What's Wrong With The Mainstream Playlist March '09

Another month and more great tunes to fill your ears with. This month's playlist is different in the fact that I've put a couple of songs in that I've already posted before. Both are from great new bands that I'm worried you might have overlooked or missed the first post I did of them. So check out The Jones and Humanizer.

The Menace - Mongrel

John McClure from Reverend & The Makers has become part of a supergroup called Mongrel. This supergroup has past and present members of Arctic Monkeys in it. How did all this pass me by? Even more importantly how did the fact that they gave their album away free with The Independant pass me by?

I found all this out when I was looking at Reverend & The Makers forum, not only that but John pointed readers to look up the video The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. I suggest you abandon your plans to do anything and watch it now. This is the most compelling thing I have seen on the internet, forget your fat kids with lightsabres, this is what the internet should be used for:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

I have managed to get a few tracks by the band and this is my favourite, I believe the whole album is politically charged (the purpose of the band), this track is no exception. The best way I can describe them is if you took Damon Albarn out of Gorillaz and put John McClure in instead.

MP3: The Menace - Mongrel

Just This Ashtray - Lemonwilde

This is probably the best track I've received in the 3WTM mailbox this month. I found this track quite instant and while their web site is all style and no content that's not the case with the song. At times a bit Soundgarden and a bit Radiohead you could class it depressing but that would do it a disservice. Besides "say goodbye to this romance because I no longer need you" is a strong, confident stance to take. So I advice everyone to go out and dump their other halves, I'll stick with mine just so I know my advice was right...

Oh and check out the rest of their EP on iTunes, not as instant as this track, it took me longer to get in to it but it's quality.

MP3: Just This Ashtray - Lemonwilde

Airplanes - Local Natives

Staying with the contents of my inbox we've got Local Natives, having recently played SXSW I'm sure they will be on the radar of a lot more people now. A quality song down the lines of Arcade Fire / Sigur Ros / Port O'Brien with a great drum beat running through it. Calling out "I want you back", it's always nice to get back with loved ones, if you've split up with yours recently why not sing this song out to them and get them back.

Having just listened to this song three times in a row I'm questioning whether this was the best song to land in my inbox this month. Anyway enjoy.

MP3: Airplanes - Local Natives

Dust and Bones - Audrye Sessions

The blog I got this from (The World Forgot) compared them to Coldplay and Muse. I would go with the Muse comparison and maybe a bit of the Manic Street Preachers? This is the closing track off their album, I'm sure you'll agree it's perfect for that.

MP3: Dust and Bones - Audrye Sessions

Water and Headphones - The Ropes

Thanks to Natalie Valenzuela from the bands street team for getting in touch about The Ropes. I guess with all the good advice I've been giving you about relationships you don't need any more. Probably a good job as this two piece male/female band from USA have been thinking about killing you, well maybe not YOU but whoever the song is for. Oh and when I say male/female band I don't mean their shemales. In fact reading some of the comments on YouTube I think quite a few people have got the hots for the lead singer / bassist Sharon Shy.

MP3: Water and Headphones - The Ropes

Harbour City - humanizer

"Your omelette's in my hand", that's all my wife said to me when we were listening to this song and now I can't get it out of my head. Try not to think of that when you listen to this. It may only be a demo but it's quality. They've got quite a few gigs coming up in May and what's best is that they are free. Sadly they're mainly up north in the UK, I've already started hassling them to come to Bristol.

MP3: Harbour City - humanizer

Mowgli's Road - Marina and The Diamonds

I know most of you will have already got this as it was the b-side of the Obsessions single in February, no? Well I have to admit I didn't get it either but if this is the quality they are putting out as a b-side I'm definitely going to get the album. I'd be surprised if they didn't put this on the album.

MP3: Mowgli's Road - Marina & The Diamonds

Fot I Hose - Casio Kids

I should have caught on to this track a lot earlier, it was featured in a Steve Lemacq podcast that had been sat unlistened to on my iTunes for some time. Anyway don't look back in anger I say (might have stolen that from somewhere) on with the show - Oasis to Queen in one move, damn I'm getting cheesy. This is a bit like a MGMT track without any words in, try that on for size...

MP3: Fot I Hose - Casio Kids

In My Head - The Jones

I originally wrote about this band here back in January, I was lucky enough to bring you a new track from them earlier this month but here is In My Head in case you missed it first time around.

MP3: In My Head - The Jones zShare Link

Space Kidz - The Clips

What a track, they remind me a bit of The Boxing Lesson who I posted about a while back (remember the track that went "she's such a whore..."). Guitar and synths put together really well. Their debut album's out now in the US and Canada.

MP3: Space Kidz - The Clips

Wandering By - The Bishops

I think the lead singer of The Bishops sounds a bit like Morrissey which interested me in them to start off with. The songs probably a bit more upbeat than he would normally associate himself with. Quite a summery song, it seemed quite apt at the start of the month, I'm not so sure now.

MP3: Wandering By - The Bishops

Back Gold - Southeast Engine

I can imagine listening to this when on a road trip down the coast, probably because of the lyrics "I take the freeway in the morning" - I'm not very imaginative...

Anyway they sound a bit like The Thrills and a bit like The Beach Boys, maybe.

Mp3: Back Gold - Southeast Engine

It's Not Too Late To Wait - Small Crew

Small Crew are from Armenia according to their MySpace site, I'm not sure that's true, I hope it is but judging by the singer's accent when singing I'd guess their from the UK. They site their influences as "New York, Manchester, Stockholm, Dusseldorf, London, Los Angeles, Oxford, Glastonbury, Montreal, Glasgow, Melbourne, Boston, Sheffield, Dresden, Liverpool, Philadelphia, Tupelo, Hull." I wonder if they are describing the home towns of their influences? I'd guess that Sheffield would be Pulp and Hull would be The Beautiful South? In fact you could describe this track as Paul Heaton turning up to sing with his band but forgetting to tell the drummer...

The band are giving this and another song away free on their MySpace site.

MP3: It's Not Too Late To Wait - Small Crew

Bullets - Tunng

Sometimes you just pass a song by or should I say it just passes you by. Maybe it's not an instant track, maybe the intro is long and doesn't kick in for a while, maybe you'll discover it nearly two years down the line lurking in your iTunes, maybe it's Bullets by Tunng. Well worth a second chance.

MP3: Bullets - Tunng

Stay, Son - A Classic Education

Now I know a lot of web sites have been reviewing the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival but some have been going further than others. Over at The Morning News Paul Ford (once again!) listened to every promo song from the bands performing at SXSW. That's nearly one thousand bands, double last year's amount and not only that but he has reviewed every last one of them. Thankfully he kept it down to six word reviews. I think he used some hyphenated-rule-bending tricks but apart from that he was true to the cause. Thanks to his work I discovered some quality tunes including this quality track.

Paul described it as "Burning the Arcade at both ends", just so you know.

MP3: Stay, Son - A Classic Education

Talk To Me - Peaches

There's certainly a lot of excitement about Peaches upcoming album, mainly for the company being kept in the recording studio. This is the first time I've come across Peaches (Merrill Beth Nisker) but it will actually be her fourth album. It seems fame is just around the corner with a helping hand from Soul Wax and Simian Mobile Disco to name just a couple.

MP3: Talk To Me - Peaches

The Sun Ain't Shining No More - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Well judging by this track The Asteroids Galaxy Tour will soon be riding a Duffy wave to mainstreamdom (it's a word, shut up already). If you've secretly liked Mercy but none of the other pap Duffy has put out this may be the track for you. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are from Copenhagen and describe themselves as "dedicated to turning pop technicolour, making funk get down with folk and mixing old soul with psychedelia and spaced-out beats."

MP3: The Sun Ain't Shining No More - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Porn Star - Celebrity Chimp

I awoke this morning with "you're gonna be a porn star, you're gonna be a porn star, you're gonna be a porn star the rest of your life" going around my head. I'd like to think it's a sign from god as to what I should do with my career and nothing to do with my viewing last night. Of course it was none of these, it was Celebrity Chimp's pop song ringing around my head. This Larrikin Love sounding track certainly gets in your head, listen to the voice children, no one wants to be a train driver these days.

MP3: Porn Star - Celebrity Chimp

Supermarket - Action Painters

Think of Brian from Spaced and how he paints. That, according to snickerpedia, is what action painting is. According to 32ftpersecond.com this track was the "bounciest" song of 2008, I think that describes it quite well. They must have got a good grade in English at school...

MP3: Supermarket - Action Painters