The Enemy- Music for the people

So they're local to me so I want to support them and was really looking forward to seeing them do their first show actually in the ricoh arena. Thing is this album was hyped so much by the band themselves that the music press couldn't wait to bring it back to earth to destroy it's potential. So it's completely up to the people what they think as reviews have become irrelevant and one sided. This probably sounds like i'm a huge advocate of them! I'm not, I thought a couple of songs on the first album were ok and haven't even listened to this yet. They're just supporting Oasis when i'm seeing them this summer so i'm hoping it's good times-

1. Elephant Song
2. No Time For Tears
3. 51st State
4. Sing When You're In Love
5. Last Goodbye
6. Nation Of Checkout Girls
7. Don't Break The Red Tape
8. Be Somebody
9. Keep Losing
10. Silver Spoon

Torrent Download- http://www.mininova.org/tor/2529140

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

Everyone seems to love these guys I don't get them but here, if you don't have the album- have it.

























Tracklist:

01 In the Flowers
02 My Girls
03 Also Frightened
04 Summertime Clothes
05 Daily Routine
06 Bluish
07 Guys Eyes
08 Taste
09 Lion in a Coma
10 No More Runnin’
11 Brothersport

Torrent link:
http://www.torrent.ws/files/1705789-Animal%20Collective%20-%20Merriweather%20Post%20Pavilion%20-%202009%20(rhsiv).html

Blue roses- Blue Roses (2009)

1. Greatest Thoughts
2. Cover Your Tracks
3. I Am Leaving Now
4. Can't Sleep
5. I Wish I...
6. Coast
7. Does Anyone Love Me Now?
8. Doubtful Comforts
9. Rebecca
10. Imaginary Fights

Download link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/203881740/Blue_Roses-Blue_Roses-_Sampler_-2009-DV8.rar

Twitter

Everyone probably knows what twitter is by now, I'm pretty obsessed with updating everything I do but it also makes me make sure that everything I do is awesome. (This is not always true).

Mine feel free to follow me

The reason for posting this blog is to highlight some of the great musical artists that use the micro-blogging site. A full list is here- http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=phtgMLGe8aahYaH0pRs7VHg

And here are some highlights of people who update regularly

Camera Obscura- http://twitter.com/Camera_Obscura_

Slash- http://twitter.com/slashhudson

Lily Allen- http://twitter.com/lilyroseallen

Ezra Keonig (Vampire Weekend)- http://twitter.com/arzE

Lightspeed Champion- http://twitter.com/addmelolz

John Vanderslice- http://twitter.com/johnvanderslice

Adam Ficek (Babyshambles)- http://twitter.com/AdamFicek

Eminem- http://twitter.com/eminem

Nick Harmer (Death cab for cutie)- http://twitter.com/onewhoharms

let me know of any other great ones you know of...

New Bands

It's been a little bit since I hyped up some new bands. Next weekend i'm going down to see my brother in Bristol as he's having a kid and you know how it goes after that, well I don't thank god but apparently it's quite the lifestyle choice. But this is giving me the opportunity to check out an awesome independant music festival, a less self-styled camden crawl, dot to dot festival sees you hit the streets of bristol (and nottingham) for one day and see some great bands without the perils that you face when traipsing around london in between the two days/£200 hotel rooms.

The line up looks amazing-

Patrick Wolf, The Hold Steady, Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, Teitur, A.C. Newman, Cage the Elephant, Little Boots, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, My Vitriol, Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Titus Andronicus, Abe Vigoda, Shapeshifter, Future Of The Left, Crystal Antlers, Duchess Says, Naive New Beaters, Girls, Marina & the Diamonds, Son Of Dave, Fan Death, The Big Pink, Wave Machines, Gran Ronde, Kid British, Mumford & Sons, Colourmusic, Baddies, Official Secrets Act, Dinosaur Pile-up, Skint & Demoralised, Pulled Apart By Horses, Tommy Reilly, Annie Mac, The Soft Pack, Ulterior, The Computers, Dag for Dag and Chik Budo

This blog's also for my benefit so I can log on on the day and see what bands I said I'd go to and what was good and what I should miss out on. So these are some of the bands that i've been checking out in advance, like that I didn't already know of. I'm sure I'll do another blog afterwards on just how awesome a day it was-












Teitur

This guy is apparently from the faroe islands and I'm interested in seeing him as his introverted style reminds me alot of my own and if I do decide to kick the band and go it alone I want to see how he does it because he has been, relentlessly since the release of his critically acclaimed debut. He's won a danish grammy and I'd imagine not many people have :p

Also I just happened to find out he's playing a local town tomorrow! I'm going to hit it like you wouldn't even believe.











My Vitriol

I'm glad there's gonna be some heavier stuff on that night too. My Vitriol have been around for a decade, I would have liked to think the name was a reference to the genre of intensifiers but it's from a story about a guy who carried around a bottle of sulphuric acid for protection.. uh- lol. They're verging on metal but have a slice of 90s riotgrrl britpop sorta mix going on which obviously is a good thing. They've released a single album in their whole time as a band and it's gained them quite a cult status might be worth seeing based on that alone.














Duchess Says

A Canadian dance punk band with a hot lead singer? I'm so there! After listening though and after wanting to see 100% of the artists already these are ones I might give a miss. I can imagine though if I'm wondering what to do next and I feel like, Dane Cook style, going dancing, then i'd be all over it and if you dig dancing then i'd imagine this would be loads of fun. They're like a sensible, clean cut crystal castles.













Abe Vigoda

So that guy who was in the godfather and later on Late Night with Conan O'brien is where they take their name from. Their sound is a little bit mental and all over the place, experimental would just about describe it. I'm really not going to go see these guys, I don't dig on stage experimentation it seems... rude. Like people are paying to come watch you and you don't even prepare? They seem aimless too which is more than a little frustrating for the casual listener.













Naive New Beaters

These guys actually sound really fresh and unique... but at the same time sound stuck in the 90s! The electronics sound very "digital love", when the vocals do get going they actually seem quite well thought out and culturally relevant but unfortunately the hip hop aspect of their style means there is a lot of repitition. They seem to me like live they might be a bit too dancey for my tastes so they're only maybe a maybe at best.








Marina and the diamonds

I haven't written about this girl before because I wasn't sure if I was being swayed by just how stunningly beautiful she is. She's getting comparisons to kate nash because like she says, "I've got a keyboard and I've got a vagina". She has a deeper range which I personally dig and darker themes which are a huge plus. Some of her stuff is quite theatrical which I can only imagine will make for a great stage show, Kate Nash seemed to have very few places to go with her stuff but I can Imagine MATD will make for a killer time.

Girls

If anyone can find any more info on these send it my way cos seriously searching for this is about as difficult as finding the band "xx teens".

Son of Dave

This guy is FROM Winnipeg Manitoba, where I went to University, apparently he was in the crash test dummies- mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm you know, that song right?! Thing is listening to his music, he's got kind of a mental voice like that guy from police academy and samples pure CHEESE. Low Rider is backed by that butter commerical "something or other light" ah to be honest I'd want to see him cos of Winnipeg but this really doesn't sound good, great job on being in a big band last century but... Damn I had high hopes.

Kid British

I've been to see two artists with kid in their name and they both sucked soooo bad, I was apprehensive to listen to these guys but they're actually awesome and such a good time! "these lads whip up a tune as easy as Jamie Oliver making a meal out of the contents of a students fridge" that pretty much sums it well, bit of everything in there that you'd sort of put in when there's no other options, this isn't at all a criticism, there's a lot of reggae and steel a bit of brass and catchy as hell hooks. They're making my lsaturday night tough to organise.

Big Pink

They make a lot of sound without being a noize band. You remember MGMT's debut? Well so do these guys and they're a bit intent on recreating the smooth vocals with an intrepid swirl of psychadelic music. I say that but I don't think I've heard of a single band on their list of influences. Basically they'd be a pleasant support act, I'm not going to go out of my way it's way too electronic.

Gran Ronde

I'm going to see these guys, their sound is massive. From California they've got great reviews from all corners, I don't want to compare another band to the killers buuuut! Synths, guitars, droning yet clear vocals like the comparisons there guys, i'm making it and there'll be a bigger review on these guys after the weekend.

Colourmusic

Before listening to their music I heard things like- "Following the release of their self-recorded/produced debut EP inspired by the colour red, the band began entertaining local audiences with a variety of thematic shows, including a fake graduation, a mock prom, and a wedding." and I was like yeeeeah babies! Their music is a bit too twee though, they've got a picture of a unicorn as their emblem, harmonies and it's all a bit too nice and sugary. I totally think if you happened upon these guys you'd have an amazing time and i kinda wanna go to see what the deal is! Ungh!

Baddies

Hugely hyped at the start of the year from nme to mtv it's sometimes worth going along to the big 20 when you can see whether the fuss was justified. Thing is you remember these lists- florence and the machine, little boots- both pop starlets know being courted by the brit award crowd. For me this means that these guys will be awesome because they haven't been brown tongued by the british pop music obsessed press. O.k sooo upon listening, they seem to have gotten attention for the same reason pete and the pirates and young knives did, chirpy lyrics, catchy songs, well thought out musically. The tempo of their songs are designed for a sweaty live performance which is great but does mean they're not getting on my mp3 player. Plus- they REALLY sound like the young knives. Bit 2005.

Official Secrets Act

I'll be seeing these guys I should think, they're good, potentially really good and i've heard good things about their live shows. Judging by their sound and lyrics they'd bring a unifying atmosphere welcome at any festival. They sound fresh which is great, been around since 2007 so put in their dues. Their music sounds very intentional which is a bit of a relief with all the experimental and dance and everything else that is flouted as being relevant these days.

Tommy Reilly

So this is the guy that won channel 4's britains got the indie pop factor. I remember when Orange unsigned act first came around and it seemed like it was gonna actually be cool but it ended up about as cool as having the winner of big brother being the "surprise guest" that your parent's organised at your 21st birthday. I dunno, you know what indie snobs are like and I try not to be one but I kinda think going to his gig is kinda super gay. Buuuut someone sent me some new stuff from last year's winners and i'm gonna give them a chance so who knows it might happen.

Fact of the matter is, even before going through all these bands I had a chore deciding who to see and who not to see! Now it's just astronomical :)

To write love on her arms/The Rocket Summer

Here come's the serious bit...

"To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is an American non-profit organization which aims to present hope and find help for people struggling with problems such as depression, drug addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Based in Central Florida, TWLOHA seeks to connect people to treatment centers, websites, books, support groups, and other resources. TWLOHA also encourages people to have honest conversations about these issues, to live in community, and to seek help for these treatable conditions."

I found out about TWLOHA last january when in between The Secret Handshake and The Rocket Summer, a guy came out to talk about this organisation. I'm still not confortable talking on these subjects even after all this time but you have to know there are people out there who are.

The Rocket Summer are a great band, full of hope and a great soundtrack to a summer. Their gigs have really nice atmospheres too.

Brat Pack
Skies So Blue
Cross my heart
Never Knew
Tell me something good
December Days

Metric @ 02 Academy Oxford (17/5/09)

The last review I did in Oxford raised a few fat, middle aged eyebrows for sure! Fortunately this was at the academy and they know their place here ;)

Anticipation: I've been a fan of Metric longer than I have death cab Oo amazing right?! During my time in Canada "old world underground" was pretty much always in the cd player (there were 3 spaces) it got a lot of plays I loved some of it "if every surface you touch is cold, never go home" "He says- I can't feel a thing, my dreams are too tight. Why wouldn't I stand in line tonight?" "Tonight your ghost will ask my ghost, where is the love?" I really liked the haunting stuff like that but the upbeat stuff was great too but it still always had a twist of darkness "every 8 year old enemy thinks bombs are shooting stars sometimes but she never makes wishes on them" "now that the wall is on the up, you're gonna wanna wear it out". So this is probably the gig i've been looking forward to the most so far this summer.

Venue: The Oxford Academy, formally the zodiac. I've said before that this is one of the most convenient academy's i've ever been to- parking across the road for 60p, a tesco, pubs, take outs, money machines :)

My Day: Yeah so I worked 13 days straight up until a few days ago and today was a sunday which is always a ball buster which is why I was glad to have a great gig lined up for afterwards. I'd recently retaxed and reinsured my car so life was just getting a bit easier and I have a trip lined up for france at the end of the month so things are good :)

Journey: Took a great girl from work along, georgie, made the car jouney a million times more fun like it was insanely fun times. It'd blow your mind if i went into more detail so stfu.



The event: Turned out it was upstairs in the academy2 so it promised to be an intimate and sweaty affair. This was all proved true but I think a little must be said about the organisation... This is from doors to close so I have no choice but to indulge...

So usually I turn up to oxford around 7pm, pick up my tickets, hit up the hobgoblin then head up and see the support. Well there wasn't any support tonight, just the "resident dj" doing his schtick for 2 hours, gayness. If I was on my own I would've blown a full on GASket! So I went for thai food with G, which was good, my first bit of thai and prepared me for how M-f'ing sweaty it was gonna be upstairs!

The jericho bar was still supposedly doing those random cocktails but didn't have the mini mojitos and had run out of the most awesome ones so yeah- soberness was bound to ensue right?

WRONG! Metric well and truly bought teh sex, the atmosphere, the night. Starting off a little mid pace before hitting their stride with "help! I'm alive." which, in that moment, everyone including these well toned canadians thought, fuck this this is gonna be a fucking awesome night! And the following hour only verified that, mainly from fantasies yes, but still threw in "Dead Disco" and "Live it out". Shirt holding on for dear life at the end = another great night at the academy.

Yet another tip for driving back UI: Act nonchelant :)

Munchies: Mcdonalds chocolate milkshake. Yeah banbury's MD is now 24 hours which either means I have to avoid banbury on the way home or have some post gig willpower.. ha.

Work in the morning?: Yeah at midday. I woke up at sorta 9.30 and was like I can either drive in at 11.55 and sorta rock through or walk and and not feel like crap when i'm there. I walked in- proper sucked it up. Rained, went home after 3 hours (and 2 double bacardis) and this is pretty much where we're at now guys!

Once more let me know what you're digging what you'd like to see in future reviews, presumebly less fat middle aged men, but also other areas too kthaxbai/

Setlist:

Twilight Galaxy
Help I'm Alive
Satellite Mind
Handshakes
Gold Guns Girls
Gimme Sympathy
Sick Muse
Empty (long version)
Front Row
Dead Disco
Stadium Love

Encore:
Monster Hospital
Live It Out (slow version)

Live recording of 11/5/09- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LLRPRRO0