It seems that Goldfrapp are revamping their sound once again for their fifth album ‘Head First’. The British duo have found some sort of middle ground between the organic atmospheric pop-folk of ‘The Seventh Tree’ and their former, trendier flirts with electroclash. If the first single ‘Rocket’ is any indication of things to come, we can anticipate a poppier, more uplifting synth sound for their new offerings.
French Horn Rebellion consists of Milwaukee born brothers Robert and David Perlick-Molinari. Despite only releasing one single, the irrepressibly catchy ‘Up All Night’, the pair have already received plaudits from the likes of Radio 1, NME, Mixmag and the Guardian. Influential label Kitsuné – known for their knack of unearthing new talent – also featured the track on their ‘Kitsuné Maison 8’ compilation late last year. ‘Up All Night’ was also notable for its brilliant 80’s pastiche video, which saw the band display some awe inspiring dance moves in order to win the affections of two passing ladies.
Since then the band have completed a string of hectic live dates and are currently in the studio working on their eagerly awaited debut album. In the meantime they’ve collaborated with former touring buddies Database to bring us the ‘Beaches & Friends’ EP. ‘Beaches & Friends’ is released on Once Upon A Time Records on March 1st and is noteable for the fact that it doesn’t actually have an ’original‘ version. Instead the track has been remixed by both bands respectively, as well as receiving edits from The Twelves and Hey Champ. To stream a preview of the EP followthis link and for the latest news on French Horn Rebellion head to their MySpace.
And in case you’ve yet to see it, check out the great video for ‘Up All Night’ below:
The world’s favorite cartoon rock stars are back with their highly awaited third offering. Gorillaz, the project created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, has enjoyed an impressive cast of high profile guests in ‘Plastic Beach’, including Snoop Dogg; De La Soul; The Horrors; Lou Reed – there were even rumours about a collaboration with Barry Gibb which have to be confirmed. For the first single, ‘Stylo’, the rocking cartoons manage to put together the vocal talents of two exceptional collaborators: Bobby Womack and Mos Def.
‘Stylo’ has just leaked and can be listened at the band’s website. Gorillaz were also announced this week as one of the headliners at this year’s Coachella festival. Keep an eye for the band members tweets for related surprises until the record is officially launched.
This week Sade holds onto the number one spot in the Shazam New-release Chart USA with ‘Soilder Of Love’, a track that’s gaining plenty of attention thanks to its inclusion in the adverts for TV show Lost.
To check the full chart click read more (You may have to turn ‘Mobile Theme’ off to view this chart correctly in Shazam’s apps)
British Indie Bible NME has jumped head first into the murky waters of dance music this week with the announcement that it will be giving 20 of the best Dubstep tunes away for free on its website. Usually batches of free legal downloads are a mixed bag with the odd gem to be found amongst the rubble; however, the downloads on offer here appear to be all killer and absolutely no filler. Highlights include the futuristic funk of Joker’s ‘Solid State’; Rusko’s lairy re-rub of Little Boot’s pop-tastic ‘Remedy’ and Snoop Dogg’s amazing take on Chase & Status, ‘Snoop Dogg Millionaire’.
All of the downloads can be found by following this link.
Turn the subwoofers up, thrown on that check shirt and get ready to skank out!
San Francisco based band Girls are set to release the fantastic ‘Morning Light’ single from their critically acclaimed debut album. The track is one of the more frantic from the album, recalling the intoxicating, feedback drenched melodies of My Bloody Valentine. It also featured on Rough Trade’s essential ‘Indiepop 09’ compilation, along with the likes of Los Campesinos!, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Love Is All. The song is now available through iTunes here.
The band have also announced a string of European dates across February and March, including their largest UK headline show to date – at London’s Scala. Read on for the full list of dates. Read more…
Since The Shins’ frontman James Mercer announced a side project with cutting edge hip-hop artist Danger Mouse - producer for Gorillaz /Sparklehorse and half of Gnarls Barkley- the buzz hasn’t stopped growing. The pair will release the fruits of their collaboration under the name Broken Bells on 09/03/2010 via Columbia. First single ‘The High Road’ merges Mercer’s melody-rich rock vocals with gorgeous electronic arrangements which are reminiscent of the most palatable moments of French duo Air or The Postal Service. For those interested, a second album taster entitled ’Vaporize‘ can also be found online.
Appropriate for Martin Luther King Day, Stevie Wonder’s ode to the civil rights leader has remained a constant at birthday celebrations across the world since its release in 1980. The song was originally used to help popularize the campaign to make Dr King’s birthday an official public holiday – something that was made official by President Regan three years later in 1983. More recently, Wonder performed the song at 2007’s The Dream Concert at New York’s Radio City Hall which which helped raise funds to build the DC Memorial in honour of Martin Luther King and featured performances from Stevie, Aretha Franklin and Garth Brooks.
This week saw the sad news that soul legend Teddy Pendergrass passed away. After first rising to fame with Howard Melvin and The Blue Notes, Teddy went on to score seminal solo hits on the soul and disco scene and became one of the leading exponents of the Philadelphia soul sound. Boasting one of the most emotive and passionate voices of his generation, tracks such as ‘Love TKO’, ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ and ‘You Can’t Hide From Yourself’ remain amongst the finest soul tracks ever recorded. Despite being badly injured in a car crash in the early ’80′s, Teddy continued to be heavily involved in charity work raising money for those who had experienced spinal injuries. Here’s saluting a genuine musical icon and a true gentleman.
