London Live: 17 - 23 November

Nov 182008

Gig Of The Week: Genghis Tron, Behold The Arctopus, Rolo Tomassi, The Network – The Underworld

Prepare for supreme noise making at Underworld on Saturday as Americans Genghis Tron follow up their European stint with The Faint with a short UK tour. Backed by a multi-talented string of bands, not least Sheffield stars Rolo Tomassi (for the London show only), the potential of this night is stellar. This amazing line up is unbelievably not sold out – and under a tenner face value!

Tickets: See

Genghis Tron – Blow Back

Behold The Arctopus – Some Mist

Rolo Tomassi – Abraxas

Photo: Justina Villaneuva

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Selected Releases: Monday 24 March

Mar 242008

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Foals
Antidotes

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Mystery Jets
Twenty One

The Raconteurs
Consolers Of
The Lonely

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Guillemots
Red

Does It Offend
You, Yeah?
You Have No Idea…

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The Whip
X Marks Destination

Son Lux
At War With Walls
And Mazes

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Beequeen
Sandancing

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Rameses III
Basilica

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Daniel Menche
Glass Forest

O. Rodriguez-Lopez
The Apocalypse
Inside An Orange

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Singer
Unhistories

If nothing else, this weeks’ releases have some awesome cover art, check out Daniel Menche, Rameses III, Guillemots and Mystery Jets and Son Lux in particular. Album of the week is Foals’ debut effort, leaked so long ago that it almost doesn’t qualify as a new release.Whilst album leaks are great it does lessen the anticipation of big new releases: for shame I remember the massive thrill of getting Oasis’ Be Here Now on the day of release back in 1997. Those days are long gone. Musically, this week is dominated by some of the indie scene’s middle players; both Guillemots and Mystery Jets serving up their sophomore LPs. Guillemots will be hoping to emulate the success of 2006′s Mercury-nominated Through The Windowpane with Red, while Mystery Jets (who reside a mere float upstream from here on Eel Pie Island) soldier on amongst stories of them firing Harry Harrison, the lead vocalist Blaine’s father to offer Twenty One. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez takes some time off from The Mars Volta to turn out what sounds to me pretty much the same gear, all long twiddly bits and garbled vocals. The Raconteurs attempt to ‘stick it to the man’ by announcing and releasing a record in a matter of days. Annoyingly named Does It Offend You, Yeah? ride the swelling hype-wave to put out a record of enjoyable cliches, and The Whip release X Marks Destination, containing the blistering singles Trash and Sister Siam. 

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Battle Royale
Foals – Balloons
Son Lux – Breaks
The Whip – Sister Siam

Fridays FTW

Mar 212008

These are the five tunes that have dominated my stereo habits this week: 

 Neon Neon – I Lust U
The catchiest track from Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip’s collaborative Neon Neon project. The album, Stainless Style, is a loose concept record based on the life of Ulster car-maker John De Lorean. He’s the chap that designed and built the Back to the Future car. The album is mainly 80s synth-sheen pop, with exquisite vocal contributions from Rhys, and a host of guests, including Cate Le Bon on this track.
(buy)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – 10 x 10
Last years Is Is EP was a great collection from the noisy trio. Although other tracks from the record grabbed my attention first, this is the one that has remained high up on the playlists. This track has got real strut, tearing through it’s tight riff, teased along by Karen O’s barely-restrained vocals, and attended reliably by the pounded drumkit. The EP as a whole spans the ground between their two full-length LPs and finds it a fertile place, retaining the raw noise of the first and the pained melodies of the second.
(buy)

The Whip – Trash
Highly-hyped, The Whip are indie-dance darlings of the NME. On this occasion, the comic can be forgiven for slipping into hyperbole, this track is simply fantastic. Borrowing heavily from their Mancunian compatriots The Longcut, as well as the NYC brigade (LCD, The Rapture etc.), it is a prime example of how to get this kind of track right. Originally released in 2006, this reissue precedes the full-album release, due next week.
(buy)

Jimmy Eat World – Salt Sweat Sugar
Always a pleasure this one, a rousing alt-pop-punk anthem. This was the track and the album that took JEW from ‘spacey-emo’ to rockier waters, as well as being the first I had heard of them. And after loving it first time around I promptly forgot about it, rediscovering the track about six months ago following a YouTube trawl for songs that I could barely remember, this being unequivocally the pick of the bunch.
(buy)

Portishead – Machine Gun
You disappear for the best part of a decade. You leave behind a clutch of classic songs that helped define a genre. You whip the blogging fraternity into a frenzy by playing ATP. You announce a string of big-venue dates with no new material released to support them. You barely maintain your website. You stand by as your record is leaked to the net. You rule. Third is no disappointment, it is a record that acknowledges that Portishead are famous for a sound, and plays to that sounds’ strengths. It also sounds like a record that has longevity. Good news for fans of a band with a release schedule measured in double figures. Machine Gun is the lead single, released next week.
(buy)