Una de las bandas más interesantes que ha salido del Reino Unido en los últimos 5 años, ha alcanzado su popularidad gracias a los sencillos de sus dos primeros discos: Dancing Shoes, I bet you look good on the dancefloor, Fluorescent Adolescent o Teddy Picker, que además de pegajozos, sin duda son unos temazos. Ahora los chicos de Sheffield acuden al genio Josh Homme para grabar su tercer disco y los resultados son muy gratificantes.

Comenzando con My propeller, inmediatamente llama la atención que la banda se distancia del sonido del disco anterior, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Ahora no parecen estar apurados o necesitados de hacer las canciones más rápidas que puedan componer, lo que les permite experimentar con nuevas propuestas. Así, el cuarteto se americaniza y sustituye el frat rock por una ambientación lúgubre con un sonido ligeramente sucio, que recuerdan de cierta manera la propuesta stoner del desierto de California, que el productor Homme ayudó a forjar desde los noventa con bandas como Kyuss o Queens of the Stone Age.

En conclusión, Humbug termina siendo un disco que como nieto lejano del Mojave Desert, tiene un compendio de canciones muy parecidas entre sí, donde a pesar de que no hay temas que puedan reventar en la radio o que vayamos a escuchar en una fiesta, dejan claro que la banda liderada por Alex Turner no se conforma con escribir himnos para los borrachos de Inglaterra, y han comenzado a madurar su sonido. El resultado: uno de los mejores discos de este año.

torrent.

Video del primer sencillo: Crying Lightning

Segundo sencillo: Cornerstone

Liam Gallagher a Last Shadow Puppetsből és a Rascalból ismert Miles Kane-t környékezte meg egy esetleges új banda reményében, állítólag. Mindez Liam Pretty Green című ruhamárkájának indító buliján történt – ahol egyébként megjelent többek közt Richard Ashcroft, a Kasabian és Liam Howlett a Prodigy-ből, és ahol persze nem jelent meg Liam bátyja, Noel. Az információ, egyébiránt, a brit Sun bulvárlap közvetítésével látott napvilágot. „Liam nagyon átszellemültnek tűnt. Úgy festett, mint aki éppen meggyőzni próbálja a másikat.” – így a hír közelebbről meg nem nevezett forrása.

-mr2-

hitler in my heart-antony and the johnsons-2000

hands away-interpol-turn on the bright lights-2002

heroes and villains-brian wilson-smile-2004

hold your secrets to your heart-miracle fortress-five roses-2006

in limbo-radiohead-kid a-2000

in my room-last shadow puppets-the age of understatement-2008

knot comes loose-my morning jacket-z-2005

jackie-the new pornographers-mass romantic-2000

k-hole-cocorosie-noha’s ark-2005

libraries-seabear-the ghost that carried us away-2007

lovely allen-holy fuck-2007

In the Heat of the Morning.

This marks the end of the line for David Bowie and his label Deram: it was the second single Bowie recorded that Deram rejected, despite the fact that, as with “Let Me Sleep Beside You,” Bowie was writing more commercial songs than he had in the past. It didn’t matter: Deram just wanted rid of him and Bowie left the label in April 1968.

So “In the Heat of the Morning” is a fragment of an uncompleted work. It was meant to be the centerpiece of Bowie’s second Deram LP, and Bowie and Tony Visconti do their best to shine it up: another luxurious strings arrangement, some odd instrumentation (guitar doubled with the Sooty Pixie Xylophone, the latter played by Tyrannosaurus Rex’s Steve Peregrin Took, who dubbed it the “Pixiephone”) and a Bowie vocal that’s ditched the Anthony Newley-isms for a sultrier, more commanding tone. Like “Sleep Beside You,” it’s basically a come-on with pretensions, but, hey, those can work sometimes.

First recorded in a BBC session on 18 December 1967, though the lyric was different and worse (“where cunning magpies steal your name“) and the opening riff hadn’t been developed yet. The proposed Deram single version was cut on 12 March 1968 and another BBC version was recorded a day later (as with “Karma Man,” the BBC version of this song might be its definitive recording—there’s more guitar, and Bowie’s vocal and the beat are much stronger, IMO). On Deram Anthology. Covered by The Last Shadow Puppets on their 2008 EP “The Age of The Understatement.”

Top: Shopping on King’s Road, 1968 (Another Nickel In the Machine).

Une playlist 100% british cette semaine:

The Kills: Alison Mosshart (VV) et Jamie Hince

Kills – URA Fever
Courteeners – Not nineteen forever
Arctic Monkeys – This house is a circus
The Rascals – Suspicious Wit
Glasvegas – Geraldine
Calvin Harris <3 – The Girls
Amy Winehouse- Tears dry on their own

Clip: My mystakes were made for you (Last Shadow Puppets) par Richard Ayoade qui a aussi réalisé certains épisode des Mighty Boosh. On aime la video de part son style ralenti, la noirceur laissant place à la lumière aveuglante du kiosque… et pas du tout aussi parceque Alexa Chung est en guess star au début… pas du tout…

Small piece, but you can’t argue with meeting Tom Jones, Grace Jones and Adam Ant in one afternoon. From the coverage of last year’s Q Awards.

…DUH-DUH-DUH!

Sorry…wrong song.  High five goes out to fellow blogger extraordinaire, Daft Monk, who passed along the news. It appears the good ol’ boys better known as the Pet Shop Boys are about to release single number three from the outstanding record simply titled Yes. It’s going to be Beautiful People. A song that sounds like it could have been a track on the Last Shadow Puppets record, Beautiful People features the talents of Owen Pallett from Final Fantasy and the living guitar legend, Johnny Marr.

A contemplative tune about wishing you were anywhere else instead of in your own skin, it’s yet another great song taken from an album that is a treasure trove of great music. Between you and me, The Way It Used To Be had better be the next single! Are you listening, Parlophone?!!!

“Beautiful People” by Pet Shop Boys, taken from the Parlophone/Astralwerks release, “Yes”

As subtle as an earthquake I know,
My mistakes were made for you.
And in the back-room of a bad dream she came,
And whisked me away, enthused
And it’s as solid as a rock, rolling down a hill
The fact is that it probably will, hit something
On the hazardous terrain

Dans la série, groupes britanniques qui ont des noms à coucher dehors… laissez-moi vous présenter…

THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS

Alors je sais pas vous, mais moi, je trouve qu’ils ont des gueules d’ado à peine post-pubères, tout droit sortis du lycée – quand j’étais assistante de français en Ecosse, j’avais les mêmes dans mes classes de Terminale.

A gauche, c’est Alex Turner. 23 ans. Chanteur et guitariste des Arctic Monkeys, vous savez, ce groupe indie venu tout droit de Sheffield, aux textes vitriolés et aux rythmes syncopés. A droite, c’est Miles Kane, 23 ans lui aussi, chanteur et guitariste des Rascals, un groupe formé dont le premier album est sorti en 2008, et qui n’a pas encore acquis la notoriété des Arctic Monkeys.

De cette association très probable, puisque les deux garçons partagent un univers musical très semblable, est né le groupe The Last Shadow Puppets. Un album à ce jour : The Age of the Understatement, sorti le 21 avril 2008. Aussitôt sorti au Royaume-Uni, aussitôt propulsé au premier rang des meilleures ventes. Ils n’ont pas gagné le Mercury Prize cette année-là – et vous en connaissez la raison si vous suivez !

Mais fi de faits – cet album est un rare bijou, et je m’en vais vous démontrer pourquoi.

Pour commencer, une pochette très glam, très chic, très classe, très fifties avec cette Brigitte Bardot en herbe qui rajuste ses bas en noir et blanc, la bouche entrouverte pour mieux fredonner les mélodies de The Age of the Understatement… Une pochette à la fois rétro et diablement contemporaine, parce que c’est bien connu, le rétro revient à la mode. Et surtout, une pochette très sexy…

Ensuite, 12 pistes :

1. The Age of the Understatement
2. Standing Next To Me
3. Calm Like You
4. Separate and Ever Deadly
5. The Chamber
6. Only the Truth
7. My Mistakes Were Made For You
8. Black Plant
9. I Don’t Like You Anymore
10. In My Room
11. Meeting Place
12. The Time Has Come Again

12 pistes… délicieusement rétro, comme le laissait présager la couverture. La première chanson, The Age of the Understatement, nous entraîne sur des arrangements qui rappellent les meilleurs thèmes de James Bond – et le clip, avec ses élans soviétiques, accentue cette filiation revendiquée. Et si ces deux garçons n’ont pas le sens du rythme, je ne m’appelle plus Lib.

L’ensemble de l’album se déploie sur ces thèmes rétro, ces rythmes qui rappellent tour à tour les westerns, les James Bond… ou des petites ballades, du type The Time Has Come Again ou Meeting Place, et surtout, le magnifique My Mistakes Were Made For you (qui ouvre ce billet). Gainsbourg rencontre les Arctic Monkeys, et c’est magnifique.

Car si les accents rétro de cet album sont indéniables et revendiqués, la musique de Turner et Kane n’en reste pas moins résolument moderne. Parce que le timbre de voix des deux garçons a cette juvénilité qui donne un véritable coup de jeune aux thèmes fifties de leurs composition.Ou comment faire du génialement neuf avec du vieux.

Et en bonus, parce que c’est vous… The Last Shadow Puppets reprennent SOS de Rihanna. Si si.

With very little ado about something, Arctic Monkeys have quietly sent the world a five-song “Web Transmission”, offered as a preview of their forthcoming third album, entitled Humbug. With much-analysed trips to the Mojave Desert, and a length of time spent in the company of a certain Mr. Josh Homme, the band have certainly raised expectations a notch – whereas no-one realised what a change of style Favourite Worst Nightmare would herald, the general perception of Humbug is that it’s not exactly going to be eleven re-treads of “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”. Lead single “Crying Lightning” confirmed this: four minutes of eerie, muggy and fuzzy desert rock, with siren-like guitars wailing behind Alex Turner’s typically evocative lyrics (this time with added confectionery!).

The webcast, then. There’s nothing too spontaneous about this – Radiohead’s Scotch Mist this certainly is not. The band are silhouetted in a shadowy warehouse environment, with numerous video screens showing looped close-up footage of a woman’s eyes. Now blessed with an additional fifth musician on-stage, contributing additional guitar and keyboards, the band launch into “Pretty Visitors”, where a carnival organ collides with jagged guitars. The chorus locks into a loping waltz, before a second guitar kicks in halfway through with kind of Queens Of The Stone Age-style slide work that we have come to expect. Then it’s back to the spooky waltz for the outro. The song is sprawling in its ambition, and yet tight in its musicianship – the perfect opening salvo, I suppose.

Next, the band tackle “Crying Lightning”, with a rendition that is less dependent on that intense, brain-mashing bass, and more open to improvisation with the desert-y wailing guitar. My reactions so far to Turner’s vocals are that he’s not so much singing, as attempting a kind of lurching, viscous style of rapping. Throughout, he remains resolutely sombre and dark – one has to wonder how such a tortured and complex individual tessellates so well with Alexa Chung.

The third song, which is called “Potion Approaching”, begins in a simple manner, with a repetitive, chugging riff on both guitar and bass. This whining, strangled lead guitar sound shows no sign of abating, and it’s difficult to compare it to anything else except the majority of Lullabies To Paralyze. A sludgy, psych-y refrain boasting the portentous lyrics “Yours is the only ocean that I want to hang onto” leads into a slowed-down, glammy bridge, and then back to the original chug.

Now, here comes a real highlight, as Arctic Monkeys treat us to their cover of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand”, with its Jarvis Cocker-esque lyrics that speak of viaducts, mills and stacks. The organ is mournful, and a humid middle section eventually explodes into an angry, angry outro.

The final song, for which I have no name, sadly, is a beauty. Beginning with a plinky piano intro, over which Alex Turner adds some wonderfully appropriate guitar, it alternates between a pretty, dance-y beat, and a half-speed Scott Walker ballad, with starry-eyed melodies and coo-ing backing vocals. And then, far too quickly, it’s all over, and the screen cuts to black.

First impressions? It’s not such a huge step away from the more sinister second half of Favourite Worst Nightmare as the Chinese whispers would have us believe. There’s a lot of organ, of a variety more akin to The Doors than The Horrors; the lead guitar tone appears to be fixed on a sound last heard wailing through Queens Of The Stone Age at their most tortured; and of course, Matt Helders’ drumming is characteristically enviable. The general ambition displayed in the songwriting is definitely a step forward, with sprawling song structures and a lot of effort being paid to making each minute of each song different from the last. Undoubtedly, Humbug is going to be more of a grower than its two predecessors – in all likelihood, it will alienate some of the band’s least intellectually-minded fans. Which is no bad thing, judging by the typical crowd at an Arctic Monkeys gig. I suppose the hope must be that some impressionable young people who got into Arctic Monkeys as a gateway into indie music will hear the sophisticated craft of Humbug and use it as a gateway into a whole host of interesting and challenging rock music, which the band is clearly locked into right now. I’m going to have to wait till August 24th, when the album is released, but I do think I’m going to like it, as a uniquely dark and turmoil-filled creature.

Welcome to the Walkalone by The Rumble Strips

2007 was a good year for The Rumble Strips. They were hailed by the UK music press as the next big thing (usually a curse) and their debut offerings were generally very well received. I remember them being termed as modern-day Dexy’s Midnight Runners and found that a little strange. I guess their style was kinda ska – a lot of the instrumentation and tempo reminded me of two-tone.

Fast forward to 2009 and I eagerly settle down to listen to the nemesis of many a promising band – the difficult second album. I notice that Mark Ronson has produced it and groan inwardly. Sure, it worked out for him and Amy Winehouse but it seems to me that he has already tried to replicate that sixties vibe too many times already. Anyway, I tried to keep an open mind and hit ‘play’. The first couple of tracks washed over me mostly but then I really got into track 3, Not The Only Person. It took me until track 9, Dem Girls, before I mustered up any further enthusiasm.

All the way throughout the album, something was bothering me. How the hell had they ended up sounding like The Last Shadow Puppets? A little research provided me with the answer. TLSPs arranger Owen Pallett was involved. This time my sigh wasn’t so inward. And here’s where I have a pet rant. Why is there such a clamber to sound like Scott Walker? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Scott Walker albums but it’s been done and, whilst people were quite forgiving of Last Shadow Puppets due to the novelty factor, it’s becoming tiresome already with so many bands queuing up to capture that string-laden orchestral soundscape of the sixties.

By the end of the album I began to wonder whether I had imagined how The Rumble Strips sounded two years earlier so I threw on a couple of their old tracks and, thankfully, my memory seems to be working well enough. I’ve already been accused of being stuck in the past by saying I prefer the work of The Smiths to Morrissey’s recent solo efforts and I know I am giving further ammunition to this charge by saying that 2009 Rumble Strips are a pale shadow of what that 2007 potential could have morphed into but that is exactly how I see it.

A disappointing 6/10 from me.

Sorry for the late post. I took a rather spur-of-the-moment (at least for me who plans obsessively) trip into the past to Youngstown, Ohio to visit old friends. Good to get away from here and very nice to connect with that part of my life. I was also played tons of good music so future music posts may actually have songs that could be called “new”!

Today though I wanted to share this one because its sound and look are so polished. I appreciate ultimately they are kind of ripping off past artists but since they’re ripping off a style I really like, I forgive them. The band is The Last Shadow Puppets made up of from Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane from the Rascals. This song was released almost exactly one year ago. They were Ivor Novello Award nominees this spring.

Although I feel old and creepy saying it, they are quite sexy, aren’t they?

The brand new Arctic Monkeys single ‘Crying Lightning’ is a huge departure from their previous two albums. Rather than an indie sound, it features a sludgier guitar sound more in the vein of Sabbath or Queens Of The Stone Age (not surprising as their upcoming album was co-produced by QOTSA frontman Josh Homme) and a classic rock style solo. I’m sure that many will dislike this departure, but I think it’s fantastic that they’ve taken a step forward as a band and embraced a new genre. This album should hopefully see them keep their place as the forefront of modern British rock and shows that they are not simply another ‘Indie’ band.

Brilliant art work yet again. ‘Crying Lightning’ is the new track off Arctic Monkeys‘ forthcoming album, Humbug. I wasn’t sure about it to start with. But give it a few listens.

There is a definite influence of Alex Turner’s side project Last Shadow Puppets here. But it has a lot more of a premium feel. I always thought Last Shadow Puppets were very lightweight, but the big boys are back.

‘Crying Lightning’ was co-produced by Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme, so that adds immediate calibre. Song-wise, it reminds me of the brilliant ‘Mardy Bum’, but with much stronger guitar riffs.

Turner’s lyrical ability returns here, with a complex lyrical opening leading into a very catchy chorus. There is a definite progression here yet again from their first two albums, something which will keep them a cut above from rival indie bands.

Humbug is due to be released on 24th August, so all those going to Reading or Leeds have a week or so to learn the album off by heart.

Arctic Monkeys – Crying Lightning

I really do think Arctic Monkeys have always been a substantial step ahead of their British indie rock cousins, not just because of Alex Turner’s superior, witty social commentary, but because the band’s progression as musicians has been a joy to listen to. From the wiry post-Libertines indie of their debut, through the melancholy surf rock of Favourite Worst Nightmare, to the dramatic Scott Walker balladry of Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets side project, it’s clear that their influences are far-reaching and constantly in flux, and they’ve never been afraid of channelling other sounds through what could otherwise be a pretty typical British aesthetic.

August will see the release of their third album, entitled Humbug, but before then, we are now privvy to the forthcoming lead single, “Crying Lightning”. A brief approximation would suggest the following result: it sounds like a hybrid of much of the second album, crossed with the epic grandeur of The Age Of The Understatement. It’s presently unclear which of the two producers (James Ford, Josh Homme) is responsible for this particular cut, but there are certainly elements of both individuals’ œuvre. There’s a chilling, carnival, forest vibe that echoes Queens of the Stone Age circa-Lullabies to Paralyze, but this is complemented by the breathy sense of space that I so loved on older songs like “Do Me A Favour” and “Fluorescent Adolescent”. For certain, the drums are less crisp and more military than on their sophomore effort; meanwhile, the gnarled tone of the bass and the eerie Theremin-esque guitar solo are very reminiscent of the output of Josh Homme’s day job.

Predictably, the lyrics reveal plenty of nuanced details, from the references to “pick and mix” and “strawberry lace” (which immediately reminded me of Jarvis Cocker’s similarly creepy confectionery in “The Wickerman”), to the humidity of lines like “And your past times consisted of the strange / And twisted and deranged”. Turner is evidently frustrated about something, and the cracks in his armour are appropriated in his lavish descriptions of the subject of the song – who “puff[s] your chest out like you never lost a war”.

Only the rest of the album will tell to what extent Arctic Monkeys have let their travels of the last couple of years percolate into their music, but on the evidence of “Crying Lightning”, they’ve lost none of their knack for deriving catchy melodies from surprisingly tuneless chord changes; they’re still willing to pile on the drama and the frisson through Alex Turner’s developed and mature lyrics; and, in all honesty, I can’t really imagine Humbug leaving the charts this side of the apocalypse.

Ok, this is the last post before I head off, no matter what I may have said in the last one. It’s nothing too in depth, but I just thought I’d drop in and say that I just got new jeans.

I don’t often buy clothes, and when I do, they’re usually of the whacky-internet-t-shirt variety, but these jeans are quite nice.

They’re kinda skinny-ish, but not Emo-skinny. Indie-skinny, maybe. I feel like I should be wearing an Ironic tshirt and being a snob about mainstream musicians. I went to one clothes shop to get jeans, but they didn’t have any in my size (apparently I’m too skinny. Hmph), so we went to Hallensteins down at Botany Town Center, and got the jeans there. I think they look quite good. Let’s hope the rest of the world does too.

So, in honour of my new-found Indi-osity, we shall listen to Indie Music. The Last Shadow Puppets will do nicely, I think. Enjoy.

Az album, melynek producere a már jó bevált Arctic Monkeys-hangmester, James Ford (aki a Last Shadow Puppets-album felvételeit is vezette), és a Queens Of The Stone Age-es Josh Homme voltak, még nem kapott címet, azt viszont már tudjuk, hogy augusztus 24-én jelenik meg. Sőt, most már azt is tudjuk, milyen számok lesznek rajta – legalább is a címeket most nyilvánosságra hozta a sheffieldi négyes. Íme:

My Propeller
Crying Lightning
Dangerous Animals
Secret Door
Potion Approaching
Fire And The Thud
Cornerstone
Dance Little Liar
Pretty Visitors
The Jeweller’s Hands

-mr2-

Beidzot esmu atgriezies eRokā, un šoreiz apskatīšu Aleksa Tērnera un Mailza Keina kopīgā projekta Last Shadow Puppets debijas albumu The Age Of The Understatment.

Jau sākot klausīties šo plati, uzreiz ir saprotams, ka kvalitātē būs augsta – pirmā ir albuma tituldziesma, kas, manuprāt, arī ir visspēcīgākais diska skaņdarbs – The Age Of The Understatment. Dziesma, kas izklausās pēc lieliska skaņu pavadījuma jebkuram septiņdesmito vesternam, lieliski ievada šo plati. Arī nākamā kompozīcija – Standing Next To Me – ir ļoti skaista, ieturēta mierīgākos toņos, taču turas jau iesāktajā noskaņā. Nav brīnums, ka šī dziesma kļuva par otro singlu.

Ar trešo kārtas numuru atskan Calm Like You. Arī šī ir samērā palēna, tomēr ļoti aizraujoša dziesma. Starpspēles starp pantiņiem izklausās kā nākušas no sešdesmitajiem – septiņdesmitajiem gadiem, kur īpaši jāuzteic atbildīgais par stīgu instrumentiem – Ovens Palets jeb Final Fantasy. Kā nākamā kompozīcija seko jau daudz žiperīgākā Separate & Ever Deadly, pēc kā nāk The Chamber – jau atkal viena mierīgāka dziesma.

Only The Truth jau atkal atgriežas pirmās dziesmas vesternu motīvi, kas izklausās izcili! Ļoti laba kompozīcija, kas lieliski iederas pēc mierīgās The Chamber. Septītā dziesma ir My Mistakes Were Mado For You. Jau atkal kārtējais palēnais skaņdarbs, bet šis, atšķirībā no iepriekšējiem, ir tāds nedaudz drūms, depresīvs. Jāatzīmē instrumentālā partija beigās – tā ir ļoti spēcīga.

Black Plant jau atkal atgriež mūs ātrākos ritmos. Sākumā šķiet, ka I Don’t Like You Anymore būs kārtējā pāreja uz lēno, taču nē – dziesmas vidū tā transformējas par trakulīgāko plates skaņdarbu – tā izklausas pēc Arctic Monkeys un vesternu mūzikas mīlestības augļa, taču neesmu drošs, vai tas ir tas, ko šajā platē gribu dzirdēt. Dziesma In My room sākas ar jebkurai Bonda filmai cienīgām skaņām, un turpinās tādā pat garā.

Albumu noslēdz dziesmas The Meeting Place un The Time Has Come Again. Satikšanās vieta ir ļoti jauka kompozīcija – tāda sirsnīga, pavasarīga, pieklusināta. Lieliski piestāvētu jebkurai vecai filmai, kurā rāda, kā divi jaunieši iemīlas. Tieši tāds arī šis skaņdarbs ir. The Time Has Come Again turpina mierīgo atmosfēru, un teicami noslēdz plati.

Pirms beidzu, vēlos pateikt, ka šis disks ir lielisks, taču savdabīgs. Ja šāda mūzika iet pie sirds, tad noteikti noklausāties, ja ne, tad nemaz nemēģiniet.

Albumam dodu 8,5 no 10 zvaigznēm.