Glasto Update!

In case some of you dim witted fools haven't noticed, Glastonbury tickets for the first time are being sold now. Well, technically they've been on sale since the first week of October, but I digress.. Anyway, is anyone else excited about next year already?



I know it's the equivalent to getting all giddy about Christmas in April, but still, now that the first act has been confirmed for the annual partay at Worthy Farm my head's already buzzing with images of all night mayhem at Trash City and watching the sun rise at the Stone Circle...



That's how life should be.



Anywho, the very first act to be announced are some indie troupe called Major Major. The Liverpudlian band managed to wing a slot at the prestigious festival after winning the Rockstar Bands' Competition. The band are somewhat familiar with the venue, having played with The Ting Tings and Franz Ferdinand at the Glastonbury party gig for the residents of the town. The group also won a trip to Genesis front man Peter Gabriel's recording studio, the lucky buggers.



Maybe I'm not giving them much credit, but to me they do sound slightly generic for a guitar band. However, there are some definite hooks in the songs guaranteed to make you bop your head and the vocals remind me of a slightly edgier Mystery Jets. Still, by the time you see them play at Glasto, you'll be too drunk/stoned/relaxed/all of the above to care, so enjoy.


Check them out:
http://www.myspace.com/majormajorband



EDIT: Actually, I take it back, their track Iberia is rather moreish, maybe I will take a gander at them next year..

I've been dying to write a post about these lovely Mancunians for a while now, but never really got round to it.

Ain't you glad I have no life?

FDA, or Federal Drugs Administration as they are also known, are an electro act with a difference. Rather than making sexy, grand electro fit for trendy New York clubs, they make short slices of idiosyncratic sunshine enough to actually make you LOL. Drawing influences from current affairs and referencing pop culture, (the recession and the whole Manuelgate fiasco being their latest offerings) this group of madmen create irritatingly witty songs with more than just a hint of Shaun Ryder. This is what music should be like; carefree and full of expletives.



Below is a video of theirs, for one of my favourite songs, 'Androgynoel.' If you're a fan of The Mighty Boosh or the effervescent Mowgli in flares Noel Fielding, then chances are you will laugh yourself silly at this, and aren't the cartoons sweet?




http://www.myspace.com/federaldrugsadministration

Set to Invade Your Mind

Lately, it seems wherever I go on the interweb to find new music, I cannot escape the clutches of those crazy Belgians, Soulwax.




So, after attempting to avoid them for many a day, mostly due to my dislike in 'remixes,' (I see it vaguely pointless to listen to the same song that's only a tinsy bit different from the original) I hesitantly decided to listen to some of their stuff.




So the first track of theirs I noticed was their remix of LCD Soundsystem's 'Get Innocuous' on Hype Machine. Now I like LCD so I wasn't sure if the electronica outfit would do the track justice. However, after listening to it you do get the impression that this isn't just a copy of the song but slightly tweaked, but a song made into Soulwax's own style, truly an impressive thing to be able to do. The song still manages to retain some of the original track, but is improved on if anything.




So then I tracked down a remix of Ladytron's 'Seventeen,' a song by one of my favourite electronic bands, and was once again taken aback by the way in which it had been reworked. It opens with a catchy guitar riff, making the track much more edgy than its sleek and sophisticated predecessor. This version of the track appeals to the more indie inclined folk as well as the ravers, and is actually quite addictive.




And it's not just these two tracks Soulwax have been busy on; they've remixed the likes of Daft Punk, Kylie Minogue, Klaxons and the Sugababes, this is a band most certainly to cause a stir, if they haven't already.

The New Black?

After watching T4 Fashion programme Frock Me and witnessing two student fashion designers attempting to find the new Gothic look that is supposedly this season's trend (Can't imagine swarms of Bristol uni fashionistas dressing like the Living dead, though there's certainly nothing wrong with that.) I thought it would give me an excuse to post about some of my beloved bands and artists that are about as fluffy as a cockroach.

The Cure

Finally, after what seems like forever, The Cure have a new album out. I know it's only been four years since their last record, but it seems like an age since we heard Robert Smith's lovelorn, melancholic vocals. It's good to be back.

Following on from their previous albums, 4.13 Dream retains some of its gothic charm, but with a more polished sheen. Songs like 'Sleep When I'm Dead' have memorable choruses that are almost as spooky as they are moreish, and although some of the songs on here are more mellow than before, you only need to hear 'Scream' to know that The Cure are back to doing what they do best. The climax of this track gives me chills and would be the perfect soundtrack to any cliche horror film. This really is The Cure at their most savage and brutal, listening to this track is like being punched in the gut. What surprises me is that there's been hardly a mention of the grandeur, gothic masterpiece that is 4.13 Dream in many of the music blogs I subscribe to. It makes me wonder if, with the influx of 80's style bands, some have forgotten about one of the original Gothic bands that engulfed the decade. If you're a fan of Joy Division or Black Kids and haven't heard of them, you're in for a treat.

4.13 Dream is Available to buy on iTunes, however you may want to physically buy the album if you can, there's been a lot of fuss lately, with Robert Smith advising fans not to use the iTunes store to buy the album, due to pricing issues.

The Horrors

Elsewhere, skulking in the clubs in deepest, darkest-Shoreditch- a very different group of doom merchants are set to resurrect the dead with their Zombie Garage rock. Reminiscent of seminal Echo and the Bunnymen but with slightly more balls, the skinny jeaned group make psychobilly sounds edgy enough to wake the dead. Farris and co. are one of the few bands that can make the organ sound cool, and add a new twist to the horror cliche, making short snippets of music dark and funky enough to get all of London's scene kids moving. Favourites of the NME, the fivesome have released only one album, Strange House, and are currently (so their Myspace tells me) recording their new album. I seriously recommend you listen to Strange House, even if the whole horror chic isn't your thing, they may surprise you. Plus, isn't their hair actually amazing?
Strange House is available to download on ITunes and is probably available to buy if you're still into the whole CD thing. If so, get with the times grandad!
Here's a video of their first single, Sheena is a Parasite' which was so apparently controversial that it was banned from airing. Enjoy. :)

Ipso Facto

Following in the footsteps of Her Majesty Siouxsie Sioux, hauntingly beautiful girl group Ipso Facto are a band on everybody's radar at the moment. A far cry from the pristine pop of other all girl bands, Ipso Facto produce psychedelic rock/indie that, strangely, reminds me of The Long Blondes more than anything else. Listening to their songs, it's as if you're in a carnival haunted house and are being attacked by a clown that is just too happy. But in a good way. They are the modern equivalent of Siouxsie and the Banshees and are definitely ones to watch. Plus, they have a xylophone player, and everyone loves a xylophone.

Vive Le Revolution!

I should really be doing my Politics essay. But then, if I did, who would write about these two quirky bands set to cause mayhem in the electro-thrash scene?

HeartsRevolution

I ask you; how many bands do you know that tour with their customised ice cream van? And, of these bands, do any of them really make you want to pull a shape? No? Well, in that case you should definitely listen to this band, you're missing out. HeartsRevolution are Ben and Lo, a duo seen as the cuter and cuddlier Crystal Castles. However, you only need to hear 'Switchblade' to know that they may be cute, but cuddly they ain't. Lo oozes sexuality from behind a backdrop of whirly techno bleepings in this stylish yet savage track. With their sold out 6" glow in the dark vinyl and their van of wonders containing many a neon trinket, HeartsRevolution are definitely here to make an impact, whether you like it or not.

The Presets

Ok, so they're not exactly all brand new, but I discovered this infectious Electronica band whilst listening to my recommendations on Last.fm. In the Noughties it seems as if we have been invaded by 'retro' synth bands trying to recapture some of the 'fun' of the Eighties. (I wasn't around then, but from what I hear, legwarmers, The Smiths/Cure, good punk music,etc it wasn't all perms and Kylie Minogue.) However, amongst the dreary monotony, there have been some exciting creations, take The Presets for example. This band don't focus on what the mainstream audience want to hear, but rather on what sounds good; alas the two have no correlation these days for the majority of the Top 40. This Aussie pair create tracks rough enough to satisfy rock and Electro fans, and enough style to unite them on the dancefloor in one big Rectro cuddle. It's not often a band comes around who can mix techno, rock, indie and electro as effortlessly as The Presets.
This is my favourite song of theirs, My People, a jaunty, shouty call to arms for all those who want to move. Everybody scream!

'Bleed Your Own Awesomeness'

'Don't cry if it rains, dance in the puddles and feel the drops fall on your skin.'


I have Thursday off so I thought I would ramble on a bit more, since I've got the time. This past week (and I know I've moaned about it a lot) really did suck, thankfully this week is a hell of a lot better and most things are sorted. Still, whilst trawling through one of my favourite feminist zines (is that what they're called? Can't keep up with the yoof these days..) I managed to find a rather enlightening article:

Now, I'm not sure where I stand on copying the article onto my blog, so here's the link instead: http://www.mookychick.co.uk/opinion/riotgrrl/ways_to_find_yourself.php

Basically, if you're too bone idle to click on the link, the article states 29 ways in which to 'find yourself.' I know it sounds a bit odd and art student-y, but trust me, it's worth a read. In this piece, the writer commands that we all be "as loud or as quiet as we want to be; remember every person you come into contact with and every experience you go through moulds you into the person you are now." This really struck a chord, being a teenager myself and still unsure what's going on really, it does make you feel uplifted and hopeful. I've been reading this zine for a while now, and the main reason why I continue to do so is thus: "Confidence is undeniably sexy, never let someone else's voice become your own." The entire ethos of this zine is to promote confidence in those who maybe don't necessarily fit the social norm, and embraces unconventionality instead of shunning it. Reading this, you could just focus on the bad aspects of life: "Keep in mind every day you are creeping closer to the end," but then, if you do, there's not much hope for you. Believe me, if it can convince a pessimist like myself that it's not all bad then it's got to have some meaning to it.

I know this is a slight deviation from my usual style, but I just had to share this article with you. Whether you're a girl or a guy, read it, and remember...

Ch-Ch-Changes

In case you can't tell, I've decided to do some redesigning of my blog, and have added some new bits and bobs to it. However, I'm not sure if it looks alright, so any feedback on what looks good and what needs improving, eg colour schemes, too many things cluttered.. would be much appreciated. Obviously I want to do what I can to make the blog as spiffing as possible. Cheers.