ireallylovemusic.co.uk

 

singles

 

 november '05

 

silver sun - immediate

well i never, this lot are still going ? oh yes, and by the looks of it ,life in the unknown territories has been kind to them. despite no longer being flavour of the month with with either a major label, nor fashion mag, the band still excel at their fizzy pop all wrapped in surreal b-movie artowrk. matching a distinctly cheesy synth sound to the layers of sundrenched fuzzed up guitars to a dayglo smiley chorus will make the grey masses run amok in the other direction, however no-one can deny the sheer unadulterated joy that a simple 3 minute pop song like this can provide. as the title gives the game away,  the lead track is a song that is an immediate hit with the pleasure nerves. extras on the cd version include the ramones styled 'dance with me' and 'sweet baby', both songs that would have easily fit in with any episode of 70's sitcome 'happy days', straightforward enjoyable uptempo fuzzed up guitar songs. no punk, no funk. no problem.

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the new shapes - waiting for a god/new queen

another ltd edition 7" out on the excellently named pop records label. the a-side has a melody that has nagged me for ages since i first spun this, it will come to me and then i'll deny all such associations, in the meantime this is a clean refreshing upbeat indie track (no heroin induced misery here !), where the crisp styled open production (by liam watson @ toerag nonetheless!) makes all the instruments jump out and make you listen and propel you to new regions of enjoyment. i have totally fallen for this track. of course, i know that the lp will never reach such heights as this ever again, but hey, i would love to have to eat my words. flip the record for a more urgent but not as catchy extra. can i listen to the a-side again please. thanks.

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envy and other sins - prodigal son

this lot contacted me ages ago re a demo review they were hoping for, never got the demo, instead the next time i hear back they are signed to loog (home of the open, but dont hold that against them). from the bands visual image i dropped the phrase 'world of twist' into my response. well never judge a book etc. this is full on prog pop with totally over the top instrumentation and all manner of excellence as well as a totally radio friendly hook - the barking mad full length 5 minute version is the one to kill for. look for the limited 10" debut.

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performance - surrender

(out at the end of november on limited 7") electro rock that fizzes and bubbles in a wonderfully addictive little way. no idea if the band can mutate beyond the obvious 'sell by end of 2005' date, but for the next few weeks this track will be totally loved. reading the details closely, a certain 'cliff jones' seems to be involved. the one and same as that gay dad bloke. time will tell. love their website. but then i would wouldn't i. not a flash-y byte anywhere.

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coldcut - everything is under control

glorious return from the masters of the cutup beats. full review : here

duels - pressure on you

nude records are back, having brought us the glories of suede, strangelove and ultrasound in the past, hopes remain high for this first release by duels. while the main track 'pressure on you' has a strange unfriendly stop start groove, excessively over-the-top guitar histrionics, and an almost robbie williams styled dig into extreme pop music. i have to admit, the song doesn't sit too well, in fact to quote the main line, 'i dont feel it', but, in a rare case, the more relaxed production of the extra tracks actually indicate that the band could indeed have something a little more interesting going on. yes, it's a shade of muse, and some of the more melodic moments from mansun within, but, 'things' is 4.5 minutes of excellence, large scale drama, phased vocals and far away backing vocals giving the song a layer of mystery and intrigue that is very enjoyable.

WATCH THE VIDE : HERE

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foreign born - we had pleasure

another one off single released through the ever faithful moshi moshi. having had a glut of gang of four references over the last year, it's great to hear a band revive a sound that hopefully has a little more depth as opposed to just some anglar guitars and a spiky bass line. taking the early to mid 80's passions for epic guitar pop music like the icicle works, echo and the bunneymen, and even early days new order foreign born use old school analogue synths to provide epic textures while the guitars are strummed in classic indie fashion. then, when the chorus kicks in the hands just want to throw them selves in the air in a grand euphoric anthem styled gesture. while the other side 'the entry way' doesn't quite have the same shivers up the spine impact, the song is still a cracking way to kickstart a pop career - good stuff.

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the lodger - watching/not so fast

the self made indie music from leeds scene continues apace, this lot revisit that fine towns sonic past masters such as wedding present blended with a more melodic style of singing as opposed to gedges disgruntled growl to produce a lovely slice of 86 indie. fast-but-nice guitars strum while the singers pours out his broken heart for 2 and half minutes. flip it, and there is a more laid back take in 'not so fast' with a rather lovely way with melody.

quite swoon some in a teenage angst kind of way.

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absentee - weasel

having toured with label cohorts the go! team, as well as indie pops finest, 'the magic numbers', absentee follow up their recent mini album by managing to get into the studio to start the ball rolling in regards to recording their debut album, for which the hot hot hot james ford has been signed up for production duties. subsequently, these 2 lovely tracks (on limited 7" inch wouldn't ya know) provide more in the way of tindersticks deep vocals and late night melancholy. lead track 'weasel', has a alt.country feel and would easily make Seattle heroes 'the walkabouts' very proud, guitars are roughed up a little more than expected, and a massively catchy doo-doo-da-doo chorus just seals the songs fate in fine form. band fan, tom waits, will love this. flip the record over, and hear the band turn down the heat, lights and get all drunk and mellow, with added horns for added schmoochy romance.

this is a very nice double bill, and hopefully will propel the band into the hearts and minds of many.

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death from above 1979 - romantic nights (remixes)

full review : here

roots manuva - awfully de/ep

full review : here

the like - what i say and what i mean

2 minutes and 57 seconds of lovely girl fronted alt.rock guitar noise. this la rock band have built up a steady following in recent times with tours with the kings of leon, and from the opening riff it's easy to hear why. old school indie rock. if you have been listening to usa alt.rock for a few years you should have quite a few albums produced by the fort apache studio (pixies/throwing muses/belly), and as the style is due for a revival it's great to hear such a great combination of melody and guitars with absolutely no concession to anything postpunk at all. cracking stuff.

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the morenas - dance for your dictator ep

what on earth has happened here ! a few months (nee years), i received a single by this lot which didn't really impress, obviously the intervening time has allowed the band to go off and fine tune their indie rock craft as this new 4 tracker is terrific. opener 'i just wanna be someone' has a real uptempo groove, fuzzed up guitars, and a very addictive hookline. ok, it's not cutting edge, and the outcry of 'baby lets rock!' is rock-n-roll cliche at its best. but when matched against a guitar riff as clearcut as this then the pleasure factor cannot be denied. amazingly the other tracks ('my violent femme', 'leave me alone', and 'filthy') continues to raise the excellence on offer. little is really altered sonically, glammed up indie/pub rock, but the band have come up with 4 cracking songs that deserve more attention than i expect they will receive.

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cut copy - going nowhere

rather nice track off the forthcoming 'bright like neon love' album that is getting a proper uk release soon, this single may however, mislead people into believing that this delicate electropop setup from australia are nothing but a new order revival band, which is a real shame as the album has a lot more to offer amongst its kraftwerk vs mbv stylings. but, i guess as a starting point this should easily suffice. so far i have no idea re remixes, but as the original track is as good as it is then who cares re adding more disco glitter to the party.

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audioslave - doesn't remind me

the worlds largest genetically modified hard rock supergroup release second track from their second album in order to raise the profile of their forthcoming dvd release, live in cuba'. recently i went through an audioslave phase, where the bands 2 albums really cleared out the mental cobwebs. so it pleases me to see that they have released probably one of the most lovely tracks off the solid 'out of exile' album. if you have heard anything from audioslave then you know the score, chris cornells reach for the sky vocals, and the powerful music backing from rage against the machines backbone. the  single comes backed with a live version of 'out of exile' and a video for the lead track that will obviously hit the mtv playlist in fine style.

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korn - twisted transistor

do people still listen to this kind of angst ridden nu-metal ? this is a new track featuring production from the matrix who are more associated with pop. however, for all its dated sound this is a lot better than anything off the 'untouchables' album that i have in the archive, so perhaps the new one, 'see you on the other side' (out early december), is worthy of investigating. of course, the music is as large and noisy as the genre dictates, but hey what do you expect - it's korn.

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humanzi - fix the cracks/get your shit together

a pixie styled bassline underpins the opening 30 seconds before all manner of classic indie strum holds the focus for 5this debut release from dublins new hopefuls. if anyone requires a 'wedding present meets buzzcocks' with added synth noise for a modern spin on the genre then this lot are going to make you very excited. in your face melodies and urgent guitars will have you spinning around in total glee, post-punk bass lines, mid 90's indie rock and even a dash of electro all get a hammering within the 4.5 minutes of 'fix the cracks' .. superb. as is the way, t'other side is nowhere near as spot on, consisting of little other than a 'get your shit together' chant over manic duelling distorted guitar excess.

definitely one to watch in 2006.

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rammstein - benzin

a german industrial band that have somehow managed to take on the world on their own terms and win. first single to be released from the new album, features homoerotic artwork (the band are all done up as firemen and look very hot-n-sweaty etc), which is tres amusing when you consider the bands trademark is explosions of fire during their renowned live shows. the track is the usual combination is intense drama, excellent instrumentation, massive guitars, vocal chants and grunts, and even an art of noise sample buried in the mix. . the remixes by ad-rock, apocalypica (a finnish cello band that revised metallicas sound) add a little more interest to the game, but the fun is all in the original. very very good

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silver sun - immediate

 

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