And The Glass Handed Mikes

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away

I just totally love this album. It took a little while to click with me but when it did it was so well worth the wait.

Maybe the thing that turned me off the album at first was how good the first track, Sleeping Lessons is: simply put, it's amazing. Better, in fact, that anything The Shins sound like they could make- it was like Fake Plastic Trees turning up in the middle of a Keane album. Or Wonderwall being put at the end of the new Kaiser Chiefs one. But it sets the standard for album to keep to, and it's a high one. The slowly but constantly building guitarwork works perfectly along with maybe the most cocky opening lines ever: "So if the old gods still offend/They got nothing left on which you depend/So take every ounce of your blood/ And off with their heads!"

But after the first track dies away, the album is in no way over. It launches straight into Australia, which gives you a taste of what the whole rest of the album is about: that mellow, ever-tuneful kind of rock that's not quite passionate but not quite chill-out. Like late Blur, but without the needless experimentality. Music you can really relax to without falling asleep. It's twee, it's bubbly, and it's not the kind of music that could offend anyone.

Its more than anything James Mercer's vocal gymnastics that carry the songs; he boasts an absurdly dynamic voice that really has to be heard to understand. Y'know those pitch-correction machine things that people use sometimes that sound really fake? James is a human one of those. Note changes over octaves are just glided through effortlessly. He'd make your average vocalist teacher faint.

Pretty much this album is "come for Sleeping Lessons, stay for the rest". A great casual, relaxed album, if you give this the repeat listens it deserves then you'll get a brilliantly rewarding album with vast hidden depths to it.

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (Mediafire)


Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites

Y'know, its come to me that there isn't much of an intro I could ever write that would really do that title and that album cover justice, is there? I don't know what Mew were on to get that title, but apparently it's doing them good.

So, who're Mew? Well, take Pixies. And then take Sigur Rós. Then blend all their best albums up together and put them through a brita filter 20 times. What you've got at the end is the great Danes themselves. They've got all the volatile explosiveness of Frank Black at their most heavy. But they've also got all the shoegazing and vast scope of Jonsi Birgisson, which is something that makes them something quite special when put together. Because they can fill up your ears and leave you wishing for no other band for a little while. But they can also have a little fun while they're doing it. Evidentally, they're a little more than just the master-band of Dream Pop.

The opener, Circuitry Of The Wolf, tells you what to expect. Overdriven guitars blast the doors of the instrumental open, while choirs hover over the top of the wreckage, turning it from an everyday rock track to something strangely ethereal. The next track finally brings in the vocals, and then the synths, and

One big thing about this album is that it's definately one made to be listened in one go. The track transitions are lush, making sure you know they're different songs but at the same time leading them into each other perfectly. It's a strange album to listen to out of order: the second half of a guitar note is an odd thing to open a song. So the quiet, piano track of Fox Cub works as the conclusion to the previous white-noise filled rockfest, but it's also the slow introduction to the track going on afterward, which picks up from it. And the moment towards the end of Special where the guitar changes key and the riff starts falling apart could be the end of the song until it suddenly switches into the riff of the next track. This may be an album of 14 songs, but it's definately an album that's meant to be of one track.

Whether its in the energetic guitar-meets-synths-work of the loudest track or the piano-and-silence method, Mew do whatever they do very, very well. It's immediately accessable, it's giant, it's music that make you want to turn the volume to the max every time. It's very, very damn good music. So turn off that Interpol, indie fans of the world, and give this album a shot.

Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites (Mediafire)

-Mike =)

It took a lifespan.....

One of the best things to come out of America. Though depressing, they are one of my all time favourite bands.

Interpol are a band you have to check out. Though they were orignally nicknamed by critics as "Boy Division" they are a very orignal band in deep. Of cause they owe the almost robotic vocals and stabbing basslines to Joy Division, they have developed their own unique sound that many newer bands are yet to match.


Their first album, Turn on the Bright Lights was released in 2001, and is seen by most as the bands best album. It has the punchy single that is PDA, the tiwns of Obstacle 1 and Obstacle 2 and the powerful build up of Roland. Though I found the bands next album to be better, this album does contain my favourite song by them, the formentioned Roland. Which is a dark song rocky song with lyrics along the lines of "My best friends from Poland and um, he has a beard" and a buildup at the end that explodes into one of the best moments in music. Ever.


The next album, Antics is alot more accessable then that previous album. It has Evil on it, the song that got me into them, with its bass hook and great chorus. This album is a very easy one to listen to but its also very consistant. It doesn't dip in quality once during the whle playing on it. Highlights include Evil, Not Even Jail which is kinda 2 songs in one and NARC. The latter of which is the most similar to the bands earlyer work.

Interpol are currently recording their 3rd album for release this year. I dunno about you, but I am freaking excited.

And now one of their most famous videos. Evil. It features a creepy looking puppet. Joy.



Martyn xox

I Guess we're not Indie without this.

So I finally gave in and got Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio the other day. Needless to say I was impressed! This is an album that came out last year to loads of critical acclaim, it kinda became and Indie milestone overnight. Impressive for a bands second album being released only last year!

The album opens with I Was A Lover, one of the best songs. It has an uneasy drumbeat where you arn't sure if its a broken beat of a normal one. It then has one of the most powerful, emotional samples ever. A brass section playing just 2 notes, in a sample that only lasts about 3 seconds. But its amazing. This sample is looped for much of the rest of the song, where its accompanied bu a Piano chorus and as much guitar feedback as you like.

It seems a Mr David Bowie has taken quite a liking to this band. Thats him doing backing vocals on the albums 3rd track, Providence. A twitchy guitar led song, but with almost comforting delay effects and keyboards.

Something that stands out straight away are Frontman Tunde Adebimpe's vocals. They are simply put. Amazing. The guy sings with every ounce of emotion he could possibly put into it. I think its safe to say hes a black Thom Yorke, and hes one of my favourite vocalists ever.

In the middle of the album we have a song called Wolf Like Me. This song is fantastic and probably the best on the album (bar that sample from the opening track). Tunde sings "When the moon is round and full/gonna teach you tricks/That'll blow your mind" to beautiful guitar pieces and some briliantly controlled feedback. Just when you can't take it any more the song slows down for its powerful middle section, where once again Tunde's vocals send you to somewhere else. Just when your at peace the distorted guitars kick back in again and your pulled into the fire again.

Overall, an album that I am not afraid to say deserves the attention its recieved. If your smart, you'll get it now!

Martyn xox

(Note: Martyn's views do not necessarily reflect those of the management.

Also: Return To Cookie Mountain - TV On The Radio (Megaupload)

- Mike =P)

Well, y'can't say I don't have a whole lot of range.

Sugergrass - I Should Coco

Words that nobody could ever describe Supergrass as: intelligent, mature, technically brilliant, innovative, moving, emotional.

Words that Supergrass most definately are: stupidly bloody fun to listen to.

Because sometimes, everyone gets fed up of all the slow-building stringfests and hour long orchestral monstrocities of post-rock designs. And those times, there's not a whole not better than the sketchy, going-in-guitars-ablazing run through the landscapes of an east-end hooked on electricity in I Should Coco. It's fun, it stops you thinking too much and it promises not to slow down until its over. And it's more electric than a lightning storm.

The occasional slow track breaks up the adrenaline but the casual, careless tone is still there: this was an album from a simpler time. Supergrass don't really have any problems and they want to share it.

I Should Coco is one of the great electric teenage albums to remind you to live a little after the synths of slower albums have died down. Furiously fast, carefree to the extreme and forever happy, this album is the opposite of the entire nihilist wave that the world loves nowadays. It may have been made back in '92, but this is an album that any generation can relate to.

Supergrass - I Should Coco (Badongo)


Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.

...and this band is exactly the reason we need bands like Supergrass.

To start with, despite only having 3 compositions on it, and no vocals, this album racks up a terrifying 74 minutes in length. That's 15 minutes length per track! They are so long that 2 of the 3 songs are split in giant, 20 minute long halves. Evidently there's too much content for just one track.

This, my friends, is the very deepest, darkest heart of post-rock. There is simply nobody else that goes so far down that path of epic, brooding, ever building cacophany. Let me assure you, these are in no way, shape or form "songs". They're compositions. They don't have sections, they have movements.

What I'm getting at, here, is that Yanqui U.X.O has a certain... classical feel to it. These guys are our generation's Wagners and Mozarts. Except, and here the big difference is... Wagner never used electric guitars. Mozart never had drum kits at his disposal. And this is where Godspeed really do stand out: somehow, they really have used our everyday heavy rock equipment and used them to make music that the composers of old wouldn't shake thieir head at. This is heavy baroque.

It's daunting to know where to begin with an album of such a grand scale as this one. With an album with songs split up into tracks, and then tracks split up into movements and movements melting into each other until there isn't really any difference between any of it all. The closest I can do is give moments to you: 9.24 and 14.20 on the first track. The first 6 minutes or so of Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls are one of best movements of the album. It's the little moments that make all the album stick out from your average stagnant, unchanging- let's be honest, boring- post-rock band. Godspeed, the father of post-rock, is above that. They know what their audience want, even if they don't really care about it- these are the most pretentious dudes on the planet, after all.

All in all, Godspeed You! Black Emperor are one of those bands. Essentially the Beatles of post-rock, they're the archetype of the genre so if you don't like them, you'll never like them. But I think they're worth a shot. Because if you do like them, they'll always be one of the great bands in your head. One thing's for sure, you'll never, ever think they're "just alright".

In the end, I'd say it's worth the risk.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O (Mediafire)

-Mike =)

Woo! My 10th post!

Yeah, pretty exciting stuff guys.


The Notwist - Neon Golden

"We are overcute, we never managed to be rude only twice", sings Markus in what is possibly the most adorable line ever sang in a song. And, oddly, that line sums Notwist up in so many words! They're not a massively heavy band. They're not gonna be all up in your grill about their music! They don't ask to bother you with too much attention! All they want to do is make nice music for you to listen to and be happy with!

Awwwww.

They're pretty great electronica, though. They lean right on the cusp of resembling Kid A Radiohead at times, but always keeping that little bit of happiness (that word that Thom Yorke hates so much).

You get the feeling that The Notwist really thought about their songs. This isn't any old throwaway "chuck out an album, make another one" band. Within the 10 tracks of Neon Golden are hundreds upon hundred of little, subtle layers working together to make the song hum along perfectly. Whether it's the glitched vocals of This Room or the veritable orchestrafest (which seems strangely like Sigur Rós-lite) of Off the Rails, or the stange, almost The Books-esque background noise that pervades the entire album.

The Notwist are not going to change your life. They're probably not even going to make it into your Great Artists. But they'll make music that you'll enjoy listening to, and that's all you'll really want when you listen to them.

Aww, bless 'em, though.

The Notwist - Neon Golden (Badongo)

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sunk

There was a lot of pressure on Isaac to make a bloody great album in their latest release. Facing antagonism from every side with their previous Good New For People Who Like Bad News (a criminally underrated album, incidentally), it was almost accepted as a fact that the Seattle lads had jumped the shark. They needed something pretty damn special to redeem themselves to the fickle Indie crowd.

Good thing they did, then, eh?

For my money, the new record is the best record they've released in the past decade. People looking for another Moon & Antarctica might be a little disappointed, but people looking for a M&A beater will get exactly what they want.

I'm almost reluctant to say that the recruiting of ex-Smiths guitarist Jonny Marr was such an inspired move. Reluctant because I've heard more than once "Modest Mouse? Aren't they Johnny Marr's band?" Guys! They've been around almost 20 years now without him! But somehow, something's changed with his addition. Those typical Mousy riffs seem so much more colourful than they used to be. Everyone's favourite nihilist misanthrobes are almost sunny this time round.

And its that new tone that makes this such a good album. The old, world-hating Isaac is still there, but it's second stage now to a new, unashamedly happy Modest Mouse. And because of that, this is finally something new from them: instead of trying to repeat their last success every album, they've shaken off the shackles and so, although they're still perfectly encompassing the Modest Mouse entire aesthetic, the album sticks out from everything else they've released.

I've always said that Isaac Brock is my best lyricist ever, and here isn't any exception. It's the same effortless wit, packed with the same one-liners and the same simple, powerful choices of words.

This album was one that would always be set to a background of a band being quickly, quietly shut out, but the result of it is one that will hopefully blow away even the harshest of naysayers. Powerful, jolly and unbelievably clever, We Were Dead could well be the Modest Mouse masterpiece yet.

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (Mediafire! It's working again!)

-Mike =)

Okay, okay, it was always only a matter of time until this came up.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Y'know last week when I said Agaetis Byrjun was my second favourite album ever? Well, truth is, it was only my drawn second favourite. Epic though it is, it's never going to beat Jeff Mangum and his explosive seminal album. If you haven't heard of Neutral Milk Hotel, then I kinda don't blame you but also there's something seriously wrong with you: you need this album, stat.

Neutral Milk Hotel is almost a legend: they arrived on the scene in '95, released two albums in two years, disappeared in '97, never wrote anything again. And managed to inspire every self-respecting indie artist ever since! It's almost like their job was complete: we've done that reinventing rock thing, moving on...

Well, firstly, this was the anthemic album to end all anthemic albums. When you listen to it, you're going to end up having every song from it stuck in your head. You're gonna hum it in corridors and then you could leave it for years and when you hear that tune or listen to that line you're still going to know exactly where it came from. Neutral Milk Hotel don't just leave your head.

Secondly, it's an amazingly clever album. It reads like a love letter to Anne Frank, but it's not half as despairing as it could have been. The main body of the album is bookended by two versions of the same song: Two Headed Boy parts 1 and 2. In the first part, the two-headed boy is lost and desperate. Then the album moves on, referencing but not obliquely talking about the ill-fated Anne Frank. By the finale of the album... well, it would be a crime to spoil that. But if you don't end the album with shivers going up your spine then you're not feckin' human.

Thirdly, the lyrics in this album are nigh untouchable. They tack on exactly the tone they were going for every time. In the comforting existentialist drama of the eponymous track, they're relaxed and understnading. Elsewhere, in the bleaker parts of the album, they take a turn for the slightly more unnerving- although never too much. I will challenge anyone to find an album that ties its lyrics to its songs so well as In The Aeroplane does.

Fourthly is the range and variety of the album. It opens with a 3-part epic spaced over two tracks, but encompasses accoustic homely music, oriental christian hymns and pure, all-out punk rock with some of the most overdriven guitar you'll hear. And then, back to the moody accoustic music of In The Aeroplane. This album isn't one that's going to ever bore you. It seems, it was balanced perfectly to pick up with the electricity the moment the moody melodrama becomes too much, and return back to the emotional songs the moment the edge of the upbeat tracks wears off. From beginning to end, it never dips and it never stops until you've heard the final moment.

All in all, this album is giant and tiny and paints with a giant brush and gets all the details anyway. You haven't fully lived life unless you've listened to this album, with the volume up to max, to the end. This album, guys, I think we're agreed, is pretty damn good.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (Mediafire)
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (Megaupload)

- Mike =)

Whats the time, Mr Wolf?

Take a moment to stop laughing at my CLEVER title please.

Ready?

Okay! Allow me to tell you of the genious that is Patrick Wolf!

That little colourful man up there is a genious. Fact.

Patrick Wolf is an artist I have grown to love very quickly very recently. His latest album, The Magic Posistion has catapulted him into the Mainstream. Something like this is bound to alienate some fans, but hey, its the business.

But don't let the happy, colourful image of Mr Wolf decieve you. He has had a very dark past. His first album, Lycanthropy came out in 2003 and showed a dark, scary journey of old fashioned pianos playing along side furious breakbeats. I think this album is his best work, simply because it all works so well. On Lycanthropy we are treated to such songs as Bloodbeat, with its twilight synths and fuzzed out bass and the dark storytale of The Childcatcher, with some very impressive beats and beautiful chords. The latter of those 2 songs is also my favourite by him. The whole album contains this dark mood, with the furiosity of the beats letting us know how angry the man gets. There are some light moments on the album, such as the opener, Wolf Song, which is just Patrick and a Mandolin or To The Lighthouse, the only really uplifting song on the album. I think this is his best work to date, but if your currently in love with The Magic Posistion then stay clear of it. You won't find your happy horns and disco beats here.

His next album was Wind in the Wire. Which carried along his dark theme but this time it was alot more defined. This album is almost as good as Lycanthropy I think. It has some fantastic tracks on it though, such as the opener, The Libertine. Which has the most depressing mood of any of his songs, but with electronic distortion alongside gypsy violins. Tristan is also his most RAWK song to date, and has a really good video which I will attactch at the end of this blog. The album has his most matured sound, dark but folky. This man truley is a Pioneer in Folktronica.

This brings us nicley to his third album, released this year. It was quite a sudden change for the man, who previously was singing about being caught by The Childcatcher and having an alterego called Tristan. The man embraced pop melodies with open arms and it really does suit him. The first single from his album, Accident & Emergency is a very happy track with some extreamly catchy horns. Its also good to hear his synthesiser playing major chords! My only gripe with the album is the lack of electronic stuff which I fell in love with him for. gone are the days of the sonic chaos in the middle of The Childcatcher or the grafted white noise in The Libertine. but instead we are given fantastic sing along songs with brass and as much gypsy influence as you like. its nice.

Overall, hes finally come out of the darkness to show his happy side, and its selling in the bucket load.

Martyn xox

You'd almost think I went mainstream.

The Libertines - The Libertines

So after the massive shocker of Fratelli's Costello Music I figured I'd have another shot at this whole nu-Britpop malarky. And when you say that, you realise there's only one band that solely created nu-Britpop: so you have good ol' Pete Doherty to thank for all these new wave replicas. So right around that point when you realise you've never listened to a Libertines album and something is very, very wrong.

So what better timing for that than here? This album is pretty great. If I'm honest, I kinda typecast them as a totally different band to what I thought they were like! My expectations were "Arctic Monkeys, except 5 years before Arctic Monkeys formed". In truth, they were more The Manic Street Preachers, 5 years after the Manics' soul left them. (How dare you! - Martyn)

What you get to expect instead from the album is a whole lot of guitar noise and fast tempos, but it's not the only thing you get to expect. The slow songs at least outnumber the mindless grinds, and they're (for my money) better, too. Here's a strange thing: The Libertines can make a hell of a tune. The Doo-wop What Katie Did (which Doherty would revisit later with Babyshamble's What Katie Did Next) is every bit as catchy and moreish as the white-noise filled Narcissist.

The beginning of the album is a little off tempo from the rest of it, but from track 4 onwards it's a solid gold trip down through a group that know they would never release anything together again from the beginning. The big finalé, What Became Of The Likely Lads, is a touching tribute to the end of the long friendship between Doherty and Barat.

In the end, this album is an odd mix of elation and tragedy in one nice little package. It's the concluding, and best, chapter in one of the most influential bands of the past few years. So worth it, maybe, for a download! The ripples haven't stopped spreading for the importance of this album but I think it'll be far reaching in the long run.

The Libertines - The Libertines (Sendspace)


Eels - Electro-Shock Blues

In 1997, E, the man whose project Eels is, was struck by a double-blow: after the death of his father, his mother died of cancer and his sister committed suicide not long afterward. Suddenly, he was the sole survivor of his entire family. As a man who never really bothered with friends, you can imagine what the tone set by the following year's album would be.

What's surprising is the frankness of the songs. The opener, Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor, depicts one his sister's attempts to kill herself. The next track's name is "Going To Your Funeral". It's very sincere and it's massively bitter. E's lyrics have always had a tinge of melancholy to them but they've never been this unashamedly cathartic.

Although, you shouldn't think this is one of those painfully awkward albums to listen to. As the album goes on the track turn more and more accepting, and almost happy. By the middle, Last Stop: This Town may well be the most dancey song about grief ever made, complete with harpsichord, samples of laughing and dubbed voices. And the best part of the album is this slow change in tone. Although it starts massively depressed, it slowly takes you on the journey as E starts getting over it all.

The final track is the song that makes the entire album go from being a powerful trip through depression to one of the great moving albums of the 90s, though. If the first 15 tracks were the downfall, then the finale is the redemption for the entire journey. One of the great uplifting tracks, it takes the entire album and moves on from it. It takes you to E's revelation that came from the entire ordeal: "I was thinking about how everyone is dying/so maybe it's time to live!"

Eels - Electro-Shock Blues (Mediafire)

- Mike =)

Todays Surprise

I've never really been a fan of Kings of Leon. I thought The Bucket was an okay song and I knew my Uncle really liked them, and that they were 4 brothers but that was it. So I heard the new single On Call on the TV this morning and it really clicked with me. It was a very dark bassled song, something I hadn't heard since Think Tank, and something i'd never have expected from KoL (I was shocked to see it was them!). So I've downloaded the album and wow! It's great.

There are two apparent moods in the album, 1 is the dark mood which is carried along by the bass guitar and minimal guitar work, this is best seen in the single, On Call and the fantastic opener, Knocked Up.

The album has its more uplifting tracks too though, such as Black Thumbnail and Camaro at the end. These songs carry along the typical upbeat shouty and vintage sound of the Kings.

There are a few odd songs thrown in though, McFearless has a fuzzy bassline like something out of a Queens of the Stone Age song and Ragoo is the perfect mix between the dark and the happy moods on the album.

Overall, its a very very good album thats going to be a surprise hit this year. I thought the best song was the long, dark Knocked Up which opens the album. But thats just me liking my dark depressing music. I think this is going to be the Show Your Bones of 2007. Get it!

http://www.mediafire.com/?egygx2xfzgz

Martyn xox

Classics Friday: Agætis Byrjun!

Sigur Rós - Agætis Byrjun

I'll let you in on a secret. Agaetis Byrjun is my second favourite album of all time. It is pretty damn good.

The problem with Sigur Rós is, you can't judge them by the same standards you judge every other band on earth. Everyone else you judge by, I dunno, drama? Catchiness? The freakin' X Factor? But no, Sigur Rós is different, and this is why: you judge Sigur Rós by how many angels were made to cry by the track?

The thing about Agaetis Byrjun is that it's more than any other album. You don't just get happiness, you get winning the lottery on the same day as meeting the love of your life and ensuring perfect security in every part of your life and never having to worry about anything ever again, and it's a really nice summer day and you're totally relaxing, but also you're like a hundred miles up in the sky and moving through the air at a thousand miles an hour. And you don't get sadness. What you get is everyone you've ever loved being horribly killed at the same time and you being powerless to stop it and the entire world being turned into a living hell and you not even being able to stop any of it happening. It's not emotion, it's hyperemotion. Don't worry about the lyrics being in Icelandic: the truth is, lyrics could never do the music justice. It's the same reason they switched to Hopelandic, a nonsense language, in the next album. Simply put, Sigur Rós make music that is too good to be put to words.

Everything about the band shows how bigger-than-life they really are. Their songs are all 7 minutes long, because they couldn't fit everything into so small a space as a regular song. They have entire orchestras of instruments at their disposal, because they couldn't condense everything they had to say to just guitars, vocals and drums. Jonsi's vocals are higher than whalesong on helium because life's just not dramatic enough if you sing normally.

Look, if you only get one album on this site, go for this one. You can't be disappointed if you don't try it out, huh?

Sigur Rós - Agætis Byrjun (Mediafire)

- Mike =)

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

The Books - The Lemon Of Pink

The Books are a bit strange. They make all of their songs out of found objects- recordings of conversations or parties or lectures, or sounds of arrows firing, or of wolf calls. Their vocals are almost entirely done by people who never even knew they were gonna be used in music. After mixing it and splicing it until it's almost poetic, they put instruments to it and turn a concoction of different mediums thrown together into a strangely consistent song.

It sounds like it could easily get old, but there's a surprising amount of space to grow in the medium yet. Instead of sounding like the juvenile, barnyard-noise mess it could have potentially been, it manages to come off as being much more sophisticated and interesting to listen to.

Although the samples are always there, the band themselves don't exactly slack off. Most songs have the vocals in the foreground of the found objects, reminding us what's real and what isn't in the songs. Somehow, the distinction manages to sort itself out, so instead of being a mess of sound it has a real root to it.

Essentially, The Lemon Of Pink could have been a horrible, horrible album if it were done by a less careful person. But in the hands of The Books, it's ended up as a strangely beautiful piece of music. The found objects never jar with the music, exceptn when they're supposed to, and as a result the layers all glide together to make a perfectly relaxing album. It's an odd, but unique, experience to listen to.

The Books - The Lemon Of Pink (Megaupload)


Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks (Underdog World Strike)

Pretty much everything you want to know is right there in the album title. Gogol Bordello is a gypsy punk band: mixing the unlikely pair of soviet fiddle music with heavy guitars, manic drums and a frontman with more confidence and charisma than a million Alex Turners.

Gogol Bordello, led by Eugene Hutz, was formed as Eugene was kicked out of Chernobyl following the famous nuclear disaster. Without a home, he join a troupe of gypsies at a young enough age to pick up the life as his own. As time went on he picked up Israeli guitarists, Ethiopian bassists along with a full cast of Russians to back him up. Clearly, the dude is the pied piper of punk rock.

As for the album itself, there is literally next to nothing as fun to listen to. It's in the vast guitarscapes that remind you of somewhere between The Clash and Wolfmother, and then the miriad of cheers and scream that accompany most songs. More than once, Eugene actually just screams "PAAARRTYYYY" towards the end of a song: clearly, lyrics just aren't enough to do it justice.

They'll sneak up to you at the start with a relatively quiet song, Sally, telling the story of a Nebraskan girl discovering gypsy culture. And then, you hear it: "They dropped something on the road, she picked it up/ And cultural revolution HAS BEGUN". You can pretty much imagine how much overdrive that guitar needs to do it justice.

Louder, wittier and more fun than anyone else in the world right now, Gogol Bordello is like throwing a party and inviting everyone worth coming from America to Russia, and everywhere in between.

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks (Underdog World Strike) (Mediafire)

- Mike =)

A Couple More Albums For Ya...

Islands - Return To The Sea

The Unicorns are back, but it's not only the name that's changed. With half the band gone, and a heckuvalot of better recording quality (because "lo-fi" is just a euthenism for "budget", after all), they've grown up a bit, too. Far from their whimsical, trivial past, Islands have moved on: and now, they're a bit more serious. And massive.

You can tell it from the very beginning: the opener, Swans, is over 9 minutes long. They've kept their Unicorns roots in a few cutesy little references to the old songs, but the song itself is pretty epic. Branching out in vast sweeps like an old Arcade Fire song parodying itself, there's not much room for the mundane anywhere about.

But if you're fed up of that, then it doesn't take long to change entirely. Because if you were to stick Return To The Sea into a category, you'd be pretty hard pressed. From the feature-length extravaganza in the opener, it moves onto summery ditties like Whitney, Don't Call Me Bobby, or 70s Dire Straits-esque belters like Rough Gem. It even tries its hand at a bit of trip hop in Where Theres A Will Theres A Whalebone, complete with house rapper MC Busdriver. And then, the closer (Ones) almost beats Animal Collective at their own freak-folk game, combining the uneasy with the relaxing in one fell swoop.

If you want a massively anthemic, addictively rememberable, completely tuneful album then Return To The Sea is worth a listen.

Islands - Return To The Sea (Mediafire)


Röyksopp - The Understanding

Royksopp are pretty awesome, whichever O they're using this week (Røyksopp like messing around with their name, apparently). I guess they're somewhere around chillout music, except they're not ever very chilled out. They could be electronica, but the liberal use of the piano say that they're not really entirely that, either. Rave, or nu-rave, or nu-nu-rave, would be pretty close, too, except they don't really rave all that much. But the Norwegian duo is definately something, and its something that has to be listened to to understand.

Triumphant, the first great track on the album, plays like a Sigur Rós style instrumental, repeating the same piano loop over an ever-building background of synths and beats. Unlike Sigur Rós, however, Triumphant isn't scared to get upbeat. By the halfway mark it's a web of instruments based around the little loop in the background.

Elsewhere the tracks range from the almost hip-hop-esque (like 49 percent) to the electric ballads like What Else Is There (which features The Knife's Karin Andersson). Never quite letting go of the cool beats, but never quite forgetting to be emotional. Occasionally, they branch off to make Alpha Male, which is an 8 minute long lesson in how heavy a song can possibly get, or Tristesse Globale, a quiet orchestral piano-lead track that has the album go quietly into the night.

The Understanding is Róyksopp's second album, and you can tell that they've picked up a lot along the way since their debut, Melody AM. It's endlessly classy and smooth, but also dramatic and edgy. They're not really 100% of either, but Rṏyksopp is definately something. And it pretty much needs to be listened to to understand.

Röyksopp - The Understanding (Megaupload)

-Mike =)

For those who havn't seen it yet....

Modest Mouse's new video for Dashboard is amazing. Even more proof that Isaac is a genious.

Enjoy!

Martyn xox

It's a classic album Friday!

It's a classic album Friday!

Okay, so here's a nice tradition to kick off. Every Friday's a slew of classic albums? That sounds nice. Note, by the way, that "classic" basically means, like, "not made in the past week". "And I quite like them". So what you'll see here are the big albums of the past few decades that've had their effects already. Mmmk?

Right, so where better to kick off than

Blur - Parklife

Oh man! If you haven't heard this album right now you're inevitably groaning from the title track. Well... don't! Parklife is an amazingly varied album that has so little in common with its eponymous track and really, young person, you're being very silly judging that book by its cover.

Parklife was Blur at their peak. This was a band that was massive and knew they were: and they were just about ready to show the masses what exactly they could do.

The old jolly cockney electricity of the former Blur is still there from tracks like Girls & Boys, Bank Holiday and, yes, Parklife, but there's something bigger in this album, too. Unlike those Oasis hacks, this was a Blur that was on the move. Their unbelievable epic This Is A Low has more depth in it than a million Atlantics and deserves more praise than this entire blog can hold. I could pour on about it for years but I'll stick to this: if you ever thought Blur couldn't do overflowingly emotionally sincere tracks, then This Is A Low will completely wipe out, destroy and obliterate those doubts. It makes their later The Universal look like a joke.

Elsewhere, you find the bittersweet Badhead ("I know I've not really stayed in touch" sings Damon to the background of lush brass and shoegazey synths), the overhwelmingly creepy Far Out- which is made of a list of stars and moons but sounds like the cold emptiness of space, and the bilingual ballad (what, Blur?) of To The End.

Rest assured, this is not a britpop album. There are a few tracks to remind us where they came from, but this was Blur's next step. And standing in '94, it's no wonder at all Blur won this round against Oasis.

Blur - Parklife (Sendspace)


Pulp - This Is Hardcore

This Is Hardcore picks up from where Pulp's biggest hit, Different Class, left off. And the Jarvis we see here is a massively different person to the cheerful, witty fop we saw last time round. This time he's finally got his wish to be famous after 20 years and 4 failed albums, and it looks like he's learned to be careful what he wished for.

The opening track, The Fear, shows this right away: gone are the happy little riffs and snide little comments. What we get instead is a choir and a million layers of guitars and maybe even a little light depression behind Jarvis' flawlessly passionate voice screaming "And when you're no longer searching for beauty or love/just some kind of life with edges taken off". Clearly, something's gone rather sinister with Pulp.

As it turns out, this is exactly what Pulp was made for. This isn't a different band at heart: everything you've ever loved about them is still about. But the drama's been pumped into this album until every song sounds like it's a matter of life and death. Instead of fantasies of class warfare, Jarvis turns his spite at exactly what he was last time we saw him: the title track attacking the idle attitude towards sex, Party Hard the full offensive in the face of his old life of hedonism. This Is Hardcore is full of loathing and anger but it still keeps an edge of hope.

All in all, This Is Hardcore is a masterpiece of loathing and drama that doesn't really exist outside of Pulp. At its best, it's unrivalled by anything else anywhere in time and at its worst, it is a great album that's worth anybody's time.

Pulp - This Is Hardcore (Megaupload)

-Mike =)

Might as well get this one out of the way

For those of you who know me, you might see me often ranting about a band called Fear of Music. Many of you think I made this band up to enhance my indie-cred, but you are very very bad people.

Here is now a blog stating how you should stop listening to Costello Music and check out Fear of Music now. To begin, a picture of the wonderful lads:


Left To Right: Chris Stanley (Drums), Mike Ward (Lead Guitar), Jo Rose (Vocals, Guitar, Keys), Ali Esmaail (Bass).

Fear of Music have been described by some as the "Mini-Muse". I'd like to stamp that out and say they don't sound like Muse. While they are certanly influenced by the band they are not the immitation the press has led many to believe. They have currently released 3 EP's and are working on their Album for release later this year. If it follows the EP's standard of awesomeness it is likley to be my album of the year.

Their first EP came out in 2005, the Fear of Music EP. It had 6 tracks on it, all of which were amazing. It had a very raw and powerful sound from the band, and had such classics as Skin & Bones and The Creeps. The highlight of the album though was the closer, Millions Screaming. Its a 7 minute progrock epic with both slow and fast parts. I still find it to be one of FOM's most emotional songs to date. Other highlights include the gothic fairytale of The Waltz, complete with 3/4 timing and some briliantly dark guitar work. It also has some very good lyrics and is a good song for someone getting over a recent breakup. In the nicest way possible of cause! The albums opener, A Strange Kind Of Terror has a briliant solo in it and a screeching wahwah effect during the choruses. Meaning the EP is in your face from the moment you hit play.

Their next EP was the Western sounding Fast. Faster. Fastest EP. Which came out last year. It had 4 songs on it and an "interlude" of sorts. This was quite a big change from their first EP which had branded them the Mini-Muse. Songs like A Western Disease have a smirking catchyness to them, but they still keep their riffs in Bitter Medicine, which has a riff to blow your head off. Also included on the EP was the Pixies influenced Ghost In A Jar, which featured a very very impressive solo from Mr. Ward and fantastic lyrics about selling ones soul on Ebay. The finisher of the album was 16, which is one of the darkest, loudest songs the band ever did. It has a fantastic riff in it too, stuff like this comes as standard in most FOM songs. The Interlude, though more of an introduction to the next track (Ghost in a Jar) features an Ebow and a Rhodes Piano and it stinks of Post-Rock goodness. Hopefully it was a glimpse of what the album might have.

Their most recent EP was released in Febuary this year and is called We Are Not The Enemy, after the EP's title track. It is the bands shortest release with only 3 songs. But it is by no means their worst. The title track is the most uplifting song they have ever done. It plods away with a happy little riff, reminicent of Feeders Buck Rogers, and has a fantastic outro where the bass plays one slightly different note, but this slight change just makes the song seem even more happyer. A Blueprint is going back to their more experimental sides such as the Interlude on the previous EP. Its a epic piano track with some great Post-Rock guitar work from Mike. Its a very mature song, and again an indication of what the album will sound like I hope. Finally we finish with The Sheets Twist, another happy number with a fantastic riff in it and a breakdown part featuring handclaps and drums. Speaking of which the drumming in this song is probably their best, well done Chris! Unfortunatly the EP is over just as soon as it began, but its amazing none the less. They released a briliant music video for the title song, check it out for a taste of uplifting goodness:

So there you have it, a few EP's you should probably think about getting at some point. The band are headed for big things, so now you can say you heard them here first! Keep at it lads!

Martyn xox

The Spoils Of My Latest Blog-raid

So on the download front, last week I had one of those days that was, for me, one of those days. The one where you find a site that had so many new albums and then you download everything in sight before it disappears into the abyss of "file not found". I grabbed stuff I'd never heard of, I grabbed stuff because I liked the bloke's name, I grabbed stuff I was pretty sure I would never like but I might change my mind in the next week... basically, I ended up with 24 albums sprawled out on my desktop.

And it's taken me a week to get through them, but there were some total gems among them and, for your convienience, I've picked the cream of the crop out for ya!

6. The Microphones - The Glow Pt 2

Before you go thinking they're just being obscenely Indie with that title, the original The Glow was their breakthrough track back on their debut album. Which makes it alright, apparently?

This album is weird. I have no other word for it. It's that strange mix of consistency and inconsistency at the same time. Some of the songs are amazing lyrical anthems, others messes of noise that seem to go beyond music, and then others still are quiet accoustic tracks.

And yet, the one thing to link them together is the brisk ending, followed by silence and one or two quiet, but noticable, monotonous, slow, piano notes. It's the sound of that bell toll you hear that suddenly sends shivers up your spine. It's the same note every time, but every time it seems creepier. And then the next episode of tune and noise takes over and you forget about it entirely until it comes along again.

Another thing about the album is that it is long. At 20 track long and over an hour's playtime it's not a delicate little thing that is gone as soon as it starts. You better get those headphones out because you're gonna be in there for a long time.

So it's an experience, an entire packing-up,-leaving-and-coming-back trip and a little reminder that it doesn't take much to creep out anybody all in one. Personally? I'd check it out.

The Microphones - The Glow Pt 2 (Mediafire)


5. Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game

Right, now, nobody- not even me! I know!- can do justice to what I'm about to put like wikipedia does, so I'm gonna hand the mic over to the free encyclopedia, here. "Their music can be characterized as downtempo electronica with influences of dub, acid jazz, Indian classical and Brazilian styles (such as bossa nova) fused together with a lounge aesthetic." That's right folks. This is an Indian Brazilian dub reggae electronica lounge jazz group. If you ask me, that's a genre that's gotten a little overlooked by pitchfork.

Right, so the best thing about Thievery Corporation is that they're a little like an open mic night where everyone who gets up is a master at their own style. The first track was done with vocals from Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips fame, and sounds exactly like you'd expect a downbeat 'Lips track to be like- straight indie rock all through. The next track brings in gangsta rappa Sleepy Wonder along with Punjabi singer Gunjan to make a strangely fitting duet. Next up to the stage is Perry Farrell, master of dub, to bring us a political reverb-off. And so it goes for 16 tracks, all strangely downbeat but in their own ways. Whoever the singer is subtlely changes the band to work the best with them. The result is a great blend of different styles that's well worth checking out.

Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game (Mediafire)


4. The Dears - Gang Of Losers

Okay, so Martyn's already beaten me to this one. It's not like he didn't get the link off me in the freakin' first place... =P

Still, The Dears are a great band. They're somewhere between a Snow Patrol's sinister twin and a The Good, The Bad, The Queen appreciation society. About as melodic and catchy as you're gonna find, and everything's done with all the makes-it-look-easy you'd ever want. Murray Lightburn has an awesome name and he is damn talented.

Just make sure you don't accidentally have your iPod set to shuffle when you play it first, like I managed to do...

The Dears - Gang Of Losers (Mediafire)


3. Kate Havnevik - Melankton

Yeah, scroll down for a bit more about ol' Kate.

I quite liked it?

Here's that link again for y'all (Mediafire)


2. The Pinker Tones - The Million Colour Revolution

Okay, imagine the most fun you've ever had in your life. Actually, take every time you've ever had fun ever, and then add that up. Because that's about the only way you can describe The Pinker Tones' absolute party that is The Million Colour Revolution.

The quadralingual group open their album with not one but two intros to the album, and one of the undisputably most classy ways to begin an album I've heard yet. Welcome to the million colour revolution, indeed!

But don't get thinking this is a concept album. More, a fight in a painthouse. It's a chaotic explosion of creativity in a million forms, from the caribbean-esque "Karma Hunters" that shouts that we "gotta vote for the karma party right now" to the unbelievably funky "Love Tape", a jazzpunk ballad of mix tape romance. And if you ever get fed of the freakin' English language, well, they like a bit of French, German and Spanish- they are from Barcelona, after all- too.

And then, after you've finished the entire experience, it brings you back to earth with the perfect denoement. "The million colour revolution... is this the end or just a concluuuusiooooon?"

Pretty much, click that link down there because they don't take themselves seriously in the least and it's pretty glorious.

The Pinker Tones - The Million Colour Revolution (Mediafire)


1. The Fratellis - Costello Music

Oh, I know! I'm behind the times, a little! I only discovered The Fratellis 6 months after the rest of the UK was fed up of them! I'm not that bad off!

Nevertheless, if you've been stuck in a cave for the past year, The Fratellis is nu-britpop's best offering yet. Screw The Arctic Monkeys. Kaiser Chiefs? Pass on that. I'd totally, entirely, lost faith in the entire wave until I put this album on. Yup, that's right, it's good enough to do more than just move mountains, cause world piece and wipe out all suffering: it managed to change a totally hardened critic's mind about an entire genre.

That's, like, the indie equivalent of the holy grail, isn't it?

There's one thing this album has in droves, masses and shedloads: energy. Erm, and electricity. For reals, this album is the ultimate in wakeup technology. Between the overdriven guitars, the oddly gruff yet totally powerful vocals and the spot on mixing at the end, this album literally couldn't have been improved in any way whatsoever.

And here's another thing: if you think you've been just about played out on The Fratellis from the endlessly repeating Chelsea Dagger on the radio, you needn't worry, either. The more obscure album tracks are in so many ways better than the mainstream singles. Between Doginabag and Got Ma Nuts From A Hippy is some amazing music. The latter, more than anything, is some of the best upbeat rock to come out of the UK since Jarvis put down his Pulp mic. All in all, this album is brilliant and if I'm not preaching to the converted already, here, click the link and you won't be disappointed.

The Fratellis - Costello Music (Mediafire)


- Mike =)

'Bout time you heard from me.

Bjork

Bjork is awesome. Everything Bjork touches turns to gold. Bjork can't do any wrong. Don't let everything you've heard about her put you off, because, frankly, those guys a plain wrong. Anyone who's ever heard Army Of Me or It's Oh So Quiet and heard of that one time she totally spazzed out on that journalist (awesome) and figured she's not for me? Yeah, that intro was for you.

Homogenic is probably in my top 15. It's Bjork being too damn dramatic for her own good and between the heartstrings and literally unbelievable voice it's enough to blow away even the hardest critic. Check it out!

Bjork - Homogenic (Megaupload)


Camille

Now, Camille is pretty awesome. She's a French artist that makes nice pretty songs that're pretty much mostly about love but you can't tell because it's all in French! If you like Bjork, then she's a bit like her. If you don't, it's cool! She's a different artist! But she certainly likes her electronica when she's playing about. And then she cuts away at it all with a super-serious emotional track to remind y'all she can do it when she wants to.

Le Fil never really got as much press as it deserved, but it's a great album. Basically, you owe it to yourself to listen to Pále Septembre off it at least, it's pretty immense.

Camille - Le Fil (Mediafire)


Emily Haines

Another artist to join the group. Are you starting to get a bit theme here? Okay, seriously, all these artists work perfectly together. My Bjork vs Camille vs Emily playlist can't be wrong.

Emily Haines is a Canadian lass who has been in like every band to come out of the country. She was in Metric, then she left and joined Broken Social Scene, and then she got fed up of them and went solo as Emily Haines And The Soft Skeleton. She is pretty much a musical getaround.

Compared to the other albums in this post, Emily is far more sincere in her music, not wasting any time on beats but making a lot more from what she has. Which is usually just a piano and a voice. Her songs are far less happy-go-lucky, too, and the result is some painfully poignant songs and an album that won't leave your library for a long time yet.

Emily Haines - Knives Don't Have Your Back (Mediafire)


Kate Havnevik

...which brings us up to Kate, who I discovered the other day and totally keys in with the rest of the load up there. Actually, the strangest thing about her is how much she does seem to glue them all together. Earlier on I was just listening to a review to find she was planning on releasing 3 different albums showing the 3 different sides of her personality (Bjork did that, y'know), that she'd done songs with Sigur Rós, Moby, Amiina and just about every artist going (sound familiar, Em?) and then, to seal the deal, the final question asked her what she'd been listening to lately. The answer? "Well, there's this French artist, Camille..."

Okay, Kate is awesome. Melankton ("Black Rose" in her native Norwegian) is easily one of the best albums I've heard this month. To start, there's the gorgeous strings which populate so much of the album. But it's not all quiet and stagnant, as the perfectly refreshing beats kick in and out of the album. If you only listen to one song, though, the only non-English track, Se Meg, is one of the most beautiful songs you will hear any time soon. It's the music playing at that part of the film where the battle's over and the people look back at the aftermath. You know what I'm talking about. And it's every part as epic. Kate deserves a heck of a lot more press than she's getting at the moment, and if you want my guess? We'll be seeing a lot more of her.

Kate Havnevik - Melankton (Mediafire)


-Mike

I'll let you decide on this one....

The Killers covering Joy Divisons Shadowplay at the NME Awards this month. I think its pretty good! Though I still prefer the original I think.



Martyn xox

Stuff To Check Out This Week

Hello Indie Folk, Martyn here.


What have I been listening to these past weeks!? I shall tell you...



¡Forward, Russia!
This is a band who certanly are original! From their name being the only band name on the planet to use a inversed exclamation mark and their songs to all be named after numbers (In the order they were written in no less) they are one hell of a blast to the ears. I got their debut album, Give Me A Wall. The first track, Thirteen is arguably one of the best songs I have heard all year. With such an uplifting powerful chorus and very nice chords used through out. The bassline is nothing short of phenominal too. Very talented band. Though at points the album drifted away from my attention it is a very loud affair with screaming and tinny guitars everywhere. That sounds terrible I know but atleast the musics good.
http://www.mediafire.com/?enizoozorym

Arcade Fire
i'm sure any one could have seen this one coming. I got the new album, Neon Bible yesterday and its good. Really good. It captures the beauty and power and epicness that the Fire have had since their EP days. Speaking of which, it now includes a re-recorded version of the EP song, No Cars Go, just with an orchestra behind it! The songs that really hit me are Black Mirror, which is a very dark song for them that builds up. Has a fantastic bit in the middle were Win Butler sings a few lines in French and then the song explodes into a sprialing symphony. Intervention is pretty wicked with its use of a church organ and nice chords. Clever thing is the song totally changed key halfway through. Smart! The albums closer, Body In A Cage is probably the best song on the album. Starting off a slow organ number and then exploding into an epic "lastbattlesceneinamovie" type song with a fantasticly uplifting outro of Win singing "Set my spirit free!". Gorgeous. Only problem with it is thats its not that much of a change from Funeral. It could be called Funeral Pt2. Shame coz they have so much potential to progress to.
http://www.mediafire.com/?7zyygzmznqy

The Dears
My mate Matt had gone on about this band to me for ages to I finally gave in and checked them out to be pleasently surprised! They are an Indie band through and through but very very good. Nice riffs on all the songs. But what I like best about them is how melodic they are. Vocal lines move as if they are an instrument in their own right and we are never left with a gap of 1 chord being played. Gang of Losers was the album I got ahold of and I'd recommend it to you all. I am yet to relisten to them so I don't have alot more to say i'm afraid. Watch this space.
http://www.mediafire.com/?6hozn2rmmd2

And there you have it, 3 bands you can now stop losing sleep about. Untill next time kiddies!

Martyn xox

PS. Today is the birthday of my favourite album of all time. OK Computer by Radiohead. So I will be partying it up quietly on my own by listening to the album and erm, enjoying it. One more time. I suggest you do also!

iLiKETRAiNS? youLiKETRAiNS? weLiKETRAiNS!

For those who havn't yet heard of the unstopable steam engine (haha!) that is iLiKETRAiNS you are missing out big time. Take Sigur Rós, make them overly depressed and angry as hell, give them a frontman with a voice that scares the shit out of Bono and your done. This is one hell of a band to watch in 2007.

Last year they released Progress Reform. A mini album of sorts. I'd recommend you to get this right away, as its mindblowing. They manage to pull of the epic build ups in songs like Terra Nova and A Rook House For Bobby but then has the subtler tracks such as The Accident. All of which are beautiful and a pleasure to listen to. The finale on the album, the terrifying song, The Beeching Report features minimal drumming, an old organ, acoustic guitar and a choir of over 20 people singing the final lines of "Reform/Reform/You are taking apart/What we made/With out hands and our hearts". Its quite a spectacular orignal thing to have.

So the verdict. We have a band that is both beautiful and scary at the same time. Have both uplifting songs and depressing songs. And often write about the important matters such as Mr. Scotts failed Arctic expedition (Terra Nova) Chess Master Bobby Fischer (A Rook House For Bobby) and the death of Prime Minister Spencer Percival (Spencer Percival). The latter of which is the bands new single off their forthcoming album. Its out on 26/3/07 and here is the video. In typical TRAiNS style it is homemade by their very own Cornet player and features as much clay people and creepy imaging as you like. Enjoy.

Spencer Percival:


Martyn xox

'Ello! Good intro, this.

Bonjour, y'all. This is Mike, and I'll be your co-host for the evening. We'll be posting you with indie goodness shortly, so sit back, make yourself a nice cup of tea, put on your favourite album and enjoy.

Wish us luck! (:

-Mike

Top 10 Albums: Martyn

So, what better way to start off a new indie blog then with my Top 10 albums. This list does tend to change alot, but I think for now I have the definitive Top 10.

10. Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
The thing I love about the Manics is their epicness. Even in their shortest songs they manage to fill several stadiums with their energy. This album is probably their best for that. It can hardly contain its self. Starting with the electronic blips and bleeps of The Everlasting, a beast of a song that builds up to one of their best choruses to date, this album is probably as epic as the Manics come. The emotion put into songs like My Little Empire, with its cello and sometimes confusing lyrics and If You Tolerate This with its use of a hoover on a bass guitar (courtesy of Nicky Wires odd fetish) is totally heart breaking at times. It does have its rockers too for the Holy Bible fans such as Nobody Loved You and Ready For Drowning. The best part of this album though comes with the song Born A Girl. With nothing but a guitar and James Bradfields vocals it is the most emotional and powerful song on the album, with the dark chords of Holy Bible in its verses but an incredibly uplifting chorus, in which we are joined by an organ. Overall a phenominal album that explodes with arena energy and at the same time slows down for some of the most emotional crooners to date. Well done Manics.

9. The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
Oh god, the pain of putting this album in was far greater then I could ever expect. Stuck with the decision of The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots or the 'Lips latest album I had to go with what I thought had the best flow. Don't get me wrong, all the albums I just mentioned flow like a river but I thought every single second of At War was perfect. This is an album by a band who have been making them for generations. It shows the 'Lips talent of producing the quirky songs like The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, the odd structuring of Free Radicals and the mindblowing Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung. I think it is criminally underrated for their work too, often being overshadowed by Soft Bulletin or Yoshimi. Silly critics. The albums best moments come in with the catchy bass hook of It Overtakes Me, featured in the Becks Beer advert and the collosal Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung. A song that builds up with such ferocity and then explodes like the volcano its self. I'm loving the Doctor Who-esque bassline and synths too. This is by far the 'Lips best work. Filled with songs of joy and power, but with that odd angle only the 'Lips can add. Enjoy.

8. The Beatles - The White Album
I'm not a fan of double albums to be honest. Most of the time you are bombarded with too many songs to remember and a hell of a lot of filler. But trust this legendary band to pull it off. Probably the inspiration of all the other albums in this list, this was an album for The Beatles to record all their songs they had lying around. Now, you know the band is going to be amazing when their best album is made up of songs they recorded just to be off with. Its an album of many textures, we have the funky bassline of Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. The blueprint of all heavy metal bands today, Helter Skelter. The jazzyness of Why Don't We Do It In The Road? And then the quiet well known ballad of Blackbird. But the song I think this album stands out most with is the progressive mess that is Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Starting off slow and somewhat depressing but quickly evolving to an uplifting sing along, complete with backing vocals of "Bang bang, shoot shoot!". You can see where Radiohead got their inspiration for their entire career with this album. Before anyone else did it, The Beatles had done it, recorded it, and moved on. Another rare thing for me is how memorable all the songs on this album are. I've heard double albums in the past that just become a mess of titles to me, but every song on here is a memorable as the last. I'm hoping all you indie kids reading this will look through your dads collection for it immedietly. Or not, then buy it. Its on sale in Costco for about a £5er now anyway. A criminal price for such an influencal album.

7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
I know what most of you are thinking now, how can anything be better then the last record I reviewed, well let me tell you. It can! I got this album the day it came out and listened to it nonstop for the entire day. I have never done this to any album before, ever. Even my number 1 album didn't get played as much in one day as this one did. I think of this album as a drug. The more you listen to it the more hooked you get, and then its very hard to get off of. Its also a huge change to the YYY's first album, which while good, was at times a heap of guitar feedback and Karen O screaming. This album is alot more tuneful. Lets start with the first song, and single, Gold Lion. Acosutic Guitars are prominent throughout the track, backed with a We Will Rock You beat done by Brian Chase (Who acutally has a degree in drumming. So he is must be amazing) this song wavers around with Karen O singing "Gold Lion gonna show me where the light is" whilst synths and Acoustic Guitars glide us along, before getting to the chorus which is where the distortion kicks in and Nick Zinner plays one of the catchyest guitar licks to date. The album is filled with layers that you would expect to be hearing on a Bright Eyes record (who funnily enough, Nick Zinner has worked with). Acoustic guitars feature in alot of the song, but we are also treated to gushing synths, beautiful piano lines and a chorus of fire alarms. The standout track for me on the album has to be Turn Into. A mostly acoustic song with one of the most beautiful bridges you will ever hear. Karen O sings about turning into the only thing someone will ever need. Probably a love song, as much of her work is. Its an album for the Summer, and any other time you end up addicted to it.

6. Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
You just can't do this Indie thing without a bit of Pixies can you. Though most people would have chosen their earlyer work of Doolittle or Surfa Rosa. I think the Pixies shined the most on their most recent release (can I say recent? It came out in 1991!). Filled with short songs about Aliens, UFO's, Sad Punks and Planets rhythmicating with sound, this is probably the shortest album on the list. But I think the Pixies really did something special here. It has alot of diversity too, with the heavy metal of Space (I Believe In) but then the contrasting folk sing along of Motorway To Roswell. I'm still puzzled as to how anyone can think this is not the Pixies best work! For the fans of Doolittle it does have the uplifting songs, such as Distance = Rate x Time and the mentioned Motorway To Roswell. It also includes a cover of a Jesus and Mary Chain song, Head On. Their version is filled with punk guitars and Frank Blacks screaming vocals. Basically, it takes the original and stabs it full of steroids. The best song for me on the album though is Planet Of Sound. About an Alien looking for the "Planet of Sound", the song is a dark, psudo-metal number. The best bit being the small riff in the chorus, which will also get stuck in your head for days, especially the great build up to it "Rhythmicating with sound, THIS AINT THE PLANET OF SOUND!". Nice one Frank, thankyou.

5. R.E.M. - New Adventures In Hi-Fi
I had this album on the other day acutally and it still blew me away as the first time I heard it. Mostly recorded whilst the band was on tour, this album has the rock they tried so hard to pull off with the previous Monster, but keeps the immense beauty of the bands earlyer albums. The standout tracks for me being Be Mine, which is probably one of the most beautiful songs on this list. With such a heartwrenching chord progression in the chorus. Leave is also a monster of a song. At 7:17 is is R.E.M.'s longest song to date, it starts off with a slow piece played by an organ an acoustic guitar before fading out slowly. Then kicking back in with foot stomping drums and fantastic wah-wah work from Bill Berry. This is as Epic as R.E.M. get. An honourable mention however goes to the opener, How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us. Which is one of R.E.M.'s more dark songs, with powerful piano work and a buildup to a briliant, backing vocal filled chorus. The album also has its fast rockers that Monster tried to give us in the shape of Wake Up Bomb and So Fast, So Numb. Songs that made me have to doublecheck to make sure I still had R.E.M. on, since they all sound like Nirvana tunes sung by Mr. Stipe. This is terribly underrated by critics and fans of the band alike, but I think it was their best work. Be sure to check this album out, for your own good!

4. Sonic Youth - Goo
You knew it was coming. The pioneers of Indie had to have a mention somewhere, so here it is. Goo is considered by most to be their most accesable album, and though it does have the bands trademark 5 minutes of feedback stuck on the end of a song it does have the pop ethics that the grunge music of that era all had. To be honest I found it hard to choose this over Murray Street, but I'm going for this one simply because of its short, tuneful songs. Which is rare for Sonic Youth! Opening with the fantastic build up of Dirty Boots and finishing with the riffing Titanium Exposé, this is an album with no bad songs on it. I think the best songs though are Mote, which is the albums fastest rocker I think. Even though it has 4 minutes of feedback and guitar/studio wankery on the end of it, its worth sitting through to get the full effect of the song. "When a sea of madness turns you into stone" sings a rather angry sounding Thirston Moore. Before a cleverly processed chorus with vocals that have been drenched in chorus. Another standout track on the album is Tunic (Song For Karen). A spoken word song by Kim Gordon, its very reminisent of some of the tracks off Daydream Nation, and has one of the most heart warming chord progressions this band ever made. Not bad for a band who only used standard guitar tunings on their debut EP.

3. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Picture this. Your trapped in a dark room. Everyone you ever loved has left you. Your slowly going completely insane in the dark with only yourself for company. The music playing in the background of this scene is Mezzanine by Massive Attack. This is by far the darkest album I have ever heard. Drums that have been so distorted they sound like minature wars and basslines played by the Villans of every film ever fill the album with the smiling gloom it has been known for. This is the sound of someone going insane. The opener Angel, builds up with its throbbing bassline to one of the most powerful explosions of emotion ever made and the dark, sinister bassline of the songs title track, Mezzanine show the dark side of things. However the album does lift slightly in mood, the small piece of light coming in through the curtains. Teardrop has a bright, uplifting sound to it and the interlude, Exchange, after the very heavy opening songs give you some slight hope that everything will be okay. The last song on the album however just destroys this. Group 4 is a song that builds up with ghostly female vocals and 3D's sinister talking. The song spirals away untill the climax of a drumfill. Lulling the listener into a somewhat sence of security before the thousands of layers of guitar come crashing in to sound the end of the darkest, most mind numbingly terrifying album I have ever heard. The thing is though, its brilliant.

2. Blur - 13
You know the band, Parklife, Britpop, Country House, Media battles with Oasis. Everyone likes Blur, but not alot of people like Blur. Whilst Pulp went on a haitus they are yet to return from, Suede disbanded and Oasis continued to play the same songs on each release. Blur evolved from the Parklife days into something alot more mature. I hate to say this but this album is probably the most depressing song on the list. Sure it opens with the all singing, all dancing Tender and is home to the single Coffee & TV. Both of which are fantastic songs, there is a period in the middle where you just lose yourself and go into a trance. 1992's confusing and odd chord progressions will make you rethink life whilst the epic experimentalness of Battle will make you wonder if this even is Blur you are listening to anymore. Every part of the album has been digitally enhanced to a state where you cant tell what instrument it was in the first place. The most experimental the band get are with the songs Battle and Caramel. If you look at the songs they are both just very simple keyboard lines. But in the studio have been warped into something much more. Guitars screech in and out, sometimes clean sometimes overdriven to a state that makes you wonder if your speakers are broken or if its meant to sound like that. Damon wrote alot of the material on this album after his split up with Justine Frichman of Elastica fame. So the whole album has a sence of longing and depression in it. The album swirls in its own self-pity for most of its course, coming back down to earth with the final single off the album, No Distance Left To Run. As the song plays you come back into reality and wonder what the hell just happened to you as you got sucked into the albums layers upon layers of studio magic. I think its a briliant and somewhat uplifting way to end the album. The last track is a short instrumental called Optigan 1. It chirps away at you bringing you back down to earth with its happy mood. I've had some very unreal experiences with this album, but allowing yourself to get lost in the middle of it is well worth it. Buy this album no matter what. Don't just like Blur for Song 2 and Parklife when they have far more to offer you.

1. Radiohead - OK Computer
Don't act so surprised! What did you expect? This is an album that deserves every single bit of acclaim it has had. From the rocking car crash that is Airbag to the peaceful sway of The Tourist. This is the best album in the world. I find it collects all the best bits of the previous albums. The darkness of Mezzanine in the song, Climbing Up The Walls. Complete with the inhuman scream of Thom Yorke at the end. The playful Pixies Rock of Electioneering, and the briliant catchy single of Karma Police is very similar to what Blur have been doing on 13. Every track on here is a story of its own that just blows me away every time. Even now I am still seeing parts of songs in ways I never saw them in the past. Songs like No Surprises, in which a trouble Yorke sings about suicide send shivers up my spine with its self loathing lyrics contrasted to its xylophones and sweet acoustic guitars and the way I still get goosebums at the way Thom sings "And you can laugh, your spinless laugh" in Exit Music just make this album an unmissable thing of beauty. Every part of it has been thought out carefully and executed so well. The drumming in the opener Airbag for example was arranged on a computer by the bands drummer Phil Selway. Giving us a beat you could not have come up with on your own. The pinnacle moments of this album though come in the 3-in-1 monster of Paranoid Android. Which goes from heartwarmingly beautiful to staduim rock on seconds and the "Get me out of here" backing vocals of No Surprises make this an album well worth sitting through. Every piece of it has been done perfectally, you couldn't improve it if you tried. So I guess what I am trying to say is that this is probably the best album ever made. So you should like, check it out? All the acclaim and reviews are correct about it. So stop sitting there and listen to it!

Hello All!

Hello readers,

I am Martyn. My good friend Mike and I have decided to set up a nice little music blog for all you indie followers out there. We will be giving out albums we think you have to hear and abusing bands you don't have to hear.

Enjoy!