April 10th, 2008 by admin
Female singer-songwriters had a banner year in 2007, with figureheads in this post-Lily-Allen-or-whatever movement like Kate Nash and Laura Marling killing it with major label deals, sold out tours, critically acclaimed releases and all kinds of other next-level shit. 2008 seems to be yielding more of the same, with industry heads shitting themselves over the likes of Lykke Li, Florence & The Machine and other left-field pop talents of their ilk. One such artist who’s flown under the radar to this point is Marina & The Diamonds, but her star is very much on the rise and you better believe you’ll be hearing a lot more about the Welsh-born chanteuse in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
März 30th, 2008 by admin
In the weeks leading up to the unveiling of Guillemots’ new single, buzz around the industry was that the band had penned the perfect pop song. And guess what, they done did it.
To quote a breathless Zane Lowe after the conclusion of the first-ever radio play of Guillemots new single, “Get Over It”: “Did you see that coming?” And to be perfectly real with you, no I did not. To say “Get Over It” exceeded my already high expectations would be a significant understatement; this is some “Trains To Brazil” next-level shit right here. “Get Over It” unequivocally marks the pinnacle of the band’s commercial viability to this point in their career, while in now way suppressing their seemingly endless fountain of ambition. Read the rest of this entry »
Januar 30th, 2008 by admin
I didn’t really do the whole Best Albums thing last year because, to be honest, there wasn’t that much I got excited about in the LP format outside of that brilliant Guillemots debut and those TV On The Radio and Union of Knives records and besides, it’s been well-documented in these pages that singles are more my speed anyways. That said, 2007 was a better outing for the long-player, with a good lot of phenomenal records coming out, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a few of them the recognition they deserve. With that out of the way, here are my top five records of 2007, though I don’t really think I need to waste too much breath on them considering you’ve been listening to and reading about these records all year long. Read the rest of this entry »
Januar 8th, 2008 by admin
Because of the upcoming years’ rash of cancelled awards ceremonies, I will offer nominees and winners in each category. Enjoy it?
BEST CONCERT OF 2007
Sonic Youth @ McCarren Pool – July 28
Beastie Boys @ Central Park – August 8
Wilco @ Warsaw – June 26
Queens Of The Stone Age @ Madison Square Garden Theater – October 13
Clinic w/ Holy Fuck @ Gramercy Theater – March 9
And the winner is…
BEASTIE BOYS IN CENTRAL PARK! Read the rest of this entry »
Dezember 10th, 2007 by admin
The Dodos have been kicking around for a good minute now, having self-released an EP and issued debut album Beware of the Maniacs in 2006, but they’re about to get a lot more familiar with an incredible debut single on the way and a sophomore album slated for release next spring. The San Franciscan duo have garnered a significant following on the west coast thanks to their phenomenal live shows, but a freshly-inked deal with Frenchkiss Records (hollerrrr) and the arrival of aforementioned single “Fools” suggests they’re about to jump to the next level in a big way. Read the rest of this entry »
Dezember 5th, 2007 by admin
The XL Recordings office in Notting Hill is a pretty cool place. Entering through the front door, you’re confronted by nearly 20 years of XL memorabilia plastered wall to wall. There’s Adele’s iPhone Fund jar sitting next to the door, M.I.A.’s shoes and the How Many? How Many? shirts from the “Boyz” video hanging from the wall and countless framed magazine covers featuring XL artists old and new lining the halls, with the artwork from Thom Yorke’s Eraser covering any remaining wall space (of which there’s not much to speak). Curious though, are the black and white stickers labeled frYars peppering the walls throughout the office. Upon inquiring as to their significance last spring, I got a nonchalant “Oh he’s friends with Cajun Dance Party”, and the conversation moved on. Somehow they failed to mention his merit as a recording artist in his own right, or the fact that he might just be the best electropop act since Maps hit the scene last year, and it’s taken me until now to finally track down his material. Holy shit though, talk about worth the wait. Read the rest of this entry »
November 13th, 2007 by admin
It’s been ages since I’ve been motivated to post a live set, but this is some seriously hot shit. Anyone who’s seen Girl Talk in 2007 knows that his live shows are completely off the chains, thanks in large part to his pro-stage invasion stance and his tendency to flesh out his sets with completely new remixes and mash-ups alongside his officially released material. I’ve seen Girl Talk thrice now, in three different cities along the Eastern seaboard (Boston, NYC and the Chocolate City, naturally), and have been completely owned on every occasion. Read the rest of this entry »
November 7th, 2007 by admin
Chistmas has come early again this year in the form of the Wombats long-awaited debut album, A Guide To Love Loss & Desperation. Nearly a year after my initial love affair with the band, they’d begun to slip off my radar a bit after the luster of recent singles “Backfire At The Disco” and “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” wore off much faster than anticipated and the unveiling of an LP tracklist comprised almost entirely of tracks I’d heard before. My expectations weren’t low per se, but they definitely weren’t high, especially after a year in which bands with promising early singles consistently produced disappointing debut records (see: the Maccabees, Good Shoes, Air Traffic, et. al). But fucking fuck motherfuck, this is an amazing record. Read the rest of this entry »
Oktober 29th, 2007 by admin
Remember Test Icicles? Yeah, they totally ruled. Sadly, they broke up not long after releasing their awesome debut LP, but silver lining has arrived in the form of Lightspeed Champion. Guitarist and sometime vocalist Devonte Hynes must have had some sort of epiphany after Test Icicles’ demise, as he traded the searing guitar riffs and acid-throated vocals (not to mention the hot pink guitars) of his former project for a whole new acoustic approach and began to record folk songs under the Lightspeed Champion moniker in 2006. A year later, he’s got two great singles under his belt and a highly anticipated debut album waiting in the wings, and appears primed to become the unlikeliest star the alt-country genre has ever seen. But before Test Icicles fade from our collective memory forever, let’s just this appreciate this track one last time, because, well, it’s the fucking jam. Read the rest of this entry »
Oktober 11th, 2007 by admin
Canada’s yielded some of the world’s best new bands over the last five years, but 2007 is yet to see a single band (save for maybe Holy Fuck) come close to the greatness of previous exports like the Arcade Fire, New Pornographers and Wolf Parade. However, Vancouver’s own Paper Cranes look primed to carry the torch with an extremely promising debut EP and 7″ out in Canada and the UK, respectively. The Veins EP compiles four of the band’s best tracks to date and an excellent remix, while the vinyl single takes the EP’s standout tracks, “I’ll Love You Until Your Veins Explode” and “Milkrun”, and slaps them onto two sides of a 7″ record to introduce the band to audiences across the pond. Out on Longest Mile Records, the label founded by the Futureheads’ Ross Millard, it’s one of the most impressive debut singles of the year featuring two sides of keyboard and piano-driven pop perfection. Read the rest of this entry »
