A musical mixed bag

'Mixed bag' is probably an understatement really and I'm not sure anyone could have predicted the inclusion of the Great British Ukulele Orchestra on IWAOS but all these varied musical stylings are equally brilliant in their own - and perhaps slightly eccentric - right.

Starting with the divine Snowblink and their luscious video, which totally allows me to indulge my 'one-day-I'll-be-a-beautiful-hippy-type-wondering-bare-foot-around -1970s-America-with-a-small-elfin-child' fantasy, you know the one? Well, it can't just be me. Anyway. Their MySpace labels them as belonging to that well-known Soul/Tropical/Surf genre(!) but I think I might agree with them, they're not really like anyone else around that's for sure. You can read a little bit more about them at The 405, here.

Second is Nika + Rory who are actually Zola Jesus and her bandmate Nick Turco. Zola has been intriguing me for a while and I just love how this track manages to sound at once utterly modern but somehow also tinged with a dose of 80s dramatic pop, which is echoed in the slightly creepy video.

The See See next, I caught them a couple of weeks ago when they were supporting the amazing Brian Jonestown Massacre. Quite a difficult slot I should imagine, warming up for the less than predictable BJM, but they were really good fun and gave the psychadelia-hungry crowd exactly what they were looking for.

And last but not least, a nod to my latest obsession - the ukulele. I bought myself one a couple of weeks ago and am quickly becoming a kind of mad ukulele band groupie. Plus the concept of this video is great - the idea of being stalked around town by a ukulele orchestra really cracks me up.

Single Review - Religious, Gloria Cycles

Now published at The 405, here.

Gloria Cycles latest single ‘Religious’ is unashamed upbeat indie pop and what’s wrong with that.

Including the Jack Penate-esque vocal stylings of Kenny McCracken – an imposing chap, with his waxed ginger moustache and waistcoat he looks like he’d be happier perched on top of a penny-farthing than holding an electric guitar.

It’s a song about proving to a lover and perhaps yourself that you’re in love with them. Nothing unusual there. The feel-good raucous chorus states: “Do I need ya? Yes I need you here my love. I’ll try to never leave ya, never make you get up and run”. And it will be in your head for days.

But there’s nothing wrong with this track, even if it is just a slightly new slant on a very well gone over theme.

The Brighton-based band have managed to provide us with little piece of musical sunshine in ‘Religious’ during what must be the longest winter on record.

Album Review - IRM, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Now published over at Running In Heels.

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s new album is sexy, moody and slightly disturbing.

It has been well documented that the title track of ‘IRM’ (Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique) or MRI in English is based on the noises she heard inside said MRI machine. It probably says a lot about the artist that when faced with being scanned to establish the seriousness of the brain hemorrhage picked up after taking a fall water skiing, Gainsbourg thought —I could make music with this.

Indeed the lyrics “can you see a memory?" "register all my fear" and "tell me where the trauma lies," continue the macabre tone of the track and indeed give an impression of the moody overtones of the album in general.

Another moody although less dark track is Le Chat du Café des Artistes (above) a cover of Jean-Pierre Ferland’s classic. Gainsbourg’s trademark hushed and sexy tones, the piano chords and sweeping strings give an ominous almost film-noir soundtrack impression. And as a fan of another of the song’s incarnations, this time the French DJ Gut’s version, this is one of the best tracks on the album for me.

Other tracks such as ‘Vanities’ whip up a dreamy atmosphere with other worldly harps and orchestra sections quietly battling against each other

Then there are the songs like ‘Master’s Hands’ ‘Me and Jane Doe’ and ‘Heaven Can Wait’ which giveaway the influences and presence of American star Beck in the role of producer. And this is no bad thing, they are all pleasing and cleverly arranged pop songs with a definite leaning towards an acoustic sound.

And changing tracks entirely and literally ‘Looking Glass Blues’, ‘Trick Pony’ and ‘Greenwich Mean Time’ offer up an unashamedly indie rock vibe but even these cannot help but continue the theme of a kind of sexy moodiness which feels inherent across the entire album.

Charlotte Gainsbourg has never quite had the level of recognition she deserves in the UK despite being a popular musical figure in her native France and the States. She certainly can’t be accused of simply riding on the coat tails of her infamous Father Serge especially after her collaborations with electronic efficandos Air but maybe IRM — with its ‘something for everyone’ appeal will be the album to introduce her to British music fans.

Album review - One Life Stand, Hot Chip

Now published over at Running In Heels.

Hot Chip's latest album recaptures what made them so exciting in 2006 and then some.

One Life Stand is the latest offering from the unlikely group of electro-pop geeks who have carved themselves a massive reputation and fan base since the release of their hit album ‘The Warning’ in 2006. This album will not disappoint fans; it has highs and lows but in tempo only not in quality. And overall this is an album made for the dance floor and a few hundred revelers.

It starts out with the sorts of noises that we have come to expect from Hot Chip who have steadily got better and better throughout their three smash albums.

However, the band appear to have transcended some of their previous work and branch out into new areas such as in 'I Feel Better' which has a Euro dancey vibe and 'Brothers' - a ballad to the brotherhood felt between bands touring together on the road.

'We Have Love' screams out as being the party smash on the album, the one that will probably be remixed again and again by the likes of Erol Alkan. It's very much the new 'Ready For The Floor’, which got partygoers stomping along to like mad in 2008. As will 'Take It In' - essentially a nod to house music but also managing to flit between grimy bass lines, 90's dance-influenced riffs and a puffy pop chorus.

The title track 'One Life Stand' seems to encapsulate best where Hot Chip are right now. The sound is unmistakably Hot Chip, as is obvious as soon as the synthy riffs start up along with Alexis Taylor's distinctive voice. But there are extra nuances thrown in. There appears to be a renewed keenness for experimenting with different beats, a bit of disco here as well as dreamy backing vocals supplied by Joe Goddard there. It's all thrown into the mix.

This album sounds great right now but some of the tracks will be best appreciated under the warm sun of summer time. Extra finesses on the album such as the use of steel pans will be extra pertinent to the summer festival crowd, to which Hot Chip are certainly going to appeal in 2010.

Top 5 Twitterers to Follow for Music

(published in November issue of Running In Heels, here

You may have just caught the Twitter bug, or perhaps you’re already a pro and know your FF from your RT, but who should you be following if you’re into music? Whether you’re a fan of Radiohead, Black Sabbath orthe X-Factor, these are our top tips on who’s saying what and who to follow on Twitter.

Hypemachine
The Hypemachine watches music blogs all over the world for the latest musical scoops and opinions so that you don’t have to. Hypemachine tweets about its favourite new bands as well as everyone else’s and recommends interesting blogs, reviews and music videos.

Follow Hypemachine on Twitter @hypem

NME
The top British music magazine brings you frequent updates on new releases, details of upcoming gigs and reviews. They also have breaking news stories and announce secret gigs and tours. If you like NME’s tweets, you can follow various members of the NME editorial team and journalists who often tweet anecdotes about the so-called darlings of the music world.

Follow NME on Twitter @NMEmagazine

Stereogum
As well as your standard music news, reviews and links taking you to the newest music videos on the net you also get all sorts of other music-related goodies -such as guitar lessons from indie bands such as Vampire Weekend. Follow Stereogum for music-related trivia such as stars birthdays too.

Follow Stereogum on Twitter @StereoGum

The Line of Best Fit
In their words: Attacking the bastions of all that’s unholy and impure in the seedy but delectable world of online music news, reviews and features. The girls and guys of TLOBF are relentless in the updating of their site and in tweeting – expect honest and sharp reviews of seemingly every kind of new music out there.

Follow The Line of Best Fit on Twitter @TLOBF

Pop Justice
With its focus firmly fixed on pop you may think these guys are not for you but with their witty and highly scathing tweets on everyone and everything in the music world you will not disappointed. If you’re a British X Factor fan then these guys are a real must – you can download their hilarious ‘play sheet’ and play along with the show.

Follow Pop Justice on Twitter @popjustice

Bob Dylan is good for you

Like the rest of the current population of London I have been suffering from a particularly nasty breed of cold recently. Try as I might I haven't been able to shift it - and I tried. I was particularly hopeful about the Echinacea tincture drops that were recommended to me by a coursemate. Said coursemate claimed that at the first sign of a cold she takes it and voila - no horrid cold. I think maybe it was too late for me.

Not being able to sleep very well has also not helped things. And as I'm prone to having trouble with drifting off and therefore prepared I immediately consulted my magic supply of many soothing teas. Chamomile wouldn't cut it so I brewed a strong venarian root tea which usually has my mind twirling slowly into sleep mode, in a bizarre alice fallling down the rabbit hole kind of way, extremely quickly. But, alas! Not this time.

So, almost on the verge of dispair I happily came across Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour - you can hear a bit about it here. I had read about the award winning radio show in which Dylan meditates on a particualr theme, which includes everything from money to cats to baseball, but hadn't ever heard it. The music is handpicked by the legend himself and is mainly blues or jazz and from bands which I would probably never think to seek out myself. He also litters his show with anecdotes and slang - in his intriguing voice, well, to me it sounds poetic. So it must have been fate then that I found it now because since unwinding with old gravel tones himself I drift off to sleep no problem - and I mean that in a good way. And my cold is now nothing more than a sniffle, well almost.

I thoroughly recommend giving it a listen - every single show (and there are a lot) can be found here.

Album review - Up From Below, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros deliver an enjoyable debut album and all without the help of anyone named Edward Sharpe.

The merry band of 10 or 12 — in a recent interview the band couldn’t make their minds up, bring together a choir of different instruments and voices to produce a veritable love-in of hippy folk-rock.

Alex Ebert, formerly of Ima Robot formed the band a couple of years ago and it appears he hasn’t had to look far to find inspiration for songs. His girlfriend Jade is also in the band and their apparently perfect and therefore slightly nauseating love for each other is all over songs ‘Home’, ‘I Come In Please’ and, well, ‘Jade’, in which he claims “Jade is the girl of the hour” over and over again…I get it, he likes her.

The sound in parts is as retro as their album cover and you may find yourself checking that you haven’t inadvertently switched onto something by The Mamas & The Papas or The Beatles.

But there is evidence of more forward-looking songs — ‘Brother’ for instance has hints of KOL and Fleet Foxes. In fact there are elements and influences from a whole range of bands which have all come together in this album to make it, well, brilliant quite frankly.

From the lilting anthem ‘40 Day Dream’ (above), which so over-brimming with joy it could have been purpose-built for a raucous summer festival crowd who with cider in hand would happily chant the chorus “it’s a magical mystery kind, must be a lie iiiiie.”

‘Home’ is another standout track albeit so unashamedly country it makes you want to don dungarees and take up the banjo, while ‘Om Nashi Me’ provides a few minutes of psychedelic quiet.

Personally I'm inspired to either; invent a time machine and go back to the '60s (quite keen on that idea already to be honest) or rent a big truck and drive around the southern states with ‘Up From Below’ blaring, or both. It certainly keeps me smiling through a dreary British winter. 9/10

Magnetic

I heart these guys and their album 'Up from Below'. I'm inspired to either invent a time machine and go back to the '60s (quite keen on that idea already to be honest) or rent a big truck and drive around the southern states, or both. Album review to come!

It was all one podcast - remembrance day

My first attempt at a podcast - and yes, I know the sound is really bad, the levels are all wrong and my speaking is too loud. But it was just an experiment really and an exercise in some in productive procrastination (paradox much?)

I mention Remembrance Day at the beginning and the truly sad fact that Harry Patch - last of the WWI veterans died earlier this year. I watched some of the services going on around the country and was struck by what a momentus thing this was - there are no soliders left who fought in that war. It has really passed into the realm of history.

Anyway, I'd really love to follow this up and make a short 10 minute podcast every week featuring some new tunes that I like to seek out on a regular basis and some general favourites of mine. I'm more trying to teach myself some new skills (and remember some old editing ones) than produce a totally groundbreaking podcast but if anyone listens to it and enjoys it along the way then hurrah! It's a bonus.

New music to my ears

(published in November issue of Running In Heels, go to http://www.runninginheels.co.uk/)

We’ve all been there; 4,000 songs saved on your computer but not a single one you feel like listening to. Sure there are your favourite songs, maybe sing-a-long songs, or even listen-to-when-heartbroken songs. But with the entire internet stretching out ahead, around and through your very being these days – where do you go and what do you do when you want to find new, exciting, ear-pleasing and inspiring music?

As we all know in the beginning there was MySpace but this veritable antique of a music site is now a little out of date. If you’ve actually heard of a new band and want to give them a listen, then their MySpace page is still a great place to look but actually searching for new music on it cold can be laborious to say the least. The days of chatting to Lily Allen and getting invited to secret gigs by Pete Doherty through their MySpace pages are certainly over, so what other online musical treasure troves are out there for us to rummage through?

Last.fm can be a brilliant option for those of us who do not have a clue where to start because it essentially does all the hard work for you. For a really simple snapshot of what relatively unknown bands are being listened to, then the chart section on last.fm can tell you who is most ‘hyped’ or the ‘most listened to’. Alternatively just landing on the page of a band or artist gives you a whole selection of similar artists, or if you have a favourite song… try searching for that and see what related tracks come up.

For anyone who wants to know which European and American bands have all the kids excited on the other side of the Atlantic then listen to the great and varied selection of songs which feature on Little Radio you can read about them on the blog too if you like.

Then there’s The Hype Machine which follows blogs and discussions worldwide and then streams you the music that is the most talked about. You can even apply specific filters – just in case you’ve ever wondered what the most-talked about tracks are on Twitter, for example.
Pitchfork is a reviewing site with a focus on independent music including electronic, pop, hip hop, dance, folk, jazz and experimental music -you are getting literally some of newest music available which you can read about and of course listen to on the site.

A must for those wanting to be totally ahead of the crowd is Stereogum – another outlet for brand new music but usually indie and alternative music. Stereogum regularly champions new artists and bands way ahead of anyone else and they often go on to make it big.

Now, with the songs of your new favourite bands still ringing in your ears you can log in to Spotify and listen to their entire back catalogue for free. Also worth watching out for are other people’s Spotify playlists – these could be friends or perhaps some muso’s you follow on Twitter. Or you can visit Spotify Playlists and download any number of other Spotify users’ playlists – you are bound to find something new that you like this way.

And now perhaps you want to show off all the new music you’ve been listening to? Then why not create your own playlist and post that on your social networking site of choice or share it on Spotify Playlists? You never know, you may be helping someone else discover their new favourite band!