Ah Foals. I labour the point, we all know I adore them by now but it seems only right that with this brilliant new single, I remind you of their brilliance. This is actually one of my favourite tracks from Total Life Forever so I’m delighted to see it getting a commercial release.
Buy it, download it, enjoy it. Sod that, get the album- if you don’t have it yet, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!
Did I mention I quite like Foals?
If you can tell me that, I admit it, I’ll be impressed. I can’t. And it’s for that very reason I just don’t feel able to cough up over £50, once you count in the notorious booking fee, to book a ticket for the Foo Fighters live at Milton Keynes. MILTON KEYNES, my very home town, where I have a bed less than half an hour’s walk from the stage.
Yes, the line-up is fantastic, yes, on balance, the gig probably will be worth that kind of money but I plan my life around music enough as it is- there I was thinking booking tickets for Spring gigs now seemed a little premature. Is it just me, or is ticket booking taking place earlier and earlier? There’s something very sanitising about this, the idea that ‘attending a concert should be something one plans with precision’ and it’s an idea I just can’t buy into. There is also a business side to this that the cynic in me can’t help but notice; the earlier we buy these tickets and think little of it, the more time the vast sum of money coming in from ticket sales has to accumulate interest for the promoters before being required to pay the artistes. I understand the industry is struggling and needs to make money somewhere but in amongst planning a Winter getaway and starting to make lists of Christmas gifts, I just can’t find that kind of money for something in over 6 months. Even Glastonbury appreciate this by offering the deposit scheme.
And that is why I know I will be missing out on the Foo Fighters- because, funnily enough, my finances don’t operate 9 months in advance and surely this country has learnt its lesson about credit cards by now?
I’m not sure if it’s that this album is better or if my tastes are changing or if it’s a combination of the above but here is the first single from Belle & Sebastian’s latest album ‘Write About Love’ and I’m actually rather liking it, despite the fact it is just as twee as B&S have always been…
I saw them at Latitude. I’m not going to lie, they were dull. But in the right situation, this is a very pleasant ditty. Meanwhile, I’m off to hunt out something that is better than pleasant. (psssst….read the post below if you want something truly amazing to listen to. Sorry, sorry, that is the last time I plug Hammer & Anvil. For now, at least…)
Here it is ladies and gentlemen….
The moment I’ve been waiting for, today is the release of Pure Reason Revolution’s third studio album, Hammer & Anvil.
And oh my, it is a brilliant album. I’m not going to ramble on and on about why I love it so much or why these guys are my favourite band, creeping in above Radiohead and other such prolific artists. I’m going to let the album do the talking. But please do check it out, give it a listen and if (if? Who am I kidding…WHEN…) you like it, please buy it and support them.
In summary, today is a happy day.
Here we have the video for Darwin Deez’s new single, Constellations. I’ve got to admit, the album didn’t do an awful lot for me but I saw them play this year at Secret Garden Party and they blew me away- not really for the music as such but for their amazingly fun performance. I’ve never seen a band get a crowd to go from nonplussed to totally engaged in such a short space of time (especially not on the Sunday afternoon of a pretty heavy weekend…)
So, here you have it. If you’re feeling low or gloomy, stick this band on and it should definitely help the mood disappear.
You like the Kings on Leon? Try this for a size…it’s better. The band are called Menomena, so they get extra points for having an amazing name.
This is a band called Dog Is Dead…and basically, it feels like they may aswell be called Vampire Weekend Pt II. However, this song is cheery enough and full of jolty pop charm so it’s worth a listen all the same. I can’t help but feel that songs like this should only be released in May, June or July mind you, it’s just too summery for a freezing September…
Freelance Whales - Hannah
Absolutely loving this track at the moment. I caught this band live at Leeds Festival this year and they were suitably enchanting and totally absorbing. It’s a genuine shame I don’t find the same can quite be said for their whole album but this track is gorgeous and happy and uplifting and generally lovely. Lovely.
Villagers - That Day
This is Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip’s last single from their latest album ‘The Logic of Chance.’ It maybe isn’t my favourite track on the album, maybe as it is one of the most traditionally ‘hip-hop’ tracks they’ve done for a while but everything these gusy do deserves some serious recognition- Scroobius Pip especially, is such a brilliant lyricist/poet and so clever.
