The Pixies

As part of the bands you should know series, this quartet from Boston have influenced any number of artists from the libertines to modest mouse to Nirvana and are indeed, the guy who plays Harry Potter's, favourite band.














The Pixies (1986–1993, 2004–present)

Covering areas from UFO's to mental instability to violent biblical imagery, Black Francis is the main man behind the Pixies' abstract lyrical themes that they have become reknowned for, more so in Europe than the States where they remain a band only the cool people really know.

Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are considered their masterpieces and spawmed most of their most famous songs that i've linked to at the bottom of this post and at the very least you should have both of those albums on your ipod. Oh and if you want the entire discography, as always just click on the name above. He shares vocal duties at times with Kim Deal who I think's been crucial to their success giving them another dimension.

Alot of bands are famous on the back of viral videos, I mean Ok Go? Sure the album was fine enough but without those two videos? I think they'd be about as popular as Hard-Fi. Pixies aren't famous on the back of it but they do have on, a video for "hey!", it's got about 26million views on this link alone.

They've split and reformed a few times and are releasing a best of box set in "minotaur" which is due to be released on June 15th. No plans for a new album.

Hey!
Where is my mind
Caribou
I'm Amazed
Monkey Gone to Heaven (Last.fm Link)

Some great bands i've found recently

I was listening to a few new bands this morning and was like, these are great I wish I had somewhere to get these guys the attention and give them the credit they deserve and then I remembered I write this every day! I'll be putting a few up every day as I do unfortunately work aloooot. Not all of these are nessecarily new bands but they are to me and hopefully you'll discover one or two you'll want to explore.

One thing I would emplore everyone to take up is checking out every single band that anyone mentions to you that you don't know. Just make a quick note in your phone at the time and check out a few when you have time. Either you'll find a fantastic new band, after all there is a reason why they're mentioning one band over any other, or you'll find out they secretly have shit taste! It's a good way of finding great music and an even better of weeding out your friends :p















The Starlight Mints- Drowaton

One of the moden day Barsuk luminaries, out of Oklahoma, they formed last century but started to achieve critical recognition with Drowaton and to be honest I'm just going to post the whole album because it's an electic, viscerial, pounding, well thought out, lyrically and musically brilliant masterpiece!














The Birthday Massacre- Happy Birthday

The lead singer's hot, alright, get past it... Even once you do- Brilliance. Goth rock at it's very best, I've been looking for a band like this all year. The music is explosive, the vocals haunting and resonant, I have no idea why I had never heard of them when they've been around for like 10 years and also that she's a hot canadian! They've only released 3 albums, I reccomend getting all of them.
















The Twilight Sad- That summer at home, I became the invisible boy

Scottish Shoegaze, sure camera obscura's gonna make me lean towards these guys, but one of the things I like about C.O is that they don't sound scottish, The Twilight Sad do and due to their melancholy delivery are about to get compared to glasvegas- *Bam* *compares to glasvegas*. The fact of the matter is TTS are incredibly morbid. Poignant lyrics coupled with the fantastically atmospherical instrumentation, I can only imagine that seeing them live is an event in itself.

Best of April 2009

Due to all the copyright problems I had this month, I'm going to do a "best of outroversion" each month to make sure all the songs and bands get to see the light of day. Once again if you need anything reuploading or want it sent to you just let me know...

Leisure Society- Last of the melting snow
Builders and butchers- Bottom of the lake
Fanfarlo- I'm a pilot
YACHT- So post em all
Stardeath and the white dwarfs- Chemicle
Delphic- Counterpoint
Phenomenal Handclap Band- 15-20
Electric Touch- Love in our hearts
Sportsday Megaphone- Young Lust
Pulled apart by horses- I punched a lion in the throat
Conor Oberst and the mystic Valley band- The roosevelt room
Eminem- We made you
IAMX- Kingdom of welcome addiction
Heloise and the savoire faire- Illusions
Broken Records- Anne
Magic Magic- Over your heart
Camera Obscura- French Navy

Looking back a month ago and a month before that this blog's come along way, thanks for your support, commenting, following, 1000+ independant views. Look forward to where we'll be in another month!

Last.fm

I just realised I haven't done a post on what I think of as my ipod's long lost sister who turns out not to be his sister and their love can be requited! O.k that sounds weird but last.fm is brilliant. I'm going to try post my chart on here, like maybe every 5000 tracks (i'm on 11000), my ipod doesn't scrobble everything and obviously i've had my ipod longer that i've had it but it's still fairly representative.

Add me if you have one- last.fm/purplexxxion

The problem is of course, which chart to post. Problem is i've already posted a lot of it on this blog! It's all been taken down obviously so maybe there's no harm in doing it again? Let me know what you think on reupping things and if you want anything put up just let me know and i'll do it.

Apart from the charts the most amazing thing is the radio station, add your friends listen to what they're listening to. Really the only way you'll appreciate last.fm is by using it yourself.

The main point of this post is to make people aware of last.fm and it's cataloguing potential. I'm just going to post a few tracks it shows i've been digging of late-

Paul Mccartney- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
Lil Wayne- A milli
Giant Drag- Kevin is Gay
Pete and the pirates- Eyes like tar
The Beatles- Tomorrow Never Knows

Ipod Shuffle VI

You know we're back up and running when it's time for another shuffle, I'll make this one epic, 10 tracks that will hopefully blow your mind, my ipod was feeling a bit emo last night with a lot of bright eyes so hopefully won't be throwing too much lily allen or the actual lady gaga track I have on there! I'm serious, I guess it must have been on someone's playlist or something cos I'm walking around knowing it's there but not knowing how it got there, much like any number of examples from last friday night...

Of Montreal- My friend will be me

I mean everyone knows what the deal with of montreal is, weird but irresistable dream pop. Whether whole albums concerning Dustin Hofmann eating a bathtub and hiding it from a suspicious wife while completely avoiding the subject lyrically or making masterpieces such as hissing fauna are you the destroyer? They're great. A band that this generation and probably the next two aren't ready for, sometimes I feel like they're from way in the future. Missed out on seeing them last year but my ticket was sold for megabucks, they've got a killer following

Camera Obscura- Swans

Perfect! I saw Camera Obscura on Friday! I got suuuuuper drunk and did some crazy crazy things inspired by unlimited strongbow and blackcurrants each chased down with aftershock. Oh man! Anyway this track is from their latest and most critically acclaimed album and they're riding this success so well absolutely loving it, they've worked for it and deserve it. This is the most jaunty and twee off the album and is so catchy musically and Traceyann Campell's vocals as compelling as ever.

Smoosh- Take it away

Sometime a couple of years ago I went through a bit of a smoosh phase where for whatever reason I completely dug what these kids were doing! The drums are sparse yet fantastic, having been mentored from Death cab's very own Jason McGerr and the thing about the vocals, the difference between the two albums and hearing her voice mature was fantastic. One problem is the lyrics, really proper bubblegum stuff alot of pop cliches in there which i'm also hoping will mature as they do.

Magnetic fields- Strange eyes

Yet more from the opus of 69 love songs from Magnetic Fields. The music sounds like it's from another planet, the vocals remorseful and seem very deliberate like there's nothing wasted, no filler which is why the tracks so short and i don't have much time to write!

Adam Green- Broadcast Beach

Bit pop. Way too pop for Adam Green. He's at his best when he's writing haunting, mythology referencing creep fests. I rarely delete tracks off my ipod (it's huge) but I deleted another one of his songs called something like "sticky ricky" it was the worst song i'd ever heard. This sways into really pleasant radio listening which isn't always a bad thing, there's strings there's uptempo music, it's good times.

Ben Folds Live- Rockin' the suburb

I just realised that Ben Folds Live sounds like Ben Folds Five, that's quite clever. Aaaanyway this is from their live album songs for goldfish and this track was a mainstay of my road trip in 2005 such a great track for summer it's right up there with sum 41, blink 182 and greenday for their summer songs, it's great stuff, alot of fun, alot of sun and yet also a bit intense! Great stuff. Quite a bit of swearing on this track soooo :p

Frank Sinatra- I get a kick out of you

Ah the master. My first musical idol, I love swing when I was younger and still do, love the ratpack and everything they represented. This song is brilliant for the timing shows how much control he had over his instrument and despite having a huge orchestra like C.B's behind him he still ran the show. Frank Sinatra is probably one of the coolest people to have ever lived.

Lily Allen- Take what you take

Won't you look at that, what are the chances?! Out of around 2000 artists, 20000 tracks, she has about 20 on mine so the odds are like 0.01% right?! At the time I thought Lily Allen's first album was great, but I listened to it again before her new one and was like... I can't remember why I liked this. But you know what? When it's fucking sunny outside this album's even fucking sunnier! So yeah give her stuff a listen in the summer and all is right with the world. This is pretty catchy too.

I was a cub scout- A step too far behind

Sometimes I download bands who just have great names, sometimes they garner attention for their musical ability too. Apparently they've split now but I was a cub scout was a great writer, they split after one album I suppose but their synth infused emotion filled verses with powerful hooks was great so keep a look out for their new bands- Omes and Brontide.

Manic Street Preachers- Why so Sad

I saw Manic Street Preachers, supporting Foo Fighters last summer, they're one of those bands from the 90's that have stuck together and have achieved quite a reverence without actually being spectacular. They write some really catchy things and when you actually see them live you realise how many of their songs are actually lodged in your subconcious without you realising it. This isn't one but I'm sure you know what I mean :)

Yeah I'm pleased with how my ipod represented me today, we'd had a tough weekend, I thought i'd lost it on friday when I woke up all naked and confused and still drunk on saturday. I found it in my bed, I can only imagine what happened...

New Band Tuesday

So yeah I think the only thing this whole escapade has done is made me want to made this blog even more relentlessly awesome, less blogs about how emo bands are supergeh and more great new bands and amazing new music. Thanks for sticking around.










The XX- Teardrops

I like this guys, in the vein of yeah yeah yeahs first album, the current metronomy and something intangible. Playing the camden crawl this weekend, but then who isn't! Nah this guy and gal look like they're going plaes, european tour up next, they encapsulate what was fun about Karen O and maintain a darkness that would make their live shows captivating. The track i've included here, teardrops, is magnificent, "the music don't feel like it did with you". When you search xx in google alot of porn comes up so I don't know if the girl's hot but she sounds it...
















In Case of Fire

Before reading this review I would like you to know that I've got today and tomorrow off work, going to see a great band tonight, got a wad of cash, the sun's out, I'm in a great mood! So this is not because i'm working tonight, got no money, it's raining and I feel like balls, because that is simply not the case :)

The three fellas are being hyped to HELL being compared to all manner of unmentionables, promises that if you go and see them now in a dingy bar you'll be boasting about it in 5 years when they're playing wembley. They do have a big sound, kinda like if fallout boy covered muse. For me, too indistinct. Vocal clarity is not good enough to be gripping or make you want to listen again, in my opinion these don't warrant the attention they're going to get but they are getting at the moment, it doesn't make all that much sense- they've already been dropped by EMI, they've done the kerrang tour with charlie from busted, they've got this whole dumb wearing armbands all the time thing, I can imagine the conversation "guys, here's a list of metal rock cliches I found on the net, I figure if we tick as many of these we'll totally get hyped by the buzz machine" purlease. Not going to include any mp3s.

The Yeah You's

This band sound like a supergroup (only in the literal meaning) of the hoosiers, mcfly and take that. It sounds like sitting down for a bowl of all bran going to pour a bit of sugar on it, the top falling off and ending up with a bowl of sugary milk with some brown shit floating in it. They are bubblegum pop and were reccomended by NME, like raise the game guys :(

Just reread the NME review and after listening to this rainbow inspired bromance I'm baffled by what was said.












Graffitti Island- Mountain Man

Ah you know low-fi psychadelic shoegaze is where my heart really lies. The lyrics are "a bit silly" and fit in with the music, you remember how the aliens were? Like all twizzly bleep bloop with alieny referencing smack. This is a similar deal, all tribal and most songs describe a different way of mutalating an enemy, drinking soup out of their skull or unmentionable deeds using a mans pinky bones, you know that kind of deal. They're a fun listen but nothing to get your teeth into.

And finally-













New Postal Service? Here's the track- Space Gods

It was posted on twitter and has opinion divided. You be the Judge. In my opinion, if it is him- wow is it ever different. If it's not, I still kinda wanna hear this track! Ha.

New Music Monday

Well that was a scary couple of days right?! Turns out this music servers better than the one I was using anyway. I'm not gonna go on about everything that happened as it was a bit stressful but I'm just going to carry on like it never happened and not learn any lessons from it and just keep carrying on posting awesome music :)

Also if anyone wants anything reuploaded from other posts just leave a comment asking for it and i'll get on it. Thanks for reading everyone like, pretty immense stuff.

Dirty Projectors- Stillness in the move

Tinkly keyboards, synthd drumbeat... O.K first impressions aside, a fun track but it feels so fake. Female vocals, you know I dig. I will say that this is a compliment- I couldn't imagine this live. Maybe in a dj set but everything about it seems experimental and intentionally difficult. This song is great if you like MIA, Santogold or Lady Gaga's buttcheek.

Pink Mountaintops- Vampire

This is like a mixture of soft oasis, foo fighters and something perfectly intangible. This is the indie side of metal, the classical side of rock. A really nice track from a band you might want to check more stuff out from, the parts where they all sing together is great in the way the the last few minutes of that elbow song is. One of my favourite things about this band is the imagery that they effortlessly convey, right from their name to the coda here.

Phenomenal Handclap Band- 15-20

This track is 4 minutes long and it feels packed. It starts off splendidly and is catchy as hell, it's avante in the same way CSS were (or are... are i guess right?! It's just..) it feels to me like addicental dance music which is the only good kind. Like they were making a catchy ass song and it just turned out to be so good, you could dance to it with very few questions being asked as to your mental health.

Silhouette- Masquerade

I couldn't find an mp3 for this due to there being 5 bands by the name silhouette and even more bands with songs called masquerade. None the less fantastic track, drum beat reminiscent of late 70s female rawk, haunting vocals, this is btw Helena Gee formerly of Leeds' Goth Metal revivalists The Ivories.

I haven't heard the enemy's new album, I'm interested to as they're from my area and they're supporting oasis when i'm seeing them this summer which is also their homecoming gig and their first actually at the ricoh. Also they had this whole huge hype and then got shot down by the very people who hyped them in the first place... how ironic.. :p

So cheers for the support I think we're coming up on 1000 views now, obviously way more people reading than following but it's good to know none the less! Comment and let me know what you like what you don't like, what you'd like to see, how the blog could be improved, anything!

I also have gigs to review too so next week will be packed full of blogs to celebrate one upmanship on the fatcats!