Watch: Biffy Clyro, Bubbles

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.

April

29th – Perth, Concert Hall.
30th – Sheffield, O2 Academy.

May

1st – Blackpool, Empress Ballroom.
3rd – Leicester, De Montfort Hall.
4th – Portsmouth, Guildhall.
5th – Bristol, Colston Hall.
6th – London, Hammersmith Apollo.

Harper Simon: Like Father, Like Son

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.

Watch: Tiffany Page, Walk Away Slow

Female artists seem to have taken over the Indie scene over the last year or so with major awards going to the likes of Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding. Now Tiffany Page could be the next one to keep a close eye on. At only 23 years old she's spent the last summer hopping between London and LA to write and record her debut album, 'Walk Away Slow'. Ahead of its release on June 21st Tiffany has made title track, 'Walk Away Slow' available for a free download, which you can find here.. The lead single 'On Your Head' will then be released on May 24th.

As well as being able to download the track from the link above, you can also watch the video below.

Watch: O.Children, Ruins

With a dark brooding sound and the deep voice of singer Tobi O'Kandi, O.Children are the latest band who will inevitably draw comparisons to Joy Division. Their debut single, 'Dead Disco Dancer', gained them favourable coverage with people like Clash and the NME and now 2010 sees them return with their second single, 'Ruins'. It's an ominous and sinister slice of post-punk with loud, swirling guitars from the off, an energy that never seems to let up and O'Kandi's rumbling vocals lying nicely over the top. If this is anything to go by the O.Children could be a band to get really excited about in 2010.

You can watch the equally sinister video below.

Villagers Set for New Single

Villagers appear to be the latest example of a solo artist performing under the security blanket of a band name. Whilst Villagers may have fixed band members they are very much the embodiment of Conor J. O'Brian who sings and plays all of the instruments on debut album 'Becoming a Jackal' (apart from the French Horn and strings). He even designed all of the artwork for the album himself.

Their debut single will be the title track, 'Becoming a Jackal' and will be released on April 17th, with the album following on May 24th. It will be available on limited edition 7" from Domino and it's nice to see the digital release following the physical release for a change, with the song being available for download on April 26th. You can watch the video for the song below.

Matthew Herbert is One

Matthew Herbert has never been one to shy away from ambitious, unusual and contraversial musical projects and so it should come as no surprise that he's hitting us with a concept trilogy of albums in 2010, named the 'One Trilogy'. With a name like that it all sounds a bit Lord of the Rings so let's clear up what it's all about.

'One One' is entirely played and performed by Matthew, including the singing.

'One Club' is made entirely from sounds recorded in one night at the Robert Johnson night club in Frankfurt on September 30th 2009. (June release)

'One Pig' is a record made out of the life cycle of a pig. (September release)

The first offering, 'One One', will be released on April 12th and the first single from the album is 'Leipzig', which is scheduled for release on March 29th. You can watch the video below.

Born Ruffians are Sole Brothers

Candian band Born Ruffians kind of disappeared off the music scene for a while as they recorded the follow up album to their 2008 debut, 'Red, Yellow, Blue'. Now however they are back and ready to release their sophomore offering, 'Say It' on May 31st. To celebrate this fact they are offering the album track 'Sole Brother' as a free download in order to whet your appetite for the main course. You can find it here.

Oh and here's a video of the band performing the song for Tripwire. Enjoy.

Review: The Invisible, Jacob and the Angel

It's been a successful year for The Invisible since the release of their debut album this time in 2009. With a Mercury nomination for their self-titled album, as well as lucrative support slots for the likes of Hot Chip, it's fair to say that things have been steadily on the up. Now they plan to release 'Jacob and the Angel' as a free download on the 15th March.

They've claimed that it's a free download for fans, the vast majority of whom will already have the album, so I suspect it's more likely to try and attract new fans, in which case it's an odd choice. It has a very ethereal and floaty chillout vibe to it, which we've seen before in breakthrough single 'London Girl' and their cover of 'Come Together'. I'd like to see them make something like 'Monster's Ball' (an early 7" single) available again or album closer 'Time Waits'. Both of these songs show a heavier side to their music that the casual listener may not have picked up on before. Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

Ok Go Strike Again

After the worldwide smash hit phenomenon that was the video for 'Here It Goes Again', which has reportedly reached a combined play count of 49million on Youtube, Ok Go look set to achieve the same amount of success with the video for their latest single 'This Too Shall Pass'.

The video, below, which features the band in full marching band uniform, a few camouflaged brass players and the Notre Dame Marching Band, has already notched up over a million views on youtube.



However, not content with the success of this video virally, the band knocked up a second video, which looks set to become the true heir to the treadmill's throne (it even shows that video at one point). Remember that Honda advert with all the car pieces bumping in to each other in a chain reaction? Imagine that but stretch it out to nearly four minutes and replace the car parts with a load of random items, gradually getting bigger in scale and resulting in the band being covered in paint. It's best to just watch it really so here it is...

Update: Operator Please, Logic

Another quick update for you. After bringing you details of the free download of 'Logic' by Operator Please the video has hit the web. The more I listen to the song the more I like it and the video compliments it perfectly. It's a very cool, well shot video full of lights, projections and angles and seems to be a true visual representation of the song, like all the best videos are. It's hard to describe really so just watch it!

Update: Alan Pownall, Chasing Time

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.

Review: Owen Pallett, Lewis Takes His Shirt Off

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.

Crazy Horses

New Young Pony Club are back with their first new material since late 2007 and......it's good. The new single, 'Chaos' is a lot more radio friendly than their previous material, which is causing some divide amongst the fans of the band, but one single can't truly represent the sound of a whole album so their anxiety is perhaps a little premature.

The change doesn't seem to have done them any harm though. From the unwavering bassline through to the funky drumming and the understated vocals, 'Chaos' is a track that sucks you in and refuses to let go until the end. To be honest I don't know what some fans are complaining about! As well as exciting fans with this new single they've also let a remix by Rory Phillips become available for free download here.

Eugene Scales Up

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.

Introducing: Alan Pownall

Alan Pownall is apparently one of the year's most hypable artists according to the people at Hypem.com. If, however, you find yourself staring at the name blankly, like I did, then here's the skinny... Pownall first picked up a guitar in 2004 when he was still at art school and, two years later, with only a handful of songs to his name he was personally invited to tour with Adele. After a disastrous outing, which knocked his confidence, he picked himself back up, determined to improve his songwriting and guitar playing and soon found himself playing gigs with numerous rising stars including Florence and the Machine, Jack Penate, Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale. His music is very easy going and simplistic in style, which isn't a criticism (much of The Beatles' catalogue could be classed as simplistic), and allows for more scope for his voice to dominate the record. Check out the video for 'Take Me' at the bottom of the page to get more of an idea.A

Now with work on his debut album pretty much wrapped up he's set to hit the road throughout February in order to take his music across the UK. You can catch him at the following venues:

7 Feb - Louisiana, Bristol
8 Feb - Camden Barfly, London
10 Feb - Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London
11 Feb - Lee Rosy’s Tea, Nottingham
12 Feb - Liquid Ship, Glasgow
13 Feb - Nexus Art Café, Manchester
14 Feb - Adelphi, Leeds
16 Feb - Glee Club, Birmingham

http://www.myspace.com/alanpownall

More She Than Him

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.

Brotherly Love

The Avett Brothers have been plying their trade for around ten years now but it is only with the release of their latest album 'I and Love and You' that they have found themselves propelled in to the international spotlight. Hailing from Concorde, North Carolina, their blend of rock, folk, country, blues and punk, has been winning over fans since their debut album 'Country Was' in 2002. Heavily relying on an acoustic sound with unplugged guitars, banjos and a double bass their latest release 'Slight Figure of Speech', sees a rare forray in to electric territory and it pays dividends.

The song exudes an almost effortless rock and roll sensibilty (as if one of the more upbeat Counting Crows had been mixed with the 'City of the Damned' section from Green Day's 'Jesus of Suburbia' before being stripped back) and it would happily slot in to any radio playlist. They've been touted as an acoustic Kings of Leon and if they can emmulate even a fraction of their domination of ther airwaves then 2010 should be a very good year for them.

Below is the very funny video for 'Slight Figure of Speech'. Skip to about 2:10 if you want to get straight to the song. Also worth checking out is the title track of the album 'I and Love and You', which can be found here.

Blame Coco...She Does...

Eliot Pauline Styler-Sumner, aka Coco, otherwise known as I Blame Coco, is (as the music connoisseur's amongst you may already have spotted) the daughter of Sting, so it's fair to say that she has quite a name to live up to. Although this link may have made the route in to music slightly easier for her, recording her album in Sweden with producer Klas Ahlund also had its benefits, especially when it comes to latest single, 'Caesar', on which the Swedish artist Robyn (who also works with Ahlund) lends her vocals. The fact that Robyn specifically requested to add another vocal part to the chorus is glowing tribute indeed to the talent of the 19 year old Coco.

Having seemingly inherited her father's habit of tending to sing in a faux reggae style accent, Coco has been touted as the Amy Winehouse or Duffy of her chosen genre. The track itself is driven along by a distorted, scuzzy bass line with Robyn's smoother vocals providing a good contrast to Coco's deeper tones on the chorus. The energy of the track lends itself perfectly to club tracks so it's no surprise that several remixes have already surfaced and two of these can be yours for free by clicking on the links below.

Diplo Remix

Miike Snow Remix

A Little Taste of Hollywood

Another of the BBC's Sound of 2010, Welsh born, half Greek songstress Marina Diamandis, otherwise known as Marina and the Diamonds, ended up coming second overall. Now we get to sample 'Hollwood' her second major single from the forthcoming album 'The Family Jewels.

The first thing that strikes you is her deceptively low voice in the opening verse. It's a voice that has drawn comparisons with Kate Bush, Florence and the Machine and I even detected a slight similarity to Imogen Heap in parts and it's perhaps this unconventionality that really draws you in to the song. This soon gives way to a higher tone in a slightly, but not overpoweringly so, bubblegummy chorus, which has an ability to stick around in your head long after the song has finished. The good news is that we only have a couple of weeks to wait to see what the album has in store.

Bittersweet Redemption

So I was roaming on Twitter, like you do, and I found a link to the debut video for 'Are You Ready' from a new band called United Nations of Sound. Naturally I checked it out and thought it sounded very Britpop like a kind of thing Oasis or the Verve would do. Of course it was after I thought this that I found out that it was actually Richard Ashcroft's new band. I don't know whether to be happy that I was kinda right or embarrassed that I didn't recognise his voice.

Anyway, it's pretty good. I know The Verve get a lot of stick from people even though, for me, 'Urban Hymns' is a masterpiece, but this is different. It's harder and rougher around the edges. It's got that kind of swagger that's so readily identifiable with Britpop that the charts are missing these days. You think back to bands like Blur and Oasis and even The Verve in their heyday and they just dripped with confidence. I mean the song ends with an epic two minute guitar solo freak out! I can't remember the last time I heard a guitar solo on the radio let alone a two minute guitar solo outro! It could be a breath of fresh air in an industry that seems to be, with a few notable exceptions, stagnating when it comes to new talent. The new album is due for a release around March and will be called 'Redemption'.

Currently the NME has the video exclusive so if you want to check it out then you can find it here.