Happiness- 0 Sadness- 1

To celebrate the release of eagerly anticipated fourth album Happiness V Sadness, Robots in Disguise were due to throw yet another raucous electro riot down in good old Brizzle this evening. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the venue cancelled the gig at the last minute, leaving one very disappointed music blogger in our midst.

One is not amused..

You can't help but really feel for these guys, they seem to be constantly fighting an uphill path. Despite this being their fourth album, the band have never quite achieved the levels of success they deserve. With tracks more energised than a toddler on crack, Sue and Dee have managed to capture the essence of what it is to be young and carefree, making them the perfect soundtrack to teenage debauchery and house parties gone wrong. And yet I'm still met with a resounding 'who?' when I mention them. Honestly, some people!

But despite their underground status and the difficulties they've faced in terms of funding the new album, what's really great to see is that after all this time and effort they're still just as wired as ever. Robots in Disguise are a band that works hard and parties harder, check them out if you want to join the fun.

Happiness V Sadness is out now- go and download it!

Tickets for the gig at Start The Bus are refundable if you contact the venue. At this time there is no news of rescheduling the date.

Life in the Music Biz

When I think about the glorious summer that was 2008, I'm met with many hazy yet perfect memories: my virginal Glastonbury experience, the end of compulsory education and a whole lot of alcohol (funnily enough I don't remember all that much after that..). Ah yes, 2008 was a good year. Long summer days spent drinking far too much with friends in a park or house somewhere, acting like idiots and going to gigs like they were going out of fashion. Quite the way to live I think you'll agree.

One of the gigs that will always stick with me though is that of electro troupe Robots in Disguise. 3 hours of hard, electro carnage, resulting in having half a pint of what I hope was lager on my new dress. Crowd surfing, people being thrown out and a verbal attack on security staff also made it one hell of an evening and definitely gave me the now ever present thirst for gigs. Now I know a lot of you still haven no idea who I'm talking about, so to give you a taste of what these guys are about, watch this:

Now, needless to say the gig was everything I'd come to expect from such an adventure: swathes of hot and sweaty teenagers jumping around spilling all manner of beverages over all within a 3 metre radius. To some it may seem like hell, but when it's the backdrop to songs like that who really cares?

I've written about RID before so I don't want to completely regurgitate my declaration of love for these guys (though you should know that in a time where female fronted alternative bands are still on the periphery, what these two are doing is pretty damn awesome), but I'm writing with a sense of urgency and pleading this time around. If you hadn't heard of Robots in Disguise before placing your eyes upon this hallowed page that's probably because although in the midst of recording their fourth studio album they are still operating very much under the radar, away from the glaring eyes of the mainstream. Whether this is a good thing is still up for debate, but the fact remains that due to this and the thwack of the tail end of the recession still being felt by musicians everywhere, RID are struggling to come up with funding for their new album.

Although they have a strong fanbase (including the likes of Noel Fielding and electro superstar Peaches), there is always more to be done and any new listeners will be welcomed with sexy robot arms.

I love Robots in Disguise, they remind me of my youth (comparatively anyway, at 17 I'm hardly waiting for my Giro) and they're a fine example of what indie music actually is. With your help we can make sure that more people can hear just how awesome this band is and say a resounding 'fuck you' to the big record companies that don't have to face this kind of crisis everytime they want to put out an album. If it's £1 or even £5, every little penny counts and Robots in Disguise only receive the money if they reach their total of£15,000, with 10% of all money made going towards a charity dealing with improving the lives of those suffering with Alzheimer's. so really what is there to lose??

Support the talent. Pledge!

Robots in Disguise are also playing a series shows across the UK this month, to find out details on venues and ticket prices, click here.

A Midweek Pick Me Up

So, in my next attempt at a mini-post during the run up to exams I shall let you in on one of my favourite singer songwriters, the wonderfully surreal folk outfit known as Sue and the Unicorn.

Photo by Matthew Cotton

Now you may have seen this quirky mademoiselle, aka Sue Denim, in chaotic electro duo Robots in Disguise, but what you may not be aware of is that for the past year or so she's been extending her talents to the realms of folk.

Sue and the Unicorn has been a not so guilty pleasure of mine for some time now, always meant to post about her but never quite got around to it. Sue's songs are brilliant due to their sheer simplicity: It literally is just her and a guitar, and there's no better song to highlight this than 'Like Brewster McCloud.' The acoustic guitar is a perfect backdrop for her slightly otherworldy lyrics about wanting to be free to laugh and live and, errm, fly. A more Ska-influenced version of the track also fails to disappoint. The song sounds entirely different to the original, the Reggae lilt creating a much brighter and chilled tone, which is in itself quite an impressive feat seeing as the original is more than a little bit wistful in comparison.

My favourite track, and what I think epitomises everything I like about Sue is 'Til the Sweat Dries.' Sue's vulnerable pleading for more than just a one night stand almost mystifies. There's no pretentiousness here as is with some musicians of this calibre; what you hear is more certainly what was intended, and there's definitely no smoke and mirrors. Just simple chords and Sue's soaring vocals, enough to give me goosebumps. And then, just when you think it's getting too sappy, Sue changes her mind and cheekily commands to get inside me. Brilliant.

My only qualm with Sue.. is that even with two mini tours under her belt, she has yet to release an EP of any sort and most of her songs are still in demo form. Get a move on woman!

However, in the meantime there's always this upbeat and thoroughly cute track, recorded in some random park in Germany. Enjoy.

SUE AND THE UNICORN : PICK ME UP from brian belukha on Vimeo.

For the mentioned tracks and more, visit
www.myspace.com/sueandtheunicorn

These are a Few of my Favourite Things

I thought as we're nearing that oh so cliche festive period it might be nice to think about the events that have unfolded throughout the year, as well as some of my favourite things of 2008. However, as I am aware of the quantity of my posts, I will try and include as low an amount of writing as possible; my Christmas present to you is that I will stop rambling for one whole post, you lucky sods.

Disclaimer: I have not taken any of these photos (bar the MGMT one) or videos and if they happen to breach any copyright laws please let me know and I'll remove them.



Glastonbury 2008

The defining point of my year and when I truly discovered the beauty of a muddy field packed with 150,000 strangers. Nothing could compare to that feeling of freedom when you're ambling about the Green fields, seeing top notch bands and embracing the 'Glastonbury Spirit-' see you next year Mr Eavis.


GCSE Results
Considering they're deemed as 'life changing exams' I rather enjoyed the GCSE'S though they were annoying at times. Still, 5 A's, 4 A*'s, a B and a C are definitely worth half a summer in silence.






(Amongst countless others, this year has definitely been a good one for seeing live acts.)

The Mighty Boosh

2008 was also the start of my obsession with this surrealist comedy troupe. If you haven't seen any of Series 1,2 or 3 of The Boosh, I'd strongly recommend you do so; with singing, dancing and bizarre magical characters it's got all the necessities for a good show. Plus their live stage show is AMAZING.

Heroes of 2008
It's been impossible not to have caught a glimpse at the mass of singer-songwriters about this year. James Morrison, Adele, and, errm, some others, have all been bombarding us with songs this year, prime examples being the lovely Laura Marling...

And the probably-equally-lovely-but-rather-annoying-Duffy.

Other high fliers of this year include:



(Black Kids, Florence and the Machine, Elbow and Vampire Weekend.)

Villains of the Year
Well, kind of. Over the course of the year my contempt for a certain right wing tabloid newspaper has grown tremendously, due to shoddy journalism and an appalling lack of decency in certain cases. However, the funniest thing they printed all year was what is now revered as 'Sachsgate.'


Yes I know it is like so 2 months ago and it's been done to death, but I resisted the urge to blog about this affair before now so that should be praised at least. In case you live in some remote tribe that haven't heard of either of these two guys, the one on the bottom is 'edgy' comedian Russell Brand (I swear to god if someone uses that word to describe comedy again I shall scream, it's not edgy if you call it edgy) and the one on the top is presenter and sometime comedian Jonathan Ross. And they done a bad thing. Well, it depends on what your take on it is, to be honest I found thing whole thing rather funny, which was the aim afterall. However, some two people decided to have a pop at the BBC for swearing and then 5 days later it all kicked off when the Daily Mail readers of Middle England decided it was time to be upset. People resigned, got suspended and all sorts, there was quite a big fuss, apparently (I'd hardly noticed).

Still, how can you stay mad at Wossy for that long? Just look at him..


New Loves
No I'm not going to start onning about the woes of a teenager's social life, I'm much more bothered about music.




The InDelicates- New Art for The People.mp3
This duo are utterly brilliant. I discovered them upon an evening's stroll down last.fm a little while ago and, I'm sad to say, I forgot about them until I saw that one of their tracks was a free download. I'm still unsure what their main focus is on; comically brilliant and enrapturing lyrics or just playing songs. Either way it's the perfect combination of the two. If you download it, do let me know what you think of them.

TV
WARNING: Further reading may result in the credibility of the writer plummeting to below sea level. You have been warned.

One of my new loves this year television wise has been Come Dine With Me.

See what I mean?
I'm crap at cooking. I managed to somehow set the toaster on fire not long ago, and nearly set the entire kitchen alight due to an overheated frying pan. So I don't know why I like this so much. It's a reality show in which 4 randomers (usually) have a week full of dinner parties in order to win some cash. How terribly middle class. Anyway, I think I may be hitting a mid-life crisis at the grand old age of 16, as I love this show. Aren't you glad my blog is usually music based?

The IT Crowd

I know this show isn't exactly new but I've only uncovered the awesomeness that is The IT Crowd as of this year. The casting is superb; Matt Berry plays a retarded Company Executive and Richard Aoyade and Chris O Dowd are two lonesome geeks based in the IT department, and both make as great a double act as they do when solo. Matt Berry is amazingly good at playing the fool and, FYI is also the chap from the Bring on the Trumpets! advert.

What have been your favourite aspects of this wondrous year?

The Mandatory 2008 Post

So, it's that time of year again when everybody gets a little gushy and retrospective about the year that has passed, and what a year it's been. The Recession, Obama's monumental victory and umm, well, Mugabe has meant that you couldn't call this year dull. Besides all the tedium of the political world, there's been some great stuff about in the musical side of things. Folk has seen a surprising comeback and it seems people are finally growing tired of the Libertine sound-a-like sea of indie bands out there, choosing a more unconventional style instead.


I thought I'd add to the endless list of bloggers doing this and compile my very own list of 2008. However, this post will be spaced out over a number of days, 20/20 hindsight has told me that it is an ickle bit too long for just one post. So, enjoy!

10. Ladyhawke-Ladyhawke

In case you haven't yet noticed, 2008 has been the year of the synth. It's been unavoidable as of late, so much so that I wanted to get one and break it into teeny tiny pieces. However, Ladyhawke's self-titled debut is definitely the exception to the rule. This is an album full of potential singles, not a filler in sight. For someone who describes herself as being an introvert, you certainly can't tell listening to this. Pip's vocals ooze confidence and her songs have the perfect blend of synth and guitar that combine to make a damn catchy album. I'm already looking forward to her follow up, get to it Pip!






9. Robots in Disguise-We're in the Music Biz

Ok, so I know this album wasn't exactly ground breaking stuff, but this was the album that made me fall in love with this edgy electro duo. My friends and I saw Sue Denim and Dee Plume play songs from this album the night before its release, and they were as adrenaline fuelled and chaotic as they are on the album. This record proves that not only can the girls make tracks fit for dancing like no-one's watching but they also have a good sense of humour; giving us a more realistic view of the rock'n'roll lifestyle in Can't Stop Getting Wasted and unleashing a tongue in cheek tirade against conformity in Don't Copy Me. This is a much rougher album than their previous in terms of style, but it's the edginess that makes this well worth a listen.

8. Frank Turner-Love Ire & Song

2008 has really been Frank's year. He's spent much of the year touring bloody everywhere and yet still had time to release a refreshing and witty album. What a nice bloke. Mr. Turner is one of my favourite finds of the year. Pals with fellow folkster (see what I did there?) Chris T-T, Frank writes music that not only makes you think but allows you to actually enjoy his clever lyrics. Charity single 'Long Live the Queen' is a testament to this, as on first listen it's a catchy song but if you dig deeper and listen to the lyrics, you hear the story of a young women dying in hospital for breast cancer, the charity in which the single's revenue goes towards. This is the most underground artist on my list, and I really hope that by this time next year I will be able to gloat that I introduced this chap to you when he's one of the UK's most successful debut singer-songwriters.



















7.Ladytron-Velocifero
For me personally, 2008 has seen my musical tastes expand into the unfamiliar field of electro. Having grown up with the likes of Placebo, New Order and Echo and the Bunnymen shoved down my throat, I thought it would be nice to see what all of the fuss was about regarding this strange mesh of electronic sounds. Listening to this album is almost like being hypnotised and punched in the face simultaneously. The edgy beats and angst ridden synths create a definite groove that makes it all the more addictive to hear. Although some of the songs on here do make this album lose a touch of its charm, (Predict the Day's jaunty rhythm is more nauseating than exciting) others simply thrill me (see Versus' dangerously catchy refrain and bizarre kitten lyrics), making this album a firm favourite of mine for dancing about pathetically when getting ready to go out if nothing else.




















6. Laura Marling
Now at this point I'm going to say that I don't intend to market this album rundown as the most unconventional thing to do at the end of the year, lets face it Joe and Jane Bloggs have and are going to write posts along the same vein as this here thing. I can bet you 3 packets of Jellytots that this young lady will feature heavily. Laura Marling is the brilliantly talented songstress who's managed to take the alternative music scene by storm and is a staple of 6Music's playlist. Aaand she's only 18, lest we forget. This album is a true testament to her talent, with her warm raspy vocals leaving you wanting more and her brilliantly dark yet witty lyrics. It's been said before but it's hard to believe from hearing this album that she is only just an adult, a mature and rather graceful air seems to resonate from this record. How this girl did not get the Mercury Prize is beyond me. The only question I'm left asking after hearing this is where can she go from here?
What have been your favourite records of 2008? Comment me and let me know, and look out for the next installment of my album roundup.

So, They Thought I was a Robot..

Well, this week has been certainly rather frustrating. I have grown quite attached to posting on my virtual notepad and was happily planning on writing more posts until I found that my blog had been flagged up as a spam blog.

Needless to say, I wasn't a happy bunny.

But then, have you ever actually seen a bunny that is truly happy? They can't smile so how will we ever know?

It had said on the e-mail they sent me about it that, as I'm reading the e-mail, I'm probably not a robot.
Probably.
Well, thanks a lot.

Now, I don't really mind that much, except it meant that I couldn't publish my last post for a few days, but it got me thinking about robots, you know, as you do.

So, in that case I decided to compile a list of some bands/artists that are somewhat robot related.
Plus it gave me an excuse to find bands with funny names/songs.

1. The Robot Ate Me




Taken from their album of the same name, The Robot Ate Me is a rather obscure band. Lasting only 5 years, the band hailing from San Diego made a fairly pleasant sound with their lo-fi indie warblings. Although not necessarily robot-like, this band seem to play music perfect for a particularly poignant moment on Skins.

2. IMA Robot



Ok, I think I love this band.
This electronica/vaguely pop punk(ish) band formed in the late 1990's and have made many an upbeat, shouty song, drawing influences from what sounds like David Bowie and/or FOB. Whatever they're doing, they seem to be doing it well, as they've performed on tour with the likes of The Von Bondies and Hoobastank. Arrg, this band remind me of another band but I can't quite place which one, if you think you can tell me please leave me a comment, else it shall be encircling my head forever more, and that won't end well.

3. Pirate Robot Midget
I had to include them, just for the name.

http://www.last.fm/music/Pirate+Robot+Midget

To be honest I'm not that big a fan of some of their stuff, but see if you can dig out Riva Starr's remix of It's My Beat Now. Most certainly following its robot credentials, this band are very much Electro, but may possibly rely too much on looping. (Then again, I guess you could argue the same about most Electro). This song reminds me a bit of Peaches, exuding a rather flamboyant attitude.


4. My Robot Friend




I remember stumbling drearily across this band in the wee hours of the morning during my summer break, and from the moment I first heard this track and another, titled Problems, I became hooked.
Oh, and while I'm gushing about this band, if you like them also try and check out their song 23 Minutes in Brussels, there's a Xylophone! Now I don't know about you but I don't half love a Xylophone every now and then, makes it seem more playful and pretty. And, let's face it, anyone who can play the Xylophone must be pretty darn cool.
Xylophones aside, I really love this band, they're a fine example of what good electronica music should be, and I encourage everyone to listen to their 2006 album Dial 0 whilst we all wait for the highly anticipated (well, by me at least) 2009 album Robot High School.

5. Robots in Disguise



How could I write a post about robots without mentioning this quirky duo?

I was introduced to the slightly chaotic, yet sophisticated electro that is Robots in Disguise through a friend about a year ago, and I have yet to grow tired of them. Although most would write them off as being 'that band with Noel Fielding's girlfriend in,' this band create 3 minute wonders and have become a staple of the Berlin electro scene. Without a doubt you should also check out their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/robotsindisguise and see if you can buy their newest album. Titled We're in the Music Biz and written with tongue firmly placed in cheek, it was released in February 2008 and, although doing well, this band deserve much more recognition.