Song Of The Year 2012

The winner of Music Madness' song of the year 2012 is:

Hadouken! - Bad Signal

I know that this may seem like an odd choice, but the simple fact of the matter is that I have played this a gazillion times since its release, and it just won't get old! It's a move away from the new-rave stylings of their debut album and their aggressive, heavier follow-up, now taking on elements of dance and dubstep, along with a killer sample for a chorus. The lyrics may not be to everyone's taste - talks of news feeds, notifications, trending and SMS take on the world of social media, and are spat out at rapid rap-style pace. I've seen it live as well this year, and it went down a storm and a half. It bodes very well for the album it is taken from, Every Weekend, due out next year. I'm fairly sure you won't see this as anyone else's song of the year, but I don't care. It's amazing. Now everybody sing! "YOU DON'T REALLY LOVE ME, YOU JUST KEEP ME HANGING ON!"

The song will be on the Songs of the Week section of the blog until 7th January, when we'll be back to normal weekly updates. See you in the New Year!

New Courteeners Songs

The new Courteeners album, Anna, will be released February 4th. Here are some tracks on the album, either performed live or the actual studio version.

LOSE CONTROL (track 2)


PUSH YOURSELF (track 4)


WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING YOU CAN'T HAVE (track 5)


WELCOME TO THE RAVE (track 6)


SAVE ROSEMARY IN TIME (track 7)


MONEY (track 10)



Not included are Are You In Love With A Notion?, Van Der Graaff, Sharks Are Circling, Marquee and Here Come The Young Men.

Also, here are two tracks that were set for the album, but apparently will not be included:

WHY ARE YOU STILL WITH HIM?


WINTER WONDERLAND

Hadouken! - Every Weekend

Artwork
















Tracklist

01. The Vortex
02. Levitate
03. Bliss Out
04. As One
05. Parasite
06. Bad Signal
07. Stop Time
08. Spill Your Guts
09. The Comedown
10. Daylight

The album will be released on 18th March. It has spawned three singles so far; Parasite, Bad Signal and Daylight. Bliss Out has also been released on FIFA 13. Levitate and As One have been played live as well.

There is one song that remains unaccounted for, and that is Vessel, which was played live but apparently won't be released on the album.

Lastly, here's an album minimix, containing (in order, as far as I can tell): The Vortex, As One, Stop Time, Comedown, and Spill Your Guts.

Best Of 2012: #1

#1 - Muse - The 2nd Law

And there it is. My absolute favourite album of 2012 - step up, Muse. Producing the only album that I consider to be flawless this year, Muse have really outdone themselves with their sixth record. Whilst fans of the older stuff will probably be turned away again (although riffs are back in full force), the album is just so so good. Each song takes on a different style and sound, so I guess the only way to sum up the album is to go through them all!

Supremacy is a blend of epic riff-heavy Muse and orchestral soundscape masters Muse; starting the album off with a bang (or at least, a big guitar) - it's been said a billion times, but could totally have been a Bond track. Track two, Madness, is probably the biggest departure from the band's established sound there has ever been - but it's amazing! Is there no genre the band can't turn their hand to? The last minute and a half is particularly impressive. This is then followed up by Panic Station, a funk track, which weighs in at only three minutes, but is likely to become a Muse classic.

The album then shifts off to a one-minute prelude to Survival (titled Prelude, inventively) which shows off the band's orchestral side (at least their writing of orchestral music), and then launches into their Olympics track Survival, with its rather simple lyrics but monstrous riffs. That then leaves you a bit stunned, before things appear to calm down with Follow Me. Starting with Matt Bellamy's son's heartbeat, and then strings and vocals guide you slowly through the opening part of the song, slowly building little pieces on top, but remains fairly basic, until - DROP! The song switches into full-on electronic music for the second chorus, and comes out of nowhere, yet it is absolutely brilliant! The song then continues in that vein until the end.

Animals is up next, and is another song likely to please older Muse fans, with its guitar riffs here, there, everywhere. Whilst it sounds like quite a calm song, the lyrics are filled with anger (although the vocals don't show this) - just see 'kill yourself, come on and do us all a favour' for the evidence! It then all comes to a huge, cataclysmic ending, before giving way to the sound of Wall Street traders getting excited over... something. Explorers follows it up as one of the more beautiful tracks, and the longest one on offer here at just under six minutes. Critics that say that Muse just copy Queen these days will have a field day on this song, but who really cares when it's an amazing song that takes you on an incredible journey? The ninth track, then, is Big Freeze, and now the critics that say that Muse just copy U2 will have their turn now. But again, who cares? It's a massive track! Just listen to Dominic Howard's epic drumming in the chorus and Matt Bellamy's fantastic guitar work and epic (as always) vocals. Believe it or not, after this song, there are four more, but Matt never sings another lyric (he gets to wail on one song)...

...And this is because the next two tracks are bassist Chris Wolstenholme's. Save Me is an atmospheric and beautiful debut track for him; whilst Liquid State might be the heaviest thing on the album; straightforward epic rock. It's very hard to call the first of those tracks the weakest on the album, because it is still amazing, but I have to call one of them that! The songs deal with the new singer's alcoholism, and you get the feeling that both of them are fully meant, even if you don't get Bellamy's crazy vocal range. But you don't really need range when Liquid State's chorus is just going to go off live. Actually, the whole song will go off live.

And so we come to the penultimate tracks, which are the title tracks. The 2nd Law: Unsustainable is the first of these. It scared all the avid Muse fans back in June when it was put out as a teaser, because it is the now famous 'Muse-does-dubstep' track. And indeed, only Muse could combine such epic strings, a newsreader talking about the second law of thermodynamics, a robotic voice singing 'unsustainable', some dubstep made with guitar, drums and bass, and even manage to fit in the previously mentioned Matt Bellamy wail. All in the space of four minutes. And somehow, it works fantastically. But then it ends, and finally we have reached the end of our bonkers journey with the other '2nd Law' track, titled Isolated System. This one is a complete contrast to its predecessor. They share a title because the newsreader gets re-used and the themes are the same. There are no lyrics, just haunting, beautiful piano work, slowly adding pieces every thirty seconds, before taking it all away, then building up again... and just as you expect an explosion, it stops, and fades out with the newsreader going 'isolated system' before it all ends leaving you with chills.

So, out of all 25 albums I've put on this list, only this one I felt required a full song breakdown, because out of all thirteen tracks, there are almost no similarities between them. If you're looking for a coherent album, don't come anywhere near here. If you're looking for an absolutely perfect album which shows off billions of different styles and ideas, created by musicians that are completely worthy of the term 'artists', and songs that will make crowds go wild live, then your search is over. The 2nd Law is genuinely a full 5-star album.

RECOMMEND: Madness, Follow Me, The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
LOW POINTS: Animals, Save Me

Best Of 2012: #2

#2 - Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour

I have never been more surprised by an album than this one. I love both of Enter Shikari's other albums, but when I heard their tracks Sssnakepit and Gandhi Mate, Gandhi for this album, I began to think that wasn't going to happen again. But then... both of those songs grew MASSIVELY on me (I gave the latter a 2-star rating originally, but now it would either be 4 or 5 - admittedly, it's definitely a grower) but they also pulled nine other absolutely epic tracks out of the bag to go with them. And now, we go back to January for my thoughts on the album: "This is by far the band's most listenable album - it may be heavier in parts but there are also some fantastic sing-along moments and catchy parts. It's a very rare combination but Enter Shikari have genuinely struck gold here. The lyrics do take a bit of getting used to, but sometimes they just work fantastically. Again, it's good to know that they aren't taking themselves too seriously, and they do have a very unique style to them, both musically and lyrically, which they must be given credit for in a world where the charts are dominated by everything sounding like everything else. Even if you don't like the singles and are an Enter Shikari fan, get the album. There are some massive, massive moments on here - a true masterpiece. Let it grow on you like I did, it'll be worth it. And if nothing else, you can't deny that the band have some of the greatest song titles of all time!" In addition to that, I'd like to award Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here with my newly introduced 'guitar solo of the year' (it's gonna be a thing... seriously...). It's properly epic. So now it's Christmas Eve (at least, when this was published) and we have one more album, the greatest of this year's collection. If you follow this blog, you'll definitely have figured out which one it is. All will be revealed tomorrow for Christmas!

RECOMMEND: Search Party, Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here, Pack Of Thieves
LOW POINTS: Sssnakepit, Stalemate

Best Of 2012: #3

#3 - The Maccabees - Given To The Wild

This year's imaginary bronze medal goes to The Maccabees, with their third album. After their slightly unimaginative but fun debut Colour It In, they took a darker and more epic path with its follow-up, which was a massive improvement. And again, they get better. Now making use of electronic sounds and absolutely huge soundscapes, the band have crafted a masterpiece. This is what I said about it back in January: "The Maccabees try something new and succeed for the most part. I think it's just about ahead of Wall Of Arms, but they're two very different beasts. This is a greater sound which sends you to several different places, compared with Wall Of Arms' slightly more constrained sound (but no less epic). The main pitfall with this album, as mentioned before, is that with an album like this, when things move slightly slower and take time to build up, 13 tracks and 53 minutes is far too long. There are two songs that instantly pop up in my mind that the album could have done without - Go and Slowly One - maybe due to their late placing in their album, but at least Go tries something new. That said, I still love both and don't usually skip them unless I'm on a tight schedule! Maybe the intro and title track, Given To The Wild, could have been shortened to under a minute, as they've done previously (such as the Maida Vale sessions performance of the track). But overall, this is an incredibly strong album that should pave the way for a fantastic fourth one." And whilst I don't think that summary really does it justice - the album is genuinely incredible, take the ten tracks not mentioned in the summary and you have a flawless album! - it's true.

RECOMMEND: Ayla, Went Away, Unknow
LOW POINTS: Go, Slowly One

Best Of 2012: #4

#4 - Bloc Party - Four

Conveniently coming in at #4, Bloc Party, a four-man band, come back with their fourth album, titled Four, with four circles on the cover... OK I'll stop now. But let me say, welcome back, Bloc Party. After branching out to electronic and industrial sounds on Intimacy (which I loved), and letting lead singer Kele Okereke let out some dance-y music on his solo album, the band are back to simplistic, guitar music. As they put it, they wanted it to sound like four guys playing in a room, straight from opening track So He Begins To Lie, which manages to sound slightly smooth even though it's quite a heavy track, particularly during the breakdown! They even include some ill-advised breaks on Real Talk and Team A where they put in random studio chatter - breasts and spider bites come up - but even without them, it sounds like they have achieved their goal. There is a bit of a heavier element to the album, such as the downright weird style-shifting Coliseum, the punky track dealing with last year's riots, titled Kettling,  or the absolutely gargantuan finale We're Not Good People. Elsewhere, we have straightforward pop tracks in first single Octopus (turning out to be slightly boring in light of the rest of the album), V.A.L.I.S. (how can you not enjoy a song that rhymes epiphany, philosophy, methyl amphetamines, conspiracy, theophany and phenomenology?!) and Truth, which has some slightly hilarious ooh-wooh-ooh moments, but stands out as the best on the album. There's also the amazing but weird 3*3, with its epic guitar, but incredibly creepy lyrics which are hoarsely whispered for the verses (It's about group sex, apparently!)And there are also more heartfelt moments, such as Real Talk, which has Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody's approval, or so I hear; Day Four, which is a decent chill-out tune, and is worth listening to just for the beautiful ending, and The Healing, which comes as a complete contrast to its successor (the previously mentioned monster of We're Not Good People). But, in summary, it's a welcome back for Bloc Party. Fans of Silent Alarm and not much else, take a listen to this one!

RECOMMEND: 3*3, Truth, We're Not Good People
LOW POINTS: Kettling, The Healing

Best Of 2012: #5

#5 - Keane - Strangeland

For their fifth album (I kind of consider Night Train to be their fourth), the band have gone back to their original sounds, after experimenting a little on Perfect Symmetry and a LOT on Night Train. But this time, they have experience of what makes a massive pop song. And therefore, we have twelve massive pop songs, filled with melody, led on by Tom Chaplin's powerful voice and Tim Rice-Oxley's brilliant songwriting. There are some clear singles, particularly on the first half of the album, with Silenced By The Night sounding like it could have come straight off their debut album, or Sovereign Light Café, which is a nice slice of nostalgia for the band, and results in their greatest song ever, and On The Road, which is immensely catchy. The second half of the album deals more in being a bit more varied, from Black Rain's ethereal, haunting sounds, through to epics Neon River and In Your Own Time, finally ending up at gorgeous piano-heavy closer Sea Fog (the 'oooh's that close the entire album are real goosebumps moments). So, although the experimentation has gone down a bit, the band are back to their roots, and they're back in force. Definitely their best work yet.

RECOMMEND: Sovereign Light Café, Neon River, In Your Own Time
LOW POINTS: Watch How You Go, The Starting Line

Best Of 2012: #6

#6 - The Enemy - Streets In The Sky

So many people slag off The Enemy, and it's not hard to see why. However, if you're looking for simple, straight-up guitar tunes and not a wide amount of innovation (like me) you're not going to do much better than this album. They tried the innovation with previous album Music For The People, and it kind of worked, but it didn't really suit them. So this time, they've just gone into full-on rock mode for the majority of these songs. The first four tracks will all make you jump and dance around, playing an imaginary guitar. (Just me? Awkward...) And there are a few more like that later on in the album. But the highlights are the ones that change up a little bit. Those ones are epic build-up anthem This Is Real, the more acoustic-y 2 Kids, or the penultimate track Get Up And Dance, with its grand chorus 'You can't live on memories when memories fade...' In fact, the album has very few flaws... until the very final second of the album; where we find the most annoying thing on any album this year. Make A Man is a great song, make no mistake, but its ending is so, so bad. It just randomly stops, for absolutely no logical reason. I had to copy a chorus in to replace the sudden stop, repeat it and then fade it out, in order to make it better. And if I can create a better ending just copying and pasting, it's probably clear that the original one wasn't good to begin with. But that's really my only real problem with this album. The tunes are all there. Simplistic, straightforward guitar pop suits The Enemy.

RECOMMEND: Bigger Cages Longer Chains, This Is Real, Get Up And Dance
LOW POINTS: Like A Dancer, Make A Man

Best Of 2012: #7

#7 - Hitchcock - Running From The Sane

If there was a list of my top debut albums this year, this one would be the winner. The other six albums in my oh-so-exciting countdown are all from well-established bands. So this one must have done well! Released right at the start of January, it's been a long time coming (think I first found the band around 2009). Luckily for my lazy self, I've already written a full review of this album, and this is what I concluded: "This album was definitely worth the wait. It is packed full of electronic pop masterpieces with massive choruses designed to get you going and feel like singing along. However, as I've also mentioned, the album is way, way too long - it can start to feel like a chore listening to it - Blind Side and Ghosts are the weak points in my opinion, the former ruining the flow of the album and the other one not really playing to their strengths, at least not for long as the song quickly gets a little boring and repetitive. I admit that on their own, they can stand up well for themselves, but this is the album I'm reviewing, and I feel that they've slipped past the cutting board when they shouldn't have. I also feel that the album's order isn't quite right, what with some of their greater, more energetic tracks turning up towards the end, when some maybe should have been put near the start but it's not gone horribly wrong and doesn't detract from the enjoying of the album. Although all that sounds negative, this album is genuinely great. The eleven tracks that would remain if I was let loose on cutting the album together are all huge songs that are very impressive for a band that remain complete unknowns to the general public. Try it if you like this sort of music, I'll be amazed if you don't find at least one track that gets into your head. Hitchcock really have potential to be massive, as they've already proven their skills with the music." I maintain that the length and order of the album are an issue, but it is the only issue. The music is genuinely faultless. Unfortunately, I've considered all aspects of the album. Oh well, #7 ain't bad! And almost a full twelve months after its release, it still gets regular plays.

RECOMMEND: Don't Give Up, Cuban Heels, Never Said A Word
LOW POINTS: Blind Side, Ghosts

Best Of 2012: #8

#8 - Pet Shop Boys - Elysium

It's very hard to believe that this is album number eleven. I know that they were making albums long before I was born, but what really surprises me is that I love all of them. There are high points and low points, but I wouldn't say I disliked any of them. Following on from their best album, Yes (unfortunately Elysium doesn't top it, but it gives it a run for its money), which was filled with ten classic pop songs and one odd curveball of a closer, this time the duo have gone for slower, peaceful and thoughtful songs filled with epic soundscapes and, of course, fantastic melodies. In fact, there are only a few songs that you might consider as being proper pop songs. These include the sort-of Olympics song Winner, the opening track Leaving, or the catchy Memory Of The Future. Conveniently, those are actually the three tracks that have been made into singles! But those ones are not just the backbone of the album. Invisible is simple, yet relaxing, which really fits with the album's artwork; Breathing Space takes a slight guitar-y turn, but produces a beautiful chorus; and the closing track Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin is a six-minute epic which finishes the album off in style. There are also little weird tracks, as you would expect from a Pet Shop Boys album, such as the two-minute long Your Early Stuff (apparently a compilation of taxi drivers' comments) or Ego Music, which is a slight attack on the current pop music industry, with sarcastic, deadpan lines such as 'in the sea of negativity, I'm the Statue of Liberty' and generally, just pure oddness. Overall, the album starts strong and just gets better. The final three tracks are probably the greatest way the duo have ever finished an album, going from pop song Memory Of The Future, to the dark and emotional Everything Means Something, and the pure epic Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin.

RECOMMEND: Winner, Breathing Space, Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin
LOW POINTS: Your Early Stuff, Hold On

Best Of 2012: #9

#9 - The Killers - Battle Born

This album is probably the most frustrating of all albums released this year. It comes so close to being perfect. Ten out of the twelve songs on it are untouchable, but there are two that massively let the side down... and those are A Matter Of Time, which is completely forgettable, and Heart Of A Girl, which is just boring. I know several fans will disagree, but I much prefer cutting them out. Without them, this album would have been number 1 this year for sure. The album still sits high on the top 25 purely on the basis that the other ten songs are huge. So let's focus on the positives! I was a bit apprehensive when reports came in that it was going to be a ballad-heavy album... and it is, but my concerns were more than dealt with; just take one listen to sing-along track Here With Me and tell me you don't agree. The highlights of the album include opening track Flesh And Bone - teased with a trailer way back in June - which clearly highlights the new electronic, 80s-style direction, with a massive guitar solo to boot; Miss Atomic Bomb, a prequel to the band's first real hit Mr. Brightside (It even uses the famous guitar riff as a middle-8!); and Be Still, which is just so gorgeous and spine-tingling, Brandon Flowers' vocals reaching their peak (in fact, he shines on the entire album, but is absolutely fantastic on this particular song). There's also folk-style From Here On Out, the instant classic and first single Runaways, and the pure rock masterpiece Battle Born. So, overall, it's such a good album, but massively let down by two tracks in particular. Oh well, nothing's perfect, is it?

RECOMMEND: Flesh And Bone, The Way It Was, Miss Atomic Bomb
LOW POINTS: A Matter Of Time, Heart Of A Girl

Best Of 2012: #10

#10 - Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts

Enjoy it while it lasts, you say? Oh, I will! Moving into the top ten now, with an absolute monster of a debut album! (Not my favourite debut album of the year, mind, but still up there!) Featuring twelve fantastic pop songs, Spector prove themselves as masters of catchy, guitar pop filled with melodies and thousands of sing-along moments. Just take one listen to Celestine or Chevy Thunder, and you'll be hooked instantly. There are also a couple of slight sidesteps - the smooth, electronic-based Grey Shirt And Tie, or the slight breather (which you'll probably need, coming after Celestine!) Grim Reefer, which may unfortunately be the weakest song, but still is undoubtedly up there. Every song here is purposely designed to have the crowds eating out of their hands. And they deliver such tunes in spades.

RECOMMEND: No Adventure, Celestine, Never Fade Away
LOW POINTS: Upset Boulevard, Grim Reefer

Best Of 2012: #11

#11 - Morning Parade - Morning Parade

Stumbling upon this band in late 2010, with their tracks Under The Stars and A&E (the latter of which is not on here - criminally!), I couldn't wait for a debut album. Rumours circled, until finally it came out in March this year. But it was worth the wait. This was one of the albums I reviewed early on in the year, when I could still be bothered with full-on reviews! Here's what the summary said: "It's undoubtedly all been done before, and even the band sound like they didn't have a wide range of ideas, as the album does drag a little at times. Still, they move sounds quite a bit, from guitar to piano to synths taking point on the various tracks. And you can't deny they have a way with choruses. These guys have the potential to really make it big, even in a world where guitar music is being suppressed by all the rubbish that dominates the charts. All they need now is a few more exciting ideas, and bingo." And nine months later, all of that really still rings true - the choruses are all monsters, but the sound is not massively new. I don't particularly need innovation to enjoy music, but it does add a little bit of value!

RECOMMEND: Carousel, Us And Ourselves, Born Alone
LOW POINTS: Close To Your Heart, Speechless

Hurts Album Due Out March?

Hurts' second album is reportedly titled Exile and will be released on March 11th, according to an iTunes release. You can download a new song called The Road from iTunes now. No other information is known, but is reported to be coming out soon - will have it up here on the blog when it comes in.

EDIT: It has now been confirmed by Hurts.

Best Of 2012: #12

#12 - Linkin Park - Living Things

Linkin Park's fifth album takes yet another sidestep into a new sound and style. After they got slated for third album Minutes To Midnight, and lost further fans with the massively different follow-up A Thousand Suns, this new one sounds a lot more like pop with a heavy twist in places. Also, the raps are back in force, noticeably, straight from the punchy opener Lost In The Echo. Additionally, this time round, the songs are shorter and to the point, none of them breaking the four-minute mark. It's not all happy pop-esque music either. Lies Greed Misery and Victimized are just onslaughts of aggression, the latter one popping out of nowhere - jarring a little bit as it comes after the melodies and beautiful imagery of album highlight Castle Of Glass. But they all seem to follow a distinctive verse-chorus structure. The only one not conforming to this, essentially, is Until It Breaks, which sort of shifts randomly between various styles. But the closing tracks follow this little mishap up and more than makes up for it - Tinfoil and Powerless form a sort of two-part ending, the former being a short instrumental, the latter being a huge, powerful finale, contrary to what the title might suggest. Overall, this one or A Thousand Suns remain at the top of my favourite Linkin Park albums (Sorry, Hybrid Theory fans) but they're far too different to really compare.

RECOMMEND: Burn It Down, Castle of Glass, Powerless
LOW POINTS: Skin To Bone, Until It Breaks

Best Of 2012: #13

#13 - Heretics - Wealth = Success

I don't really watch out for many new bands, which maybe I should, but occasionally one pops up, usually courtesy of another, more well-known band. Heretics are one such band. Dealing in dark, electronic music, the band - well, duo - have a knack for creating melodies and choruses that could make a decent impact - if they were better known! I reviewed this album in full earlier this year; and this what I wrote: "I don't think this one completely measures up to the duo's debut - it's still a very good album, but there's something missing on a few of the tracks this time round. However, they should be commended for being more experimental and trying out a few different styles of song - the instrumentals (Battle and Silence) and even parts of songs that go without vocals (the endings of Strangers or Ambition, for example) are some of the best things they've created. That's not to say the vocals aren't good, they fit the mood of the album perfectly. Overall, still going strong!" And I keep that opinion.

RECOMMEND: Roulette, Obscurity, Ambition
LOW POINTS: Engineer, Life Like This

Best Of 2012: #14

#14 - Metric - Synthetica

I got into Metric with their previous album Fantasies; and then proceeded to work backwards through their older stuff, and found nothing that took my fancy - so hoped that their fifth album (this one) would provide some more gems. And happily, it did. Taking a far more electronic direction for this album, as maybe the title would suggest, the band pours all their experience, and the ability of their main songwriter and singer Emily Haines, into the pot to create several fantastic pieces of music. From the straight-to-the-point opening line of Artificial Nocturne - 'I'm just as fucked up as they say' - through to the bouncy first single Youth Without Youth, and onwards, speeding, twisting and turning towards the epic soundscape of closer Nothing But Time, the album never really lets up. The other highlights include Lost Kitten, with its slight seductive charm (or maybe just annoying for some people) or the title track, which is probably the rockiest song on the album. But overall, an improvement on Fantasies, and hopefully I will stay with Metric from here on out!

RECOMMEND: Artifical Nocturne, Lost Kitten, Synthetica
LOW POINTS: The Void, Clone

The Pigeon Detectives Start Countdown

The Pigeon Detectives have put a mysterious countdown clock on their website. The countdown will hit zero on Monday 7th January. They are expected to announce their fourth album, which they have been recording this year.

EDIT: The countdown has been adjusted and is now set to hit zero on Tuesday 22nd January, 19.30 GMT.

Best Of 2012: #15

#15 - The Twang - 10:20

If nothing, at least The Twang are consistent. All their albums are filled with catchy tunes, none more so than this one, but never really stray too far from a defined sound, although the lyrics have improved quite a lot from their debut's slightly cringey rants about neighbours! 10:20, named after an angry note the band found taped to their studio (immortalised in the album's artwork) due to (another!) unhappy neighbour, is filled with the band's best tunes yet. Take Mainline, with its massive statement of a chorus: 'You ain't got nothing if you ain't got love', or Last Laugh, with its fantastic opening riff - that unfortunately doesn't really pop up again. A lot of songs were released long before this one; the obvious single We're A Crowd; Paradise, which also has a great riff to kick it all off; and a couple songs off an early 2011 EP - Guapa, with its subtler, more peaceful verses and then a punch to the face with the chorus, and Whoa Man, perhaps the lightest moment on the record, and the shortest (not counting intro track Neptune). But generally, the best of The Twang's three albums, but they have yet to create an absolutely outstanding record - all of their output so far would probably get around the same rating from me.

RECOMMEND: Mainline, We're A Crowd, Last Laugh
LOW POINTS: Take This On, Strangers

The Courteeners To Air New Single Tonight

The Courteeners will finally be getting their new single, Lose Control, out to the world tonight! Tune in to Radio 1 at 19.00 (GMT) to hear it! I don't think it's not the Hottest Record, unfortunately, but will be played at some point on the show! The single is taken from their upcoming new album Anna, due out February 4th.

Best Of 2012: #16

#16 - The Vaccines - The Vaccines Come Of Age

Talk about a quick follow-up album! Less than 18 months since their debut, The Vaccines have gone a bit more mature (as the title might suggest), and gone in a slightly wider direction than their debut, and has worked, but I still think the first one was better. But the guitar tunes are still all there; there's no If You Wanna or Post Break-Up Sex on here, but still has some almost reaching those lofty heights. Take Teenage Icon, for example. It may be the most similar to the songs from the first album, but still will want to make you move. The reverb around singer Justin Young's vocals have also been removed, and he sounds more confident for it; especially on tracks such as All In Vain or Aftershave Ocean (which is a fantastic title for a song!) Admittedly, the album does trail off a bit towards the end; Change Of Heart Pt. 2 and I Wish I Was A Girl are decent enough, but feel a little bit like filler, and Lonely World is just boring - it seems like they wanted to redo a sort of Family Friend-type ending again, but failed. But that's really the only issue I have with the album. Just take the opening trio of songs - No Hope through I Always Knew to Teenage Icon - and you'll be hooked. Probably.

RECOMMEND: I Always Knew, Teenage Icon, Ghost Town
LOW POINTS: Change Of Heart Pt.2, Lonely World

Best Of 2012: #17

#17 - Neon Trees - Picture Show

This band feels like they haven't been around very long, and are already way into the era of their second album; but then again, the UK release of their first one was only March last year! So this one seems like a very quick follow-up, when in reality it's not. Anyway, irrelevant thoughts aside, this one embraces a far wider sound than its predecessor, and results in both highs and lows... Luckily this one came out during a time when I thought I had time to write reviews; so here's what I said in April:
"The band should definitely be commended from breaking out of the limited range of styles and sounds that Habits had - there's definitely more experimentation here - but some of the songs just don't quite work as well as the others. There's definitely no 'Animal' or '1983' here, but maybe that's a good thing. The 80s style definitely shines around the middle of the album, providing us with the album's highlight, Trust. The vocals are very well done, but not when they descend into "la-la-la"s or even Mad Love's "really, really, really..." section. Overall, though, it's about on par with Habits - despite being less consistent in terms of both quality and styles." And that has remained pretty much the same ever since. However, one song has grown on me massively.... the epic Still Young.

RECOMMEND: Moving In The Dark, Trust, Still Young
LOW POINTS: Weekend, Close To You

Best Of 2012: #18

#18 - Hot Chip - In Our Heads

I'll admit to not being the biggest Hot Chip fan in the world; but I do like to listen to their output occasionally. This album is quirky in all the right places, none more so than the baffling first single Night And Day (the bridge rhymes Abba, jibber jabber, Macca and Aiya Napa for heaven's sake!). Slightly different from your average pop songs! All the songs are at least four minutes long, and yet they don't get old. The biggest ones are Flutes, which is a decent chill-out tune, and Let Me Be Him - which is an absolutely incredible song. Hitting almost eight minutes, the song is dark, slow and sad to start with, slowly building up, but seeming fairly middle-of-the-road... and then BOOM! EPIC CHORUS! The goosebumps kick in with the "oh-oh-oh-heeeey-oh"s... After another round of verse and chorus, we're treated to this atmospheric closing as vocals float over the top. If nothing else, the album is worth listening to just to get to that song.

RECOMMEND: Motion Sickness, Night And Day, Let Me Be Him
LOW POINTS: Look At Where We Are, Now There Is Nothing

Hadouken! Reveal New Album Title

Hadouken! have revealed that their third album will be called Every Weekend, and will be released in early 2013. No other details are known as yet, but on the 27th December, apparently some details will be unleashed. Potential tracks for inclusion are Parasite, Bad Signal, Bliss Out, Daylight, Vessel, Comedown, As One and Levitate.

Best Of 2012: #19

#19 - Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

This album was a bit of a change from the band's debut. Whilst that album was filled with short 3-minute bursts of catchiness, this one sees them take on a more fleshed out, fuller sound - perhaps intent on taking on the stadiums? The fact of the matter is that it is not as good as their debut, but it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. The choruses are more or less all there; just see songs like Handshake or Spring for the evidence. There's a few more heartfelt moments, such as on The World Is Watching, and songs that move away from the defined structure such as beautiful closing track Beacon. There are occasional moments reminiscent of the debut, particularly with the riff at the opening of the song Someday. Generally, a bit more of a mixed bag, but still going strong.

RECOMMEND: Handshake, Sleep Alone, The World Is Watching
LOW POINTS: Wake Up, Settle

Best Of 2012: #20

#20 - Example - The Evolution Of Man

I never really got into Example; I heard Kickstarts and Changed The Way You Kissed Me when they came out, but never heard an album in full. So this time I thought I'd give one a listen... how convenient for me that one was just about to come out! This is a decent album with some fantastic tunes - Say Nothing and Close Enemies will provoke mass sing-alongs, and the heavy guitar-fuelled entrance that comes with Come Taste The Rainbow (yum... Skittles!) is great, along with the rap that comes along with that same song. There are a couple too many songs on the album; as amazing as We'll Be Coming Back is, it does feel a bit like a little attachment on the end of the album proper. But generally, it's got some decent tunage. Plus, the artwork is awesome.

RECOMMEND: Come Taste The Rainbow, Say Nothing, All My Lows
LOW POINTS: Crying Out For Help, Blood From A Stone

Best Of 2012: #21

#21 - Feeder - Generation Freakshow

The frustrating thing about Feeder for me is that they have yet to release an album that is filled with songs that I like, not just a majority. There's always filler, even after eight albums. Additionally, the seventh (Renegades) passed me by completely, but that one is not the greatest entry in their history. Right, so little rant aside, Generation Freakshow again has some fantastic tracks ready to stand up against the likes of Just A Day or Buck Rogers. The opening quartet of songs, for example - kicking straight into Oh My, carrying on through to the single Borders, and following up with two further big, rock songs in Idaho and Hey Johnny. The filler kicks in for a bit before coming to another gold mine of songs - starting with Tiny Minds, one of the greater songs on the album. So, in summary, all it would have taken would be a few cuts and maybe one or two better songs, and this would be playing right up at the top of my top 25!

RECOMMEND: Oh My, Borders, Tiny Minds
LOW POINTS: Quiet, Fools Can't Sleep

Best Of 2012: #22

#22 The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull

Ooft, this one's rough around the edges... yet it's good. From the guitar screeching at the start of the album on Glitters Like Gold, to the huge eleven-minute suite at the end of the album (split into four tracks), you're not going to find nice, rounded, radio-friendly gems. Instead, you will find great songs in the single Come On, Be A No One, the slow, drawling Back To The Bolthole, or the plain, simple sing-along finale Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast. The only time the album really slows down is on I Should Have Helped, a little acoustic number that splits the main album from the four-track suite at the end. It sounds far more like older Cribs stuff, probably due to the loss of their temporary guitarist (none other than Johnny Marr), and, in my opinion, is not as good as Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever or Ignore The Ignorant, but it should not be ignored.

RECOMMEND: Glitters Like Gold, Come On, Be A No One, Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast
LOW POINTS: Confident Men, Pure O

Best Of 2012: #23

#23 - Tribes - Baby

Boasting some catchy melodies and with a fantastic singer which a powerful voice that reminds me of Suede's Brett Anderson for some reason, Tribes' debut certainly is a good start. The highlights include the first single, Sappho, with its tales of lesbian affairs backed by epic guitar, and Himalaya, with a great soundscape, reminiscent of the US band Girls (in particular, Hellhole Ratrace), playing out over the course of its five minute length. The opening trio of songs are also worth a listen. Overall, looking forward to seeing where this band goes next!

RECOMMEND: We Were Children, Sappho, Himalaya
LOW POINTS: Walking In The Street, Alone Or With Friends

Best Of 2012: #24

#24 - The View - Cheeky For A Reason

Unfortunately, this is not The View's high point. That award would have to go to this album's predecessor, the fantastic Bread And Circuses. However, this album - the band's fourth - has plenty of tunes to keep you satisfied. Whilst a lot of the songs sound a little more restrained and are less epic and in-your-face than the last album, you can still find time for the hands-in-the-air singalong of Hold On Now, or the sheer punch that comes with opening track How Long. Elsewhere, we have a completely pointless 11-second piano interlude titled... wait for it... Piano Interlude! There's the odd lyrical facepalm, such as "the girl with the tacky tattoo, is the one you shouldn't do" (yes, that's the chorus!) and a couple of songs that don't quite reach the band's normally high standard, but generally, worth a listen.

RECOMMEND: How Long, Hold On Now, Bunker
LOW POINTS: Hole In The Bed, Lean On My World

Best Of 2012: #25

#25 - Man Without Country - Foe

So, we begin the countdown with a debut album! And a fine piece of work it is too. Filled with peaceful, ethereal synth-based music, this is certainly one to listen to if you want to chill out. Highlights include the single Puppets, which boasts a fantastic chorus, and the epic six-and-a-half-minute Ebb And Flow. Almost all the songs set your mind wandering on a journey. The only qualm with it is that it is very similar the whole way through, and towards the end it does begin to get a little dull, particuarly on the seven-minute Parity. But generally, a good start for the Welsh duo.

RECOMMEND: Foe, Puppets, Ebb And Flow
LOW POINTS: Closet Addicts Anonymous, Parity

Delphic Reveal Album Artwork

Following on from the first radio play of their new single Baiya last night, Delphic have unveiled the artwork for their forthcoming second album, Collections, which is due out on 28th January. Check it out below.

Best Of 2012

#25 Man Without Country - Foe
#24 The View - Cheeky For A Reason
#23 Tribes - Baby
#22 The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull
#21 Feeder - Generation Freakshow
#20 Example - The Evolution Of Man
#19 Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
#18 Hot Chip - In Our Heads
#17 Neon Trees - Picture Show
#16 The Vaccines - The Vaccines Come Of Age
#15 The Twang - 10:20
#14 Metric - Synthetica
#13 Heretics - Wealth = Success
#12 Linkin Park - Living Things
#11 Morning Parade - Morning Parade
#10 Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts
#9 The Killers - Battle Born
#8 Pet Shop Boys - Elysium
#7 Hitchcock - Running From The Sane
#6 The Enemy - Streets In The Sky
#5 Keane - Strangeland
#4 Bloc Party - Four
#3 The Maccabees - Given To The Wild
#2 Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
#1 Muse - The 2nd Law

New Delphic Single Airs Tonight

Delphic's new single, Baiya, will get its first play on Radio 1 tonight at 19.30 (GMT). The single is taken from the band's new album Collections, due out 28th January next year.

Biffy Clyro's New Album Not A Double Album?

I've been getting some reports that Biffy Clyro's new album, Opposites, will not in fact be a double album; at least not as the main release. The original double album will still be available as a 'deluxe edition'. These rumours seem to be backed up by the fact that the tracklistings are the same, and iTunes has this up as well. So, here's the single CD tracklisting:

01. Different People
02. Black Chandelier
03. Sounds Like Balloons
04. Opposite
05. The Joke's On Us
06. Spanish Radio
07. Victory Over The Sun
08. Biblical
09. Stingin' Belle
10. Skylight
11. Trumpet Or Tap
12. Modern Magic Formula
13. The Thaw
14. Picture A Knife Fight

The other six tracks; A Girl And His Cat, The Fog, Little Hospitals, Pocket, Accident Without Emergency and Woo Woo, will all be included on the deluxe edition as the originally intended double album.

Glasvegas Announce New Album Title

Glasvegas have announced that the title of their new album will be "Later... When The TV Turns To Static". No other details are known, other than potential songs: a title track, If?, All I Want Is My Baby, and I'd Rather Be Dead Than Be With You.

Biffy Clyro To Premiere New Single

Biffy Clyro will premiere their new single, Black Chandelier, on Radio 1 tonight at about 7.30pm (GMT). It is the third full track to be heard from the band's new double album Opposites, following the single Stingin' Belle and a radio play of Sounds Like Balloons. The album will be released on 28th January.

The Courteeners - Anna

Artwork

















Tracklist

01. Are You In Love With A Notion?
02. Lose Control
03. Van Der Graaff
04. Push Yourself
05. When You Want Something You Can't Have
06. Welcome To The Rave
07. Save Rosemary In Time
08. Sharks Are Circling
09. Marquee
10. Money
11. Here Come The Young Men

The album will be released on 4th February. It will be preceded by a single, called Lose Control, on 28th January.

You can check out a trailer / preview of Lose Control here.

It is unknown what happened to "Why Are You Still With Him?" - I assume it will be a B-side but may have been renamed - none of the track titles seem to fit though!

Delphic - Collections

Artwork

Tracklist
01. Of The Young
02. Baiya
03. Changes
04. Freedom Found
05. Atlas
06. Tears Before Bedtime
07. The Sun Also Rises
08. Memeo
09. Don't Let The Dreamers Take You Away
10. Exotic

The album will be released on January 28th. The first single is Baiya, which will hopefully be unveiled soon.

Good Life, the band's Olympics single, is not featured on this album.

And here's a trailer, featuring Baiya, Memeo and Atlas.

Where Is Everyone?

So I have been posting a lot less recently... mainly because none of the bands I follow are doing anything! After the release of The Twang's 10:20 today, I have no albums on the horizon to anticipate until January, when Biffy Clyro will grace our speakers with a double album! Whilst this time of year is usually barren in terms of releases, there is usually some form of news; some promise that music is coming soon, but in the latter end of 2012... nothing. So, while I'm scouring the Internet for new bands to enjoy in the meantime, I decided to have a catch-up on what all the other bands are doing, and of course provide the information here. So, where is everyone?

The Courteeners - Their third album has apparently been recorded, and are currently in the process of sorting out a promotional campaign to go with it. A few songs have been debuted live, but hopefully more will appear at the end of the year as the band are playing a few gigs then.
TRACK TITLES: Welcome To The Rave, Lose Control, Push Yourself, Save Rosemary In Time, Why Are You Still With Him?, Something You Can't Have
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: February

Delphic - The band have started playing gigs and started debuting some new songs to follow their Olympics single Good Life. Their second album has been recorded, but no word on where the release stands.
TRACK TITLES: Good Life, Atlas, Memeo, Baiya, Changes
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: April

Editors - After a re-jigging of their line-up for album number four, the band are now at work on said album. A few tracks have been played live to whet our appetites, and some have even gone through noticeable changes as the line-up changed. Hopefully some more details will arise around December as the band are playing XFM Winter Wonderland then.
TRACK TITLES: Sugar, Nothing, Two Hearted Spider, The Sting, Magazine, Upright, What Is This Thing Called Love?, Honesty, The Weight Of Your Love, Formaldehyde
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: April

Embrace - The band's sixth album has been in the pipeline for several years now, and promise something will appear soon, but there isn't much to go on, apart from one track title!
TRACK TITLES: Self Attack Mechanism
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: June

Glasvegas - After NME mistakenly reported a title for the band's third album, it came out that the album was practically done, but remained untitled. A song called If? was also put online in demo form.
TRACK TITLES: If?, I'd Rather Be Dead Than Be With You, Later... When The TV Turns To Static, All I Want Is My Baby
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: March

Hadouken! - Well, this one is taking forever. After two singles in 2010, which may not feature on the album, the band followed this up by another one in April, one in August, had another song feature on FIFA 13, did a collaboration with Drumsound & Bassline Smith, and also debuted three further songs at their live shows in April! That's practically an album in itself! Just release it already - the songs are fantastic!
TRACK TITLES: Vessel, Parasite, Mecha Love, Oxygen, Comedown, Bliss Out, Daylight, Levitate, Bad Signal, As One
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: April

Klaxons - Not too much info available on this one, but there is a third album, and the band have debuted two songs live.
TRACK TITLES: Rhythm Of Life, Invisible Forces
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: May

One Night Only - The band are slowly building up tracks for their third album, and are reportedly about halfway through the process. One song has been released (Long Time Coming) and another (Games) should surface soon... hopefully!
TRACK TITLES: Long Time Coming, Games, Night On Earth
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: August

The Pigeon Detectives - Firing out a fourth album not that long after their third, the band should be back sometime not far into the new year. However, nothing is really known about it! Maybe some of their gigs in November will reveal some more...
TRACK TITLES: I Don't Mind
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: March

White Lies - Nothing is known about this one, other than a third album is in the works, after two phenomenal ones. Let's hope it lives up to its predecessors!
TRACK TITLES: ?
ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE: September

Biffy Clyro Reveal New Album Artwork

Biffy Clyro have unveiled the artwork for their forthcoming double album, Opposites, due out on 28th January. Have a look:

The Twang - 10:20

Artwork

Tracklist
01. Neptune
02. Mainline
03. We're A Crowd
04. Take This On
05. Last Laugh
06. Beer, Wine And Sunshine
07. Paradise
08. Whoa Man
09. Tomorrow
10. It Ain't You
11. Guapa
12. Strangers

The album will be released on October 29th. It has spawned several songs already - Guapa and Whoa Man were released on the Guapa EP in February of last year; Paradise was released as a free download in August last year; We're A Crowd was a single earlier this year; and Mainline is the most recent single.

The album was originally set to be released on March 5th this year, but after further sessions, the album seems to have gained three tracks - Neptune, Mainline and Beer, Wine And Sunshine - and lost one (Wait Forever).

Hear The 2nd Law

If you are in the UK, you will be able to hear the entirety of Muse's new album, The 2nd Law, from 8pm (BST). If you are not in the UK, click here to see where you can get in on the action!

UPDATE: Check out the band's Soundcloud page here - the whole album is up for listening.

Biffy Clyro - Opposites

Artwork

Tracklist:

Original (double album)
  CD 1: The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones
    01. Stingin' Belle
    02. Sounds Like Balloons
    03. Biblical
    04. The Joke's On Us
    05. Black Chandelier
    06. A Girl And His Cat
    07. Opposite
    08. The Fog
    09. Little Hospitals
    10. The Thaw
  CD 2: The Land At The End Of Our Toes
    01. Different People
    02. Modern Magic Formula
    03. Spanish Radio
    04. Victory Over The Sun
    05. Pocket
    06. Trumpet Or Tap
    07. Skylight
    08. Accident Without Emergency
    09. Woo Woo
    10. Picture A Knife Fight

(Single album tracklist) 
01. Different People
02. Black Chandelier
03. Sounds Like Balloons
04. Opposite
05. The Joke's On Us
06. Spanish Radio
07. Victory Over The Sun
08. Biblical
09. Stingin' Belle
10. Skylight
11. Trumpet Or Tap
12. Modern Magic Formula
13. The Thaw
14. Picture A Knife Fight

The album will be released on 28th January. It has spawned two singles, Stingin' Belle and Black Chandelier. Other songs available for listening in non-studio form are Sounds Like Balloons, Opposite, The Joke's On Us, Victory Over The Sun and Modern Magic Formula.

The album was originally set to be released as a double album; this will still be available as a 'deluxe edition', with six extra tracks (meaning two 10-track CDs). However, the double album will probably still be considered the main version.

Preview Battle Born

The Killers have uploaded previews of all twelve tracks on their new album, Battle Born, due out 17th September. You can have a listen here!

Hear Elysium Now

Pet Shop Boys' new album, Elysium, is now available to stream in full from this link. The album is the duo's eleventh, and has been preceded by a teaser track, Invisible, and a single, Winner. It is due for release on 10th September.

Hear The Vaccines Come Of Age Now

The Vaccines are now streaming their new album, The Vaccines Come Of Age, online for free here. The album is due for release next Monday (3rd September).

Hear Beacon Now

Two Door Cinema Club have put the whole of their new album, Beacon, up onto Soundcloud - so you can grab a listen right now. Just click this link.

The album will be released properly on 3rd September, and has spawned one single - Sleep Alone.

The Twang Unveil New Song

The Twang have revealed the next song to be taken from their new album, 10:20, titled Mainline. You can have a listen here. It follows Guapa, Paradise and We're A Crowd, which were released between early 2011 and early 2012. The album will be released on October 29th.

New Muse Single To Be Premiered Tonight

Muse have announced that the first play of their new single, Madness, will take place tonight, on Radio 1, at 19.30 (BST) on Zane Lowe's show. The song is taken from their new album The 2nd Law, due out on the 1st October, and follows their Olympics track Survival, the preceding track Prelude, and the teaser given to fans who pre-ordered the deluxe edition of the new album, titled The 2nd Law: Unsustainable.

The Killers - Battle Born

Artwork

Tracklist
01. Flesh And Bone
02. Runaways
03. The Way It Was
04. Here With Me
05. A Matter Of Time
06. Deadlines And Commitments
07. Miss Atomic Bomb
08. The Rising Tide
09. Heart Of A Girl
10. From Here On Out
11. Be Still
12. Battle Born

The album will be released on 17th September, and has spawned one single so far, Runaways.

The band released an album trailer, which includes the opening track, Flesh And Bone.

Bloc Party Stream New Album

You can hear Bloc Party's new album, Four, in full from their website now. The album will be released on 20th August.

30 Second Previews Of Elysium

You can click here to go to a YouTube video containing 30 second previews of all of Pet Shop Boys' new album, Elysium, which is due for release on 10th September. The album has already produced a teaser track (Invisible, track 2) and a single (Winner, track 3).

Muse Unveil New Song

Muse have released a new song from their upcoming album, The 2nd Law. The song (not a single) was given to fans who pre-ordered the boxset of the new album (you can do so here). It is entitled "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable" and is the first part of the two-part album closer. The other part, "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" will be released with the album. The song was also the dubstep-influenced tune that was heard in the album trailer released a couple of months back. If you want to hear the full song, have a listen below.

Muse Push Back Album Release Date

Muse have announced that their new album, The 2nd Law, will now be released on 1st October as opposed to the original announcement of 17th September. On the plus side, the second single from the album (if you count their Olympics track, Survival, as the first), Madness, will be released on 20th August.

Biffy Clyro Announce New Album

Biffy Clyro have revealed that their sixth album will be a double album entitled Opposites, and is set for release later in the year, probably in November. The first single taken from the album is Stingin' Belle, which had its debut on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show earlier tonight. Other songs set for inclusion are The Joke's On Us, Black Chandelier, Milky, Sounds Like Balloons, Modern Magic Formula and Victory Over The Sun.

Biffy Clyro To Release New Song

Biffy Clyro have announced that the first single off their upcoming sixth album, the title of which is currently unknown (despite speculation that it would be a double album entitled The Land At The End Of Our Toes and The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones), will be released to Radio 1 tomorrow night (31st July), at 19.30 (BST) on Zane Lowe's show. The song is entitled "Stingin' Belle".

Pet Shop Boys - Elysium

Artwork

Tracklist
01. Leaving
02. Invisible
03. Winner
04. Your Early Stuff
05. A Face Like That
06. Breathing Space
07. Ego Music
08. Hold On
09. Give It A Go
10. Memory Of The Future
11. Everything Means Something
12. Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin

The album's release date has been pushed forward a week - it will be released on September 10th, perhaps to avoid competition with Muse and the Killers, who both release their albums on the 17th.

The album has spawned one single - "Winner" - and another album track, "Invisible". There are reports that another single will turn up soon, but nothing official confirms this.

This album marks the eleventh studio album from the duo.

Bloc Party Unveil New Song

Bloc Party have revealed a new song off their forthcoming new album "Four". The song is a title track of sorts, seeing as it is called "Day Four", and was featured on the album trailer the band released a couple of months ago.

Have a listen here.

Bloc Party's Four - Full Lyrics

Below are the full lyrics to all twelve songs on Bloc Party's new album Four, which is due out on August 20th, including the single Octopus, which was released earlier this month.

01. SO HE BEGINS TO LIE
 The camera's watching, he takes a breath
Even though that they know that he knows
That they're onto him
He don't break a sweat, no

It grows and grows and grows inside of him
There's nothing there
All along he knows
Those mirrors started to lie to him
His reflection faded

The crowd are waiting, he takes the stage
Cross his heart, hand on heart, open heart
That he's gone legit
He was never there, no

As easy as closing his eyes, so he begins to lie

The camera's watching him
The camera's watching him lie


02. 3*3
Three times three, first cut first
Pierce the skin, it binds us
Spit, cum, blood, liquid wax
No one loves you as much as us

By all in me that's holy, by all in me that's blessed
I made to you a promise that this is forever and ever, amen

Three times three, lose all fear
Let the flames dry those tears
It takes hurt to be pure
Now you're one of, you're one of us

By all in me that's holy, by all in me that's blessed
I made to you a promise that this is forever and ever, amen

No means no - no, yes, no, yes, no, yes!


03. OCTOPUS
It hid and it hid in his bedroom
Psycho killer teen dream action film
Gonna show you how we get down in my hood
Bubbling bubbling cheap champagne
Leyendecker hole wrecker feel no pain
Lying face down when I swing your way
And what? What's my name, what's my name?

Mary Anna said it's a no-go
She don't feel like, she don't think so
I don't know why I feel like crying
Well come on, come on, say come on, come on

They ran and they ran from his classroom
Roll another 40, make them scream
Gonna show you how we do things in my hood
Tripping and a-tripping, then erase the tapes
John Wayne, Rob Roy feel no pain
This is the point where you look the other way

You done lost your mind

Mary Anna said it's a no-go
She don't feel like, she don't think so
I don't know why I feel like crying
Well come on, come on, say come on, come on


04. REAL TALK
Can we get real for a moment?
You’re my one and only friend
Watch the sunset from your sedan
Let your hand rest on mine

I’ve lived in every town
But here is where I find home
My mind is open and my body is yours
Show me the sign, please

I was so sure I was faulty and not able to love
But then you crept up on me
While I was dreaming
Whispered love into my ear

If you’re tired, I can drive us
We can go back to my place
My mind is open and my body is yours
Show me the sign, please


05. KETTLING
We smash the window, popo don't fuck around
As their cameras take pictures of us, we just laugh, we laugh
Because they can't stop this, we can feel it in our bones
The future's ours, yes it is, we can feel it in our bones

We drop the lighter into the gas
If the whole world is watching us, let them watch us, let them watch
Because they can't stop this, we can feel it in our bones
The future's ours, yes it is, we can feel it in our bones


06. DAY FOUR
It’s in the trees, it’s in the leaves
This time I know that I’ll stay clean
Anything it gives, anything it gives it will take back
The city’s here for you
My light burns low and I know it’s running out
They say stay brave but I know it will return

I’ve felt death rising from me
From my fingers and out my mouth
If you’re ever lonely, if you are alone stay that way
The city’s here for you
My light burns low and I know it’s running out
They say stay brave but I know it will return
On the fourth day, on day four


07. COLISEUM
Got a nightmare walking on two legs
There's a word for people like us
Can't shake the feeling we're moving backwards
History repeating itself

Ain't got time to prove, why even bother?
Just ignore the signs, ain't got time to lose
Can't change the drama, in time you'll see
The empire never ended

McSweeney draws first blood, teeth hit the floor
Fingers twitch on the remote, the crowd want more, more, more
They're waiting for the ground and pound to turn his face into raw meat
Little Johnny turns to mummy, "this is what I want to be"

Because pain is hopeful
Pain is holy
Pain is healthy
Pain heals

08. V.A.L.I.S.

When in motion, world is frozen
Talks in circles and Greek
He's into epiphany, he's into philosophy
He's into methyl amphetamines, he's into science
But he's lost his way, he's not the real me
But I can hear, I can hear him from my future
Show, show, show me, you gotta show me the way

Past and present are superimposed
He has seen this before
He's into conspiracy, he's into theophany
He's into phenomenology, he's into deeds
He don't mix his words, he's not the real me
But I can hear, I can hear him from my future
Show, show, show me, you gotta show me the way


09. TEAM A
How many times do I have to tell you that these are my things?
Been running your mouth, but people been listening
If you wanna throw down, we can go downtown
Any time, any damn time, any time of the week
See I know that you’re hating anticipating a breakthrough
Been there, done that, over with, bang
Ain’t nothing you can teach me
Ain’t got no time for Le Baron
Ain’t got no time for The Alibi
No we ain’t cool boy, don’t even try
I’m going to ruin your life

See we ain’t at school, snitches get stitches
You might be fast boy but I’m faster than you
So let’s make this clear, no misunderstandings
Better watch where you’re walking and watch what you say
Any time, any damn time, any time of the week
Ain’t got no time for Yo Yo
Ain’t got no time for The Groucho
No we ain’t cool and you don’t even know
I’m going to ruin your life

10. TRUTH

It was the truth that fell from these lips
It blinded us and then the darkness left
But I am yours now, respectfully
I am yours now, truthfully

It burnt the stain left on my mind
Our hearts, they beat, a quarter tone apart
Because I am yours now, respectfully
(Why couldn't I do it? You complete me)
I am yours now, truthfully
(Why couldn't I do it? You complete me)
Ooh-wooh-wooh, ooh-wooh-wooh...

Oh, our kind is hard to find
And if it will be, it will be with you
Because I am yours now, respectfully
(Why couldn't I do it? You complete me)
I am yours now, truthfully
(Why couldn't I do it? You complete me)
Ooh-wooh-wooh, ooh-wooh-wooh...

11. THE HEALING

Calm down, let the world spin round
There ain't no other place to be, take this lifeline
Skin tears but the flesh will weave back together again
Only scars now

Go easy, just be,
As life gets longer, got all the time you need
Stay with me, my dear
As life gets harder, whatever strikes, you'll heal

Breathe out, let it come around, let your colours return
Turn a corner every time he barks
Just shut the devil out, let these arms embrace
You know I'm down
You will heal

12. WE'RE NOT GOOD PEOPLE
Think fast, boy, think on your feet
If you don’t know it now you never will
You’re so young to be so heavy
Rip off the seal and let me school you

You see angels melt when they touch the ground
You see you’re not dumb, you’re just not aligned
Because you could be the one percent if you wanna
We’re not good people, this is a warning!

If God is God then why is he secret?
Today’s the day you’ve been set free
They might claim the best things are hidden
But I was here, you came to me

With these five lines you will be reborn
A superman or maybe a jock
You can crush the whole world in your hand if you wanna
We’ve got the doorway, we’ve got the hallway, you can’t restore yourself
We’re not good people, this is a warning!