Flava Past |
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New CD's reviewed below - Archie Bronson Outfit, Arctic Monkeys, Charlatans Album, Common Redstarts, Delays, Flaming Lips Album, Infadels, Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins, The Like, Lorraine Album Sampler, The Malcontents, Mobile, Stereophonics Live Album, Test Icicles |
New Arctic Monkeys ... |
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Test Icicles - Skip To The End new EP 24 April Sam E. Slaughter, Raaary Decihells and Dev Metal collectively known as Test Icicles are releasing 'Dig Your Own Grave' a collection of unreleased versions, raw demos and remixes from 'For Screening Purposes Only'. Staging a goodbye mini-tour in mid April starting at Glasgow Garage on the 18th April, then Sunderland Manor Quay 19th, Manchester Academy2 20th, Coventry Colliseum 21st and rounding off at London's Astoria on the 22nd. You may need ear-plugs. XXX www.test-icicles.com (Posted 8 April) |
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Delays - Hideaway new single 1 May Delays have been embelishing their renewed singles success with Valentine with appearances on TOTP, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Channel Four's Album Chart Show. The excellent new album 'You See Colours' now spawns another hit single 'Hideaway' this is really good pop material, well honed and superb production. The band have just confirmed for the V Festival with more dates on the way, starting on 23rd & 24th April at Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, then Manchester, Exeter, Cambridge and Edinburgh. Brave enough to be pop and quality pop too! XXXX www.thedelays.co.uk (Posted 8 April) |
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Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - You Are What You Love new single 1 May Former Rilo Kiley lead singer Jenny has just released her debut solo album, the chilling 'Rabbit Fur Coat' with the help of Kentucky's virtuoso gospel pairing The Watson Twins. 'You Are What You Love' is the second single to be released from it. You may have seen her with Jonathan Rice last month and she with the Watsons are playing more UK dates starting at Brighton Hanbury Ballroom on the 16th April, then Gateshead Saga, Glasgow Debating Chambers, Manchester Lowry and London Shepherd's Bush Empire on 27th April. Tasty countrified gospelly goodies XXXX www.jennylewis.com (Posted 8 April) |
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Infadels - Love Like Semtex new single 15 May Infadels follow-up to 'Can't Get Enough' is another pounding floor-shaker with a daunting title 'Love Like Semtex'. It could be painful, there is a quite interestingly different approach to the vocal here, kinda reminiscent of the Jungle days of 1990 when every second beat per bar seemed to feature a high pitched hiccup a-la Rebel MC 'Street Tuff' stylee. Semtex is a fine tune and this band want to crack the dancefloor as well as the charts, thumping bass a plenty - good stuff. XXXX www.infadels.co.uk (Posted 8 April) |
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The Malcontents - Up and Down new demo available now My xplosure partner Adzie and myself took a trip to The Point in Cardiff to watch some new bands with something in common, each were high school bands with an average age of 13. The Vale of Glamorgan's Malcontents feature here with some considerable talent on display Simon Thomas on guitar, Rhys Athum on bass and drummer Steffan Kitchen. Three songs 'Up & Down', 'Something's New' and 'Fast Paced World' show a desire to write something contemporary and popular and not a bum note along the way. This is living proof that there is plenty of talent waiting for a break and absolutely no excuse for mediocre local radio 'brands' ignoring it. XXX www.myspace.com/themalcontentsband (Posted 8 April) |
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Charlatans - Simpatico new album 10 April Hmmm well, 'Blackened Blue Eyes' is brilliant and the remainder of the album seems upon first listens a little lost in a kind of reggae / ska no man's land. It's almost as if The Charlatans have been listening to The Ordinary Boys and some Bob Marley Dub and conjoured up a mixture of the two. Plenty of baggy bass and echo and as with the return of the piano on 'Blackened Blue Eyes' it's pleasing to hear a return of the harmonica on 'City Of The Dead'. I wish I could pick out an obvious second single follow-up to Blue Eyes but alas I can't ... medium marks here. Full UK tour dates to be announced shortly XXX www.thecharlatans.net (Posted 8 April) |
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Archie Bronson Outfit - Dead Funny new single 22 May "Rhythm & Dada from South London's swamp swelling crowd pleasers .... a rollicking tale of oral pleaure, manic depression and disco dancing ... written during an intense period of research and development prior to capturing it's raw boned funk in Nashville Tennessee". So sayeth the PR and that's a pretty good description of the unusual sound made by The ABO "Pendulum bassline and prison door guitars, seasoned with a dash of distorted vibraphone", I fancy this band could be enormous or get a fantastic 15 minutes of fame or get ignored completely for being 'too culty', it's an aquired listen. XXXx www.archiebronsonoutfit.co.uk (Posted 8 April) |
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The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics new album 3 April Wish I'd been in the Spongebob Movie with The Flaming Lips, 'At War With The Mystics' should see them move ever closer to Centre stage. The brilliant single 'Yeah Yeah Yeah Song' will give you a a definitive idea of where these guys are coming from ... poking fun in a most ironic and ruthless way at the notion of wealth and power. This three-piece Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins were inspired to pursue a more vehement sound after covering Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' XXXX www.theflaminglips.com (Posted 8 April) |
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The Like - What I Say & What I Mean new single 15 May I Like The Like dot com, and there's a lot of mobney and some very experienced management behind this new female trio from Holloywood, California. 'What I Say' received a limited release last year and now gets a second and bigger push from Geffen Records (John Lennon's last label). This is a good song and in fact their album 'Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking' is an extremely good debut and well worth a listen. I reckon this'll go Top 40. XXXx www.ilikethelike.com (Posted 8 April) |
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Lorraine - I Feel It (Cicada Remix) new single 10 April Lorraine hail from Norway, they are Ole Gunnar Gundersen, Anders Winsents and Paal Myran Haaland. Influences detected here well ermmmm A-ha, 'I Feel It' is a superb pop single, an intimate sexy male vocal, catchy chorus, fine lyrics and great mor production - made for Radio One & Two ... The Cicada Remix is another work of art and thoroughly listenable for ze masses, in fact I can't wait to see them at Friday's Mad4it! XXXx www.lorrainemusic.com (Posted 8 April) |
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The Stereophonics - Live From Dakota new album 3 April Stereophonics are at the height of their success, their bigger than ever, the long awaited numbe one 'Dakota' puts them in a rare league with Mr. Blobby, The Beatles, Westlife, The Spice Girls and The rolling Stones and around only 800 other acts in the past 54 years. This could have been a greatest hits album but as a live it is testament to the big stadium live shows they've become accustomed to playing. It pains me to say I kind of miss Stuart Cable's solid drumming, some of these tracks seem to lose pace and the dramatic effect of stripping down 'Local Boy' doesn't work to well because of it. Of the 20 songs highlights are 'Dakota' which the new Phonic drummer made his own and the ever fresh 'A Thousand Trees'. XXx www.stereophonics.com (Posted 8 April) |
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Mobile - Tomorrow Starts Today taster not yet released This is a fine, perky debut from Mobile who hail from Montreal, moved to Toronto and now plan world domination. As the PR says "Boyhood chums and amigos all, prior to their self-enforced captivity they'd been playing together for upwards of 15 years in various shapes and morphing forms that never strayed too far from the core. Close to a lifetime of shared musical history and carefully constructed creative intuition hermetically compressed into a dangerously tight unit." Canadian band Mobile have just been signed to Interscope Records who are sending this out as a taster for the band, their debut single to be released soon. Look out for Mobile, XXXx www.mobiletheband.com (Posted 9 April) |
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The Common Redstarts - Killing Street new single 27 March A storming little tune with an ominous title best played loud, click the their myspace link below to hear just how loud. The Common Redstarts are from Edinburgh and have playing the Edinburgh scene for 4 years under the name of Parka. They play their own style of indie/rock n roll and have recently signed with London independant label Seeca records. Their first single "Save It For Your Friends" won Steve Lamacq's Rebel Playlist on BBC 6Music, they were featured as Dermot O'Leary's New Choon on Radio 2 and won Fresh Meat Section of Zane Lowe's show on Radio 1. 'Angel-Eyed Friend' is more Oasis than Oasis, this band are powerful and on the up. XXXx www.myspace.com/thecommonredstarts (Posted 9 April) |