thetunereview

Is Radio 1 killing "real" music in this country?

2009-11-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Whilst it carries a motto which expressing their devotion to new music, is Radio One really supporting the music in this country that actually matters?

On July 16th this year, it was announced that Jo Whiley was leaving her 10-12.45 daytime slot and being replaced by Fearne Cotton, 17 yrs her junior, increasing speculation that the station is eager to concentrate on drawing in younger listeners rather than having anybody with any musical knowledge whatsoever. With the likes of Chris Moyles, Scott Mills and the aforementioned Cotton being so self obsessed and desperate to be famous, it sometimes makes it a uncomfortable listen.

To some the departure of Ms Whiley came as no real surprise or upset but the loss is a lot grater than some may imagine. She was the only person left (other than Zane Lowe) that really promoted and supported new and exciting yet sometimes unusual talent. She is involved in the Little Noise Sessions that are held annually at the Union Chapel in London in aid of Mencap and have showcased better known British acts including Snow Patrol, Noel Gallagher and Amy Winehouse. The line up also champions fresh bands of the time, for example, The View, Jamie T and Bat For Lashes in 2006, Cajun Dance Party and The Courteeners in 2007 and more recently Skint & Demoralised , The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, Everything Everything, The Low Anthem and Golden Silvers. All of which you rarely ever hear on daytime Radio One.

The play list consists of four separate sections A, B, C and an Upfront List. This is where the songs you hear on the irritating daytime loop are chosen from. Taken from when it was last updated (25th November 2009), there are 48 songs to choose from of which, to my horror, only 20 were British and shockingly only 9 were in the non urban or euro-dancey-pop category. Out of the 9 (that i will name as it will not take long) - Take That, Robbie Williams, Muse, Artic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Florence And The Machine, Mumford And Sons, Pixie Lott, Prodigy, and Delphic, as you can see only 4 acts are under two years old. How is this in any way helping the British music industry?

These isles produce some of the best bands in the world and Radio One has the opportunity to kick start careers of the newest talent. Instead they seem to concentrate on too many bands from outside the UK or the ones that are doing some kind of concert for the BBC, whether its Children In Need, Big Weekend or the Electric Proms. In other words you only seem to get played if you scratch their back first. Gone are the days where Dj's, such as John Peel and Steve Lamacq, used to put in lots of time finding unfamiliar sounds.

Over the years the station has become so Americanized and has turned into more of a style magazine rather than a place to love music. Their target listener age is 16-29, but with the presenters mostly talking about late night drinking sessions, X Factor, football, celebrity gossip and fashion, its an insult for any 29 year old that I know. I think the BBC are completely out of touch with modern culture and what the public actually desires. The people and the music in this country deserve a whole lot more.

Tom Arkell

SINGLES CLUB

2009-11-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Cheek: Hung Up

Though only being March 2008, it seems a very long time ago when Suffolk quintet Cheeky Cheeky And The Nosebleeds attracted the attention of the music world. Now after a punk to pop reinvention and opting for a more accessible band name earlier this year, The Cheek return with this reasonably catchy, fairly safe single but a sure sign that they have matured since Slow Kids. This will not astound you but may definitely convince you that Hung Up could be the beginning of something special.

Girls: Laura

If you delve too deeply into lead singer Christopher Owen's past you may have a bit of a shock. Raised in a religious cult where women were sold for sex and pop music was prohibited, no one can blame him for being a little "different". Laura, just the latest song to be taken from their exceptional debut album- Album, could be from any Californian era in the last 50 years and even bears a slight Elvis Costello likening. But with his history you know that everything he is going to say is going to be very sincere, so when he cries "I just wanna be your friend forever", that's all his fragile soul wants. Its that simple.

Brakes: Why Tell The Truth (When It's easier To Lie)/Worry About It Later

As British indie folk continues to prosper in the current climate, Brighton based four piece Brakes return with a double header from their third album, Touchdown. Thanks to the likes of Marcus Mumford and his banjo wielding sons, it seems welcome nowadays to make a simple fine jolly tune. The lovelorn Worry About It Later carries this quality and shuffles along with a country rhythm as Eamon Hamilton's heart and feet skip along like jumping beans as he recalls past romances. Apparently stemming after a rift with a bank over a 75p debt, the soul-stirring yet mainly uplifting Why Tell the Truth (When it’s Easier to Lie) is pure punk/folk. Combining euphoric bluegrass beats and swooning harmonies, this ode to The Pixies is more anti-consumerist than Swampy. With such lyrics as “I’m gonna tell you why it is that I drink my days away, it’s ‘cause the beer helps the cigarettes go down”, Hamilton effortlessly drowns his sorrows and excludes his memories with a energetic blast.

Holly Miranda: Forest Green Oh Forest Green

Also lead singer of Brooklyn outfit, The Jealous Girlfriends, Holly Miranda's future as a solo artist looks brighter than the beautifully hazy, dreamy pop that she delivers. The simple organic yet mystical structure will sooth you and fill your mind of distant waves of a tranquil sea. The calming elegance of this song will make sure its fixture on many chill out albums in 2010!

Cheryl Cole - 3 Words

2009-10-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

While so called "talent" shows continue to clutter the nations idiot lanterns, the lowest common denominator has been brainwashed into believing that people with limited ability in their fields are actually acceptable. With all its X Factor exposure, the new princess of pops debut album will almost certainly top the album chart. Please don't be fooled into thinking that she has created anything other than mundane R&B junk.

Following in the footsteps of Victoria Beckham, Cheryl is going solo after being the fifth best vocalist, but definitely the first best looking, in very successful girl groups. No matter how much help they receive and the amount of production that goes into making these records, looks alone are not enough. Not even the assistance of Black Eyed Peas front man Will I Am and British chart topper Taio Cruz can save this, and when it was rumoured that Frankmusik was to help produce this album, you always knew that we in for a treat!

Title track and opener, 3 words, featuring the aforementioned Mr I Am, is one of the few positives to take from the 11 songs. Last years top 5 hit, Heartbreaker (using Cheryl on backing vocals), weirdly appears as the penultimate number as it was more a solo attempt from him than her! Unfortunately this isn't the last you hear from the pair as they team up again for the hideous Heaven. Cole swaps her usual Geordie twang for a pathetic American accent as they irritatingly mispronounce the word "you" singing "choo, you, chew". Sadly Barney McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grubb didn't get a mention! Lead single, Fight For This Love, written by Andre Merrit, Wayne Wilkins and Steve Kipner, who, between them, have written songs for the likes of Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. It has all the radio friendly hooks to become be a certain hit. Parachute is probably the only song that showcases Cheryl's voice with the vocoder not so visible but Rain On Me and the Cruz aided Stand Up have a very uncreative, cheap Euro pop feel to them. The only other favourable thing (apart from not having to put up with pictures of Nicola Roberts in the sleeve) comes in the way of the bouncy Happy Hour which breeds a slight relief and makes you wonder how the rest was so poor.

Anything Cheryl Cole puts her hand to will flourish and, therefore, 3 Words is sure to be a guaranteed success. Although this is a huge yet slightly brave shift away from the reliable burst of Girls Aloud of which we became so absorbed, and, yes, of course she would have been criticised for recapitulating that sound, but its all far too dated and a great shame she settled for caution instead of ambition.

3/10

Tom Arkell

The Drums - Summertime! EP

2009-10-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

If ever there was an album that was going to transport you back in time to the preface of pop music, this must surely be it. With sweet tales of sun and surf, love and loss and girls and boys, New York/Florida quartet, The Drums, have created arguably one of the best debuts in many years.

Though leaves are beginning to fall from trees, Summertime! suggests that summer hasn't appeared to have gone anywhere as childhood friends, Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham enable us to trade the chills of Autumn Britain for the burning beaches of Southern California. The sound of hand claps and whistles mixed with the use of quick rhythmic staccato guitar licks in first single Lets Go Surfing showcase their post punk influences, notably Orange Juice, Joy Division and The Wake. Its a shame that you have to correlate such acts but there is absolutely no way its possible not to as this record is also submerged in surf culture which bring the magical memories of The Beach Boys -Pet Sounds back to your attention.

Reflecting on the insecurities and emotions of a summer holiday romance, opener Saddest Summer explodes into life. Stocked with quick beat drums, more hand claps and an upbeat melodic synth tone, its hard to see why the summer was so sad! Constant pining in Make You Mine (with more whistles and again brimming with even more hand claps!!!) innocently echos the heartbreak of a clueless soul who's life has been turned upside down after being ditched by his girlfriend. The first taste of new romantic arrives in the personal memoir Don't be a Jerk Jonny. Pierce and a female aid beautifully ricochet verses as he tries to explain that his actions, whatever they may have been, were "out of love". The loveless pattern continues in Submarine where the mix of genres are probably at their most wonderfully vivid. Amongst the heartache their are delicacies too. The amazingly sweet Down By The Water occupies a rich outpouring of heartfelt emotion backed by layers of gorgeous percussion, horns and an expression of complete devotion to a loved one.

The Drums have never claimed to be making a unique sound and have literally taken all the music that they adore and have fused it together to make an outstanding introduction. The sun shines lyrically and melodically through every song . Summertime! is a slice of pure pop perfection.

8/10

Tom Arkell

Absent Elk - Caught In The Headlights

2009-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

After touring with The Hoosiers at the back end of 2008, this Brighton based quintet have been, by some, unfortunately compared to the aforementioned irritating cartoon rock/pop outfit. While attempting to break through in the hustle and bustle of today's music scene, that's probably the last thing you want.

Although four fifths of the band hail from the UK and had played together for almost a decade, it was only when Norwegian lead singer Kjetil Morland joined that Absent Elk eventually formed enabling them to create their debut album, Caught In The Headlights. Apart from their name, the Scandinavian influence is very subtle. Morland's regular gentle folky tone and wonderfully crafted melodies sound elegantly English.

Their more mature character emerges as eerie first single and album opener Sun And Water menacingly begins drifting gently through haunting atmospheric dreams. It could be mistaken for early Doves and would fit happily on Lost Souls. The bouncy Emily is the first sign of pop, but not the offensive kind of pop that infuriates you. It sounds more like The Kooks from the Konk era in the vocals which, if anything, is no way as bad as The Hoosiers! Sometimes you get the feeling that there is more than one band inside this band as First Guitar strolls off in a 2 Tone direction and then they manage to produce the most beautifully delicate tender love song in Change My World.

Throughout every song there seems to be an obvious comparison yet they all still somehow seem charmingly discrete. Though in no way does this mean you will not compare as hints of Starsailor and Air Traffic, plus the ones already stated appear regularly. You might also convince yourself that you have heard it somewhere before as the harmonies are so familiar. But hopefully with this compelling introduction they can develop an identity and lose each and every tag forever.

6.5 out of 10

Tom Arkell

Richard Walters - The Animal

2009-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

In 2002, melodious British singer/songwriters were way too few and far between. Urban, dance and skater rock flooded the charts and the future of music looked pretty ordinary. That was until, the then, moderately unknown Dubliner Damien Rice emerged with his ever so fragile harmonies, creating a whole new world of acoustic folk and touching the mind and souls of many. The seven year wait for something to absorb us in the way that did is now well and truly over.

After a three year struggle, the sometimes Paris, sometimes Oxford resident Richard Walters' debut album, The Animal, is finally ready for release. Saturated with harsh reality yet charming melody, the strength of the emotionally charged lyrics sometimes go unnoticed as the subtle blend of delicate guitar and cello wash over you.

The sensitive account of heartbreak in opener Brittle Bones and the tenderness of Weather Song are perfect ways to show case his extraordinary fragile vocal capability and set the tone for what will follow. All At Sea vulnerably builds from a softly strummed beginning to a strident cry expressing the need to be held while covered in romantic strings. The gratefully received reluctance to use heavy production only makes the misery more beautifully vivid.
Sheathed in despair, dissolution and utter regret, Walters hits rock bottom in the terribly moving title track, The Animal. Full of sorrow he tells a tragic tale of abusing a loved one with no justification and realising that the animal he talks about is actually himself. Yet amid the pain and desolation are flashes of hope and optimism, mostly found in the brilliantly brave, Daniel Johnston cover True Love Will Find You In The End.

In an outrageously mature debut, his astonishingly confident multi-octave talent accompanied by graceful strings could stir the stoniest of hearts. This will surely give Walters the credit that he so rightfully deserves. For all its quietness, The Animal will leave a long dark, lasting impression.

Vagabond - You Don't know The Half Of It

2009-08-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

After forming accidentally last year in a Kent studio, multi-cultural quintet Vagabond release their highly anticipated debut album You Don't know The Half Of It. The sad thing is they're actually right- we don't know the half of it. And if the truth be told we don't really want to!

Overseen by Brian Higgins, the brains behind pop production powerhouse Xenomania, (where success certainly cannot be denied as every males guilty pleasure Girls Aloud have achieved far more than anybody could have ever expected with very little talent) one could have expected an assault on the charts. But the fact that they sound like an poor mans Toploader , (if that's possible) the likelihood of that is very slim as the tolerable Don't Wanna Run No More could be (hopefully) the first and last thing you may hear from this musical mishap unless you're an avid listener to daytime radio 2.

Hovering loosely between genres from the slightly detached attempt at funk in I Know A Girl, (where for a brief moment we forgive Jamie Cullum for what he put us through) to a cringing electro pop in I've Been Wanting You and Clouded Circus with possibly the worst drum beats since Jason Donovan brought us Too Many Broken Hearts. A very faint glimmer of light reappears with I Said Hello and Smile Of Mona Lisa, if nothing else they are a little easier on the ear and prove that Alex Vargas can actually hold a note.

Sadly there is no identity. Are they rock? Are they soul? Are they Europop? Do they actually know what they are?, I'm really not sure. Mixing this with a lack of imagination, weak song writing and digitally enhanced rhythms can only remind us of the tragic late 80's, early 90's demise where the invasion of Stock, Aitken and Waterman ruined half a decade of music. We cant afford to take that chance again.

Tom Arkell

Kill It Kid - Kill It Kid

2009-08-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

As a wave of Tom Waits and Anthony Hegarty (Anthony and the Johnsons) influences are sweeping the country, conventional indie is taking a sound beating and is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Fearless Bath quintet Kill It Kid are just the latest in a long line of intelligent young hopefuls to lay the boot in.

Combining rock, blues, folk, jive (yes really, jive!), Country and jazz is more than risky for anyone but somehow it charmingly weaves in and out of all moods. The greeting of crashing drums, clapping hands and violins on the partner twirling, barn dance sounding, Heaven Never Seemed So Close paves the way for the first taste of Chris Turpin's almighty vocal ability in the string drenched yet raucous Burst It's Banks.

Track by track, the element of surprise never fails to impress. Another gem is presented in the form of Stephanie Ward's emphatic wail as she duets with Turpin in the dramatic piano led, lovelorn Fool For Loving You and takes centre stage for the gentle, folk sodden Private Idaho. The two voices compliment each other remarkably well throughout, though when used separately you get two completely different bands for the price of one.

Not a single stone is being left unturned as its time to grab your cohorts once more for more thigh slapping and whirling in the very American, very Elvis, very 50's themed My Lips Won't Be kept Clean while Dirty Water airs a lesson in love from a suspecting mother to a naive daughter. Experimental doesn't always mean quality and at times it sounds like a Gomez, Bluebells and Woolpackers collaboration, almost verging on the point of being intolerable.

However, Kill It Kid have created something quite incredible with their self titled debut, yes something entirely chaotic but extraordinarily magical with the most additive genre hopping blast that you could possibly imagine. This is a ride you cannot afford to miss. This is a journey to the future of music.

Tom Arkell

ALBUM - The Horrors - Primary Colours

2009-05-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Whether this is a step in the right direction or lots of steps in many directions nobody really can tell- what we do know is that its been a long two years waiting for the follow up to The Horrors' frantic yet much criticised debut Strange House.
Forever being labelled as being all mouth and lots of skinny trouser, the London quintet have left behind the the garage punk Cramps-like clatter to a more mature electrodelic Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and (as illustrated in 'who can say') Joy Division theme that will have every little White Liar or Editor getting hot under their darker than life collars.
In no time at all the change in sound from album one to album two is more than lucid as opener 'mirrors image' indulges in a 90 second synth-soaked intro as Portishead producer Geoff Barlow announces his arrival in the strongest possible way. The lovelorn 'do you remember' shows a romantic side to Faris Rotter rarely clear before the beautiful dark ballad 'scarlet fields' leads us into the seven minute sluggish epic 'I only think of you'.
The backlash that The Horrors endured after their first release is now a distant memory- but surely nobody could have predicted the transformation of a band that only 6 months ago were buried firmly at the bottom of the already over flowing Indy rock scrap heap.

7.5 out of 10

Tom Arkell

UNSIGNED ARTIST - BLUE NOISE

2009-04-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

Its very easy for conventional bands to appear then quickly evaporate whilst living in this very congested indie scene, its lucky then that the Cheltenham based quartet, Blue Noise, are not just ordinary.

Catching the eyes of many in the industry, they've been tipped for bigger things in 2009 and have recently supported acts such as Red Light Company and The Holloways. After witnessing this myself, its glaringly obvious what all the fuss is about.

The boisterous 'Best laid plans' and the superb 'Getting younger' ,where singer Joe Wellfair displays his whiny yet splendid chants, are definitely the two stand out tracks. But with noted influences that include The Clash,The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Arcade Fire, the last thing you would expect is a return (all be it inadvertent) to an almost Brit-pop sound as Wellfair occasionally drifts into (an almost but not quite) Levellers accent in 'On Tenderhooks' and an (ever so slightly) hint of the Bluetones in the Kings of Leon motivated 'Where will you run to'.

The band are still out on tour throughout April before they prepare to go into the studio in early May to record new material that will be digitally released. This will hopefully enable a wider audience to experience a rare quality of sound and the ever so bright future of Blue Noise.

Tom Arkell

GRAMMATICS - GRAMMATICS

2009-03-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a new sound emerges, so fresh its incomparable, and for a split second makes the whole music universe that went before it seem extremely archaic. The cause of this sudden episode is the incredible self titled debut album from Leeds quartet, Grammatics.
The late 2007 single release of the dramatic album opener 'Shadow Committee' should have prepared us for what was in store, but at the time it sadly failed to make any considerable impact. Knitted together with ten additional unique and compelling melodies, the story is astonishingly different.
Being (widely publicized) Arcade Fire and Radiohead supporters, the influences are evident throughout. It tantalizingly weaves in and out of moods and genres, from a brand of classical pop, through flashes of darkness, into bursts of operatic brilliance enabling Owen Brinley to unleash his haunting yet choir boy like squawks, with Matt Bellamy being the only possible vocal comparison.
Cries of "He's an murderer" sweep out in the sympathetic and delicate 'Murderer' nestling neatly inside the chirpier 'D.I.L.E.M.M.A' and 'The Vague Archive'. The charming 'Broken Wing' wails into 'Relentless Fours' which provides the first taste of cello player Emilia Ergin's tongue as words perfectly ricochet between herself and Brinley only for it to break into a crashing conclusion before the glittering string drenched 'Polar Swelling' proves that "Grammatics" do not deal in conventional.
"Grammatics" have managed to produce an outstanding piece of work that should be seen as a giant leap for music. The only fear with an album this good is, how will they ever devise anything to better it?

9 out of 10

Tom Arkell

Album - Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands

2009-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ask many an adolescent male what they wish to achieve in ones life and the answers may contain - "I want to be famous" or perhaps "I want to be in a band" or maybe optimistically "I want to date a supermodel". For a young man growing up in multiple diverse dwellings, all of those wishes came true.
Having spent most of the last decade in and out of rehab and relationships and being patrolled like Truman Burbank (The Truman Show) by the British tabloids, Grace/Wastelands arrives as Pete Doherty's debut solo album.
Brimming with tenderness, producer Stephen Street and Graham Coxon help create sweet and fragile melodies throughout echoing a distinct Blur accent. This is immediately apparent on the perfectly reminiscing opener 'Arcadie' which escorts us into 'Last of the English Roses', the first single release, where if we didn't know better could have been co written by Russel, Noodle, 2D and Murdoc from the Gorillaz!
In no way has Doherty executed this alone and you can never be quite sure if he actually would have even bothered unless a recording contract said otherwise. The "other" former libertine, Carl Barat, helps pen 'A little death around the eyes' which displays more than a hint of a James Bond love affair, Peter "Wolfman" Wolfe assists on 'Broken Love Song' and the adorably charming 'Sheepskin Tearaway' has Doherty affectionately trading verses with Dot Allison.
Though leading a lifestyle that exposes him to a world of cavilers, ready and waiting with daggers in hand, and with the exception of when "Doherty does jazz" on 'Sweet By and By', which will have Duke Ellington turning in his grave, nobody can doubt the songwriting talent, and sometimes genius, of the man where at his finest, as if Constable was sketching to a Byron poesy, can paint magical pictures with his beautifully English Poetry.

9 out of 10

Tom Arkell

ALBUM - Red Light Company - Fine Fascination

2009-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

They could be mistaken for a Hanson and IT crowd collaboration, but multi cultural, London inhabited quintet, Red Light Company, are the latest "British" invasion on the ever sullen UK indie scene to finally deliver a highly anticipated debut album. Already producing three singles,"Fine Fascination" tells tales of elegant sorrow and regret with glimpses of an Arcade Fire and Killers influence running throughout.
The beautiful yet sombre 'with lights out', written about the suicide of front man Richard Frenneaux's childhood friend, and wouldn't be misplaced on either "Funeral" or "Neon Bible". 'Meccano' is a sensitive reflection of the past playing with the more astute child's version of Lego and the realisation that friendships and the weekends never seem to last forever. The arena sized anthem with an infectious chorus 'Scheme Eugene' was the factor that made bassist Shawn Day head east from the States after he read an advert posted by Frenneaux on the internet. The forthcoming single,'arts and crafts', a radio friendly tribute to U2,released in conjunction with the album, takes limited risks, along with the Coldplay -esq 'When everyone is everybody else', both fade into the background like uninteresting wallpaper but do enough to not be disliked.
This doesn't diminish the strength of the record but a restricted shelf life may materialise with RLC being one of so many acts to be very accomplished yet overly cautious.

Tom Arkell

single of the week - PETE DOHERTY - LAST OF THE ENGLISH ROSES

2009-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Had anyone else wondered where Damon had hidden Russel, Noodle, 2D and Murdoc? Well i think they've been staying under the Westway with Pete in his caravan and helping him produce the first single from his debut album Grace/Wastelands.
With a added Coxon touch it gives an experimental Blur feel but this would not be out of place on The Good, The Bad and The Queen.
Love him or loathe him, he has created a very beautiful, perfectly English lullaby song that you cant help but like.

Tom Arkell

tracks - LATE OF THE PIER - BATHROOM GURGLE

2009-02-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Maybe LOTP grew up on a diet of Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Gary Numan and worryingly The Rocky Horror Picture Show or perhaps maybe they are just taking music to a whole new different level.
Nobody has dared to combine so many genres and experiment in this way before and its gone a long way to rehydrate the dry mouthed indie scene.
There's a mix of raunchy rifts with sexy synths and sometimes vocals at a pitch that only dogs can hear, but anyone that can fit thirty years of music into an awesomely epic three and a half minute wonder wail is pure genius.

Tom Arkell

single of the week - THE AIRBORN TOXIC EVENT - SOMETIME AROUND MIDNIGHT

2009-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

You will not be able to read a review about this L.A quintet without stumbling across comparisons to either The Arcade Fire (the music) , The Stokes (the vocals) and if you wanna push your luck.... early Echo and the Bunnymen (a bit of both!). This can only be positive, surely they'll take the world by storm?.... right?, well not quite. It never did The Bravery many favours did it!

Tom Arkell

single of the week - THE VIEW - SHOCK HORROR

2009-01-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

If you like Scotland and worship the Libertines, you'll love 'Shock horror', the second single from the new album "Which Bitch?",both of which are released on February 2. You also get more mature taste of the band, but the rawness in Kyle's voice is still very much evident.
Any questions asked about the "dreaded 2 album" have most definitely been answered with first '5Rebbecca's' and now this, proving the view are back, and back to their brilliant best.

Tom Arkell

single of the week - FRANK TURNER - REASONS NOT TO BE AN IDIOT

2008-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Listen up kids, don't be put off when you're dad tells you that he likes Frank Turner. Its just a case where an artist has to venture in to a foot tapping, easy to the ears song just to get the air time and credit that he deserves.
In a day an age where people under the age of eighteen never seem to do alot apart from observe the world from a computer screen and think that everyone is living an exciting, soap drama life when really in the grand scheme of things we are all like everybody else!!

Tom Arkell

THE FUTUREHEADS @ Dakota, Cheltenham 9/12/08

2008-12-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

"Good evening Chelmsford", front man Barry Hyde declares, subtly trying provoke a reaction, from the 400 strong Cheltenham crowd before thrashing their way into the sublime opener 'beginning of the twist'.
Its been a mixed year for Sunderland's finest musical export since Dave Stewart (or maybe even Kenickie!). From playing in front of 90,000 (supporting the Foo's at Wembley), reports of the band doubting their future, and setting up their own label, Nul Records, they're back on the road, playing lesser venues, with new material.
The catchy 'walking backwards' and the non album single 'i wouldn't be like this if you were here' gave us hope that they could rekindle some of their past magic with songs such as the dazzling 'decent days and nights' and frantic 'hounds of love' but the inactive 'radio heart' and a lyrically thoughtless encore 'piece of crap' only suggests a distinct lack of song writing imagination.
Lets hope this isn't the end of something that started with such class and promise.

Tom Arkell

Single of the week - LILLY ALLEN - THE FEAR

2008-12-06T04:04:00.000-08:00

Oh poor Lily beating herself up about being sucked into the pretentious screwed up rich and famous lifestyle where nothing actually matters apart from fame, money and "lots" of diamonds!, and with all this she has written a song that would fit perfectly on a new St Etienne album...... Though never "fear", this is her best work to date.

CHAIRLIFT @ 229 Great Portland Street, London, 26th November 2008

2008-11-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

In the dim lit room, the clock steadily reaching eleven and the sound check finally polished, the sense of anticipation widened as the latest sprinkling of the Brooklyn tie-dye invasion to embark on the capital took to the stage.
The slow, ambient, textured beginning, which includes the gritty 'garbage', enables you to prepare yourself the the storm that follows this seductive calm.
Like a whirlwind, the explosive, hypnotic and deliriously contagious echo of Caroline Polachek's voice sweeps around the venue capturing the minds and souls of anything that stands in its way. Wandering into the captivatingly catchy, delicate, labour of love 'bruises' followed by the dreamlike 'evident utensil', we were witnessing a moment of effortless beauty.
As the set draws to a close, the gentle melodies of 'planet health' assure us that the substance and complexity of Chairlift will never be far away.

Tom Arkell

single of the week - LISA MITCHELL - NEOPOLITAN DREAMS

2008-11-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Music definitely helps sell products on telly or at least grabs everybody's attention to them.
English born, Australian raised Lisa Mitchell's single 'neopolitan dreams' (surf washing powder) has certainly had the same affect as Chairlift's 'bruises' (ipod nano) and is just as sweet and beautiful.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5RowAc-H3EM

Tom Arkell

single of the week - RED LIGHT COMPANY - SCHEME EUGENE

2008-11-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Based in London, only one out of the five band members was really ever from England!! The others range from America, New Zealand/Australia, Wales and Scotland, which obviously helps produce a sound like this.
I think the comparisons to The Arcade Fire are a touch premature, but any more songs like this Red Light Company will become one of the hottest properties about.
Though take a look at their myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/redlightcompany and check out 'with lights out'. This could fit in anywhere on either 'Funeral' or Neon Bible'.

Tom Arkell

CHAIRLIFT - does you inspire you - ALBUM OF THE YEAR???

2008-11-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

Producing a work of art such as this, I would hate to think Chairlift have earned the "you know, the one from the ipod advert" tag.
After recently releasing their first labelled album, they have well and truly stepped out of any shadow cast by fellow Brooklyners MGMT and Vampire Weekend.
With a slight hint of Joni Mitchell, Caroline Polachek's voice hypnotically,but gently washes over you and lets the feeling of hearing Portishead for the very first time come rushing back.
'Bruises' oozes beauty, class and elegance, and tells the perfect love story you only imagine happens on screen. The new romantic electronic influence is displayed most in 'Planet Health', a tune Japan's David Sylvian would have been proud of writing. 'Evident Utensil' offers more of the same while the epic 'Earwig Town' proves why they're so unique, pure and why they already have a massive cult following with very little effort!
Although different, Chairlift haven't got the class as The Arcade Fire, Flaming Lips and Band of Horses,but in a similar way have made a ground breaking debut record.
Just if you were still wondering, Brooklyn is still very much buzzing!

Tom Arkell

3 NEW ALBUMS YOU MUST OWN!!!

2008-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

CHAIRLIFT - Does You Inspire You. Listen to - Bruises, Planet Health, Don't give a damn.

FRIENDLY FIRES - Friendly Fires. Listen to - Paris, Jump in the pool, Photobooth.

THE ALIENS - Luna. Listen to - Magic man, Bobby's song.

single of the week - TV ON THE RADIO - GOLDEN AGE

2008-10-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

If you put, forgive me for saying this, U2, Prince, Scissor Sisters, The Bee Gees, and Fools gold into a blender, you would end up with a messed up electro soul smoothie like this!!
The video is mesmerising, though i don't understand it,then again i don't take acid!!!. Weather its dancing police or a 'care bear' playing guitar that makes it special, or maybe both, i don't know. Whatever it is,its fantastically weird!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoQALeDiLk

Tom Arkell

Little Man Tate, The Dykeenies, Computer Club @ Birmingham barfly, 18th October 2008

2008-10-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Shortly after entering the dull, musty room, little known four piece, Computer Club, took to the stage. With songs such as 'snobs', which betrays the influence of Bloc Party, and 'electrons and particles', I arrived with optimism, that feeling soon faded!.
Something didn't work. When you see a new band, you want to be stopped in your own stride, like the first time I saw the Maccabees, the View and the Kaiser Chiefs when they started out, but these guys failed to pull people away from the bar! There was nothing unique or fresh apart from the amount of blood behind the strings of the nervous lead singers guitar!!
Luckily for us the Dykeenies never disappoint. There are no egos, just five Glaswegians doing something they love doing.
Most of the nine song set was taken from their debut album 'nothing means everything' with new songs 'boys will be boys' and 'days don't slow down' nestled neatly in amongst them.
Opening with the usual boisterous anthem 'the panic', they soon allure an ever increasing crowd. The arena sized ballad, 'stitches', sits perfectly in the middle of the set, with the lovelorn 'clean up your eyes' and the energetic 'waiting for go' insuring a frantic finish.
As the force against the metal barrier grew, Little Man Tate arrived on stage to a generous but completely deserved reception. This, I presume, is where the party started!!
I never knew what a devoted following this Sheffield quartet had, but it was truly breathtaking to be apart of it.
Front man, Jon Windle, works the crowd magically with an ever present beaming smile across his face, I can honestly say, I've never seen a band love what they are doing as much as this!
Their effortless poetic lyrics sound as if they could have inspired or were inspired by the likes of the Arctic Monkeys.
'The agent' and the romantic 'this must be love' got the audience's voice's echoing around the venue, while 'Sex in Latin' produced a spine-tingling sing-a-long.
By the time the finale was reached, the atmosphere had reached its pinnacle. Worshipping fans were invading the stage, taking over the mics, dancing like Bez!, and generally having a ball!!!

Tom Arkell

single of the week - CHAIRLIFT - BRUISES

2008-10-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn is buzzing at the moment with three piece Chairlift being the latest electronic pop imports that have come into our lives.
'Bruises' (ipod nano advert) lets singer Caroline Polachek tell the beautiful tale of, girl meets boy, girl being totally besotted and doing everything she can, mainly handstands!, to win over her love. Finally, as Aaron Pfenning sings, his frozen heart unfreezes and he nurses her battered body like any good man should!
The gentle harmonies and electro cinematic quality (if that exists) helps you escape from anything bad in the world, even if it is for just 4 minutes!
As their probable next release 'planet health' suggests, Chairlift could quite easily have gone to the same finishing school as MGMT.
We welcome any more Brooklyn based, electo pop outfits to come and conquer our land.

Tom Arkell

The View - New single and album title!!!!

2008-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

The view are back with a new single, '5Rebbecca's', due to be released on October 27Th, the first single off 'Which Bitch', the long awaited follow up to The View's first album 'Hats off to the buskers'.
Listen to carefully and you will hear a 'Status Quo' like opening but this oozes as much energy and bounce as the more chipper numbers, 'wasted little dj's', 'superstar tradesman' and 'dance into the night' off the last offering from the Dundee foursome.
Front man Kyle Falconer's voice still has the roughness and gravelly Scottish tone as before and still manages to sing somewhat unrecognisable lyrics!!, but this never seems to matter.
The View are back but are they still on fire?

Tom Arkell

Kooks cover MGMT!!!

2008-10-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

MGMT are most certainly the zeitgeist with many acts looking to ride on their wave of success! Now the Kooks try their hand at covering 'kids', the third single off the Brooklyn duo's debut album 'oracular spectacular'. This really shouldn't work, but it does........... beautifully!
Kooks front man Luke Pritchard has the ability to make any song sound as if he has written,arranged and been performing it for years. His soft, affectionate and sometimes whimpering voice along with simple guitar chords transforms the image of this tune dramatically!
The Kooks seem to like a challenge and its a risky one attempting to cover a band like MGMT, with such a unique sound, style and quality, but they pull it off.
I'm in no way saying this is better than the original, i don't think cover versions actually can be, its just different in a simple refreshing way!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8znYPXhZFA

Tom Arkell

The Subways, Oxford Carling Academy, 3rd October 2008

2008-10-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Can you name a band that have had as many hard times as the Subways???, neither can I.
With the illness to lead singer Billy Lunn and the in-band relationship break-up fresh in every body's memory, you could taste the sense of anticipation in the air, could the deliver?, sure they could!!
If anything, Lunn's voice has got better since the last time i saw them showcasing their first album, 'Young for Eternity', three years ago.
The set was powerful and passionate with songs such as 'shake shake' and the brilliant 'girls & boys', off the new album 'All or Nothing', taking the place by storm, but it would take a lot to out do the classics of 'oh yeah', and the beautiful 'with you'. At this stage, we were like putty in the hands of Billy Lunn! The set highlight, 'rock and roll queen', involved awesome interaction with the fans and a crowd surf to the bar and back from him, you just don't see that very often which makes this band one of the countries little gems.
Sometimes you look at a band and just have to stand and admire their resilience.

Tom Arkell