On the week that saw the release of their much delayed second album, the inventers of the swiftly forgotten ‘new rave’ genre, Klaxons returned to London for a show that undoubtedly gave them a confidence boost before headlining the Radio One/NME Stage at Reading & Leeds festival. If the band had any pre gig nerves, these were quickly banished when the demented guitars of ‘Flashover’ begun. The packed crowd quickly warmed up and reacted as well as the band could’ve hoped. Despite the freshness of the new tracks, they still resonated well with the sold out audience.
Predictably the biggest cheers were reserved for tracks from their Mercury Prize winning debut ‘Myths Of The Near Future’, with ‘Golden Skans’, ‘Magick’ and ‘Atlantis To Interzone’ all receiving an ecstatic response from the crowd. While it’s been heavily noted about the gaps between their first and second album, it’s also important to note that fans simply haven’t had the chance to hear the songs for a while. Therefore it may be slightly unfair to compare both sets of songs just yet. Latest single ‘Echoes’ also stood out as a fan favourite, it’s brain invading chorus was sung back at the band from across the room.
Importantly it looks like the band have put their maligned recording experience behind them, with all members looking chuffed at the audience between songs. Looking relaxed and in a jubilant mood – at one point bassist Jamie Reynolds stops proceedings to wish keyboard player James Righton happy birthday – Klaxons may have just got through their heavy case of second album syndrome unscathed.
Klaxons are on tour throughout the year, for more details check their MySpace.
When MGMT released their second album ‘Congratulations’ this year, many were quick to point out that it didn’t boast a stand out pop track to the standard of ‘Kids’ or ‘Time To Pretend’. However, the slow burning album has done nothing to dent the bands popularity - with the band only being kept off the top of the Billboard charts by the puzzling phenomena that is Justin Bieber.
Their latest single is the title track from the album, a mellow acoustic number that recalls ‘Weekend Wars’ from ‘Oracular Spectacular’. In the head puzzling video, the duo follow a slowly disappearing, unrecognisable creature throughout the desert. The bizarre animal - which resembles an outcast from Jim Henson’s workshop - provides another head scratching twist in their career. One thing’s for certain, they clearly refuse to let the pressure of being on a major label compromise their artistic control.
The band embark on a huge tour in September across the UK, Europe and USA. For more info, head to their MySpace.
Two years since his debut ‘Alegranza’ earned rave reviews from even the most highbrowed critics of the blogosphere, and just a few weeks after her EP ‘Piratas De Sudamerica’ – comprised of four cover versions of some of his favourite Latin artists- saw the light of day; the Canary Islands born, Barcelona based DJ and cultural agitator Pablo Diaz-Reixa is back again under his El Guincho moniker. This time with his second full length, ‘Pop Negro’.
Keeping the same winning formula alive, influenced as much by the trendy psychedelic loops of Panda Bear as it is by the most forward looking world music acts around the globe, we had already heard the summery, marimba-flavoured ‘Bombay’ and now another brand new single has leaked online. ‘FM Tan Sexy’, according to Reixa is the result of his research on hit singles from the late 70’s; 80’s and early 90’s and the common elements they share. And if we have to judge by how catchy this new track is, he may have found the secret behind bonafide hit making.
‘Pop Negro’ is released in the UK via Young Turks on September 13th. The singles ‘FM Tan Sexy’ and ‘Bombay’ are currently available as free downloads from El Guincho’s own website.
The televisual juggernaut that is Simon Cowell’s X Factor is a phenomenon that always manages to divide opinion. Love it or loathe it, the show dominates the popular consciousness and is almost inescapable to anyone who reads a paper or turns on a TV screen during the shows run. However, the latest controversy may be the show’s biggest yet.
The early stages of the competition are often the most entertaining due to the stark contrast between the more talented performers and the tone deaf wannabes that slip through to the televised rounds. In spite of this the X Factor post production team has decided to add a hefty dose of auto tune – software that masks vocal mistakes – to proceedings; thus giving performances a homogenous robotic twang.
It’s a move that’s seen both fans and critics of the show up in arms. However, adding a manipulated voice to a track is not always a bad move… In honour of the latest X Factor hoo-hah we’re compiling some of the best moments in vocoder history.
This week we headed down to London’s Hoxton Bar & Grill to check out Spectrals. Headed by the enigmatic Louis Jones – who solely writes all the music – we were taken aback by the gloriously melodic lo-fi indie on show. Backed by his band, Jones led a set that included tracks from his forthcoming ‘Spectrals Extended Play’ EP. The music is rooted in the catchy melodies of ’60 and ’70’s soul but sewn together by Louis’ distinct Northern accent. While there may be a crop of bands from the US displaying similar influences - for example Harlem, who took to the stage after Spectrals – it’s refreshing to hear an unmistakably British slant on the sound.
Tracks such as the loveable ‘7th Date’ show Jones to be a hopeless romantic, albeit one with a killer ear for a melody. Live the band are particularly understated, only acknowledging the crowd after one particularly “wacky individual” placed a plastic deer’s head on stage.
‘Spectrals Extended Play’ will be released through Moshi Moshi on October 10th. They will also be supporting the likes of Avi Buffalo, Yuck and Les Savy Fav before playing the Welsh Sŵn Festival in October. For more details head to their MySpace. Read more…
For all of you who weren’t lucky enough to win our previous LED Festival tickets competition, fear not! We now have another chance for you to win a pair of VIP tickets for Saturday 27th August. With a line up that boasts the likes of Leftfield; Goldfrapp; Friendly Fires; Aphex Twin and Annie Mac, it looks certain to be one of the unmissable events of the bank holiday weekend in London. Plus you’ll get the chance to experience the festival in VIP style!
To be in with a chance of winning just email us the answer to this question:
What does L.E.D stand for?
Please send your answer to LED@free-prizedraw.co.uk, along with your name and mobile number. If you don’t want to be contacted about further events please state ‘competition only’ in you email.
Today’s Tag Of The Day belongs to Hamburg’s Tensnake’s. Opening with an ecstatic wail – evoking A Guy Called Gerald’s timeless classic ‘Voodoo Ray’ – and a provocative bassline, ‘Coma Cat’ quickly draws you in with its charms. However, the dark disco vibe rapidly evolves when the bassline gives way to a euphoric synth break down bringing the track into unabashed joy-filled house territory.
The simple repeated vocal hook of “can I get, can I get get” is guaranteed to invade your head and has become the standout moment in Tensnake’s many sets over the summer. The German producer/DJ will be playing a number of dates from the tail end of summer up to December, where he’ll be performing at Manchester’s Warehouse Project. For a full list of dates check his MySpace.
For those looking to get more Tensnake action, check out his ‘Remix Selection’ mix below which fatures reworks of Azari & III, The Faint and Foals to name a few.
Zola Jesus is the alter ego of 21 year old singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova; a classically trained former opera singer who specialises in haunting ethereal pop. Zola’s sound is somewhere midpoint between Florence & The Machine and Fever Ray – who invited the singer to support her forthcoming European Tour.
Her latest track, ‘Night’, opens with eerie synths and hushed vocals before giving way to a hypnotic beat backed by the singers haunting tones. It’s an intriguing track that puts Zola Jesus leagues ahead of most other 80’s obsessed female singer songwriters. For more info and tour dates head to her MySpace.
Night’ is taken from her recent ‘Stridulum II’ EP, currently available from iTunes.
