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Thursday 31 March 2011

Ladytron Announce Fifth Album

Ladytron have announced that their fifth album will be called Gravity The Seducer and will be released on 12th September... yes, that is almost half a year away!

The album has no further details, but recent single Ace of Hz will feature on it. The song is available now on the band's Best Of compilation, entitled "00-10", which was released on 28th March.

Hear Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\ Now

Go here to hear three tracks from Glasvegas' second album; Pain Pain Never Again, The World Is Yours and You. If you have Facebook, however, and you share it, you should unlock all eleven tracks from the album.

The album is released April 4th.

First Single From Suck It And See

Arctic Monkeys have announced the first single off their upcoming fourth album Suck It And See - it will be Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair, the fifth track on the album. It will be out April 11th digitally, and vinyl versions will be out 30th May.

The song will be the second released from the album, the first being Brick By Brick, which they put up for listening online earlier this month.

Monday 28 March 2011

Two New Editors Songs

Two new Editors songs, named Two Hearted Spider and The Sting, were recently played live. This may be hinting at a fourth album - if so, it'll probably be released late 2011.

UPDATE: The band are recording four songs at the moment, but not a full album as they are taking their time writing it. Therefore 2011 is very unlikely for a release date, but I will estimate a spring 2012 release instead.

TWO HEARTED SPIDER


THE STING

Hear Up, Guards And At 'Em Now

If you go to The Pigeon Detectives' Facebook page, and click on the "ALBUM STREAM" tab on the left side, you will be able to hear the Pigeon Detectives' third album in full. The album is due out 4th April.

Saturday 26 March 2011

Single Review: The Pigeon Detectives - Done In Secret


Single: Done In Secret
Artist: The Pigeon Detectives
From the album Up, Guards And At 'Em

After three years, the Pigeon Detectives are finally back with a brand new single and album, and while they haven't changed their style one bit - this could fit on either of their first two albums - it is still a brilliant song. You can just imagine the crowds chanting along to "All these things were done in secret, all these things were done in secret". At least the band sticks to what they know, but hopefully the album throws up something new. But more songs like this and I'll be happy.

SCORE


Thursday 24 March 2011

Preview This Modern Glitch

If you have iTunes, 30 second previews of The Wombats' second album, This Modern Glitch, are available to listen now.

Click here and click on "View in iTunes" to have a listen.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Hard-Fi To Announce...

...something tomorrow - but we don't know what. Could it be a new album? A new tour? A new album has definitely been completed; and may include songs such as Bring It On, Killer Sounds, Sweat, Give It Up or Feels Good.
The album would be their third - their second was released 4 years ago, in 2007.

Check their Facebook page at 0900 GMT tomorrow to find out...

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Friendly Fires - Pala

Artwork


Tracklist
01. Live Those Days Tonight
02. Blue Cassette
03. Running Away
04. Hawaiian Air
05. Hurting
06. Pala
07. Show Me Lights
08. True Love
09. Pull Me Back To Earth
10. Chimes
11. Helpless

The album is due out 16th May. It will be preceded by a single, Live Those Days Tonight, due out 2nd May.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Preview Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\

Glasvegas' second album, Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\, which is due out on 4th April, can now be previewed either on the iTunes UK store (the £9.99 version has the previews, not the other one) or on amazon.co.uk, here.

Personally liking the sound of You and Shine Like Stars, and absolutely LOVING the sound of Whatever Hurts You Through The Night.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Album Review: The View - Bread And Circuses



Album: Bread And Circuses
Artist: The View
Singles: Sunday (free download), Grace

I seem to have the opposite opinion to a lot of reviewers for this band - I think their second album, despite not being particularly coherent, was more interesting than their debut, Hats Off To The Buskers. After hearing the free download Sunday back in November 2010, it was clear they were taking a new direction, and it's paid off - the record sounds less rough around the edges (not always a bad thing, but...) and sounds generally stronger.

Grace
The brilliant first single hurtles in with a nice powerful guitar riff - the crowds will be going wild when they hear the first notes of this song. The chorus, "I'm a sober boy, and you're a lonely girl" is a huge anthemic affair that works brilliantly. The song ends abruptly, but makes its mark.

Underneath The Light
This one didn't grab me as instantly as Grace did. It sounds a little bit bouncier and takes a few listens before you get used to it. The chorus, on the other hand, is once again well-crafted (something that they have pretty much perfected on this album) and again you can imagine the crowds singing along: "And now we've kissed, let's make the most of this..." The middle section takes an odd turn that I still haven't warmed to, where it slows down and the line "Get out of line, go home" gets repeated. This is probably my least favourite on the album, but it's still quite a good song.

Tragic Magic
Luckily, my least favourite song is put right next to the one that is one of my two favourites. The production on this album really brings something to this song; it sounds cleaner in a way, and sounds all the stronger for it. Once again, you cannot deny that the band know their way round a chorus - "And it's just a case of tragic magic, when you can't remember feeling fantastic". At first it sounds like they've just stuck a few words that rhyme together for the sake of it, but when you know what the song is on about, you appreciate it more.

Girl
Opening with a piano and a guitar, the song sounds like it's going to be a slower affair, but then a doorbell rings (they seem to have enjoyed sticking special noises on this song - see "The door goes crash" *CRASH*), and suddenly the song turns into a catchier, more upbeat version of itself. This song wouldn't be that out of place on their debut album. Overall, however, this one of the less interesting songs on the album, but may still provide a decent sing-along at gigs.

Life
A ballad - luckily, one that works nicely - slows down the pace set by the first four songs. Kyle Falconer's vocals are at their best on this song, and when backed by strings, the song takes a more emotional turn. Unexpected, but a good song nonetheless.

Friend
Continuing the penchant for one-word titles, Friend is a catchy song with another great chorus to match. The lyrics are slightly less interesting and not particularly diverse, but I can still picture the crowds singing along to "The girl that I've been speaking to all night has left me for my friend."

Beautiful
Halfway through, and we are treated to another catchy song, again reminiscent of their earlier work. Unfortunately, although at first it gets going, it doesn't really go anywhere interesting beyond that, but after a few listens (like a few songs on here) the song comes off better.

Blondie
"I love it when you come, I love it when you go" opens Blondie, another highlight of the album. Although the sound of this track and the two before it are all different (this one has a sort of 80s vibe), it's still catchy and should work well live.

Sunday
The free download given towards the end of 2010, despite my overplaying it in anticipation for the album, still remains one of the best on the album and should be released as a proper single at some point. The song has a slightly more electronic sound to it than their first two albums, but sounds like quite a joyful song with the piano riff that gets played over the top. Again, the song has quite an anthemic quality to it.

Walls
Sounding slightly darker as we head towards the end of the album, but builds up nicely to the chorus (which sounds big as usual) of "She's a real life girl in this fucked up world, and I suggest you call her the one." The formula is getting predictable and slightly repetitive now, but the song still stands up well on its own.

Happy
"I wasn't born to make you happy, I wasn't born to make you sad" are the first lyrics to this song. The drums come more to the foreground on this song, and sound quite powerful. The chorus comes around and a collection of voices come along to sing along. Again, the tried and tested formula is starting to wear thin a bit now, but on its own, the song is great.

Best Lasts Forever
Along with Tragic Magic, this is the best that is on offer from the album. Opening with about 45 seconds of spoken words before a piano comes in to announce the song beginning properly. Then in come the vocals: "I feel like a sun without a sky, feel like a socket without an eye" The chorus is probably the biggest one of the album, despite simply consisting of "The best lasts forever, oh-oh!" It's worth it to hear this song at the end of the album.

Witches (Hidden Track)
Five seconds separate the end of Best Lasts Forever and Witches. It's similar to Typical Time 1 & 2 from the first two albums; it's a little bit of random fun to close off the album. It feels slightly out of place after Best Lasts Forever, which is a brilliant closer, but this is a light-hearted little ending.

On the whole, this sounds different from the first two albums; it sounds like Youth's production has added something to the band's music, it's a bit more focused, and it's not particularly experimental - the formula works well though drags a bit towards the end. The choruses on the album are definitely the highlight and the anthemic quality they have will undoubtedly have the crowd shouting along.

SCORE


Previous albums: Hats Off To The Buskers (7/10), Which Bitch? (8/10)

Thursday 10 March 2011

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

Artwork (yes, seriously...)

Tracklist
01. She's Thunderstorms
02. Black Treacle
03. Brick By Brick
04. The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
05. Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair
06. Library Pictures
07. All My Own Stunts
08. Reckless Serenade
09. Piledriver Waltz
10. Love Is A Laserquest
11. Suck It And See
12. That's Where You're Wrong

The album is due out 6th June.
Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair is out digitally now.
Brick By Brick is available to listen on YouTube.

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Preview Up, Guards And At 'Em

If you have iTunes, you can preview Up, Guards And At 'Em, the new album from The Pigeon Detectives.

I would record it and post a video like I usually do, but I've been done twice for apparently being in breach of copyright, so I won't be doing that anymore... sorry.

Monday 7 March 2011

Album Review: Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!


Album: Build A Rocket Boys!
Artist: Elbow
Singles: Neat Little Rows

I have never been the biggest fan of Elbow; the only song that I really got into from their first three albums was Forget Myself, but then came The Seldom Seen Kid, which I loved, and had on repeat regularly. When I heard this album was set to be closer to their original album than the new stuff, I was a little unsure whether I would like it or not. The band should be commended for not letting the acclaim go to their heads. But is this album any good? Let's see...

The Birds
An epic opener, lasting eight minutes, and delving in and out of different sounds. It doesn't get dull or particularly repetitive, which is always the worry for songs of this length. Starting off with a nice groove and settling in quite quickly, before the brilliant vocals of Guy Garvey shine out: "The birds, are the keepers of our secrets". After three and a half minutes, a psychedelic-sounding synth comes in to throw the song sideways with a load of random beeps - made to sound awesome. As we hear the words "looking back is for the birds" for the third or fourth time, the song shows another new beautiful side with strings joining in. Then the vocals come back in with immense power - Garvey showing off his incredible voice - and then before you know it, the song slows down and eight minutes have already passed. An outstanding opener, probably the best song on the album, in my opinion.

Lippy Kids
This song was released in more of a demo in video form in late December last year, and I liked it instantly. It's also a long one at six minutes, and it's very minimal - piano and vocals make up the majority of the song. A choir joins the chorus, giving it a great new layer that wasn't there in the original video the band posted online. It can get a bit repetitive and does take a while to reach the finishing point, but it's still a very good song.

With Love
The melody descends and the drums come in - getting straight into the song. The choir returns to chant "with love" throughout the chorus, which gets a nice mixture of vocals later on, all working around each other and sounding great. Again it's quite a minimal, repetitive song, but it still works well for the most part. It ends abruptly after the last chorus, but leads onto:

Neat Little Rows
The first single and the heaviest song on offer on this album, a guitar making itself known a little more than on the previous two tracks. Now that I've heard the rest of the album, it's easier to understand why this was the first single - almost nothing on here's very radio-friendly, not that that's a bad thing. It's different than the radio edit, featuring about two minutes worth of a middle eight which takes an underlying tune from the chorus to make the song very different indeed, with some odd sounds in the background, and some deep vocals over the top. It then comes back for one final rendition of the chorus and ends.

Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl
Once again, returning to the minimal sounds heard on Lippy Kids or With Love, made up of an acoustic guitar and Garvey's vocals. There is a quiet drumbeat in the background, but the song would work without it. It also features some unusual piano/synth noises occasionally that take a bit of getting used to, but it's a good song nonetheless.

The Night Will Always Win
A single solitary note is played around thirty times before the song gets going, and it does get a little frustrating waiting for something to happen, but the song makes up for it. Once again, the song is not overblown or awashed with orchestral sounds to make it sound powerful. Instead, the strength of Garvey's voice makes this a powerful song in a very different way. "The night will always win, the night has darkness on its side" goes the chorus, and you feel every syllable as it's sung.

High Ideals
Probably at the weaker end of the songs on the album. It has a catchy beat to start it off, and at the start when more instruments come to join it, it sounds promising - quite epic. But it goes in the other direction and returns to a slightly quieter sound as heard on quite a lot of the songs on the album. For me, nothing very interesting happens on this song, but it's definitely not unlistenable.

The River
A beautiful song, essentially consisting solely of piano and vocals. It doesn't go in any interesting new direction, but the band stick to what they know, and although the song takes less than three minutes to reach its end, it still leaves its mark.

Open Arms
This is another favourite of mine, and should be the next single. Its chorus has 'euphoric' written all over it - "we've got open arms for broken hearts", and Garvey's singing reaches its peak on this song - there's a moment about two minutes in when he sings "and we've loved enough to light the streets" and the sheer power and emotion in his voice is absolutely stunning. As the song closes with the lyric "everyone's here" being repeated over the chorus, it just makes you want to smile. A brilliant song.

The Birds (reprise)
Pretty much what it says it is. A minute and of a half of lyrics from The Birds being spoken over the quiet, emotional backing of a choir. It seems a little pointless, but it allows the listener a little break between two of the best songs on the album, the first being Open Arms, and the second being...

Dear Friends
Again, the band goes for the happiness factor. "Dear friends, you are angels and drunks, you are magi" goes the first line. The song is a beautiful one, and its sheer optimism is the perfect way to close the album. All the music comes together to throw emotion straight in your face. And as it takes its bow, it's hard to believe that you've got through all 50 minutes of the album. To be fair, the majority of it was taken up by The Birds and Lippy Kids alone, but still...

Well, I can say with confidence that I'm happy to be proven wrong. This may not be in line with my wish for more "Seldom Seen Kid" style songs, but it's still a fantastic album. It sticks to being quiet and minimal, and it pays off very well in most cases. Guy Garvey's vocals and the sheer beauty of the majority of the songs are the best parts of this album. I still think I enjoyed their previous album more, but this still will be on repeat for a while.

SCORE


Previous albums: Asleep In The Back (5/10), Cast Of Thousands (4/10), Leaders Of The Free World (5/10), The Seldom Seen Kid (9/10)

Hear Bread And Circuses Now

You can hear The View's new album Bread and Circuses a week before its release now. Just go here.

The album, the band's third, is due out 14th March.

Friday 4 March 2011

New Arctic Monkeys Track

A new Arctic Monkeys song has been posted online; it's called Brick By Brick, and is supposed to be from their upcoming fourth album, which is as of yet untitled, but is intended to be released this summer. Have a listen below: