up, complete with ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’, before bringing Tom’s increasingly emotive vocals over a rare example of their signature guitar riffs.
Added to this is the extremely surreal video to accompany the song, directed by the same people responsible for the 'Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors'. It features a suited man performing acrobatics, dancing and fighting a woman and her hair. It makes a lot more sense if you watch the video below. Then again, it still doesn't make much sense anyway!
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a huge Bon Jovi fan so imagine my disgust when I realised they have a new album out in a few weeks and I knew nothing about it. That's all changed now and 'The Circle' will be released on November 2nd and 'We Weren't Born To Follow' will be the first single taken from it. It would be fair to say that the New Jersey band have mellowed over their last few albums, culminating in an interesting, if disappointing forray in to Country music on 'Lost Highway', especially after 'Have A Nice Day' had marked a real return to form following the seeds laid down on 'Bounce'.
'We Weren't Born to Follow', in line with a mellower Bon Jovi, is slightly more radio friendly than their older stuff but it's a welcome return to proper rock. It's an uplifting little number with a chorus reminiscent of 'Born to be My Baby' and one of Richie's special miniature solos. If the rest of the album follows this formula then we should be in for a bit of a treat.
Ash have been teasing us for months now about their ambitious A-Z singles project but now we can finally see 'A' for ourselves. 'True Love 1980' will kick off the year long collection and, true to its title, it's a wonderful slice of 80's style pop. Starting things off with a cracking keyboard line it takes Ash stylistically back to their 'Free All Angels' sound; a kind of mellower 'Shining Light' or 'There's A Star'. It's the kind of song that you can see being played at the Prom in some cheesy 80's high school film (in a good way). It's a great way to start the project and, even if you find yourself hating it, you've only got two weeks to wait until the next one!
If you want to find out more about the singles project you can check out my interview with Tim and Mark here, when I caught up with them at this summer's Hop Farm Festival.
Adam Green was brought to my attention this morning ahead of the release of his second album 'Minor Love'. The first track, 'What Makes Him Act So Bad' has been released and is available on his website, or you can listen and download it from the widget at the bottom of this post. I quite like it. He has a very old voice for his age, sounding a bit like Andy Williams, but it's a toe tapping slice of folk with a brilliantly old school solo. I think I may have to seek out his other stuff.
I've been listening to Biffy's latest single almost every day since I got it a couple of weeks ago. If that's not enough of a recommendation then I don't know what is! It's thoroughly infectious and will have you singing along in next to no time! The song looks set to storm Radio 1's playlist and will soon be unavoidable. Pop over to Culturedeluxe to have a look at my review.
Listen to it now, while you still have a choice...
Everyone's favourite Aussie band return after 2007's 'Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'. 'All of the Dreamers', the first offering from 'The Golden Rule', which is scheduled for release in November, sees them return to a slightly rawer sound, reminiscent of their work on 'Vulture Street' and 'Odyssey Number 5' and sits comfortably alongside tracks such as 'Like A Dog' and '(Baby I Got You) On My Mind'.
I'm really excited about the new album, especially if the rest of it follows the sound of this single. 'Vulture Street' and 'Odyssey Number 5', as well as 'Dream Days...' actually, have quickly become three of my favorite albums. I don't know why they haven't done better over here to be honest with you. After going to Australia and having the radio chuck them at you everywhere you go it's a shame to come back and struggle to even find their albums, let alone hear them on the radio. Hopefully this will be the album that finally establishes them in the UK.
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