Twin Shadow - Forget

The frankly perfect Twin Shadow, who had me hooked with ‘Slow’ a couple of weeks back have an album in a handy embeddable player (take note record companies!) Which means all I have to do is stop typing and you can enjoy the amazing, post-punk/funk-pop/hyphenated-blog-hyperbole ‘Forget’ below.

Alistair

Dead Models

Escapism. With British weather as it is, and the British complaining as they do, the closest I’ll get to California this year is riding a surf inspired sub-genre all the way to shore.

And though we’re definitely getting close to hitting sand with Best Coast charting, and the inescapable and innumerable (sea) watered down copycats that are sure (shore) to follow - to stay in this hazy bubble you’ll need to go more authentic.

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ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: THE WILL TO DEATH (2004)

2004 was a remarkable year for John Frusciante, with the release of six consistently fantastic albums he recorded in the space of six months on a break from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Released just months after Shadows Collide With People, an album that reportedly cost $300,000 to record and was very production heavy, The Will To Death was a conscious effort to be the opposite of Shadows.

“On The Will to Death, I thought it would be a good idea to make a record with very little backing vocals, because we’d done it so much on Shadows. I always have to have a new idea for each album. For The Will to Death, the idea was to have very little backing vocals. There’s a lot of other huge differences. In every way, I wanted the opposite of Shadows.” : Frusciante

A simple but beautiful album, The Will to Death works solely on the songwriting ability of Frusciante. Whilst the production is sometimes confusing with Frusciante using techniques that would seem unnatural with most other acts, he brings it together with an album that feels real through its honesty and simplicity. The main themes are life and death, but it’s definitely not a dark album with Ttought provoking lyrics and interesting harmony.

It’s very difficult to choose which album from this series deserves the title of Album of the Year, and if Curtains (the last of the series to be released, in early 2005) was released on schedule within 2004 then that would be my album of the year. Alistair on the other hand rates Shadows Collide With People at number one but for me, it is the beauty in modesty heard in tracks like The Days Have Turned and The Will to Death that makes The Will to Death one of my favourite albums of 2004.

Greg (currently in Bangkok)

Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

Don’t worry, it’s a grower…or maybe not. Shit, sorry. Have a listen and find out for yourself, I just can’t help thinking the only reason it sounds pleasant is because Casablancas’ voice = good memories of good songs. I still can’t work out if this is a good song on it’s own two feet. Maybe we need to ask someone who’s never heard The Strokes…

Alistair

Jemina Pearl ft. Iggy pop - I Hate People

I’m not gonna lie. Be Your Own Pet broke up and a little piece of me died. Then I stumbled across a Jemina Pearl single and posted it up here. Things were good for a while, I was happy with the three songs on her myspace. And then, nothing. Things got quiet, and the booze came back out.Things got dark in my life. I don’t want to talk about it.

And then, in my darkest hour, I Hate People appears on my desktop. The sun came out, birds sang. It was a good day. I smiled, because Jemina Pearl and John Eatherly have quite obviously matured their sound - where a few years ago, ‘I Hate People’ would have been screamed out in an obtuse 1:20, it’s a slick, contrapuntal 3:19 that finally showcases the sharply witty potential a band like Be Your Own Pet never quite fulfilled. Iggy Pop adds, but doesn’t steal the limelight in this oddly sweet duet of shared misanthropy (which as music fans I’m sure makes it highly relatable) and adds magnitude to the much anticipated album, Break It Up, (featuring Dave Sitek too) out on October 6.

And once again I’m happy, basking in the bittersweet precursor of what looks to be the album BYOP could never quite manage.

Break It Up.
01 Heartbeats
02 After Hours
03 Ecstatic Appeal
04 Band on the Run
05 I Hate People [ft. Iggy Pop]
06 Looking For Trouble
07 Retrograde
08 Nashville Shores
09 No Good
10 D Is for Danger
11 Selfish Heart
12 Undesireable
13 So Sick

Alistair

Jemina Pearl ft. Iggy pop - I Hate People

Rock Band: The Beatles. Definitely not sure how to feel about this.

Whilst I know Gregory wouldn’t want to be pigeon-holed, and would like to believe The Beatles are universal, I’m sure he’d be more qualified to make opinions on this new Rock Band release.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about Prince turning down Guitar Hero because he thought you should learn the real instruments instead (and the paycheck was too small). I suppose this is a valid angle, Prince didn’t want his music to be ‘trivialised’ into five buttons on a plastic guitar. So when people heard The Beatles, sacred of sacreds, would be ‘trivialised’ in a similar fashion people got mad.

I didn’t. And not because I don’t like The Beatles but because it’s not cheating. This seems to be the logic of anyone who looks down their nose at Guitar Hero/Rock Band players. I’m sure when the first racing wheel and pedals came out there were no amateur Formula 1 drivers looking down their nose at it because they understood it was a simulated experience, for anyone who would like to casually have a go. it was all the fun of the WRC without the millions of pounds of training, cars and crew.

I’m sure too, that anyone who gave it try only respected the difficulty and skill involved more. So, why are their frowns still the right way up? If you buy this game, or any other, you’ll surely gain respect for the skill and creativity involved. You’ll hear every song at a more intricate level, even when you’re not playing. You’ll become a more educated fan. I’m not sure exactly why these Beatles fans are so against it, or why they make such angry forum posts, but it seems to me like the most efficient use of £40 possible to make the world a more Beatles friendly place.

Alistair

You can now leave your opinion via Facebook Link, so let us know what you think:

• Are The Beatles too good for Rock Band?
• Would you buy it?
• Is it ‘too easy’?
• Are you playing the console instead of the real thing?

Emergency Sun Mix

So, for anyone in the UK, you’ll notice the weather has been, well, acceptable recently- and because of this you’ve had a chance to bring out those horrifically scenester sunglasses. Problem is, they’re just so ridiculous you are going to need this mix blasting out of a stereo in order to reasure people that you are in fact down with the kids, rather than someone who shops regularly at a charity shop.

1901 Phoenix

I Go I Go I Go Wave Machines

To Kingdom Come Passion Pit

Pistol Of Fire (Mark Ronson Remix) Kings Of Leon

Two Weeks Of Hip Hop (Dead Prez vs Grizzly Bear) The Hood Internet

You Came Out We Have Band

Magic Show Electric Owls

Dreams About Her Gramatik

Email us for a rapidshare link if you like it that much.

Alistair

May 2009 Best Of…

We’ve just discovered www.8tracks.com and will now be posting actual music (!) up at the end of every month, wrapping up every great song that’s been born recently. A sort of catch-up if you will, for anyone waking up from a music colma.

Check back tomorrow for our albums of 2009 so far.

Alistair