White Lies - Getting Even

White Lies new album has just been announced and will be released 12th August this year and they're giving away Getting Even off the album. You can download it on soundcloud. The first proper single from the album will be There Goes Our Love Again which will be out early August.

I Keep Me Eyes Fixed On The Sun...

Sometimes I don't post as there's nothing new that I'm listening to that I want to post about, sometimes it's just I don't have time (as you probably suspected). At the moment I can't get this song out of my head - and I don't want to! A snowboarding friend of my told me to check out Dual Snowboards, anyone in to snowboards should check them out. They're everything that's good about snowboards and skis rolled in to one. The tricks look awesome and you can run on the snow in them!

Anyway back to the song, Shake Me Down by Cage The Elephant. Listen to this song and you'll be like me, Shazaming it so you can download it straight away. Check it out.

Local Natives Are Back

Remember these guys? How can you not? We've mentioned them a few times in the past. I can still remember coming across Airplanes in my inbox. What a track. Local Natives were one of those bands that made me really grateful I'd set up this blog. Not only did the band contact me but the band, and Taylor in particular were happy to chat by email. Well I don't know how it passed me by but they released their second album, Humingbird last month. So I dug out that old email address and pinged off a couple of questions to see if it still worked. Would they now be big time charlies and ignore my emails? Well Taylor fired back a response:

hey john, sure would be happy to answer those for you. 

How does this album differ from the last? 

It's expanded, both outward and inward. There are the most direct, bare songs we've made but also the most layered and orchestrated. 

How does it feel different from 3?! years ago with the debut album. Any other other exciting info I could pass on about what the band are up to?

We've just embarked upon a horizonless, year long tour. It's been fun to play all these new songs on the road and integrate them with the old. There's a lot more subtlety to our concert now. Played Liverpool last night.  

Check out their upcoming gigs here, they hit Bristol and Sheffield late October if anyone fancies it?

So there you have it, For those who are unaware of this band, they released their debut album first in the UK despite hailing from L.A.. Gorilla Manor was a good debut and it will be great to get my hands on their follow up (now ordered). Check out Airplanes below and scroll down further for a free track off their new album.

Want A Good Valentine Present?

Well if you preorder Cloud Cult's debut 'Love' you can get it way ahead of its released date. Instead of getting it on March 5th you can get it, yes you've guessed it, on Valentine's Day. Not only that but you get tracks to preview before even that date. Surely a must for any fan of the great band.

Strokes: Free Download

Yesterday we brought you The Pigeon Detectives new track and news of an album but who would have thought The Strokes would be back again so soon after their much welcomed return in 2011? One Way Trigger certainly suggests they're not just back to make up the numbers. This shows that they still see The Strokes as a vehicle for progressing their music. We wait with baited breathe for the full length. You can download the track here but be quick, it's only available for a limited time.

Pigeon Detectives: Free Download

It may have passed you by but The Pigeon Detectives' third album came out quite a while back and in fact they're back with their fourth album. I know it's quite unbelievable, it doesn't seem five minutes since their second album came out. To win you back the Detectives are giving away single Animal from their new album just visit their home page to claim yours.

Unreleased Britpop Gem Unearthed

Sometimes when blogging about music you get an urge to share some music straight away with the world, like if it waited until tomorrow it would be too late and it wouldn't be quite the same. Today, is one of those days. While just doing some minor maintenance on the blog I looked at the blogs we link to and something caught my eye from the excellent Sheffield Blog. Posted four weeks ago was "Found:Sheffield's Lost Britpop Album". Ooh intriguing. What could it be. Well it turns out it is from a band called Speedy, a 1990's band who hit us with the guitar based pop anthem that is Boy Wonder. While the band released singles they never got to release their album as shortly after recording the album they were dropped by their label and understandably split up.



I personally discovered Boy Wonder through the excellent compilation CD series Shine, the track appearing on Shine 7 along side Suede, Cast, Gene and fellow Sheffield bands Longpigs and Pulp. Looking back at the tracklisting now it really was a golden age for indie pop / Britpop whatever you want to call it. It was my area and when I really got in to music. Every track on those Shine compilations was gold and for the likes of smaller bands such as My Life Story, Silver Sun and Speedy to make it on to there they had to be at their best. To now discover an album that transports me back to that time that I (and most people) have never heard is just amazing and a real strange feeling.

The album has been brought to the masses by Say It With Garage Flowers and subsequently the excellent Britpop Revival managed to interview the lead singer of Speedy, Philip Watson, who had this to say "I'm flattered that people have somehow found, like and now want to share this album. Also slightly embarrassed. But only slightly. It's alright."  Alright? It's more than alright. It's a golden nugget of Britpop, right here, right now.The weird thing is that somehow the original post was put up three years ago but only now can we hear it. Check it out below.

Speedy - News from Nowhere by Britpop Revival on Mixcloud

Quick Album Rundown for 2012

It's hard not to get down with the present state of music, when you've filtered out the cheap throwaway pop and binned the R'n'B the only guitar music on mainstream radio is depressing, slow paced "singer-songwriters" what a terrible genre that has become to stand for. While I have dipped in to that arena from time to time - and let's face it, the best music from most genres is worth listening to but please give me some more rock guitar singer songwriters.

All purchases this year have been of bands already on to at-least their second albums. I think that reflects two things, i) my lack of free time to search out new bands ii) the state of the record industry unwilling to back new bands. So on to the albums I have bought:

Muse - The 2nd Law

Muse continue on the route to becoming Queen. Not an easy task and some of their epic guitar tracks still exist on this album. I have spoken of my love of the track Survival before. Its lyrics may be simple and easy to write but they speak to me as a competitor and someone who likes to win.

Cosmo Jarvis - Think Bigger

Cosmo listens to my feedback and sticks to one genre on this album. Sadly it's more country and western than anything else. Not a bad album just not my cup of tea.

Reverend and the Makers - @Reverend_Makers

Given one star out of five by one past it and heading for extinction magazine you may be forgiven for thinking this isn't the album you were looking for. The band themselves admit the album opener was never due to go on the album. However the whole album has a similar feel. It's like the band left their political worries at home and went to Ibiza. There's still a guitar base but it's like they're trying to head towards a sound similar to The Prodigy. They never reach those highs but it works as an album and is uptempo throughout. Sadly their story telling isn't doesn't reach the heights of previous albums but it is one to own nonetheless.

The Vaccines - Come of Age

For me this is the best album of the year. Catchy, tight, cool. It has it all. I have to admit I thought they were from the US and I think this is where they lose some fans. They are creating a sound that they love but doesn't necessarily mark them out as band that was formed in West London. I don't really care where a band is from if they can make good music. They produced two cracking albums so far, now the pressure is really on for the third.

The Killers - Battle Born

A band that were the greatest slow growers of all time come back with another offering. Their debut Hot Fuss took critics and fans by surprise as it was released to low fanfares but by the end of the year of the following year everybody couldn't get enough. I don't think this album will be the same.

Spiritualized  -Huh? / Sweet Heart Sweet Light

Whatever the album is called it doesn't really matter. It's nice to have some new material from Spiritualized but it fails to reach the highs of Ladies and Gentleman or Let It Come Down.

The Maccabees - Given To The Wild

Having spoken to Schonberg about this band we've come to a similar conclusion. They songs all sound very similar. Not across different albums but each album is filled with songs very close related to each other. Inbreeding didn't work this time.

Keane - Strangeland

I bought this for my good lady with the added benefit of being able to listen to it myself. I've only listened to it a couple of times but nothing stood out for me.

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

Sometimes you need to hear more than one album from a band to get a full picture of them. This feels like I've learnt no more - and neither have they.

Call The Doctor - Hands Will Shake

Awesome album. Read the full review here.

So to sum up the year, I've really enjoyed The Vaccines and Call The Doctor, nothing else has really excited me.

Just as a quick after note there were some albums that passed me by where I have previously bought their material include:

Feeder, Rufus Wainwright, Dandy Warhols, Marina and the Diamonds, The Future Heads, Sigur Ros, The Hives, Passion Pit, Bloc Party, The Darkness, Animal Collective, The XX, Ben Folds Five, Greenday, Matt and Kim, Calvin Harris. They all released albums in the last year, can you believe it? Anyone buy any of these? Did you enjoy them? Let us know. I know +John Sills wasn't too impressed with The XX.

A Bit Like Interpol and The National?

Today we bring to you Cfit and their album Triage. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland - it's such an American thing to put "small place, large place", you guys know where Dublin is don't you? So this band have been compared to Interpol and The National. Well, while they may have some similarities I probably wouldn't put them in that same bracket as those two. Their sound is one with great depth, this comes from all areas of the seven piece including the mix of male and female lead vocals. The whole album is free to download and I recommend you check out the slow building Plausible Deniability below.

The Courteeners - Lose Control

So we've had the first play of The Courteeners new track Lose Control and as a big fan of the band I have to say it wasn't what I was hoping for but maybe it will grow on me. You can check out the video below. The single is out 28th January.