Million Dead re-release Harmony, No Harmony

Harmony, No Harmony- Million Dead (vinyl)

Released by Xtra Mile Recordings on 21st August 2015

It's been a long time in the making, but Million Dead are finally set to release their second and final album Harmony, No Harmony on vinyl this August. Marking the ten year anniversary of the LP, Xtra Mile Recordings are producing transparent yellow records in a newly redesigned gatefold sleeve, alongside t-shirts featuring the album's trademark burning match motif.

The release is sure to welcome fans both old and new back into the angsty world of Million Dead  - long before the days of Mongol Horde and Future of the Left. Showcasing a more pensive side to the band after debut A Song to Ruin, Harmony No Harmony is Million Dead perhaps at its best. Unafraid to experiment both lyrically and musically, the album straddles the barrier between post-hardcore and the contemplative alt-rock so reminiscent of the early noughties. This is a must have for any Frank Turner fan wanting to know where it all began.

If you can't wait until then to embrace the nostalgia, check out the band's oddly moving video for Living the Dream, following the tale of a glam rock band re-discovering themselves after the glitter and make-up lose their appeal.

The LP (with optional tee) is available to pre-order from Xtra Mile and Banquet Records. 

Moon King- SecretLife

Out Now on Last GangRecords

They say that debut albums are easy compared to what comes next, but I’ve never particularly thought so. You may have your whole life to come up with that first LP, but once it’s out there, that’s how the world sees you. Your nice little musical box- at least until you get the chance to shake it off, which can often take ages to achieve. Moon King’s debut, on the other hand, makes it clear that such an exercise would be futile here. Try as you might, it’s hard to really pinpoint one certain feel to Secret Life: kraut inspired, certainly, but delve a little deeper and there’s shoegaze, grunge, punk. And something else I just can’t put my finger on. All of these come together to form a sound that’s authentically them, for better or worse.

Each song on the album is distinct but intense, showcasing the sheer range of the Canadian duo, though there seems to be something a bit schizophrenic about the overall tone. What starts out as a dreamy, almost mystical record soon falls into somewhat of a haze. Title track Secret Life feels like falling down the rabbithole: dissonant guitars combined with the dreamy vocals of Maddy Wilde create a sense of being trapped in a beautifully bad dream that you don’t quite want to wake from. And If that’s the night before, Impossible is the morning after; the creeping piano bringing a sense of despair much akin to the throbbing headache gained after a night of debauchery.

But from here there seems to be much more of the same- synth, harmony and just a touch of weariness. While beautiful, there are times in which it does feel a bit draining; both emotionally and musically. Whilst it’s clear that Moon King want to go for that otherworldy aesthetic so common to shoegaze, the melodies at times seem to fade into the background at its expense. So it’s refreshing to have a bit of a breather on tracks like Apocalypse, its lazy vocals and Smashing Pumpkinsesque guitar riff highlighting just how powerful the duo can be without relying on the tried and tested. Hexe too, (probably my favourite) feels like a slap of the face after half an album of hypnosis, its punky vibrance revitalising what was in danger of becoming a rather languorous LP.

The sheer mix of emotional and musical styles at play here will definitely divide opinion, but if nothing else Moon King have ensured that they can move forward free of any musical baggage. On the whole it’s an interesting, if at times confusing album, which will no doubt translate to a sharp live performance.

Moon King are currently touring the UK alongside Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Catch them at one of the dates below:

Sun 17 GLASGOW Broadcast [HEADLINE]

Tue 19 LEICESTER Musician [HEADLINE]

Wed 20 BRISTOL Thekla [with UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA]

Thu 21 LONDON Islington Assembly Hall [with UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA]

Fri 22 LONDON Lock Tavern [HEADLINE]

Sun 24 LIVERPOOL Sound City

Sigur Ros wowed crowds at this year's Iceland Airwaves festival with new song Brennisteinn. It's a welcome return to the heavier, proggy vibe Sthe Icelandic band have lovingly crafted throughout the early stage of their tenure. Good to see Jonsi and co. haven't gone soft on us yet.

New Album from Soko

It's hard to believe that Soko hasn't had an actual album out yet. She's been the poster girl for the French singer songwriter movement for a while now (see the playful angst of I'll Kill Her and the almost heartbreakingly sweet If You Break My Heart) but amazingly enough, she's yet to release a full album of her own. So after so much buzz about her on teh interwebz over the past few years, it's about time she show us all what she can do. Just as well she's (allegedly) bringing one out in February then.

After taking a break from music due to her self-proclaimed "death,"it appears that Soko is set to be resurrected with new album I Thought I Was an Alien. I think I speak for all of us when I say yay!

From the sounds of the teaser track which goes by the same name, I Thought.. is going to be a much more dreamy, whimsical incarnation of the Soko we (vaguely) know and love. I've got a good feeling that this album will be worth the wait and will give her the success she deserves- definitely one to watch out for.

Feeling Christmassy yet? No? Me neither. Infact, I'd probably be silently judging you if you were; it's early November for goodness sake, let's not wish the year away quite yet shall we? Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that this time of year has no other redeeming qualities. We can all gush about the falling leaves and the festive glow but when it comes down to it it's still bloody cold and everything feels like far too much effort. So, after one of those days, I've decided to start Christmas that little bit earlier, just this once.

As far as collaborations go, I wasn't expecting the likes of Tim Wheeler to team up with Emmy the Great, but it kind of works. Although 'Home for the Holidays' is almost nauseatingly sweet, it's definitely a grower. Perhaps by the time Christmas rolls around you'll be ready to forgive the sleighbells and find something to relish about winter, even if it's still miserable outside.

Music matters- as if we needed reminding...

http://www.whymusicmatters.org/

Time for my annual 'sorry I've neglected you' post it seems. Whenever the school year starts again my priorities tend to go out of the window and everything musical gets put on the backburner- ridiculous I know. I mean really, what's more important than blathering on about the veritable cornucopia of new releases and hype bands that's out there? So naturally, with 3 essays due in the space of a fortnight, I've done the sensible thing and returned to where

I belong for those extra few minutes of procrastination. Ah, it's good to be back.

Anyway, narcissism aside, over the past few weeks I've been collecting new music with the same vigour of a nerdy 90's kid collecting Pokemon cards. Over the next few days I'll be showcasing some of the spoils of my quest in the hopes of forgetting about the imminent coldness and melancholy that is winter.

First up is London based 'goth' quartet Veronica Falls.

Cool, simplistic and very very hipster, Veronica Falls make music designed to charm. Despite suicide, stalkers and all manner of bleak things featuring on their debut self titled record, the group's naive harmony and 80's inspired swirling guitar leaves one feeling more chilled than creeped out.

While there isn't much in the way of diversity here, it doesn't seem to be entirely a bad thing. Each song effortlessly drifts into the next to ensure maximum mellowness; not great if you're looking for something to awaken your senses and get you on the dancefloor, but perfect for the morning after the night before.

If you're planning on donning some black rimmed glasses and dipping your toe into the pool of hipster, Veronica Falls is a great place to start.

Veronica Falls is out now

After stumbling across this over on The Recommender, I literally can't get enough.

This is exactly the kind of sleazy, devil may care grunge that's just perfect for a friday night. Everything from the ambivalent vocals to the mesh of musical styles both old and new, to the (rather inventive) comic book she's released to coincide with the single indicate that Foe isn't just another female alt artist, but something much more fresh and exciting. Foe is definitely one to watch out for, it's only a matter of time before she becomes a permanent fixture in the UK's indie and alternative scene.

Deep Water Heartbreaker is out now, featuring the stunning B-Side 'The Fox.'

Humble Beginnings.

Another day, another songwriter. Or at least that's what it's starting to seem like lately. Maybe the lukewarm summer sun is bringing them out from the shadows or perhaps they're just spurred on by the likes of folk posterboy Frank Turner: either way it's clear that everyone and his horse wants to get in on a bit of the action. While this can only be a good thing in terms of music as a whole, it's easy for a genre of this calibre to become stagnant and bland. However, every so often you find one artist interesting enough to make up for the stream of generic folk types, and today that's in the form of Mr Ben Parcell.

With an album entitled Humble Beginnings, Ben Parcell certainly lives up to expectations. Laidback and carefree, it draws on both punk and folk influences from the likes of Green Day and Billy Bragg to create an upbeat vibe that's perfect for accompanying days spent lazing about in the sun. Parcell, a self-confessed Turner fan, has clearly taken a leaf out of his hero's book when it comes to making music both passionate and distinctive; something that songs like Close Your Eyes do very well.

While it's not going to completely alter your conception of reality and there appears to be a distinct lack of hooks, this is a record that doesn't boast anything other than what it is. A good, solid, humble beginning. Having only started making music in 2010, Parcell has clearly got a long way to go until he draws in crowds on the scale of Turner and Bragg, but it seems to me that he's definitely one to watch out for in the future. I think I'll be keeping an eye on him (in a non-stalkery capacity).

Humble Beginnings is out now and you can catch Ben at the Dutchess, Scarborough on the 28th of August.

Pull us a Pint, Boys

From JLS condoms to Manics party poppers, there seems to be no end to the lengths musicians (or rather their labels) will go to ensure we buy tacky crap with their logo on, moreso now that bands have to contend with a recovering economy and largescale piracy, amongst other such bother.

Personally I've never been one to buy into that kind of thing; admittedly I've been known to get a poster or two in my time, but largely I think the music is more than enough. I'd much prefer to use the money to see them at a gig rather than get some t-shirt that my mother will inevitably shrink in the wash.

However, the latest addition to the mountains of merch is something I think I can get behind. Rather appropriately, Northern band Elbow are set to release their very own brand of beer.

Robinson's brewery have created their very own brand of beery goodness as a tribute to the homegrown band's current success, having played some of the biggest festivals in the country and managing to pick up a second Mercury nomination for Build a Rocket Boys!

While the beer had previously only been available in the band's local city of Manchester, Robinson's have decided to roll out Build a Rocket Boys! beer and cask ale to the rest of the country as from October, with a significant percentage of sales going towards Oxfam's East Africa famine appeal.

As a fan of the frothy stuff, I'm intrigued to see if this will actually be any good. It's certainly a marketable idea in an age where many are scrimping on the luxuries but still want to enjoy a nice cold pint or two.

If you're interested in finding out just what Build a Rocket Boys! tastes like, keep an eye on 'Elbow beer' on Facebook for more info on when the beer will be released.

This mysterious video has just been tweeted by Sigur Ros..

Anyone else excited?

The Revolution Will Not be Televised

A rather topical rant in the form of another charming folk ditty by emerging talent Grace Petrie.

Grace has been a firm favourite of mine ever since I stumbled across her set one sunny day at Glastonbury's Leftfield stage last year and she's yet to disappoint. Both genuinely thought provoking and refreshing, it's difficult to ignore this young woman's talent. Full of tales of love ire and the odd political diatribe, Petrie's new album Tell Me a Story is a fine testament to just how great the folk scene is at the moment. Every song packs as much punch as the last and one cannot help but hang on every word. If you like gutsy, real folk without an ounce of conceit, then look no further.

Tell Me a Story is out now

Everyone's favourite pretentious electro outfit IAMX are back with another shiny track from recent album Volatile Times.

Supposedly written about "a child of the infinite," Bernadette sounds like the soundtrack to some twisted fairground scene in a horror film (or at least a particularly creepy scene from Scooby Doo). While catchy and sleek like much of IAMX's work, the strings and rather trippy theramin just send shivers down my spine. If I were Bernadette I'd be a bit freaked out.

Volatile Times is out now

LCD Soundsystem and Lego, what could be better?

The talking lego men creep me out a bit though.

Day 2- Parkway Drive

Parkway Drive

Bits and pieces taken from their various albums

So after a day reliving my youth with some Maiden, I now find myself in uncharted waters. This is where I begin to crawl out of my comfort zone and into the deep dark depths of metal, and already I'm missing the safe comforts of the xylophone. Still, onwards and upwards to my next recommendation.

For a band with such a quaint and unassuming name, Parkway Drive are certainly anything but.

Parkway Drive don't seem like a band for the fainthearted. Each song is like being shoved against a wall of sound and then screamed at for 4 minutes; something that shouldn't seem all that appealing, but surprisingly, is (though maybe that's just me..). This is most definitely the yang to Maiden's yin.

Although I was expecting something perhaps more measured in terms of vocals and at times it sounds like the poor man needs a soother, overall I was left mildly impressed.

Nevertheless, I can't say they've managed to convert me to the dark side just yet. The guitarwork, while strong, just feels a bit relentless and samey at times: there's just not much in the way of dynamics (aside from loud). But then I suppose that's kind of the point. What they lack in subtlety though they make up for in atmosphere and consistency, making it the kind of metal you can dance to without necessarily killing yourself.

All in all a very interesting, if striking band. I don't think I've quite found my metal band yet, but it's a jolly good place to start.

6/10

Noel Gallagher's new solo stuff may sound a bit like Oasis 2.0, but having been in such a successful and influential band it's not entirely surprising to see. What is noticeable here though is, shockingly, a touch of class; something virtually non-existent in Noel's previous incarnation. I'm certainly intrigued by Noel's upcoming solo stuff, it's already sounding a thousand times better than anything Beady Eye have done thus far.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds is out on October 17th, you can pre-order the album here.

I think we can all agree that the past week or so has been difficult to stomach. After a couple of days of 24 hour news coverage and watching everything seemingly implode, I'm about ready to crawl inside a cave and stay there until the alien invasion, or at least until things calm down a bit. One of the two.

It's so easy to lose faith in the world when you see what some people are capable of, but it's worth remembering that for every barbaric Nazi twat there's a calm stoic Norwegian there to remind us just how strong the human condition really is. And for every moment of desperation and Justin Bieber there's a band that can elevate your soul to an entirely different dimension and make even the darkest day that little bit brighter.

So make a cup of tea, play this song and hope for a better week. It's about all you can do really.

My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by the atrocities in Norway, the famine in Africa and the train crash in China. You can donate to the disaster relief fund for Africa here. The world is a scary place, thank God we've got music there to soften the blow.

A talented woman taken way before her time.

Amy Winehouse

14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011

RIP

This is stunning in its simplicity. Makes me long for the cold marble floors and unearthly acoustics of the cathedral more than ever. It's amazing how just a few voices and an organ can create such a beautiful sound.

Not Standing Still

If you haven't heard the new album from The Horrors yet then you're missing out. Having not been tremendously impressed with Primary Colours, I was a bit unsure whether to give the band a second chance. However, after one listen to Skying I'm firmly back in the fan club. As difficult as it was to accept the new dreamy style the band have adopted since the days of Strange House, it seems to work well here. Each song is distinctive in its own way, making something much more memorable than anything on their last album. There's more than a touch of The Stone Roses here as well, a factor which certainly works in their favour. The combination of synth and reverse guitar work manages to create a trippy yet optimistic atmosphere which, unlike their previous work, leaves one feeling happily dazed rather than seasick.

The Horrors are a band who have been constantly evolving since their conception. It's clear that after a few initial teething pains, the band have grown up to become one of the post punk scene's strongest players.

Skying is out now