January 2011
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MEN: Talk About Body
scribed for This Is Fake DIY
If that’s not eye-catching artwork, I don’t know what is. This is one of the rare cases where judging something by its outward appearance actually works, because ‘Talk About Body’ is every bit as colourful as… whatever the hell that’s meant to be.
A trio, the Brooklyn-based MEN consists of Le Tigre member JD Samson (who...
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January 2011, In Reviews
87% - British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall 82% - Adele - 21 79% - Chapel Club - Palace 77% - Gang Of Four - Content 71% - The Decemberists - The King is Dead 70% - Little Comets - In Search of Elusive Little Comets 60% - Cloud Nothings - Turning On 68% - MEN - Talk About Body 59% - White Lies - Ritual 55% - Suuns - Zeroes QC 49% - Bruno Mars - Doo Wops and Holligans
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Little Comets: In Search Of Elusive Little Comets
I can’t honestly remember, was 2010 predicted as the year of the resurgence of the guitar band or not? It seems like that kind of thing has been going on for ages, but evidently it’s all been a load of hot air. Up until now that is, because Little Comets have delivered the goods with their debut album.
Admittedly, one great debut will not be enough to spearhead the revival that has...
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January 2011 - Spotified
A quiet January, where the trees continue to show glimpses of orange, dead leaves, where a big freeze threatens to re-appear, where the blues overwhelm the good times. This month’s Spotify playlist reflects the dull, depressing mornings, but ends on a high with a zippy trio of optimistic, pristine efforts, leading us into a more Spring-like month.
The highlight of my month was hearing PJ...
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Chapel Club: Palace
You may not know this, but the name of Chapel Club’s debut album was in fact the second name they went by before eventually settling on the one through which they have become known. There’s more: these eleven (well, ten and a short introduction) songs have all been making their rounds on the live circuit for quite a while; and, with their ‘Wintering’ EP, they actually...
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WatchStream// Hercules & Love Affair- Blue Songs
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WatchAudiovisuals // Toro Y Moi - Still Sound
‘Still Sound’ was more than enough proof to us that Toro Y Moi was going places. After last year’s debut, it’s taken the electronic artist less than a year to build another collection of smooth, progressive pop. And even though for this video we merely see the guy messing about with friends, he’s musically maturing - no doubt...
WatchStream// Esben and the Witch - Violet Cries
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Gang of Four: Content
33 years. That’s how long Gang of Four have been around (albeit in a sort of stop-start career - the current incarnation has only been on the go since 2004), and they’ve influenced an entire generation of bands, even if most of this new crop won’t admit it.
Instead, Bloc Party are the group so often namechecked when modern post-punk bands mention their influences, but...
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Bell X1: Hey Anna Lena
There’s a ‘Bloodless Coup’ on the way - in the form of the new album from Bell X1, that is (artwork below), and by the sounds of the first track to be taken from it, the Kildare-based trio have reinvented themselves again.
I don’t know if ‘Hey Anna Lena’ is going to be the lead single. I’m guessing not: the song doesn’t have a strong enough hook...
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Adele - 21
scribed for Gigwise.com
The sharp, effusive energy of ‘Rolling In The Deep’ is enough to spell out exactly what’s going on here: Adele, two years on from her career kick-starting debut, has come of age. Be it the songwriters who surround her or the making of her own determination, ‘21’ is the little nudge forward that every pop sensation requires if they want the...
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Kidnapper Bell: Mouthful of Pennies / Falling and...
The Birmingham music scene has a lot going for itself, and it’s not hard to see why when bands the calibre of Kidnapper Bell populate it. The Anglo-American quartet (in a ratio of three to one) first caught our attention back in October of 2009 with ‘An Evening’, and their new double A-side single is of similar quality. The intriguing song structure and unshakeable melody of...
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Initial Thoughts: The Chapman Family - Burn Your...
There’s a lot to be said for having patience. The Chapman Family should know: we got nothing but radio silence from them for a good chunk of the last two years because they were putting everything they had into the creation of their debut album.
Well, not just that actually. There was also ‘a catalogue of errors, disasters and opportunities missed’, frontman Kingsley explains....
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The Skeleton Dead
“Be quiet, don’t speak, as we put these men to sleep”
As ‘A Nautical Theme’ enters its hymnal, lullaby-like chorus, your eyes quiver under the pressure of rest, the night turning your head to the other side of your pillow, the beginning of hours and hours of being unconscious.
The Skeleton Dead don’t specialise in night-time swan-songs, but they deliver...
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The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
scribed for Gigwise.com
2009’s ‘The Hazards Of Love’ saw something of a culmination for The Decemberists, of albums so steeped in invention and ingenuity that they bordered on becoming intimidating to a casual listener. But their latest release sees a bold departure from the conceptual thought that defined previous works - embracing said casual listener, ‘The King Is...
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Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Holligans
scribed for MusicOMH
The national press might only now have clocked on to the success of Tinie Tempah in 2010, but there was also a Stateside import who enjoyed similar riches, though so far with lesser hindsight recognition.
Bruno Mars was the voice behind some of the year’s biggest hits, including Billionaire and Nothing On You. And as a co-writer of Cee Lo Green’s chart-topping...
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White Lies: Ritual
Oh dear. In the history of ill-chosen album titles, this one is particularly bad. You know that when a reviewer thinks that White Lies’ second album, ‘Ritual’, isn’t much of a progression from their debut, they will cite the album title as being well-suited to its content or some such. Bad move, guys.
However, we’re not in that camp. We think their new album...
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WatchAudiovisuals // World Tour - Sparks
Latest signee to the ever-increasingly-prolific Cascine (we’re talking Chad Valley and Selebrities signed in the space of four months), World Tour give out warmth and luscious, smooth tones in ‘Sparks’. The video shows some statues, mountains and a few human beings at a loss of where exactly they are. Credit where credit’s due though,...
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ANR
Awesome New Republic for long, ANR for short. Well, even that’s enough to get you talking. But much of the music the Miami duo produce (all compiled in last year’s Stay Kids - see artwork above) is just as thought-provoking. There’s the fun element, reflected in their name, but add to that a glorious spin of inventiveness and a daring blend of extremes.
Below are two catchy...
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WatchStream// Star Slinger - Rogue Cho Pa EP
Bright and sparkling, coming off like a glorious epiphany that tells you your life is worth living, this uplifting EP is a wonderful introduction to Star Slinger if you’ve yet to meet. This is stuff of complete, kaleidoscope joy.
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Suuns - Zeroes QC
scribed for The Line Of Best Fit
All intent on announcing themselves, Suuns have let their determination point them in the wrong direction. Their debut, Zeroes QC, although glowing in a refreshing urge to experiment and transgress genres, comes off as a little naive, expressing too much at one time and giving the listener a royal headache.
Admittedly, that summary is of slight disservice to...
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British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall
scribed for This Is Fake DIY
Looks like good old-fashioned eccentricity’s triumphed again, as far as British Sea Power are concerned. From the title of the album alone, it was obvious ‘Valhalla Dancehall’ was going to have that quirkiness that the Brighton-based sextet had become famous for, but was strangely absent from their Mercury-nominated third album ‘Do You Like...
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WatchIt’s impossible to resist a good horn section. But here, you’re left totally baffled. ‘In Arms’ ambitious opening blooms like the flowers of Spring, before finding coherency and structure in a ground-shaking melody. You can’t help but feel that David’s Lyre was somewhat overlooked for the Sound of 2011 longlist. It’s easy to see him outdoing the likes of...
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Watch‘We’re New Here’
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The Resurgence of British Sea Power.
With ‘Who’s In Control’, British Sea Power have given ‘Valhalla Dancehall’ the kind of start an album of its magnitude deserves. Having received a promo today, MFM is looking forward to delving deeper into the record. The aforementioned New Year’s Eve stream didn’t go off without a hitch or ten, but at its premiere it made itself out to be an...
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Walter Meego
Every so often, you allow yourself to hear something that you usually wouldn’t have the time for, and it blows you away. And that’s what keeps you plugging away at new music, with every expectation that you’re bound to find your new favourite band.
Thanks to yvynyl, this might have just happened. Walter Meego’s music is so grand and streamlined that you’re left...
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Cloud Nothings - Turning On
With Turning On seeping through the holes in your speakers, one quite distinct picture is formed in your head: One of Cloud Nothings wiping the sweat off their foreheads, milling about a tighty-packed, windowless studio, passing a bottle of whiskey in exchange for a good riff. But then, you read the bio and to your amazement, you discover that Cloud Nothings aren’t friends from school or...