oooh.

i'm on a BIG FAT HIATUS until my exams are over.

see you June 27th.

strange.

remix part deux is going to have to be saved for another day, as there's an album i want to talk aboooout.

CALVIN HARRIS.
i can already hear the grumbles and groans and see people remembering the fucking awful video for 'Acceptable In The 80s' with the animal thing being dissected and the strange dance routines. so you can imagine i was highly surprised to realise that the forthcoming album 'I Created Disco' isn't actually a slice of half bad!

there are more good songs than bad ones, trust me. 'Acceptable In The 80s' and 'The Girls' are very poor reflections of Harris' work, and, i suspect, just attempts to get him out and onto the mainstream buyers' radar. of course, you're thinking "but even my little sister - who happens to like The Feeling - likes Calvin Harris!". once she's heard the album, she (like most of the rest of the Acceptable.. bandwagon jumpees) will be so confused and so put off by the dramatic and dark electro bleeping and beeping and noise-making that she will only ever remember Harris if someone shows her those stupid sunglasses him and his posse wear.

i have to say that this post was inspired not only by a good few listens of the album, but also but Calvin's performance on Pop World. obviously, no one sounds the same live as they do on record, but Harris does a pretty good job of it. aside from the distorted bits and samples, etc. so kudos to him.

the album is mainly made up of 4/5 minute long songs that could potentially be the bridge between electro and actual mainstream pop. i'm not talking "omg CSS are mainstream now because they are in NME every fucking week" or is this Calvin Harris playing on the TopShop PA? mainstream either. i mean, top ten hits every time, arena tours, Cascada collaborations and on the myspace profiles of people who shop in Mark One (i know, i'm such a hater).

favourites, and my most recommended:

Calvin Harris - Colours
Calvin Harris - I Created Disco
Calvin Harris - Electro Man

i could easily easily see myself dancing to 'Colours', as it fits in perfectly with many electro style tracks that are being made and played all around the country. i'll be surprised if it isn't released as a single. 'In The Industry' is well worth checking out too.

if the above tracks still don't convince you, i urge you to seek out the whole album (pre-order it here) - released 18th June 2007 - then pass comment.

remix my face.

i've been asked to DJ at Ashes To Eyelashed in August, which i find absolutely hil-bloody-larious seeing as i a) have no DJ experience whatsoever, b) have a broken iPod, c) keep my vinyls in a big cardboard box, and d) well, i'm just me - i dance, not DJ.

i know you have to fade and do something that involves pressing and pushing and twisting loads of buttons, but that's about it. if anyone can recommend a SIMPLE, easy to use, (preferrably FREE) DJ program/software for the Mac that will teach me the very very basics please do.

in light of this, and some wonderful discoveries of late, here's my REEEEEEEEEEMIX post. when i type 'remix' into my itunes it comes up with 165 tracks (out of 3413 that's not a lot).

first up! first heard this today, it's banging (or PHAT as Tracey from Big Brother would say).

"haaaaviiiiiit!"

Hot Club De Paris - Clockwork Toy (Metronomy Remix)

it's very Metronomy-esque, with its dark beats and underground club vibe. there's none of the sea-shanty-ing you'd usually expect from Hot Club but there's plenty of their vocal to be going on. very enjoyable, if a little awkward to dance to.

next is a song you can definitely dance to.

The Black Ghosts - Face (Lo Fi Fnk Remix)

you really can "taste the music" with this track. its 100% futuristic electro style put together with clapping and slapping and singing and noises is definitely this side of amazing. Lo Fi Fnk are always winners.

by far one of the best remixes done of a Klaxons' track so far.

Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow (To My Boy Remix)

not that i'm bias because i love To My Boy or anything, coughcough. it's darker than their own work, but then i suppose you could say Klaxons are darker (ignoring all glowsticks, neon, crazily coloured jeans). there's much more of a RAAAAVE theme to this track too. those who are honest have put their hands up and said "yeah, we know, Klaxons aren't rave". rave being actual 90s dodgy tshirts, coloured dreadlocks, a few wasters in a field with carrier bags wrapped around their body on purpose RAVE. (maybe in ten years time that's what Klaxons will end up like).

not forgetting the track that put Crystal Castles on the map for many.

Klaxons - Atlantis To Interzone (Crystal Castles Remix)

the now familiar sound of that weird siren-y thing has echoed many a time in indie clubs up and down the country, inducing people to dance and make that "ooh ooh" noise. a slice of Crystal Castles' best work i'd say. it also makes me want to sing "i've got the hots for you.." haha.

one of the best bands around at the minute had their first single remixed, i have two amazing versions but only one can win.

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods (Filthy Few Remix)

this remix brings in that futuristic element with distorted vocals and the hollowed out beats pave way for a much simpler drum 'n' bass infused rhythm to take over. a little lengthy, but i'd never say no to more of Late Of The Pier.

my beloved! The Futureheads. when i first got this track i was very skeptical, trying to imagine dancefloor beats mashed in between the jaunty guitar music.

The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch Remix)

i was oh so wrong. The Futureheads and remix go very very well together. i love this remix especially as it's just so dance-able and that's what The Futureheads are all about for me. the way the vocals have been chopped up and stuck back together is also immense.

i despise Mika with every fibre in my body, but when re-done by a man i love dearly, the results are wonderful.

Mika - Love Today (Patrick Wolf Remix)

the taste of Wolf is all over this track, from the weird noises to the way Mika's voice has been stretched and pulled and wrapped around the electronic bleating and slap of the drum. it's a bit haunting too in the way that only Patrick can make nice things scary. lovely!

and last but definitely not least, a slice of the home front action! Daggers (previously known as Bureau) remixed by Modernaire. could it get any tastier? the answer you are looking for is a big fat no.

Daggers - Money (Modernaire Remix) - newer version!

this track sounds like the 80s being dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age . pure quality, but it's nothing less than i'd expect. visit Modernaire Remixed for a free download of Modernaire's remix of The Holloways' track 'Generator'.

if i'm uninspired by the time Sunday/Monday rolls around i might do a part deux to this as there are loads of other gems i'd like to share.

have a PHAT weekend, and don't kill yourself over the annoying-ness of Tory voting Pete Doherty rocker-boy nu rave indie loving Peaches Geldof lookalike Emily!

moping.

i have been doing a considerable amount of moping in the past 24 hours, i might even start sporting an emo fringe if things don't look up.
so i've gone for a 'best songs to mope to' theme, and the list is almost endless. funnily enough a large percentage of my most played tracks (itunes, not last.fm) are mope-tastic tracks. that's because i have an overwhelming tendency to find a melancholy song and hit the 'repeat 1' button, whilst eating coleslaw on toast and feeling rather sorry for myself.

first up has to be Laura Marling. i've already spoken about her in this blog before (here), expressing my astonishment at her talent for someone so young. her angelic features disguise her powerful thoughts rather well i think. the particular song is 'London Town', simply because it's the saddest thing i own by her, but also the prettiest.

Laura Marling - London Town

what's a list without Patrick Wolf in it! i adore Mr. Wolf, and after having seen him live twice my thirst for more of his work has only been increased tenfold. a solo artist with an amazing gift and the ability to touch people's hearts and make them think with his strange off-beat, sometimes electro infused, folk but not folk music. the song is 'Bloodbeat' although there was strong competition from 'Empress' and 'The Stars'.

Patrick Wolf - Bloodbeat

next is the Pixies, woop woop. if you don't know who the Pixies are by now, well, things are pretty hopeless for yoooou! even my brother (who likes such dreggs as The Kooks, The Automatic and Green Day - post whatever their last album was called) likes the Pixies. the track is 'Hey' because it's amazing. simple.

Pixies - Hey

so i reckon that's a good amount of moping for today.
onto things of importance!

i've been mentioned in Million Music Marketing in their post titled "The Best UK Music Blogs" along with blogs like headphonesex, song by toad, popjustice and keep hope inside. plus! i am now averaging 100+ views per day. this makes me very happy.

new new new.

it's two weeks until my first exam and i am busy doing nothing. i've been finding myself thinking "ooh i could post such and such a band on my blog" instead of "Maslow's hierachy of needs is a hollistic persective in psychology".

i love it when people complain about how "shit music today" is, because it really isn't. you've just got to look a bit harder for the good stuff. the brilliance is that with myspace, blogs, etc the looking can be done oh so easily. so here's a couple of bands you might not have come across before, but should definitely check out.

The Pressure Drop are a "four piece guitar band, making noise from Croydon". they are what The View would sound like if they were any good, and anyone could understand what the hell their frontman was saying. their song lyrics are slight works of genius, talking about girls who want to be the next Jade Goody, being 17 and drunk, and people who are too cool for their own good. there's a punk-y vibe on their tracks that sets them apart from the other young London bands like Cajun Dance Party, etc.

The Pressure Drop - Peroxide Dreams

you can get all of The Pressure Drop's demos here.

Elle S'appelle could have been included in my post about Liverpool if i'd known about them beforehand. their tracks remind me of the sunshine, in the same way that bands like The Answering Machine and Sky Larkin do. there's some lovely keyboard action going on too. definitely ones to watch; i can see their infectious indie spreading like wildfire over the next 12 months.

Elle S'appelle - Seesaw

you can get a couple of other tracks off their myspace page here.

also check out ARMS who are also from Liverpool. they sound like a chilled out Danananayckroyd (who they are playing with towards the end of June in Liverpool). they make shouty lo fi indie, again similar to bands in the vein of Sky Larkin and Los Campesinos! have a listen to their tracks on myspace here.

Lo-Fi Culture Scene have two new tracks up on their myspace page for download so go and grab those whilst you can!

and many many thanks to everyone who has been commenting, sending messages of encouragement and plugging my blog. it means a lot!

hold the phone.

i've been all over the shop the past few days.

went to the NME gig on Thursday and spent lots of time in the company of cider & black. the gig was better than i was expecting it to be. i enjoyed every single band (Blood Red Shoes, Pull Tiger Tail, The Little Ones and The Rumble Strips), Blood Red Shoes especially. i cannot wait to get my hands on their new single, 'It's Getting Boring By The Sea' on wonderful 7" on June 11th (pre-order it here). me and my friend were supposed to be recording an i-dent for the NME reviewer, however he was so wasted he wandered off and left us alone with the photographer. i'm expecting dreadful photos to appear next Wednesday. Pull Tiger Tail were dj-ing at High Voltage afterwards, however we went to see South Central at The Attic instead. i love South Central. i don't think their own tracks are appreciated as much as their remixes are.

Pull Tiger Tail - Animator
The Rumble Strips - My Oh My
South Central - Nothing Can Go Wrong

Friday night i went to Into The Black's label launch party in a warehouse thing. i won't comment on the five bands' performances as i wasn't exactly in a straight thinking type of mindset. (i ended up wrapped in toilet paper, dancing with a mannequin and covered in stars). bands playing were Politburo, The Ending Of.., Air Cav, Sir Yes Sir and iDresden.

Sir Yes Sir - Hit3 Remix

Yesterday (Sunday) i went to Eurocultured festival. i didn't make it out of bed until 4pm due to a heavy session the night before so i missed Modernaire but i was there in time for Disco Drive who were absolute quality. i've seen them before but this time round was just so much better.
smashing cymbals and heavy basslines are the key componants of what makes Disco Drive. i wish they lived in England so i could see them more often.

Disco Drive - A Factory Of Minds

Datarock were on the main stage which was underneath a bridge outside, so the sound was a little dodgy. as was Datarock's performance at the beginning of their set. they were out of time, but their enthusiasm didn't let that bother them. thumbs up for the Norwegian outfit, though i think i'd have been a little disappointed if i had had to pay to see them.

Datarock - I Used To Dance With My Daddy

finally i saw Yelle on the Contort Yourself stage which was in a dingy little place called SubSpace. by this time (about 9pm) everyone everywhere was either pretty drunk or on something, and the crowd was up for anything. as soon as the band launched into their first track the whole room was jumping and dancing underneath the strobes. i just wish there hadn't been any smoke coming from the smoke machine as it plays havoc with my eyes.
Yelle were just fantastic. i'm truly in love with them now. stomping French electro fronted by a woman who sings like she's singing rhymes in the school playground. if only i knew what she was actually saying!

Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir
Yelle - Ce Jeu

apologies for the delay!

PS. am i the only person in the world who doesn't like The Moths??

hot club, goodbooks, etc

before i say anything about the Hot Club De Paris gig last night, i must must must talk about the Simon Bookish cover of Franz Ferdinand's song 'Michael'. oh. my. god. it's absolutely aaaaaaaaaaaamazing. i have no idea how long it's been around but i am really wondering why i haven't heard it before.
Simon is a weird kind of fella. a bit odd looking, and the music he creates is even stranger. you are all probably well aware of his remix of Grizzly Bear's track 'Eavesdropping', and his work with Bishi.
this cover/remix/thing has stripped the song of all things Franz aside from the pounding vibe underneath that makes you want to dance like you've never danced before. 'Michael' is already an amazing song, but when re-worked by Mr. Bookish it takes on a completely new edge, something rougher, sexier and dirtier. electro beats trample on Simon's raw vocals and what's left of the guitar twangs and screeches, in a completely good way.

Simon Bookish - Michael (Franz Ferdinand Cover)
Franz Ferdinand - Michael
Grizzly Bear - Eavesdropping (Simon Bookish Remix)

and now to the gig last night!
because i am a bad music fan (hahaaaa) i didn't watch the first support act, Safetyword. i'd listened to their tracks on myspace before i went, and if i am honest, i didn't really enjoy their sound. sounded like a whole lot of noise about a whole lot of nothing.

next up was GoodBooks, who i've written about before in this blog. as usual, they always deliver. i never find myself disappointed with GoodBooks. shit name, but brilliant band. i think i might have been cunning enough to have managed to get myself a free ticket to see them supporting The Sounds (along with Neils Children), so i am quite excited for that. plus, seeing them in a bigger venue will be quite exciting, even if it is full of The Sounds' fans.
former single 'The Illness' was the stand out track of their seven song set, fresh sounding with cowbells galore and punky guitars. 'Passchendaele' is going to be the next single from the band, and as soon as they finished their support slot they got in their van and drove back to London in order to film the video for it. Leo said something about them having to 'act', so i am looking forward to seeing how that works out.

Hot Club De Paris took to the stage, all full of beer and grapes. literally. they apologised for being rather drunk, but i think that made things a bit more fun. their banter was of course brilliant, and god knows how they managed to play such complicated songs after having been for "a bevvy".
there were a couple of b-sides like 'I Swung For Judas' in the set, and a couple of new ones, one of which was instrumental and sounded absolutely amazing despite the band saying they didn't know how to play it properly yet.
Hot Club are, in my eyes, an extremely underrated band. they have an amazing skill to create these perfect almost 3 minute long songs that aren't really songs at all. they're a mass jumble of nautical sounding guitars, 'woooooo's and lyrics about arson, Ouija boards and jobs, and i love everything about them.

Hot Club De Paris - Shipwreck
Hot Club De Paris - Who Am I

there's going to be a massive post on Saturday about the NME gig (Blood Red Shoes, The Little Ones, The Rumble Strips and Pull Tiger Tail) and the warehouse party i am attending on Friday night (Sir Yes Sir, Air Cav, The Ending Of and iDresden), and then another massive post about Eurocultured Festival (Yelle, Datarock, Modernaire, Disco Drive, and more) probably on Tuesday. woo!

Down Under pt. 2!

7 Day Weekend, yeah keep dreaming. unless you win the lottery or a secret rich auntie dies and leaves everything to you, you aren't going to be experiencing any seven day weekends. unlucky! "art school rap" is how Big Stereo describe 7 Day Weekend. they're just strange. it's electro pop with talking girls over the top.

7 Day Weekend - Party Monster

you all know about Architecture In Helsinki, or at least you should do. see: indie pop.

Architecture In Helsinki - Do The Whirlwind

there's also Cut Copy but i've never really been a fan...

apologies for the dreadful follow-up but life is getting a bit HECKTIK at the moment. i have a five day alcohol soaked daze to be started on thursday as i finish college foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrr on that same day. then exams start, oh the joy.

i'm off to see Hot Club De Paris tomorrow night so Wednesday's post should be a little more enthusiastic.

everyone needs good ones.

so a massive part of my daily routine has been axed from the BBC. obviously i'm referring to Neighbours, the long time running Australian soap with more cheese than you can shake a cow's leg at. the show is due to be moved to channel Five (boo hiss!) at the start of 2008, therefore becoming a two-part programme, split with one ad break in the middle. there is suspicion that Five are going to promote this as an 'Australian Hour', putting Neighbours back to back with not-worth-a-minute-of-your-time show Home & Away.

in light of this sad news i have been inspired to write a post with an Aussie/Down Under feel to it. (it's sad because i can't get chanel Five when it rains and i live in Manchester, ergo, i will never have channel Five).

DAAAHN UNDAH. it has brought us the likes of AC/DC (lord why oh why), Kylie Minogue (ditto), Jason Donovan (ditto), Olivia Newton-John (.. do you see a pattern yet?), erm Jet, Wolfmother and countless other bands not worth even a molecule of, well, of shit.

Wolfmother - Woman (MSTRKRFT Remix)

but it's not all bad! we've also been blessed with bands like Architecture In Helsinki and erm.. yeah. well they have Christmas on the beach, what do you expect?

The Mint Chicks are probably the best band to come out of New Zealand this decade. punk that isn't made for your dad who has already been there and had the shitty Mohawk and safety pin denim jacket (ew). The Mint Chicks make NOISE but you better believe it's noise that you will want to listen to over and over again. it crashes and beats its way into your head. they make "spazzy, heavy, poppy music" according to their website. certain tracks remind me of Hot Hot Heat, just to confuse things even more!
their track 'I Don't Want To Grow Old' has so far featured on just about every mixtape I have made this year, and will be doing so for a long long time. it's just brilliant. enjoy it most by screaming "bury me alive" after you've had an argument with your parents/spouse/friends/enemies whilst dancing on your bed with the sun glaring in your eyes.

The Mint Chicks - I Don't Want To Grow Old
The Mint Chicks - Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!

The Presets are from Sydney, Australia. their stomping electro sounds a little too scary to be from the same place as kangaroos and koala bears. i first heard them when i bought 'Digital Penetration', the compilation album that made my summer of '06. i was terrified and delighted all at the same time. 'Are You The One?' has clap-claps and is amazing when it's being played loudly in a club and you are shouting "aaaaaaaare aaaare yoooou the oooooooooooooneeee?" along with a hundred or so other sweaty dancing people.

The Presets - Are You The One?
The Presets - Girl & The Sea (Cut Copy -another Aussie band!- Remix)

i've already mentioned Operator Please in here and they are definitely worth having a listen to.

aaaand, just so i have something to do tomorrow night (staying in on the weekend does not agree with me), i shall continue with part deux tomorrow!

free as a bird.

hitting up the blogosphere has brought me bands from across the globe that i'd never have bothered to listen to if it hadn't been for the ferverent recommendations of other music bloggers. you can discover a new band every single day without having even bothered to get dressed or eat breakfast. it's as easy as one two three. i discovered Land Of Talk through Off The Record who said: "Land Of Talk will explode into something so huge it will knock everyone over. Bringing back the old grunge sound of the late 80's and early 90's and mixing with the influential indie sounds of the 00's, this band is a force to be reckoned with."

I have since then downloaded several tracks and found myself falling very quickly in love with the band's music. they remind me of Giant Drag, The Duke Spirit and Metric all at the same and all for very different reasons. their crashing cymbals go brilliantly with the slightly Interpol-esque guitar and Elizabeth Powell's (singer/guitarist) vocals are like raspberry ripple sauce drizzled onto a vanilla ice cream in the baking heat of the summer. Land Of Talk create an amazing mash of sounds that make me think of lazy holidays.

Land Of Talk - Speak To Me Bones
Land Of Talk - Sea Foam

apparently one of their mothers was the first ever female croccodile wrestler, and they hail from Montreal, Canada.