Category: Music

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MC5 film A True Testimonial cleared for release

It’s now been over 8 years since the last authorized screening of the MC5 – A True Testimonial documentary at the Detroit Film Theatre on October 30, 2003.

In that time, all the alleged ‘copyright infringement’ claims made against David Thomas, Laurel Legler and Future/Now Films have been thoroughly litigated, found to be without merit and the film has reportedly been cleared for released, once the various music licenses are secured.

This is hard to find on bootleg but if it was released on DVD would you buy it? If so then click here and weigh in your thoughts in this simple poll and read our review here.

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Teachers stop school band cover Gallows

School and college band nights were always rather amusing. I remember calling the singer of our local soft rock band a pussy and getting a bunch of fives for the insult which looking back was quite deserved, but they were truly awful.

This morning it was amusing to see that hardcore band Gallows have inspired the new school. Check out this clip and watch the teachers tear it up whilst they play a cover version of In The Belly Of A Shark.

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Frontier(s)

Frontier(s)
There Will Be No Miracles Here
No Sleep Records

Chris Higdon, who used to front emo pioneers Elliott, is now the voice of Frontier(s), a band with few songs to their name as yet but a band who definitely deserve your time. Those who are familiar with Elliott’s yearning vocals and walls of guitar-driven sound will have some idea of what to expect from Frontier(s)who basically pick up where the band left off. There was definitely an Elliott-shaped whole in the music scene today and Frontier(s) are more than qualified to fill it.

This band’s soaring melodies and inimitable ability to encompass darkness and light with a searing guitar riff followed by an expanse of solid sound makes for an addictive sound quality which makes it hard to take debut LP ‘There Will Be No Miracles’ off the stereo. The record has an almost introverted feel, despite its melodic scope and weighty soundscapes. Its post-rock type of expansiveness sends shivers down your spine and there’s something ever so slightly more sophisticated about Frontier(s)’ approach to crafting music in comparison to Elliott. This certainly has something to do with advances in production since Elliott’s day but there is also a more worldly-wise feeling about Higdon’s lyrical and musical approach. It has been seven years after all!

Winegums

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Architects

The Here And Now
Century Media

Architects are one of those bands who appear to have had an astronomic increase in popularity over the past few months when, in fact, they’ve been plugging away , building their way up through the UK underground for a good few years. The fact that magazines such as Rock Sound and Metal Hammer are now featuring them on their covers shows just how far they have come, mind. And their latest album ‘The Here And Now’ is a demonstration of the band’s potential and scope to really hit the mainstream (as far as metal can).

Spikey edges with technical riffs and raw vocals still remain in some tracks but Architects have embraced the more melodic side of their music with open arms. Anthemic singalongs, balladesque clean vocals, toning down of riffs’ sharp edges – this is a band who are definitely making a stab at the mainstream and they may well lose some of their original fans because of this. But the fact remains that this is a great album which actually benefits from the injection of variety that comes from the inclusion of less-jagged elements which are expertly juxtaposed against the metal grit which is definitely still present.

It’s on songs like ‘Year In, Year Out/Up and Away’ (which features guest vocals from Dillinger’s Greg Puciato) that Architects’ roots in more frenetic and full-on metal stylings really shine through and it’s because they’ve stayed true to this side of their sound, at least to some extent, that the band can get away with their new-found leanings to those more radio-friendly of songs. And it seems to be getting them more and more attention as the band have seen latest single ‘ Day In, Day Out’ played by the likes of the really quite mainstream Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton on daytime and early evening Radio 1.

Winegums

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Bashmore, Becoming Real and Pariah hit London

Corsica Studios will see a plethora of DJs descending upon their doors on February 5th.

Tiger have teamed up with Get Me! and Reely & Truly for the night which will feature Crossfire favourites Julio Bashmore, Fantastic Mr Fox and Becoming Real as well as the likes of Terror Danjah, Pariah, Shortstuff, Mizz Beats and many more.

Reely & Truly will be projecting films and photography around the venue to ensure eyes are satisfied as much as ears are. Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, the first 200 people through the door get a free Tiger Beer and at just £5 entry, there’s not much you can argue with.

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The Game

The Game
Purp & Patron Mixtape
Free Download

The Game dropped one of the best mixtapes in a quite a while when he released Brake Lights last year and somehow, over the course of nearly 30 tracks here, he seems to have outdone himself again. As everyone waits for this new album R.E.D., the LA rapper chucked out Purp & Patron and served another reminder of why he should be considered amongst the current greats.

Going in hard from the very start, an early appearance from Weezy on Soo Woo features some nice brass samples after typical Pharrell production on the Snoop-guested In My 64. The standout track comes in the form of Taylor Gang with Wiz Khalifa this time on team-up duties over one of the best beats I’ve heard in a long, long time, by Che Vicious. Further guest spots include Rick Ross, Jim Jones, Clinton Sparks and even Big Daddy Kane, Doug E Fresh and KRS-One as The Game brings in as many of his mates as he can.

One criticism that’s always levelled at The Game is that he doesn’t really have his own style, he tends to mould himself around the guest rapper that he’s alongside, but this is what makes the new mixtape such a fun ride. He shows a playful side that we’ve never seen before on Children’s Story in a huge homage to Slick Rick and Biz Markie beat, a dimension which is as endearing as it is smile-creating.

Other standout moments include the Biggie-sampling Living Better Now, the DJ Skee mix of Black & Yellow, which has Game joining Snoop and the original MC of the tune Wiz Khalifa for Purp & Yellow, RZA’s guitar-led Heart Breaker and the Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, Swizz Beatz and Rick Ross mammoth Can A Drummer Get Some.

Whilst this is a long old ride, almost two hours worth of hip hop, it whizzes past and showcases Game’s ear for a beat and now undoubted vocal prowess. If this is anything to go by, R.E.D. is going to be one hell of an album.

Abjekt.

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Tune of the Day: The Cure – Fire in Cairo

TheCureThreeImaginaryBoysIn light of the political situation and uprising in Egypt right now, today’s Tune of the Day comes from one of the pioneers of British indie pop. The Cure’s Fire in Cairo was just one of twelve incredible tracks recorded on their debut album Three Imaginary Boys released back at the beginning of the summer of 1979 via Fiction Records.

Chris Parry’s minimal production that spilled reverb over raw, spiky punk riffs captured the band perfectly and set the sail for the band to turn into one of Britain’s biggest music exports who in turn inspired many more. The full length featured many classic songs such as Accuracy, Grinding Halt, 10:15 Saturday Night, Meathook and of course, the controversial Killing an Arab that was actually toned down to Killing Another when played many years later and didn’t make the track list on the re-issue back in 2004 when it was released with various bonus tracks.

The first time I ever heard this track was on John Peel’s incredible radio show so enjoy the Peel Session version of this track below and give thought to the people of Egypt today as chaotic protests spread from there, Tunisia and possibly beyond.

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Cass McCombs to release new album

Cass McCombs has announced that his forthcoming new album ‘Wit’s End‘ will be released on April 11th through Domino Records.

The opening track ‘County Line‘ is currently available for streaming on the Domino Soundcloud. Have a stream of it below and for old time’s sake watch one of the best sections from the last decade that was accompanied by a Cass McCombs song… Jerry Hsu in Bag Of Suck.

The tracklisting has been confirmed and is as follows:

1. County Line
2 The Lonely Doll
3. Buried Alive
4. Saturday Song
5. Memory’s Stain
6. Hermit’s Cave
7. Pleasant Shadow Song
8. A Knock Upon the Door

Cass McCombs – County Line by DominoRecordCo

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Band of the Day: Horse Guards Parade

Once in a while an album drops into your stereo and on first listen hits a chord that makes you reminisce the good times. Yorkshire 5-piece Horse Guards Parade are the latest to take us back with their unique blend of mellow, indie rock that comes complete with charming song writing and intelligent lyrical content – in fact the more you listen to this debut, the more guiarist/vocalist James Waudby’s stories spark that imaginition you had forgotten existed due to the dull tones of the many artists that fill your i-pod these days.

With a sound that could be mentioned in the same breathe as Neil Young and Pavement (who they have played shows with at ATP) their Northern take on 90’s inspired indie rock should make a decent dent on the indie scene in 2011 so look out for a release on April 11th on Morten Industries and like their page on Facebook.

Next live show:

Saturday February 5th 2011 at Fruit in Hull playing an acoustic set as support for a spoken word show by the former international drug dealer Howard Marks.

Listen here:

Find more artists like Horse Guards Parade at Myspace Music

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Watch: Memory Tapes ‘Today Is Our Life’

Memory Tapes has made a new video for the song ‘Today Is Our Life‘, a track cut from Dayve Hawk’s forthcoming second LP as well as the Love SIC Disco compilation available now from The Guardian. The mp3 can also be downloaded free from Gorilla Vs Bear.

You can watch the video for the track below, directed by non-profit filmmaker Jamie Harley.

Memory Tapes : “Today Is Our Life” from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.