Well, there was the mysterious track leak, and now there appear to be rumors floating that Monday Radiohead will release a digital EP called Wall of Ice… check out the rumor mill here and here. I think these guys deserve honorary PhDs in making the internet geek out. And, if you didn’t hear “These are my Twisted Words,” I’m posting it below…
Brooklyn artists continue to dominate 2009 for me the latest example being Here We Go Magic, the moniker for singer/songwriter, Luke Temple. I’m not sure why I’ve gone this long without hearing about this guy, especially since Sufjan Stevens and Ben Gibbard have both expressed their admiration for his previous work. On the debut album for Here We Go Magic, Temple creates a dense world of folk and lo-fi pop experimentation all tied together by his ethereal, otherworldy vocals.
I listen to the Animal Collectives on a weekly basis. I think I ‘like’ them because they are differentiated from ‘traditional music’ and ‘modern indie music.’ When I listen to them, I exist on a higher plane of musical appreciation and consume products for ‘all the right reasons.’
Recorded mostly during the same sessions for “Kid A”, Radiohead described these two albums, released in 2000 and 2001, as “twins separated at birth”. Considering that “Kid A” is on fairly good terms with bleakness, it shouldn’t be taken lightly that “Amnesiac” is the creepy, fucked up sibling of the two.
The album opens with the sinister “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” which now sounds like classic Radiohead, combining light but glitchy computerised beats, weirdly timed keyboard sounds and gargling lyrics such as “I’m a reasonable man, get off my case”. The song threatens to break out into a swooping chorus or a thrilling climax, but the fact that it never quite makes it only adds to its intensity.
Photo Illustration by Nick Duncan. Click for hi-res version.
2008 is taking it’s final bow and a what a year it has been. While ‘07 was dominated by a slew of indie rock heavy hitters releasing awesome albums (Spoon, Of Montreal, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Radiohead) this is a year where new talent seems to be garnering the most attention. For me at least, this has been a very good thing with 1/5th of my favorite albums this year being debuts and just as many being sophomore releases. This isn’t to say that old favorites didn’t deliver this year as well, as a number of albums on this list are from bands that I’ve listened to and loved for years.
"Bangers and Mash" and "4-Minute Warning," both live staples from the past tour, make their presence well known here. The former is a 70’s exploitation spazzy-funk fest, a direction I’d love to see the band head in, and the latter is a stripped-down tune that reminds us that Yorke doesn’t always need a ton of musical accompaniment, in order to give us something worthwhile. Check it.
Photos from a recent FOE gig - a friend of our friends Hold Your Horse Is - she’s gonna be big!!! Read the gig review after the jump.
Shots of North Carolina’s folk-rocking Avett Brothers’ stop in Glasgow - 22.08.11
Read the review of the gig here.
Take a look at the acts and art on offer at this year’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Included are the likes of Fight Like Apes, Lykke Li, Sea of Bees and Seasick Steve. Photos from our own...
Good time with Bad Guys. Photos from the May 29th gig at the Old Blue Last. Read the review by the Bad Guy himself, Stuart London after the jump.
Artrocker.com exclusive: for fans of White Lies and Crocodiles we’ve got some fresh pictures from their UK show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire earlier this month, courtesy of Alessandro...
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