A rumbling and ominous piano riff opens this track and plays throughout, a much darker effort than perhaps we’re used to expect from the Swedes. Aye, there’s no whistling to be had here. more… “Peter, Bjorn and John”
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who hates old-skool, retro, 8-bit keyboards. I mean, if they sounded good in the first place, nobody would’ve bothered inventing better sounding ones for the last 20-odd years. What I’m trying to say is that there was no ‘golden age’ of music that sounded like Atari computer games (the ones that were on cassette) that bands should feel the need to re-visit. more… “Pope Joan”
Despite the disturbing absence of a question mark in the title, (to be honest, it’s pretty much the reason they’re only getting 4 out of 5) this is a beautifully rousing track which stays with you from the first play. more… “The Maccabees”
“Off, off, off with your head! Dance, dance, dance ’til you’re dead!” If you’re anything like me and, of course, Sophie Ellis Bextor, then you probably like to commit your murders on the dancefloor. And there’s no better tune to commit a murder to than this charming little ditty from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. more… “Yeah Yeah Yeahs”
Broken Records visited Aberdeen as part of a short UK tour to warm up for this summer’s festival appearances. Much has been made of the Edinburgh eight (seven? six? nine? Look, there’s loads of them, OK?) piece in recent times and the played a set unsurprisingly heavily laden from debut album ‘Until The Earth Begins To Part.’ more… “Broken Records”
Oslo five-piece return with more psychedelic-tinged eerie pop. more… “Je Suis Animal”
Musically, Modern Cliches sound exactly like Arctic Monkeys. ‘You Got To Tell Me’ isn’t, therefore. the most imaginative piece of music you’ll ever hear. more… “Modern Cliches”
Gentle, meandering acoustic lullabies sung in almost hushed tones. Iain Archer’s double A-side has the inoffensive tenderness of Damian Rice, but on ‘Frozen Lake’ sounds like he’s straining a bit to reach the high notes. Try the capo on a lower fret, Iain. more… “Iain Archer”
‘Radio Wars’ the sophomore album from spooky Aussies, Howling Bells, bursts into the fore from the first listen on a grander scale than their impressive debut ever could. It’s a record which marks a massive step forward for the band, both sonically and in terms of musical ambition and ability. It’s also a record which ought to be considered one of the best of 2009. more… “Howling Bells”
A typically awesome performance by the un-stereotypical Aussies (ie dark, moody and at times spooky – as far away from a beach as, say, a polar bear) was almost marred by a stereotypical Aberdonian crowd. Dour as fuck. more… “Howling Bells”