announced her fourth album Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon on social networks, with a teaser telling the story of her new album, inspired by a trip to Tucson, Arizona. An initiatic trip, looking for a new sound, folk & country that already appeared on her 3 albums, mostly on her third, Tiger Suit (2010).
KT Tunstall completely abandoned pop arrangements, like those we heard on her early single "Suddenly I See" (2006), from her debut album Eye To The Telescope, released in 2005. The first single "Feel It All" is now available & should be the lead single. This soft ballad reminds us of the Canadian Feist & the Georgian Katie Melua. Surprising but striking too.The Tubelook @ this
Amazon unveiled the video for the lead single from her forthcoming second album, Music to Make Boys Cry, which is due out this Autumn.
Her Cinderella video takes us to the magical world of masquerade balls and searching for Princes.
It's a take on the classic fairy tale and Diana describes the romance saying: "Cinderella is about being in love and not caring about any of the material things in life, just wanting to be with that one person you adore."look @ this
"It's about being prepared to lose anything and take every chance to be with them".The Tube
AmazonMax, Jay, Siva, Nathan and Tom hang like puppets on string as in N'Sync's Bye Bye Bye, don all white outfits to dance around an airport as seen in Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way, and trade in their super cool leather jackets for parkas, fur hoods and a spot of singing in the rain as per Take That's Back For Good.
For The Wanted lads who normally have fairly simple music videos, we think this is pretty refreshing! We like it. Lots. The TuBE
Alicia Keys Amazon he Big apple native turns an alley into her stage as she busts out
some fancy footwork alongside her dancers. Dressed in a gold top and
liquid leather pants, Keys belts out the motivational lyrics to the
inspiring anthem as graffiti writers tag up concrete walls with her
words. Shots of the Manhattan skyline and the busy city streets appear and the songbird even performs a concert for devoted fans. ‘New Day’ arrives shortly after the debut of her Maxwell-assisted visual for ‘Fire We Make,’ which also rests on her ‘Girl on Fire’ album.
Texas Amazonare no strangers to adversity – after their debut hit I Don’t Want
A Lover it was almost 10 years until they achieved mass success again.
That song’s earthy charm and slide guitar had been largely replaced by
polished and programmed pop by 2005, so it’s something of a surprise to
discover that the bulk of The Conversation is the result of a
collaboration with Sheffield troubadour Richard Hawley (not so much of a surprise from his end though, given his work with artists as diverse as Shirley Bassey, Arctic Monkeys and Robbie Williams).
It all makes sense with the lead single and title track which, with its
twanging, swampy guitar hook, somehow manages to recall early Texas yet
sound thoroughly modern. It’s a compelling pop song, as tight as
stretched elastic. It and the insouciant ‘50s vibe of Dry Your Ears
reveal that Spiteri and co haven’t lost their knack for melodies that
lodge in your brain.The Tube
Jamie Cullum Amazon I’d wager that Momentum – his first album since 2009’s The Pursuit – is his bid to reclaim some of his lost musical credibility.
He’s roped in cool
producers Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele) and former Gorilla Dan The
Automator (Kasabian, DJ Shadow) and selected the distinctly uncommercial
Love for $ale, featuring British rapper Roots Manuva, to be the album’s
lead-off track.
He hasn’t thrown the
baby out with the bathwater, though, making sure the album still
overflows with upbeat radio-friendly tunes (Edge of Something, When I
Get Famous, new single Everything You Didn’t Do) and some ballads for
good measure.The Tube
Amazon the track will also be released as part of an EP on July 8th. The track is the first to be taken from her anticipated second album and was chosen as the first single as a "tribute solely to her fans as a thank you for their constant love and support". The -Tube
Amazon Dave Sitek produced BE, and there are definitely textural and instrumental similarities to TV On The Radio here (especially in the incredible horns that propel the track). It’s retro as hell, yeah, but Sitek treats that (essential) aspect of the band’s identity with a wink, and in doing so, makes it feel oddly contemporary. Liam Gallagher has got a million effects on his voice, to the extent that I can’t tell if he’s actually singing this thing at all, but whatever the hell is happening, it sounds fantastic On Later... with Jools Holland 22.00hrs BBc 2 WEDNESDAY The Tube
Amazon The video sees the guys performing the song on a roof, interspersed with clips of frontman Andy Brown's ex girlfriend. He's brokenhearted, and she's finding it hard to forget as she flicks through TV channels and magazines only to find their split is all over the news.
The party begins when B.o.B raps his verse, but the party's over for Andy's ex who's given the cold shoulder when she arrives.
Andy has already said that Brokenhearted is "my favourite song we have recorded to date", is it yours?
Stylo G his first release since signing to 3 Beat after 2012's underground hit Call Mi A Yardie - is without doubt the most exciting track on the 1Xtra playlist right now. An intoxicating fusion of bass and reggae courtesy of new Dutch production talent Diztortion, this dancefloor and radio-friendly anthem has picked up fans across the dial from Toddla T and MistaJam to Zane Lowe and Rob Da Bank. The highest new entry on Music Week's Urban Chart last week, Soundbwoy also shot to No. 2 on the iTunes reggae chart last Saturday after being featured on Soccer AM. With a host of regional and festival appearances including Glastonbury confirmed for May and June, this could be Stylo G's summer.
The single is full of angsty guitars, swooning violins and drums that would make Florence Welchweep. The band’s No 1 album Bad Blood is currently in its sixth week in the UK Top 13 album chart.
, however, sees Laura Palmer get the electro treatment with frantic synths and strings that take the song into proper nightclub territory. We think it's pretty darn impressive.The Tube
Jagwar Ma Amazon Man I Need, the follow up to previous single The Throw,
is now backed by some nifty tripped out animation that would go down a
treat with either some 3D glasses or mushroom tea. It’s the perfect
kaleidoscopic accompaniment to the epic tune and just the prescription
to put a little groove into your mid-week afternoon, sucking you in from
the get-go and sweetly refusing to let you go. We’re super glad to be hearing new stuff from the pair after they were forced to cancel 5 of their Australian shows in April due to illness on Jono Ma’s part. Although it seems like it’s all under control now, with the guys scheduled to play Glastonbury next month. We hope you’re feeling better, Jono – stop being a sook and come back to Australia real soon, you hear...The Tube
Lucy Sprggan 21-year-old Sheffield hailing singer-songwriter unveiled her first single, ‘Lighthouse’. The track tells of Lucy’s bid to crack America with her guitar,
during her travels across 23 states when she was 18. Why a lighthouse of
all subjects one can cover? They’re apparently her “good omen”.When I was in the US and stuff went wrong, when I’d miss
the last bus or I’d run out of money, I’d always see a lighthouse on a
piece of paper, beer bottle or in real life then things would start
getting better. The lesbian ‘Tea and Toast’ singer has been performing her new single up and down the country and in an interview with the Sheffield Metro that he has had “almost 20 bras” thrown at her! Bet you’re jealous boys! The Tube
Maroon 5 AmazonThe video sees frontman Adam Levine go topless as he and the band are
covered in grey paint. The more paint that gets smeared on the band,
the more we get to see of them. As the song continues The Voice judge is also seen using his hands to uncover a female love interest. It's all a bit like the invisible man, but with up-close-and-personal shots of Adam's torso, we're hardly complaining! With Demi Lovato going for a similar look, being painted in black for her latest Heart Attack video, it seems getting painted up is currently in vogue.The Tube
Mariah Carey's Amazon new single - which included a midtempo pace and a nod to her infamous
whistling, we're pleased to report that she has delivered on most
counts. In fact, the only request she ignored was to avoid her recent
habit of over-featuring her guests, which in this case is neo-soul
crooner Miguel.
Fortunately, in this instance it only adds to a
comeback single that is as savvy as it is wholly reassuring. "You're
beautiful/ And your mind is f**king beautiful," Miguel insists over
vintage soul grooves and finger-clicking drums The Tube
Amazon released a music video for his song “The Way I Tend to Be.” The video shows Frank digging a giant hole, and the media getting excited about it. The video has some really interesting visuals, and is generally just well made.
“The Way I Tend to Be” comes off of Frank Turner’s newest album, Tape Deck Heart, which released via Xtra Mile Recordings. Don’t know if you’re sold yet on the album The Tube
Lewis Amazonis set to hit the festival circuit this summer including
his first ever performance at Glastonbury. He can also be seen on stage
at T In The Park, Bestival, Camp Bestival and Truck Festival. The
singer-songwriter describes his new track. saying: "This song is about
just dropping everything, regardless of what it is, and gathering
everybody to have a good time". It's kind of a laid-back summer anthem for 2013. Lewis' Four More Songs EP is due for release on 1 July. Will you be buying it? Watch the video below and let us know what you think.4music The Tube
Amazon The wrapper performing with a 1920's brass band on a tiered podium with the entire video being shot in black and white.
Other artists to feature on the ultimate who's who ofmoviesoundtracks include Emeli Sande perfroming a cover of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love', The X X, Bryan Ferry and Jack White.
'The Great Gatsby' was released in the UK last week receiving aprettyluke-warm reception from critics.
The film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan topped the US Box Office last week ending Iron Man 3's reign at number one
Aside from the winning EDM
collaboration, England has worked with another star in a very different
medium -- Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper on "Mad Men" -- on the
music video for her solo track "We Rise Like Smoke," launching
exclusively on Billboard Los Angeles singer-songwriter Kyler England. Aside from the winning EDM
collaboration, England has worked with another star in a very different
medium -- Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper on "Mad Men" -- on the
music video for her solo track "We Rise Like Smoke," launching
exclusively on Billboard The-Tube
Crystal Fighters AmazonDirected by Elliot Sellers, You & I is off the London-based band's
forthcoming album, Cave Rave, which drops on May 28th. The bird used in
the video is real, though it was totally dead when the production crew
found it. The Tube
JLo (Amazon)in Paris, taking on a high-fashion theme as she dons black feathers and takes to the catwalk. Meanwhile Pitbull appears in the only way he knows how, donning a pastel suit and partying on the beach with beautiful revelers. This
video definitely takes the award for most blatant product placement
this year, but is it any surprise when you put the the king and queen of
endorsements in one video? There's models, hot dance routines and a few gymnastics thrown in for good measureThe Tube
Tich AmazonApreviously traded under her birth name Rachl Furner, gaining steady success as a singer-songwriter supporting acts such as Paolo Nutini, Pixie Lott, Justin Bieber, JLS and Olly Murs. She was signed by Mercury Records and released a single ‘Sticks & Stones’ in 2010, but a full album unfortunately never materialised. All this changed however when she garnered support and major tweetage from X Factor ‘12 winner James Arthur, as well as The Wanted and One Direction, after covering their singles in her own front room and uploading them onto YouTube (#CleverGirl!). Now, rebranded using her childhood nickname and following the soft launch of EP ‘Candlelight’ back in December, Tich has released her official debut single ‘Dumb’. The song, taken from her forthcoming album which has been co-written with the likes of Matt Prime, Nick Jonas and Andrew Frampton, is about those times post-breakup when you realise – Doh! – that you’ve just been really stupid and gone and carelessly dumped the wrong guy. “You don’t know my mind, then again nor do I [...] Think I might have got this wrong, sorry but I didn’t know you were the one […] Now I know that you’re the one, sorry that I’ve been so dumb”. But Tich ain’t dumb, far from it! Rather than entirely ditch her previous recording persona a la Duffy or Amy Winehouse, Tich has kept her look and sound largely consistent over the years. Still there are the tumbling black locks, eyeliner flick, sparkly/quirky girly tops, colour-contrast nails and heaps of bangles and chunky bracelets – she basically looks like model Daisy Lowe’s precocious little sister (apologies to real sister Betty Lowe are due, of course). Still there is her sweet yet husky alto voice, which breaks and cracks in just the right rock-chick manner and doesn’t deny her Midlands/London roots.The TuBE
Olly Mars Amazon ,"NEW UK single is.. (Drum roll) a little tune myself, @Eddrewett &
Jim Eliot wrote 'Dear Darlin' fav song from album!! Doing Vid next wk,"
Murs tweeted.
It will serve as the follow-up to chart-topper 'Troublemaker' and previous cut 'Army Of Two'.The Tube
Bastille Amazon announced their new single @ 3rd June, Laura Palmer, is releasing on 3 June. Taken from their chart-topping debut album Bad Blood, Laura Palmer is the follow up to the number 2 chart smash, Pompeii, one of the UK’s biggest selling singles of the year.
Amazon vocalist with Rudimental, powerhouse soul singer John Newman launches
his solo career with Love Me Again, complete with a spellbinding
Vaughan Arnell promo. Filmed at the gloriously retro Mildmay club in Stoke Newington (you
half expect Ronnie Kray to swagger in at any moment), Vaughan
authentically re-creates a late 60s Northern Soul night centred around
Newman’s brilliant stage performance. Vaughan says: “I always like to work with young virgins and on this
job I was doubly excited, not only was it John Newmans debut video in
which we created a great collaboration, but it also was first time in
front of the camera for the young actor Tommy Lee.”The Tube
Queens of the Stone Age new album – …Like Clockwork– is coming out on June 4th, and the robots are rumbling back to life with the new single “My God Is the Sun.” Dave Grohl is playing drums on the new album, just as he did on Songs for the Deaf – which is arguably QOTSA’s best album. It’s easy to expect the new material to sound like Songs for the Deaf because of this connection, but that’s not so. Instead, “My God Is the Sun” sounds more like the follow-up, Lullabies to Paralyze. Like Lullabies, the song is dark, brooding, and not quite
hummable. There’s nothing too immediate about the song (unlike past
“hits” “No One Knows” and “Little Sister”), but it does get better with
more and more plays, and from the song’s very first measure it’s
obviously QOTSA. I can’t wait for moreThe-Tube.
BRUNO MARS Amazon Pretty much the biggest pop star in the world right now whose name isn't Adele, Bruno Mars is ubiquitous and prolific with it. Both with and without his songwriting/production crew The Smeezingtons, Mars has had a hand in hits by Cee Lo Green, Sugababes, Justin Bieber, Adam Lambert and Alicia Keys,
and has scored a clutch of UK and US number ones under his own steam –
all in just a couple of years on the scene. Either he's the new Smokey Robinson or he's spreading himself so thin he'll be a chirpy pop gauze by 2013. Well, he's not quite see-through yet. It's soon plain that Unorthodox Jukebox lacks the immediacy of 2010's Doo-Wops & Hooligans – there's no Marry You here, and certainly no global chart-topper like Just the Way You Are. But it's appealing, generally engaging and all shot through with the
confidence of a man who must feel he's got the hit parade Midas touch.
Bar the odd misstep, he probably won't have a rude awakening. Those stumbles are Show Me's wan facsimile of Musical Youth's Pass
the Dutchie (one of 2012's more unlikely influences) and the sugary
early 80s funk of Treasure, which is lathered in so much slap bass it
starts to sting.bbc Speaking of Sting
– ouch – his spectre is all over first single Locked Out of Heaven, in
the clipped Message in a Bottle chords and Mars' yelping, staccato
delivery. But that's about the only time Mars allows his own identity to
be subsumed. Otherwise, he's equally cosy fronting saucy semi-rock belter Gorilla –
"You get your legs up in the sky with the devil in your eyes" – and
sprinting on the spot to the unhinged electro-soul of the Diplo-produced Money Makes Her Smile.The-Tube
Union J musicvideo sees the four-piece prepare for an open mic night, where they travel to perform the new trackUnion J recently confessed that they cried when they first heard their debut single played on national radio. Union J finished fourth in last year's X Factor behind Christopher Maloney, Jahmene Douglas and eventual winner James Arthur. They will perform at this year's Capital FM Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on June 9 alongside Robbie Williams, Taylor Swift and Jessie J.The Tube
'The
Other Side' - which is out now in the US and June 16 in the UK - was
produced by Ammo, who has previously worked with the likes of Ke$ha,
Katy Perry and Leona Lewis.
Derulo's third LP is scheduled to be released in September and includes a collaboration with girlfriend and former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.
The singer recently revealed that he and Sparks had come together to record tracks for their upcoming albums but admitted that they often clashed as they work "differently" from one another.
Amazon The British musicians have teamed up on a wacky video which looks like a blinged-out tribute to mods and rockers. Robbie
starts off leading a mini scooter rally, complete with mod signs and
parker jackets. When it's Dizzee's turn to rap, he emerges from a spiky
looking car and gets on a motor bike. However, as the cameras
continue to roll, their rides appear more and more like pimped-up
mobility scooters. We've definitely never seen these on the high street! Chuck
in a few more attractions like a Slash look-a-like and a man with huge
eyes, and you have yourself a thoroughly weird video.The Tube
Lana Del Rey Amazon has never been the most enthusiastic music video presence -- she barely flinched when perched between two tigers in the "Born To Die"
-- but the singer appears especially demure here, as she twirls slowly
in a dark room and shows off the pair of glittery tears adorning her
upper cheek. A faceless symphony plays on as Del Rey paces toward an
alluring pillar of light, and the clip ends without ever reaching any
kind of conclusion -- much like the rhetorical question, "Will you still
love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" at the heart of the
song.The Tube
Amazonback in October of last year, and it looks like the massive original, which recently got christened as Zane Lowe’s “Hottest Record in the World” last night, is set to be released on May 6. This track was one of the reasons we felt they were one to watch in 2013,
and it still has a huge, anthemic vibe. As of now, we don’t have word
on what will be accompanying this tune, but figure a remix and/or an
equally-impressive b-side should back it up.
Avril Lavigne Amazon “Here’s To Never Growing Up” may reference Radiohead
in its first line, but the act it most recalls is Ke$ha. The sing-songy
track, built around a big, kick-drum stomp, sounds like a cross between
the “Tik-Tok” singer and the arena hands-in-the-air,
acoustic-guitar-strumming, simple-minded tunes crafted by Nickelback’s leader, Chad Kroeger,
who just happens to be a co-writer on the song and Lavigne’s fiance.
Throw in a little dose of "Girlfriend's" attitude and call it a day.
With lines like “we’ll be running down the street yelling kiss my
HEY/We’ll be like, 'yeah, whatever,' we’re still living like that,” the
song is an aptly-titled salute to staying forever young (so much so that
one cover of the single features Lavigne holding a teddy bear).
Jake Bugg Amazon He’s been writing songs and performing since dropping out of school
at 16, and his debut album will certainly provide any “Another Brick in
the Wall,” angsty teen student with fodder to level at their teachers
and parents. Why stay in school when you could be doing this? Bugg’s
made it in the music world, he’s living the dream and he’s doing so in
such a way that everyone’s talking. His youth shouldn’t define his
music, but it brings out people’s innate desire to appreciate the beauty
brought about by youth with a little more intensity. There’s a mature
evaluation for the likes of the dying Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, but
Mozart’s youth is talked about with as much wonder as the former’s
deafness and decrepitude. Is Bugg a wunderkind? Within reason. His self-titled debut album is
arguably more ear-catching and immediately accessible than Bob Dylan’s
eponymous first release. It brings to mind what Noel Gallagher, another
Bugg influence who let the teen open for him on tour, once said about
Oasis’s debut Definitely Maybe. “McCartney, Townshend, Richards,
my first album’s better than all their first albums. Even they’d admit
that.” Who knows if they would, but it’s a quote met with sheepish
insecurity from any serious music listener. At the end of the day, he
may be right. Luckily, Bugg doesn’t seem to carry himself with the same brash
swagger as the Gallagher clan. He’s more the one of disaffected
confidence and detachment, still humbled under the specters of his
influences. Each song on the debut suggests an autodidact’s obsessive
musical education. This is an album marked by a thoroughgoing saturation
in oldies radio and throwback record stores. In the midst of shoegaze,
dream-pop and punk revivalism, Bugg’s fine with traditional songcraft
Wednesday 8 May 2013
David Bowie Amazon Ziggy, Aladdin, Halloween Jack, the Man Who Fell to Earth,
the Thin White Duke, Major Tom, the Goblin King, The Dame, the Mid-Life
Crisis Soul Patch, and all the rest, there was the Mask. In 1969, when David Bowie
was just another struggling London songwriter desperate for a break, he
shot a promotional film to showcase his particularly dramatic brand of
performance. Along with a handful of songs-- including an early version
of "Space Oddity" in which a tinfoil-helmeted Bowie is seduced by a
couple of space sirens-- the reel included an original mime piece called
"The Mask".
It shows Bowie, looking like the least intimidating pirate of all-time
in tight white tights, a frilly top, and a pageboy wig, stealing an
invisible mask and proceeding to charm his family, co-workers, and
eventually entire concert halls by simply placing it on his face.
"Autographs, films, television-- the lot!" he says, in voiceover,
describing the opportunities afforded by his mysterious new facade. "Had
a very strange effect on me, though." The mime ends with
the white-faced "star" giving his biggest performance yet-- and then he
can't get the mask off. It strangles him. "The papers made a big thing
out of it," he continues, "funny though, they didn't mention anything
about a mask." Even before David Bowie gained a smidge of notoriety, he
was well aware of its pitfalls-- and his own susceptibility to the lure
of disguise.
To put it mildly, this self-aware
attraction to reinvention has served him well. In the 1970s, he rifled
through looks, genres, and band members without hesitation, from
space-age glam, to cocaine funk, to harrowing ambience, to name a few.
In more modern terms, consider Radiohead's whiplash transformation
between OK Computer and Kid A... and then consider how Bowie pulled off equally radical shifts at least five times
between 1970 and 1980 alone. This malleability astounds because it runs
so counter to the way most of us think and behave. It's non-conformist,
uncomfortable, and irrational, without any of the detrimental
consequences that are supposed to come along with such rule-breaking.
Granted, a stupendous coke habit nearly killed him and he wasn't able to
be a present father to his young son during that time, but even those
disappointments led to the despondency that fueled his oblique Berlin
trilogy. While many artists claim to despise the status quo, only a few
have discarded previous successes with the abandon of Bowie, especially
during that flawless decade-long stretch. "Tomorrow belongs to those who
can hear it coming," read the tagline in an ad for 1977's "Heroes". It was anything but hyperbole. Back then, Bowie may have had many masks, but he knew exactly how long to wear each one.
Kodaline Amazonhave become something of a buzz band as of late; “All I
Want” from their debut EP having featured in an episode of the hit
television series Grey’s Anatomy and having been nominated for the BBC
Sound of 2013 poll, following up on this with a number one hit single in
the Irish charts. To say Kodaline are going places is something of an
understatement, as they’ve got another bonafide hit on their hands with
their forthcoming single “Love Like This”, and with Summer fast
approaching, their timing is just right to drop this jaunty number. “Love Like This” opens with bright, diet-folky mandolin not too far
removed from what you’d expect from Mumford & Sons or The
Lumineers, a harmonica and bluegrass-stomp kick-drum and bouncy
bassline joining in before the track picks up true to the radio/stadium
ready style as heard on previous singles.
The hooks are just as memorable as previous efforts too, with a
memorable chorus (“I know a love like this won’t last forever… but I
don’t really mind at all”) delivered bitter-sweetly by Stephen
Garrigan, whose voice wavers above the merriness throughout, clearly
and passionately. If the sound of laughter and studio banter that remained on the
finished product are anything to go by, the track was as fun to record
as I imagine will be for the average listener and fan to listen to. My main grippes with the track are that despite the fact that it’s
wholesome and seems to come from a genuine place in the hearts of its
creators, it lacks originality. Right from the opening mandolin, one
can tell just where the track is headed and what the chorus will sound
like. Catchy hooks are not by any means a bad thing, but sometimes
they’re present at a loss of authenticity. This, unfortunately, is no
exception.The Tube
Amazon 'A Ton of Love' is released on 7" on June 24, backed with 'The Sting'. The Weight of Your Love via iTunes.
Recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studio and produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon), The Weight of Your Love is released by Play It Again Sam on July 1. Clint Mansell is also credited with production duties on 'Nothing'.
The Weight of Your Love
is the group's first album featuring new members Justin Lockey and
Elliott Williams, and the first to be recorded without Editors
co-founder and former lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, who left the band
last year.
Editors will also appear at festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds this summer
Amazon at their most ominous, which is admittedly still pretty peppy. It’s introspective, somber and a certain departure from the rest of the album. Lastly, the ethereal title track banishes the navel-gazing anxiety, closing the record on a bright and hopeful note: “the beacon is calling me / the light that never dies / reflections thrown above the sea / cast shadows in the sky.”
Two Door Cinema Club were the awkward little pop band that could; and while they’ve continued along the same path that brought them success, the trio has narrowed their scope rather than expanded it. Trimble set out to write an album that was both optimistic and deeply emotional — and in this regard, Beacon is a success. But Two Door Cinema Club traded creativity for sentimentality, and the result is tight, polished and formulaic. Over-reliant on awkward, lovelorn lyrics, Beacon is definitely relatable, but it proves something every teenager eventually learns: angst can only get you so far.
“Machine” is another drivingrock anthem from We Are The Ocean. Fitting the band’s standard song structure, the track sways from quiet to loud on hairpin turns, keeping you on the edge of your feet throughout. If it’s possible for listening to a single song to be exhilarating, this is it. You can view the video below.
Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow is available now wherever music is sold. Even if “Machine” doesn’t knock you off your feet I cannot recommend spinning the full album enough. These guys have real talent. Don’t let that go unnoticed.
Miles Kane going back to his roots, and combines performance with
documentary footage to create a very atmospheric, beautifully shot
celebration of Liverpool and its people.
Dan and his small crew spent three days shooting around the city and
the result is a joyous document of Liverpool today – which is intercut
with footage of Miles Kane in some of its finest buildings, playing with
his band and then dovetailing with the documentary footage in one hell
of a night on the town. The Don’t Forget Who You Are has the atmosphere
and uplifting quality of a classic Britpop video – and as Dan points out
below, a brilliant display of naturalistic cinematography by DoP Ben
Fordesman, ably assisted by the redoubtable Aubrey Woodiwiss’s black and
white grade
Biffy Clyro
,Amazonisnolongerplayingsecondfiddle to Muse, they fill the O2withsteamflumes, snowstorms and fire columns all of their own. The show
comes ahead of their summer festival headline slots and on the back of
their first No 1 album, Opposites: a darkside/lightside double setting euphoria against alienation in the vein of the Stranglers' Black and White, Nick Cave's Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus,
or anyone else who has ever had a Bud Light too many and almost broken
up while touring California. The fact that they've got here after six
solid albums, but are still most famous as the band who let X Factor's
Matt Cardle belittle and retitle their biggest tune, Many of Horror, is evidence that Team Biffy remain a cult, while transcending the narrowness cult status implies. If
anything, Biffyhave benefited from their brush with Simon Cowell. The
Opposites material that makes up half of tonight's two-hour set is a
welcome injection of artful accessibility into an unwieldy catalogue,
already leaning towards grandstanding rock choruses by 2007's Puzzle. It
borrows the slick crescendos and stadium affectations of 80s-hair
metal, but without the lascivious aesthetic of the spandex sex pest. At
times it goes further: Black Chandelier
is premium highway-rock balladry, the title track is virtually REM in
its student-friendliness, and Biblical exhibits the catchy pop that
frontman Simon Neil usually saves for his disco side-project Marmaduke Duke, creating something that's as much Whitesnake as it is, ahem, Noah and the Whale.Join This