Shazamers' Blog

Hailing from LA, The Funeral Party are a far more joyful prospect than their doom laden moniker may suggest. The band’s mix of distorted power chords, cowbells and screeching vocals creates a glorious racket that should see them mentioned on many tastemaker’s lips. On the appropriately titled ‘NYC Moves To The Sound Of LA’, the quartet display a fiery knack for a killer hook while lead singer Chad Elliott’s screams are the perfect accompaniment to the frantic backing. Although The Funeral Party take their name from one of the more sombre moments of The Cure’s 1981 album ‘Faith’, The Funeral Party site a wide range of influences on their MySpace from Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Yazoo (or ‘Yaz’ as they’re known in The States).

Penning a song about New York has clearly worked out for Funeral Party, as they’ve attracted the attention of one of the city’s most prominent tastemakers. The band will be supporting Julian Casablancas on the singer’s upcoming US tour in April. While no releases are lined up yet, we recommend keeping an eye on their MySpace for forthcoming releases.

Jon Davies New Music, News The Funeral Party

One of the latest voices to come out in support of the seemingly doomed digital radio station 6Music is that of Domino Recording Co. The label has one of the widest ranging and varied rosters of any independent label and its values are clearly in line with the mindset of the station. While Domino is home to such major artists as Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Animal Collective; the label also devotes as much attention to nurturing smaller acts such as Eugene McGuiness, Wild Beasts and Four Tet. The label’s ethos has always been to develop artists they love, rather ones that are sure to sell millions of records. It’s a view that is shared by 6Music, whose DJ’s promote and play music they have a genuine affection for, not just records that have been included on a playlist.

Considering the station and the label embody several of the same values, it’s no surprise Domino has shown its support for the station. Many of the label’s acts have also issued statements showing their support, including this from Lightspeed Champion:

“The end of 6Music is such a disgrace and catastrophe, I learnt so much from it, and imagine that if I was younger I would have learnt more. A lot of people are going to remember this. This is so upsetting for music fans across the country.”

6 Music’s roots are laid in the tradition of such tastemakers as John Peel, and it would certainly be missed here at Shazam HQ. For more information regarding the bid, head to the Save BBC 6Music Facebook page here. The BBC are also welcoming feedback for the proposals. To get your feelings across regarding the matter please send your thoughts to SRconsultation@bbc.co.uk.

Jon Davies News 6Music, Domino Recording Co.

Fresh from winning the Best Male category at this year’s NME Awards, Jamie T is set to release the latest single from his second album ‘Kings & Queens’. ‘Emily’s Heart’ is one of the album’s more solemn moments, with the singer reflecting on a love gone wrong. The accompanying video is sure to win over many fans. It follows a young man’s fruitless attempt in trying to get the affections of a girl, one that unfortunately seems slightly out of his league. 

The full single is released on March 15^th through Virgin and is currently available to download through iTunes.

Jon Davies New Music, News Jamie T

Consisting of Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, First Aid Kit first sprung to our attention after their cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ gained a over a million views on YouTube. Last time we saw the band it was in a small crammed pub in Camden. It’s a testament to their growing success that they’re now able to full the considerably larger Union Chapel. The gothic architecture of the venue proved to be the perfect backdrop for the girls’ harmony infused folk. The chapel’s faultless acoustics were also utilised perfectly by the band, performing one song totally unaccompanied by microphones. With their stage set up now bolstered with the inclusion of a live drummer, First Aid Kit gave an assured performance that belies the fact they’re still teenagers.

Their set consisted of tracks from their debut album ‘The Big Black And The Blue’ and was rapturously received by the sold out London crowd. Tracks such as ‘I Met Up With The King’ convey a staggering level of lyrical maturity and hint that this pair will only continue to get better. The performance was concluded with a cover of Gram Parsons ‘Still Feelin’ Blue’. The lush acoustic sounds of the late troubadour have clearly been an influence on the girl’s sound, so it proves a fitting end to a fine set.

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events First Aid Kit

After their debut album ‘Antidotes’ was released to universal acclaim back in 2008, there’s been much hype surrounding Foals next move. The first new track to surface from the band is the epic six-minute ‘Spanish Sahara’: a taster of the group’s new work but not an official single. Opening with a quietly strummed guitar and lead singer Yannis Philippakis’ falsetto vocal, the record is fairly sparse when compared with their previous dancefloor aimed singles ‘Ballons’ and ‘Cassuis’. However that’s not to criticize the slow burning track, it merely shows how the band’s sound has progressed from their previously poppier musical leanings. ‘Spanish Sahara’ takes the Oxford quintet’s trademark looped guitar riffs and pounding drums and evolves them into something new. Rest assured, the song quickly roots itself in your head and proves a great taster for the album, ‘Total Life Forever’.

‘Total Life Forever’ will be released on May 10th and the band has also announced a short, intimate UK tour to accompany the release of its debut single, ‘This Orient’. Foals have also made a remix of ‘Spanish Sahara’ available as a free download from their website. Tickets for the tour will be available at 9am on March 12th and the band will play the following dates.

Thu 29th April Liverpool Kazimier
Fri 30th April Newcastle Uni
Sun 2nd May Glasgow ABC
Mon 3rd May Leeds Met Uni
Tues 4th May Manchester Ritz
Thurs 6th May Cambridge Junction
Fri 7th May Nottingham Trent Uni
Sat 8th May Bristol Anson Rooms
Mon 10th May London Electric Ballroom
Weds 12th May Oxford 02 Academy
Fri 14th May Dublin Ambassador

Jon Davies News Foals

London promoters Upset The Rhythm proved beyond doubt that Sub Pop still have an eye for finding great new alternative music. Recent signings Dum Dum Girls showed why they have the likes of Pitchfork and Vice eating out of their hands . Hailing from LA, the quartet pen beautifully fuzzy and spiky pop; recalling Motown harmonies but also the feedback drenched punk of bands like Black Tambourine.

Also performing on the night was London’s own Male Bonding. Again another recent signing to the legendary imprint, the punky trio set the tone perfectly with a frantic set. Tracks like ‘Years Not Long’ are delivered with reverb soaked vocals and backed by a  mind numbingly tight rhythm section. The band are about to embark on US tour with Vivian Girls and will hopefully transfer the tenacity of their live show across an album.

While Dum Dum Girls decreased the pace slightly after Male Bonding, they were no less well received. The packed crowd gently nodded along to lead singer Dee Dee’s hypnotic vocals. Showcasing tracks from their forthcoming debut album, ‘I Will Be’, Dum Dum Girls showed that they perfectly justify the lavish praise they’ve been receiving of late. The band are about to play SXSW later this month, before embarking on a full US tour supporting American indie band, Girls. For more details head to their MySpace.

Jon Davies News Dum Dum Girls, Male Bonding

Currently riding high at the top of the UK charts with his second single, ‘In My Head’, US R&B rising star Jason Derülo looks set to make his mark on 2010. The singer has been on our radar since his debut single ‘Watcha Say’ dominated the Shazam US New Release Chart in mid 2009. Despite only releasing two singles so far, Derülo has been in the song writing game for the past few years, writing for the likes of Diddy, Birdman, Sean Kingston and Cassie. Nevertheless, it was evident that the singer would eventually strike out on his own after spending most of his life studying music and performance.

His eponymous debut album was released this week and is currently firmly in the iTunes top ten. Luckily we managed to grab a few spare minutes of his time and find out about his future plans, what happened when he toured with Lady Gaga and whether he had firsthand experience of any of P.Diddy’s legendary parties…

‘In my Head’, your latest single, is at number one at the moment – a great achievement for your second single! Tell us a little about the track and what influenced it.

JD – “With this track I wanted to explore the rock side of things a bit more, because I’m a music lover and I wanted to infuse all kinds of music. So JR (Producer JR Rotem) came up with this wonderful beat with the rock guitars/drums and I had an idea to write a song about my imagination. I have a very vivid imagination; everyone has fantasies, so I wanted to explore it. You know meeting someone for the first time, a lot of the time I have fantasies (laughs) that go through my head so I wanted to explain it; basically it’s an invitation to my imagination”.

You mentioned the track has a slightly rockier edge than your previous single, what kinds of influences are there across the album?

It’ll be the same thing, always man – always a reinvention. Those (singles) are two totally different songs, one has an indie electro sample in it and the other has a rock influence. That’s what the album is. It’s a music lover’s album – if you like all kinds of music then this album is for you. There’s so many genres implemented to create this new pop sound, it’s all deep rooted in pop but there’s many influences.

In ‘Watcha Say’ you sampled the Imogen Heap song ‘Hide And Seek’ – not a track you would immediately associate with an R&B artist like yourself. How did you discover it?

Like I said, I’m a music lover, man. I’ll just go into the record store and pick up some random CD, just because I’d never heard it before. I’m just so curious, I’m a student of music, I wanna continue to discover new things.

Have you had any feedback directly from Imogen Heap herself?

Yeah she’s excited, she’s excited her song got to take a new flight you know.

Read more…

Jon Davies News Jason Derulo

After his download only single ‘Diminishing Returns’ late last year, Ali Love returns with his first full release from his forthcoming second album. ‘Love Harder’ is an entrancing slice of Italo sliced pop, one that proves a great taster for the album. You may remember Ali Love from his appearance on The Chemical Brothers ‘Do It Again’ or for his unfairly ignored singles ‘Secret Sunday Lover’ and ‘Late Night Session’. After parting ways with his previous label Columbia, Love has joined forces with UK indie label Back Yard Recordings – home to the likes of Chromeo, Gossip and Teenagersintokyo.  

‘Love Harder’ is released on March 8^th on single and download. For a sneak preview of the track, head here to download a free remix by Norwegian space-disco master Prins Thomas.

Jon Davies News Ali Love, Prins Thomas

In possession of one of the coolest band names around, Cymbals Eat Guitars, hailing from Staten Island, New York, greet tonight’s Hoxton crowd in understated fashion, before entertaining with a tight set drawing heavily from their 2009 album ‘Why There Are Mountains’.

The part shoegaze, part surf rock four piece innovatively weave jangly indie guitar melodies. Front man Joseph D’Agostino howls out his vocals in mesmerizing fashion, backed by subtle keys and taught bass and drum rhythms. It is at the peak of their melodic builds, however, that Cymbals… wield their power as a band equipped with many a intense, distorted guitar solo. Such freakouts inject a raw passion in to tracks like ‘…And the Hazy Sea’ or ‘Indiana’, staying just the right side of overly noise heavy breakdowns.

Read more…

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events, News Cymbals Eat Guitars

London’s Lovebox festival has now confirmed several acts for this year’s event, including some stellar headline performers. The announcement will no doubt cause gig goers problems in deciding which festival to pick this summer. The weekend, curated by Groove Armada’s  Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, has pulled a real coup in securing Roxy Music’s services on the Saturday.  Lead singer Brian Ferry commented “There is a song on my album that I have co-written with my friends Groove Armada.  They asked me if Roxy would like to perform at Lovebox.  We of course thought it would be cool”. The influential 80’s band join Dizzee Rascal and the irrepressible Grace Jones as the events headliners, with the festival now expanding to three days.

Taking place in Victoria Park on the 16^th-18^th July, the weekend will also see performances from the likes of Hot Chip, Mark Ronson & The Business and Empire Of The Sun – making their first UK appearance. Other notable acts playing are Canadian synth demons Chromeo, Cut Copy, Wild Beasts and Hercules & Love Affair.  However anyone whos been to Lovebox will know it’s not just about the bands, the weekend also boasts a fine array of DJ talent including Crookers, Booka Shade and Joy Orbison. For tickets and full line up info, head to the Lovebox site.

Jon Davies Gigs/ Events Dizzee Rascal, Grace Jones, Groove Amarda, Lovebox, Roxy Music