Friday Gig Guide: London 5th September 2008

Aye aye sailors, welcome to the Friday Gig Guide, a quick round-up of what you could be doing if you were cool enough to be in London and wealthy enough to drop everything and score tickets to some gigs. I shall be at home watching Big Bro and eating potato salad as firstly I have flu (poor me) and secondly I have massive studenty type finance situations. Bring on that next loan installment!

Koko has Scottish lads Sergeant supported by the lovely and equally Scottish Attic Lights and you can score tickets here for just a fiver!

The Roundhouse has Ash would you believe, yep, that same band that did tracks Shining Light and that one filmed in a basketball court... aah nostalgia. Indeed, if you're into nostalgia then this is the gig for you as the boys are playing '96 release 1977 all the way through as a one off trip through Britpop's heydays. It looks like they're playing minus the rather talented Charlotte Heatherly though, boos all round. Tickets for this one are sold out, but why not pull out your old CD and reminisce?

If you're after one that hasn't sold out (and let's face it, that does rather make more sense), Barfly has the experimental psychedelic rock trio Modey Lemon. No, I hadn't heard of them either, but over at The Line of Best Fit they've been raved about, and apparently this is the first time they've toured since 2005 so if you missed out the first time, catch them now!

Kentish Town's Forum has bugger all, but the same town's excellent Bull & Gate has female-fronted indie scenesters Glue (gotta love a singer called Flavia!) backed by the high octane alternative kids City Plan from Northern Ireland.

Grab some tunage here so you can shout along with the lyrics:

Attic Lights - 5 Weeks Behind
Modey Lemon - Become a Monk This track is actually pretty awesome. Look at those boys! Crazy!



As always, as ever; please be supportive and if you like what you hear, well, you know where they're playing now so there's no excuses to not get out there and get to a gig!

Irish music and the not so Irish...

Well, after yesterday's treck into Stars' Take Me to The Riot, I hit the town for a bit of a big night with some Irish nurses and crawled in at 4:00a.m. with bad covers of The Galway Girl still ringing in my ears. I sent the obligatory drunken text to my girlfriend (away for a visit to her family) which ran along the lines of:

Baby this guy jest tried to lips me! Hlep!

Being a music obsessive, I didn't take the wise route of sleeping when I got home, but instead started making playlists for hangovers, listening to my work as I read James Frey's rehab memoir A Million Little Pieces. This is a book which features the word vomit on probably one in three pages, so not the *best* choice for a hangover.

Now, in the interest of sharing my pain with you all, here's Gerard Butler pretending to be Irish in P.S. I Loves Yeh:



Feeling like working on your own drunken version of the song? Grab the fine Steve Earle version here:

Steve Earle - The Galway Girl

Yes, you should go buy a Steve Earle album at this point, but you should also buy yourself a copy of P.S. I Love You, if only for the fact it's so bad, it's hilarious...

The Latest Obsession: Take Me to The Riot by Stars

Welcome to my latest (and long-running) obsession. today I'm blogging about Take Me to The Riot by Canadian indie dahhlings, Stars.

This, ahem, 'riotous' track was the first single shipped from 2007's In Our Bedroom After The War and began streaming on Pitchfork way back in July '07, long before the album's release date. From that first tantalizing stream I have been gripped by the sheer pace of this track, and have been including it on mixtapes and playlists for well over a year.

So, why should you care about the song? Well... Besides the twinkling piano opening and the gently intertwined octave-split vocals of Broken Social Scene proteges Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, there's the feel of the song; this is a work that unravels at a gently building pace, before a crashing, energetic burst of music takes over. Then of course, there's the brilliantly thought out, sing-a-long inducing chorus:

Saturday nights in neon lights
Sundays in the cell.
Pills enough to make me feel ill
Cash enough to make me well.
Take me, take me to the riot!
Take me take me to the riot!
And let me stay...

Ready to get taken to the riot? Grab the tune here:

Stars - Take Me to The Riot

I love Stars; from the Sheffield accent of Torquil singing about flat caps to the Final Fantasy re-working of Your Ex-Lover is Dead on the remix album Do You Trust Your Friends?, the band is full of hidden joys. Any friend of mine worth their hipster scout badge will know Elevator Love Letter from 2003 release Heart is both my favourite song possibly of all time, and top of my iTunes "25 most played" list at any given time. This is basically a heads-up: expect to see that song featured as an obsession at some point in the future!

Stars were generous enough to offer the album in digital format before its hard-copy release in 2007, so if you fancy owning just the electronic copy, get yourself here and buy it. For a proper hold-it-in-your-hands real copy with beautiful art-work and liner notes (including a story!), you can again buy it here! See? It's fun to support music!

Metal Wednesdays: 27th August 2008

Ok, ok; so it's Thursday. But you know how it is; I totally meant to post this yesterday but my girlfriend made me breakfast in bed, then we went to the cinema, and there was this Spanish bar having happy hour and cocktails were drunk... You get the picture. So here, in all its glory, I present The Post I Should Have Posted Yesterday:

Happy Wednesday homies! Welcome to the latest installment of our Metal Wednesday's series, and today we're talking about those sexy Finnish boys, Northern Kings.

Mentioned in the previous Metal Wednesday post, Northern Kings is something of a Euro-metal supergroup, formed from the diaspora of bands Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Charon and Teräsbetoni.

As you should be aware by now, I have more than a little fond spot for Marco Hietala of Nightwish fame so for me the album was a bit of a must-have. My girlfriend is also a mahussive Sonata Arctica fan; check them out, they're actually pretty awesome, and minus an odd obsession lead singer Tony Kakko (featured magnificently as a quarter of Northern Kings has with a mysterious girl called 'Dana', the band do achieve moments of greatness that bear more than a slight resemblance to early Sabbath or Iron Maiden. The long and short of this is; I like Northern Kings. In fact, for cheesy metal covers of mostly 80's songs (uh-oh, I didn't mention that's what it is, did I?), the album, Reborn, is infinitely listenable, and infinitely surprising.

While ironic cover-versions have been somewhat killed in the last few years, there's still enough fresh interpretation (and genuine, non-ironic love for the chosen tracks) on this album to get you to track 13. I will admit, however, to a dip in concentration during the middle of the album, with cheese-fests like I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight and the ghastly Phil Collins' dreariness that is In the Air Tonight providing little to enthuse over. Stick with it, though; final track Brothers In Arms is a joyous affair for what is actually quite a sad Dire Straits original, riotously affirming the damn good fun these guys must have had with Reborn, and the fun you're going to get if you grab a copy.

Enough of all that nonsense, here's a couple of tracks:

Northern Kings - We Don't Need Another Hero
Northern Kings - Don't Stop Believin'

As always, these songs are for sample only; please be kind and go buy the CD: Reborn by Northern Kings

Vacation Songs

Hello campers! First of all, my apologies for Metal Wednesday's no-show yesterday, we're taking a trip to the seaside and that means no time for blogging and mucho mucho mucho packing, arranging and sorting out the kitten etc! I can assure you next week we'll be back on track with a proper Metal Wednesday kicking off our return (probably no posts till then, sorry my guys and guy-ettes).

Now, as a peace-offering to you all for my lack of posts in the coming days I've put together a little bundle of vacation-inspired tracks for you to delight in. Summer might not be quite as hot as expected here in the UK, but we can still hitch a ride to Rockaway beach...

A little about the choice first; 'Rockaway Beach' is from The Ramones' 1977 album Rocket to Russia and has one of the best sing-a-long choruses for a car trip. Plus, as with most Ramones songs, you can learn it in about 30 seconds, so even the uninitiated can join in. 'Summer Skin' is from Death Cab's seminal album Plans and lusciously explores the fleeting world of summer romance over a lazy bass-line that bores into your mind. 'Holiday from Real' is a bouncy piano-driven track by Jack's Mannequin, side project of Andrew McMahon, originally from Something Corporate. It's getting featured here mostly for the line "She lets me drive her car so I can score an eighth from the lesbians out west in Venice". Our final track, 'Packing Blankets' by Eels is more about packing up your past and starting again than packing your suitcase, but it's so endlessly cheery it works perfectly for a road trip. Check the lyrics:

Today is a lovely day to run
Start up the car with the sun
Packing blankets and dirty sheets
A roomful of dust and a broom to sweep up
All the troubles you and I have seen

The Ramones - Rockaway Beach
Death Cab for Cutie - Summer Skin
Jack's Mannequin - Holiday from Real
Eels - Packing Blankets
Bonus! The Ramones - Endless Vacation

As always, please be supportive of the artists, and if you like their work, you can buy it at the following locations:

Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology by The Ramones
Plans by Death Cab for Cutie
Everything in Transit by Jack's Mannequin
Dasies of the Galaxy by Eels

Something to look forward to... Antony and the Johnsons

As has been much talked about lately, Antony and the Johnsons are set to release a 5 track EP called Another World on October 7th under Secretly Canadian, followed by a new album (at last!) in January next year. It's been three years since the band's second full-length, I am a Bird Now hit the stores and became a Mercury Music Prize winner (woot!) and fans of the warbley-one are in for a treat if recent side-projects are anything to go by.

I know I'm not the only one whose been spinning Hercules & Love Affair's stomping Blind non-stop since it leaked, hooked on the funky drag-esque vocals of Antony Hegarty himself, coupled with a stabbing bass-line and brass section that spills sonorously away into the air like a samba as Mr. H urges us to feel it.

While we're on horns, Bjork's latest single from last year's Volta is scheduled to be The Dull Flame of Desire, a brooding duet with Antony Hegarty. The track is a bold coupling of two unique voices against an almost militant brass orchestra and tribal drum which at over 7 minutes long displays the dextrous tonality of Antony's voice brilliantly. The track comes out on September 29th, but you can hear it here, courtesy of The Selector:

Bjork featuring Antony Hegarty - The Dull Flame of Desire

Now for a real treat, give Antony's I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy a listen. This track is a sublime exercise in subtlety as Antony's restrained vocals are gently backed by a melancholy piano that carries on some seriously intimate lyrics dealing with a truly impossible love:

Antony and the Johnsons - I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy

P.S. By now you really ought to have I am a Bird Now and for the sweet cool-fire of Icelandic desire, why not grab Bjork's Volta while you're at it?

Regina Watch...

As you all may know, I took the name of this blog, Dance Anthem of the 80s from a little known Regina Spektor song, in which Ms. Spektor goes walking, through this city, like a drunk but not. In honour of that fact, I thought I'd see what everyone's favourite Russian New Yoiker was up to these days...

It's been two years since the last album, Begin to Hope was released, and we've all been patiently waiting, going through the live sets to wonder what favourite misc track might eventually get committed to analogue and kick off a new album. However, following a collapse on stage late last year and subsequent development of vertigo, it seems we may have a little longer to go before that dream gets realised. However, with the only up-coming show scheduled this week for the 23rd at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival perhaps we can begin to hope some studio time is being booked? (Excuse the pun).

Until then I point you to this fantastic website which includes a vast catalogue of live recordings and demo's for those of you too eager to await any real news. My personal favourite among these live rarities has to be 'Aquarius' which isn't actually available at the ReSpekt site mentioned, so I shall post it here. The pause where she gets the song slightly wrong and says 'sorry' is completely adorable, and totally what I love about live music.

Born of a sign that carries vessels
But in a month that brings just ice
I know I question things too quickly
But I've never wondered if I've loved

Regina Spektor - Aquarius (Live)

Five For Freaking Good Writing

In a nod to my band, and because it's a Saturday and I should be doing other things but my girlfriend is off doing doing her thing for the festival of Rakhri, I am presenting you with a choice selection of five songs with quite simply excellent song-writing. From my man Craig Finn to the excellent Joanna Newsom and the mythically minded Laura Veirs, this is an exercise in song writing genius, to inspire, delight and generally fill up your ears with.

We Speak in the store, I'm a sensitive bore,
You seem markedly more, and I'm oozing surprise.
But it's late in the day, and you're well on your way,
What was golden went grey, and I'm suddenly shy..

Joanna Newsom - Peach Plum Pear (Live at Bottletree)

I had a thought while I was sleeping
And I dreamed about a place for us to rest
Eternity under the old oak tree
But I go too far, I guess..

Eels - Ugly Love

Now she's pinned and way too shaky.
She don't wanna tell the doctor everything she's taken
The paramedics hovered over her like a somber mourning family
They gave her activating charcoal, they flooded her with saline..

The Hold Steady - The Chillout Tent

Dreaming we were stones in black stillness
Dreaming of the death of the sun
Waking to a world of white blindness
Painted eyes of the holy ones.

Laura Veirs - Don't Lose Yourself

And we'll undress beside the ashes of the fire
Both our tender bellies wound in baling wire
All the more a pair of underwater pearls
Than the oak tree and its resurrection fern .

Iron & Wine - Resurrection Fern (For more on this excellent track, see this entry from Tha Bomb Shelter)

I feel like this feature is probably likely to become a regular, because if there's one thing I love it's a lyric that tells a complete story from start to finish. Regular readers might wonder why I didn't add any Death Cab, but to be perfectly honest with you Ben Gibbard writes so prolifically and so presciently it would be hard for me to choose just one track. I highly recommend checking out Company Calls Epilogue from the We Have the Facts... album. This song painfully explores a spurned lover on hearing the love of his life is marrying someone else, a concept repeated in much of Gibbards' work (check out the video for new song Cath... for more on this). You can't get more lyrically touching than his work on this song as his antihero charges into the wedding, too late to do anything about it:

Crashing through the parlor doors,
What was your first reaction?
Screaming, drunk, disorderly, I'll tell you mine:
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set.
The white routine, to be ingested inaccurately.

For me, it's a terribly personal song but thankfully, my hero(ine) saved me eventually, crashing through my parlor doors to whisk me off to... sunny Shepherds Bush! But that's a whole other story. P.S. Liking it? Loving it? Pop over to Amazon and by yourself some albums then go see a show, check out the MySpace pages, and generally be supportive!

The Latest Obsession: One For the Cutters - The Hold Steady

Today marks the start of a new feature around the blog; The Latest Obsession will showcase any track, blisteringly new or time-worn and rough around the edges, that is being played on repeat in my headphones at the moment, with a brief explanation to why you need to hear this. Today we begin with One For the Cutters by The Hold Steady.

What is it about this dark fairy tale track that holds me in such a tight grip? From the ever brooding drawl of Craig Finn to the complex story of a rich college girl's downfall, I'm hooked from start to finish. Couple the lyrical brilliance with instrumentation that majestically echoes the climaxes and troughs in the tale and you have a timeless song to swoon over.

Backed by a sparse 60s influenced harpsichord which swirls gleefully out of control as the song builds, One For the Cutters is littered with the raw dirt of travellers, bar-fights and illicit sex. With arpeggiated chords twinkling like the sounds of a carnival, the atmosphere for a murder on the outskirts of town is set. My favourite part of the song happens as we learn our heroine's townie lover is a wanted killer. As Finn rasps out "He didn't look that different, except for the blood on his jacket", lead guitarist Tad Kubler storms in with a screeching guitar wail that pins a crescendo onto the very backbone of the song.

Still not convinced? Check this awesome couplet that details the sordid truth of the Ivy elite:

Sniffin' at crystal in cute little cars,
Gettin' nailed against dumpsters behind townie bars

I could go on and on, but if you're anything like me you'll be wanting to check it out for yourself. If you're ready for your latest obsession, get the song here:

The Hold Steady - One For the Cutters

P.S. You know the drill: if you like what you hear, go buy that shizzle!!

Metal Wednesdays: 13th August 2008

A while back, before my girlfriend and I had moved house three times in 6 months, before our kitten could talk (stay with me on this) and long before Believer magazine published a very informative article on black metal, the idea of 'Metal Wednesdays' was thrown around. This idea never really came to fruition until this afternoon, when sat at my desk surrounded by boxes of unpacked belongings, the strains of a highly miserable country ballad poured through our walls from the eccentric Frenchman upstairs. My friends, it is time.

Symphonic, or 'operatic' metal will be our first port of call this series, mostly to give me an opportunity to voice my opinion on the great Anette vs. Tarja Nightwish debate.

Oh, Nightwish. How I have loved thee. Formed in 1996 in wintry Finland, it took me a full 11 years to actually like Nightwish, and by this point the band had cast long-suffering soprano Tarja Turunen into solo-record oblivion. For me, this major league sucked, because it wasn't until I was idling my days away at the porn emporium, ipod on shuffle, that the moody, melodic Sleeping Sun crept into my earphones, awaking me from over a decade of ignorance and forming a lifelong (let's assume) love for power metal coupled with opera that knows no bounds. Or, knew no bounds. This was before Anette.

In October 2005, after a concert in Helsinki widely regarded as a triumph, the band presented Tarja with an open letter asking her to leave the band, effectively blaming her general 'Diva-ish ways' for the split. Thus began a frenetic search for a replacement singer which ended in Sweden, with the slight, pop-ish Anette Olzon. We saw the newly formed band play their latest album Dark Passion Play at the soon to be bulldozed Astoria in London in March this year and despite a splattering of old tunes getting the crowd excited, I am reliably informed by my expert girlfriend that the atmosphere was most definitely lacking. Anette is different to Tarja in every way; her vocals are high pitched but lack the timbre of Tarja's rich operatic voice. Her stage presence is slightly awkward but not in Tarja's endearing shy manner. She is a bit, well, Abba-ish.

My main gripe with the band, however, is that in my opinion, they didn't need to replace Tarja at all. Having become accomplished musicians, and helmed by the mysterious and probably a bit crazy lyricist and orchestrator Tuomas Holopainen, the band was well-loved and respected in its class. With the growling, Viking-esque Marco Hietala as bassist and vocalist, the band had a perfectly capable frontman (as is more than demonstrated by Hietala's work with Northern Kings). But alas, who are we to judge? If you ask me, Turunen was a fantastic presence to the band, and her departure has changed Nightwish fairly insurmountably. Anette, well, she hasn't really added anything besides a pop overture to the band's overall sound. Marco, he's a sexy beast and still going strong at 42. I leave you with three songs; the fantastic "She is My Sin" with Tarja Turunen on lead vocals, the poppy but fun "The Escapist" from latest album Dark Passion Play (fronted by Anette) and lastly the dark and sombre "While your lips are still Red", tenderly performed by Marco Hietala.

She is My Sin
The Escapist
While Your Lips are Still Red

P.S. As always, if you like what you hear, go buy the vast back catalogue or at least get Once It's totally freaking awesome.

Southern Fried King-style...

Ah Kings of Leon. Not since they shaved their beards and got all aggressive have I had a bad thing to say about these four scarily related indie boys; in fact, unlike some of my 'sophomore slump' crying contemporaries, I have liked each album better in succession; with third album Because of the Times still receiving heavy rotation on my imaginary record player.

Now, hot on the heels of a summer of touring duties, the boys are ready to drop their new effort, Only By the Night, a sexy little title for what promises to be a sexy little LP. So far the group have released two tracks for preview on their official site, the thundering dominatrix-y 'Crawl' and the dancey 'Sex on Fire'; which, although lumbered with a title that Prince may have come up with during a particularly hairy chested moment, is a great party song and rocking enough to put an end to spandex-clad Leons nightmares... ahem.

Have a sample below; if these don't get you excited for September 23rd, you're a big ol' meanie, and you're not getting a hipster scout badge.
Crawl
Sex on Fire

P.S. Of course, if you like what you hear, head on over to the bands'official site to pre-order your copy today!

Falling down Narrow Stairs...

I wouldn't be much of a Death Cab fan if I didn't weigh in with my two cents on their latest and seventh sutdio release, Narrow Stairs. I have to start with a disclaimer, however, DCFC have played a part in many of the most memorable occasions in my life; from being the first gig I saw at the legendary Astoria (soon to be bulldozed!) to playing an integral part in my 'odd phase' of slight mentalness (I got myself sectioned once... it was memorable), so my impressions of the album are likely to be heartfelt!

First impressions, I have to admit, were a bit of a let down. Having spent some time not listening to the Cab, indeed deliberately avoiding them until my girlfriend hooked me up with the new album for my birthday, I was hoping for something a bit special. On first listening, that wasn't what I found. In fact, my overall impression was rather mediocre, and clearly something of a sophomore slump after the vastly popular Plans catapulted the band to fame in 2005.

The funny thing is, it was music blogs like this one (or should I say, much, much better!) that made me give it a second chance, and ladies and gentlemen, we have here a grower. From the spiraling out of control ending of opener 'Bixby Canyon Bridge' to the funky, bass driven 'Long Division', the album is full of gems that hit you when you're listening to shuffle, and right between Cyndi Lauper and Kings of Leon, Ben Gibbard starts seeping into your earage. Scary thought, but still quite a cool experience!

I want to share with you 'Long Division', and I probably will. But I am currently at work at the porn emporium (more on that another time) and don't have my labyrinth hard drive here. As always, if you like the album, be sure to buy a copy! You won't regret it, even if at first you think you do!

National Alert!

I have a confession to make that will startle most blog readers from last year. For pretty much the first few months after it landed, I hated Boxer by The National. It didn't seem as good as the hype made out; I didn't see it growing on me, in fact I pretty much ignored it. Thank God, then, for shuffle; one day coasting along the underground on my way to work, 'Fake Empire' gently drifted into my headphones, shocking me out of my blatant ignorance. Now, of course, I love Boxer.

Today, however, we're talking about The Virginia EP, The National's own mini-celebration of themselves; a kind of retrospective for the very recent past. The EP is essentially a collection of demo tracks, covers, live tracks and a couple of more than worthy new songs that could easily have nestled amongst Boxer's highlights. For those of us who haven't yet caught the much whispered-about live show, we get a whistful 'Fake Empire' that only makes you more jealous of the ticket holders among us.

I'm dropping you new track 'Blank Slate', a broody little number with a neat repeating bass refrain bolstered in the chorus with clean inter-woven guitar lines. For me it's the best track on the E.P, and if it brings in a few more National converts, more's the better.

The National - Blank Slate

10 months later...

Talk about a hiatus! Firstly I must apologise profusely for the lack of posting here for the past almost-year; believe me a lot of things have been going on for me; gigs, funerals, finding band members, applying for uni, discovering symphonic metal (?!), moving in with my girlfriend (and tentatively learning her language, Punjabi... this means conversations which on my end go "How are you? Why? Nothing! No! Yes! My Life!". Anyway, to kick start things off with a bit of inspiration I'm spinning the awesome Maps track "To the Sky"

Pick up the lushed-out goodness here:

Maps - To The Sky

Now to the pledge: I do solemnly swear I will post here a whole lot more frequently from now on. I've not been idly resting these past few months; loads of new bands are now happily resting in my itunes library, and the best thing about moving in with someone is you automatically inherit the right to their CDs. My girlfriend, amazingly, has more music than me and I've only got through about a third. Who knows, maybe we have a guest blogger in our midsts? See you all soon!

It's not TV, it's freakin' awesome!

Oh I wish I was in America right now. I so badly need to watch Flight of the Conchords on HBO! But until then, the videos will have to do...



"I'm making a lasagne... for one..." - Genius!

This song is totally apt right now, cos I'm not crying, despite the fact I just dropped a glass of water on my phone, my Ipod, a limited edition hardcover copy of a graphic novel and my oyster card (which I dropped in the toilet like a half hour earlier). But I'm not crying.

Sing me a story

I love short stories. My shelves are lined with anthologies and collections, novellas and cuttings; I'm a bit of a collector. I have a special affinity for stories that make me cry, or stories that make me pause mid-paragraph and look up at the clouds, just savoring a sentence. In song-writing, I look for the same qualities. I love songs that tell you a complete, perfect story. Song-writers don't get nearly enough kudos for their ability to distill whole lives and melodramas into three short minutes so here is a mini-mix I have made for you of little stories. Don't fold the pages and they'll last you a life time. A brief explanation follows the music!

Bishop Allen - Click Click Click Click

Badly Drawn Boy - Magic in The Air

Joanna Newsom - Peach Plum Pear

The Handsom Family - So Much Wine

'Click Click Click Click' - Bishop Allen. I love this song and it is a shining example of story telling through song. It has past, present and future in one three minute track, and nicely moves between characters in a highly literate narrative style. And it's also completely gorgeous. I love it because the chorus just makes me think of my friend who is obsessed with her camera and pretty much photographs everything she deems interesting. And people, to her, everything is interesting.

'Magic in the Air' - Badly Drawn Boy. This song is a perfect love song, simply delivered with unadorned piano accompaniment. It tells the story of one magic night at the start of a relationship. How lovely.

'Peach Plum Pear' - Joanna Newsom. Everyone that knows this song knows it's a great example of narrative song writing, and also a fine display of weirdness. It's totally love or hate on the first listen so listen to it in a good mood, it's a keeper. If this was a short story, I would have underlined so many phrases.

'So Much Wine' - The Handsome Family. This song is one of my favourite christmas songs. It's about alcoholism so it's not very festive but they do say 'Christmas' within the first 30 seconds so it counts. The Handsome family have a knack for spinning tales into their song-writing, and this is no different. Download it, however, if not for the lyrics, but for the beautiful harmonies in the chorus, they will absolutely absorb you.

Siobahn Donaghy: Ghosts

Well, who knew? Ex- Sugababe Siobahn Donaghy turns out to be a musical prodigy (of sorts) producing a second album that sounds not unlike Bjork and Kate Bush jousting with icicles. 'Ghosts' is good. In fact, it's pretty great, and the best part is the melodies seem to spin out of nowhere, creeping up on you before you know what's happening. The haunting title track (excuse the pun) features jaw-dropping backwards vocals which build to a dream-like crescendo. We play it at work when we need to chill out. Perhaps soon you will too.

Check it out here:

Siobhan Donaghy - Ghosts

Perhaps my favourite track on the album is the chilling 'Medevac', named after the abbreviated term for 'Medical Evacuation'. Here's a snippet from the lyrics:

Help me out here, cos I'm strung out
I can't go back there, or I'll burn out
Medic! Medevac me up
I've credit for you to blow out the dark

The tune is not a little reminiscent of Kate Bush's Running up that hill, a comparison that can only enhance the simple pleasure of the song itself. Download it below:

Siobhan Donaghy - Medevac

The album is due out on Parlophone, June 25th. Reserve your copy now.



Of course, Donaghy isn't the only Sugababe with a solo album under her belt. old band-mate Mutya Buena recently released her first solo effort 'Real Girl' to minor acclaim. The album is completely different to Donaghy's, retreading the pop/RnB tracks she laid down with the 'babes and relying on guest singers George Michael and Amy Winehouse to ensure an audience. One track that does stand out is the confidence-booster 'Song 4 Mutya', co-produced by Groove Armada and heavily rumoured to be a riposte against new Sugababes member, Amelle Berrabah. It's an infectious pop tune and the Groove Armada production adds it a guaranteed dance-ability that will help make it a feel-good hit this summer. You can check it out for yourself right here:

Mutya Buena - Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) [Feat. Groove Armada]

Soho Dolls blow quasi-goth emo kids away at Hyde Park Wireless Festival!

So Saturday was the Electronica edition of the Hyde Park Wireless Festival and it was absolutely gob-smackingly awesome. Daft Punk's monolithic set at the end of the night absolutely tore it up; me and my mate danced until we were covered in sweat (not all ours, eeewww) and went for a massive walk afterwards to burn off the energy. CSS were incredible, bouncing around in an array of brightly coloured jumpsuits and gulping down helium from their set-decorations. Mute Math were much more fun than I was expecting, destroying their instruments and break-dancing over the keyboards and drum kits with incredible athleticism.

But who was the band that surprised me the most? Easy. The Soho Dolls. The Soho Dolls are New Romantic goth/emo band with an incredibly highly sexualised lead singer. She was such a presence on stage, and the band were great together. I had never heard of them before, and to look at them I would never have tried to. In fact, if I saw them on the street, I would probably try to avoid them. I would have been mistaken. They're good, and damn is she fine!! So give them a listen, and be aware, this isn't really a great indicator of their work:

Soho Dolls - My Vampire

DISCLAIMER: Please note, Soho Dolls were no way the best band of the day, but for an up and coming band they really gave their all. In fact, CSS, as I had expected, were probably the highlight for me. Their set was energetic, enthusiastic and most of all engaging. The crowd loved every minute, and I was blown away by their cover of L7's Pretend We're Dead, a version of which you can find below.

CSS - Pretend We're Dead

Last night, she said...

Well, no post last night. Sorry. Good news is I was out with a load of musicians and MC's (all unsigned - so definately all hardcore!) so soon I will no doubt be bringing you stuff you probably haven't heard (and maybe won't want to).

Tonight I will totally try to post, but I have to make my house look less like a national tragedy and more like a delightful 'living space' as my best mate in the whole wide world is coming to toooowwwwnnn!! I am so happy, I could do a little dance.

Today I'm thinking in Detroit Cobra...

I love the Detroit Cobras. I've loved them ever since I discovered 'I wanna Holler (but the town's too small) back in 2005 and put it on a mix CD for a girl who pretty much hated me and definitely hated the song. I've given in to several people since but I think it's not really rubbed off on them too well. Screw them crazy kids, the song is a blast from start to finish and a great one to scream at the top of your lungs as a 'rapist diversion tactic' whilst walking home after a night out. Ooohhh no. Don't tell me you don't do that. I've heard you.

So here's the track, love it, roll it around your head space and feel each thump of the bass line. I warn you, some people may find themselves involuntarily clicking their fingers. It will get under your skin in a good way. You know, like friendly lice.

Detroit Cobras - I Wanna Holler (but the town's too small)

I thought I could never love the Detroit Cobras more. Then today I had kindof a sucky day; work was insane, I had shoulder pain that no matter what weird athletic pose I bent my desk chair into would not be alleviated, it was hot and I was in denim (like the 80's, huzzah!). I had my ipod on shuffle and was pacing the station platform when BAM! A song came on I totally couldn't remember hearing before. I instantly hit back and listened again, and there they were - the freakin' Detroit Cobras! This song is so awesome, it totally makes me want to put the collar of my leather jacket up, flip you my two thumbs and go "HEEEEYYYYY!"

The Detroit Cobras - (I wanna know) What's goin' on

It's like the Cobras have found the recipe for a perfect song - Parentheses, the word "wanna" and a really cute female singer. Oh, and hand claps. Did I mention hand claps?