Two weeks in a row for the Don Giovanni label so one major shout out for those guys! This week is the track Crown Royal by Kissing Is A Crime. It starts off fairly steady/simple and when the guitar kicks in, it really pushes the track to another level. The lead vocals hit the sweet spot between a pronounced level without being abrasive and so quiet you cant hear what is being said, which generally sucks. I also wanted to majorly compliment the music video itself for one, for how well it works with the beat of the music, in terms of creativity as well as the timing of the track. You really don't need to have a massive production budget to produce the goods. Looking forward to more crackers from these guys. Enjoy!
This week I have chose a slightly old track from Philly band Field Mouse. Following their latest LP release I decided to delve into their past catalogue slightly and the video for Tomorrow Is Yesterday was one of the many video gems that popped up. Two and a half minutes of lo-fi grungy goodness from this 5 piece and is a great marker tonally for the rest of the album it is featured on as well as their future release. Expect more great things from this band. Enjoy!
So April has ended and we are left with yet another great month of albums. You can check out Aprils playlist by clicking this aptly named link: April Playlist It has been quite a rock and roll month with spectacular albums from Tacocat, Weezer, Frightened Rabbit and The Coathangers and all the rest, too many to name. Recently I decided to change up this feature by including my top 3 albums of the month descending down from three to the big one. I just found it too hard picking just one favourite.
My third favourite was called Welcome The Worms from Bleached. The LA band's second album and I am enjoying the heavier sound that they are progressing with from their début release Ride Your Heart which I also greatly enjoyed as was one of my favourites from that year. My stand out tracks from WTW are the head thumping Wednesday Night Melody which is in the video below (so be sure to check it out) and Sour Candy which has a more classic pop punk rock feel which I get hooked on after like 10 seconds in.
Buy the album HERE or you know any decent music store.
My second favourite was Out Of The Garden by Tancred. This album is the third release from Tancred artist Jess Abbott. This musician is a phenomenal talent. From her time as part of the band Now Now and her previous solo work she has gotten pretty darn brilliant at creating guitar led rock tracks without being repetitive and dated but sounding current, modern and exciting. There were too many crackers to pick a stand out track so below is a single from the album called Bed Case.
My absolute favourite has to be The Whole Family Is Worried by Misty Miller. I have been waiting for this LP to drop for a long time now and about 5 seconds into the album playing, I knew I was on to a winner winner chicken dinner. It plays the fine line of guitar pop with being catchy enough to be an ear-worm without being an overly produced or manufactured nightmare. This album has classic summer vibes written all over it, perfect for blasting up to 11 whilst driving through the main street of town or any other tarmac laden area you choose. My favourite tracks include Devil which is a beautiful piece of poetry accompanied by complimenting gentle electric guitar and slowly adding drums as the song builds and Marmalade which starts off sounding like a spooky theme tune to Scooby Doo then transitions to an almost Doo Wop girls style, Happy Days background music. It is a masterful bit of pop. I first heard of MM a few years ago now, supporting Nina Nesbitt and I knew from then that she was a true stand out talent and will be destined for big things.
You can stream this LP in a bunch of places......or get it at you know AMAZON and such. Enjoy!
This song totally surprised me when I was going through my SC feed the other day. Monster by IYESAYA is such a unique and brilliant take on song-writing and lyricism, in my head he has created a niche genre to call his own. Occasionally in my head I try to compare songs or artists to other similar people to have something of a reference point (which I know can diminish from the artist themselves) but he has a such a strong individual sound that it sort of expanded my previously child sized mind, *queue Explosion sound effect* The track is definitely powerful and has the raw quality that I seemingly always bang on about and I am looking forward to more great tracks from the kid. Download his track and more great music at the Art Is Hard Records website artishardrecords.limitedrun.com and enjoy the song below!
One last slice of Christmas cheer before the big event and you cant get much greater than Bruce Springsteen singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town with Paul McCartney on back up vocals. This performance closed possibly one of my all time favourite episodes of SNL with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting. Two very funny people with such a legend that is Springsteen makes for a absolute smasher of a show and gets me excited for the future performances SNL are going to produce. Enjoy!
Christmas time and lets get festive with this lovably catchy and creative number from the Loose Tapestries boys. Serge and Noel coming together to produce music is a truly great thing, I found out that they worked together on the music for Noels comedy show Luxury Comedy and they really honed their skill in order to produce this Christmas slice of joy. The lyrics that Noel provides are reminiscent of the style I fell head over heels for on The Mighty Boosh when I was but a teenage boy and Serge brings the melodic elements that knits the song together and it properly flows along nicely. My favourite line is "My wife is a walnut, she is a Christmas walnut" soooo good. Enjoy!
Notable albums this month come from Best Coast, Du Blonde, Hop Along, Brandon Flowers and more but my favourite is the 4th studio album from The Tallest Man On Earth called Dark Bird Is Home. Through listening to the album, I fall for everything he sings about even if at first I don't fully understand that what he is singing about. After multiple listens I was hooked and in the palm of his hand like warm putty. This is just a testament to him as a lyricist and a musician who has the ability to convey strong messages in the short limited length of a song. I hope you enjoy the whole album in the video below as much as I do.
This is a really fresh sounding, up to date country style track. In my opinion they have taken the best part of country music guitar and paired it with a modern beat and hooky vocals. If you are not converted into this genre even a little bit after this track, then there is no hope for mankind whatsoever haha.
This week my choice for the best video is the latest track from MGMT called Your Life Is A Lie. I heard about it in this weeks NME, thanks! The song is a super catchy track from their upcoming self titled third album. It is quite short and punchy clocking in at just over two minutes long with easily learnt lyrics. It does seem that they have changed into a more poppier sound compared to their second album which isn't a problem for me, I have liked pretty much everything MGMT have released on the whole. As for the video its self its pretty freakin' odd, jumping from one random thing to another with only certain clips fitting in with the music. My favourite part somewhat cruley is the old guy getting hit in the face with a ball in time with what I assume is a cow bell, I dunno why, just seems funny. Anyway I'm loving this track right now, and I know the embedded video doesn't work but it will take you straight to it on YouTube.
I've been getting my Strokes on today. My Is This It record has been spinning and I was in Sainsbury's store the new Strokes album was £9 which after a quick check, I found out that it is cheaper than Amazon which doesn't happen often. You gotta grab the bargains when you see them. So far the reviews I've seen for Comedown Machine haven't been great but I want to reserve judgement until I hear it in full. They haven't really disappointed me in the past and I don't want it to start now.
On the art work, they have gone for a more stripped back feel with not much going on on the outside apart from the obvious detailing. The only thing (apart from the front cover printed again) on the leaflet is silhouettes of each of the band members, no lyrics, no little notes of thanks, nothing. Very minimal I guess.
