I don’t know why I sat on posting this track for so long. It is a boring Saturday so I guess now would be a good time to get this in. The Arctic’s covered Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” during their Wellington gig a few weeks ago and it is was a great cover. The quality is pretty good and I think Nick Cave would be proud. Another great cover by the band. Dig it up:
[mp3] : Arctic Monkeys – Red Right Hand (Nick Cave Cover)
Franz Ferdinand have had quite a decade. They started it off with their self titled debut, arguably one of the greastest albums of this decade. The songs were funky, sexy, catchy and they had teeth. Just one year later, they followed that with another solid album that some people liked even more. However, the band has been away in the studio for almost 4 years working on their next album. The band said that the album would be more dance oriented with synths and other dance effects, but that their trademark sound would still be very relevant.
Well the album is here, and they kept their promise. The album is called “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” and it is a very accuare description. Songs like “Ulysses” are derived off a funky bass beat, and then lead into the dancefloor-ready chorus with groovy synths. The band has spicened up their sound with dance elements but their style has not gone anywhere. “Turn It On” has some hard hitting drums, angular guitars, and Alex Kapranos signature swag filled voice. The whole first half of the album is made up of potential singles. “No You Girls” is Franz Ferdinand at it’s best. The bass lines are infectious, the guitars are sharp, the band does work. “Twilight Owens” features a really cool synth line that proves their new sound can do them their own fair share of justice. It is good that they tried to experiment with their sound, but Franz is a band that could have kept the same sound for 10 albums and made 10 great albums. Listen to “What She Came For” and how it finishes. The last 30 seconds of that song is one of the finest moments in Franz Ferdinand’s whole catalogue. If they can find a way to expand parts like that into a whole song….oh man!
The reason I say this is because although the songs have some new elements to them, they are still very much Franz Ferdinand songs. Just with a bit more groove. The lyrics are still about romance and the night life. Not too much has changed when you really look at the big picture. However what has changed is “Lucid Dreams”. It has been re-worked to an almost un-recognizable 8 minute epic, and although it is a really cool listen I believe the pre-album version fit the context of the album better. Up to this point the album was a force of fast paced dance rockers, and the band takes a breath to strips things down. The production on this album is stellar and it does a lot for the band. Every hit of the drum is crisp, and every piano or bass note is mixed well with everything else.
I don’t understand the mixed reviews, the album is another solid addition to their already impressive catalogue. As long as Franz Ferdinand continues to make music that inspires them, it will continue to rock. They are naturally talented musicians, and it shows with the confidant muisc they continue to make. The songs are consistantly solid and they are just as catchy as their past songs. I thing once people sit down and spend more time with it, they will really get more out of it.
[mp3] : Franz Ferdinand – Twilight Owens
[mp3] : Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls
Finally! It has been almost 4 years since the last Doves record! In my mind, these guys are one of the most underappreciated bands making music right now. They really deserve a lot more love than they have been getting. Well they are back with a new album, their 4th called “Kingdom Of Rust” on April 7th. They gave a song from the album away for free on their website called “Jetstream”.
The Doves keep giving us great music. The song keep on providing us with high quality tunes. The song has some cool programmed drum beats and then the typical atmosphere grabbing guitars that the Doves do all too well. The vocals kick in and you got yourself 5 minutes of glory. I can’t wait for the album. Give it a try below:
[mp3] : Doves – Jetstream
Visit The Doves at their site | Preorder The New Album
Black Lips are some wild dudes. Their music has reflected that in the past but it seems for their new album “200 Million Thousand” is a bit more melodic. Although the melodies are flowing, the band is still sticking true to their lo-fi garage sound that makes them who they are. The song is full of cool space effects, effective piano parts, and usual great guitar work. They really have a lot going on in this song and it all pieces together effectivly. This is very different for the band but I am digging it. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the album!
[mp3] : Black Lips – Short Fuse
Visit The Black Lips on Myspace
I only have one song by The Whitest Boy Alive in my collection. It is the awesome track “Burning” from their first album “Dreams”. “Burning” is a dance/electronic track that you can dance to, but at the same time very relaxing. The band’s singer Erlend Oye has a really relaxing voice that isn’t overbearing at all. The rest of the band really backs him up well with every instrument clean and equally up front.
They recently released their new single “Island” from their upcoming album “Rules”. The song has a Hot Chip like beat, a fantasic bass line, and crisp guitars. Once again Erlend’s vocals really take control of the song. Everything in the song sounds really clean. The song is very danceable and the music is very real. What I mean is there is no unnecessary sounds or over abundance of machines or other effects. This is a great song, I gotta dig into “Dreams” soon. Get it below:
[mp3] : The Whitest Boy Alive – Island
The Rural Alberta Advantage are a band who has seen what the internet can do for a indie band. They have a story that all indie band’s strive for, but so many fail to achieve. They hail from Canada and have been playing together since 2005. Unlike Animal Colletive the RAA have not had the hype of “Merriweather Post Pavilion”, but their debut album “Hometowns” has made plenty of bloggers top lists (made my #8 of the year), as well as gaining some spotlight as the emusic artist of the month for November.
The Rural Alberta Advantage consists of Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff. Singer and guitarist Nils has a voice that many have compared to Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. The song are full of melody and sweeping instrumentation. The lyrics discuss Nils hometown of Alberta and the heartbreak that home often brings to our lives. The songs are full of raw emotion but there is nothing “emo” about the songs. Rather the band conveys the idea of real emotions vividly. The songs feature some really killer drumming from Paul Banwatt that really impressed me. In each song the drumming really takes control and leaves you with an impression. Amy Cole adds here own touch to the songs with a sweet voice and tone that compliments Paul’s less than traditional vocals.
The album is a relentless collection of tunes that doesn’t steer of track in terms of quality or pace at any moment. The songs are engaging and like I mentioned before: emotionally grabbing. You are pulled into his head as he describes the plot and setting. For only 3 people they really make use of their instruments to create a full, complete sound. They may just be one of the best unsigned bands around period, let alone Canada.
Their buzz started with a good review from the site herohill and continued with some good word of mouth on the metacritic message boards. A poster mentioned them to emusic and that lead to them becoming artist of the month for November. Now they are getting critical and blog acclaim everywhere and it is only a matter of time until they are singed. Spread the word, real music is alive and well!
[mp3] : The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Ballad of The RAA
[mp3] : The Rural Alberta Advantage – Don’t Haunt This Place
Buy the album on their website or on emusic
Well I am back at college after a long winter break, and unfortunately that probably means less time for blog posts. I will try to keep things at a steady pace but it is a lot harder when your up at school. Hopefully, you won’t even notice!!! Here is a litttle mixtape of songs I have been enjoying over the past few days! Enjoy!:
[mp3] : Glasvegas – Geraldine
[mp3] : Animal Collective – Bluish
[mp3] : Arcade Fire – The Well And The Lighthouse
[mp3] : The National – Start A War
[mp3] : Rural Alberta Advantage- Drain the Blood
[mp3] : The Walkmen – I Lost You
[mp3] : The Whitest Boy Alive – Burning
White Lies are a band that I told you to watch back in September and they finally released their debut album “To Lose My Life” a few days ago (January 19th). The album has been getting pretty good reviews, but some reviews are just calling them another Interpol and Joy Division etc… Say what you want but I am enjoying the music. There are many bands that try to stick to a past sound and fail miserably. White Lies sound relevant and fresh to me.
Anyway a few blogs such as Pretty Much Amazing have noticed that the band recently did a cover of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown”. The band actually pulls it off very well even with the lead singer’s deeper vocals. The guitars are dark similar to the Arctic Monkeys, the keys are ominous, and the pounding drums give the song a pretty cool atmosphere. They would be the last band I expected to do a Kanye cover, but they did it and well!! Check it out:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7v5f54u2lw
[mp3] : White Lies – Love Lockdown (Kanye West Cover)
Here we got some b-sides from the lovely Lily Allen herself. The first is “Fag Hag” which talks about the interaction of a straight girl and a gay man and their relationship. It is a pretty funny track, something that you would expect from Lily. “Kabul Shit” is a more serious track with some really cool music right behind it. Both songs are highly enjoyable and could have easily found a place on an album of hers. I am looking forward to her 2nd album “It’s Not Me, It’s You” set to hit stores February 10th! Cheers to mossip for posting the songs!
[mp3] : Lily Allen – Fag Hag
[mp3] : Lily Allen – Kabul Shit
You can actually preview parts of the entire album here and can preorder the album right now
Ah when will we ever get a new Sufjan album (that isn’t a Christmas album!)?? Well Sufjan put a new song on the charity compilation “Dark Was The Night” which is trying to raise money for the Red Hot Organization and their mission to raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Well I just heard the track and it is typical Sufjan Stevens QUALITY. However, it is not typical Sufjan Stevens music. This is epic. Also it isn’t his song, it is a cover of the band Castanets. The song is over 10 minutes long, has some electronic beats and other noises. Yeah…it would make more sense if you just check it out yourself!:
[mp3] : Sufjan Stevens – You Are The Blood
We NEED a new Sufjan album fast!! This can only hold us off for so long.
