DATE ARCHIVES : August 2010

Simian Mobile Disco – ‘Nerve Salad’

Simian Mobile Disco are set to return with a new mix cd Simian Mobile Disco is Fixed made especially for their new residency at Fixed in New York. To celebrate they’re giving away ‘Nerve Salad’ which appears on the mix and an edit of what appeared on ‘Aspic / Nerve Salad’ EP.

It’s a deep dark electro beast which builds into a swirling onslaught of clanging noises and brooding if slighty unnerving atmospherics, slightly reminiscent of ‘1000 Horses Can’t Be Wrong’ but only if it had a nervous breakdown.

Simian Mobile Disco is Fixed is out 12 October.

Simian Mobile Disco – Nerve Salad via Hypetrack

Introducing: Stephanie

It’s amazing what you can stumble across on the internet these days.

Stephanie are Matt Lawson, Ian Judd, Andrew McKibben and Young Wil Adams, a Seattle quartet who have been making music together for just 9 months. They serve as a fine example that separate opposite musical forces which on their own would be abhorrent and shouldn’t work, meshed together and working in tandem the result is both weird and wonderful.

It’s a perfect marriage of D.I.Y lo-fi garage attitude with heavy post-punk undertones. The vocal and instrumentation imperfections add to the very ‘real’ feeling to their music which is absurdly catchy.

Mp3: Stephanie – Meds

Stephanie – Bed-In

Manic Street Preachers: New Album & Free Download

The Manics seem to have been with us for an eternity. Throughout their illustrious career and extensive back catalogue they’ve often divided opinion, some times brilliant, sometimes not; but always true to themselves. Wales biggest export since the Tories shut the mines are set to release new album Postcards From A Young Man on 20 September.

To celebrate they’ve made a new track ‘I’m Leaving You For Solitude’ available for free download from their website. The album is said to be a return to ‘classic rock roots’ and ‘arena-sized choruses’, take from that what you will but it’s safe to say there will be some suedo leftwing sentiments thrown in for good measure too.

Mp3: Manic Street Preachers – I’m Leaving You For Solitude

Mirror People – ‘Night Impact’

Mirror People is a project from Portuguese producer Rui Maia. It’s infected by the sounds of Factory Records, DFA and other electro experimenters and pioneers. This is simple, minimal yet effective synth-rich dark electro with no court given to over elaborate self-indulgence.

Lead track ‘Night Impact’ is an atmospheric cosmic meander through space while ‘Diamonds’ is a swirling synth filled chugger with late 70’s/early 80’s Dr Who-esque blips thrown in for good measure (a kinda SMD ‘1000 Horse Can’t Be Wrong’ buzz to this).

The whole package with remixes can be pre-ordered now via JunoDownload .

Mirror People – Night Impact

Mirror People – Diamonds

Half Man Half Biscuit: New Tracks & 6Music Session

Last week Half Man Half Biscuit made a rare radio appearance with a BBC 6Music Session on Marc Riley’s show, not shocking really seen as their track ‘Joy Division Oven Gloves’ was chosen early this year by a campaign to keep the station on the air. It was surprising, pleasantly it must be said, to discover they had new material on offer; ‘Tommy Walsh’s Eco House’, ‘R.S.V.P.’, ‘Left Lyrics in the Practice Room’ as well as the aforementioned ‘Joy Division Oven Gloves’.

The new tunes from the Birkenhead boys do not dissapoint, continuing to fly the flag for a tradtion that began in the mid-1980s; satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs with lyrics jammed full of allusions to UK popular culture and geography. There was the added bonus announcement of a new album possiblely before Christmas.

Nods to Stevie Moon for the heads up & HMHB Lyrics Project for the capture.

Half Man Half Biscuit – Tommy Walsh’s Eco House

Half Man Half Biscuit – RSVP

Half Man Half Biscuit – Left Lyrics in the Practise Room

Video: Unkle – ‘The Answer’

You forgot a username for the YouTube shortcode

Unkle have just dropped two rather spectacular videos for ‘The Answer’, taken from the fantastic Where Did The Night Fall.

The Answer EP includes two new songs, a collaboration with Lupe Fiasco and a remix by original UNKLE member Tim Goldsworthy. The video above is directed by Ross Cairns and features footage from the ‘Lives of The Artists’ documentaries, the second is directed by the acclaimed John Hillcoat and features actor Ray Winstone – you can watch it over on The Point of Everything.

Minitel Rose – ‘Atlantique’

Whoever said the Germans were the ones stuck in the 80′s?

Minitel Rose, another in a long list of French acts with a serious 80’s fetish, return with Atlantique, follow-up to the superb The French Machine. While their previous effort was inspired by 80’s stalwarts the A-Team, Knightrider and C64 games musically it was modern electro. This however is deeply 80’s sounding electro-pop, gone are the gung-ho synths and melodic tendencies of Klaxons and in are the well polished 80’s sounds, synths and sensibilities.

This new approach takes some getting used to but once your over the shock, resigned to the fact there’s no floor filling  bangers you begin to appreciate the record. It’s steeped in 80’s electro pop which means more vocals and vocally they could do better, they just don’t seem to suit many of the tracks. However these few shortcomings are paved over with some sprinklings of gallic flamboyance, at it’s best on ‘100 Years’, ‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘Stay’ .

Minitel Rose – Stay

Minitel Rose – Wild Birds

Biggus Diccus – ‘Twelve Inches Of Love’

Like old school Rock or Eagles of Death Metal? Then Diggus Diccus ‘Home of the Hot Throbbing Riff’ are the band you’ve been waiting for. I’ve been spinning the album all day and not for the first time I’ve been beaten to it by Nialler9 who’s description; ‘Ireland’s premier providers of hard cock-rocking riffs are waiting for you to climb their flagpole of love’ can’t be bested – says it all really.

Download their album Twelve Inches Of Love for free. They play their debut gig at the free State vs. Popical Island gig in the Mercantile, Dublin tomorrow night.

New: Röyksopp – ‘The Drug’

Röyksopp have just dropped their new single from forthcoming album, Senior. The Norwegian electro duo recorded it at the same time as 2009’s upbeat Junior and is proclaimed as the darker, moodier sibling.

New tune ‘The Drug’ is a relaxing, atmospheric, mellow and of the high standard we have come to expect from them.

Senior is out 13th September

Röyksopp – The Drug

The Middle East – ‘Blood’

The Middle East have been receiving some well deserved attention following their impressive showing at Oxegen this year. It was one of the most enjoyable moments of the weekend, isn’t it great when a band doesn’t disappoint? They are definitely most dynamic when belting out dramatic and climactic folk-ish anthems, although, the more sombre round the campfire stuff isn’t to be knocked either.

One track , ‘Blood’, stands out from the crowd, hugely expansive, moving, uplifting and most importantly enjoyable – pretty sure this was the epic closer of their Oxegen set.

The Middle East – Blood