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Music News

Murs announces new album with a video

Not a huge amount to say other than the beat is great and Murs looks a lot better now he’s shaved off that grotty dreadlock he wore for the past five years.

The track is taken from his upcoming album Love & Rockets Vol.1: The Transformation which is dropping October 11 and is produced entirely by Ski Beatz.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Game

R.E.D.
Interscope

After having released numerous successful free mixtapes over the past year [many of which can be found reviewed on this very site], there was a lot of expectation for Game‘s [yeah he’s dropped the The apparently] album proper and, thankfully, he’s managed to pull it off. Whilst many more people are buying the new Weezy album, this is the full length to cop if you have to make a choice – stellar beats, top class guest spots and the Compton rapper on fine form.

After a strong opening with hot kid on the block Kendrick Lamar, the action goes full throttle with Dre and Snoop smashing it out the park on Drug Test, a simple yet utterly chest-throbbingly large bassline on Martians Vs Goblins which sees Tyler, The Creator show his legit skill on the mic over a good beat and even give Game some shit for naming his favourite rappers, a slur that’s been used against him for years [to which he jovially replies “Fuck you Tyler”] and the Zombie Nation sampling Red Nation featuring Weezy.

The middle section doesn’t dip either, the Motown-esque hook on Good Girls Gone Bad being following quickly by the sometimes stripped Ricky, which begins with gunshots and crying before Game lays it down plain and simple “My nostalgia is 100% Compton, zero per cent snitch”. Tracks with Ricky Ross and Young Jeezy follow with Game bringing his A-Game throughout. Whilst some critics claim he doesn’t have his own sound, the rapper showcases a flow which simply can’t be dismissed on R.E.D., something that perhaps lacked in terms of consistency over a record before this release.

The only slight on the album is that he has three R&B tracks in a row on the record. I’m a fan of R&B, so that in itself isn’t the problem, but it would have served the overall flow of the album a little better had they been fanned out. Indeed, when the third of the trio is the ultra-catchy Chris Brown led Pot Of Gold, it makes the first two [with Lloyd and Mario respectively] seem totally obselete.

But that’s only a small criticism and with Premo bringing his trademark sound to Born In The Trap towards the end of the record, it ends on a high. It’s a long album, over an hour and with 21 tracks, but within these 70 odd minutes, Game has made his best album yet. If you don’t grab this, you’re most certainly missing out.

Abjekt.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Hildamay

We Loved, We Lost EP
A Wolf At Your Door Records

For A Wolf At Your Door Records’ latest export, Hildamay, the second half of 2011 has so far been one of the most crucial periods of the band’s career; from receiving commercial radio attention from none other than Radio One’s Zane Lowe to going on a hugely anticipated tour with hotly tipped label mates Mallory Knox, Hildamay are certainly making big strides towards greatness. With this in mind, much is to be expected of We Loved, We Lost and while it’s not exactly make or break, it certainly will be a release that carries a lot of weight on their path to success.

It doesn’t take long for the band to display exactly why they describe their sound as Punk ‘n’ Roll (the opening bass line of EP opener Parachutes, to be exact) and why they’ve generated so much hype in the relatively short time since being signed, from start to finish every single chorus on the EP seems capable of inciting a mass sing-along and every verse seems to build up to these perfectly. It truly is a credit to the band’s songwriting ability that everything about the structures of the songs on We Loved, We Lost feels perfectly natural without falling into a lull of predictability, something which many bands seem to fall victim to recently.

The band certainly wear their influences on their collective sleeve, with elements of Hot Water Music especially creeping it’s way into the band’s sound quite often, though this isn’t to say that the band don’t have their own identity, with the title track in particular showing a unique blend of intricacy and pure balls to the wall aggression that is often difficult to blend cohesively yet the band seem very comfortable in their ability to bring the two together effectively.

Picking a specific highlight from the bunch would be a nigh on impossible task but the aforementioned title track and the brilliantly paced Delicate are definitely two of the most memorable tracks on the record, although there isn’t a dull moment to be found on the EP. With most fans having already heard This House Became Our Home on their recent split EP with Mallory Knox there was plenty to be optimistic of and thankfully the band have duly delivered.

All in all, Hildamay have crafted an impeccably structured and sonically beautiful EP which could easily be looked back on in coming years as the record that determined what was to come. On this evidence, the band have certainly lived up to (maybe even surpassed, depending on who you ask) expectations and have built a solid foundation for a career that will hopefully lead them onto bigger and better things; with a support slot for Crossfire favourites letlive. coming up in the next few weeks they could well be on their way sooner than expected. Definitely ones to watch.

Ryan de Freitas

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Music News

Dangerous! set new video live

Dangerous! have unleashed their new video.

The video is for the track ‘Movers N Shakers‘, which is out on September 12th and is taken from the debut album ‘Teenage Rampage’, released through Epitaph on the 19th of September. The band are also hitting the road on many UK dates, listed below:

09/09 Aberdeen – Lemon Tree*
10/09 Glasgow – QMU*
11/09 Inverness – Ironworks*
12/09 Newcastle – Northumbria University*
14/09 Manchester – Academy 2*
15/09 Birmingham – HMV Institute*
16/09 London – HMV Forum*
20/09 London – Notting Hill Arts Club – Album Release
21/09 Guildford – Boilerooms**
22/09 Bath – Moles**
23/09 Turnbridge Wells – Forum **
24/09 Swansea – Sin City**
25/09 Crewe – The Box**
26/09 Wrexham – Central Station
28/09 Hull – Fruit**
29/09 High Wycombe – SU***
30/09 Southampton – Unit**
01/10 Kingston – Fighting Cocks**

* Support to Young Guns
** Co-headline with James Cleaver Quintet
*** Support to Japanese Voyeurs

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Music News

Rhymesayers launches new mix competition

Rhymesayers and Carhartt have teamed up to launch a mix competition.

The competition, which coincides with the Rhymesayers European Tour gives fans a chance to create their own 15 minute mix of Rhymesayers material which they then upload here.

The winner will get a flashdrive full of music, albums by all the artists, a limited edition tour t-shirt, a Carhartt x UDG DJ bag, the chance to create an hour long mix for Carhartt’s radio and even personalised drops from the artists. The competition closes on September 27th.

The tour, which has a line-up of Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Evidence, Blueprint and Grieves & Budo hits the Electric Ballroom in London on November 7th.

Whilst you’re getting some inspiration, check out the new Evidence video for the track You, taken from his upcoming album Cats & Dogs.

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Music News

DJ Shadow announces UK tour

DJ Shadow has announced a full UK tour for November and December.

The producer will be supporting his new album The Less You Know The Better by playing eight shows. The full list of dates are:

November:

28th – O2 Academy Bristol
29th-  Nottingham Rock City

December:

1st – HMV Institute Birmingham
2nd – O2 Academy Leeds
3rd – O2 Academy Liverpool
5th – O2 ABC Glasgow
6th – O2 Academy Newcastle
9th – HMV Forum London

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Music News

Emika announces album details

Emika has released a new video and details of her debut album.

Her self-titled debut is released on October 3rd through Ninja Tune with the single Pretend / Professional Loving on September 5th. She will also be playing CAMP in London on October 5th with tickets priced at £7.50. Below are the tracklist and video for Professional Loving. This album is gonna be great!

1. 3 Hours
2. Common Exchange
3. Professional Loving
4. Be My Guest
5. Count Backwards
6. Double Edge
7. Pretend
8. The Long Goodbye
9. FM Attention
10. Drop The Other
11. Come And Catch Me
12. Credit Theme

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Music News

The Jesus Lizard DVD soundtrack to be released

The Jesus Lizard‘s soundtrack to CLUB will be released on vinyl in December.

Chunklet will release the DVD soundtrack on gatefold vinyl with a pre-order for the limited colour vinyl available now by clicking here. CLUB, which came out in September, documents the reunion for their first American performance in over ten years when they played in Nashville in 2009.

There are only 1,000 of these being made, with only 200 on coloured vinyl, so it’s definitely one for the real fans. Tracklistings are below.

Side 1:
Puss
Seasick
Boilermaker
Gladiator
Destroy Before Reading
Mouthbreather

Side 2:
Blue Shot
Glamorous
Killer McHann
One Evening
Then Comes Dudley
Chrome

Side 3:
Nub
Blockbuster
Monkey Trick
7 vs 8

Side 4:
Thumbscrews
Fly on the Wall
My Own Urine
Dancing Naked Ladies
Bloody Mary
Wheelchair Epidemic

Categories
Live Reviews

Face To Face – Live review

Kingston Peel
23.08.11

Wander over to the merch table tonight, and you’ll see copies of Face To Face’s excellent new album ‘Laugh Now, Laugh Later’ for sale; each bearing a sticker that reads: “For fans of Green Day, Rancid, The Offspring, NOFX, Blink 182 and Pennywise!”. Indeed, Face To Face would and should appeal to any fan of what is increasingly being dubbed ‘90s skate-punk’ (damn, we’re getting old), and even if they’ve never shifted tickets on quite the same levels as the aforementioned bands, they’ve put their name to enough quality tunes to pack out the Peel. Not bad, considering it’s their first proper UK jaunt in almost a decade.

The Arteries get things off to a fine start, ripping through the kind of raw but melodic set that befits one of the UK’s best new punk bands;  with vocalist Miles jumping down into the crowd to screeh his words into the faces of the early birds. Canadian quartet the Flatliners are a similarly abrasive bunch; taking the tired old ska-punk blueprint and re-routing it into darker territory via a heavy rock n’ roll edge. Worthy of a headline slot here in their own right, for sure.

But of course, the real treat is yet to come, and as Trever Keith’s crew rip into ‘You’ve Done Nothing’, the floor explodes into a pogoing, finger-pointing mass of folks who can hardly believe that Face To Face are playing their local. It’s tempting to wonder if they’d have gained a bigger UK following by touring here as often as, say, their former label-mates No Use For A Name and Lagwagon used to do; but then, Face To Face have always been about quality rather than quantity.

The shoulda-been-hits come thick and fast, and the sweat soon starts to drip down the walls of the Peel as the crowd clamber over each other to share backing vocal duties with Scott Shiflett (arguably one of the most underrated bassists in punk rock). New songs like ‘It’s Not All About You’ are replete with the band’s trademark melodies and smart lyrics, and by the time they sign off with ‘It’s Not Over’, it’s clear that Face To Face could teach some of their more popular peers a thing or two about maturing in fine style.

Alex Gosman

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Music News

Sims releases free EP

Sims has released a free EP called Wildlife for all to share.

The Doomtree rapper, who released his Lazerbeak produced album Bad Time Zoo earlier this year, recorded the five songs between 2009 and 2010 and has asked all fans to share the link around as much as possible, adding that if they do it on twitter, they should add the hashtag #wildlife.

Check out the EP by heading to his Bandcamp page, where you can both stream and download it. Most definitely worth your time, get involved