It might open with a wail of screeching guitar distortion, along with some raggedly grungy drumming, but Sub Pop�s latest darlings are a far cry from label-makers Nirvana. Think Christina Aguilera�s �Dirty� allied with some DIY electronica and a generous dollop of Brazilian kookiness more… “CSS”
Clinic have been around for about ten years, and yet this is the first I�ve heard of their menacing sonic experimentalism. I�m introduced to these peculiar Domino veterans by a sinister sprinkling of chimes that leads into an even more unsettling amalgam of brittle guitar picking and Ade Blackburn�s paper thin, synthetic drawl more… “Clinic”
So here we go, actually some new music to write about rather than more guff tabloid dramatics that we�re all so nullified by. So what of the music? more… “Babyshambles”
The Automatic enter 2007 with an albatross around their necks, their phenomenally successful single �Monster� and a set-trashing Breakfast TV appearance that went on YouTube almost immediately. This re-issue is not perhaps as catchy as Monster, unlikely to change the world, but it�s fun. And that�ll do for now. What is not explained is who Raoul is�
The final release from Richard Ashcroft’s 2006 album ‘Keys To The World’ is a double AA side of contrasting but equally charming songs. ‘Why Not Nothing?’ shows Primal Scream how it’s done when drawing influence from the Stones more… “Richard Ashcroft”
Black Angels – from Austin, Texas – are on first tonight, playing to quite a few early arrivals. Their bass-heavy electro-country-rock music is distinctly unmemorable, and despite the polite whoops and cheers from the crowd, they fail to impress the majority who are here for the more gritty, blues-inspired full-on rock that is The Black Keys more… “The Black Keys / Black Angels”
Two things are immediately obvious when The Long Blondes take to the stage tonight. The first is that their live sound is driven by the rhythm section, the bass and drums surging forward in a two-pronged assault. The second is that there`s something very wrong with Dorian Cox`s guitar playing more… “The Long Blondes”
There`s a high chance that unless you were an emo kid about four years ago, Brand New may have passed you by but after the release of their new album `The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me`, they`ve started turning heads again. If you don`t know who they are, this is the band who sold all those t-shirts that said `Mics are for singing not for swinging` on them more… “Brand New”
Unless you`ve been living in a coconut hide for the last few years, you`ll be well aware of just how quickly an act can emerge from the Clap n Parrot circuit and be propelled into the utmost echelons of stardom. From Enter Shikari`s math Metal Gabba outselling many a pop act live (having released virtually nothing to date) to cod-falsetto twerp Mika instantly topping the charts, times are-a-moving more… “The View / The Automatic”
Wow, this was not what I was expecting I thought to myself. Then I realised I hadn�t actually put the promo CD of this on and was listening to Edinburgh hip-hop act 3Style from last year�s T-Break sampler which was still in the machine. True story. Vans, the debut single from hip-hop�s next big thing was not as impressive. Very much influenced by Snoop Dogg, the lyrics lack intelligence and the beats are repetitive with an annoying chorus. They�ll probably be huge.