The Comeback

Almost 3 months down the line since my last post and I look at my significantly more bloated music library to pick out the gems that have kept me so absent from everything else. Following my post about Kyle Andrews and Sushi I went on to listen to You Always Make Me Smile more than 50 times in this little while. The pop happiness it wands out is enough to keep the track alive in my opinion. Scroll down to see the original post where I popped the record breaking YouTube video in.

Since then the big finds which will get their own posts shortly have been tracks off the new Little Dragon, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Kooks, Motopony and Kills albums'. Songs and posts are coming!

Freelance Whales - Location

The Freelance Whales have been around for a solid few years now and I had never heard of them until I saw that their track Location was the most downloaded song on a blog I was checking out. So I got hold of their album and it is great. The album uses quite a bit of synth and is not something that will stick with me for years, but continuing this post two months since it was started I can say that those songs don't live long, but they hold a grip for a small fix. Location however will prove a little more timeless.

"Thinking softly what a tinder box we live in,

and what a flammable heart I've been given..."

Download it Here

Kyle Andrews - Sushi

Kyle Andrews, you won't be blamed for not knowing. Sushi is a contender for his best track ever, along with You Always Make Me Smile. Kyle hails from Chicago but resides in music central Nashville. Sushi is off his 2008 album Real Blasty. There's nothing more to say, it just puts off listening.

Pick up Sushi from Mediafire

Kyle Andrews - Sushi

Ed Sheeran - The A Team

Ed Sheeran, a name that pops up on the iTunes store a lot these days, for good reason. Quite a lot on the singer/songwriter section and then all of a sudden...as the number one new single on the entire store. Who is Ed Sheeran? A West Yorkshire 20 year old making waves. Ed has worked to get attention in a truly determined manner. After running out of money he began couch surfing in London, playing 312 gigs in 2009. Ed also headed over to LA, playing open mic nights whenever he could, until Jamie Foxx noticed him and invited him to go and record. But basically, his fame came through viral videos on YouTube. He is currently signed to Atlantic Records and his first full length album is due out in September. The A Team is the first single off his new album and all you need to do is listen to realise the potential this guy has. Check it out

King Charles is Starting the Fire

Kings Charles, the guy behind Love Lust did this re-make of Bill Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire some time ago. Watch the video or listen to the song and it'll make sense why he was the winner of an international songwriting competition unanimously voted for by a panel of judges including Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Timbaland, Black Francis and Jerry Lee Lewis...


Charles took up guitar when he was 17 after falling in love with folk music. After leaving Durham without a degree in 2007 he formed Adventure Playground, a band who toured with Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling. The band later split and King Charles started working on his solo material. Last year he joined Mumford and Sons on their sold out US tour and has received vast amounts of online interest and support. He is currently recording his debut album, due out this mid-year.

Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth

So I jumped on this album a bit later than everyone else but was really surprised and pleased with the development in this bands sound. Not to say that their first 2 albums were by any means bad, on the contrary I enjoyed them, but there is clearly a musical progression in Last Night on Earth. Noah and the Whale are probably most famous for 5 Years Time when the catchiness of whistling and the ukulele were discovered in what most thought would be a one hit wonder. In fact, Peaceful The World Lays Me Down had plenty of great material on it and was followed up by The First Days of Spring, a collection of depressingly written songs of heartbreak, sung by someone with the rock-bottom emotion of a fresh break-up.

These two albums and their differing sounds left me guessing as to what the third LP would be like and it was a fresh burst of the optimism at new beginnings and the rediscovered joys of life. Musically it is far more upbeat with a busier percussion section and faster tempos. There is also the introduction of synth, a trend also noticed in the new Bon Iver album. Tracks to watch are: Tonight's the Kind of Night, Wild Thing, Waiting for My Chance to Come and L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

Download the Soundcloud track here

Noah And The Whale - Tonight's The Kind Of Night

Thurston Moore - Benediction

Thurston Moore's latest album Demolished Thoughts landed on shelves last month and a few weeks later on my iTunes library. I'd never heard of him before but it's similar to Elliott Smith, Swell Season and the like. The first single off the track, Benediction is a 50-something year olds love song with the repeated phrase "whisper I love you a thousand times in his ear"... Moore was rated the 33rd greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004. The album is a whispered collection of memories, sweet nothings and pocket size love songs which are great to carry into any candle lit evening or sunset orchard. Not an album I'll rave about, but a nice addition to your singer/songwriter collection.

Download it here

Jon Swift - No 100 Miles

So you've probably never heard of Jon Swift. You should know he's one of the best unknown songwriters out there. You've probably never heard of Signatures either. It is the best sports film I have ever watched. I discovered Jon Swift through the Signatures soundtrack and purchased Pathways, his 2009 album off iTunes. It is amazing. Jon's engagement and descriptions of the wild are as refreshing as the waves and wonderings which he so effectively traps in his songs. The way he likens women and love with the wild transports the listener to another world.
Below is his song No 100 Miles, an eery guitar piece with powerful  and enigmatic lyrics. It is on the teaser for Signatures. The movie will appeal to any music lover, ski or board-sport enthusiast and those fond of fantastic cinematography. Get hold of both if you can.
Check out his website


The geese have flown from the fields,
and I met nobody in the mountains.
There's a moonlight on the meadow
and warm sulfuric fountains.
And the cavalry is running on broken legs.

There's a wind out on the hill
with an old harmonica swaying
down to the afterhour days
where the motion pictures keep playing.
Can that old feeling come back another way?

There ain't no 100 miles away

Can't you see me when I'm moving?
Do you remember why you give?
These lovers are left to wondering
why they cannot have what makes them live.
I've only seen broken treasures inside a cage.

Our fingertips are calloused.
The moths are flitting on the screen.
Our eyes are still focused on a palace
somewhere deep inside our dream.
Although my hands are tied, I was not born a slave.

The Cults

So that album artwork must make you wonder if the music will be as much a vibe for you as it is for them. It's pleasing. You might not be able to rock out to Cults as much as their hair does, but this is an album with enough xylophone and floating vocals for you to enjoy. Start with Outside to get a pretty good idea of the chilled out, hipster sound that is Cults. This San Diego couple Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion wear their hearts on their sleeves as they float together on a mixture of bass lines and Follin's cotton-candy voice in the clouds. The outcome is a naive and nostalgic approach to gushy pop which has been novacained into a slower state of love than artists who sing about the substance which isn't in their hearts.

Friendly Fires - Pala

So I have been anticipating this album ever since I fell for Friendly Fires' first self-titled album back in 2008. When the album artwork was released months ago, I liked it so much that I had little doubt that the album would be anything less than spectacular. I have listened to it about 3 times now and I hate to say that I don't have the same romance with this album as with the debut. Granted, with only 3 plays under the belt it may grow on me, but the fact that I have only wanted to play it thrice and no more, speaks volumes. It is a good album and clearly the same group developing their sound, but it just doesn't have the spark which Friendly Fires so blatantly did. Nonetheless, it is worth getting hold of and will give you some listening pleasure. Just don't hold your thumbs too much for this one...

Sleeper Agent - Get It Daddy

Kentucky-based band Sleeper Agent are set to release a debut album Celebrasion in August and by the sounds of their first single Get It Daddy there is something to be followed here. The track is electric in it's wake-up frenzy of ah-ah-uh-ah-uh-ah-ooh and clearly has a beating pulse all the way from start to finish. Hit repeat and get bouncing.
Download it here

The Generationals - Actor Caster

So this album has been out a few months and I snapped it up on its US release date. After going crazy over the Trust EP and then getting hold of Con Law and praising it, I had high expectations. A truly stellar album has been produced, but unfortunately, after Con Law, they set the bar too high to match it. Their first single Ten-Twenty-Ten is an absolute winner though, with massive plays going on day and night. Other notable tracks are You Say it Too and Greenleaf. This band has become an absolute favourite since they first blipped on my radar last year October and I have been screaming their name to mostly deaf ears. The few who have picked up on it are screaming it back. Get into it, get hold of it. If there is one band I can recommend that won't disappoint it's this New Orleans duo. Get your hands on Ten-Twenty-Ten here.

And tell me that doesn't make you happy...

Bon Iver - Come Talk To Me

Speaking of Bon Iver, I've also had this song on repeat for ages. Justin turns Peter Gabriel's Come Talk to Me in to something quite beautiful. The guitar has a bit of Eddie Vedder in it but as soon as Vernon's vocal chords grace the track, there's no looking back.

Check it out here...

The video is a nice explanation with interviews of Peter Gabriel and Justin Vernon talking about their covering of each others songs.

Bon Iver - Calgary

Bon Iver just released Calgary, the first single from their new LP Bon Iver due out in just under a month, on June 21st. People are expecting great things, but at the same time nervous that no follow-up to For Emma, Forever Ago could ever match the eery and harrowing emotion from the groups debut album. However, if Calgary is anything to go by, fans will not be in for disappointment. I've got it on repeat with a constant smile. The track has all the makings of a great song, and Vernon's voice is nothing short of its usual goosebumps standard. Sean Carey's percussion is also a lot more noticeable than in the first album.

Or get it here

What Did You Expect From the Vaccines - A lot more...

People have been talking. About the Vaccines. A lot. The band claimed they weren't phased about being hyped after being featured on the cover of NME earlier this year with the subtitle "The Return of the Great British Guitar Band". They've been booked out at every summer festival from Glastonbury to T in the Park. Rumour has it that months before they were put on the radar, music industry people were talking about the next greatest thing to happen to indie-rock. They were being playlisted on iPod's with the artist name removed. The Vaccines were poised to make the biggest entrance into the UK music scene since the Arctic Monkeys.

Perhaps if  there hadn't been so much big talk I would enjoy the album more, but I really don't think that much of it. Granted, it is good, but amazing, not so much. I struggle to see what separates it from the hundreds of other indie outfits who are doing exactly what The Vaccines are, unsigned, in a garage. I still advocate the listening of it, because it is like-able, but if it doesn't blow you away, then you can keep the play count stagnant and know that one other person feels the same. See what you think...

Check out their website here and give them a listen below.

Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) by The Vaccines

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Golden Age

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a Danish band whose success on a global scale is largely thanks to Heineken. The brand incorporated one of the bands songs The Golden Age in their latest viral advert "The Entrance". The group is made up of vocalist Mette Lindberg and producer Lars Iversen but when performing live are accompanied by a six piece horn group. After hearing The Golden Age on the Heineken ad, I downloaded their debut album Fruit, released in the last quarter of 2009. Turns out to be a great album. It's a set of cherry-pop tracks glistened by Mette's voice in a foot tapping package. Well worth getting hold of. Take The Golden Age as a standard on which the rest of the album equals.

U.S. Royalty - MIЯRORS

Plenty of time for U.S. Royalty's new album Mirrors. It started with a listen to Monte Carlo, which is an ace track and so I hunted for the album. Like quite a few other singles I've recently enjoyed, when I've downloaded the album, it has been a disappointment. But this was the exception. I love this album. Firstly, Equestrian the most similar sounding song to Monte Carlo can be acquired here. Hollywood Hollows is a bit more upbeat and rock-like, reminding me a lot of Band of Skulls. You also have to listen to Giving Up the Ghost, which has a distinct Creedence Clearwater Revival Fortunate Son feel to it - love it. Vacation Vacation is also a great track with enough stick on stick percussion to get you well into the beat, while still holding a mellow "Whooohooo hoo hoo" quality. Those are just the songs sticking out to me now, but I could go through every song with noted praise. If you like the two songs available for download on this post, then the whole album is a must.

As an afterthought, just for background info, the band is from Washington DC and was formed in 2008. They are still unsigned and Mirrors was released on January 25th of this year. The band is made of singer John Thornley, guitarist Paul Thornley, bassist Jacob Michael, and drummer Luke Adams. Is it just me or are family bands a trend... Consider the all-family Kings of Leon and yesterdays post on Phoenix...



U.S. Royalty - Monte Carlo

U.S. Royalty - Equestrian

Phoenix - 1901

Yeah boi! This song is a vibe. I first knew it from The Hood Internet's mash up of the 2000's: Decalogue (an all-time favourite track <--- right click and save-as if you don't know it. Anyway, YouTube surfing the other day I heard the original and got hold of it straight away. It's from their 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the groups critically adored, first commercial success. Speaking of the music makers themselves, it seems right to mention that they are a Paris based group of four who were completed in 1995 by the addition of guitarist Christian Mazzalai's brother Branco. Vocals are courtesy of Thomas Mars and it would be rude to not mention bassist Deck d'Arcy. I'm currently getting my paws on the album and perhaps more is to follow.
Download the track here...

Lykke Li feat. Bon Iver - Dance Dance Dance

I was downloading all the unreleased Justin Vernon tracks when this came up. Don't think they even recorded a proper studio version, but I love the rough around the edges sound and collective musical input from two artists whose sounds I enjoy. Can't get enough of that hand drumming and tambourine. Makes you wana jump around a bon fire...


Lykke Li & Bon Iver doing 'Dance Dance Dance' in...

Rubik - Laws of Gravity

Rubik is a five man indie band from Finland. They formed in 2003. They've released a bunch of older LP's and their sound has really changed a lot. Laws of Gravity was released as a single before their album "Solar" was released last month. I have listened to this track pushing 50 times and am still digging it. Haven't listened to the album, but if this is anything to go buy, it'll be great.


Rubik - Laws Of Gravity

Focus - Hocus Pocus (Buffetlibre Remix)

The song is originally by a Dutch group called Focus, founded by an organist/flautist named Thijs van Leer in 1969. Their most famous track is Hocus Pocus and it was brought back into fame when used in the Nike 2010 World Cup commercial, bumping it back onto the music charts. This no doubt brought it to the attention of Barcelona-based DJ Buffetlibre who did wonders with the track and turned it into this. What's even better, is that the track is available for free download.


Focus - Hocus Pocus (Buffetlibre Remix) by Buffetlibre

The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing

It's a day late, but yesterday marked the 45th Anniversary of the recording of And Your Bird Can Sing by the Beatles, during their Revolver recording sessions at Abbey Road. The song is one of my favourite Beatles numbers and when I got handed down countless albums of the group as a child, it caught my fancy way before any of the tracks which made it to "1" or any other Greatest Hits album. Take a moment to submerge yourself in 1966.

And Your Bird Can Sing by thebeatles

The Music Sharing Catch Up - Part 1: Edward Sharpe

So I haven't posted in 5 months, a long time in a world which churns out hundreds of songs a day. Last October, I was introduced to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The first single I got on a mix CD was "Home", obviously the most catchy...

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros formed in 2005 after frontman Alex Ebert ended a long term relationship, moving out with a life-long friend and leaving an addiction program, Ebert started working on a book about a redeeming figure, Edward Sharpe, who was sent to Earth to save and heal mankind but ended up getting distracted by girls and falling in love.

Ebert then met Jade Castrinos, and the two toured the US with a group of other musicians. They released their debut album Up From Below in mid-2009 and it took a year to get out, but this best kept secret is spreading like wildfire. Songs like Janglin, Home and 40 Day Dream are catchy examples of how such a collective of musical minds can create such rich and layered music.

However, it is only when you watch a live performance of the group that you realise their passion for music and pure approach to writing and producing which results in an organic approach to notes.


Home by EdwardSharpe

The Break Is Over

It's been something like 5 months since I've posted. The purpose of this blog has changed in that time. I deleted the few posts I had on style. I feel arrogant prescribing things that people should wear. There's an extended version of that opinion, but the need to publish it is non-existent.

I now just want this blog to be for music, and photography occasionally and anything else that I like.
Ok, that's all.