The Cribs - Housewife

Returning after their fourth album (last year's lacklustre "Ignore The Ignorant"), The Cribs have released "Housewife" as a stand-alone single. At least I hope it's a stand-alone single, as an entire album with this sound would certainly mark a dip in form for the Wakefield/Manc band. Already splitting opinion betweens fans and outsiders alike, "Housewife" is the first Cribs song to use a synth, to my knowledge anyway, and whilst lo-fi indie-punk is what the band do best, yet another single cut from that same cloth wouldn't have left much cloth to cut from in future...if that makes any sense. Some supposed fans are blaming Johnny Marr's involvement for taking away some of the bite of the first three Cribs albums, and there is some truth in that (it's a common opinion that when played live, pre-Marr songs are ruined due to his rhythm playing being added). But whilst this change in sound is refreshing, I'm not too sure it works. All the pieces are in place; Marr's rhythm guitar adds to the song, the synth riff is actually catchy and Gary Jarman's basslines drive the song along (although Ryan Jarman still can't hold a tune in a bucket with the lid on), but it doesn't seem to gel on the first few listens. Of course, it'll be sung back in unison by the time it's played at Reading & Leeds, so I doubt The Cribs will have too many worries about a backlash just yet.
7/10

"Housewife" is out on iTunes now or slightly less legal means here.
The Cribs play the Reading & Leeds festivals on Saturday 28th and Friday 27th of August respectively

VIDEO - Grinderman - Heathen Child

Taken from Grinderman's second eponymous album, "Heathen Child" is exactly the kind of primal garage rock that we've come to expect from Nick Cave's busman's holiday band. Wailing guitars and an irresistible groove provide a backing for Cave's howls of "I don't care about Allah, don't care about Buddah, don't care about Krishna", sounding ever more like his old self in The Birthday Party. The video features a fair amount of nudity, the floating head from Hot Chip's "I Feel Better" video, wolves, wolfmen and the band dressed as Roman centurions. I hope my mid-life crisis is as brilliant and mental as Nick Cave's seems to be.

"Grinderman 2" is released on the 13th of September
"Heathen Child" is released on the 6th of September (but you can download it here)
Grinderman kick off their UK tour on the 25th of September in Nottingham

IN CELEBRATION OF... Foals

Foals' second album, Total Life Forever, is the latest to recieve a 9/10 rating here on Hitsville U.K. and that means an "In Celebration Of..." post. Enjoy...

IN CELEBRATION OF... LCD Soundsystem

As I've done with Gorillaz' and Los Campesinos!'s 9 and 9.5/10 albums this year, here's the best of LCD Soundsystem's videos to educate yourself with and also in celebration of their 9/10 for "This Is Happening".
(Okay, so the last one isn't LCD, but it's pretty damn amazing)

M.I.A. - Born Free (video)

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

To continue the recent very-video-heavy content here on Hitsville U.K., M.I.A's "Born Free" has itself a video. Definitely NSFW and certainly NSFG (not safe for gingers), the video is probably one of the more thought-provoking and uncomprimising of recent times.

Frankie & The Heartstrings - Tender (video)

Here's the brand spanking new video from Sunderland's finest popsters, Frankie & The Heartstrings for their latest single "Tender". A rather awesome tune to match the band's rather awesome barnets, 2010 should be a damn good year for The Heartstings, possibly the best new British band around right now.. I can imagine a million and one Blur fans getting in a huff over F&THs stealing "their band"'s song title. The single, released today, is limited to 888 7" vinyls. I pre-ordered mine, what's your excuse?

The xx - Islands (video)

Adding to what has been an extremely prolific and extremely video-heavy day here on Hitsville U.K., here's the promo for "Islands", the latest single from The xx's imaginatively-titled debut "xx". The coolest/best/worst/most boring new band around, depending on your viewpoint (I'm cemented in the first two opinions myself) and creators of the third best album of 2009, as well as annoyingly being used on both E4's 90210 ads and the Beeb's Election campaign ads; if you don't already love them, you will pretty soon.

Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun (video)

Whilst LCD Soundsystem's video for "Drunk Girls" may be the best of the year, second place has to go to Vampire Weekend's star-studded promo for "Giving Up The Gun". Featuring RZA, Joe Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lil' Jon and the best headband since Solid Snake, it's a little bonkers and completely brilliant.

NEU! featuring Blur, BLK JKS, Big Boi, and Ryan Jarman

Blur - Fool's Day
Poor Damon Albarn. Being in two of the biggest British bands of the last 20 years (cartoon or otherwise) must be one tough gig. There's no other explanation for the melancholia hovering over his most recent musical output. Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach" often drifts into miserable mopey-ness, especially and unsurprisingly on "On Melancholy Hill", although that doesn't cloud the brilliance of the album too much. Here, on Blur's first single for seven years, released exclusively last week for Record Store Day, Damon bemoans "another day on this little island" with all the effort and enthusiasm of your typical bedroom-dwelling 16 year old. But away from Albarn's miserabilia and Kinksian lyrics of modern Britain, the rest of the band sound as if they never split. Dave Rowntree's drums are solid and simple, Alex James' basslines are laid-back as ever and Graham Coxon goes into riff heaven for the final minute of the song. It's relieving and exciting that they've come up with something this good after seven years apart. All anyone (except Oasis fans) can hope for now is a new album. Despite quotes from the band saying the reunion is over, the line "the forthcoming dramas of the studio, and a love of all sweet music/We just can’t let go" says otherwise.
9/10
Download "Fool's Day"

BLK JKS - Zol!
With the World Cup in South Africa coming up in roughly a month and a half,it makes sense for the footy-related tunes to start rolling out. And BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks) since are South African themselves, it makes even more sense. Normally an experimental rock band, BLK JKS have produced a) the best football song since Dario G's "Carnival de Paris" and b) possibly the most summery, infectious tune I've heard in a long while. Hopefully, we'll all be singing along to "I roll and shoot at the same time" by the time England play Honduras in the final (a guy can dream...)
8/10
Download "Zol!" from Pretty Much Amazing

Big Boi - Shutterbugg
It shouldn't come as much surprise that "Shutterbugg" is great. After all Big Boi is one of half of Outkast, and whilst this doesn't quite reach the heights of "Hey Ya!" (not many things do), it's up there with the best. Pencilled in as the first single on Big Boi's forthcoming awesomely-named album "Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty", "Shutterbugg" is likely to be one of the big pop hits of 2010, and there's no reason why it shouldn't be
8/10
Big Boi - Shutterbug by HitsvilleUK-1



Ryan Jarman - Do-Wah-Doo
In case you didn't keep up with the love lives of today's indie stars, Ryan Jarman, singer in The Cribs, is going out with Kate Nash of "Foundations"/"bittah/fittah" fame. Nash's new album (which the original of this track sits on) is supposedly full of riot grrrl influences and punk guitars, which sounds like Mr Jarman has had a lot of influence on his new beau's musical direction. The original "Do-Wa-Doo" is a pretty perfect meld of Nash's old and new sounds, whilst this cover sticks to acoustic guitar and a bit of Stylophone chucked in for good measure (the video for the original is up there for comparison). Jarman's voice tends to irk some listeners, but when singing this, it suits the song almost more than Kate Nash. The sad thing is that both versions of "Do-Wah-Doo" are better than almost everything on The Cribs last album.
7
Ryan Jarman - Do Wah Doo by HitsvilleUK-1

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls (video)

Some hate it, some love it. The lead single from LCD Soundsystem's third and final album "This Is Happening" is one of the party songs of 2010, and also has the best video of the year so far. All I'm saying is panda anarchists who like a party.

Even more Los Campesinos! for your delectation

In honour of "Romance Is Boring", Hitsville U.K.'s highest rated album of the year so far (beating Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach"), here's a handful of LC! videos, including one of the first two songs of their Liverpool gig in February (which I went to and requested those songs *proud fanboy moment...even though my requesting them probably had nothing to do with them being played.... * I'll shut up now and let you watch the videos)

Thom Yorke/Atoms For Peace - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Thom Yorke covering Joy Division? I'm surprised the indie world has imploded in on itself by now.

Happy Nick Cave Day!

I've decided today is Nick Cave Day. No other reason, other than he's a genius and I woke up in a Cave mood this morning. Enjoy the best of the (former) owner of the best facial hair in music.

VIDEO: Gorillaz - Stylo

In honour of Hitsville U.K.'s first 9/10 album of the year (Plastic Beach, in case you hadn't read), here's the rather cool, Bruce Willis-featuring video for "Stylo" (which doesn't really sound like Eddie Grant's "Time Warp", despite what he says)

VIDEO: Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Directed by walking ball of hilarity Peter Serafinowicz, it's hard to tell which is more mental; this, or "Telephone"...

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Hot Chip | MySpace Music Videos

SUMMER CAMP - Ghost Train (video)

...or, what I will be forcing all of my friends to listen to from May to September.

Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang

A few days ago, I posted the cover art for Them Crooked Vultures' eponymous debut album. If the thought of Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl collaborating doesn't get you excited, then you've got no soul. "No Fang" has been uploaded to YouTube as a taster for the album and as expected it's a bluesy rock-out with a very heavy Led Zep influence. But, it feels a little bit too clean and neutered to be the sum of its parts, until the breakdown at the end. Let's just hope this is one of the weaker tracks of the album, and the rest is face-melting retro-rock that neither Wolfmother. The Darkness nor Tenacious D could create in their wildest dreams.

Watch The Tapes! feat. Girls, Editors, Mumford & Sons, Johnny Foreigner, Ash, Florence & The Machine, Lily Allen and Everything Everything

Yet another new post catergory type thing. Yeah, basically the best music videos of the past week or so shall be here for your enjoyment/derision/apathy. Obviously this week won't include Jamie T's "The Man's Machine" or Arctic Monkeys' "Cornerstone", as they've got their own posts because they're so special/I've only just thought of this now.

Jamie T - The Man's Machine video

Now I like Jamie T as much as the next guy; two fantastic albums, amazing live, cheeky everyman image. There isn't much to hate really. Especially here, with one of the best choruses on "Kings & Queens"(even if it is kind of unitelligble). Just recently, I've felt a bit "meh" towards Mr Treays and his exploits. I'm not trying to sound uber-cool and indie, like "I knew about him first!", but maybe it's his position as flavour of the month with those types who say they "like all kinds of music" on social netowrking profiles or like to think they're down with it and out there by listening to something outside the Top 40. Meh, ignore my ramblings, and enjoy this rather cool vid, for an awesome song.

The "New Moon" soundtrack

So far, all that the "Twilight Saga" (as it's now known) has given us musically is Paramore's "Decode", which is reason enough to think about avoiding the New Moon OST. But one glance at its tracklisting is more than enough to get any indie fan hot under their checked shirt collar. Here are the choice tracks from one of the best soundtracks for a while



THE KILLERS - A WHITE DEMON LOVE SONG
So this is what they've been hiding up their sleeves. After the fairly dire Day & Age album, this is definitely a step back in the right direction for the Las Vegas foursome. Gone is the glitter and grandeur of the last album, replaced with a sombre tone that pops up in most great Killers songs. Tinkling ivories and a slow waltzing pace, along with an uplifting middle eight as well as a proper guitar solo and a bit of brass tacked on (I'm a sucker for brass instruments on pop songs. See; Maximo Park's Leeds set this year, Maccabees new album) make this a definite success and a nice stop-gap before the fourth album
8




BON IVER & ST. VINCENT - ROSLYN
New Bon Iver material is always a cause for celebration (ironic considering how Bon Iver sounds), and even though this was never going to be a massive step away from his previous songs, it's a welcome addition to the canon. A little bit countrified, thanks to the slide guitar section, "Rosyln" sounds more warm and welcoming than most songs on "For Emma, Forever Ago". This is most likely due to the spectral vocals of St. Vincent singer Annie Clark, who augments Bon Iver's typical template with ease. The only bad point is that it'll no doubt be used during a scene in which someone's looking around broodingly, or being a miserable queynte. It deserves so much better.
8.5




EDITORS - NO SOUND BUT THE WIND
This song first appeared at Editors gigs in 2008, but in a much different guise. It bore more of a resemblance to the Editors of old, motorik beats, squalling echo-drenched guitars and rumbling bass. In that arrangement, it was merely a very good Editors song, but as it is on this soundtrack, "No Sound But The Wind" become a thing of beauty. Consisting of just Tom Smith and a lone piano, the simple chords combined with Smith's powerful vocal propel this to the fore of Editors songs. How this didn't make it on to the new album is baffling. But once again, the single negative point is the association with the film, which you know will be awful, and with Robert "shite hair" Pattinson, who is awful.
9.5


And now for your enjoyment, and mostly mine, some rather hilarious Twilight pics/gifs.