LIVE: JUNIP – 07/09/11
– SOUNDCONTROL, MANCHESTER – If a song is strong enough, it can stand alone without the need for excessive production. José González has proved that point already, so the danger now is, will his songwriting become swamped with the addition of 4 other band members? José shot to fame by providing the soundtrack to a classic TV advert. His stripped down cover of The Knife’s Heartbeat accompanied images of coloured balls bouncing down a San Francisco street. A... Read More
NEWS: AIRSHIP – DEBUT ALBUM & UK TOUR
The Manchester quartet will release ‘Stuck In This Ocean’ on the 5th September through Play It Again Sam. Produced by Doves/Cherry Ghost producer Dan Austin at Rockfield Studios, the album was aided by Doves’ ambient programmer Rebelski, and Editors’ guitarist Chris Urbanowicz. The album features the new Single ‘Algebra’ (out now) and the recent single, 6Music playlisted and Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record In The World’, ‘Kids’. Since forming in 2008, Manchester... Read More
LIVE: Beirut – 06/09/2011
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER –Waltz With Bashir. Ever seen it? It’s an animated film that centres on the Israel/Lebanon war of 1982. At the film’s culmination, Israeli troops move in onBeirut. At night they fire flares into the night sky so that the Christian Phalangists can massacre Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, and it suddenly cuts to actual news footage. As beautiful as it is devastating, this is probably the best film of the last ten years.... Read More
Album Review: A Winged Victory For The Sullen – A Winged Victory For The Sullen
While primal guitar and catchy lyrics may be desired at a gig or during a night on the town, at home many people are more than partial to something delicate and enigmatic. Sometimes sad, sometimes uplifting, panoramic, but never anything less than beautiful, they will find A Winged Victory for the Sullen to be just such a record. A composer collaboration featuring Dustin O’Halloran and Stars of the Lid’s Adam Wiltzie, A Winged Victory for the Sullen make music of grace and... Read More
LIVE: KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS – 05/09/2011
– SOUND CONTROL, MANCHESTER –Kurt Vile and the Violators: it’s a great name isn’t it? On hearing it I was convinced that latest album, Smoke Ring For My Halo, was the work of some fuck-witted thrash metaler, but its dreamy acoustic psychedelia and Leonard Cohen-esque enunciation quickly insinuated itself into my best of 2011 list. The name is also a double entendre. Kurt Weill (pronounced Vile), as my dad pointed out, was a German-Jewish composer famous for his... Read More
LIVE: TREEFIGHT FOR SUNLIGHT – 06/09/2011
– THE CASTLE HOTEL, MANCHESTER – Support band ‘New Hips’ are a tech-rock four-piece based around young music graduates with all sorts of equipment – two guitars, bass, two keyboards, trumpet, one-and-a-half drumkits, and effects boards all over the place. It’s quite a surprise that they manage to use it all. It’s quite challenging, very technical music, written in Sibelius as much as in the rehearsal room. There’s no arguing with the... Read More
NEWS: THEME PARK – AUTUMN TOUR
Theme Park are excited to announce a number of UK dates beginning in September. The shows see the band play 3 dates for VICE, festival appearances and a tour support slot for Summer Camp amongst others. Their debut double A- side single ‘Wax’ / ‘A Mountain We Love’ was released on Monday 29th August. Both tracks have received plays on Radio 1 with support from Huw Stephens, Lauren Laverne and Zane Lowe.September Dates: London – 23rd – Shackelwell Arms Gloucester... Read More
NEWS: NEON INDIAN – STREAM OF REMIX PLAYLIST
Neon Indian has put out an essential collection of new, old and remixed tracks from himself, including mixes from Twin Shadow and many more ahead of the release of his follow up album ‘Era Extrana’, out October 10th on Transgressive Records. Featuring remixes of tracks from Alan Palomo’s 2009 debut ‘Psychic Chasms’; this playlist includes reworks from Palomo’s contemporaries including the likes of the aforementioned Twin Shadow, Yacht & Toro y Moi making... Read More
NEWS: WATERS – NEW SINGLE & STREAM OF ‘FOR THE ONE’
WATERS, the new project from former Port O’Brien front man Van Pierszalowski, will release their debut single ‘For The One’ on September 12th on City Slang. The first track to be taken from the album ‘Out in the Light’ which is set for release on September 19th, ‘For The One’ was recently leaked online and has already topped the blog charts and spread like wildfire. It’s raw and impassioned, unlike anything Pierzalowski has written before. ‘For The One’... Read More
Single Review: Seasick Steve – It’s A Long Long Way
‘It’s A Long Long Way’ is the latest release from Seasick Steve’s new album, You Can’t Teach A Dog Old Tricks. In the typical Seasick style, ‘It’s A Long, Long Way’ has great lyrics while Steve’s delivery make it incisive and poignant. It is a very versatile effort which I could image being played both at a chilled get-together, or a funeral. This is pure nostalgia that makes you stop and think about where you have been and where you are going. It is not sad... Read More
