Infinite Shuffle

February 7, 2010

Outroversion threeplay #1

Filed under: England, F, NYC, Outroversion, Sweden, T — assman41 @ 12:01 am

Shortly after beginning this blog, I stumbled upon Outroversion, and it quickly became my go-to music blog — especially for stuff from across the pond.

I have since downloaded many an album and track from the site, most of which I haven’t even listened to yet. But during a recent trip home, I had plenty of time to finally delve into my iPod, and here are three solid acts that I probably never would’ve discovered if it weren’t for Simon’s offerings.

Frank Turner

I wasn’t sure of the best way to describe Turner. But then I saw on his Wikipedia page that his music falls into the “folk/punk” category. While those two genres seem pretty disparate, that’s actually a perfect description of the sound on his third and most recent album, Poetry of the Deed.

The first couple songs, he’s sort of introducing himself before he seems to find his rhythm. From Track 3 on, I was reminded of Dexter Holland’s vocals from The Offspring’s single a few years ago, “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?” It’s fitting since Turner considers The Offspring a huge influence and toured with them throughout Europe in 2009.

His songs have a lot of Irish trad/punk/rock vibes, so it’s no surprise he also recently toured with Flogging Molly.

Here’s one of his least punkish songs …

Frank Turner – Sunday Nights

First Aid Kit

The only comparison that really came to mind while listening to this Swedish duo’s Drunken Trees EP was Joanna Newsom fronting the Fleet Foxes. Coincidentally, one of the singers is named Johanna and they cover a Fleet Foxes song on the disc.

Considering my annoyance with Ms. Newsom, that might sound like something of an insult, but it actually works here. Sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg don’t go off into a bunch of crazy-sound-filled vocal solos. They stick to the music and we’re all the better for it.

They just released their first full-length album, The Big Black & The Blue, in late January.

Here’s the song that first got them noticed by Swedish radio stations …

First Aid Kit – Tangerine

fun.

Of the three bands listed here, fun. is the only one I’ve actually seen other music bloggers mention as well.

The trio from New York City has a solid pedigree and is something of a supergroup. fun. formed when Nate Ruess’s band The Format split up and he joined forces with Andrew Dost (Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (Steel Train) in early 2008.

After listening to the band’s debut album, Aim and Ignite, the only thing I could think of was Mika — for those of you not familiar with him, imagine Freddie Mercury at his most flamboyant.

But upon listening to the disc again, I realized fun. has a pretty full, robust sound, with all three members making notable contributions.

They seem to be at their strongest and most theatrical on this single …

fun. – All the Pretty Girls

January 24, 2010

13 – The Boxer Rebellion

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

Another album I considered for honorable mention on my Best of 2009 list was The Boxer Rebellion’s Union. But I’d only listened to it once and didn’t have a strong enough grasp on it.

Now, after listening to it a handful more times in the past few weeks, it definitely belongs among the elite.

It took me a couple listens before I was able to pinpoint the band they reminded me of — Radiohead. Part of that is probably my dearth of Radiohead knowledge. But from what I have heard of Thom Yorke & Co., I could tell they were a big influence for The Boxer Rebellion. Just listen to the track “The Gospel of Goro Adachi” and you’ll agree.

There’s even a quote on their MySpace page and their official website that compares their sound to The Bends-era Radiohead.

But after listening to the album a few more times, I could hear The Boxer Rebellion distancing themselves from their legendary counterparts.

There was also a tinge of Muse in their music, but they’re clearly their own band.

On their first album, Exits, their influences were a little more scattered. On the opening track, “Flight,” I was reminded of Filter and Placebo, but by the third track, “We Have the Place Surrounded,” the Radiohead influence was unmistakable and lasted for the remainder of the album.

After that first release, their record company went bust, so the band released Union on its own through iTunes. It became the first unsigned band to hit the Billboard charts with a digital-only release.

Here are my two favorites from Union.

The Boxer Rebellion – Spitting Fire

The Boxer Rebellion – Forces

January 17, 2010

12 – Fanfarlo

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

As everyone started churning out their various Best of 2009 lists, I recognized the bulk of what was being mentioned. But there was one band that caught my eye that I’d never heard of before — Fanfarlo.

I think I first started hearing whispers about this London sextet around November or so, but I didn’t know much about them and basically wrote them off. Then their debut album, Reservoir, started popping up on the various year-end lists — one of my favorite music bloggers tabbed it as his favorite of the year, while another trusted source had it in his top 10 — so I was forced to take notice.

When I first started playing it, I wasn’t really blown away, but I didn’t dislike it either. As the disc went on, it grew on me.

The second listen really solidified it for me, and by the third go-around, I was sold.

As both of the aforementioned bloggers noted, there is an unmistakable Arcade Fire influence here, but it’s tamer — in a good way — and all the rough edges are smoothed out. To a lesser degree, Fanfarlo has a Beirut vibe going on as well, but it comes across more accessibly here.

This album didn’t drop in the States until late September, so I don’t feel so bad that it took me a couple months to discover it. But I’ll be sure to be on the lookout for their follow-up.

Between their MySpace page and their official website, you can hear seven of the 11 tracks on this album, plus a bonus track. An added treat on their MySpace page is the video clips of Fanfarlo covering such acts as Neutral Milk Hotel, Smashing Pumpkins and Bonnie Prince Billy.

I don’t really have a favorite song at this point, and since there are so many tracks available elsewhere, I figured I’d post one that wasn’t on another site.

Fanfarlo – Fire Escape

December 27, 2009

9 – Forward, Russia!

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

On their debut album, Forward, Russia! sounds like a mixture between the Arctic Monkeys and the Hives but with the vocal stylings of Bloc Party.

Early in their career, Forward, Russia! thought it was a good idea to name songs with numbers, in the order they were written. So, that first album, Give Me a Wall, has 11 tracks, opening with “Thirteen,” closing with “Eleven” and ranging from “Seven” to “Nineteen” in the interim.

Because of this, it’s rather difficult to keep the various tracks straight, but I know it starts off strong with “Thirteen” and “Twelve.” Things take a bit of a turn toward The Killers and White Lies on “Nineteen,” the album’s fifth track.

On their MySpace page, these lads from Leeds categorize themselves as “experimental/indie.” That becomes evident as Give Me a Wall progresses through various spurts of thumping, yelling and chanting. On their Wikipedia page, one of the band members is even listed as “electric guitar, shouts, synth.” But it all seems to work pretty well and never crosses the line into unaccessible. If you end up giving this disc a listen, just a warning, the ninth track, “Seven,” may get stuck in your head for a couple days.

On their follow-up album, 2008’s Life Processes, Forward, Russia! follows the path of the aforementioned Bloc Party. They become slower, heavier and deeper as their sound grows more akin to TV on the Radio.

I only just recently listened to this album for the first time, so I don’t have a lot to say about it. But it seems pretty solid, and I’ll be interested to see where they go from here.

Unfortunately, it might be awhile before we find out, as they’re apparently on hiatus, according to their official website.

Below is the first song from their debut album. Hopefully, it gives you a pretty good idea of what this band is all about and why I loved this disc so much.

Forward, Russia! – Thirteen

December 20, 2009

8 – The Magic Numbers

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

Upon moving to Charlottesville, Va., in February 2006, I quickly discovered an awesome independent local radio station (91.1 WNRN) that played non-stop indie rock. After being forced to listen to shitty corporate rock, oldies and classic rock stations my entire life, my ears were suddenly inundated with a constant wave of amazing new music.

One of the first bands I discovered was The Magic Numbers. The London-based quartet is often compared to The Mamas & The Papas, both because of its composition — it consists of a pair of brother-sister tandems — and its signature harmonies.

Additionally, the band members’ scruffy appearance would make their hippie forebears proud. But The Magic Numbers also compare favorably to more modern brethren — most notably, the New Pornographers.

Their self-titled debut was easily one of my favorite albums of 2006 — it was actually released in August 2005, but those are just details. I even got to see them live, but I showed up late and only caught the last few songs.

It wouldn’t be the last time I took The Magic Numbers for granted. For a variety of reasons, I never listened to their follow-up album, Those the Brokes, until recently, even though it came out in November 2006. It’s an oversight I definitely regret as the sophomore effort picks up right where the first one left off with the band’s distinct slow/fast, pop/folk harmonies.

They also released a six-track EP titled Undecided, which I’m still trying to track down. And, according to their less-than-stellar official website, they’re releasing a new album in Spring 2010.

In the meantime, visit their MySpace page and listen to eight of their tracks, including “Hurts So Good,” the first single from their upcoming album.

And here is one of my favorite songs from their debut album …

The Magic Numbers – Forever Lost

December 6, 2009

6 – White Lies

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

This London trio’s debut album, To Lose My Life, is dripping with the sounds of all the best post-punk bands of the ’80s. Joy Division, The Cure and Echo and The Bunnymen are obvious influences. So to are modern brethren such as The Killers, Interpol and Editors.

When I originally downloaded the album this past spring, I actually got a bunch of shoddy — possibly live — tracks. You could tell the songs were decent, but the quality really detracted from the experience, and I only listened to the entire album once.

I finally got around to re-downloading the album with the proper studio tracks, and it’s like night and day. From the solid opening track, “Death,” I was pulled in by lead singer Harry McVeigh’s dark voice.

I was already a big fan of the early singles — “E.S.T.” and “To Lose My Life” — but after the second listen I found a lot of new favorites, such as “A Place to Hide,” “Fifty on Our Foreheads,” “Unfinished Business,” “Farewell to the Fairground” and the aforementioned opener.

With my second attempt at downloading, I also picked up three bonus tracks and a couple remixes. The extra songs “You Still Love Him” and “Black Song” definitely give off a Killers vibe.

I’m currently listening to the album for the second time today and I’m officially in love. I’d compare it to Glasvegas’ self-titled disc from last year, as both are debut albums packed full of great songs. And just like their Scottish counterparts, To Lose My Life will definitely be on a slew of Best of 2009 lists, including mine.

You can hear a few songs on their MySpace page and at their official website — including a bunch of remixes for “Death” — so below I’ve posted one you can’t find. It’s the song that led me to White Lies in the first place.

White Lies – E.S.T.

November 22, 2009

4 – Bat For Lashes

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

The first time I ever heard Bat For Lashes was while watching the show “Subterranean” on MTV2 and the video for “Daniel” came on. The first one or two times I didn’t think much of the song or video, but soon enough, that tune had planted itself in my head. Now it’s easily one of my favorite songs from the past couple years.

 

Bat For Lashes is actually just the stage name of British songstress Natasha Khan, who, in addition to singing, plays the piano, guitar, harpsichord and autoharp.

 

The music, which would best described as dreamy eclectro-pop, varies at times, but the element that ties it all together is Khan’s voice, which conjures memories of Bjork, Tori Amos and Annie Lennox

 

Her first two albums — “Fur and Gold” and “Two Suns” — have earned plenty of praise, and each was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The video for “Daniel” was even in the running for an MTV Video Music Award.

 

The bulk of the music is pretty solid, but the only song that really stands out for me is “Daniel”. As for the rest of it, I could take it or leave it.

 

For more on Bat For Lashes, check out the MySpace page or the official website.

 

Bat For Lashes – Daniel

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