August 2011
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August Album Pick: Kids in Glass Houses - In Gold...
A lot of noise has been made over the last few years about how the album as a format is dead. People apparently prefer to download individual songs from iTunes and the like, so some would argue, what’s the point in releasing traditional albums anymore? Then there are albums, like this one, which demand to - and fully deserve to - be listened to as a whole. Even from a purely conceptual...
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MFM x 8TRACKS
As way of apologising for not putting together a podcast (while on holiday in Berlin), here’s an 8 tracks mix of the tracks that would’ve made the cut, from Keep Shelly in Athens to Supreme Cuts to oddlogic and Purity Ring.
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Jape: The Oldest Mind
This calls for a celebration. Richie Egan is back, even though he never really left. A member of The Redneck Manifesto, he certainly cannot be accused of resting on his laurels. Even though his band released their first album in six years last year (the excellent ‘Friendship’), Egan is still firing on all cylinders and has now properly made his return as Jape. ‘The Oldest...
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August Album Pick: Bombay Bicycle Club - A...
There aren’t very many bands out there whose work ethic is so strong that they can write three albums in three years; even less exist that make three albums just as good as each other. Bombay Bicycle Club should therefore appreciate the position they now find themselves in. After the spiky guitar pop of ‘I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ and the stripped-back acoustic...
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Audiovisuals - Transfer: Take Your Medicine
This has to be one of the best videos I’ve seen all year, and it helps that it’s accompanied by a rather cracking song. The second single from Transfer’s ‘Future Selves’ record arrives on October 3rd, two weeks after the release of the album, which, I might add, is sounding excellent. ‘Take Your Medicine’ is a song about society’s growing dependency...
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August Album Pick: LightGuides - Samba Samba Samba
I’m not sure what the story behind this Scottish band’s album title is, but before I go any further I’d like to point out that most of the samba evident on this record is in the title - sharp-eared listeners will pick up some other interesting flourishes. The Scottish trio are purveyors of razor-sharp power-pop, the kind which will inevitably draw comparisons to Biffy...
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Juffage: Small Fires
There are times when a music blogger’s just too busy to keep abreast of everything, and this happened with me and Juffage, AKA Jeff T. Smith. His debut album was released back in June. It was called ‘Semicircles’, and it completely passed me by. There is therefore no time like the present to introduce you to him. There’s a new single from the album on the way:...
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General Fiasco: The Age That You Start Losing...
They’re back. After a while out of the spotlight, General Fiasco are ready to come roaring back into it, and have already outlined their plans for the coming year. There will be two EPs to come: one in October, and one early next year. Then their second album will arrive in April/May. They’ve certainly been keeping busy: the first of these releases is the ‘Waves’ EP, due...
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August Album Pick - Will Hanson: Moving A Body
Sometimes, when bands try to put their fingers in as many different pies as possible and deliberately attempt to make a diverse album, it can often sound forced. More often still, it can fall flat on its face, so it’s nice to know that there are people out there who know exactly what they’re doing. Exhibit A: Will Hanson, who has created an album that delights in the unexpected. I...
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Simian Ghost: Free Agent
There’s a distinct 80s vibe running through the debut UK single from Aerial man Sebastian Arnström’s new project. This means it will be like Marmite for most people; and while the new venture is called Simian Ghost, there is absolutely no monkeying around involved. You simply can’t argue with ‘Free Agent’s’ hook. The song is going to be released as a single in...
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Audiovisuals - Spector: What You Wanted
There appears to be a Brandon Flowers-soundalike on vocals for this London band. Spector will therefore be saddled with comparisons to The Killers, and this is a sad fact, as this is considerably better than anything Flowers has been involved with in three years. ‘What You Wanted’ doesn’t feature any kind of wall-of-sound production, but it’s big, bold and crying out to be...
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August Album Pick: Labirinto - Anatema
Every so often, an album comes along that is completely immersive, that there’s no other way around but to just throw yourself into it and see what happens. The debut album from Brazilian post-rock group Labirinto is one such record. It’s 67 minutes long and comprised of six songs, all of which flow into each other, and all of which are over 10 minutes in length. To say that...
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Audiovisuals: The Middle East - Jesus Came to My...
This has come completely out of the blue (apparently it was announced two weeks ago and we missed it), but The Middle East have split. Yes, again. And yes, it appears that this time it’s for good - though, in light of their earlier split, we’re not ruling anything out. ‘I Want That You Are Always Happy’, you may recall, was featured as one of our album picks back in June.
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The Wilderness of Manitoba: Orono Park
There are some songs that try far too hard to get you to love them, and then there are those that are so effortless that you can’t help but be completely charmed. This absolute beauty from Toronto-based quintet The Wilderness of Manitoba falls into the latter category with no difficulty whatsoever. The swoon-worthy vocal interplay that makes up much of ‘Orono Park ’s’...
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August Album Pick: Fionn Regan - 100 Acres of...
Sometimes it takes just one song to leave a lasting impression, to convince the listener that an artist or band has stepped up their game. The title track from Fionn Regan’s new record is one such song, a six-minute, string-drenched epic that cannot help but leave most of the rest of his material in the shade. It’s so striking that you wonder whether the rest of the album can...
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Paul Wolinski from 65daysofstatic preps solo...
While his day job get busy with their ‘Silent Running’ project - which is due out in October apparently - 65daysofstatic man Paul Wolinski, hereafter referred to as Polinski (see what he did there?), is gearing up to release his debut solo album, also due out in October. A great month for fans of 65, then. Those of you who loved their most recent album, ‘We Were Exploding...
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Clock Opera: Lesson No. 7
The wheels are firmly in motion for Clock Opera now. The lead single from their album, as yet untitled but out early next year, has been unveiled, and it showcases quite a different side to the London-based quartet than we’d previously heard. ‘Lesson No. 7’, due out on October 3rd, is an up-tempo song that still manages to convey a sort of menacing vibe, making the song seem...
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Turning Torso: Soma
Sometimes you get a bit squashed; thrown to the wall with tasks and commitments - too many to handle. Such has been the last two weeks for me, where I’ve had little time to post, let alone put effort into a podcast, hence the wait for MFM017.This Turning Torso single is one I’ve been meaning to talk about in some form for the past few days; its frantic onslaught of jazzy guitar...
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