Video Killed the Radio Star

The Cribs - I'm A Realist



MGMT - Time To Pretend (Live)



Laura Marling - New Romantic



Lightspeed Champion - Midnight Suprise (Full Length)

Oldies but Goldies

New music is obviously important, but sometimes it's nice to dig out and dust off some old favourites. My granny's been down to visit, and I've found myself spending the week swimming in nostalgia and thinking back on the stuff I was into, especially my early teens when I still had bleached blonde hair, spent time scouring Camden for the perfect pair of Docs (I am a cliche) and was ashamed to ever admit I used to love the Spice Girls.

I own tons of records, but have nothing to play them on, and my CD player recently died, so now all I have with me are my mp3s which just don't carry the same warmth and value. I could go on about music and memory but I think everyone knows what I'm talking about here. So here are a few recommendations.. you might know them, it might be the beginning of something beautiful. Either way, here are a few slices of my past (and in most cases, still present) loves...

Sleater-Kinney
The band I never get tired of. Ever. S-K was formed by Corin Tucker (previously in Heavens to Betsy) and Carrie Brownstein (Excuse 17), who were later joined by Janet Weiss (of Quasi) and played a big part in the 90's Olympia riot grrrl scene. Some of the music is typically raucous and raw, but Corin, Carrie and Janet are incredible musicians, so the songs aren't as messy and occasionally inaudible as other riot grrrl acts. They went on an indefinite hiatus in 2006 (11 years after they first formed) that they probably will never return from. I think it was partly due to the fact that despite constantly releasing extraordinary records, saturated in love and loss and life and politics, they never seemed to get the acclaim they deserved. Which I suppose gets pretty tiring after a while. For first-timers, I'd recommend the poppier, shout-a-long Dig Me Out or All Hands on the Bad One albums, but if you like thrashing, disjointed layers and powerful beats, try The Woods or One Beat.


Sleater-Kinney : Jumpers (from The Woods)

The Jesus & Mary Chain

This was a bit of a late, cheat-find as my first encounter with the Jesus & Mary Chain was when I got the Lost in Translation soundtrack, and became obsessed with listening to the song Just Like Honey on repeat every night as I went to sleep. To the point where I couldn't sleep, as my brain wouldn't shut up and sang along loudly as I buried deep down under the covers. Anyway, so this led on to the purchase of Psychocandy, which is an album I strongly feel every person should have in their music collection, simply because it's awesome. The sound is a mix of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, and the songs lean heavily on the song-writing style of the early 60s, whilst sounding a hell of a lot like something Sonic Youth would produce. Obviously, they have many other albums, but Psychocandy is a good starting point.


The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

The Kinks

My Dad got me into the Kinks, which I will be forever grateful to him for. You've probably heard of them, or at least know a few of their songs (Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon, Lola...) The Kinks wrote a hell of a lot of perfect pop songs, if you're not that familiar with them, you really will be surprised at how many you recognise. Though they are mostly associated with their late 60s/early 70s songs (they continued until '96!), 50 years on the sentiments and themes remain. Dedicated Follower of Fashion could easily be an ode to Vince Noir in the Mighty Boosh ("His world is built round discotheques and parties, this pleasure-seeking individual always looks his best.. he flits from shop to shop just like a butterfly") and Waterloo Sunset, a depiction of a single yet happy life in the capital, watching the world pass by ("People so busy, make me feel dizzy, taxi lights shine so bright") that could easily have been written yesterday. And you can't really go wrong with a song about a brief romantic rendezvous with a transvestite chucked in for good measure.



The Kinks: You Really Got Me

I'll post some more again when I next have time.. keep checking back!

Have Love Will Travel: My Recent Spins

Recently, I've been spending a lot of the time on trains, travelling across the country and back again. I like train travel, it's one of the only times I can truly listen intently to music and spend time getting to know bands (or revisit past loves) without any distraction. Here are some brief encounters with a few of the bands and artists that currently comprise my travelling soundtrack...

Black Kids


(Photo credit to Richard Johnson for NME)

These guys probably need no introduction - I heard in the shower this morning that their song, I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You, is now Radio One's hit of the week or whatever it's called. But rightly so, the song is a slice of pure genius that probably leaves most people wondering why the hell they hadn't played the chords of F, G, C and Am in that way before, and beat the Black Kids to it. Despite the media flurry surrounding them, Black Kids strike me as being a pretty cool, fun bunch who are just making music and not taking things too seriously. They sound like Robert Smith fronting a synth-led Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but with the crude wit and honesty of the Teenagers as narration. Kind of. Check it out for yourselves...

Black Kids MySpace

Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (ysi)

George Pringle



My housemate Dean actually introduced me to George, and although it took me a while to tune into exactly what she was all about, once I saw the light I was hooked. She may appear to be a typical MySpace poser on first impressions, all pouty and angular, but her songs are actually really delicately executed, especially Carte Postale. It's like a mixture of self-indulgence paired with an acute loneliness, but not in a self-pitying way; George is a fan of the positive outlook. She perfectly captures the beautiful simplicity of everyday lives and loves, "I became the perfect party apprentice, with a phD in sitting on kitchen counters and drawing my cheeks and then shooting you looks I don't even mean, and hips that grind to scratchy indie hits". She won't be to everyone's taste, but is deserving of a few minutes of your time at least. Like the yummy addictive potato goodness that shares the same name, once you (listen to her brand of) pop, you can't stop!

George Pringle MySpace

George Pringle - Carte Postale (ysi)

The Long Blondes



I've been a HUGE fan of the Long Blondes for years now, and am pleased to announce that their follow-up to the magnificent Someone To Drive You Home, entitled Couples, is due to be released on the 7th April. For those of you who may not have had the pleasure of having been introduced to the LB's, they are a five-piece from Sheffield who, in their own words, sound like... "Look at us, we used to rip off the Fall. We rip off Eno now, and sing like Jerry Hall." Mixing tales of glamorous tribulations with kiss-the-dirt normality, Kate Jackson and her alluring gang of indie charmers take the current scene by storm. Century, the first single from Couples that is available now, is a much darker, disco-tinged hit that's more Donna Summer than Jarvis Cocker. Flout, pout, go and see them on tour and allow yourself be seduced by the Long Blondes.

the Long Blondes MySpace

the Long Blondes - Giddy Stratospheres (ysi)

Aidan John Moffat



It's hard to compare Aidan John Moffat to anything I've ever heard, but then his is not an area of music I've ever really explored before. I Can Hear Your Heart is his most recent release that appeared on the record shop shelves last month. Musically, it's unique, a partly autobiographical collection of chronicles, stunningly recapitulated with a blend of spoken prose, the noise of bustling streets and heels sharply clicking on hard pavements and soft, background music that acts more as the wallpaper than the furniture in the compositions. My words aren't really much use here, just hear for yourselves. One thing though.. you might not want to put this on when your granny's over for tea. Trust me.

I Can Hear Your Heart Homepage

Aidan John Moffat - I Can Hear Your Heart (Album Excerpt) (ysi)

Young Love - Three is a Magic Number...

Mystery Jets - Young Love

Just a quickie today to share this new beauty. Young Love is the new Mystery Jets' single, and features the astounding Laura Marling (channelling a bit of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, possibly) and is produced by the equally fantastic Erol Alkan! What an incredible line-up...mmmm...

Personally, it might be more dancey than their previous stuff, but I think it's still damn catchy and fun.. plus the video is too cute (the out-of-time hand dancing at the end is my favourite part!)

Got to fly.. for more info check out the Mystery Jets MySpace.

Young Love is out on the 10th March and is avaliable to pre-order here

Lightspeed Champion: More Than a Midnight Surprise...

(Photo taken by Jessica Byrne)

I think Lightspeed Champion might actually be my new favourite band (or artist? It all gets a bit confusing). That’s a pretty big statement to make (especially for me… I can barely decide what to eat for breakfast, let alone who I’d cite as a favourite band when the inevitable question is asked) but I think it may be true. And it seems that the more I read about Lightspeed Champion (aka. Dev Hynes, remember Test Icicles? The one that still pops up around the Internet and on telly once or twice with a Geldof? Yeah, that guy), the more I like him. He is a fan of the granddad jumper, writing blogs, deer and other wildlife (including a few deer ornaments in his album booklet that, as an avid deer collector myself, I haven’t yet come across… exciting stuff!) and staying at home quite a bit. Which are all favourite pastimes of mine. Basically, he seems like a cool guy to compare jumper collections and have a cup of tea with, and not the usual too-cool-for-school indie ignoramus (thankyou thesaurus.com) that tends to grace the cover of NME.

Speaking of which… look who it is this week! I knew I should have written about him sooner (he was mentioned in the Florence & the Machine post... but that’s not really the same). But anyway, enough chit-chat, this is a music blog after all.

You may be aware of the new release from Lightspeed Champion, charmingly titled Falling Off the Lavender Bridge. It is honestly the first CD I have purchased in about 6 months (I’m normally a bit of a downloader) and it hasn’t left my CD player since it arrived on my doorstep. At first, I just played Galaxy of the Lost on loop (and I take back my previous comment about the intro..), but then decided to venture into pastures new. And I wasn’t disappointed. Forget everything that has gone before (especially Test Icicles) as this is a very different direction for Dev. Bright Eyes has been mentioned in some reviews, and rightly so, as many tracks give more than a nod to Bright Eyes trademark folky/solo/self-pitying sound (Tell Me What It’s Worth especially). But emo-tainted this is not. It’s actually happy, mood lifting and uncool, but in a very cool way (basically, Belle & Sebastian without the embarrassment), and some of it’s a bit like a very bitter, confused Rilo Kiley (Midnight Surprise), but with a sugar kick. The lyrics are uncomfortably truthful and self-deprecating (“Sometimes, in the cold night, my phone rings, but it’s not you”/”Fuck, I think she just saw me, stop hiding in the sea/Wake up, smell the semen, this will never happen for you”).

I don’t want to go into too much detail, as this is definitely an album that is best left as it stands and not analysed too deeply… but I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Half of it is streaming at the moment on the MySpace, so why not try before you buy?

Forget crunk... everyone I know will soon be listening to Lightspeed Champion!

MySpace
Lightspeed Champion's MySpace

The album, Falling Off the Lavendar Bridge, is available from Domino Records now.

Peggy Who? Meet Peggy Sue & The Pirates...

Peggy Sue & The Pirates are not your average band. Firstly, there are only two of them, Rosa Rex and Katy Klaw, best friends who, in their own words, “go together like shooby doo and whop bam boo”. They also really do like good music, although it is somewhat varied. Sleater-Kinney, Billie Holiday, Jeffery Lewis, the Velvet Underground, Devendra Banhart... they’re all there, although it might be best if we politely overlook the Hanson love. And unlike most musicians, their list of superstars isn’t merely an attempt to score some extra cool points; you can hear every one of their influences (although again, skipping Hanson) hiding amongst their songs, burrowing deep into the listeners’ heads and hearts.

Peggy Sue (or Peggy Who? as their merchandise modestly asks) come from Brighton via London, and are aided in their musical composing by a guitar called ‘The Stud’ (their boyfriend) and Sir Pablo, an impressive yet expensive guitar tuner that doesn’t really work properly. Sounding a little bit eccentric? Wait until you’ve heard their songs. From a morose tale of Superman’s many dilemmas (“I’ve been wearing the same outfit since the thirties, everyone else gets to change their clothes, but I still have to wear these”) to an addiction to television or lending out body parts, no subject escapes Peggy Sue’s beautifully shrill harmonies, mad double bass jamming and delicate guitar picking, no matter how bizarre or mundane it may appear on the surface.

Because they are hard to compare to other acts, this may all take a while to digest, but theirs is a world worth becoming consumed in.

My interview with Katy & Rosa will be printed in the upcoming issue of Shebang.

MySpace
Peggy Sue's MySpace

Their single Television/New Song is available now from Recordstore.co.uk

CSS Live at Portsmouth Pyramids: Gig Review

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