With the whole neighbourhood in tow

I've already spoken confidently that the latest Band Of Horses album could be their best yet. Today, more evidence has emerged to support that theory, in the form of a video to "NW Apt."

NW Apt.

Band Of Horses | MySpace Music Videos

As an added bonus, here's their performance of "Factory" from an episode of Jools Holland a week or so back. Of what I've heard of Infinite Arms so far, this is definitely the standout track, another fine example of the quietly affecting brand of songwriting that has won them such plaudits since their emergence.

And the world laughs with you

Okay, the number of May 3rd releases worth looking forward to is getting ridiculous. But still, add the new Flying Lotus album to the list, because that's also due next Monday. It's also streaming in full, if you head on over to his MySpace page. 2008s Los Angeles was one of the best albums released that year, so my hopes are high for his latest. I'm on my first listen through, and it's sounding good so far.

Cosmogramma track list:

1. Clock Catcher
2. Pickled!
3. Nose Art
4. Intro // A Cosmic Drama
5. Zodiac Shit
6. Cosmic Face // Pure Being
7. ...And The World Laughs With You
8. Arkestry
9. MmmHmm
10. Do The Astral Plane
11. Satelllliiiiiiiteee
12. German Haircut
13. Recoiled
14. Dance of the Pseudo Nymph
15. Drips // Auntie's Harp
16. Table Tennis
17. Galaxy in Janaki
18. Velvet Cake

These things get louder

Once again, NPR have scored an impressive exclusive, with the latest album from The New Pornographers now available to stream in full on the website. Whilst they're another one of those bands that have somehow managed to pass me by, I really enjoyed the last Neko Case solo album, Middle Cyclone, and so I'm much more interested in Together than I might otherwise have been; it helps that Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Zach Condon (Beirut) and Annie Clark (St. Vincent) all make guest appearances. Add it to the list of May 3rd releases worth getting excited about.

Together track list:

1. Moves
2. Crash Years
3. Your Hands (Together)
4. Silver Jenny Dollar
5. Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
6. My Shepherd
7. If You Can't See My Mirrors
8. Up in the Dark
9. Valkyrie in the Roller Disco
10. A Bite Out of My Bed
11. Daughters of Sorrow
12. We End Up Together

Sorrow found me when I was young

Yesterday, I wrote about the recent development of record labels streaming the entirety of a new album ahead of its release. I mentioned The National as a band who are currently benefitting from this approach, knowing that High Violet would be available to hear in full courtesy of The New York Times as of today. I'm listening to it right now, and I'd suggest that you do the same - it's only available until April 27th. The lengthy feature that accompanies the audio is well worth reading, too, telling the story of a band who've had to pay their dues along their way; they've fought long and hard to achieve the kind of success they're now enjoying, and it's hard not to admire the persistence which has seen them develop into one of the shining lights of the alternative scene. Both Alligator and Boxer were superb, and I'm confident that once I've had time to fully absorb High Violet, I'll be speaking of it in exactly the same terms.

Everything You Need, Friday 23rd April 2010

In a recent post, I talked about the decline of Manchester's legendary Night & Day venue. When I wrote that there's practically nothing of interest taking place there over the coming months, I did so knowing full well that the schedule is still capable of throwing up the occasional event worth getting excited about. Case in point: Everything You Need. In their own words, you can expect considerate DJs playing everything you need from naff-pop to math rock, and that mixture proved to be very popular with those who attended the debut of the night last month - it's always wonderful to be part of such a truly enthusiastic dance floor. Run by people who genuinely want you to enjoy yourself, if you're looking for something to do this Friday night, for once the Night & Day is the only place to be.

Would you rather be lonely?

As record labels awaken to the as-yet still untapped potential of the internet as a medium which can be utilised to garner their acts more attention than at any point in the past, it's now becoming more and more common for entire albums to be streamable online, a development I'm very much in favour of. I like being able to form my own opinion of a new album without having to rely on a review to paint an aural picture of it for me; without worrying that they might unconsciously colour my own reaction to the music. At the same time, it undoubtedly helps to create a sense of genuine anticipation; consider how much buzz the upcoming releases from the likes of The National, Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem and The Hold Steady have generated. I honestly believe that people are more likely to head to their local record store having already heard how good these albums are, rather than off the back of an 8.2 Pitchfork review. Which isn't intended as a knock on Pitchfork; they do good work. It's just nice that record labels are displaying a newfound willingness to fully engage with their audience.

On that note, kudos to Sub Pop, who've made Avi Buffalo's self-titled debut album fully streamable ahead of its April 26th release. Before they did so, this band were barely on my radar. Having listened to it once through, I'm taken aback; it's absolutely stunning. As much as anything else I've touted recently, I'd recommend listening to this. Or, to put it another way: now, you can get on the bandwagon before the bandwagon gets moving.

Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo by subpop

I believe in waking up together

I can't get enough of LCD Soundsystem's "Drunk Girls" at the moment; it's probably my favourite track of the year so far, a wonderfully raucous party anthem that I'm certain will be incredible live, so much so that I'm likely to take the unusual (for me) step of trying to get hold of a ticket at a potentially extortionate price outside the venue when they play Manchester on May 1st. The song deserved a fantastic video, and thanks to Spike Jonze and (a very game) James Murphy, it has one. And if you haven't already done so, head over to their website, where This Is Happening is streaming in its entirety.

Solipsists Anonymous, Monday 19th April 2010

Just a quick word to let you know that, if you happen to be in the Manchester area this evening, you should head to Fuel in Withington, for Solipsists Anonymous. One of those rare nights that manages to successfully showcase music and humour side-by-side and hand-in-hand, tonight's line-up may well be the strongest yet. From the little I've heard of it, Reginald Winter's comedy is possessed of a wonderfully dark, somewhat twisted quality that I'm keen to hear more of. Headliner Ste McCabe, meanwhile, is starting to get noticed for his highly confrontational, overtly politicised reinterpretation of punk - so much so that his performance tonight will be preceded by his very own tribute act! I think I'm most excited about The Thyme Machine, though, a supergroup comprising of Kriss Foster and Homemade Lemonade, who together should be perfect in such an intimate venue. A venue we should make an effort to pack to the rafters!

You won't get every girl

Now that my dissertation is handed in I'm officially a free man, so I should be able to dedicate a bit more of my time to this blog and, most importantly, actually start reviewing things again. However, the effort involved in getting the dissertation handed in has worn me out, so for now, here's a round-up of things that have caught my eye over the last few days:

For starters, NPR Music are now streaming the new Broken Social Scene album, Forgiveness Rock Record, here, and Heaven Is Whenever, the new album from The Hold Steady, here, which is fantastic news if you're as excited about both releases as I am. I just need to be careful not to overplay them before May 3rd.

Next, I'd like to recommend reading this excellent feature on Werner Herzog's incredible Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans. Then go out of your way to find a copy of it somewhere, in order to experience an absolutely stunning performance by Nicholas Cage, who would have won this year's Best Actor Oscar if I had anything to do with the process. People seem to like his performance in Kick-Ass, too, so hopefully his career will see something of a resurgence (i.e. perhaps he'll stop starring in so many obviously godawful movies).

Listen to Surfer Blood pay tribute to one of their most obvious influences, as they cover The Beach Boys "Don't Worry Baby," and do a pretty reasonable job of it, in fairness. Having only heard their debut album Astro Coast once, I was reasonably impressed, and I'll probably end up spending a bit more time with it at some point.

And on a similar note, whilst everyone else might be getting excited by Thom Yorke covering "Love Will Tear Us Apart," or possibly Conan O'Brien's version of "Creep," the best cover version to emerge this week comes courtesy of Titus Andronicus and and Vivian Girls guitarist Cassie Ramone, who absolutely nail Weezer's classic "Undone (The Sweater Song)". So that's what I'm going to post. Enjoy:



Hopefully at some point this week I'll have reviews of Kill Shakespeare #1 (if I can get my hands on a copy) and possibly Kick-Ass, which has gotten such strong reviews that I'm genuinely excited about seeing it.

Record Store Day, Saturday 17th April 2010

If you head on over to Pitchfork, you'll find yourself confronted with a comprehensive, and somewhat intimidating, list of all the releases due tomorrow for the now-annual international celebration of the independent record store. It's hard not to admire the obvious enthusiasm that surrounds the campaign, one which is obviously worth getting behind; were it not for the pressures of having a dissertation due in on Monday, I would definitely have ventured out to Piccadilly Records and picked a few things up. The highlights are numerous: the split single featuring new songs by The Thermals and The Cribs that I have previously mentioned; a dirty as hell new track from Crystal Castles; a collaboration between Hot Chip and Bonnie Prince Billy; the first new release from The Get Up Kids since 2004 (featuring "Your Petty Pretty Things," which they performed for their Daytrotter Session); and a DVD of John Darnielle performing 2009s The Life of the World to Come in its entirety, directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom). Oh, and a new Beach House song...

...you know, the more I look at that list, the more I wonder whether I should just bite the bullet and get out of bed early as hell, buy a few 7"s and then get back on the work as quickly as possible.

Love is an asterisk

Of the entertainment news stories worth reflecting on today, the most exciting one is the news that Joss Whedon is apparently in final negotiations to direct The Avengers, a movie that will bring together several of Marvel's most prominent superheroes in the fight against evil. Whilst interest levels in the project weren't particularly high (after all, until the release of Thor and Captain America, it's hard to know how worked up it's worth getting, notwithstanding the fact that The Avengers will feature more Robert-Downey-Jr.-as-Iron-Man awesomeness), if Whedon takes the job then it'll be hard not to start looking forward to May 2012. Full story here.

The debate over 3D in cinema is one that looks set to run and run; Martin Scorsese has thrown his hat into the ring in the past, arguing that even films such as Precious would benefit from utilising the technology. He's now confirmed that his next project - an adaptation of Brian Selznick's children's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret - will be filmed in 3D, an announcement that undoubtedly lends credibility to the technology as an artistic device, rather than just a gimmick. It'll be interesting to see how the argument develops over the coming years; leading American film critic Roger Ebert recently denounced 3D as "a distracting, annoying, anti-realistic, juvenile abomination to use as an excuse for higher prices," and leading British film critic Mark Kermode was no less damning in his review of Clash Of The Titans.

For those interested, much of the Glastonbury 2010 line-up has been announced. It is, as usual, something of a mixed bag. The headlining triumvirate of U2, Muse and Stevie Wonder isn't up my street at all. Elsewhere, though, the line-up largely consists of the most prominent alternative bands of the moment (Vampire Weekend, Broken Bells, the xx, Phoenix), indie veterans (The National, Broken Social Scene, The Hold Steady, The Flaming Lips) and curiosity-value inclusions (Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, George Clinton). Were getting a ticket not such a nightmare I'd be very interested in attending, much more so than at any point in the past.

Lastly, an album of the year candidate: over at the LCD Soundsystem website, This Is Happening is streaming in its entirety. The sprawling "Dance Yourself Clean" is one of the strongest opening tracks I've heard in years, and it sets the standard for everything that follows. Well worth checking out.

Then we send in the miracle

Of the live videos of songs from the upcoming new album by The National I recently posted, the standout track was "Afraid Of Everyone," a tension-filled affair in which Matt Berninger sounds like a deeply troubled man. Now, the album version is doing the rounds, and it plays like it could very well be the centrepiece track of High Violet. In addition, "Sin-Eater" (the B-Side to upcoming single "Bloodbuzz Ohio") also debuted. Whilst it certainly isn't one of their strongest efforts, the directness of the lyrics - which betray a weary anger at the machinations of Wall Street financial brokers - is interesting, even if by the end it all just completely trails off, almost apologetically (which, from a thematic perspective, may well be the point). Follow the the links to judge for yourself:

The National - "Afraid Of Everyone"
The National - "Sin-Eaters" [B-side]

Can you see the world through our window?

As if yesterday's reading material wasn't dense enough, today I have been exploring the concepts of postmodernism and metafiction in relation to Paul Auster's New York Trilogy. Fascinating stuff, to be sure, but it's definitely time to take a break from it. So here's another song from the upcoming new Band Of Horses. A week or so ago, Infinite Arms was barely on my radar, but on the evidence so far it could well be their best release yet.

Even if it does good

Well, as I enter the week before hand-in that is commonly known as 'Dissertation Hell,' the frequency of my posts over these next seven days is likely to drop off quite considerably. For today, though, I've burnt myself out on essays about Edgar Allan Poe's detective fiction, and am taking a well-earned break. Whilst I'm doing so, I'd like to post a couple of videos (filmed by Andrew Haigh) from this Saturday just gone, a good portion of which I spent in a couple of parks in Didsbury, watching a trio of acoustic acts, surrounded by candles and wonderful people.

Hungry Ha Ha Ha



Jess Bryant



I'd also like to point you in the direction of Peter Jones' blog, Erase Erase, and his most recent entry on the plight of the Night & Day, which perfectly vocalises what seems to be the consensus at the moment. A few years ago, the very suggestion that the venue might be closed down prompted both shock and a general sense of panic as to the damage it might do to the Manchester music scene. For a time, pretty much every band I loved wound up playing there; the number of amazing shows I've attended at the Night & Day may very well number in the hundreds. Now, a cursory glance through the listings reveals practically nothing to be excited about over the coming months, and unfortunately that has been the situation for quite a while now. Their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the problems they have means that, ultimately, their slow demise is hard to lament. I wouldn't care so much were it not for the fact that I've spent some of the best nights of my life in there. Here's hoping they get their act together.

Dance with me until I feel alright

Reaction to "Drunk Girls" seems to have been decidedly mixed so far, which comes as something of a surprise to me, seeing as how I think it's one of James Murphy's best ever tracks - the very essence of fun condensed into a four-minute pop song. Right now, you can hear two more This Is Happening tracks over at One Thirty BPM. My first impressions of "Dance Yrself Clean" and "I Can Change" are overwhelmingly positive, and if this album really is to be LCD Soundsystem's swan song it looks like they're going out on one hell of a high note.

Toy Story 3

Seeing as how this is in danger of becoming a music-only blog: and now for something completely different...

So, Toy Story 3. What to say? At this point, any new Pixar release is automatically going to be at the top of my must-see list. WALL-E is the greatest love story of the twenty-first century; Up, meanwhile, surpassed it, and in the first five minutes alone reminded me why it is that I love the medium of cinema. In the past I've often argued that, by comparison, the first two Toy Story movies don't hold up quite so well; sure, they're great, but Pixar have only truly hit their creative peak in recent years. Such an observation, however, only serves to highlight exactly why we should all be excited about Toy Story 3. The first two films came when the studio was still finding its feet, and both of them were fantastic. Now that everyone involved in their making is a little bit older and a little bit wiser, there's every reason to believe that, rather than seeing the law of diminishing returns kicking in, the third film could be the best yet. So I'd say that July 23rd just can't come soon enough. In the meantime, /Film posted a wonderful article that introduces all the new characters we can expect to see. My favourite has to be the lederhosen-clad German hedgehog, Mr. Pricklepants. The official trailer isn't embeddable, but head on over to YouTube and watch it - the first minute is pure poignant beauty. Minor issue: the whole 'toys breaking out into the world at large' structure might end up proving to be a bit stale at this point. But I'm willing to worry about that later.

We tried to push forward

At this rate, we're going to have heard the entirety of Heaven Is Whenever before it even hits the stores. Stereogum have debuted another new track, "Barely Breathing", and it offers yet more evidence that the new album is going to be fantastic (I'd say it harks back to Craig Finn's first band, Lifter Puller, more than The Hold Steady usually tend to). Fortunately, there's only a few weeks to wait for it. Which is fine by me, seeing as how over the course of the last few weeks I've gone from mildly interested to ridiculously enthusiastic. Without question, I'll be at their June 26th Manchester show, and outside of the Pavement-curated All Tomorrow's Parties, I don't think there's anything coming up I'm quite as excited about.

In the daytime she's like a mannequin

Right now, I could write about Freedy Johnston until the cows come home (and maybe I would do, if he hadn't already sold the family farm to fund the recording of Can I Fly). Instead, I'll point you in the direction of his recent Daytrotter Session. Not only does he perform his most famous song ("Bad Reputation"), but there's also three tracks from his new album, Rain On The City, including "Don't Fall In Love With A Lonely Girl," the album version of which is far and away my favourite song in the world at this moment in time. I don't often urge people to do things, but as far as Freedy Johnston is concerned, I urge you to listen to him. His songs are frequently beautiful in a way that most songwriters can only ever dream about.

It's the one thing you can count on

Add Stars to the list of bands I really need to spend more time with. That is, if their upcoming new album The Five Ghosts consists of songs as good as the first single, "Fixed". If the Broken Social Scene connections haven't proven to be enough to draw you in as of yet, now could be as good a time as any to get on board.

The Five Ghosts track list:

1. Dead Hearts
2. Wasted Daylight
3. I Died So I Could Haunt You
4. Fixed
5. We Don't Want Your Body
6. He Dreams He's Awake
7. Never Been Good With Change
8. The Passenger
9. The Last Song Ever Written
10. How Much More
11. Winter Bones

Trying not to hurt anybody

With "Bloodbuzz Ohio" already proving to be suitably impressive, footage of a few more songs from The National's upcoming new album High Violet has emerged from the Big Ears Festival, held in Knoxville, Tennessee, courtesy of The Milk Carton. The videos are of a pretty high quality, and offer even more reason to be excited ahead of the May 10th release.

"Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks"

"Conversation 16"

"Afraid Of Everyone"

We are meant to be

With another Record Store Day almost upon us (and with Piccadilly Records once again taking part) one of the most exciting of the exclusive releases has to be The Thermals and The Cribs putting out a split single. The two bands have toured with one another quite a bit in the past, and "Separate" is now streaming on The Thermals MySpace page. It's a straightforward but strong effort from a band who seem to go from strength to strength; take the second Daytrotter Session that the band recorded, almost a year ago, which makes for great listening, in particular the companion songs "I Let It Go" and "I Can't Let Go," which see singer Hutch Harris wrestling with his desire to move on from his feelings for another person, and ultimately realising that he is unable to do so. All of which reminds me that I really need to spend more time with 2009s Now We Can See, whilst awaiting the release of their new album, (tentatively titled) Personal Life, due 8th July.

He sets his watch by her smile

It was "She's A Goddess" that struck me first; the simplicity of the sentiment that Freedy Johnston is expressing was immediately disarming, and the innocent beauty of the lyric had me captivated from the start. I can't help but think that maybe the song is a touch too open, in the process becoming a kind of mission statement that helped dictate every future musical endeavour he embarked upon; there's value in such honesty, certainly, but it can become a millstone around the neck of any artist. One of his earliest songs, it remained unreleased until 2004s The Way I Were, a collection of some of his 4-track recordings dating from 1986 to 1992, which eventually saw the light of day as a stop-gap release. He's never quite achieved the acclaim he might have done, despite seeming to be on the cusp of great things at the beginning of the nineties, with Rolling Stone magazine going so far as to compare him to the likes of Neil Young and Bob Dylan in the wake of his major label debut, This Perfect World. Most reviewers saw it as a step down from 1992s Can I Fly, however, and he never really recovered his momentum.

Fast forward to 2010, and for the first time in almost a decade he finally has a new album of original compositions out. Entitled Rain On The City, the standout track "Don't Fall In Love With A Lonely Girl" seems like the perfect answer song to "She's A Goddess," all these years later. The girl he literally idolised has ultimately proven to be unavailable to him; faced with the folly of his youthful feelings, and the perspective granted by the passage of time, he still sees singing about it as the best thing, the only thing he can do. We should be grateful that he's willing to put himself on display to such an extent, because the results are frequently wonderful.

Thinking it over by the snack machine

Having already wrote about their new album Infinite Arms the other day, Band Of Horses are previewing another new song, entitled "Factory." It's more immediate than "Compliments," which itself has grown on me after a few more plays. At this point, I'm feeling hopeful that the band will improve upon their first two albums. You can listen to it here.

On a similar note, there's yet another new track from The Hold Steady. "The Weekenders" once and for all dispels any suggestion that the band have ditched their '21st century Springsteen' sound, but when the songs are as anthemic as the three they've previewed so far, no-one is likely to be complaining. Debuting on the US-only MTV Buzzworthy blog, it took me forever to find a means of listening to it, but Exclaim News have a link up that works, so head here if you're interested. I'm only just working my way towards becoming a proper fan of the band, but I'm now incredibly excited for Heaven Is Whenever.

Another band I wouldn't count amongst my favourites just yet, Fleet Foxes still did enough on their debut, self-titled album to keep me interested in what they do next. At a recent show at the MusicNow Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, band leader Robin Pecknold debuted several new Fleet Foxes songs, the most striking of which was captured on film.

At least you've got something to fall back on

Band Of Horses seem to be one of those bands it's easy to take for granted. More likely to receive critical praise than critical adulation, I frequently forget how much I love them, until I happen to hear "The Funeral" or "No One's Gonna Love You" for the first time in a while. Then I remember that their first two albums are actually pretty good. Hopefully, Infinite Arms will surpass them both. The video for first single "Compliments" is up on their website. I couldn't say that I've fallen in love with it straight away, but then, that tends to be the case with Band Of Horses tracks. They're subtle, rather than spectacular, and end up growing on you after a few listens.

Infinite Arms track list:

1. Factory
2. Compliments
3. Laredo
4. Blue Beard
5. On My Way Back Home
6. Infinite Arms
7. Dilly
8. Evening Kitchen
9. Older
10. For Annabelle

I know you're gonna do what I know you're gonna do

Having never really gotten into The Hold Steady as much as I know I should do, the imminent release of their new album Heaven Is Whenever seems like the perfect opportunity to rectify the situation. Due May 3rd, a couple of the tracks are already available to listen to. Despite suggestions that the album might showcase a different kind of sound, on the evidence of "Hurricane J" and "Rock Problems" they're very much doing what they do best - peerless anthemic rock with lyrics that have an air of the torch song about them, as well as several fantastic turns of phrase. Which isn't cause for complaint in any way. seeing as how they do it so well.

The Hold Steady – "Hurricane J"
The Hold Steady – "Rock Problems"

Heaven Is Whenever track list:

1. The Sweet Part of the City
2. Soft in the Centre
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort