There's something so achingly bittersweet about this, makes me want to give the lead singer a hug and yet hit him in the face at the same time.

That's normal, right?

After taking a seven year hiatus, Death in Vegas are set to come back with a bang.

Man at the helm of the electro krautrock ship Richard Fearless is back from a stint in Brooklyn and currently in the process of mixing new album Trans Love Energies. The album, the first since 2004's Satan's Circus, comprises 12 new tracks and also features guest vocals from one Katie Stelmanis of Austra fame. After producing albums from the likes of Dark Horses and remixing everything from The Horrors to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, it's great to see Fearless back in the driver's seat.

Trans Love Energies is set for release on 12th September, but if you're keen to find out just what DIV have been up to, new single Enforced Peace is available to download from their official site. Fearless and Holmes will also be shortly announcing a UK tour in the autumn, so keep a look out for that.

Here's hoping the new stuff sounds as good as the likes of this:

http://www.deathinvegasmusic.com/

A Wonderful Oddity- Music Challenge #1: Metal

Yes, you heard right. For the next 30 days I'm going to delve into a genre of music that's fascinated yet intimidated me for years: metal.

As those of you who've read my blog before will know, I'm not usually one for the meatier side of things. Sure I did the whole emo thing at 14 when I thought the world was out to get me (who didn't?), but since growing up I've settled into a rather hum drum complacency. One which, although comfortable, has stifled any curiosity I'd had in the past over anything that doesn't include whistling or sugar coated harmonies. So after a weekend being exposed to all things raaar, I've decided to check out some of what I've been missing.

For the next 30 days I'm going to be listening to one metal band a day, with at least one full album being clocked up on my last.fm page as evidence. I'm hoping that by throwing myself into the scene headfirst I may find something new and exciting to sink my teeth into. Plus it gives me the chance to expand my horizons a bit and that can be no bad thing.

I'll be checking in every few days on Irrelevant Twaddle to chronicle my adventures, but for those of you worried that I'm going to be growing a beard and joining the next circle pit I see, fear not. I'm going to try and keep this as a sidebar to my usual lo fi ramblings. That way everyone's happy.

In order to ease myself into the scene, I've been recommended a lovely acoustic cover of Black Sabbath's Paranoid. Not quite metal, but it's just too pretty not to mention.

In the meantime, feel free to recommend me some metal bands, I'm somewhat out of my depth here!

A great song for those post festival blues.

This is totally going to be in my head all day.

Everyone's Here

One of the stand out moments for me this summer, nay year, was standing in a sunny field, listening to some of the most beautiful, spine-tingling music I've ever heard live. No it wan't U2 and shockingly not Morrissey either (sacrilege I know) who reduced me to tears with their glorious sunset show, but Elbow.

Elbow's 2011 Glastonbury set had everything you could possibly ask for in a performance, with my only qualm being lack of older material (but it's not as if their new stuff is sub-par at any rate). Every song packed as much punch as the last, whether it was the psychedelic The Birds or something thrilling like Grounds for Divorce.

But what made this something truly special was the band themselves. If there's one act that knows how to work a crowd, it's Elbow. Reverse Mexican waves, a mass happy birthday singalong and even some Freddie Mercury style call and response; Guy Garvey totally had us in the palm of his hand. And what's better is that it wasn't just us who were entranced by the magnitude of it all, the entire band looked just as giddy as we did. For me, that's what makes gigs that little bit more special- the fact that you know the band are right there with you, in spirit as well as body.

There's a lot to be said for the setting here too, which could help to explain some of my gushing. If you've been to Glastonbury before you'll no doubt have experienced the 'sunset moment:' i.e. a period of awe and contentment with the world. It sounds pretentious and maybe it is, but those moments are few and far between outside the gates of Worthy Farm so you have to take what you can get really. Standing in the crowd, singing Hey Jude with thousands of people before the set, then listening to anthems like Lippy Kids as the sun went down- it just doesn't get better than that. It just encapsulates everything I love about festivals. They're a chance to escape and get back to what you love, whether that be watching music, making clay pots or even performing music, in the case of Mr Garvey. At any point across the weekend you'd hear the phrase 'we love Glastonbury' being banded about like nobody's business, but when he says it, you can tell by the look on his face that he means every syllable.

Makes me teary just thinking about it.

Elbow's 2011 Glastonbury set is a fine testament to the Glastonbury spirit, where musician and audience both share something that can only be found at a certain time of year (usually in a muddy field). At 20 years old, Elbow have certainly paid their dues and deserve the success they're currently enjoying. What puts the icing on the cake, however, is knowing that amidst the album sales and gruelling tour schedule, they still love what they're doing. Long may they continue to do so if these are the kind of performances they produce.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye.

It's been a busy few months for Radiohead. What with an impromptu album release, newspaper publication and even a 'surprise' set at Glastonbury (as if we didn't know..), they've clearly come out of their reverie and back to doing what they do best.

But it doesn't stop there. Fans of the band will know that Thom and the boys have also recorded a session from The Basement, long term project of friend and collaborator Nigel Godrich. The session features, among tracks from latest album King of Limbs; a new single in the form of The Daily Mail, which someone has been nice enough to put on Youtube for our delectation.

If there's any band perfectly suited for a Sunday morning, it's Radiohead. So sit back and enjoy.

The rest of the session is available to watch here.

Music music everywhere and lots of songs to, umm, drink.

There's more music around this summer than you can shake your Raybans at. Honestly, a bit of sunshine and all of a sudden every Tom Dick & Indie band crawls out of the woodwork to bury their electroindiedancerockfolk tunes into our skulls, never to escape.

After returning from a shall we say challenging Glasto (and falling into the mud at least once a day), I've come back with an increased lust for all things musical. Amidst my musical meanderings I've uncovered literally dozens of new tracks to sink my teeth in. Infact, I've bombarded myself with so much good music of late that I've needed a good sit down to accommodate the giddiness. In order to attempt to shuffle through the chaos, I've decided to make a list of my favourites and share them with you lovely folk. Aren't you lucky?

1. Bon Iver

I'm not sure why I've never bothered to listen to Bon Iver. Perhaps it was the name or maybe it was mere idleness, but they were always 'a band I'll check out later.' However, after caving into peer pressure, I eventually had a listen and what I heard left me wishing I'd checked them out sooner. They take the layered harmonies circa Beegees and meld them together with sprinkles of light jazz, elevator music and more than a little folk: an odd combination on paper, but somehow it works. Although at times coming across a bit too much like a Disney soundtrack (see Beth/Rest), Bon Iver largely produce very delicate, structured songs that seem to radiate warmth. Nice to have on in the background whilst watching the stars on a cool summer's eve.

See what I mean?

Bon Iver's self titled album is out now

2. Fleet Foxes

I couldn't write about how great this summer sounds without including my favourite bearded friends. I've been championing this band since their glorious 2008 self titled début and judging from how great their second offering is, I don't intend on stopping any time soon. Those looking for the difficult second album may be disappointed as there's none of that here. Helplessness Blues provides more of what we've come to know and love from the Seattle quintet: good old fashioned American folk. Critics may claim this lack of progression is a coward's move, but when you've got the mixture of twee harmony and catchy rhythms, why bother changing a thing?

If anything I think this album really lets Peckinold and co shine, moreso than in their humble first album. They may not be ready to launch into a death metal number anytime soon, but they're definitely a lot more willing to venture into wilder terrain, whilst still managing to retain their softness. The Shrine/Argument is a fine example of this, balancing the two extremes beautifully (or as beautifully as a dying trumpet can sound anyway- you may not want to listen to it at full volume if you don't want a fright). Fleet Foxes are good, strong musicians who are willing to take chances, they're just taking baby steps.

Helplessness Blues is out now

3. Warpaint

After seemingly coming out of nowhere, Warpaint have become one of the hottest acts this summer. Why, you may ask? Well, for starters they're hot chicks with guitars. In a scene so starved of a feminine touch (at the moment anyway), it's rather refreshing to hear a band so seemingly dainty lead into a heavy, sprawling groove that can only be described as a wall of sound in one swift move. There's just something so effortless and cool about them, which I suppose has much to do with the hipster connotations they've accrued thus far in their tenure. Even the vocals sound like she's still half asleep, which only manage to provide a sleek, sensual sound that leaves you hanging on every word. This, combined with the dark, intense undertones make Warpaint the epitome of dreamy rock and the perfect soundtrack to a summer spent prancing around in fields of daisies. Or something.

The Fool is out now

I'll be adding to the list throughout the week, would love to hear what you think