another city, another sorry.

today sees the release of Manchester band, The Answering Machine's debut album.

it has been an extraordinarily long time coming for those of us there from the beginning! i last wrote about the band when they had a drum machine called Mustafa, but since then they have picked up a real live boy to do the drumming as well as racking up numerous positive reviews from all over the shop.

full of 'ooh's, hand claps and insanely brilliant pop gems, The Answering Machine have created a fantastic first album. kicking off with the album title track, they launch straight into their signature 'Strokes-meets-a lot-of-sunshine' sound and set the tone for the 37 minutes that are to follow. soaring into the danceable gems that are 'Obviously Cold' and 'Oh Christina', TAM utilise tambourines and xylophones whilst singer Martin belts out lyrics about friends changing and life passing by.
then there's the delicate touch of 'Tomorrow', followed by 'Cliffer' with its youthful wisdom in lyrics like "just because i'm on your side, doesn't mean you're right". there's no shortage of sing-along tracks with the inclusion old favourite 'Oklahoma', 'It's Over!..' and 'Lightbulbs', yet the band still manage to display their softer and more sensitive side in 'The Information'.

whilst this was a terribly written review, the album is bloody amazing so buy it.

The Answering Machine - Obviously Cold (Tim And Sam Remix)

get it from the laaaaaaverly people at Heist Or Hit Records here!

ouch.

rising from the ashes of Bureau and Daggers, are Hurts. they make doom pop packed full of theatrical, synth highs and lows. check out the video for their fantastic track 'Wonderful Life'.



props to the ever spot on Alistair. check out his NME piece on fresh Manchester talent.

police and thieves.

this sort of seems fitting, if a little upbeat, for the slightly turbulent political and social year we're going through in the UK at the moment. and to be extra relevant and clever and shit, it also ties in with that Island Records documentary that was on the other day.

whilst the original could never be upstaged, this is definitely an effort worth mentioning.

Get Back Guinozzi - Police And Thieves (Junior Murvin cover)

influenced by the likes of Talking Heads, The Slits and Animal Collective, GBG lay down fuzzy, lo-fi indie pop that absolutely screams hot and humid summers, and people in tye-dye. their debut album 'Carpet Madness' is released on FatCat Records later this year so keep your eyes out for that.

i don't not love you.

guys! you've probably seen it already! but! here's the video for the bloody fantastic track 'I Don't Not Love You' by the even bloody fantastic-er Flashguns. yes mate.



Flashguns myspace.

medicine for me brats.

lurking away in north London creating a catalogue of dancefloor-friendly electro tracks is musician/producer/fantastic remixer Daniel Barker aka The Aspirins For My Children.

having already fingered Marina & The Diamonds, Frankmusik and Thecocknbullkid with his Midas touch, it is clear to see that Aspirins is meant for big big things. his slick production and mastery over all things synth have helped him to create a definitive and poptastic sound.

here's the track he made for Thecocknbullkid's new EP.

Thecocknbullkid - Clean Apart

check out all the ace remixes he's done at the myspace.

desire!

"your lips look like they're on fire", sings Annie, aka Kid A, on her sultry debut single 'Wasnotwas'.



at 20 years old, Kid A is busy creating a brilliant selection of tracks that fuse electro with a good helping of glam-pop. if caramel chocolate had a sound, this would most definitely be it. perfect dance pop with a nice side of sexiness. producer/musician EPRROM has stripped the single down and added just a touch of something more techno to create a lively and irresistibly catchy club track.

Kid A - Wasnotwas (EEPROM 'on fire' Remix)

order the single here from June 15th.
EEPROM website.

wiffle.

hiding all the way on the opposite side of the world are Wiffle. they are not a piece of sports equipment, but in fact a mystifying band from Melbourne, Australia.
if you close your eyes whilst listening to their music you could almost be marooned (in a good way) on some South Pacific island somewhere, sun glaring, waves crashing. influenced by the likes of Bjork and Appaloosa, Wiffle take a handful of upbeat rhythms and sounds, sprinkle some hand chimes over everything and out pops a gaggle of slightly whimsical and fantastical tracks.

Wiffle - Satellite

open your ears. more songs available to download at their myspace page.

the laurel collective.

over a year after their debut mini album hit shelves, i have been introduced to The Laurel Collective. apparently they used to be a nineteen-piece band but have thrown some members aboard, leaving just (just!) six to conquer the world.
they make impossibly catchy, eclectic guitar pop songs that are seasoned with a whole host of fabulous sounds for your ears to feast on. they've just finished touring with pals Micachu & The Shapes and are currently working hard on their first full length LP which i cannot wait for.

The Laurel Collective - Staring Out The Window

i'm an animal.

i bloody love this.



video for the forthcoming Miike Snow single, 'Animal'. Miike's upbeat electronic pop is beyond irresistible, plus the vid features some awesome 80s footage from American tv show 'Manimal'.

Miike Snow - Animal

well good.

The Great Escape

on Thursday May 14th i headed down to Brighton for this year's Great Escape Festival. expanding over 36 venues and playing host to more than 300 bands, there was plenty of choice for things to see. because of the insane amount of bands playing it was inevitable that clashes would occur, and alcohol would spoil many a plan. some of the bands i really wanted to see but didn't manage to catch were: Apples, Micachu & The Shapes, The Invisible, Trailer Trash Traceys, Times New Viking and KASMS.

i did manage to catch the following bands however! keeping it short so i don't bore you all to death. i have managed to resist just going "good/bad" though.

THURSDAY

Kap Bamino - well, i say catch but i mean i saw singer/screamer Caroline Martial's head bouncing all over the shop every now and then from the bar. they are a very entertaining live band, even if the words 'Crystal Castles' do come to mind when you hear their brand of electropunk.

Chew Lips - big things were expected, and unfortunately i didn't think they managed to pull it off. they are a tight band and everything sounded okay, but it was just a bit boring.

Mirrors - absolutely fantastic. atmospheric. epic. all that good stuff. angular doom pop meets Kraftwerk. really enjoyed the projection they had up behind them too.

We Have Band - such a great sound onstage! was expecting them to be slightly flat and uninspiring, however they were the complete opposite. had me dancing from the very get-go. an excellent party band.

Datarock - these guys are always brilliant live. their infectious energy totally swamps a room. i don't think anybody can resist moving to their funky post-punk dance.

FRIDAY

Dinosaur Pile Up - not sure i could love this band any more! they're really good live, and despite the grunge-pop sound not being completely danceable they can work a room and get people jumping about.

My Tiger My Timing - zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..

We Are Wolves - only managed to catch two songs unfortunately but they seemed to be well into performing from the very first second. loud, scuzzy, DFA79-esque songs sliced up with some epic synthing (i know that isn't a word shhh).

Abe Vigoda - definitely one of my weekend highlights. onstage banter was flowing readily in between the band enthusiastically thrashing out their incredible tropical infused, lo-fi noise rock songs. plus there was a stage invasion that involved things being broken. some mayhem is always good for the soul.

Slow Club - i was at the bar for most of this performance, predominantly because i'm not a Slow Club fan. unfortunately the band didn't win me over, not even with their rendition of The Mae Shi's 'Run To Your Grave', as it all sounded a bit.. rubbish.

Teeth!!! - so much fun! cue another stage invasion. loud, noisy, totally ferocious lo-fi dance-punk that would have shaken the ceiling and the floor had the PA been turned up properly.

SATURDAY

Battletorn - not really my cup of tea! they definitely weren't boring though. shouty thrash metal for your pleasure.

Throats - boy do this band know how to inject the spark of life into a room. throwing themselves just about everywhere, Throats carried off their hardcore punk fantastically. not a show for the fainthearted.

Youves - completely brilliant. these guys had so much energy and vigour they made some of the other bands that night look and sound incredibly boring. cowbells never sounded so good.

Little Comets - i was really looking forward to seeing this band, and after sprinting to the venue and securing a spot in the heaving crowd, i was left slightly disappointed at the end of the band's set. the songs were great, but there seemed to be a certain 'oomph' lacking from the actual performance. perhaps it was just in comparison to the bands i'd already seen, but i wanted a lot more and didn't get it.

Gang Of Four - another of my weekend highlights, and quite predictably so. my favourite band doing some of my favourite songs with enough energy and compassion to outmatch all of the young, contemporary bands who take direct influence from them. old men making young men look lazy. the fervour Jon King smacks that microwave with during 'He'd Send In The Army' was enough to wow me completely despite having seen it done before.

Yes Giantess - whilst some of their cheesiness didn't transpire onstage, i was still left with a slightly awkward feeling about YG. they have a couple of killer tracks but the rest is a lot more forgettable. that coupled with their average performance only had me mildly satisfied with their set.

Wolf Gang - a very very good way to round up my bands experience at TGE. wasn't completely convinced by the tracks up on the band's myspace page, however they completely blew me away live. it's pop how pop should always be.

overall i was incredibly lucky with queues and only had to wait 5 minutes for GO4 during the entire weekend. the booze was cheap as chips, the chips were bloody tasty, the weather was horrendous, all bouncers i encountered were friendly and Brighton is a very cool city. i had an absolute blast and met some awesome people too. 100% going back next year!

Wolf Gang - Lions In Cages
Gang Of Four - Ether
Abe Vigoda - Don't Lie

Great Escape website.