youuuuuuves

i really thought i'd posted about Youves before but apparently not! my first encounter with the band was when i saw them back when they were still called Mirror!Mirror!, playing in the dingy Saki Bar in Manchester on an insanely freezing cold night. the PA was shit, the lighting was shit, the drinks prices were shit, the headline band were shockingly bad but Youves brought the party (to all eleven people in attendance).

then yesterday their mini album arrived in the post from Holy Roar Records. at seven tracks and 23.4 minutes long, 'Cardio Vascular' is a short but sweet introduction to the dance-punk world of Youves.

screaming at you from the get-go with screeching guitars and a thundering drum beat, this five piece from Nuneaton really mean business. not only do they smack you in the face with cowbells and plenty of hi-hat action, but they tease you with their riddles and clever lyrics.

the press release says "like Black Flag being produced by James Murphy, but without the steroids and militant dogma", so if that doesn't convince you they are well worth checking out, i don't know what will.

Youves - Bigorexic

the mini album is out on May 4th. click here to pre-order it. the artwork is beyond brilliant [click for a look], and well worth the money.

fake babies.

currently giving me an auralgasm is Connecticut based two-piece, Fake Babies. they make brooding, futuristic sounding, synth lead pop songs packed full of distorted vocals and a whole host of experimental bleeps and bloops and squeals. Fake Babies are Robert & Justin and they have been "making diapers dirty and encouraging the confused to dance" for almost 4 years, though sometimes musical progress was hindered by "instruments, drugs, and outside musical endeavours". they are now currently located with their feet firmly in the sand, making music that sounds like nothing you have ever heard before.

it's almost like Atlas Sound met Death From Above and decided to have an (awesomely named) party.

Fake Babies - Livin' Without You

ju-ju-juggling.

it has been sooooooooooo long since everybody went "what the fuck??" at the video for 'Oh My Gosh' by Man Like Me. was it a joke? was it 'ironic'? was it serious? from the shoddy PaintShop job to the slightly ridiculous "lyrics", it had me baffled. but as well as having me baffled, it also had me absolutely captivated.

since then it seemed like there were only brief stirrings of activity in the MLM camp, but now they are back with an album and it is pretty darn good. jam packed full of upbeat tracks like my favourite '9 Lives' and 'Single Dad', which provides a carnival-esque backing (complete with saxophones, steel pans and maraccas), lyrics packed full of optimism about rather gloomy situations and having toned down the 8-bit just a little bit, there is definitely less LOLfactor and more dancefactor about MLM. forthcoming single 'London Town' is also noteably fantastic; it's like a giant blob of 90s UK garage has managed to explode all over 2009. definitely my pick for summer!

whilst not quite serious enough to compete with more stern and solid albums we've already seen this year, this self titled album from Man Like Me is highly worth a good few listens.

Man Like Me - 9 Lives

keep your eyes peeled for a pre-order here. watch the video for 'London Town' here.

freshhhhhhhh.

what are you doing when you're 14 years old? are you hanging around street corners decked out in Rockports and Ben Sherman terrorising the neighbours? are you inside playing World Of Warcraft until your eyeballs fall out of your face? or are you busy in your bedroom morphing into 'the next big thing'?

i was weird combination of the first two - don't ask, but the artist this post is about is one hundred and ten percent the latter.

he's already grabbed the attention of "the industry" (yawn), as well as the 1Xtra Show, so there are definitely major things coming up in his future. the name is Mnek and he makes pretty perfect pop music. think 'if only Kanye West could sing and bummed Prince a bit more'. an eloquent description if ever there was one. not only does he write everything himself, he produces it too, and when he isn't making shit hot tracks he is busy writing a shit hot blog.

check out the talent.

Mnek - Devil In Pumps (She Dips)

grab more tracks from the myspace and Illegal Tender.

(sick) diamond in the rough.

all hail the return of Track Of The Week, which i have ressurected because the following track has me up and dancing at 90mph within about two seconds.

Fillmore Bass - Sick Diamonds

an utterly banging mish mash of thudding basslines manages to create a blinder of a hip hop/grime influenced dark dance track.

Fillmore Bass myspace page.

i got the feeeeeeelin'.

welcome to the world of writer/producer/near perfect popsong creator Tinashé.



i can't recommend him enough so go and check out the tracks up on his myspace page.

up the APPLES and pears.

whilst it might be lazy of me to describe them as so, up-and-coming Hereford band Apples do take after NY darlings, Vampire Weekend. however, similarly to Little Comets, Apples provide their own unique spin on making 'exotic' sounding indie pop. if sunshine had a sound this would definitely be it, i'd keep my eye on these guys if i were you.

Apples - Reason 45 (Demo)

and speaking of Little Comets, here's a song i can't stop listening to; this band can't put a foot wrong. 

Little Comets - Figures

pre order 'One Night In October' here.

she's got me dancing.

Dear Patrick Wolf,

here is the correct way to do a video which produces the response/emotion "wat":



love,
Tommy Sparks xxx

primary colours.

who'd have thought my favourite album of the year so far would a) be a band's second album and b) come from The Horrors?

when a band re-vamps their sound for their sophomore release, the results can often be disastrous and induce fear and panic into the minds of loyal fans. this coupled with The 'i-can-never-tell-if-they're-a-joke-or-not' Horrors did not leave me feeling excited or inspired. neither did the first single, 'A Sea Within A Sea', despite everyone telling me how amazing i should think it is.

not only have The Horrors redeemed their almost laughable ways, they have made the leap to credible, respectable and listenable-in-twenty-years-time with 'Primary Colours'. there's a mish mash of Joy Division-esque basslines, lots of frustrated guitars, absolutely no screaming from Faris, and plenty of shoegazing distortion. 45 minutes of pure pleasure.

The Horrors - Do You Remember [REMOVED BY LABEL REQUEST. what spoil sports]

pre-order the album here!

through the ice.

rising out of the long dead ashes of Bolt Action Five comes Danimal Kingdom. 

with a collection of intensely catchy, electro-pop demos up on the myspace for the world to feast on, it should come as no surprise DK has been gaining a pretty solid fan base over the past few months. 

the self-described "procrastinator with a synthesizer", one-woman band Cracked Hands has conjured up a cover of DK track 'Through The Ice' and it sounds pretty fantastic. a lovely take on an already brilliant song. check it ouuut. with fans this talented, it's probably time to take it up another gear.

Cracked Hands - Through The Ice (Danimal Kingdom cover)