THE TIME MACHINE

Yet another new feature. Should be a good'un. Basically if a good track shuffles up on me in iTunes and it's rather old (i.e. hasn't come out in the last six months or so) or obscure (compared to like Oasis, Arctics, Franz) then I shall extol it's virtues for you lot. Simples? And the honour of being first featured in this, er, feature goes to......*drumroll*

>>>The Walkmen>>>The Rat>>>
Washington-via-New York garage-rockers The Walkmen's biggest hit is undoubtedly "The Rat". Released in 2004, it's stood the test of time through the "death" of the garage-rock scene of the early '00s as well as the rise and fall of nu-rave and can definitely be considered a modern classic. The guitars never let up for a second, thrashing at chords for the entirety of the song, whilst the superbly named Hamilton Leithauser's vocals would prove a challenge for anyone attempting this at karaoke in that you'd have to have gargled glass to sound the same. The organ adds another dimension to the sound, giving a retro feel whilst making the song somehow danceable in an odd sort of way and the drumming is relentless. Even air-drumming the first minute or so will leave you knackered (this is the voice of experience speaking). Plus, they're Russell Howard's favourite band, so you know they've got to be good.
10
(no way of embedding the video, but here's a link to it :])

MAKING PROGRESS
The Rakes - Klang!























The curse of the third album has affected a number of bands as of late. The Kaisers have pretty much fallen from their position of golden boys of indie disco after "Off With Their Heads", My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy have become the targets for all hatred of emo, Bloc Party's "Intimacy" dropped under the radar about a week after release as did Razorlight with "Slipway Fires" and The Futureheads with "This Is Not The World". Of course, the "curse" used to be for the second album, but it appears that with so many bands upping their game for their sophomore effort, they fall at the hurdle for their third. The Rakes' debut "Capture/Release" is an undeniable modern classic, follow-up "Ten New Messages" was harshly criticised upon release but was still distinctly average. Now, with new album "Klang!", recorded in and influenced by Berlin, it remains to be seen whether the band is back on track.

Any album that begins with the line "Sometimes you can't smell the shit 'til you're in it" is on to a winner straight away, so the signs are good with opener "You're In It", which sounds a bit like "Violent" from "Capture/Release". But from here for a good few tracks, The Rakes turn into caricatures of their former selves. The songs in particular aren't bad, just indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd. The only hope is that they somehow burst into life when played live. The album's lead single "1989" is definitely the highlight up to now. A bonkers burst of energy to throw yourself around the room too along with a "la la la" chorus puts it amongst the best of The Rakes' arsenal. "Shackleton" is just as mad and just as good. "The Light From Your Mac" is built around what sounds like an Interpol bassline and oh-so-modern lyrics about a Mac that will most likely be dated in a few years, though that doesn't stop it from being a tune. "Muller's Ratchet" is possibly the worst song on the album, coming off like The Libertines if they got real and stopped dreaming of Albion and Arcadia, but much, much better. Album closer "The Final Hill" is quite an ominous-sounding anti-institution rant that is the best example of The Rakes' "Jam-meets-Joy Division" sound and shows they still have ideas left.

After a minor slip-up with "Ten New Messages", it would appear that The Rakes are back on their way to the top of the indie pile, even if "Klang!" is just half an hour long. Sure, there are a handful of below-par tracks, but in the age of shuffling and iTunes, they can easily be ignored. They may never hit the heights of "Capture/Release" again, but as long as The Rakes keep churning out nuggets of indie-rock madness then they'll have a long future ahead of them.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "You're In It", "1989", "Shackleton", "The Final Hill",
FOR FANS OF: The Jam, Joy Division, The Maccabees, Franz Ferdinand, The Streets, Arctic Monkeys
7

SHE'S AT IT AGAIN
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

The newly Twitter-addicted princess of pop has returned after two years of being a "celebrity". After exploding on to the pop scene with "Smile", Lily Allen has gone from ska-inflected blogger to the tabloids own version of Paris Hilton/any random party girl to a proper pop star. But the ska influence has disappeared from her sound, and it's for the best.

"INM,IY" begins with the big electropop sounds of "Everyone's At It", surely the best use of sirens since Klaxons' "Atlantis To Interzone". Okay, the lyrics aren't exactly subtle about ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE USING DRUGS apparently. It's sure to get right up stuffy Daily Mail readers' noses, but to everyone else, this kind of shock tactic is a little on the weak side. Coupled with the superb Number One that is "The Fear", it seems like Miss Allen is vying for the title of the "Voice Of The Nation". Based on the first two efforts, she's in pole position. But from here on in, "INM,IY" falls a little flat. Lily certainly knows her way around a couplet or two, for example on the countrified pop of "Not Fair": "There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way/When we go up to bed, you’re just no good, its such a shame/I look into your eyes, I want to get to know you/And then you make this noise and its apparent it’s all over". If you were on the end of that putdown, then I feel sorry for you.

The lyrics and Allen's voice are pretty much the two best point of the album. The music varies from electro pop to Eurovision-esque to music hall, but it's just not that interesting as "Alright, Still". "Who'd Have Known" is just a simple pop ballad of longing, but the melody is taken from Take That's "Shine" and despite that being a classic song, it does nothing to help lift this. "Fuck You" is a pretty obvious attack on George Bush/The BNP/basically anyone right wing. Whilst it's a great sentiment, the excessive swearing is just attention seeking, however catchy it may be.

Apart from a few dashes of brilliance, "INM, IY" is average for someone of Allen's talents. Although she's a better pop star than she is a socialite, she may want to spend a little more time on album number three. Obviously the fact that the album is below Allen's rather high standard won't affect any chart success, but we can live in hope that her next album will be a proper pop classic. Perhaps.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Everyone's At It", "The Fear", "Fuck You", "Not Fair"
FOR FANS OF: Kate Nash, Ladyhawke
5

CAUGHT IN A WEB
Spider And The Flies - Something Clockwork This Way Comes


















With an album title that alludes to "A Clockwork Orange" and made by Rhys "Spider" Webb and Tom "Tomethy Furse" Cowan of The Horrors, you know you're in for something that is more than a bit out of the ordinary. For the most part, the album sounds like it's from the soundtrack of a sci-fi/horror flick from the 60s or like sounds you'd expect to be eminating from a mad scientist's lab.

"Clockwork" is greatly influenced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and its retro-futuristic sounds. It isn't something you'd really wan played on a night out, and it's not chart-topping indie-pop. But it is experimental, it is instrumental and represents the confidence and talent of its two creators. And what's more, "Clockwork" is infintely more listenable than The Horrors, which is always a plus...although not exactly a hard thing to be.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Jungle Planet", "Metallurge", "Teslabeat" FOR FANS OF: The Horrors, Holy Fuck
7

SHINING LIGHTS
Red Light Company - Fine Fascination
You know Snow Patrol right? Those well known purveyors of mum-rock (like dad-rock, but not angry, dangerous or ballsy)? Even though they're not cool or rock 'n' roll doesn't mean they're a bad band, just a bit vanilla. But luckily Red Light Company are here! Like a good/interesting version of Snow Patrol, with more indie cred. Tipped by some as a big band for 2009, their sound is pretty much your basic radio-friendly indie rock. There is a question mark whether they will be overshadowed by White Lies, what with all their hype and a Number One album.

There isn't too much that stands out immediately, apart from the singles which include "With Lights Out", "Meccano" and the future classic "Scheme Eugene". When "Fine Fascination" is good then it's very good. Most songs could be big hits, with their big hooks and easy on the ear sound. But when it isn't so good then it's just a bit samey. But the album does pick up for the final three tracks. "Meccano" is just as good as anything around at the minute in a similar vein. "When Everyone Is Everybody Else" starts off a bit like "Be Safe" by The Cribs but turns out to be actually quite epic, a world away from the scuzzy indie of the Jarman brothers. The final track "The Alamo" is the best on the album, just as epic as the preceding track, and sounds like the younger sibling of Biffy Clyro's "Mountains".

The album could turn out to be a grower, but at the minute the lack of variation blocks off any real feeling of greatness that could come through. This won't stop them from getting huge though, and if they're not headlining V Festival by album three, then I shall eat my hat. After going out and buying one first.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Scheme Eugene", "Meccano", "The Alamo"
FOR FANS OF: Snow Patrol, White Lies, The Enemy
7

LEARNING THE LINGO
THE LOVE LANGUAGE - THE LOVE LANGUAGE

Okay, so it's still just about winter. It's snowing and the wind is as bitter as a Liverpool fan on Thursday morning. There's a recession going on. Things aren't looking too brilliant at the minute (unless you're an Evertonian). But there is one certified antidote to any seasonal blues in the form of Wilmington band The Love Language. Just under 30 minutes long, it packs enough joy and sprit into its nine songs to eradicate even the worst winter woes.

Quite a few comparisons have been made about TLL already. "Deerhunter & White Rabbits listening to lots of the Phil Spector Christmas album and soul." "The Beatles....Stevie Wonder.....Thin Lizzy". Whilst these may be a bit wide of the mark, TLL are a great lo-fi indie-pop band with a whole lotta soul. There's a few similarities with Cold War Kids and Wild Beasts (just without the falsetto and weirdness), but the band are definitely on their own in the current musical climate. Such is the quality of the songs on the album that if TLL were on "Tips for 2009" lists then they would certainly top a chart or two.

The album deserves repeat listenings, if only for pop gems such as the infectious "Sparxxx" and lilting "Nocturne". Album opener "Two Rabbits" is the kind of song that makes you want to spend a night sitting in front of a roaring fire, doing absolutely nothing and loving it. "Lalita" is a highlight of the album and already a contender for pop song of the year. The album may be short (with only one song going over 4 minutes), but it's definitely sweet and however much you spend buying it will be money well spent.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: The whole album
FOR FANS OF: Wild Beasts, Cold War Kids, Guillemots, Jens Lekman
9

NEU!
TRACKS - 01.02.09 - Esser, Frank Turner, Tommy Reilly, The Wombats

Esser - Work It Out
The crown prince of good music in 2009 returns with yet another hit in a long line of perfect funky pop nuggets bound to be indie disco staples by 2010. "Work It Out" is all electro bleeps, robotic choruses and estuary vocals not seen since Damon Albarn started wearing tracksuit tops and prattling on about Parklife. It may not be as immediate as "Headlock" but it's certainly one of the best in Esser's arsenal, which is certainly saying something considering previous singles
8.5

Frank Turner - Reasons Not Be An Idiot
Apart from an amazing way with song titles (e.g. "I Knew Prufrock Before He Was Famous", "A Decent Cup Of Tea", "Thatcher Fucked The Kids", "I Really Don't Care What You Did On Your Gap Year"), Turner also makes some highly entertaining folk rock with lyrics to either make you chuckle heartily or frown at their realism. I urge you to check out his album "Love, Ire & Song" sometime soon.
7.5

Tommy Reilly - Gimme A Call
Seeing as he's the winner of the recent Orange Unsigned Act competition, there's got to be something suspicious about the young lad (see what I mean here, better explained than I ever could). But this is a sweet acoustic number that will lodge itself in to that space between your ears faster than Usain Bolt on a hyperspeed treadmill. Shall be interesting to see what he comes out with next.
7

The Wombats - My Circuitboard City
Yes, I know, I've already reviewed this and it wasn't exactly glowing with praise. But after a few weeks of listening to it, and it not being raped by TV and radio, it's a real grower. The sound has developed to a more downbeat but just as bouncy indie and the lyrics (now that I know what they are) have retained the same wit and verve from their first demos (example: "Welcome to my circuitboard city of yellow and black/We'll score WD40 so our hearts don't crack" and "Grandad George said the heroes are the ones that run away/But I wear no medals as I'm sprawled in a toilet on my birthday"). You shall be singing the hooks for weeks on end once you hear it twice.
7.5

"I want this to be an orgy of love and violence!"
NME Awards Tour 2009
Glasvegas, Friendly Fires, White Lies, Florence & The Machine @ Liverpool Uni

So said Florence Welch before playing (arguably) her biggest hit "Kiss With A Fist" to the baying crowd, full of checked shirts (including myself), tight jeans and Florence-a-likes, on the opening night of this year's NME tour. I wouldn't say it was an orgy, and there wasn't much violence, but in the words of Shakespeare/Hamlet "forty thousand brothers could not quantify" the love given to the acts on stage.

Florence was her usual kooky self, chucking flowers, crowdsurfing and finally running off past the front barrier, never to be seen again...at least for the remainder of the gig. The covers which have become a staple of her gigs were replaced by tracks from the upcoming album, which sounds as if it will be more on the "Dog Days Are Over" side of things instead of "Kiss With A Fist". Certainly one to look forward to in the next few months.

Recent chart-toppers White Lies were delayed in Berlin, thus delaying the entire gig by almost an hour, but it was certainly worth it. Striding triumphantly on stage, wearing a very flash pair of Nikes (obviously souvenirs from a trip to Liverpool One), Harry McVeigh and the rest of the band ensured that, whilst an air of gloom fell over the venue, it was one that had every word sung back, even when the lyrics concern electric shock therapy and kidnappings gone wrong. An epic gig if there ever was one.

A definite change of pace came with the arrival of Friendly Fires. A shoegaze/dance band from St Albans may not seem like a likely proposition, but it's real and it has the power to make even the most awkward indie kid (e.g. moi) want to flail about like a lunatic. Ed MacFarlane is a extremely energetic frontman, like a mix between Mick Jagger and Jarvis Cocker with a sprinkling of Morrissey. He can but can't dance if that makes much sense. Their set kept on building towards a climactic "Jump In The Pool", complete with extended samba ending. If you want a party in the near future to be a success with everyone dancing, just stick their album on and watch everyone start to boogie.

And thus we arrive at Glasvegas, one of the biggest hype bands of the last few years and boy, do they deserve it. Walking on to a darkened stage covered in dry ice will make you cool, even if you're Scouting For Girls or N-Dubz...well maybe not them but you get the picture. James Allan has got to be a long lost relative of Joe Strummer somehow, dressed all in black with sunglasses and a perfect quiff, effortlessly cool. The band's usual wall of sound was amplified to the max with the mountain of speakers at either side of the stage (resulting in me being a bit deaf in my right ear at the moment) and the songs were twice as epic as White Lies before them. The set was peppered with hits and slightly lesser known tracks (such as "Fuck You, It's Over" and S.A.D Light, preformed magically with just James, Rab and their two guitars). But the real highlights came from an improvised cover of Echo & The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" (with Ian McCulloch in the crowd), a spellbinding version of "Ice Cream Van", during which I'm pretty sure the heavens opened and "Go Square Go", which is bound to be a terrace anthem in a year or so.

All in all, it was the best gig I've ever seen. You won't hear a bad word from me about any of the bands and they all surpassed their high standards, which are pretty damn high. Roll on next year's tour, and may it be just as amazing as this year.

CREDIT TO kavita41 FOR THE PHOTOS.

GRAMMATICS - GRAMMATICS

Apologies for the lack of blogging over the last two weeks. The internet has been decidedly unkind to me.

Grammatics may not be a big name on anyone's lips in terms of tips for 2009, apart from a handful of those in the know. The Leeds quartet mix Foals-esque guitars that border on prog with heavy chunks of distortion, choirboy vocals, cello and a distinctly emo-sounding production. Not that any of that should put you off their eponymous debut.

The album kicks off with their more accessible material, such as the shouty yet swirling pop-rock of "Shadow Commitee" and "D.I.L.E.M.M.A" which could come straight from the soundtrack of an eerie horror/thriller with it's chiming guitars, funky ominous bass and stabs of cello. "Murderer" sounds more classic Bloc Party than the actual Bloc Party have done for quite some time due to the strong drumming that powers the track and yearning lyrics and vocals of singer Owen Brinely.

Despite being their more accessible songs, upto now the album isn't exactly full of singalong pop nuggets made for the festivals. But really, this is to be expected from a band who wants to reinject some drama and grandeur back into English music in this post-Libertines/Arctics era, and describe themselves as "maximalist" pop. This approach is exemplified perfectly on "The Vague Archive", which is more angular than Franz Ferdinand and Foals in a protractor shop before morphing into an anthemic driving rock chorus and finally to a sombre Arcade Fire-aping lullaby.

But it's the next group of songs that show the ambition and talent of Grammatics in the greatest light. "Broken Wing" begins as a simple, uplifting acoustic ballad, which isn't really spectacular but is a highlight amongst already high standards. Suddenly, it explodes into some headphone bursting riffing, giving the song another dimension and the listener a bit of a welcome shock. "Relentless Fours" returns to the chiming math-rock guitars of the earlier tracks, coming worryingly close to "in one ear, right out the other territory", but as with "Broken Wing", the salvo of Led Zep riffing and wall of noise is enough to almost destroy my speakers and totally unexpected from four twee looking kids (unless you knew they were influenced by QOTSA and My Bloody Valentine).

From here, the album does tend to tail off a little, getting bogged down by repetitive instrumentation and a lack of lyrical hooks. But there are a few moments worthy of repeated listens on the remaining tracks, mainly "Cruel Tricks Of The Light". You can't fault Grammatics ambition at all, seeing as they've released an epic debut, with no songs under three and a half minutes (not counting the 'secret track'). While it may need repeated listens to uncover some hidden moments of genius, they've produced a solid starting point for what will hopefully be a long and interesting career.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Murderer", "The Vague Archive", "Broken Wings", "Relentless Fours".
FOR FANS OF: Foals, Biffy Clyro, Arcade Fire

7.5

JAMIE T - FIRE FIRE


















The Thamesbeat bard has returned, and it appears he's decided to show his love of hardcore and punk this time round, rather than ska. But this is only a preview track, and won't be on the new album apparently. Confusing eh? It certainly begins with a bang of a chorus, sounding like a riot between Gallows and the Beastie Boys. Don't even try to decipher the lyrics, it's nigh on impossible. The verses are a bit more typical of Jamie T, funky bass, rapid fire vocals and a bit of ska guitar. Make of it what you will, I reckon it's pretty great, takes a while to get into but it's an interesting insight into where the next album will be headed

7.8/10

THE VIRGINS - THE VIRGINS
The Virgins are the latest "sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll" band to stagger from New York, and also one of NME's tips for 2009. It's fairly obvious why, without even listening to their album. They look like a dangerous, party boy, "lock-up-your-daughters"-type gang, and God knows that there's been a lack of one in music for a while (I don't count Towers Of London because...well they were shit). But when you bring the music into it, then they're deserving of a ones-to-watch tag.

The band used to be a bog-standard garage rock band like a million others in New York after The Strokes broke through, but all of a sudden they've transformed into a disco-pop band, with Nile Rodgers-esque guitar being a major part of most tracks. Sort of a Strokes you can actually dance to. First track "She's Expensive" is a carbon copy of Elvis Costello, "Rich Girls" could be The Teenagers if they were American and "Fernando Pando"'s guitars sound like The Clash in their ska mode.

But enough comparing them to other bands. The Virgins are good enough to stand out on their own. Their sound walks the tightrope between funky indie rock, and straight-up camp disco pop (I get the irony of straight up and camp in the same sentence) and you can imagine it soundtracking all the parties that the cool kids go to (the five tracks from their debut EP has already soundtracked an episode of Gossip Girl). So yeah, check them out and prepare to get your groove on. God I'm cool....
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "She's Expensive", "One Week Of Danger", "Rich Girls", "Hey Hey Girl", "Radio Christiane", "Love Is Colder Than Death".

7/10

THE JOY FORMIDABLE
Here we go again with the noise pop. Yet another band with perfect pop melodies buried under fuzzy distortion and a wave of noise. But where The Joy Formidable differ from the rest of the pack (hello Abe Vigoda, Women, Times New Viking, HEALTH and the rest!) is that the balance between distortion and pop is perfect. There isn't the overwhelming distortion drilling into your ears, the droning giving you a migraine and the fact that bands seem utterly bored with making music. Not exactly punk rock.

Glasvegas are the only band at the moment that TJF could call contemporaries. Both produce melodies that Girls Aloud, The Saturdays et al would kill to have, but applied to songs you wouldn't hear coming out of plastic pop princess' mouths. Both have fantastically loud walls of sound over the top but not too much as to cloud the songs. The band themselves have even mentioned that their approach to songwriting is very close to that of the great Scots. It's not exactly bad company to be in. I highly recommend giving them a listen. As well as finding the banned video for "Austere" on their website. It's quite "interesting" to say the least. Anyways that's the worst band recommendation ever over with.
8.5/10 - (Austere)
7.5/10 - (The Last Drop)
8/10 - (Cradle)

WHITE LIES - TO LOSE MY LIFE
The firs big album of the year is finally in my (virtual) hands. The debut from up-and-coming death fanatics White Lies. Hyped to hell with good cause, but there's already been a backlash off the back of one single ("To Lose My Life") and doubts have appeared as to whether this will be a fantastic debut to define the year (e.g. Foals, Vampire Weekend) or an average one whose charms will fade after a few months (e.g. Blood Red Shoes, Cold War Kids, GoodBooks etc). Early signs have been good with the amount of leaks rivalling that of Franz Ferdinand.

Starting off with two recent singles obviously to draw in the casual Radio 1 listener (good move, lads); "Death" and "To Lose My Life" sum up what the band do well: dark widescreen indie with a whole lotta synth as well as their persistent obsession with death. The 80's influence shines through on "A Place To Hide". The bass is so low it could be a New Order b-side and the synths sound like they were ripped from The Killers' debut. But two worrying issues are present throughout the first third of the album; the similarity of the guitar parts and the amount of effects used on Harry McVeigh's voice. It's obvious that they want to be a stadium-filling band, but that should be based from how their songs are preformed live, not how much echo is on the singer's voice. Minor gripes I suppose, but it could grate later on.

"Fifty On Our Foreheads" slows down the pace for a second, but it's really just more of the same gloomy-synthy stuff that you'd expect, but after that is probably the band's best track in "Unfinished Business", the song that made them change from Fear Of Flying, the mediocre indie pop band they once were. The story is rather odd for most bands: Guy is murdered by girlfriend, comes back to haunt girlfriend but finds he's still in love with her. Not your conventional pop song, being honest. And the only way to really describe it is epic. The guitars sound like they were recorded in the Grand Canyon (and they're allowed to after the last 5 years of angular dance-punk bands) and the synths (I'm going to stop saying it now) hide ominously in the background of the track, but they still improve it massively, adding an air of worry and fear.

"E.S.T" is where any Joy Division comparisons are valid. The intro sounds almost exactly like "Atmosphere" but evil. There's a feel of spookiness throughout the track and there's a sense that the album will pick up from here. Again it sounds completely 80's but it makes for an album highlight. There may be some criticism that the band sound too cold and removed from the music, that there's no heart in them. The cold machine-like feel is even represented in the artwork. And while this may be true, you can't deny that the songs are still better than most other bands output. So if they actually put some feeling into their second album, we'd have a classic on our hands.

The remaining part of the album is where White Lies become even more grand and epic. The addition of strings definitely adds to the tracks and the overall quality of them improves. Saving the best 'til last indeed. Hopefully they'll keep this formula for the whole of their next effort. "Farewell To The Fairground" will be a highlight of this year's festivals, with two massive hooks and being possibly the song to propel them into the public consciousness (yep, my opinion has definitely changed on that one). The final third is even better than this. The three songs verge on cinematic, with typical White Lies lyrics of doomed romances and choruses as big as Everest. The quality of these tracks makes up for the underwhelming newer tracks at the start. They point to a great future for the band and will certainly be on some "Tracks Of The Year" lists come this December. "The Price Of Love" is what Brandon Flowers and Bono wish they could be writing right now in terms of "epic-ness" and pure quality. There's hardly a band like White Lies around at the moment, and certainly none that can touch them.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Death", "Unfinished Business", "E.S.T", "Farewell To The Fairground", "Nothing To Give", "The Price Of Love"



9.5/10

METRONOMY - NIGHTS OUT
Okay, this review is 121 days since the albums release, and almost a year since promo copies were sent out to journalists (not that I'm actually a journalist or anything...), but I've only really discovered the pleasures of Metronomy...that sounds a little weird to be honest. They look like a geekier version of The Wombats (in my opinion) and you'd never expect them to make tunes so full of funk and soul that I actually want to dance just thinking about it, even if that is a little strange. "Nights Out" is, in the words of Metro-mastermind Joseph Mount, "a half-arsed concept album about going out and having a crap time". The "half-arsed concept" certainly comes through, but if this album was played on that particular night out, it's hard to imagine how a crap time could be had.

Starting off with an instrumental double of "Nights Out Intro" and "The End Of You Too", 'Nomy (I'm lazy so that's their new nickname from now on) set out their stall as the usurpers of Hot Chip's indie-dance crown. The former is a sort of homage to Ennio Morricone, ominous electronic parps and a guitar line reminiscent of something out of a spaghetti western. You can imagine robot cowboys of the future getting ready to duel with this in the background. Anyway back on topic, the album starts to gather pace once we arrive at "Radio Ladio", a dance-pop gem, even though the verses appear to be being sung by an old man in a mac, if you catch my drift. A swirl of duelling keyboards and a damn catchy chorus later, you'll be dancing. No other way about it. The hits just keep coming from then on. A falsetto worthy of Muse and Foals-esque guitars on the euphoric "My Heart Rate Rapid", the funky electro riffs of "On The Motorway" and "Holiday" is a melancholy dance masterclass.

But where the 'Nomy excel is on single "Heartbreaker". The general gist of the track is Guy #1's best mate is sick of Girl #1 treating Guy #1 badly and breaking his heart over and over again. May not sound much, but it's the highlight of the album, and probably one of the best tracks of last year (however did I miss it?). An irresistible bassline and a chorus you'll be whistling for weeks on end, along with a certain quality that makes it very believable for some reason raise the bar for the rest of the tracks and whilst they may not hit the height, they come very close to it. More of the same for album number three lads. I'll get it when it comes out this time too.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "Heartbreaker", "Radio Ladio", "My Heart Rate Rapid", "Back On The Motorway", "Holiday",

9/10

RED LIGHT COMPANY - WITH LIGHTS OUT





















Currently second place in terms of the race to be the big, new stadium rockers, behind White Lies (more on their album later), Red Light Company are a rather different beast to that band. Whereas the band formerly known as the indie-poppers Fear Of Flying dress head to toe in black and have a worrying pre-occupation with death and darkness, RLC seem more content with making widescreen driving rock 'n' roll with a dollop of angst here and there. Their last few singles ("Scheme Eugene" and "Arts & Crafts") have been rather good too, although not exactly reinventing the musical wheel. "With Lights Out" is typical "epic indie" fare with its chugging guitars, impassioned vocals etc. You're more likely to hear it on Hollyoaks or in Topman than in any holier-than-thou indie snob blog (obviously not what this is). It's still a good song from a good band, but in comparison to White Lies, there's no way they can win.
7/10

THE WOMBATS - MY CIRCUITBOARD CITY
Could the ever-cheerful 'Bats finally be maturing and moving away from the bouncy, sugar coated indie pop of "A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation"? Going by this next single, it would certainly appear so but it doesn't seem like the best thing to do right now. A move like this would be best later in their career, in 4th album territory maybe, when absolutely everyone is sick of chirpy Scousers pratting about (not just miserable NME hacks). But right now, it'd be best to stick to what they do best. The song itself is a bit more "Is This Christmas?" than "Kill The Director", only without Les Dennis and bells. Few angular riffs here, chanty vocals there, and a bit of a boring chorus in "I can't wait to wallow in self pity/In my circuitboard city tonight". Who knows, the album may be superb like the debut, but the signs aren't looking so good right now.
6.5/10

THE VIEW - WHICH BITCH?
Their jeans may not have changed, but their sound definitely has. Almost two years since debut album "Hats Off To The Buskers" propelled them to rock stardom, The View are back with their second effort which, to say the least, is a brave move in terms of their sound. Some songs on "Which Bitch?" are more suited to, say, a fifth or sixth album when a band is more confident in their sound and can branch out. You'd never expect them to be on a second album from a band who aren't really a household name, apart from one song.

Beginning with "Typical Time Part 2", a follow-on from the debut's final track and a fun, throwaway piece of pop. Using just a piano, harmonica and guitar, it sets up stall for the album to be something slightly different but equally as fun as The View's previous material. "5 Rebbeccas" is a return to what the band do best; catchy indie anthems. But whereas previously their songs were reminiscent of The Libertines, their sound now owes more to that of Oasis with the wall of guitars and feedback. Looks like they've got another "built-for-the-festivals" hit then.

Yet another change of direction on "One Off Pretender". The guitars are a mix of The Stone Roses, U2 and The Coral (basically lots of reverb and delay and quite widdly) and the vocals go from virtually rapped to typical lad-rock shouting. Definitely different, but whether it's popular with fans remains to be seen. Guess what's coming next? Yes, it's another change in terms of sound and possibly the most melancholy song The View have ever released. Haunting strings dominate "Unexpected" over Kyle's down-in-the-dumps vocals and it's not something you'd think the band who wrote "Wasted Little DJs" could produce, but someow it works.

The rest of the album is populated with these kind of suprises. There's liberal use of string arrangements on quite a few tracks, an appearance from Paolo Nutini (no, come back! It's an alright song, I promise), a track going over the 6-minute mark and some Oasis-aping acoustic tracks. The middle of the album is where it gets even more interesting. "Glass Smash", heavy as "Brianstorm" and a rather creepy middle eight; "Distant Doubloon", just piano and strings with a distinct piratey feel to it; "Covers" (the Paolo Nutini track), a summery slice of acoustic pop with added trumpet. Then we arrive at "Shock Horror" the second single from the album. It's what you'd expect from the band and more, kind of like "Wasted Little DJs" older brother. It's more taut and foucsed, yet just as good as anything they've done.

The View may not be the msot popular band with some indie snobs but "Which Bitch?" is a future classic. The album has something for everyone; typical Yates's customers, mums who buy their records at Tesco, miserable hipsters, festival goers. It will be interesting to see where The View go from here. They might return to Libertines knock-offs, they could make another "Be Here Now" or another classic. We'll just have to wait and see. Though I still haven't got a clue what they're singing about half the time.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS: "5 Rebbeccas", "Unexpected", "Shock Horror"

9/10 (Which Bitch?)
8.5/10 (Shock Horror)

Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls

Imagine a female Cribs or Ramones or even an all girl early Green Day (Red Week? Sorry, gross joke if you get it, but had to make it). Now imagine them with a hell of a lotta feedback over the top. That's the pretty much what Brooklyn's Vivian Girls are all about. Lo-fi punk rock with heavenly harmonies chucked into the wall of sound. What sets them apart from the rest of the "girl power" bands (basically any band with a female member that's a bit "fiesty"), apart from having only two songs over the 3 minute mark on the entire album, is that they don't to be too bothered by anything, apart from making some good old punk rock. And I believe for that they should be applauded for that alone.

But that's not the only reason to praise the band. They squeeze more pure punk rock into 22 minutes than most bands fit into double albums. And hit a lot of reference points along the way. The albums sounds like one big jam session between The Ramones, My Bloody Valentine, The Shangri-Las, The Long Blondes, No Age, The Breeders and even The Smiths (on "Going Insane") and is all the better for it. The varied mix of influences adds up to some of the best punk songs and best melodies of the last few years from the alternative side of the world.

7/10

White Denim - Workout Holiday

Woohoo! Band you've never heard of time! Well unless you're the ultimate hipster around these parts (and being fair, I'm the only person to come close to fitting the criteria). White Denim are a garage band, but pretty much a world away from recent definitions of 'garage' music. They are not UK garage which was/is basically R&B but a little bit less radio-friendly. And they are not like the garage rock bands of the early 00's; not rich pretty boys with dollops of cool (The Strokes), booted and suited Scandinavians (The Hives), grungy Australians (The Vines) or a ex-husband-and-wife team in red (The White Stripes). They're pretty authentic. A joyous racket is the best way to describe them.

"Workout Holiday" starts off as you'd expect; loud and thrilling. "Let's Talk About It" which is rather good but overly long and the brilliant "Shake Shake Shake". But after those two singles, White Denim let their weird out. Normal song structures and pop conventions are thrown out of the window. For example, "Mess Your Hair Up" is an almost 5 minute long blues jam that evolves into some crazy freakout with an odd middle eighth (if it can be called that). Then straight after on "Heart From All Of Us", they turn their hand to countryfied pop-rock. But vocals only come into the track after 1 minute 48 seconds and last just over a minute. There must be some method in this madness.

And then to go even further, there's crazy time signatures or weird effects pedals on "Look That Way At It", I can't tell which. Either way it makes for a great instrumentla track. On the remainder of the album, the band goes from poppy (well for them anyways) Hives-esque tracks to slightly softer, soulful songs to somewhat experimental weirdness. Completely compelling and thrilling the whole way through. They may not be reinventing the wheel, but they're giving it another damn good spin.

8.5/10

Good Books - Manifesto

Yet another band to change their name recently (after Panic At The Disco dropped the "!" and The Muslims opted for the much-less contreversy-courting The Soft Pack), Good Books release their yet-to-be-titled second album on the 4th of May next year. Feautring on the album will be "Manifesto", a track which has magically found its way onto teh internetz. GBs first album was full of angular, bleepy math-pop (for want of a better description) but with some big, big choruses which hinted at a lot of potential and a move away from a new Foals.

"Manifesto" begins with the kind of strings you'd expect to hear James Morrison rasping over, but then suddenly bursts into a wall of synth, funky drums and impassioned vocals. To sound like NME, it's like Blaine Harrison from Myserty Jets singing with Glasvegas with Tony Allen on drums. Now back to the actual song. As it progresses, "Manifesto" shows more and more links to the type of melancholy anthemia we've come to expect from the likes of Arcade Fire and British Sea Power recently. If they continue down this route, then they certainly could follow those two into the indie big leagues.

7/10