rewind.

the guys at Buffet Libre are engaged in a project called Rewind where they are getting a whole host of their current favourite artists to cover their favourite songs from the 80s.

now covers can either be brilliant or disastrous (see: Kate Nash), and covers of 80s songs usually means bands slaughtering prolific musical moments, which is why i was extremely wary about this whole thing. is it ever a good idea to cover one of your favourite songs? is it ever a good idea to listen to a cover of one of your favourite songs? and if your favourite song is a cover, would you steer away from the original?

i saw the following song on the list and winced quite a lot. South Central doing 'Kerosene' by Big Black. initial reaction: "nooooooooooooooooooooo!". i love South Central and whilst i'll put my hands up and say i'm not Big Black's number one fan or anything, i really really love 'Kerosene'. all this could possibly spell for me was disaster. all the bands on the project were asked 3 questions and South Central's answers convinced me the whole thing might not be as bad as i'd originally thought.

1. Why have you chosen to do a cover of this song? Does this song bring back childhood memories?
No memories as such. Big Black were one of the early Punk/new Wave acts to mix electronic beats with Guitars and they had a cool DIY ethic, so it was a logical or natural choice for us.

2. If you were asked to do a tribute to the 00's in 20 years time, what song would you choose?
Probably something by the Fall maybe Sparta FC.

3. If you could choose, who would you like to do a version of one of your own songs?
Kraftwerk doing one of our songs that would be the business.

in 'Kerosene' South Central manage to maintain the dark and menacing tones of Big Black whilst neatly working their electro vibe into the track. it stomps and growls just like it should. the bass reverberates whilst the vocals snarl the lyrics. the opening 35 seconds even propose the possibility you could move around on a dancefloor to 'Kerosene'. it sounds like what The Horrors should sound like.
perhaps i shouldn't have been so quick to judge the outcome of this track. South Central always do a top job and this is definitely no exception. if only all covers were this good.

South Central - Kerosene [right click save as]
Big Black - Kerosene (live) [YSI]

ps. Modular have just launched some new clothing merchandise. completely bypassing the the scary gimp mannequins, who the fuck is going to pay nearly £40 (minus p+p!!) for a tshirt you could probably knock up yourself?? i know there's inflation insanity but this takes the piss.

nothing can go wrong.

you know when a CD comes through your letterbox that is so good, it makes you want to strap a giant speaker to your body and play it for the rest of your life? well that's how i feel about this CD i recieved in the post.

South Central are pretty fantastic. crazy live shows, dark and brooding electro singles that seem to go completely underrated, and the most amazing remixes that have put them on the map.

they've remixed everyone from Shy Child to The Maccabees to Van She to Metronomy. and now, the latest.. Late Of The Pier.

it's titled: Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods - South Central Bootleg. and according to the biog that came with it, South Central would be going to prison for 12+ years if they were American for actually creating this bootleg. a bit harsh for making such a fantastic track.

Late Of The Pier - Space And The Woods - South Central Bootleg (right click, save as).

Saam from Keep Hope Inside has and is doing a brilliant feature on some of the new blogs cropping up so go check it out if you want to freshen up your reading material.

tomorrow i'm off to see Elle S'Appelle (who i blogged about ages ago - click, everyone seems to be loving them at the minute and rightly so!) and i shall report their amazingness back here.

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??