TRACK OF THE DAY: SKATERS "Mental Case"

Whilst we’ve been outside tanning our bodies to the next shade of the Dulux colour chart all summer, SKATERS of NYC have spent their summer in the studio. Their latest track ‘Mental Case’ is certainly worth fake tanning for.
Clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, &...
READ MORE: TRACK OF THE DAY: SKATERS "Mental Case"

15 Of The Funniest Reactons To Taylor Swift On NME Magazine"s Front Cover

At Manchester Piccadilly Station last Friday, I picked up a copy of the ‘new’ free NME with Taylor Swift on the cover. Wait, or was it actually a copy of Smash Hits?
After a quadruple take (and eighteen overexaggerated coffee spits) I can confirm that it actually was a...
READ MORE: 15 Of The Funniest Reactons To Taylor Swift On NME Magazine"s Front Cover

5 Reasons To Listen To The Bohicas" "The Making Of"

1. It’s ‘To Die For’.
Get it? Because it’s the title of one of their songs? *ahem* Terrible jokes aside, ever since The Bohicas appeared on the scene in late 2013 with the double-edged blade that was ‘Swarm / XXX‘, this album was always worth holding your...
READ MORE: 5 Reasons To Listen To The Bohicas" "The Making Of"

5 Things We Learned From Listening to Spector"s "Moth Boys"

 1. Good things come to those who wait.

I still remember the first time I heard Spector‘s ‘What You Wanted’ in my local River Island whilst looking at women’s shoes (I still have the Shazam entry to prove it). And that was in January 2012. I have to be honest, after three years later with the standalone ‘Decade of Decay’ and a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ bridging a very vast gap, I was pretty sick of waiting. It sort of felt like your mate popped out for a loaf of bread and after two years you sat there thinking “Where the hell is he? Has he died? I’ll give it another year and re-evaluate the situation.” Fortunately, with ‘Moth Boys’ finally arriving on August 21st with more bangers than your average plate of bangers and mash, I can safely confirm that it was worth the wait.

2. It’s still possible to release a second album and not be a total let down.

I’m not gonna name names but let’s just put it this way: the last band I remember to release a decent follow-up to their debut was Arctic Monkeys and that was in 2007. (If you noticed that I actually did just name a name despite saying I wasn’t going to… then screw you!) It’s refreshing to see Spector take the strongest elements of their debut and building upon them, striving to develop them into something refreshingly challenging without simultaneously alienating their existing fan-base. It isn’t ‘more of the same’ and it doesn’t obliterate the Spector mould, it’s just plain awesome.

3. I was wrong. An album without ‘Reeperbahn’ can still live up to ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’

Let’s just get this straight, ‘Reeperbahn‘ is possibly the best Spector track ever. When I found out that it wasn’t going to even be on ‘Moth Boys’, charged with living too much in the world of ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’, I almost choked on my chia seed and quinoa latté (if this actually exists, then I don’t want to live in this world anymore). But having listened to the album in full, I felt a little ashamed when I realised that I never even noticed it was even missing. I imagine this is what I’ll feel like as a parent when I realise that I left my son in the freezer aisle at Tescos… TWO WEEKS AGO.

4. A hint of Dev Hynes is good for your health.

If you thought ‘Decade of Decay‘ was good, then just wait until you hear ‘Cocktail Party / Heads Interlude’. It’s easy to accuse iTunes of suddenly going on shuffle and having landed on Blood Orange’s ‘Cupid Deluxe’ as Hyne’s signature 80’s style percussion comes into play. Yet as MacPherson’s vocals set the tone of the track, it remains undoubtedly Spector through and through. With a little touch of Hynes’ soulful vocals throughout, we can only hope that Spector adopt his amazing dance moves next.

5. Fred MacPherson’s hair is the source of his power.

His hair grows longer. His songs get better. Coincidence? WE THINK NOT. Perhaps if he grew a beard, all of One Direction‘s fan-base would ‘make the switch’ to Spector? ‘Moth Boys’ is a phenomenal album and it just makes everything else sound bad by comparison.

5 Things We Learned From Listening to Spector"s "Moth Boys"

BAND OF THE DAY: X Ambassadors

When Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons tells you to sign a band, you sign the band – and that’s precisely what Alex Da Kid did. The group? New York-based alternative rockers X Ambassadors, who deliver a dark and captivating mix of acoustic and electronic, percussion-heavy music.

Fronted by singer/songwriter Sam Harris, with the addition of his brother – keyboardist Casey Harris, as well as guitarist Noah Feldsuh, and drummer Adam Levin; X Ambassadors lays down hard hitting beats and guitar, tops them with rocky electronic-influenced melodies, and then wraps them in the passionate vocals of Harris himself. It’s a combination that makes their style unclassifiable; on one track they’ll sound very folk, and on the next they’ll sound more like pop/alt-rock.

After Imagine Dragon’s frontman Dan Reynolds heard their song ‘Unconsolable’ he convinced their label to sign X Ambassadors. They released their debut EP ‘Love Songs Drug Songs’ in 2012 and have also since been featured on other tracks for artists such as Eminem. Another EP ‘The Reason’ was released in 2014 and contains their now hugely popular hit, which features Jamie N Commons, ‘Jungle’. Having just released the song ‘Renegades’ as their latest single on March 3rd of this year, and dropped a new song ‘Heist’ on March 24th, expect to hear much more from these guys soon. The band is set to release a full length album, titled ‘VHS’, and go on tour later this year.

Need a place to start? We recommend checking out the tracks ‘Love Songs Drug Songs‘ and ‘Unsteady‘. You can find X Ambassadors on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

BAND OF THE DAY: X Ambassadors

TRACK OF THE DAY: Wolf Alice "Giant Peach"

After endless stunning singles and EPs, Wolf Alice are releasing their debut album ‘My Love Is Cool’ at last on June 22^nd.

With a tracklist graced by the band’s classics such as the garage cascade of ‘Fluffy’, the winsome ‘Bros’ and their new feral single, ‘Giant Peach’. They even released a 500-copy limited edition 7’’ for ‘Giant Peach’ to celebrate the new chapter of ‘My Love Is Cool’, including a B-side of the stunning ‘I Saw You (In A Corridor)’. It was snapped up very quickly, selling out in a couple of days – we’ll hear about that later on!

The new track ‘Giant Peach’ flares with abrasive energy from the first second of the long, fuzzy intro; of course in true Wolf Alice fashion, the energy stays at peak level and never dips once. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell screams rebellion and defiance in her lyrics “I don’t tell lies no more, you know, I just don’t tell the truth” with layers of echoes and sultry whispers. It then quickly drops to a lingering bassline as Roswell delivers a crescendo of desperation, “what the hell keeps me here?”. The tension cracks suddenly into grungy, psychedelic twangs from guitarist Joff Oddie as Rowsell repetitively moans “I’m dark and pretty down” until she bursts into a snarling scream and the track continues into a feral whirlpool of distortion and raunchy riffs.

The video for the track is a sight to behold itself; being a tongue-in-cheek approach with Tony Gardner as the bands absolutely crap tour manager at the centrefold. It features sleaze, gyrating, smashed bottles and a murder as Ellie Rowsell explains:

“Here we are trying out our questionable acting skills once again. It’s almost a sequel to our video ‘Fluffy’ and a look into the future of Wolf Alice – featuring lots of leather, hip thrusting, murder and a very naughty manager. Special thank you to Tony Gardner for being a hero.”

‘I Saw You (In A Corridor)’ follows on the ‘Giant Peach’ vinyl as a B-side; however it reduces to a bare yet beautiful minimum of Rowsell’s dulcetly touching vocals, a metronome and an acoustic guitar. It’s a complete juxtaposition to the previous hurricane with a simple, stunningly mellifluous waterfall of hope in lyrics such as “I should tell you I adore you” and “I want nothing more, nothing different”.

‘Giant Peach’ seems to be highly reminiscent of The Joy Formidable’s ‘A Heavy Abacus’ and has tones of Brighton rock duo Blood Red Shoes. The London four-piece start their 14-date UK headline tour on Monday, starting in Glasgow and finishing in Cambridge; clearly 2015 is brimming with hope for Wolf Alice so watch this space.

TRACK OF THE DAY: Wolf Alice "Giant Peach"

LIVE REVIEW: Muse - Manchester Academy - 22/03/2015

I last saw Muse in 2010 at Wembley Stadium from about 500 feet away alongside 90,000 other people, with Lilly Allen as a support act.

That’s when I realised: stadium gigs just aren’t for me. I’m just not okay with waiting around outside a venue an entire day in advance just to guarantee any kind of decent view. If I’m honest, I struggle to patiently wait for a microwave meal. That’s not to mention the worst punishment of arriving fashionably late – watching the entire performance via a big screen TV. Should I just have waited until the live DVD came out? The entire occasion only leaves you questioning your own integrity when you later tell people that you’ve ‘seen’ Muse.

But having learned my lesson after seeing Muse at Wembley Stadium (well, it could have been anyone considering how far away I was) I jumped at the chance to see them minus the binoculars at the otherwise cosy Manchester Academy. This was easily up there as one of the best decisions of my life, only second to the time that two chocolate bars came out of the vending machine at once. Yes readers, my life is rather blessed.

As Muse entered the stage and exploded into the monstrous riffs of ‘Psycho’, it became immediately clear that my ass was now property of Matt Bellamy (something which I don’t have any particular objections to). With Chris Wolstenholme‘s bass lit up like a Christmas tree and Dominic Howard slamming the skins as though he was still in Wembley Stadium, Muse’s setlist hosted a selection of tracks that gave even the most die-hard of Muse fans a run for their money.

In a move almost as unexpected as Kanye West headlining Glastonbury, Muse threw the ‘The Groove’ into the ring, a rare b-side that hasn’t had been played live since 2008. With circle pits now in full swing, the phenomenal classic ‘Bliss’ followed alongside massive confetti-filled-balloons which rebounded off the ceiling of Manchester Academy. Matt Bellamy of course couldn’t resist demolishing a few balloons himself with the headstock of his guitar, right before bursting into ‘Dead Star’, a track plucked straight from 2002. Nostalgia quickly leapt into the year 2003 (a year when wearing a tracksuit out in public was not only acceptable, but fashionable) as ‘Time Is Running Out’, ‘Interlude’, ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ were consecutively ripped straight out of ‘Absolution’.

Fan favourite ‘Hyper Music’ was followed by the futuristic refrains of ‘Starlight’, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and ‘Uprising’, successfully cramming all the intensity of Wembley Stadium into a 2,600 person venue. After introducing Manchester to the exhilarating ‘Reapers’ from forthcoming album ‘Drones‘, Muse parted the stage before returning with the underdog anthem that is ‘Fury’.

After a journey back in time courtesy of the legendary ‘Plug In Baby’, complete with frantic improvised guitar solos, Chris Wolstenholme’s spooky harmonica intro of Ennio Morricone’s ‘Man With A Harmonica’ marked the beginning of the end. Muse finally pulled the trigger with the explosive refrains of ‘Knights Of Cydonia‘ that went out with several bangs.

It was a rare pleasure to see Muse up close and personal, without the gratuitous lighting, effects and bizarre floating UFOs to distract from their offensively epic musicianship. Heavily armed with an arsenal of songs from past and present, Muse demonstrated that even without their usual bag of tricks, they undoubtedly pack a punch that you won’t soon forget.

Muse’s setlist at Manchester Academy:

1. 
   
   Psycho
   
   


2. 
   
   The Groove (First full performance since 2004)
   
   


3. 
   
   Bliss (w/ Hullaballoons; Extended)
   
   


4. 
   
   Dead Star (Killing In The Name outro + Riff outro)
   
   


5. 
   
   Time Is Running Out (Jeff Buckley’s Grace intro;… more )
   
   


6. 
   
   Interlude
   
   


7. 
   
   Hysteria
   
   


8. 
   
   Stockholm Syndrome (Micro Cuts Outro)
   
   


9. 
   
   Hyper Music (Come on you Reds/Voodoo Child riff outro)
   
   


10. 
    
    Starlight
    
    


11. 
    
    Supermassive Black Hole (Burning Bridges intro)
    
    


12. 
    
    Uprising (Extended outro)
    
    


13. 
    
    Reapers
    
    


14. 
    
    Fury
    
    


15. 
    
    Plug In Baby
    
    


16. 
    
    Knights of Cydonia (Ennio Morricone’s Man With a Harmonica Intro)
    
    

LIVE REVIEW: Muse - Manchester Academy - 22/03/2015

WATCH: Mini Mansions "Vertigo" feat. Alex Turner & Boobs

With Mini Mansions’ sophomore album ‘The Great Pretenders’ landing only yesterday, the moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Cue Alex Turner.

With Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner, providing a cameo for the second verse of album track ‘Vertigo’, he kindly took the time to make a brief appearance in the official video which you can view below or here.

Staggering around (or should we say swaggering) with what we believe to be a small measure of Diet Coke, Alex Turner delivers his trademark verse with all the attitude of a seasoned frontman. It’s just a shame he was eventually upstaged by an ocean of boobs.

Shuman said of the track:

“The night before the shoot we played this strange private party for Saint Laurent with Bleached and Sky Ferreira, where we each played 15 minute sets. So there was plenty of time for debauchery afterward. Us and Alex managed to stumble onto set for the shoot at 9am with a half dozen naked ladies waiting to partake in the shoot. I’d say it was a pretty ideal setup for the making of this video.”

Just another average day in the life of Alex Turner then.

WATCH: Mini Mansions "Vertigo" feat. Alex Turner & Boobs

TRACK OF THE DAY: Muse "Dead Inside"

Having only just recovered from seeing Muse live at Manchester Academy, Muse unveiled ‘Dead Inside‘, a track that has more twists and turns than your average helter-skelter.

Matt Bellamy describes this track as “where the story of the album begins, where the protagonist loses hope and becomes ‘Dead Inside’, therefore vulnerable to the dark forces introduced in ‘Psycho‘”. Whilst I may need to assume the crash position upon hearing the phrase ‘concept album’, I’ve undoubtedly succumb to the dark forces of ‘Dead Inside’ already.

Sporting a beat that initially sounds like a HAIM record, robotic bass and Matt Bellamy’s vocal acrobatics are all that’s needed to drive this hard hitting, musical wake-up call. With a wailing guitar interlude right after the first chorus, ‘Dead Inside’ takes no prisoners in its clinical execution.

With an outro more uplifting than a Wonderbra, Matt Bellamy’s voice soars over a flurry of frantic guitar chords, clean basslines and relentless percussion. With Matt Bellamy promising that our protagonist will be “defecting, revolting and overcoming these dark forces later in the story”, it’s difficult to not to wonder what lies ahead on ‘Drones‘. If ‘Dead Inside’ is anything to go by, I think they might just pull it off.

TRACK OF THE DAY: Muse "Dead Inside"

LISTEN: Frank Turner unveils "Get Better" from forthcoming sixth album

Frank Turner has kindly graced us with a new track from his currently untitled, forthcoming sixth studio album. Listen to ‘Get Better‘ below.

“Very, very excited to be able to say we’re closing in on finishing my sixth studio album.” he posted on Facebook. “You’ve all been so wonderfully patient waiting for the new music, and I think it’s going to be more than worth every minute. Details of the title, release date and a whole lot more will be coming in the weeks ahead.”

What did you think of ‘Get Better’? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Frank Turner’s forthcoming UK tour dates are as follows:

• March 24th – Glasgow, Oran Mor


• March 25th – Birmingham, Glee Club


• March 26th- London, Cecil Sharp House


• March 27th – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall


• March 28th – Liverpool, Library

LISTEN: Frank Turner unveils "Get Better" from forthcoming sixth album

ALBUM REVIEW: The Cribs "For All My Sisters"

With the presence of Johnny Marr now feeling like a distant daydream, The Cribs have certainly come a long way. But with the release of ‘For All My Sisters’, it’s incredibly clear that the Jarman band of brothers have truly found their niche.

With riffs that hark back to the likes of ‘Glitters Like Gold‘, opening track ‘Finally Free’ is a guitar anthem to truly sink your teeth into. Yet this track and its successor, ‘Different Angle’, somehow gives a sly wink to their new and old material simultaneously. The vibrant melodies of ‘The New Fellas‘ and ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever‘ are present, but with a new-found complexity that simply leaves us in awe.

‘Burning For No One’ moves at a surprisingly leisurely pace with uncharacteristically clean, rhythmic guitar driving this offensively melodic affair. A clever change in time signature on ‘Mr. Wrong’ grants it a gratuitously heavy, head-bangingly-epic chorus with a euphoric guitar solo throw in at no extra cost. And who could forget the chugging chords, monstrous bass and contagious lead we first heard on ‘Ivory Hand’? With Ryan Jarman forging a multitude of melodies that wouldn’t be too out of place on Guitar Hero, ‘For All My Sisters’ is undoubtedly some of his best axe-work to date.

‘Simple Story’ gives us time to catch our breath with ‘City Storms’ filling us with all that Cribs nostalgia we first encountered over ten years ago, somehow still managing to remain fresh in 2015. The relentless riffs just keep coming as supporting vocals on ‘Pacific Time’ try to maintain the pace; with an outro not too dissimilar to the likes of ‘Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast’, it’s a triumph. It’s hard not to constantly worship Ryan Jarman’s lead guitar work as it ceases to steal the spotlight, with following track ‘Summer Of Chances’ being no exception. It becomes a task in itself to make it through ‘For All My Sisters’ without desperately wanting to replay each song in sheer disbelief; much in the same way you’d pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.

The looping riffs of ‘Diamond Girl’ continue this theme of sheer disbelief; how can so many memorable melodies can be condensed into one modest-length album? In turn, the sombre acoustic melodies of ‘Spring on Broadway’ explode into a full-blown assault, with a sinister chorus that hypnotically captures your attention. The melancholic, spooky riffs of ‘Pink Snow’ mark the beginning of the end, as this seven minute journey erupts into one of the most theatrical moments of ‘For All My Sisters’.

Each song plays to The Cribs’ strengths, but each track has an undeniable, distinguishable personality of its own. It’s no surprise that Gary Jarman takes lead vocals a hell of a lot more than we’d expect on ‘For All My Sisters’, but with Ryan Jarman competing for ‘World’s Most Underappreciated Guitar hero’, that’s not a change we particularly object to. ‘For All My Sisters’ is a string of consecutive hits which, to the untrained ear, could easily be mistaken for their 2013 ‘greatest hits’ album, ‘Payola’. It’s undoubtedly the best thing we’ve heard all year. 4.5/5

ALBUM REVIEW: The Cribs "For All My Sisters"

Ex-Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell bravely announces second solo album

It seems an age ago since Johnny Borrell was sitting atop his Razorlight throne with the music industry in the palm of his hand.

But when your debut solo album sells just 594 copies in its first week and your own record label is poking fun at you, one may wish they hadn’t so quickly turned down that job in Nandos. In a quote from Stiff Records at the time of the release of his debut solo album, ‘Borrell 1′, his label announced:

“First week sales of 594 makes ‘Borrell 1′ the 15,678th best selling album of the year to date,” comments a Stiff spokesperson. “So far we’ve achieved 0.00015% sales of Adele’s ’21’ – and 0.03% sales of this week’s No. 1 album from Jahmene Douglas – so we feel like it’s all to play for as we move into the all-important week two. We might even break the Top 100.”

Yet with his new band Zazou, a motley crew of French buskers types, he’s announced a second solo album and the release of an EP with the release date yet to be confirmed. Johnny Borrell and ‘the new Zazou’ will also perform at a ‘hypnagogic mandala party’ to at The Waiting Room in London on April the 13th. In a bizarre turn of events, entrance fee for the gig will be in the form of mandalas, a religious symbol that represents the universe. Perhaps it’s time Borrell picked up one of our Mandala tees?

On The Waiting Room’s website, the entry fee reads as: “One mandala on paper, printed, traced, drawn or otherwise, its one and the same to us. No exceptions for press/guestlist/execs/superstars etc. No mandala no entry. Individuate yourself.”

But at least for those wondering where Mumford & Sons‘ left their banjo in their latest track ‘Believe‘, it seems that Johnny Borrell’s press photo has the answer. Oh dear. For a man not deterred by poor sales or snide record labels, we commend Borrell’s fighting spirit but live in fear of our own disappointment of his forthcoming material. When speaking to The Guardian, here’s what the ex-Razorlight frontman had to say in reponse to Stiff Records’ jab back in 2013:

“Rule No 1 is: labels are scum. Or is it rule No 2? I can’t remember. I went to meet the new head of publishing at one of the big record companies and he said: “I love songs but I don’t listen to lyrics.” That’s the kind of industry we’re living in. If you’re making music for any reason other than getting rich and getting laid you can’t take labels seriously.”

Touché.

Ex-Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell bravely announces second solo album

LISTEN: The Prodigy "Wall Of Death"

On the brink of their sixth album, The Prodigy have unveiled their latest song ‘Wall Of Death‘. Listen below.

The Prodigy’s sixth album is entitled ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ and is due for release on the 30th of March. Being the closing track to the album, Liam Howlett confessed that he “wanted to finish the album with a track that terrorizes people!” Fortunately for us, it’s still not as terrorizing as One Direction.

‘Wall Of Death’ is the third single to be taken from ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ after ‘Nasty’ and ‘Wild Frontier’. The Prodigy will embark on a UK tour in May:

• 4th May – Newcastle 02 Academy


• 5th May – Bridlington Spa


• 7th May – Birmingham 02 Academy


• 8th May – Cardiff Arena


• 9th May – Blackpool Empress Ballroom


• 11th May – Reading Rivermead


• 12th May – Brighton Centre


• 14th May – Bournemouth BIC


• 15th May – London Alexandra Palace


• 16th May – London Alexandra Palace

LISTEN: The Prodigy "Wall Of Death"

TRACK OF THE DAY: Pete Doherty "Flags Of The Old Regime"

‘Flags of the Old Regime‘ is the first glimpse of a clean Pete Doherty on his musical return from rehab in Thailand and he arrives back with a heartfelt goodbye to an old friend; Amy Winehouse.

Penned shortly after her tragic death back in 2011 and released in aid of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, this beautifully tender song puts many people’s worries to rest and proves that his creativity is still alive and kicking. The simplicity of the acoustic guitars and ghostly keys that provide the backdrop of the track are held up by a towering string section that allows the emotion in Pete’s delicate voice to shine through.

With lyrics such as “Made your fortune but you’re broken inside” it’s clear to see the poignance of the message delivered in the track and it’s hard not to be swept up into the sheer gorgeousness which in turn reminds us just how talented this man is. Despite the pure emotion of the song it’s easy to see that a clean Pete Doherty is a more positive one: “I don’t want to die anymore / anymore than I did want to die before” resonates strongly and suggests that this new dawn in Pete Doherty’s life is here to stay. It makes us thankful that one of the country’s most talented songwriters has been brought back from the brink of despair.

TRACK OF THE DAY: Pete Doherty "Flags Of The Old Regime"

Bloc Party working on fifth album & preview new track "Exes"

In an interview with Australian radio station Triple J, Kele Okereke confirmed that Bloc Party are working onto their currently untitled fifth studio album, and shared an acoustic preview of new track ‘Exes’. Listen here.

Kele Okereke is currently touring his sophomore solo album trick in Australia, but revealed that Bloc Party are currently at the “writing/recording phase” with “about 18 ideas” for potential songs that will be recorded over the next few months.

“It’s sounding like nothing that I think we’ve ever done before… but that’s what everyone always says! We’ve always been fans of lots of different sorts of things and I feel that maybe in the past we tried to recreate kind of… different, separate worlds or sounds. I feel that this record is an evolution of where we were. So far, there’s nothing really that I can compare it to really, in terms of other musicians, where as in the past I always could… we were always trying to reference something else. I feel that this is very much our own record.”


Listen to Kele Okereke’s short acoustic preview of new track ‘Exes’ below:

Everything you need to know about the new Vaccines album ‘English Graffiti’

Whilst The Vaccines ride the wave of their latest track ‘Handsome‘, curiosities inevitably swell as we patiently await their third album ‘English Graffiti’.

What does the album title mean? When’s it released? If Justin Young asked you to lick his elbow, would you do it? Here’s everything you need to know, my friend. Well, maybe not the last one… but in case you’re wondering: yes, I would do it.

When?

‘English Graffiti’ will be released on the 25th of May via Columbia Records. The first track from the album, ‘Handsome‘ is currently available now.
Why?

Justin Young spoke to Spin on the album’s title:

“Well it’s all ‘English Graffiti’, and that’s what got me thinking… that we all watch the same movies and drink from the same Coke bottles and have the same cultural references, wherever you go in the world now. And we’re so connected. I’m talking to you from Mexico. But on the other hand, there is this real disconnect. Because I’m not looking out. I’m looking down. And I’m looking at what my friends are doing back in England through constructed reality.

“People don’t need to write bands letters asking them to come to their country now. They can just say “come to Brazil.” It’s so impersonal. And I think from my perspective that affects the way I love and live. And ironically I think our generation feels a greater disconnect than any before it.”

What?

The tracklist of ‘English Graffiti’ has been unveiled as eleven tracks:

1. Handsome


2. Dream Lover


3. Minimal Affection


4. 20/20


5. (All Afternoon) In Love


6. Denial


7. Want You So Bad


8. Radio Bikini


9. Maybe I Could Hold You


10. Give Me A Sign


11. Undercover

Where?

You can catch The Vaccines on their forthcoming March/April UK tour:

• 27th March – Nottingham, Rock City


• 28th March – Hartlepool, Borough Hall


• 29th March – Glasgow, Old Fruit Market


• 31st March – Scunthorpe, Baths Hall


• 1st April – Manchester, Albert Hall


• 3rd April – Portsmouth, Pyramids


• 4th April – Bath, Pavilion


• 5th April – Folkestone, The Leas Cliff Hall


• 7th April – Norwich, UEA


• 8th April – London, Brixton Electric

Hopefully that answered all your questions on The Vaccines forthcoming album ‘English Graffiti’. Are you going to see The Vaccines on their UK tour? Let us know on Facebook on Twitter!

Everything you need to know about the new Vaccines album ‘English Graffiti’

LISTEN: New Muse track "Reapers" from new album "Drones"

So you may already have read our post on Everything you need to know about the new Muse album ‘Drones’. Ok, we’re already impressed.

But yesterday on the first night of their Psycho UK Tour, Muse finished the evening with an exhilerating live debut of the track ‘Reapers’ taken from ‘Drones’. Belfast’s Ulster hall was in for a treat of deep cuts, new tracks and Muse classics. Belfast, your ass belong to Muse now. Listen below.

Muse played:

• Psycho (Live Premiere)


• Plug In Baby


• Fury


• Uno


• Interlude


• Hysteria


• Stockholm Syndrome (Micro Cuts Outro)


• Hyper Music (Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child riff intro)


• Agitated


• Supermassive Black Hole


• Unnatural Selection (Assassin tease Intro)


• Uprising


• Knights of Cydonia (Ennio Morricone’s Man with a Harmonica Intro)


• Encore:


• Animals


• Time Is Running Out


• Reapers (Live Premiere)

Let’s not forget the hard-hitting riffs of Psycho, which also got its live debut:

LISTEN: New Muse track "Reapers" from new album "Drones"

ALBUM REVIEW: Charli XCX "Sucker"

Charlotte Emma Aitchison a.k.a. Charli XCX dominated pop charts in the U.S. all last year. Now that we’ve had time to digest what her style and sound is, revisiting her second (but basically debut) album is a worthwhile endeavor.

‘Sucker’ dropped late last year and Charli XCX has been slowly releasing singles ever since. With in-your-face girl power lyrics and classic pop music patterns she has quickly become the newest pop punk vixen. And she does it all with a middle finger in the air.

1. Sucker

The first line of the first song on this album is, “FUCK YOU SUCKER.” Sucker being pronounced “sucka” due to her British accent of course. Bonus points to her for not Americanizing her voice to try to sell more records. This intro song is a nice electronic-y dance anthem to get listeners psyched for the rest of the album.

2. Break the Rules

This song is the first of many ‘classic’ songs on this record. Classic as in, there are a lot of songs that have similar themes, lyrics, etc. It comes with being a pop artist. This track is the ‘high school sucks’ song. It starts out with a school bell ringing which matches lyrically with what’s being said: she doesn’t want to go to school, she wants to break the rules. I really love the old school line that’s thrown in, “Going to the disco tech/ getting high and getting wrecked.” I think Charli XCX was the type who probably got kicked out of class quite frequently…

3. London Queen

‘London Queen’ is simply about her transition from Britain to America. She sings funny quips about driving on the wrong side of the road and former president John F. Kennedy. The beat on this sounds like early HelloGoodbye if they were manned by a British punk princess. It also reminds me of when Avril Lavigne came out with ‘Girlfriend‘ and everyone saw a new side to her.

4. Breaking Up

Another lyrically classic song, this one being the ‘boys suck’ song. She gets a little below the belt saying she hated her ex’s friends, family, band and tattoos. Yikes. This song leaves us wondering why she’d date him in the first place.

4. Gold Coins

‘Gold Coins’ isn’t far from what you probably expect it’s about. She sings about money raining down from the sky and living a lavish lifestyle, all while peppering the track with money jangling in the background. This song is my least favorite on the album, the song just isn’t ‘her.’ It sounds like we’re at a bad EDM concert or stuck in a broken arcade game and can’t get out.

5. Boom Clap

This has been Charli XCX’s biggest hit so far seeing as the song was part of the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. The repetitive chorus on this track is catchy and not annoying like some of the others on this album. There’s a fine line but she succeeds here. This is also the only song on the album where she shows some depth which is why I think it’s her most popular song. “You are the light and I will follow/ You let me lose my shadow/ You are the sun the glowing halo/ And you keep burning me up with all of your love.”

6. Doing It

‘Doing It’ is the only collaboration on the album and it’s with fellow British songstress Rita Ora. Their voices mesh together really nicely but the song is nothing special. The lyrics make no sense. “Do it like we’re doing it,” what does that even mean? One good thing about this song is that the beat reminds me loosely of ‘Changes’ by Tupac/ ‘The Way It Is’ by Bruce Hornsby. Very cool old school homage.

7. Body Of My Own

This is my favorite song on the whole album. And not because it’s about masturbation. Yes, that’s right I said masturbation! It has the best beat on the album and the lyrics speak for themselves. “Yeah I can do it better when I’m all alone.” This is why Charli XCX is on her way to being the next Lily Allen. In the words of the Spice Girls: “Girl Power!”

8. Famous

This track is like Ke$ha singing over a Foster the People song. It’s all about crashing parties uninvited and falling down stairs and generally not giving a flying F about what people think. I can’t put my finger on what this track sounds like but it’s definitely close to another song I’ve heard before. Then again, lots of songs go, “oh oh oh oh ooohhh oh/ oh oh oh oh oooooooh oh.”

9. Hanging Around

This track was co-written by Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. I’ve loved Weezer my whole life but I hate their song ‘Beverly Hills.’ This song sounds like a clone of ‘Beverly Hills.’ Therefore I hate this song. The lyrics are so boring I turned the song off halfway through. There’s better tracks on this album, don’t waste your time. #disappointed

10. Die Tonight

This song is more in the vein of ‘Boom Clap’ where the repetitive chorus is catchy and not annoying. I can already see the music video now- kids running through a hotel, wreaking havoc, breaking down the door to the roof top where we see a beautiful lit up cityscape and everyone dances and laughs in the moonlight. The song is definitely a ‘movie song’ too. Preferably for a scene with a guy running down terminals looking for the love of his life before they get on an airplane. Cheesy but good.

11. Caught In The Middle

The only thing I can say about this track is that it has a lot going on. I can only find a live version to listen to online but it’s great. At first listen it has a smooth R&B vibe reminiscent of the late singer Aaliyah. Charli XCX echoes the word middle like in Aaliyah’s song ‘Rock the Boat.’ On second listen I feel like The Cure would have loved this dark, melodic beat back in the day. And lastly the chorus sounds a lot like Smallpool’s, ‘Dreaming’ which leaves me wondering what type of beautiful multi-genre music am I listening to?!

12. Need Ur Luv

‘Need Ur Luv’ is Charli XCX’s (most likely) next single. She performed it on David Letterman…while wearing Victorian lingerie…on top of a piano like a lounge singer. She’s with Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend and his influence in the music is obvious. The song is a small glimpse into Charli XCX’s softer side and it’s really not terrible.

If we look at the album as one whole story we go from “fuck you” to “I need your love.” People who put on the toughest exterior usually aren’t so tough on the inside. They just want to love and be loved- like everyone else. The themes on this album go from punchy and sweet to jazzy and crude. Charli XCX has a lot going on here and I don’t think she plans on stopping any time soon. 3.5/5

ALBUM REVIEW: Charli XCX "Sucker"

10 Reasons We All Love Alex Turner

If you’re wondering why we all love that cheeky scamp Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys then take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Oh sorry, did we mention that we’ve moved your chair? Oops.

We’re about to explain exactly why this Yorkshire chap makes us smile, without ever really smiling himself. Actually he never really smiles. Like literally never. Nevertheless, here’s some our reasons why we all love Alex Turner, inspired by our video: Alex Turner’s Best Moments of 2014 which recently broke 100k views.

10. His Dad Dancing.

If you’ve ever seen Arctic Monkeys live, then you may wonder why Alex Turner skipped the socially acceptable period of dancing and went straight to Dad dancing. My advice is, don’t question it. I’m not sure we’ll ever know.

9. He’s a snappy dresser.

Gone are the days of a loosely fitting polo shirt, or even the brief period in history where he regretfully wore a vest. These days, you’re more likely to see him sporting a Ray Brown suit that will make your ovaries ache. Or if you have none, you may just question your sexuality instead.

8. His bromance with Miles Kane.

Here’s another part of Alex Turner which we perhaps shouldn’t question in fear of what we may find. Nevertheless, this bromance has been going strong ever since Miles Kane featured on tracks such as ‘505’ and ‘The Bakery’. They went on to form the The Last Shadow Puppets and their relationship is still going strong today, even when women have come and gone. Moral of the story: bros before hoes.

7. He’s available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.

In 2014, photos emerged of Arctic Monkeys at Tom Rowley’s wedding. However, a multi-award winning band couldn’t just attend the wedding could they? Book now to avoid disappointment.

6. He’s strangely accurate at saying people’s names backwards.

When Alex Turner and Matt Helders appeared on Australian Radio Station ‘Triple J’ to perform a cover of Tame Impala’s ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, we discovered his amazing new talent. You’ll just have to suck it and see for yourself, won’t you? Watch above.

5. He makes a mean margarita.

And we mean literally mean. If you’ve seen the legendary ‘View From’ videos (which documented many hilarious moments during their early ‘Humbug’ era) you’ll know that Alex Turner is always making a marg. Always. But don’t expect to be invited to the party, as the poor camera guy regularly discovers.

4. His sense of humour.

With tongue firmly in cheek, most of Alex Turner’s humour often goes undetected or baffles those not in on the joke. His lyrics are full of subtle quips, his music is occasionally full of somewhat ironic influences and well… who could forget the Cornerstone video?

3. His ever changing image.

With every new Arctic Monkeys album, we’re almost guaranteed a new reinvention of Alex Turner along with it. From the journalist-snubbing kid from Sheffield right up to the self-assured rockstar from LA, rest assured that Alex Turner always has the hairstyle to match.

2. He dropped it like it’s hot.

Who could forget that fateful moment at the 2014 Brit Awards? After an endearing speech that left many onlookers questioning Alex Turner’s sanity/sobriety, he eventually concluded with the now legendary phrase “invoice me for the microphone if you need to”. The rest is history.

1. His music.

Granted, we all love Alex Turner for many reasons, but it all started from a love for his music. Whether it’s the modest chords of ‘Suck it and See’, the meaty riffs of ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ or the tongue twisting lyrics of ‘Pretty Visitors’, I think we’re all in agreeance: Alex Turner is just a damn good musician. God Speed, Mr Turner.

10 Reasons We All Love Alex Turner

WATCH: Official Kurt Cobain Documentary Trailer "Montage of Heck"

‘Montage of Heck‘ will be the first official documentary which shines a spotlight on the life of legendary Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain.

Featuring ‘never seen before’ footage, ‘Montage of Heck’ will be directed by Academy Award-nominee Brett Morgen and produced by Kurt’s daughter, Frances Cobain. The documentary originally aired at Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA.

It’s an eight-years-in-the-making labor of love right from childhood up until Kurt Cobain’s darkest moments. However, director Bret Morgen has stated that the documentary will not dwell on Kurt Cobain’s death. At Sundance Film Festival he explained: “I didn’t want to make a celebration of death…I wanted to make a celebration of life.”

The documentary is scheduled for release in cinemas across the UK on April 10th, and will be available via digital download on April 24th. Blu-ray and DVD will follow on April 27th. It will also air on HBO on May 4th.

The documentary centres around interviews with Courtney Love and Krist Novoselic, amongst others, and covers the entire span of Kurt’s life. What do you think of the trailer so far? Tweet us or send us a message on Facebook letting us know your thoughts.

WATCH: Official Kurt Cobain Documentary Trailer "Montage of Heck"

TRACK OF THE DAY: Tame Impala "Let It Happen"

In the early rise of 2015, Tame Impala announced the release of their muchly-anticipated new album; after the psychedelic hurricane that was 2012’s ‘Lonerism’.

With ‘Lonerism’ featuring tracks such as the hungover, baggy vibes of ‘Mind Mischief’ and the anthemic watercolour splashes of ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’, the new release has something to live up to. Yet as always, the Aussie outfit have pulled it out of the bag with the waterfall meraki that is ‘Let It Happen’.

Not long ago, the band’s Keyboardist Jay Watson stated that the new album will be “less rock and more electronic’” it’s certainly clear in ‘Let It Happen’ that this is the case. With the distinctive lack of lead guitar yet charming charisma of crescendoing synths and the old other-worldly vocoder, the track is an absolute success. There comes flair alongside a band that can strip away any complexity and fill 8 minutes with orphic yet kaleidoscopic simplicity. The Aussie outfit have sprung back with a track that showcases what is thought to be a gateway into a new platform for Tame Impala. ‘Let It Happen’ seems to be their attempt to flaunt a simple taster of what’s yet to be developed and if this is only the introduction, I wonder what the climax is going to be!

The band has a reputation for eleutheromania; they want freedom and diffidence in their work hence the song’s motif “let it happen, just let it happen”. They seek out some sort of natural solitude that beckons you in with a breeze, only to be graced with the aroma of pine and pure earth. ‘Let It Happen’ is almost cosmic and seemingly unadulterated, peaceful isolation. As Parker croons “all this running around, trying to cover my shadow”, the lyrics seem to speak of a need for independency and finding happiness in spending time alone; it’s a topic that I don’t believe is pushed enough, hence why bands alike Tame Impala seem to strive when we look for our more adventurous side.

Laced in 1960’s/1970’s psychedelic-rock revivalism, ‘Let It Happen’ is sure to be a luxurious detox of a crowd-pleaser at future UK dates such as End of the Road Fest, Bestival and the (sadly) few dates scattered in Liverpool and Glasgow. Hopefully we’ll hear more of the new album in the near future – how about a full UK tour soon, eh?

TRACK OF THE DAY: Tame Impala "Let It Happen"

Mini Mansions praise Alex Turner"s "sexy swagger"

Alex Turner’s effortlessly sleek vocal performance on Mini Mansions ‘Vertigo‘ is arguably the best unexpected collaboration since bacon and maple syrup. But how did the Arctic Monkeys frontman end up in this sticky situation?

“I’ve known him for probably six or seven years. We first met doing a benefit show in LA for a friend of ours and he was doing a couple of songs with Miles for Last Shadow Puppets and I was playing with Queens.” said Shuman when speaking to Gigwise.

“Over the last year and a half, Arctic Monkeys took us out on multiple tours in the States and we just became really close. They all moved to LA a while ago and he’s just one of our drinking buddies and good friends.”

Mini Mansions are formed of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman along with Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford. Apart from a stint with Miles Kane with The Last Shadow Puppets and a brief solo period, Alex Turner’s full-time occupation has always been with Arctic Monkeys.

“We thought about a couple of different things, and we were in the studio looking for some kind of different character that hadn’t yet been touched on by Tyler or my voice and we actually heard some kind of British-type thuggish kind of voice in the track, on that second verse.”

“Then a year later when we were tracking it, Alex was just coming down to the studio and hanging out. He was hanging out nearby where we were recording and he’s a good friend, he was there, it was just the right time with the right person.”

He added: “I always thought it as some kind of character out of a guy Ritchie movie, that’s how I always saw that voice coming in. It’s a very West Coast hip-hop-influenced song, so we wanted to give it that sense of different dudes coming in and giving it that different verse. Alex has more of like a sexy, swagger that what we were initially going for, which turned out better than anything we could have imagined, really.”

What did we think of Mini Mansion’s ‘Vertigo’ featuring Alex Turner? Find the full review here.

Mini Mansions praise Alex Turner"s "sexy swagger"

LISTEN: Sleeping With Sirens "Better Off Dead"

Ahead of the release of their fourth forthcoming studio album, Sleeping with Sirens have unveiled the storming track ‘Better Off Dead‘.

Sleeping With Siren’s latest track ‘Better Off Dead’ features on their forthcoming album ‘Madness’, released in the UK on March the 16th. The UK leg of their world tour with Pierce The Veil commences on the 29th of March, 2015 at Norwich UEA LCR.

• March 29th – Norwich LCR UEA


• March 30th – Portsmouth Guildhall


• March 31st – Bristol O2 Academy


• April 2nd – Manchester Academy


• April 3rd – Leeds O2 Academy


• April 4th – Glasgow O2 Academy


• April 6th – Newcastle O2 Academy


• April 7th – Nottingham Rock City


• April 8th – Birmingham O2 Academy


• April 10th – London Kentish Town Forum


• April 11th – London Kentish Town Forum

LISTEN: Sleeping With Sirens "Better Off Dead"

LISTEN: Laura Marling "Strange"

Laura Marling has unveiled an enchanting new track, ‘Strange’, taken from her forthcoming album ‘Short Movie’.

With a marked change in direction for singer-songwriter Laura Marling, the eccentricities of ‘Strange’ highlights a boundless ambition for this 25 year old. ‘Strange’ is more than like a sign of things to come from her fifth album ‘Short Movie’, released on March the 23rd. Listen below.

Laura Marling’s forthcoming UK tour commences on the 20th of April in London:

• Mon 20 Apr – UK, London – Queen Elizabeth Hall


• Tue 21 Apr – UK, London – Queen Elizabeth Hall


• Wed 22 Apr – UK, Cambridge – Corn Exchange


• Fri 24 Apr – UK, Manchester – Albert Hall


• Sat 25 Apr – UK, Glasgow – O2 Academy


• Mon 27 Apr – UK, Birmingham – Institute


• Wed 29 Apr – UK, London – Queen Elizabeth Hall


• Thu 30 Apr – UK, London – Queen Elizabeth Hall


• Mon 04 May – UK, Southampton – O2 Guildhall


• Tue 05 May – UK, Bristol – Colston Hall


• Thu 07 May – IE, Dublin – Olympia


• Fri 08 May – UK,Belfast – Waterfront Hall

LISTEN: Laura Marling "Strange"

TRACK OF THE DAY: Muse "Psycho"

Muse are returning to their heavier roots with ‘Psycho‘, with fans instantly divided on how they feel about the matter. Featuring a riff that’s so heavy, it has its own BMI rating, ‘Psycho’ marks Muse’s return to the music world.

Whilst we all enjoyed tracks where a stuttering robotic voice repeated the word ‘madness‘ until our ears bled, I for one instantly feel like tearing my vest off and taking a day off work tomorrow. Yes ladies, I can be pretty reckless.

Based on a riff they regularly played live, ‘Psycho’ harks back to their ‘Origin of Symmetry‘ and ‘Absolution‘ days; it immediately brings back all the nostalgia of being an awkward teen with godlike music taste. These days, I’m an awkward adult with a music blog. Is that an improvement? Probably not. ‘Psycho’ feels less like a song and more like a five minute assault that constantly slaps you for listening to anything other than Muse whilst they’ve been gone.

It’s almost as if Royal Blood shone the Bat-signal after being the only rock band at the Brit Awards and Matt Bellamy arrived in tight leather pants (to be fair, he usually is wearing tight leather pants anyway). Whilst their forthcoming seventh studio album ‘Drones‘ is more than likely to have its fair share of indulgently long piano interludes too, anyone who can fit “your ass belongs to me now” into a credible song needs to be aggressively celebrated. Bring on ‘Drones’.

TRACK OF THE DAY: Muse "Psycho"

BAND OF THE DAY: Cheatahs

Four guys defining Shoegaze since 2009. Cheatahs are a hugely under-appreciated four-piece based in London (but individually from across the globe!)

Bringing back 50s psychedelia and fusing it with alt-rock and dreamy synths, Cheatahs form the perfect concoction for spine-tinglingly transcendent tracks. Their music is both lyrically and musically outstanding, and acts as a satisfying refreshment to my parched, ‘samey-indie-rock-pop’ ears. It has a wonderful uniqueness about it, and that’s delightful to hear.

In terms of sound, their songs have elements of general 90’s American rock, but with a sort of kaleidoscopic spin on it, bringing it right back into the modern age in that Shoegaze category. Two bands that immediately stick out to me as equivalents are the prolific Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub.

As much as Cheatahs have been around for coming up six years, their music has not had nearly the recognition that it’s deserved of. From 2009 when the release of ‘Warrior’ was before us, to the just recently released ‘Sunne’ EP (which, having given a listen, I thoroughly recommend buying!), the band have given us a wide variety of music to flick through their psychedelic juke-box.

So if you hadn’t heard of them prior to reading this, and you like the sound of them post reading this, get listening! You won’t be unimpressed. You can find Cheatahs on Facebook, Twitter & Soundcloud.

BAND OF THE DAY: Cheatahs