Simply.......

Lets hope that Atoms for Peace make an appearance on UK shores in the coming months, but Portishead done my Mr Jonny Greenwood (Axe factor! Vote! if you listen to 6 Music) and Mr Thom Yorke, simply beautiful.....

A way for Independents in 2010 next....NEON GOLD

From listening to Primary Colours and admiring the glorious affection I have for XL Recordings, who seem to operate a tight ship when it comes to releasing gems, I've decided to look at some of the labels who start off the formidable bandwagon for talent, two words spring to mind independent and limited.

Today its focusing on Neon Gold, principally formed out of New York and London, this record label found its feet in 2008 with Lizzie Plapinger and Derek Davies, a specialisation in hearing future stars and producing limited edition releases that leaves the scensters wanting more and the A&R whipping boys scampering around to find the next gig by these fresh faced future startlets.

I looked at Neon Gold first and foremost because of the talent that has been unleashed onto the public over the last few months, Ellie Goulding reaching the top of the mountain with her lights, Marina dreaming of Hollywood and Passion Pit reeling over surprise successes (sorry for the puns, having a dodgy afternoon). The link between the US and UK/Europe has seen to have done the record label the world of good, and this ear for talent can only bring more success for the record label. With record labels like these, you can still believe that with its music hearing aids set to a high frequency we can unearth some more gems hidden underneath the somewhat stale and frequently insolent reign of the modern day pop charts (Syco, tut......tut).

From being a avid fan of the labels such as Neon Gold, a strong urge is needed to check out some of the talent that they have given a chance to and will no doubt dent some kind of indie forcefield that is relenting from endless guitar based dronings about nothing....

www.myspace.com/gotye

www.myspace.com/penguinprison

Neon Gold, thank you, KEEP IT COMING......!

A GENTLE REMINDER.......

A Gentle reminder of the genius production of Geoff Barrow (although praise to Zinner and Moulder for their work on Strange House) and the influence of Kevin Shields.....PRIMARY COLOURS.

Single of the moment, Caribou - Odessa

If Alexis Taylor was Canadian and the sound of Hot Chip had resembled an acid trip then we would have given birth to a Odessaesq hit. Daniel Snaith aka Caribou, a Musician hailing from Ontario, Canada has given us a gem of a first single off his awaited new album Swim, Odessa has a psychedelic charm about it, a processed blend of haunting sounds and computerised beats/guitar melee makes this song listenable many a time. His vulnerable singing goes hand in hand with the production work that he comprises himself. Part of the City Slang crew that has given credence to among others Arcade fire, HEALTH, Broken Social Scene and Lampchop, the A&R people working for this German Stalwart company deserve a raise (FORGET THE RECESSION) because they have unearthed anther gem in Caribou. Judging by this first single and other singles heard from his last album Andorra including Sandy and Melody Day, his new album Swim (released april 19th) is a sure fire underground hit, definately try and catch him when he plays only 3 UK shows so far being at :-




April 19th - Deaf Institute, Manchester





April 20th - Corsica Studio's, London





June 16th - Heaven, London.

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CARIBOUMANITOBA

NME Radar Tour 2010

The NME Radar tour, each year we have a renewed sense of optimism with regard to new music and this has been displayed through many ceremonies celebrated in the early months of this year (Phillip Hall Radar, Sound of 2010 and if it counts the Brits/labels critics choice), so on the back of this comes tours hence this blog looking at the upcoming NME Radar Tour that was announced this week.

The bands in question are HURTS, Everything Everything and Darwin Deez. A slice of renaissance Manchester mixed in with some New York hippy chic. I must say I feel this selection of bands merits a unusual hats off to the NME, a tour that given its name REALLY salutes new music.

First up we have HURTS formed by Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson late last year, looking at them they look more at home on the front cover of Harpers Bizzare or a French romantic 60's film directed by a very young Anton Corbjin, but the look they have crafted shouldnt put you off the music. As previously mentioned in the Sound of blog think Pet Shop Boys meets Joy Division especially with Arthur Bakers great remix of their first single 'Wonderful Life' and the original song itself adding further claims to this comparison. Having only played their first ever gig a couple of weeks back in London it will be interesting to see what Mr Hutchcraft and Mr Anderson show us on this very opportunistic tour but judging by the moody electro pop sounds, the cheap (their first video only cost £20) yet moving music videos (helps having an Edie Sedgewick character dancing around) and the styled out italian look, this is a group that could be a big influence in the year 2010.

Next up on the Manchester scene is Everything Everything, another pick in the BBC's sound of 2010 (wonder if that'll become more viable IF 6 Music goes and were left with Fearne Cotton pluggin these bands, makes me shiverrrrr), having released limited edition single My Keys Your Boyfriend, I can't help the feeling this band although producing some catchy hook ridden songs are not the right choice to pick up the indie scene where at the moment its as stale as the job market here in the UK. It will be interesting to see them live and with a New Orderesque sound maybe I could get caught hopping, but I'm guessing that I wont be.

When Creaky Boards got on Chris Martin and co's back regarding a song they did which quite honestly resembled Viva La Vida, who would have thought that a part-time member of the band would go on to have medium of early success but thats exactly what your looking at with Darwin Deez. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York I actually dont know if thats the band name or his name but I do know that he waits tables in restaurants while working with the aforementioned band. Catchy first single Constellations was probably the first song of this year which caught my interest, lo-fi guitar/keyboard sounds, Casablancas vocals and an all round happy tune which although has the first line "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are", carries on to have a broad sense of literature. I can probably confirm this band like all bands on the tour will not a mass a grand following but especially with Deez I can sense a more cult following, he is after all got the strangest hair I've ever seen and if you look at his clique you feel they look they raided C&A before its demise and just got their clothes in a particular fashionable mess. This band along with HURTS are the 2 out of the 3 I'm most looking forward to seeing, I feel maybe Mr Deez should give Gordon Raphael a ring have a notepad and pen ready and start taking tips.

The tour kicks off in Glasgow on April 26th and calls at :-

Preston 53 Degrees (27th)

Manchester Academy (28th)

Stoke Sugarmill (30th)

Middlesbrough Uni (May 2nd)

Oxford Academy 2 (4th)

Bristol Thelka (5th)

Wrexham Central Station (6th)

York Duchess (8th)

Portsmouth Wedgewood (9th)

London KOKO (10th)

Norwich Waterfront (11th)

Northampton Roadmender (12th)

6 Music - A necessity in the role of British Music.

"Less is more" "To focus on quality programming" "We want to do less better". The frequent buzz sentences I have heard on the T.V and the Internet this week from the lovable Director General Mark Thompson. First off let me introduce 6 Music, in a world where people crave the £££ hence why you dont find this kind of station on commercial giants such as Global and Bauer, 6 Music provides insightful broadcasting by its DJ's and identifiable music that wouldnt be played elsewhere because its not "popular".

Where else can I join the Black Squadron as I wake up on a Saturday morning (not for the meantime COME BACK ADAM and JOE!), hear such funny piss takes out of skins, great music sessions, insightful musical musings by Laverne during the week, Craig Charles bringing us Funk and Soul, Nemone's voice that gets me everytime and yes although everybody hates the man (and i do understand why with what 6 Music stands for) listening to George Lamb and Marc Hughes
bantering away but at the same time playing great music that in my eyes is very unique.

BUT! hold the phone a niche BOMBSHELL has struck at the BBC, to be more economically efficient it seems that the big wigs at the BBC want to get rid of such a station that serves as a great memory to a man who dedicated his life to music John Peel.

Now having studied Business at University (lord I wish I hadn't) from a commercial prospective although still wrong I can understand a need to lose a station with a niche market, what with advertising etc (sorry people thats just the way business is sometimes), but what I can't get my head around is that the BBC is a PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTER and with such programmes doesnt need to focus on ratings and listeners numbers nearly as much as a commercial broadcaster and i've had this answer come from Mark Thompson on Newsnight and Helen Boaden who came to Lincoln to give a talk (when i questioned her about it), IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE.

Another scenario which strikes me as odd is the cost of 6 Music compared to other stations at the BBC. In 2009 the BBC spent £9 million on 6 Music, this compared to £115 million on BBC Three which although at times can be entertaining surely the Beeb could cut costs on such pointless programmes like Date my Daughter, Snog? Marry? Avoid? Young Butcher of the year or the ever magnificent I believe in UFO's by Danny Dyer, is this really what people want to see, I call this a social experiment in humiliation by all acounts.

£3.4 Billion and 6 Music costs £9 million to run (thats a tenth of Mark Thompsons enourmous salary), its not exactly an economic nightmare having 6 Music which brings new music to the masses and brings hope to new bands/artists who's music would never see the light of day on Radio 1 or even 'slippers on' Radio 2, can we honestly say that music broadcasters on the more 'popular' stations would give La Roux, Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding (although she has been sucked into the machine) the light of day without 6 Music pushing it right from the start.

Lets hope the many protests which have developed (much praise to the Morters) spark a change with the directors which leads them to reverse this appauling decision. On a final note Beeb dont fear the absolute biscuits that are the Murdochs or a potential new government, maybe look into presenter salaries especially those who's shows are now pre-recorded aka watered down for harassing old men, or presenters who create such art like Car Park Catchphrase, have a good look BBC have a good long look.

P.S Listened to a song by Caribou today called Odessa on Lauren Laverne's mid morning show, I wonder if Scott Mills would play that inbetween pranking a Scottish pizza parlour, hmmmmm quality broadcasting.

Sounds of 2010, Scepticism or Optimism

The list that the BBC publishes each year, that gives music listeners the chance to revel in the most exciting acts of 2010, from what I see its either the chance to be sceptical or have a belief that this year will bring another music sensation that were come into our music players like a whirlwind.


I can understand both arguements, much like 2009 we saw some highs and lows, areas of innovation and in RETROspect areas of regurgitated synth pop but with artists wearing Camden Locks finest glittery outfits. From 2009 we had Little Boots who to be fair had her fair share of success but it seems to follow the same lineage, 6 music rave about it (as they ALWAYS find music first), Radio 1 grab hold of the poppiest single and play endlessly for a month, commercial stations pick it up and love it, festivals and gig dates insue......But is there any longevity? I cant see Little Boots releasing an inspiring second album thats BECAUSE we have a NEW!! sounds of the year in. Is ELLIE GOULDING now to follow that same path, her album Lights was released on Monday and already the daggers are out in some musical circles, with so much hype is there anywhere else to go but down.

Personally I believe Ellie Goulding along with her frequent collaborater Starsmith have created an ok album, mixing folk with electronica, radio friendly tunes that seem quite personal, in that respect her album will most probably be a success but I get the distinct impression a potential second album will have major label interests/influence which means £££ and if successful no chance to diversify.

Another act I felt should have been given more limelight and they havent (probably because they only started gigging 1 week ago at Wilton Hall Church of all places in London), is HURTS a Manchester duo who's songs smack of pet shop boys giving Ian Curtis some synth lessons on how to create upbeat yet atmospheric love songs, and with the recent announcement of the NME Radar tour, this band are definately a shout for making an impact along with the highly spiritual Darwin Deez.

In the end I cant help but remain cynical of the winners of sound of 20..... being influenced by major label big wigs who sense that they can make a few extra pounds, but not lets hope the winner can make a lasting impression to us all and not fade away like so many hyped artists/bands do.