Brilliant....Mr Adam Buxton

Save 6 Music (http://www.love6music.com/)

M.I.A - Born Free

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Yes fresh from child birth and a distinct love of making a statement in the modern new age ten(ties) M.I.A has linked up with Rusko to release her 3rd full length album currently untitled (you decide apparently so get on it!), and with it comes judging by a free Mp3 entitled There's space for ol dat i see (no my spelling has not gone to shit) and this rather graphic video for the song Born Free you get the feeling that ones immense rise to fame coupled by in the mainstream associations with T.I and Danny Boyle, the song has a certain influence to highlight people's ignorance of issues that need to be discussed and Miss M.I.A has not shyed away from making this point as brutally as possible.

Teaming up with Roman Gavras who's C.V includes directing music video's for French electro duo Justice which depicted strong parisian gang violence, Mr Gavras is no stranger to courting controversy, the purpose of this video seems to highlight a marauding military service seeming to punish a loosely based minority (in this case being ginger people) and uses this vague scenario to highlight what seemingly is rhetoric towards war but inclining in my view that although we are born free we still live as a subject as opposed to a citizen.

The song itself being honest leaves alot to be desired but saying that, it lasts for 9 minutes and in my opinion is making more a point then actually formulating a smash hit, known for hit records since the inception of Kala, Born Free and the rest of the unamed album I feel will take M.I.A in a new direction, making music that points towards cultural significance and tredding in areas that many wouldn't, the song, just for the video is bound to cause a stir, lets see if it does....

Instigate Debate....An actual viewpoint

If there was any a moral obligation it would be aimed at the 6th May for our young voters in the general election, a chance to vote for our democracy and a chance to really stamp our cradled feet into the horizon, or if your like me (a cynic) its another chance to be ignored but in the process having the slightest glimmer that maybe your voice will be heard and you won’t be shouting into closed industry or in a class size as big as the queue to sock Cameron in his smarmy mouth.

Instigate Debate is a brilliant way of attaining a media obsessed nation into NOT voting for some second rate pub singer from Doncaster who’s mum has cancer and so is doing it for HER, it’s an obsession primarily formed on opinions that are TRUE but are so far from media agenda’s nobody is either a. Familiar with such concepts or b. Doesn’t give two shits, which is fair enough we are all entitled to like what we like, hear what we hear, see what we see.

A scheme set up as a cultural and political look into people’s views on various issues, the concept was started by political activist Mark Donne in 2008, and unlike charity’s prone temptation for stars to pontificate themselves on how much their doing and delivering speeches the strike a chord with modern day unfortunate charitable mendacity not amongst the organisations themselves but by the top earner musicians who constantly berate the ‘normal’ people into doing more (don’t believe me then get on True Stories: Starsuckers).

Musicians who have taken part in these questions which encourage people to film such interviews on phones, digital camera’s, or if you have the dollar even actual proper equipment, a range of topics are covered from the Murdoch empire to the question of personal wealth, the interviews encompass a transient feel but I feel it gives good grounding on people we viably respect as musicians/artists and gives an alternative view to the negative connotation we give people in the public eye.

If your looking for personal views of people and the world that we sometimes put off from thinking about then have a look on the media conglomerate that is Youtube, below is an interview conducted on the beat with former NME Journalist Conor McNicholas, very interesting, also below is the interview conducted with Reverend and the Makers front man Jon McClure, look them all up! You never know an impromptu house gig to celebrate your documentation with the 'stars' could be your reward (moving with the times, people have to offer things now.....)

The return of Coxon aka Blur - Fool's Day

Yes the cries of independence reigned for many months and with that brought back 2009's greatest come back Blur to the forefront in giving the fans original material with Graham Coxon since 2003's Think Tank (in which he most probably alcohol induced provided a guitar line for Battery In Your Leg). Yes the boys went into the studio and gave us just over 2 minutes of comeback material entitled 'Fool's Day', available on 7 inch vinyl (quickly sold out) and as an MP3, but what to make of it....

The first thing you can say is that Damon Albarn's obsession when Coxon left of samples, exotic instruments, potential Fatboy producers and an unyielding desire to release an estranged Blur from the early days has disappeared on Fool's Day, upon hearing the first 30 seconds, you can instantly be tuned into Coxon's lead guitar and familiar Albarn vocals.

What I got from Blur was a complex simplicity in their music in which so many people could relate to, lost in the wilderness through problems, Fool's Day oozes you back into the old swagger and charm of the Blur of yester year, simple arrangements that make you feel at ease with yourself, its definately a resounding yet sneaky back door return for Blur in terms of the music, lets hope after many a side project the boys can reconvene and create the days that had me thinking it may be acceptable to include Phil Daniels in a music video.

Record Store Day 2010...

Record Store Day 2010
The Importance

An obtuse mind is seemingly the mindset of a media brainwashed society nowadays, case in point a 16 year old little nit who through plenty of marketing $$$ and quite frankly a ridiculous attention span of a generation has become a star in a month, but today pessimism isn’t the chosen word (although necessary in that case) as its Record Store Day, an ode to local record stores throughout the UK that tirelessly keep independence alive from giant corporate conglomerates.

For this day celebrates all that record stores stood for and still do in a much smaller domain. The power of technology has effectively destroyed the premise of record store day, the closure of many adding to the emphasis of customers who rely nowadays on an easier route (usually Amazon, not going to lie I do it myself).

Bands such as Geoff Barrow’s Beak will take to various stores in and around the UK to play instore gigs to celebrate the notion that going out and supporting independence is still burning bright and with other more mainstream influential artists such as Blur, The Rolling Stones, Flaming Lips and Babyshambles releasing new and rare (in the case of the Stones) material.

Lets hope that this day not forces a new generation of demographics to scrap technology in favour of popping down to your local record store (we all know there is approximately…No chance of that EVER happening), but the commemoration of such influential stores in and around the UK in which we should all stand up and thank by trading in a CD, buying a vinyl or just having a moment to yourself with some headphones and your favourite album.

List of instore appearances: -

Bristol, Rise Records:
Jim Moray (2pm)
Hi Ficiton Science (3pm)
Wilder (4pm)
Zun Zun Egui (5pm)
Thought Forms (6:30pm)
Beak> (7:30pm)
The Blessing (8:30pm)


Cardiff, Spillers Records:
The Automatic
Christopher Rees
Cosmo
Bullet For My Valentine (DJ set)
Bethan Elfyn (DJ set)
DJ Rascal (DJ set)
Gary ‘Twisted By Design’ (DJ set)
Ben and Sam (DJ set)

Cheltenham, Badlands Records:
Calmer Records acts (10am - 4pm)

Edinburgh, Avalanche Records:
The Sundancer (noon)
TV21 (3pm)
Desertersdeservedeath (featuring members of Saint Jude’s Infirmary) (5:30pm)

Farnham, 101 Collectors Records :
Wax Jams
Jonathan Thompson

Glasgow, Avalanche Records:
YAK (plus more acts to be confirmed)

Kent, Sound House:
Pete Molinari
Tallulah Rendall
Jason Steel & Nancy Wallace

Leeds, Crash Records:
The Paddingtons (2pm)
Jon Jones & The Beatniks Movement (4pm)
Pulled Apart By Horses (6:30pm)
The Sunshine Underground (8pm)

Leeds, Jumbo Records:
Jonjo Feather (9:20am)
Wilful Missing (11:30am)
Serious Sam Barrett (2:30pm)

London, The Dream Machine (at The Half Moon Pub):
The Lorenz Attractor
Eat Lights; Become Lights
Her Name Is Calla
Library Tapes
Woodchucker
Epic45
Spotlight Kid
Codes In The Clouds

London, Pure Groove:
Family Saturn (10am)
David Tattersall (noon)
Babeshadow (1:30pm)
Silver Columns (3pm)
Bombay Bicycle Club (6pm)



London, Rough Trade East:
Pulled Apart By Horses (11am)
Caribou (noon)
Laurie Anderson (2pm)
Sweet Billy Pilgrim (3pm)
Ash (4pm)
Michael Rother of Neu! (signing) (5pm)
Pin Me Down (6pm)

London, Rough Trade West:
Alan Pownall (12:30pm)
Eliza Doolittle (1:15pm)
Jesca Hoop (2pm)
The Magic Numbers (3pm)
I Am Arrows (4pm)
Erland And The Carnival (4:45pm)

London, Banquet Records (gigs take place at The Fighting Cocks):
Cancer Bats (2pm and 4pm)

London, Kingston Hippodrome:
Tinie Tempah, Professor Green (10pm)

Newcastle, Reflex:
Chris Riley (1:30pm)
Emily Portman (2:30pm)

Caribou - Swim

Upon listening to Swim this afternoon, I get the distinct impression that Mr.Daniel Snaith (aka Caribou), got his science experiement hat on, locked himself in a room filled with the following -

1. An Apple Mac

2. A copy of Ableton live 8

3. A Korg MicroKorg

4. A copy of Now (mid 90's)

5. A sheer determination to create something unique

6. A MIDI Keyboard and a truck load of sounds and samples.

Armed with this, Caribou has created a brilliant album, a seminal mix of different influences, sounds and crafts it begs the question whether the City Slang stablemates album will be enough to influence the bedroom generation to follow suit (on his website he gives fans the chance to remix 'Sun', giving entrants all the MIDI sequences).

I get the feeling Caribou's spot on meticulous approach to this album is a big reason it caught my ear, listening to first single 'Odessa' which has been reviewed before, the different musical elements that create a sort of a+b = who knows approach works so well, and this trend continues on throughout the whole album.

An album that takes you from A to X in a flash is so prominent, from the subtle scare ridden ride of Odessa, Snaith takes you to Kaili which makes you feel like your in a Manchester warehouse at 2am arms aloft talking codshit about how your all the same but systems keep you apart, a long and stupid analogy I know but thats what Swim provides you with, a chance to relate songs with completely ridiculous juxta defying scenarios.

One thing that stays throughout the album though is Snaith's versatility when it comes to using different instruments, it just works so well as you charter your way through the album. Snaith has created a dance master piece and it is an early contender for album of the year, because of the unique difference Swim takes you on. When Ed Banger released Justice on the dance weary nation, the genre rejuvenated itself to be about hardcore slash electro, people lapped it up but Caribou's new take I feel given the right amount of time, a new set of mathematicians will crawl out of the bedroom and onto Soundcloud to deliver us so much needed versatility in the world of dance.

To sum up, GET IT!

Here is the album for your take - (Courtesy of Soundcloud)

(Ellen and the Escapades)
(JJ)

Ones to watch……

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been engrossed in the sounds of three bands in particular, they’ve given rise to the accolade of WATCH OUT! They are….

Warpaint –

Imagine if Kevin Shields had met these 4 young upstarts from the US had given them some tips, the best reverb pedal and an extended tremolo and told them to unleash something that The xx are trying to spark here in the UK. But with this quartet, I feel that they are about to embark on a contrasted journey, not just through music but through the pop mainstream that’ll make the lamest of radio DJ’s sit up and take notice.

Having only released Exquisite Corpse, a self-funded EP with 6 songs that sit on the verge of beautiful stillness, a vague dream that you try to remember but the voices transcend into nothing more than elegant murmurs that racks your brain for an extended period, that’s what Warpaint bring with such songs as Burgundy, Stars and the superb Billie Holiday, its simple well constructed art is much like The xx but lifts the mood more frequently.

Having only just been signed by Rough Trade here in the UK, a big thanks to Geoff Travis who has a uncanny ability to pluck these gems from thin air and much like the artists at Rough Trade will not be subjected to mainstream mediocrity that often dents the original ideas behind making such beautiful music, if you like Au Revoir Simone but with a bit more attached feeling then Warpaint need to be listened to.

If I had the funds then I would most certainly be checking them out when they hit the UK shores in the next couple of months at :-

12th May – London, Luminaire
13th May – Tunbridge Wells, Forum
14th May – Brighton, Great Escape Festival

JJ –

It appears that I’m on a reverb junkie fix, but honestly I’m not, its just the bands that are appealing to me at the moment, currently on tour in the US with surprise surprise The xx, the band currently signed to Secret Canadian caught my eye when they released ‘Ecstasy’ an ode to swallowing a little pill and your vision and train of thought being more blurred than the decision to axe 6 Music.

But look past the some would say cheap attempt to gain some notoriety but just slowing down a Lil Wayne record and you’ll see a band full of versatility that will shatter a Chupa Chup, listening to tracks from JJ n° 3 such as Let Go and My Life, you can feel a reverb renaissance coming to the forefront in 2010 to an audience that eat up The xx’ debut album and want to come back to the music dinner table to digest some more, with JJ you get that little extra that sits perfectly well, currently touring the US lets hope that they hit the UK shores in the very near future.



Ellen and the Escapades –

Sowing kits, hair bands, 5 members from Leeds and a folksy charm that will sing even to those who obtuse natures denies them ever getting behind bands that do not fit into idolised culture, Ellen and the Escapades are the latest of the folk stalwarts who are set to make a big impact in 2010 much like the way Laura Marling at present and the shit in the field band (meaning their everywhere to me and you) Mumford and Sons.

The sowing kit mentioning is in line with the way they packaged their debut single, independently released ‘Without You’ a beautiful melodic single about the usual ‘relationship complications’ but it strikes a chord with me unlike many songs that cast a stereotype about being fucked over in a relationship, on that basis you would probably be 50/50 on the listen front but if you give Run and Yours to Keep a chance, a more serious well brought together package of music, then you’ll understand why they’ve been chosen as one of the emerging acts to play this years Glastonbury festival.

Having already been hyped by such well known entities like BBC Introducing and having performed at Reading and Leeds last year as part of the BBC’s attempt to champion new artists, it appears 2010 may be the year that Ellen Smith and co make a strong impact on the alternative scene, with help from acts already breaking through the stench of debris that regularly graces us on a regular cycle, catch them as they tour around the country namely, Live at Leeds, The Bedford in London, Fuel Café Bar in Manchester and as aforementioned a main stage slot at Glastonbury.