Infinite Shuffle

October 30, 2011

88 – British Sea Power

Filed under: B, England — assman41 @ 4:13 pm

After recently hearing one of their songs randomly on my iPod, it dawned upon me that I had totally neglected the band British Sea Power.

They first entered my consciousness in 2008, when a friend burned me a copy of Do You Like Rock Music? At the time, I had assumed it was their debut, but I now know it was actually the third full-length release from the five-piece indie group based in Brighton, England.

The band has actually been around for more than a decade, forming in 2000, and has put out five albums, including 2009’s Man of Aran (an instrumental soundtrack to a documentary) and Valhalla Dancehall earlier this year.

When I decided I needed to re-acquaint myself with the group, my first stop was its Wikipedia page. According to that venerable site, critics have likened the band to such seminal groups as The Cure, Joy Division, the Pixies and Arcade Fire.

However, immediately after I started listening to their 2003 debut, The Decline of British Sea Power, the one band whose influence seemed unmistakable was Pyschedelic Furs.

(Well, after the album’s first three tracks, which are totally punk-infused and sound nothing like the rest of the band’s catalog.)

On their mostly slow, shoegazing tracks, lead singer Yan (Scott Wilkinson) does his best impression of Furs leader Richard Butler. At times, while listening to the debut and the follow-up, 2005’s Open Season, I thought I was actually listening to a compilation of Furs B-sides.

During one of my listens, I wanted to liken Yan’s vocals to a mixture of Butler and famed singer Jarvis Cocker (Pulp and solo). But I’ve since dropped the Cocker comparisons.

And, admittedly, the reference to The Cure isn’t totally off-base. It can be heard in several songs, especially the xylophone opening to the track “Blackout”. But, even on that track, the Furs influence is hard to ignore.

British Sea Power – Blackout

British Sea Power started to branch out musically on Do You Like Rock Music? creeping away from their post-punk roots and dabbling in more straightforward indie rock.

This is probably still their best album to date, with such strong tunes as “Waving Flags”, “Atom” and “Open the Door”.

British Sea Power – Waving Flags

Perhaps based on the strength of that album, this year’s much-anticipated follow-up doesn’t stack up quite as well. That being said, it’s still a strong record, with such solid songs as “Observe the Skies”, “We Are Sound”, “Who’s In Control?” and “Georgie Ray”.

British Sea Power – We Are Sound

In addition to putting out some quality music, British Sea Power are probably best known for their live shows — most notably their off-the-beaten-path venues.

They have played in a seaside cafe, on a ferry, in some caverns, at the highest inn in the United Kingdom, in a famous English church and at an indoor festival that included vaudeville acts.

Needless to say, it’s a band that should be seen live — something I hope to do one day.

October 15, 2011

86 – Foals

Filed under: England, F — assman41 @ 3:03 am

If there is one sub-genre of indie music that is hit-or-miss with me, it’s electro. I’m not a huge fan of it, but if a band does it just right, then I can be reeled in.

There are several such bands that remain on the fringe of my musical universe — such as The Presets, Cut Copy, Golden Filter and Hot Chip, to name a few.

One band that seems to have found itself just inside of my orbit is Foals. The five-piece from Oxford has put out a pair of full-length albums since forming in 2005.

The debut in 2008, Antidotes, is reminiscent of Hot Chip and VHS or Beta, with a little Bloc Party thrown in. The pace of the album is breakneck, filled with the clamor of guitars, cymbals and vocals all delivered in a staccato manner.

It’s something of an acquired taste, but there are some decent songs on there, including “Big Big Love (Fig. 2)”, “Two Steps, Twice” and “Red Sock Pugie”.

Foals – Red Sock Pugie

The disc actually debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and eventually went Gold there. As did their 2010 follow-up, Total Life Forever. That collection of songs is a little slower and deeper, but not by much.

The most noticeable aspect of the sophomore offering is that the songs are a little more complex and less similar to one another. It seems like more time and effort was put into crafting them, which is a clear positive for this album.

Some of the better tracks include “Miami”, “Black Gold”, “2 Trees” and “Blue Blood”.

Foals – Blue Blood

August 17, 2011

80 – Pete and The Pirates

Filed under: England, P — assman41 @ 6:33 pm

80 – Pete and the Pirates

Sounding like any number of indie-rock/pop bands from across the pond, Pete & The Pirates aren’t necessarily going to be winning any awards for originality. But that doesn’t make their music any less enjoyable.

The five-piece from Reading formed in 2006, releasing their first single the next year and their first album, Little Death, in February 2008. The disc is full of decent tracks, as well as a few standouts, including “Knots” and “Mr. Understanding” — the latter can be heard prominently during the first few seasons of the hilarious British comedy, The Inbetweeners.

Pete & The Pirates – Mr. Understanding

While most bands today seem to put out a new album every couple of years, P&TP waited a little longer, not releasing their follow-up until May of this year. During its hiatus, the band, apparently, did some experimenting with its sound.

The new album, One Thousand Pictures, ventures into several different genres. The opening track, “Can’t Fish”, has a psychedelic feel, and, vocally, it’s one of several songs on the disc that has a slight She Wants Revenge vibe.

A lot of the songs are slower than the first album, including “Cold Black Kitty”, “Washing Powder”, “Blood Gets Thin” and “Shotgun”.

While this disc is a little harder to get into, a lot of the songs are decent, including “Come To the Bar” — which has a bit of a Devo quality to it but is mildly catchy — and the closing track, “Half Moon Street” — easily the tightest song on the album, it almost sounds like it’s performed by a totally different band.

Pete & The Pirates – Come To the Bar

Pete & The Pirates – Half Moon Street

July 3, 2011

74 – Spokes

Filed under: England, S — assman41 @ 11:28 pm

A week or so ago, I found myself scrolling through the pages over at my favorite blog from across the pond, Outroversion. I found several new bands that I dug and intend to look into further.

One of the bands highlighted by ole Simon was Spokes, a five-piece from Manchester, England. He noted that their new album, Everyone I Ever Met, was tabbed to win Mercury Music Prize next year. And after listening to a slew of songs on their MySpace page, I can hear why.

Spokes – We Can Make It Out

Simon said they sounded like a better version of Elbow. I’ve only heard one song from that particular British “it” band (“Grounds For Divorce”), but it sounded nothing like Spokes.

They label themselves as “alternative/ambient/pop,” a description with which I wholeheartedly agree. Especially the ambient part. Many of their songs have an almost symphonic feel.

In fact, their debut album, 2009’s People Like People Like You, consists of six long, drawn-out, mostly instrumental songs — only one of which includes any vocals.

But the tunes are so good, I didn’t even notice the lack of words until I was halfway through the album.

Spokes – Young People! All Together

When Spokes actually choose to employ singers, as they did on their second album, they evoke comparisons to Arcade Fire in their manifold harmonies and layers of instruments. The anthemic, almost chanting, vocals also call to mind Los Campesinos!, but in a much more accessible tone.

Spokes – 345

May 1, 2011

67 – Alberta Cross

Filed under: A, Brooklyn, England — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I’ve never been able to properly celebrate Record Store Day since it started in 2008, mostly because I live in a musically boring area and couldn’t make it to the big city to take part in the festivities.

But this year, I found myself observing the “holiday” a week later during a trip to Indianapolis. Just before the New Pornographers show, I hit up a record store in Broad Ripple called Indy CD & Vinyl and ended up walking out with a copy of Alberta Cross’ debut full-length release, Broken Side of Time.

(I also patronized another establishment a couple of days later, but I’ll save that story for next week’s post.)

I’m always a fan of any record store that has listening stations. The first disc I listened to was Alberta Cross. I knew I’d heard of the band before, but I always used to get it confused with similarly named The Rural Alberta Advantage and Cross Canadian Ragweed. And that confusion simply led to me not listen to any of them until very recently.

Anyways, upon hearing “Songs 3Three Blues”, the first track on the Alberta Cross album, I knew I’d be listening to several more. And by the time I got to “Old Man Chicago”, I was totally sold on that disc.

Alberta Cross – Old Man Chicago

That song is my favorite on the album, but there’s really no rejects among the 10 tracks. While that ditty just makes you want to sing along to The Band and Wilco influences, it’s something of an exception on this disc.

The bulk of the songs are slow, heavy rockers that give a nod to bands such as My Morning Jacket, Kings of Leon and Band of Horses.

The opening track has a Neil Young feel to it, but it’s quickly followed by the album’s most rocking tune, “ATX”. I couldn’t put my finger on it before reading some reviews on Amazon, but this song sounds a lot like ’90s alt-rockers Bush — but don’t take that as a diss.

Alberta Cross – ATX

On the next track, “Taking Control”, Petter Ericson Stakee’s vocals turn echoey like those of Band of Horses.

The title track evokes thoughts of Kings of Leon and even Led Zeppelin. But it’s followed by “Rise From the Shadows”, which is a long, slow one with heavy, echoing, alt-country vocals. After that is “City Walls”, which is another slow one, but the vocals sorta reminded me of the British band The Music.

The next two songs are actually repeats from the band’s catalogue. “The Thief and the Heartbreaker” was the title track of a seven-song “mini-album” the band released in April 2007 that also included “Old Man Chicago”. And “Leave Us or Forgive Us” is the title track of an EP that was released in October of that year that also included “The Thief and the Heartbreaker” again.

The interesting thing about those first two shorter releases is that they were done during the band’s first incarnation in London.  Ericson Stakee, as you may be able to tell by his name, was born in Sweden but eventually moved to England, where he met bassist Terry Wolfers. The two recruited Ericson Stakee’s brother to play keyboards and they put out the first two discs.

Bored with the scene in London, the duo moved to Brooklyn and fleshed out the band with Sam Kearney (lead guitar), Alec Higgins (keyboard) and Austin Beede (drums, percussion).

With the infusion of new blood, the band took a huge leap forward with the 2009 release of Broken Side of Time, moving from a mostly alt-country sound to much heavier, guitar-driven fare.

Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time

The group is said to be working on their sophomore release, which I’m definitely looking forward to.

After checking out Alberta Cross’ upcoming tour schedule, I was delighted to see they’ll be at Bonnaroo, which I’m tentatively planning to attend.

Visit their MySpace page for tour information or to hear a few more songs.

April 10, 2011

65 – Yuck

Filed under: England, Y — assman41 @ 12:01 am

With the latest resurgence of the shoegaze and twee genres, there have been plenty of solid acts to rise to popularity. But, for the most part, those bands have been one-trick ponies, churning out albums full of songs that are all pretty much the same.

That’s what makes the band, Yuck, stand out. These four gents from London can not only stare at their kicks with the best of them, they can also crank it up and grind out their share of solid, distorted alt-rock.

Straddling the line between hard and soft, Yuck released their self-titled debut in February and officially marked their spot in the pantheon of fuzz-rock greatness.

From the opening chords of the first track, “Get Away”, the listener is immediately transported back to the early/mid-’90s — to a time when vocals were as much an instrument as a medium for conveying lyrical emotions.

Yuck – Get Away

Yuck’s music is, at the same time, familiar and new. Listening to this album will conjure up many bands from the past — most prominently, but not limited to, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Nada Surf, Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fan Club.

Admittedly, my knowledge of those bands is very basic and limited, but it’s not hard to hear their influence on Yuck. (Sidenote: If you’re interested in a much more profound and eloquent review of this album, go here.)

Yuck – Suicide Policeman

Other standout tracks include “Shook Down” (prominent female vocals with a ’90s college radio vibe), “Suck” (shoegaze with a post-punk feel), “Operation” and “Sunday”.

My favorite song is “Georgia”, which, in addition to the distorted guitars and vocals, includes some harmonies and a nice melody.

Yuck – Georgia

Barely a quarter of the way through 2011, Yuck is firmly entrenched, along with The Decemberists, in the discussion for album of the year honors.

December 25, 2010

57 – Mumford & Sons

Filed under: England, M — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I’m not sure why it took me so long to discuss Mumford & Sons. I first heard about them in early 2009 via the Outroversion blog. I’d heard a couple of songs and liked them, but, for some reason, I never put forth the effort to listen to their full arsenal until about a year later. And, by that time, I felt like my window for “breaking” them had closed.

But, as it turns out, while they’ve been receiving a lot of critical praise following the United States release of their debut album, Sigh No More, there is still a lot of people who’ve never heard of the London indie-folk quartet.

The album dropped in the United Kingdom in October 2009 and landed in the U.S. in February of this year, so some might deem it out of the running for “album of the year” praise. But you know what? Those people are stupid.

There is nary a bad song on this 12-track disc — all are good, some are really good and a few are great — which is why I would deem it the best album of 2010.

According to Wikipedia, the band formed in late 2007, rising out of London’s folk scene with other artists such as Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Noah and the Whale — all solid acts, I might add.

Mumford & Sons, which is led vocally by Marcus Mumford, enlists a slew of folksy instruments, including mandolin, banjo, dobro, string bass and accordion. And the members of the band are very versatile, often switching instruments throughout live shows.

While the band can do the slow, swaying folk thing with the best of them, it’s the spurts of rollicking, rocking fire that make their songs so great. Every song in their repertoire is a sine curve of awesomeness … (that one goes out to all of you math nerds).

In addition to the two gems embedded above, other standout songs include “Awake My Soul”, “Roll Away Your Stone”, “After the Storm” and the title track.

Mumford & Sons make a bevy of literary references in their work. The album title and corresponding song include allusions to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and the songs “Timeshel” and “Dust Bowl Dance” draw heavily from the John Steinbeck novels East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath.

After tearing up England in 2009, the band has conquered the world this past year, from topping the charts in Australia to selling out a horde of shows in the United States in the fall.

Earlier this month, the boys picked up a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Artist (aka The Kiss of Death) and Best Rock Song for “Little Lion Man”.

I unfortunately missed them when they came through Chicago a few months ago, so I’m eagerly awaiting their return.

Join me in keeping tabs on the band via its MySpace page and official website.

December 19, 2010

56 – Stornoway

Filed under: England, S — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I’ve been wanting to write a post about Stornoway for several months, but it’s taken me awhile to find a free (read: illegal) download of their debut release, Beachcomber’s Windowsill.

I first heard about the band roughly a year ago from a few references on the Outroversion blog, but I hadn’t actually heard anything by the group until this past summer when the single, “Zorbing”, was included on KEXP’s Song of the Day podcast.

After hearing it that first time, I repeated it once or twice and was immediately hooked.

While that song seems to combine about three different genres into one track, the rest of album sticks to the group’s signature sound — something like alternative indie music mixed with traditional Irish-tinged ditties.

Stornoway isn’t actually from Ireland. The group hails from the Cowley area of Oxford, England, and is named after the Hebridean town on the Isle of Lewis, which is the northeast tip of the United Kingdom — practically the opposite end of the UK from Oxford.

The band consists of four members, but, as you can tell from the video, it often enlists the services of a trumpeter. There’s also a violinist that joins the ruckus.

The gents have been together since at least 2006 and first started to make some noise in England in 2009 when they released their first few singles. The debut album dropped on May 24 of this year, and, while none of the other songs live up to the awesomeness of “Zorbing”, it’s still a quality disc.

Other solid tracks include “I Saw You Blink” and “Boats and Trains”.

The group finally made its way to the United States in the fall, including a stop in Chicago last month. So, it’ll probably be awhile before it returns.

For more on the group, check out its MySpace page and official website.

August 15, 2010

38 – Let's Wrestle

Filed under: England, L — assman41 @ 12:01 am

On the spectrum of kinda annoying British indie bands, Let’s Wrestle falls somewhere in between Art Brut and Los Campesinos! — they’re not as grating as the former, but not quite as accessible as the latter.

According to the bio on their record label’s website, Let’s Wrestle are “trying to be as raw as possible, and they try to write songs that make your soul crumble as well as making you smile, sing along and clap your hands.”

That’s a pretty apt description.

Their most clap-worthy song is the tongue-in-cheekily titled “We Are the Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon”, the first single off their debut album, In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s.

It’s also the track that helped me discover the London trio in the first place — with a little help from NPR’s Song of the Day.

The first time I listened to the entire album, I was a little turned off and figured I’d only retain the aforementioned single. But upon the second listen, several more tracks started growing on me. And by the third go-round, I was sold.

Other songs that stood out include “My Arms Don’t Bend That Way, Damn It!”, “It’s Not Going To Happen”, “I’m In Fighting Mode” and the title track.

P.S. … Going off on a tangent, the lead singer, Wesley Patrick Gonzalez, looks like a cross between actor Clark Duke and indie god Ben Gibbard.

April 4, 2010

22 – The xx

Filed under: England, X — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I first started hearing about The xx in the fall of 2009. NPR was hyping the London-based trio as it was preparing to make its Stateside debut during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York.

Naturally, as more and more critics began singing their praises, the more and more I didn’t want to give them a listen. I had heard one or two of their songs here and there and wasn’t sure what I thought. They just didn’t seem like a band that deserved so much hype so early in their career.

But I finally gave a listen to their debut album, XX, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The first song, aptly titled “Intro”, is a pretty solid instrumental track that sets the mood nicely.

From there, the rest of the album is chock full of great ambience and nice vocal interplay between singers Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. It reminds me of the Moldy Peaches’ stuff from the Juno soundtrack — but way more soothing and in a non-annoying tone. (That description really doesn’t do The xx justice, but it’s the best I’ve got.)

“Vcr”, one of my favorite tracks on the album, gives the listener a pretty good idea of what you can expect from the band. In it, Croft and Sim do something of a sing-speak back-and-forth with each other. It’s a theme that pops up often on the album.

You can hear the recently released single on their MySpace page, where they’ve got seven songs posted, including a couple bonus tracks.

One song not found on the site is “Shelter”, my personal favorite. The great, eerie guitar that flows throughout the album complements Croft’s vocals really well on this track.

Hear it for yourself …

The xx – Shelter

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