Call Of The Wyld- Review of 2011

So that’s 2011 then. Another year packed with excellent performances.

Micachu interview

Shapes Of Things Before My Eyes


Mica Levi has been surrounded by music her entire life; she admits to knowing little about life itself but it doesn’t seem to bother her. She’s emerged from the British underground like a hurricane, creating a musical genre all of her own. Whether she wants to admit it or not, her music is truly unique, paving the way for a whole new musical transition, blending together 300 years worth of musical history. It was such a privilege to chat with someone so passionate about music.
Nicknamed Micachu by a rapper from the London underground grime scene, Mica Levi has already witnessed a large cross section of music in her 22 years. The young British musician was raised in a musical family, from the age of four she herself was writing and playing music. As a child she had access to a vast library of classical and popular music; her father was an avid record collector and she describes him as “practically geeky”. She admits to being totally engrossed in music as a child: “I had access to a lot of music and have absolutely no knowledge of anything other than music at all… any school subjects other than music I sucked at, basically.”

Vampire Weekend Vs. Miike Snow - The Kids Don't Stand A Chance

When we first debuted music from Miike Snow, those involved in the project still remained unknown. But after some time and scoop giving, we know that the trio consists of Swedish heavy-hitters Bloodshy & Avant (aka Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, the two producers and songwriters behind Britney Spears’ "Toxic") and Fires Of Rome leadman Andrew Wyatt. We still have no idea what the creepy moose/rabbit/nuclear warhead lovechild thing is above, though.

After roping in some serious remixers for their own benefit, the Snow dudes have done the same for this band called Vampire Weekend, revamping (ha!) recent single "The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance" with the bubbly epic house pads and expansive textures they’ve perfected in their own tunes. This is the only place to pick this one up so don’t sleep!

Everyday is Like Sunday, Except for Blue Monday and Ruby Tuesday, and...Well, Friday I'm in Love: Weekly Mix #54

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a cover versions mix (and I’ve felt a little harried this week with both the volunteering and freelance work), so here’s my rather lazy attempt. I would like to mention the War Child Heroes album since it’s being touted as "The Ultimate Covers Album." As per usual, War Child is releasing an album with proceeds going to benefit children affected by war, but this year the idea was to get musical "heroes" to pick artists from the younger generation to cover a song from their back catalogue. I may not like all the tracks on the album, but there are some rather excellent ones, including TV on the Radio covering David Bowie’s "Heroes," Scissor Sisters covering Roxy Music’s Do the Strand, Rufus Wainwright covering Brian Wilson’s Wonderful and Song For Children, Hot Chip covering Joy Division’s Transmission, and Peaches covering Iggy Pop’s Search and Destroy. You can find out how to order the UK version and how to pre-order the North American versions on the War Child MySpace.

This mix has got a fair bit of 80s covering going on, but it also includes Camera Obscura’s excellent version of the most famous ode to a spotlight and Devendra Banhart’s stripped-down re-working of Oasis (he actually makes it relatively palatable with his Marc Bolanesque bleat). This one’s called Re-Make/Re-Model.

The 2009 Brit Awards: I Know I Shouldn't Bother, But I Will Anyway

I already did a fairly comprehensive rant about last year’s Brit Award nominations, and when I first saw the Brit nominations for this year, I just expelled a huge sigh and asked myself, why bother wasting my energy again over a year that clearly mirrors last year’s nominations and many of the preceding disappointing years? Then I had another think, and figured "because it could be funny."

My Top 40 Albums of 2008: Numbers 8 Through 1

And so we’ve reached the end of this year’s journey through my top albums. Before we get into the top eight, I’ll try to sum up which albums released in the last few months of 2008. September brought offerings from Jenny Lewis, Mercury Rev, People in Planes, Butch Walker, No and the Maybes, Glasvegas, Santogold, Jon Ryman, Metallica, Chairlift, Kings of Leon, and a sophomore record from former Suede frontman, Brett Anderson. There were also a few that have already made this countdown, including TV on the Radio, Ladyhawke, and Okkervil River.

October’s albums was jam-packed with records from Empire of the Sun, Department of Eagles, The Sea and Cake, Eugene McGuinness, Of Montreal, Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Euros Childs, Bloc Party (the physical version), Los Campesinos!, and AC/DC with their long-awaited return. There were also a couple of disappointments from The Cure and Cold War Kids. Snow Patrol demonstrated that they couldn’t compete with Chasing Cars while Oasis produced another unneccessary album. And there were several antlered mammals afoot with releases from Deerhoof, Deerhunter, and The Dears. Again, there were several released in October that you’ve already seen in this series, namely, from Simon Bookish, Maps of Norway, Polarkreis 18, and Twig.

November saw records from We Are Standard, Glass Candy, Razorlight, Threatmantics, Max Tundra, Thieves Like Us, Kanye West, and The Killers. Of course November was also the momentous occasion of Guns ‘n Roses’ Chinese Democracy. I apologize, but as the year wound down, I didn’t note any albums released in December except for an inexplicably successful comeback from Britney Spears.

Monsters from Mars

Super Furry Animals Interview