ALONG THE WATERFALL,

YOU KNOW WHAT?,

2009-06-22T20:23:00.004+01:00

i can't actually be fucked. a whim's a whim, what are you going to do?

stay safe anyway.

HEY YOU! WHERE'VE YOU BEEN HIDING?

2009-06-21T23:56:00.012+01:00

don't worry friend, you're not hallucinating. it's been 7 months. it's hard to keep this shit up during the year proper, but this is summer and who gives a fuck?

let's just jump straight back in with with the summer tune of 2009 (if there's any justice in the world). pony pony run run are the new electro pop kids on the block, from france naturally, and the leading single of off their newly released album is 'hey you'.

DOWNLOAD: pony pony run run - hey you

i think i'm in love with the girl in this video (yup, the hyperbole and bracketed asides haven't been dampened over those 7 months) and equally in love with the track itself. have a listen, have a drink and let's enjoy summer together.

stay safe.

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ALONG THE WATERFALL'S EDGE, THERE'S A GENIUNE FEELING OF REGRET,

2008-11-11T21:15:00.004Z

commitments too many, hours too few,
the time has come to face the facts,
the curtain ends the final act,
the player bids adieu.

walk away and don't look back.

maybe one day, i'll return.

SEBASTIEN TELLIER/LES CONCERTS EMPORTER [TAKE AWAY SHOW]/DIVINE,

2008-10-14T19:51:00.004+01:00

bizarre and beautiful. walter meego's french contemporaries i think.

download: sebastien tellier - divine

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MYLO + DEATH DISCO,

2008-10-14T19:06:00.004+01:00

so i'm heading back to glasgow this weekend for sunday's intimate bloc party gig at barfly - on the band's guestlist no less (and zane lowe DJing the afterparty)- but that's not the only reason.

every 3rd weekend of the month in glasgow means the arches' DEATH DISCO. last month erol alkan played (the night after i seen him open dundee's okupa) but this month, scotlands hottest DJ of two years ago re-emerges from wherever he's been hiding: mylo. it's the club night's 6th birthday, so the music is going on until 4AM. beats dundee's shitty 2.30AM cut-off any day of the week.

the fact that i've got lots of uni coursework to do kind of pales into insignificance when faced with a weekend as epic as this. coursework can wait, bloc party and mylo certainly won't. so when i'm on a bus back to dundee on monday morning, nursing a gargantuan hang-over, with a rock-hard japanese lecture at eleven, i'll take comfort in the fact that the previous two nights could be highlights of the year.

download: mylo - paris four hundred (etienne de crécy remix)
[REMOVED UPON REQUEST]

download: freeform five - no more conversations (mylo remix)
[REMOVED UPON REQUEST]

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FAN DEATH,

2008-10-13T23:51:00.004+01:00

"Fan death is a South Korean urban legend which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on." - wikipedia

download: fan death - the constellations

download: fan death - the son will rise

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ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #6

2008-10-12T03:07:00.004+01:00

after catching a repeat on E4+1 last week, i rewatched the first series of skins. most of my friends unfairly judged it on the few episodes they watched, but it really is a great show. it shows the truths of teen culture without all of the moral lesson crap that you get on shows like hollyoaks. characters don't immediately die after taking one puff of weed.

this track is used in the last scenes of the finale, in a surreal musical number in which all of the characters start singing. i won't spoil the cliffhanger for those who haven't seen it. the day after watching the finale, this was on ipod repeat. wild world? it really is.

download: cat stevens - wild world

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THE PREMATURE DEATH OF THE KARMA METER AND SUBSEQUENT REBIRTH AS "FUTILE RAMBLINGS OF A GUY WHO QUESTIONS HIMSELF TOO OFTEN"

2008-10-12T02:27:00.005+01:00

to glean any form of understanding from this ramble, read this.

well it's been a quiet week for posting, and for that i apologize (should that put my karma score down already?). blogging seems to happen in waves for me, there can be days where i'm in the mood, and i feel the need to get out my thoughts about something, or share a particular piece of music or video with you guys. then there can be days where i'm just too tired, either from university or excessive alcohol consumption, and all i want to do is relax, watch a film or something, anything that i can passively enjoy. and it's been one of those weeks.

since i changed my option choices at uni, from SFX to japanese, i've got a lot more early mornings. the sound module was pretty much just a lecture and a lab session, but with japanese i'm in an extra five hours a week, and for some reason, most of the classes start at 9AM. any of you who work will right now be telling me to quit whining and being pathetic, but us students fall very easily into a lazy slump of not wanting to get up before 11AM, maybe it's a british thing. whenever i watch american films, the kids always seem to be up for fucking 6 in the morning and do a heap of stuff before they even get to school. most of my friends rolled out of bed half an hour before school started. anyway.

yeah so japanese is much more of a workload than SFX would have been, and it demands much more study time. sure SFX would have been an easy pass, but it wouldn't have been useful to me. so i've picked the right module now, even if it means more work... surely thats a few points up on the karma scale? well no, because it's not exactly selfless is it. damn. notice that i engage in conversation with myself too often? yeah i do that when i'm watching TV aswell, voicing my opinion outloud to myself when there isn't anyone to hear it. it's a bit like this blog i guess, an excercise in self indulgence. (i'm joking, we do get some readers. don't we my precious?).

this isn't actually even what i planned to write about just now. it's just been pointless rambling. maybe i should change the name of this thing. i was going to go into what i did last night and how it might affect my karma, but to be honest, i'm bored of typing now. maybe another day. could this be the most redundant post i've made on this site so far? could it's lack of point possibly be beaten? find out next time in - FUTILE RAMBLINGS OF A GUY WHO QUESTIONS HIMSELF FAR TOO OFTEN. there i've changed the name, the karma thing was stupid anyway.

ONE WINGED ELECTRO, METALION,

2008-10-10T01:17:00.007+01:00

this is the best found i've ever made on this blog, hands down. metalion e-mailed me yesterday with some mp3s, and with the quantity of mail that lands in my inbox, i assumed that, like the majority of it, they would be shit. but oh boy was i wrong.

this guy seems to channel justice and videogames, two of my favourite things. the bass is dirty and the synth is gorgeous, just how i like it. to be honest, if you were to specially tailor dance music to my exact tastes, this would be the result.

it has been a dream of mine, a recurring one, that some genius will remix that most iconic of video game themes -one winged angel from final fantasy 7. today it has come true. truly outstanding.

looks like this month's alter electro just got a whole lot more interesting.

download: metalion - fallen angel

download: metalion - masked funke

download: radiohead - reckoner (metalion remix)

is it just me or does that sample say in "masked fanke" shout "zach braff"? stay tuned, it's going to be a busy weekend. oh and stay safe.

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DON'T ASK BLOC PARTY TO LIP SYNC,

2008-10-06T22:57:00.003+01:00

this is probably the biggest laugh i've had all day. bloc party sticking it to MTV and refusing to pretend to play live. kele runs around the stage, barely ever holding the mic to his face while pulling rave dance moves and jumping into the crowd.

at first the rest of the band tried to look like they were playing, until the last chorus when kele jumps up to matt on the drums and the both start dancing, while gordy jumps into the crowd and takes his bass off. russell continued "playing" the whole time, quite the consummate proffesional.

it's still not certain whether the band were actually forced to lip sync, since there are mixed reports of the event, the brazilians at the actual VMB awards seemed to take offense to it.

were BP on something? was it a rebelling against the system? who cares, it was fucking hilarious.

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NEW EROL ALKAN + FAN DEATH,

2008-10-04T22:13:00.005+01:00

two weeks ago i was lucky enough to see erol alkan at the opening of a new club - OKUPA! - in dundee.

the night began with longest wait i've ever had to get into a club, not because of the huge demand for tickets, i had one already, but because of the shitty inexperienced new staff. then the bar staff were just as bad, about half an hour for drinks, so it was a two shots and two drinks situation.

thankfully when i hit the floor, two drinks in hand, erol was in full flow and the rest of the night was a nirvana like ecstasy of dirty electro. except for the ridulous fact that dundee clubs stop the music at 2.30 and wouldn't even let him play an encore. despite all my moaning it was an amazing night, honestly.

anyway, here's the new remix. from the newest signing to his label, south korean fan death. those synth strings are killer. their 70s inspired dance is actually fantastic in it's own right, watch out for a feature coming soon.

download: fan death - veronica's veil (erol alkan extended rework)

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A CROSS THE UNIVERSE/WHERE'S THE JUSTICE IN BLOGGING?,

2008-10-04T18:28:00.007+01:00

i'm sick of pretentious idiot music bloggers that are only interested in whatever's new. too often nowadays, certain blog writers will turn on an artist or band that they've lavished praise upon, and start mindlessly attacking them.

it's like the kids that used to go to your school, who pretended they were really into music when all they really did was treat new bands like a fad, as if they were fucking pokémon cards. as soon as the fad ran it's course, or the band got popular, they'd mercilessly sever ties and look for another band wagon to jump on, excuse the pun. just because something has become somewhat mainstream, doesn't mean it loses the originality it had in the first place.

justice have felt the force of this backlash more than anyone recently, all from bloggers so far up their own arse they can't even fucking hear anything any more.

download: justice - D.A.N.C.E. (a cross the universe rehearsal version)

this is all a long pre-amble to news of a new justice live dvd, with fresh material. and yes i'm excited, because justice remain to be as groundbreaking as they were 2 years ago, sure they should be getting to work on a new album, but hey, as shown, the turnaround on perception of new artists is so fast, they'd be stupid not to cash in now.

thanks to baked not fried for the find.
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SMOOSH,

2008-10-03T17:03:00.007+01:00

now for something a world apart from the cookie cutter disney we were lampooning earlier in the day. these guys hit my radar last night when looking for decent bloc party covers. at first sight they look like a gimicky girl band, but after watching them cover "this modern love" and having a quick swatch at their myspace, i discovered that the truth is, they're anything but.

take the jump to see what i'm talking about...

two sisters from seattle, don't let their age put you off, (in fact i don't actually know what age they are, could be 40 for all i know, but they look young) they play catchy indie pop that could be likened to a mix between tokyo police club and au revoir simone. perhaps covering bloc party is no coincidence either, because the drum lines are in part quite similar sounding to matt tong's genius, especially in the track "find a way".

download: smoosh - find a way

and they're no babes in terms of recorded material either, they have two LPs released with the third on it's way. the second of which you can purchase - here.

download: smoosh - waiting for something

download: smoosh - free to stay

HOT OR COLD?,

2008-10-03T16:30:00.008+01:00

here is the next katy perry track that you're going to hear so much you'll want to rip your ears off, but you'll still watch the video hundreds of times because you think she's kinda gorgeous and she looks identical to someone but you can't put your finger on it.

download: katy perry - hot 'n' cold

it's zooey deschanel btw.

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EXCLUSIVE - BEHIND THE SCENES AT DISNEY LABORATORIES + HSM3 NEWS

2008-10-03T15:28:00.006+01:00

On 7th October, the UK premiere of High School Musical 3 takes place. Five Cineworld Cinemas will be hosting the premiere via satellite from London. Preceeding the screening at 5:45pm will be interviews live from the red carpet as well as songs from HSM1&2. The film will begin at 7pm. Tickets cost £10 and include a free t-shirt.

The cinemas are:

Glasgow
Birmingham
Didsbury
Sheffield
Cardiff

well i know what i'll be doing on the 7th of october. free t-shirt? i'm in. anyone know where the fuck didsbury is? is that even a real place? it sounds made up anyway.

UPDATE: sources are telling us that didsbury is actually in manchester. you can always trust our excellent news team to get information like that to you first.

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BUFFET LIBRE DJ'S VERBENA NO.5 MIX,

2008-10-03T02:09:00.006+01:00

download: buffet libre DJ's - verbena no.5

take the jump for the skinny...

here it is, the new buffet libre mix, premiering yet unreleased material from miami horror, louis la roche & sidechains, xinobi, culture prophet, heads we dance, the requesters, alex metric & autokratz, diamond cut, the hhantom's revenge, the outrunners & russ chimes and electric youth & justin faust. nice.

TRACKLIST:
1. Sintonia Buffetlibre
2. Heads We Dance – The Human Touch
3. Louis La Roche – Peach (Sidechains Remix)
4. Alex Metric – Deadly On A Mission (Autrkratz Remix)
5. Professor Groove & The Booty Affair – Lose Control (Diamond Cut ReLoss)
6. The Requesters – Strong Love
7. Miami Horror – Don’t Be On With Her (Vocal version)
8. Xinobi – Valsa In Nova Jersey
9. Super Mal – Bigger Than Big (Bag Raiders Remix)
10. N.O.S. – Please (The Phantom’s Revenge Remix)
11. Baby Diamonds – Shooting The Stars
12. Overthrill – Your Life
13. Mission Control – Innerspace (Designer Drugs Remix)
14. Giorgio Moroder – E=mc2 (Culture Prophet Remix)
15. The Outrunners – These Girls Are Dressed To Kill (Russ Chimes Remix)
16. Radiohead – Reckoner (Frankmusik Remix)
17. Inner Party System – Die Tonight (LA Riots Remix)
18. Electric Youth – Replay (Justin Faust Remix)

ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #5,

2008-10-02T21:19:00.004+01:00

because random is, like, so overused

it's back! the attck! of the arbitrary track! phone jack! blister pack! bernie mac!oh shit, bernie mac is dead isn't he? oh well, at alongthewaterfall, we spit in the face of bad taste. but really, no offence intended.

anyway, this one is especially random. well, i was watching forgetting sarah marshall and a belle and sebastian track i'd never heard was used during a montage. which is weird because i've heard a lot of B&S songs, they're on of my favourite bands. so anyway, turns out it's off a really old album, so i downloaded it and i've been listening to it all week, i'm in love. so anyway, here's that track. wasn't that random on second thought. have a listen, you won't regret it.

download: belle and sebastian - get me away from here i'm dying

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THE KARMA METER,

2008-10-02T01:23:00.005+01:00

for a while, i've been looking for a way to write about my own life here, without being boring and without revealing how self-obsessed and overly introspective i am. traditional diaries are monotonous, and rely heavily on interesting things actually happening, i wanted to do something that would let me write about my experiences in a different way. then i had an idea.

often, too often perhaps, i'll stand-back and reflect on my daily actions and behaviour. sometimes i'll conclude that i've done well in a particular day, been productive and an all round nice guy. but regrettably, most of the time i realise i've done fuck-all with my day and been a royal dick head, especially recently.

i'm a firm believer in karma. just the general principal, none of the religious stuff. i believe that the best way to live is to try and be kind to those around you, affect their life in a positive way, and hopefully, some divine presence will see that you're rewarded positively yourself. i don't believe in any higher being in particular, just that something, some power maybe is judging us. and primarilly i believe that even if there isn't any higher power, it's a good way to live regardless.

when i try to weigh up my own karma, when i'm being that overly introspective way, lying in bed, or pretending to study, i find it hard to remember the days and weeks before, it's impossible to give myself an imaginary score in the grand scheme of things. so i propose this. i'll create an imaginary meter, that tracks my own "karma", if i do something "bad", insult or belittle someone, or waste a lot of time, i'll mark myself down accordingly. if i engage in a random act of kindness, or influence someone else to do so, i'll put my hypothetical marker up a few notches.

cunt ------------------------------ christ

so for now, let's imagine i'm right bang in the middle of that meter, i'll try and get a better visual representation for next time, for now it'll do.

so from now on, arbitrarilly, maybe weekly, maybe whenever i do something remarkably interesting, the meter will be adjusted and i'll post my thoughts. it'll be like an ending to a scrubs episode, with my musings replacing JD's monologue, where i'll retrospectively reflect on the lessons learned, what i did right, and how maybe i could have done better.

it does sound a little dumb, but reserve judgement until it starts getting going, and i start judging myself. it'll be a good way for me to vent and get any thoughts i have out there, while revealing how self obsessed i really am, and in a pretentiously exestential way.

until the ball starts rolling, stay safe!

THE COUNT + SINDEN + EVAN RACHEL WOOD,

2008-10-01T19:05:00.006+01:00

download: the count + sinden - hardcore girls

last month i went to see DJ a-trak and sinden at glasgow's subclub. having seen a-trak befre, i was more interested in what sinden would be like. when we were going into the club, getting ID'd (subclub are one of the strictest for IDing), they walked by us, entering the club.

it was like something out of austin powers, sinden dressed exactly the same as a-trak, big hoody, low jeans and trademark oversized cap, and when they hit the decks it was just the same, they played identical music styles. immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but come on.

this landed in my inbox today, and it seems sinden has redeemed himself, or is he now just piggybacking on the count? make up your own mind. and a don rimini remix.

download: the count + sinden - hardcore girls (don rimini remix)

evan rachel wood action after the jump...

oh, greenday, you can wake up now.... stay safe.

SHUT DOWN BY THE MAN,

2008-09-29T22:12:00.005+01:00

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE POST "SLEEPING THROUGH THE PARTY" IT HAS BEEN REMOVED.

after being the top of the "HOT BLOGS" list on elbo.ws and my post "sleeping through the party" being the most viewed post for most of the evening, it seems the man has decided to remove it without informing me.

as i state at the side of the page, any MP3s are for promotion only, and anyone wants them removed they can contact me and i will get rid of them immediately. but to delete a whole post that took a lot of time to write doesn't seem fair. that's what happens when your material is ultimately controlled by google i guess.

apologies to anyone who was trying to read the entry, it'll take too long to put back up. here's a rage track to express my deepseated feelings of injustice. and just for the hell of it.

download: rage against the machine - wake up

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INTERSTELLA 5555, THE DAFT PUNK HOUSE MUSICAL,

2008-09-29T20:33:00.009+01:00

while browsing the HMV sale today for a cheap DVD fix, i stumbled across something that made the geek in me ejaculate on the spot. i'd like to confirm that was the imaginary, intangible being inside of me (metaphorically) ejaculating, i didn't actually cream myself...

that thing that i stumbled across was "interstella 5555" and just the front cover had me convinced that it was an essential purchase. the words DAFT PUNK, ANIME, HOUSE, and MUSICAL (yeah, i like musicals), all describing one film.

yes, it's ultimately a pointless, feature length musical for the album "discovery". actually, is it an avant garde analysis of celebrity culture? no, it's pointless. but i've still fallen in love. wikipedia it. i'm very late to this party, and possibly you're all already quite familiar with this masterpiece/classic/epic, but quite frankly my dear, i don't give a damn.

WALTER MEEGO/VAN SHE TECH,

2008-09-29T20:10:00.006+01:00

download: walter meego - forever (van she tech remix)

alongthewaterfall favourites walter meego have been burning up the hot blog listings recently thanks to this killer remix from van she tech. the trebly arpeggios and synth definetely make the track more club-friendly (the original is pretty relaxed - in a good way).

just before we went for our summer slumber i got the chance to interview walter meego, which you can check out here.

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HEY STRANGER! ALTER ELECTRO IV,

2008-09-27T17:39:00.002+01:00

download: ALTER ELECTRO IV - KILLING FOR LOVE

looks like we're back, lucky you. miss us? we'll catch up properly a little later on, for now bask in this glorious new extended mix. kept you waiting huh?

tracklisting and rundown after the jump, tomorrow we can get reacquainted, deal?

mixed by alongthewaterfall.blogspot.com
cover photography by lastnightsparty.com

ALTER ELECTRO IV - KLLING FOR LOVE 30:45

TRACKLISTING

HOLY FUCK - SAFARI
THE WHO - BABA O'REILLY (SEBASTIAN EDIT)
JUSTICE/DAFT PUNK/KANYE WEST - PLANISPHERE (FORTISPHERE IMMUZIKATION BLEND)
KANYE WEST - STRONGER [SAMPLE]
STA - BAKERS DOZEN (FEAT GERRY RAFFERTY)
THIS IS EMPIRE - FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR REMIX
THE BLOOD ARM - SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER (K.K.S. REMIX)
NIYI - AMELIA
JOSE GONZALES - KILLING FOR LOVE (TODD TERJE BROKEBACK REMIX)
DIZZEE RASCAL - FIX UP LOOK SHARP [SAMPLE]

an extended 30 minute edition of ALTER ELECTRO, refixed classics and new electro sounds culminating in an epic finale. mixed by yours truly.

SEE YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE,

2008-08-03T11:29:00.003+01:00

the time has come to face up to what has gradually been happening since i started working this summer. the blog has been suffering. so i'm ending this struggle to keep stuttering along (the waterfall) and going into hiding until mid september.

much like batman at the end of dark knight, i'll be skulking into the shadows. but all is not lost, in five weeks time, when university starts back and i've finished working, we'll be back and better than ever, and with a few fundamental changes.

until the time comes to re-emerge... stay safe.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT,

2008-07-28T00:09:00.004+01:00

we interrupt normal programming to bring you some helpful advice on how to beat the credit crunch. and some much needed updates.

the last month has been slow, very slow. i've just started work and i'm still trying to figure out the best way to keep posting in between shifts. long story short, the much delayed alter electro should be up by months end, and i'll hopefully finally wrap up t in the park, fitting in some smaller nuggets in between. next month will be grander. just you wait.

until then, stay safe... ya shit head, ya just got swindled! no actually, stay safe.

mtv.thehumangiant.com

ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #4,

2008-07-24T22:52:00.004+01:00

so i went to see WALL-E on friday night with the fellow first-night-prime-time pixar fans. what a film, pixar have yet to make a bad movie (cars was a little below par, someone i know is obsessed with it and has watched it a frightening amount of times) but this was special. the crowd cheered and clapped at the end (an unusual and normally annoying occurance in the UK). for this AOTAT! i tried to find an mp3 of the hello dolly track that WALL-E himself is obsessed with and watches just as much. but i couldn't. so here's the classic "beyond the sea" from "finding nemo" instead, an equally perfect soundtrack choice from pixar.

download: bobby darin - beyond the sea

ONE DAY AS A LION,

2008-07-23T23:38:00.003+01:00

"it’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb"

download: one day as a lion - wild international

T IN THE PARK 2008, PART TWO,

2008-07-18T23:12:00.003+01:00

after friday's gradual ease into festival mode, saturday thrusted into full gear with every stage opening from 12.00 PM.

the first trek from the campsite to the main arena was for LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION at the pet sounds stage. he played a short and loud set, coming in at a mere 30 minutes and consisting of mainly electric guitar tracks instead of his brilliant acoustic songs. the reason for the ommitance of many of my favourite numbers could have been because dev wanted a sound big enough to fill the massive tent, or maybe he wanted to try out some new material (about 3 tracks weren't on the LP). not that it wasn't enjoyable.

download: lightspeed champion - midnight surprise

the king tuts stage was next, and a brief glimpse of glasgow band SONS AND DAUGHTERS. these guys have been around for ages but, stupidly on reflection, i hadn't taken the time to listen to much of their stuff. lets just say that's one more hidden glasgow gem that i'll soon be in love with.

download: sons and daughters - blood

after regrettably missing MGMT it was off to the slam tent to see an absolute stormer of a show from EROL ALKAN. for reasons unknown he played an extended set, the sound from which shuddered through to the near by portaloos during a well timed toilet journey.

the night's headliners were arguably the highlight of the entire weekend. rage against the machine. this really is the kind of gig that could possibly be once in a lifetime. the band reformed last year to play some special shows and their performances nowadays are few and far between. the atmosphere was purely unbelievable, many of the bands interviewed comment on how good scottish crowds are but the electricity around the main stage was something to behold. i'll admit i only actually knew half of what they played but "wake up" and "killing in the name of" without a doubt represent the pinnacle of my festival experiences thus far.

download: rage against the machine - killing in the name of (sebastian remix)

INTERVIEW: WALTER MEEGO,

2008-07-16T18:00:00.006+01:00

well here's a little treat for your wednesday afternoon, the first ALONG THE WATERFALL interview.

walter meego have been one of my personal favourite discoveries of the year, after first reading about them on big stereo and hearing the track "girls" i was immediatly taken by their sound. we got sent a copy of their LP a couple of weeks ago and it's been on constant itunes rotation since. so when the chance came along to ask justin (guitar/vocals) a few questions, naturally i jumped at it. here's what came of the short interview:

first things first, if toast always lands butter side down and cats always land on their feet, what would happen if I strapped toast to a cats back and dropped it?

8J: that's a tough one. i'd say the cat would not let the toast get the better of him (or her). so the cat would land on its feet. and the toast would just have to deal with it.

now, you've been compared to daft punk and air, i myself hear similarities to bowie in some tracks. what would you say have been the most notable influences on walter meego?

8J: i'd say the most notable influences are the beatles, radiohead, daft punk and then a whole lot of other bands and musicians. personally, i like everything from classical to punk and all the things inbetween.

you guys are essentially a duo right? do you enlist other musicians when playing live?

8J: when we play live, we have andrew bernhardt play live with us. he's actually becoming more and more involved in the recording and production of the second album. so i guess it's not very black and white.

would you say each of you take a defined role in the song writing process or is it more organic than that?

8J: it's definitely more organic than that. it's just something that happens before you know it. there isn't really any plan to it. i guess you just have to be ready for an idea to happen at any time.

what does the rest of the year hold in store?

8J: we're mainly focusing on the next album and then developing our live show. we've been recording a lot of new songs and ideas lately. it's exciting.

it seems that music blogs have been a major factor of your success so far, where do you place these writers in the grand scheme of journalism? do you eventually see web-based literature superseding magazines and more traditional media?

8J: i don't know what's gonna happen for sure mainly cause it hasn't happened yet i guess. buti think web-based everything will supersede traditional versions of the same thing. so web-based tv, web-based newspapers, etc., everything.

are there any other chicago bands you think deserve more attention?

8J: you know i don't know exactly any more. we moved from chicago to LA seven months ago back in january. since then, i've only been back to chicago one time and that was on tour for maybe less than twenty four hours. so we haven't been able to keep up with the local scene. and then again, bringing it back to the web, i think local scenes have been superseded by web scenes anyway.

what's the best film you've seen recently?

8J: i just watched mulholland drive for the first time and i really liked it. it's hard to follow but after letting it soak in for a few days, i like it. i'm way into david lynch. i just watched every twin peaks episode online. there goes the web again. and i rented the movie online too. so there you go.

and finally, any plans to play some shows in the UK in the near future?

8J: no concrete shows booked or anything but we'd definitely love to come out and do a tour or something like that. it would be fun. we've played out there before and it was awesome.

download: walter meego - girls

download: walter meego - baby please

you can download the debut album "voyager" via itunes or here.

DEBUT SHE AND HIM VIDEO,

2008-07-15T15:51:00.003+01:00

the video for the first she and him single, "why do you let me stay here". easily one of my favourite tracks off of the LP, and zooey looks as cute as a pokemon in the promo, even though she's dying in most of it.

BLOC PARTY, "MERCURY" VIDEO,

2008-07-07T20:31:00.003+01:00

as promised. the band don't feature, very similar off-the-wall sci-fi feel to the "flux" video.

i've had the track on repeat from the minute the mp3 hit, and it amazes me how bloc party can keep on experimenting so flawlessly. instead of sticking to the successful sound of "silent alarm" that was in itself so new and exciting back in 2004, the group have continued to evolve. i've mentioned a couple of times how they are my favourite band (the poster on my wall adorned with six ticket stubs is a testament to that) and while they lose some supporters with every evolution, my adoration only strengthens. when i hear this in a dark club with a killer soundsystem, i shall orgasm. on the spot.

some would call four BP posts in 24 hours overkill, i call it a labour of love.

MERCURY, NEW BLOC PARTY SINGLE,

2008-07-07T19:28:00.003+01:00

so here it is guys, i'll keep this brief. the new bloc party single "mercury". seems to be in the same vein as flux, very danceable, with some very nice horns. not a lot of guitar for a guitar band, but that's no bad thing. in the words of zane "a complete banger".

there's already a video for it too at blocparty.com that we'll have up as soon as a copy surfaces.

bloc party have returned...

download: bloc party - mercury

BLOC PARTY TO DEBUT NEW SINGLE ON ZANE LOWE TONIGHT,

2008-07-07T11:02:00.004+01:00

well, the timer has reached zero the dramatic reveal was made. at 11 AM, the site refreshed to show a link to the BBC radio 1 site and text reading "Zane Lowe - 7.30 PM GMT - 7th July".

so it seems the timer was a ruse and that the real news will be announced on air. this definetely narrows the options though. it could still just be an interview or a live session of old tracks, but that wouldn't warrant the build up. no, i think, zane will premiere the new bloc party single tonight.

the band released a stand alone single, "two more years" between their first and second LPs and if trend continues, they might very well be doing the same again. this definetely isn't the last of this story, i'll be here as it all unfolds.

EDIT: the fact that zane lowe does his obnoxious "hottest track in the world right now" segment at 7.30 PM exactly all but confirms the new single. expect a lot of shouting and boasting on zane's part and listen online here when the time comes.

10 HOURS, 15 MINUTES, 42 SECONDS,

2008-07-07T00:55:00.002+01:00

"from what's been posted so far on this blog, it'd be pretty hard to tell that bloc party are my favourite band. that's mainly because they've gone into hibernation..." - ALONG THE WATERFALL 22/6/08

we posted that two weeks ago. it seems that bloc party are about to awaken from their media slumber. at 11 AM GMT. the countdown is as mysterious as kele's own lyrics, what will happen in 10 hours, 15 minutes and 42 seconds?

a new track? news of the third album? the third album itself? simply a new website? my bet is news of a UK tour coming this autumn, and possibly a date for the new LP.

only time will tell, but be sure you'll hear it here as soon as it breaks. so for 10 hours, 15 minutes and 42 seconds... stay safe.

THE COOL KIDS,

2008-07-05T18:35:00.003+01:00

chigaco's music scene has produced some of the greatest new rap and hip-hop artists of the last decade, and it looks to continue doing so going into the next. the cool kids are one of the newest acts to emerge that from chicagoan hip-hop. like a lot of fledgling groups, the duo have used myspace primarily to release their music, before recently getting signed by independent chocolate industries after a memorable performance at 2007's pitchfork media festival.

they toured opening for M.I.A and then on their own throughout this year, and to say their gradually garnering interest would be an understatement, touted by many music publications and listed in rolling stone magazine's "ten artists to watch in 2008". their debut album "when fish ride bicycles" will be out before the year's end.

download: the cool kids - gold and a pager

download: the cool kids - black mags

lookout for last month in review in "the months: june", hitting either tonight or early tomorrow. now we're back on track guys, stay safe.

MASH-UP FUN, GIRL TALK,

2008-07-05T17:37:00.005+01:00

this hit last week and blew up on the blog scene. mash-up DJ, girl talk, released his third album, splicing beats, raps and vocals from a massive variety of sources. it's ashame most of the rap acapella's are dirty south because the beats and melodies are so widely sourced, from avril lavigne to the jackson 5.

the album has been released on the "radiohead model", buyers can pay whatever sum they like for the mp3 downloads.

download: girl talk - shut the club down

download: girl talk - give me a beat

download: girl talk - still here

SETH LAKEMAN,

2008-07-05T16:40:00.006+01:00

another week of minimal posting, for that, i apologize. there's been a lot of other stuff going on over the last couple of weeks but july should be feature fantastic, making up for june's drought after alter electro.

seth lakeman, english folk singer, has been making music for a long long time. back in 1994 he and his brothers released the critically acclaimed LP "three piece suit" and later released three more albums before seth's first solo outing in 2002. lakeman has a rabid UK fanbase and all of his recent solo tours have sold out, but he has never broken into the US scene.

his most recent release "poor man's heaven" is a beautiful modern slant on country/irish folk. while a lot of folk albums drone on, each track being just a few minutes too long and too often repetitive verses pale into dullness. seth however has perfected folk writing for the MTV generation, short, snappy and with interesting melodic violin hooks, and most importantly, songs that end naturally.

here's his free live EP of the same name, with many od the same tracks as the studio album:

SETH LAKE MAN - POOR MAN'S HEAVEN, LIVE EP

download: 01. poor man's heaven

download: 02. lady of the sea

download: 03. haunt you

download: 04. blood red sky

download: 05. bold knight

ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #3,

2008-06-30T23:51:00.006+01:00

because "random" is like so over-used

download: lupe fiasco - daydreamin

this time around it's a joint off of the first lupe fiasco album. watching his glastonbury set, this was the highlight, showing up everything on "the cool", not having heard his first record, i'd not heard it before. ofcourse he owes a lot to the i monster
"daydream" sample in the chorus.

GLASTONBURY 2008,

2008-06-30T22:42:00.004+01:00

we're back. and so is glastonbury. what a weekend of music, and all from comfort of my sofa. there was plenty of controversy over jay z headlining, mainly from noel gallagher, but rap's head honcho proved all of the doubters wrong with a smashing set. to rub salt in the wounds of the oasis icon, a film was played before jay z's entrance that humiliated noel, leading into a tongue-in-cheek cover of wonderwall. keep your big mouth shut next time eh son?

here are some of my other highlights.

i've really warmed to duffy, her LP is phenomenal, an almost motown sound with a modern edge. current single "warwick avenue" is genuinly one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard, and that's not exaggeration. this was her last song, the band sound incredible and the play-off as duffy leaves the stage is as cool as it gets, even the camera man is playing air guitar.

headlining on the friday, kings of leon blew the crowd away, it's a very similar set to the one i seen twice last summer at t in the park and lowlands festival but it still gave me goosebumps through the television set, maybe in nostlagia for what a great summer it was. i'll be seeing them again in two weeks at this year's "t", can't wait.

the raconteurs' new number. looks great live, definetely another must see next weekend. truly two of the best technical guitarists around just now.

and seth lakeman with some gorgeous new material, playing an intimate backstage rendition of "the hurlers". watch out for a feature on seth coming soon, maybe even tonight if you're lucky ducks. oh lauren laverne, best female presenter around, it's a shame everyone doesn't see it that way.

download: duffy - distant dreamer

BLOC PARTY FIX,

2008-06-22T22:11:00.002+01:00

from what's been posted so far on this blog, it'd be pretty hard to tell that bloc party are my favourite band. that's mainly because they've gone into hibernation after last year's "a weekend in the city" mammoth tour. they're writing just now, for a third album they hope hits at the end of this year or the beginning of the next (probably the latter, remember AWITC's delays). kele did his first interview in while a couple of weeks ago saying that

"We're looking at putting a record out at the end of this year, or the start of next year. Right now it feels almost like we're standing in the middle of a forest fire or an earthquake…it’s hard to know where the music is going. We aim to make something organic and inorganic, made of very real components but that sounds not real and frightening. Almost hyper real in a certain aspect. I'm really excited."

glad to see he's back to his cryptic best, the change from mysterious to straight-to-the-point lyrics between albums was welcome at the time but i always enjoyed trying to figure out some of the older material rather than it's meaning being obvious.

speaking of older material (what a segue), here's a couple of rare videos from way back in 2004, and two of the first ever bloc tracks, back when they were with dim mak. the marshalls are dead is one of my favourite b-sides.

WINNERS,

2008-06-22T20:30:00.003+01:00

out of the embers of the fire that was the break-up of london rock-pop band do me bad things, the majestic phoenix winners rise.

three years ago, do me bad things were my favourite new band. their sound edgy, adventurous and had little inhibition. switching between lead singers, the voices played off of each other to some well crafted pop. this was pop music at it's best, but the band were far from plastic. each was an accomplished musician, all nine of them, and the songs shattered the outlook that good pop music had to be simple.

luckily, in winners, both of the main songwriters are still present. the band has been cut down considerably, only four members this time, three of them from DMBT. the canny craftsmanship of drummer, and chief songsmith tom shotton is as apparent as it was in the previous incarnation with track "hook me up" remaining on my itunes most played list despite little movement from the band.

these guys are still very much unknown, they haven't played any gigs outside of london town and after two years being together, there doesn't seem to be much hype behind them either. it's a shame, these guys deserve it.

no downloads i'm afraid, the tracks have been re-recorded since i first heard them, and i can't find the old mp3s. i'll try to get some streaming working but for now GO HERE to listen to their music.

PRETTY GOOD DANCE MOVES,

2008-06-22T04:40:00.002+01:00

first of all, we need to apologize for the lack of posting this week. after the two alter electro posts, i was kinda tired but today we'll try to make up for it with a lot of quality posts.

first, here's pretty good dance moves, they're on the same label as walter meego, and play some nice synth-electro-indie, pretty damn good.

download: pretty good dance moves - P.G.D.M.

download: pretty good dance moves - the colour blue

more to come later today. stay safe.

ALTER ELECTRO: HOUR ONE,

2008-06-19T03:56:00.004+01:00

download: ALTER ELECTRO: HOUR ONE

it's simple really. volumes one to three of the alter electro mixtape, in one glorious hour long mix. track listing info can be found in the post below with links to the archived volumes one and two. thanks to all of the artists whose material is in the mix and all of the fine blogs that featured the tracks and made the selection process easier.

here's to another three months, and another after that. and hey, why not even after that! we'll return to regular posting tomorrow, so until then, stay safe.

ALTER ELECTRO: VOLUME III,

2008-06-18T00:04:00.006+01:00

it's that time of the month again, the electro mix that isn't afraid of pop.

alter electro vol III - living on lemonade. this time around simian open up for a rehashed usher remix. what follows is three tracks that blend electro with sweet feelgood synth, held together by a two part traditional electro stormer.

download: alter electro vol III - living on lemonade

TRACKLISTING:

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO - HUSTLER (JOAKIM REMIX) *
USHER - LOVE IN THIS CLUB (MSTRKRFT VS KID FILTHY REMIX) **
DAVID GUETTA - BABY WHEN THE LIGHTS (FRED RISTER REMIX EDIT)
CASA EL MITRO - BAD GIRLS SURF (BROKE ONE REMIX) PT I *
MINITEL ROSE - BE WITH YOU
CASA EL MITRO - BAD GIRLS SURF (BROKE ONE REMIX) PT II *
JUSTICE - SURE YOU WILL

mixed by yours truly. time for some well earned sleep, but be sure to check out the hour long alter electro vol I-III mix that'll be up later in the week. the first three along the waterfall mixes, together, with alternate transitions and extra tracks. in other news we've been on elbo.ws' "HOT BLOGS" a good few times this week, the revolution is near. until the shit hits the fan... stay safe.

VOLUME I

VOLUME II

* - edited for the mix
** - completely remixed for the mix

SHORT FILM: PROCRASTINATION,

2008-06-16T05:16:00.003+01:00

this short piece was featured on BBC's the culture show last week. it was created by a graduating art school student named johnny kelly and done as part of his final year studies. the film won at the jerwood moving image awards this year and since, johnny has been comminssioned to make a short for enviromental awareness.

genius. the ending is particularly clever, i can definetely relate. stay safe.

SOUTH AFRICA'S BLK JKS,

2008-06-15T22:47:00.005+01:00

BLK JKS are a dub-rock group from johannesburg who chose to give convention the finger. they're already massive in their native south africa, bridging the post-apartheid class divide with a dub haze sound that resonates in the townships while their art-rock elements appeal to the foreign hipsters. these guys really are the first "trendy" ZA export, reflecting the country's new cultural momentum, tailoring the rock'n'roll sound to their own persona, rather than turning their back on african music completely.

they have a new EP getting a release this month, recorded earlier this year in new york, which looks to be the launchpad for these four east rand musicians' international take over.

download: BLK JKS - lakeside

download: BLK JKS - mzabalazo

DIPLO,

2008-06-15T20:01:00.004+01:00

by day, he is producer and record company boss wesley pentz. but after the sun sets and the kids come out to play, wesley transforms, possibly in a telephone box, into diplo, US east coast DJ.

combining the hip-hop and the electronic, diplo rides the line between both scenes, blending in as many genres as he can pull off. speaking to the observer music monthly he explains what he does as "the ultimate postmodern music; taking samples from everywhere and fucking shit up". much like ex-girlfriend M.I.A. he is breaking down the barriers that divide the remaining dance music cliques.

his mixes soundtrack hipster parties both stateside and in europe, with his fabric set garnering unanimous praise from bloggers on both sides of the atlantic.

perhaps his greatest accomplishment however, is getting me to actually enjoy the god-awful genre that is "crunk".

download: diplo - fuji ouija

download: diplo - battles atlas VS M.I.A. boyz

download: diplo - young folks pussy

THE POPULAR TEN, 140608,

2008-06-14T16:25:00.016+01:00

the blog aggregator elbo.ws is close to my heart. when this blog started three short months ago, the site sent us our first guests, before we had any regular visitors. now that we're up and running with a good rhythm, i'm sure a lot of these early adopters are among our followers three months on.

here's a rundown of elbows' 10 hottest tracks as of today, the most popular if you will, and a mini review of each, with a score, to help you decide whether a track is worth the download.

#10. COMPUTER VS BANJO - GIVE UP ON GHOSTS

folky with distorted vocals. the chorus is excellent and after a couple of listens it'll grow on you to the point of adoration. sounds a bit like something out of "o brother where art thou?" with a new age edge. - 7/10

download: computer vs banjo - give up on ghosts

#9. JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN - TO BE LOVED

if you like cat power, you will probably like this. relaxed and listening to this on headphones, i could see it taking you to that "other place" but it doesn't make a lot of impact. definetely a chill out track if you like that sort of thing. - 6/10

download: joan as police woman - to be loved

#8. ALBERT HAMMOND, JR. - GfC

this one definetely suits the season, it has that eclectic summer festival vibe. hardly original though, and i personally find this kind of music incredibly dull, maybe give julian a call eh albert? won't be listening to this again. - 4/10

download: albert hammond, jr. - GfC

#7. RATATAT - MIRANDO

sounds like all of thos 8-bit engineers out there, fusing old school nintendo synth with beats. it gets your attention alright but there's not much progression, the track pretty much sounds the same throughout, with a few melodies chucked on top. their picture makes them look so interesting aswell. - 6/10

download: ratatat - mirando

#6. DR. DOG - THE OLD DAYS

s'alright, the music itself is actually brilliant but i don't care much for the vocal choices, a lot more could have been done with the backing track. in fact the singer's voice annoys me so much i can't listen to it, if they were to release an instrumental i'd call the download essential, in this form, i'd pass. - 5/10

download: dr. dog - the old days

#5. TILLY AND THE WALL - POT KETTLE BLACK

there's a repetitive guitar riff that plays almost all of the way through this track. it's brash, simple, and irritating. the lyrics are awful. this is really uninspired trash. the amount of talentless bands making a name for themselves through image alone is disgusting. the bridge is the only highlight, reminiscant of css. - 4/10

download: tilly and the wall - pot kettle black

#4. SHEARWATER - LEVIATHAN, BOUND

now we're talking. slow burning and mournful, building to an emotional climax. i can really see this working in a film soundtrack. from beginning to beautiful end, the track haunts. very much in the same vein as sigur rós' (also featured) earlier work. magnificent. - 8/10

download: shearwater - leviathan, bound

#3. SIGUR RÓS - GOBBLEDIGOOK

now for the aforementioned sigur rós' own entry. this was featured last month and it has kept people writing about it for weeks. not as simply overwhelming as previous tracks like "hoppipola" but extremely listenable. - 7/10

download: sigur rós - gobbledigook

#2. MGMT - ELECTRIC FEEL (JUSTICE REMIX)

justice are practically untouchable at the moment, despite some recent backlash from ignorant american bloggers that see the duo as "overrated". they add their trademark distorted funky bass and rapid hi hats to an MGMT track that i really didn't like in it's original form. it's a banger. - 7/10

download: mgmt - electric feel (justice remix)

#1. FLEET FOXES - WHITE WINTER HYMNAL

so we come full circle with another folky track in the number one spot. the track evokes images from spaghetti westerns, with an almost native american chant and strangely vocals that sound a little like a barber shop quartet. near the end the song introduces a gorgeous piano interlude which shoves the score up a couple of notches. - 8/10

download: fleet foxes - white winter hymnal

so, some dead wood in the pack with some stand outs. i'm surprised that some of these acts are being so heavily pushed, why some of tracks are among the most popular in the blogger circles escapes me.

hopefully this feature will become a regular with "alter electro", "the months" and the newly introduced "attack of the arbitrary track". due to the time it takes, it might end up being monthly instead of a fairly regular post. until the next time, stay safe.

RAC VOL I,

2008-06-13T17:01:00.004+01:00

some of you might remember as far back as last month's alter electro mix and that it's title track was by the remix artists collective, RAC.

well, they sent me an e-mail yesterday about their newest release, their first full on remix album: RAC VOL I. the LP features some of their classic remixes and has some banging new material on it. this is to celebrate roughly a year since the group entered the scene and i'm glad to say that (with the first few bloc party remixes) i've been following them from the very beginning. best of all, the album is free to download from stereogum right here.

or you can stream the whole thing on this very site. enjoy.

tracks can also be download via the player, just click the link to the right of each.

SOMETHING ON MTV THAT ISN'T SHIT?,

2008-06-13T16:06:00.008+01:00

now here's a track that i'm surprised i like. it's just so far out of the radius of the music i'm listening to at the moment. and i think i know the reason behind this anomaly. the fort minor piano riff behind the beat. mike shinoda aka fort minor, half of linkin park's front line has been writing great piano licks for both linkin park an his own records for a good while now, and he more than anyone (except maybe gym class heroes) knows how to perfectly blend rap and rock. this busta rhymes joint reminds me of the 2pac one featuring elton john "ghetto gospel" and it's almost as good as it. also, have a listen to another fort minor classic, again using his trademark piano.

download: busta rhymes feat linkin park - we made it

download: fort minor - where'd you go

download: 2pac feat elton john - ghetto gospel

gotta love a good old fasioned piano passage in a rap track. see also: outkast - roses

GOLDFRAPP, CARAVAN GIRL,

2008-06-13T02:39:00.005+01:00

simple enough. the new video for the next goldfrapp single. "seventh tree" still stands in the top 5 albums of the year so far. JUST. definetely my favourite single yet. SUMMER!

SURE YOU WILL,

2008-06-13T02:26:00.003+01:00

wow. a justice track i never even knew existed. this is pretty ancient in terms of the duo's career, was released on a 2003 mix CD. great find that should be accredited to waves at night. has a much more trebly sound than anything on cross. i'll be seeing them again this summer at t in the park. here we go.

summer is well and truly here.

download: justice - sure you will

THE TV CULTURE VOID,

2008-06-09T19:39:00.006+01:00

so it seems all of the television shows that i hold dear to my heart are ending. this season of lost is over, dirty sexy money has finished it's brief stint, the apprentice is wrapping up on wednesday and gossip girl is done until september. even jools holland has left us for a few months.

but instead of succumbing to the reality TV machine and filling the void with big brother, this year i've found a couple of beauties to tide me over. the colbert report is one of them, a sharp satire of the ignorant republican television hosts that brainwash christian america, the guy is a complete genius. here's the pinnacle of his irony so far, bush takes about 4 minutes to catch on, whoever hired him as a speaker has been fired:

i've also realised how little i've seen of the massive south park back catalogue. the show has moved on from the cheap jokes and shock factor of the first few seasons and evolved into an informed and sardonic look at american and western culture coupled with intelligent parodies of television and film. and it seems i've been the last person to discover it. i've watched a lot of the most recent seasons episodes, but there's a massive chunk of the show that remains unseen.

it's all very yankee. luckily, the BBC's culture show is a diamond in the rough of the current UK TV climate. the subject matter of the show is as varied as madonna's pop career, the term "culture" encompasses a lot after all. music, film, art, television itself, everythings game and it's all brilliantly presented by the sharp tongued vixen lauren laverne. the broad canvas of the show's make-up is spoofed in the adverts for the new series that started last week. next week they have electronica group neon neon on the show. cannot wait.

download: neon neon - neon theme

SHITDISCO,

2008-06-09T18:58:00.004+01:00

last month we introduced a series of new glasgow acts. the city has a strong history as a music scene, and today, that scene is as strong as ever.

shitdisco are an indie/electro group based in glasgow. my first run-in with them came with my first trip to the arches' famous death disco night. they headlined DD early last year when they were still relatively unknown, and their reputation for hard and catchy dance music has blossomed since. the guys also have a distinct and bizarre glaswegian humour with lyrics like "insurrection ooo, no protection ooo, i try to hide my erection". yass.

download: shitdisco - i know kung fu

download: shit disco - 72 virgins (bloody beetroots remix)

SHADES OF TRAFFIC LIGHT,

2008-06-08T10:34:00.009+01:00

a couple o' lovelies for your listening pleasure, both heard on radio 2's jonathan ross. whoever picks the music for that show has taste in abundance.

firstly, a track off of the ting tings' LP. i've not got around to listening to it in full yet so i was pleasantly surprised when i heard this. very different sound to the singles. think feist with crap lyrics. really though, with a song like this the words don't matter. simple melodies with a good chord progression behind.

download: the ting tings - traffic light

and the new raconteurs release which sounds like abbey road era beatles playing at the prom in that grease film. i can see sandy swooning. i'm talking shite? you'll know what i mean when you hear it. the queenish guitar solo ain't half bad.

download: the raconteurs - many shades of black

!!!,

2008-06-07T20:36:00.003+01:00

chk chk chk, or !!! or whatever the fuck you want apparently:

"! ! ! is pronounced as any sound repeated three times. ommon interpretations are chk chk chk, pow pow pow, uh uh uh: unlimited possibilities."

are a brooklyn group (aye, those pretentious NYers) as indie as they come. good electronic pop with a dash of funk thrown in. new york are churnin' out the cool-as-fuck indie troups this year, vampire weekend, MGMT and these chaps. remind me of a US hot chip, seems like they're liked by their UK contemporaries too, check out the remix.

download: !!! - heart of hearts

download: !!! - must be the moon (hotchip remix)

ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #2,

2008-06-04T19:55:00.004+01:00

really, i didn't plan on doing another one of these so soon, but i'm in a rush, the glasgow arches beckons and this track needs to be posted. mylo's live lounge guns'n'roses cover. bliss.

until tomorrow, and a return to substantial posting, stay safe.

download: mylo - sweet child of mine

ATTACK OF THE ARBITRARY TRACK! #1,

2008-06-03T00:28:00.006+01:00

this track is old, but shuffle on the old ipod threw it back in my ears today. loved this last year, a quick swatch at itunes tells me it was my 4th most listened to tune. i hate when people overuse the word "random", so i'll refrain. you know the ones i mean "oh that's so random!", "what a random chat!", no, shut up.

i'm away to play wii tennis in my boxers.

download: the noisettes - don't give up

THE MONTHS, MAY,

2008-06-01T19:13:00.008+01:00

EDIT: the "man" got to us and suspended the uploaded tracks. too bad for those that weren't lucky enough to get in before the alarm was raised.

so another month comes and goes,
not so many highs and lows,
a poor attempt at mystery,
another day of mediocrity.

finished year one of university at the beginning of this month, the rest of it was spent unwinding to the point of actually coming off the spool. not a lot was achieved to be frank, in fact the last week has probably been more destructive than anything else. june brings the start of an irregular shift summer job, meaning possibly having to get up at 6 in the morning to make it to the other side of the city, so maybe relaxing these last couple of weeks will be justified. like last month, this compilation includes the pop acts covered over the last four weeks, a counterpoint to the alter electro mix. so have a listen, and... relax.

ANOTHER DAY

1. LOS CAMPESINOS! - MY YEAR IN LISTS download
2. ALPHABEAT - 1OOO NIGHTS OF THUNDER download
3. HOT CHIP - ONE PURE THOUGHT download
4. JOHN B MCKENNA - KEEP ME IN THE DARK download
5. THE TING TINGS - SHUT UP AND LET ME GO download
6. ZOEY VAN GOEY - FOXTROT VANDALS download
7. JAMIE LIDDELL - ANOTHER DAY download

download: THE MONTHS, MAY: ANOTHER DAY

biggest spinning glitter ball in the world, apparently. download seperately or as a folder with all tracks numbered and in order. how good was lost bytheway?

stay safe.

DIGIKID84,

2008-05-29T23:58:00.003+01:00

there's no electro like french electro. literally stumbled across DIGIKID84, EP out soon. originally two producer's, they list vangellis, daft punk, and the jackson 5 as influences. sadly their best track "on the top" is hard to get a hold of, but check out their myspace for it.

download: DIGIKID84 - b.boy underground

download: DIGIKID84 - super star dimension

download: leonard de leonard - elephantizer (DIGIKID84 remix)

lost finale,

2008-05-29T22:36:00.002+01:00

the last two weeks have felt like two months, partly because i've finished uni for the year and have been sitting around on my arse for the last fortnight, but mainly because i've been waiting for tomorrow... and the lost finale.

the finale airs in the US and Canada tonight, i'll be getting up at a ridiculous time to download it tomorrow morning. add in part one that aired two weeks ago and the episode is three hours long. get in. like most things that you wait ages for, it'll be over in a flash (back - ahaha, i'm hilrarious) and i'll then be waiting until next year for new episodes.

here's some videos to ramp up the excitement, including the brand-new one-off title sequence for the finale, some medical advice for those that don't watch the programme and a sneek peak scene from the finale, i wonder if that chimpmunk character will be a regular next season?

lazy posting, make model,

2008-05-29T19:14:00.005+01:00

this month's glasgow artists highlight ends with make model.

videotastic! and sadly for once, the lazy mosquito has bitten me good, so these word's ain't mine, but the words of my news publication of choice: theguardian!

The LSB, their debut single released in July, all stomping beats, call-and-response, duelling-gender chants and shouts and a chuck-it-in-the-mix approach to production. During Make Model's performances, either in the studio or onstage, several melodies fight to be heard over the instrumental melee, and it sounds as though the band are having either fun or experiencing some sort of semi-religious fervour during recording (note to church-goers: GUM acknowledges that both are possible simultaneously). Czech Neck, the B-side, harnesses their madcap energy to more streamlined effect, with its acoustic guitars strummed manically over layers of synthesiser.

The six-piece formed last year but are already stalwarts of the festival and gigging circuit, having conquered, laid slain to and generally entertained the masses in a non-violent way at Skye, GoNorth, RockNess, 02, Latitude, T In The Park and Indian Summer, with further metaphorical massacres to come at Belladrum, Reading and Leeds, Connect and Loopallu. They released The LSB on their own label The Biz, and they were recently crushed, ever so gently, in the stampede to be signed by EMI, who will be releasing their already-anticipated album next year, with the first single from it mooted to be The Was, due out in March 2008. The music industry continues to lead the world in forward planning.

and here's some mp3s, now let's just forget my lax posting ettiquette.

download: make model - alive alive o

download: make model - the was (autokratz to scale mix)

and the previous glasgow spotlights:

john b mckenna
big face
zoey van goey

now go see them on the sauchiehall crawl (below) on sunday! stay safe.

the sauchiehall crawl,

2008-05-28T15:00:00.004+01:00

glasgow's famous sauchiehall street has went and got it's own mini-festival. this sunday for £15, gigs are split up between nice'n'sleazy's, abc2 and the beat club and after the shows finish at 11, a club night is included in the ticket price where members of idlewild will be DJ'ing. more info here.

ABC 2

- THE TWILIGHT SAD
- GALCHEN
- HOW TO SWIM

NICE'N'SLEAZY'S

- WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS (acoustic set)
- JO MANGO
- ROSS CLARK
- THE PHANTOM BAND

THE BEAT CLUB

- MAKE MODEL
- THE ADS
- DE ROSA
- EL PADRE

tickets available from ticket scotland, abc box office and mono.

sigur rós' fifth,

2008-05-28T14:25:00.004+01:00

icelandic sigur rós are to release their 5th studio album "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" (with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) on june 23rd.

the quartet have released the track "gobbledigook" for free download on their website. you can hear it below.

renound for their spectacular live performances, the group will be headlining scotland's connect festival in august, hopefully along with the orchestra they've brought on previous tours. i'll be going if i have the money come the end of the summer.

if you haven't seen it yet, check out the beautiful documentary "heima", that charts the lead up to rós returning home to play a series of free gigs in iceland and celebrates the majesty of the mysterious country.

download: sigur rós - gobbledigook

walter meego,

2008-05-27T22:57:00.005+01:00

the title of last month's alter electro came from chicago electro kids walter meego's track "girls". it closed this blog's virgin mix, and sadly due to it's placing on the tape, i have a feeling a lot of readers probably didn't get to hear the aural wonder.

the group are supporting melbourne contemporaries the presets on a US tour at the moment.

i'm tired and can't think of much else to say except: download these tracks! you won't regret it. if you like the sound of david bowie having a threesome with daft punk that is.

download: walter meego - girls

download: walter meego - forever

download: walter meego - wanna be a star

everything i do, i do it for a girl. stay safe.

foals,

2008-05-26T21:51:00.005+01:00

the wee bit pretentious foals have just taken their first leap across to the US, playing a heap of shows stateside this month. today seen the release of their new single "red socks pugie".

it's definitely not as infectious as previous singles "cassius" and "hummer" and doesn't stand out in an album where so many songs sound the same. they do write a catchy tune, even if they're a bit hit-and-miss and even though i don't like them as a band (the prattish lead singer sang facing sideways, not once looking at the crowd when i seen them) i can't help but dance. video for the single, and a couple of their stronger tracks on mp3 below:

download: foals - cassius

download: foals - mathletics

razorlight's song writing without borrell? sounds good to me,

2008-05-26T21:12:00.004+01:00

responsible for some of razorlight's most soulful songwriting with tracks like "america" and "fall to pieces" to his name, andy burrows, the drummer, is releasing a solo album, "the colour of my dreams". the LP has an interesting story behind it. recorded at home, the tracks are all translated from or inspired by a book of poems that andy found, written by an old family friend. released today, the record aims to raise funds and awareness for the children's home, naomi house.

the breezy collection of songs come in at under 20 minutes and can be purchased here. the intentions cannot be faulted and the tracks themselves sound gorgeously reminiscant of the beatles. the video for the track "boxes" is below, i'm not giving away mp3s that help charities.

check out www.colourofmydreams.com.

W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

2008-05-24T17:04:00.007+01:00

included in last month's alter electro mix was a track from a rapper named "webbafied". he took the justice track "let there be light" and turned it into a hip-hop masterpiece simply by spitting over the top of the already perfect beat.

well washington hip hop/fusion artist wale (wah-lay) has just equalled that outstanding track with the exact same concept. W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. is basically the original justice track "D.A.N.C.E." (MSTRKRFT remix below) with some lyrical genius superimposed. wale has been slowly building up his rep since conquering DC in 2006 with a slew of radio hits. 2007 seen him touring europe with mark ronson. still to properly break out of DC, wale is pushing hard in '08 to get himself some country wide recognition, the justice collaboration, off of his new mixtape, being at the forefront of that campaign.

download: wale feat justice - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

download: wale & lilly allen - smile (mark ronson DC remix)

dim mak tees,

2008-05-24T16:39:00.006+01:00

i'm skint just now but when i get some money, i'm getting me a couple of these. dim mak records have a line of gorgeous tees for summer '08. their summer '07 and '06 lines were put on a very limited run but now the reputation of the label was racked up considerably, the new t-shirts should stay in stock. there's also some artists lines including some fools gold designs and a couple from klaxons. i've got my eyes on the "family fun" and "retrospecs" tops, the red fools gold tour one is pretty nice aswell.

check them out

kerching tings,

2008-05-24T14:10:00.003+01:00

with company like paul mccartney and bob dylan, the ting tings are on the new ipod ad. the track featured isn't one of their previously released singles, but a track i've not heard, "shut up and let me go". it might be their new single but to be honest i can't be bothered checking. instead here's the track that's big in all the club's at the moment, "that's not my name", i'm sure it'll start to grate eventually, but it still makes me move. lucky i don't listen to much radio.

download: the ting tings - that's not my name

does it offend you, yeah?,

2008-05-23T15:52:00.010+01:00

any band that got their name from a david brent quote in "the office" is alright in my books. but on top of that, if they mix conventional indie styling with a healthy splodge of electro and some mouth watering beats then i just might fall in love with said band.

does it offend you, yeah? are exactly that band. from reading and soon to tour with my favourite band of all time, bloc party across the pond, the trio have released their first record entitled "you have no idea what you're getting yourself into". like MSTRKRFT below, they have a good back catalogue of remixes. tracks like "battle royale" and "we are rockstars" exhibit the french/aussie sounding electronic dance music that the group built their reputation on. while "epic last song" (video below) is one example off of the album, of their ability to revert to the old fashioned UK guitar band style, yet never sound generic, one of many criticisms of the UK's current lad-rock outfits such as the enemy, the courteeners and the twang. who are all shite.

download: does it offend you, yeah? - we are rockstars

download: does it offend you, yeah? - battle royale

zoey van goey,

2008-05-22T01:45:00.007+01:00

another glasgow music showcase following on from our john b mckenna & big face features earlier in the month. this time around: zoey van goey.

the trio, none of which actually come from glasgow (canada, ireland and england) have been playing the fine city over the course of the last year. so far best described as folk-pop with an electronic tinge. their debut single "foxtrot vandals"was produced by belle and sebastian frontman stuart murdoch and got a limited 7" release, still available in physical format here or on itunes. they're now gearing up for the release of their second single and a slot at the rockness festival.

likened to the postal service, and not unlike their mentor's own group, this lot are hotly tipped to breakthrough in '08, in the indie circles at least. they actually played my student union in dundee last week. sadly i only found out afterwards. it's just typical, the place puts on absolute dross all year until i finish my exams and move back to glasgow then they put on something decent.

download: zoey van goey - foxtrot vandals

MSTRKRFT,

2008-05-21T21:09:00.004+01:00

my sister's been blasting the new usher track non-stop lately. and i really couldn't stand it. but ofcourse MSTRKRFT come along and make me love it. their remix is brash, completely transforming the original song into an electro stormer. then mid-way they mix things up with a piano solo. then they bring the beat back, actual ecstacy.

this got me thinking about all the insane remixes that MSTRKRFT have gifted us. their own stuff is out of this world don't get me wrong, but they've always had an uncanny knack for reinventing other peoples music. here are some of the best examples.

download: usher - love in this club (MSTRKRFT remix)

download: chromeo - tenderoni (MSTRKRFT remix)

download: metric - monster hospital (MSTRKRFT remix)

download: justice - D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT remix)

the metros, any good?,

2008-05-21T17:11:00.003+01:00

the new single definetely is. "the last of the lookers" has one of the best bread 'n' butter guitar riffs i've heard in a long while. the video's below, sadly couldn't find an mp3 of it. their last single "education pt2" will have to do though, but it's more punk compared to the new track's funk, and i'm not sure i like it. the metros look like they're going to be big on the festival circuit this year, maybe travelling the same road to success as bands like the kooks. but with the abysmal new kooks single off of the terribly named second LP "konk" doing the rounds, let's hope these guys have a bit more substance in the long run.

at this point you really can't tell. one great single, one a bit rubbish. and to think i used to like the kooks two t in the park's ago. my younger self really didn't have much taste.

download: the metros - education pt 2

the happening trailer,

2008-05-20T01:02:00.003+01:00

really, i can't believe i forgot about this film when i posted the summer of 2008 trailer feature. m. night shyamalan is one of, if not my favourite director. his movies always split audiences but i always end up on the side that thinks them genius. shyamalan is a master at the the thriller genre, relying more on implyance and the rule that "the unknown is scarier than the known", he leaves space for the viewer's own imagination to run wild at the chilling possiblities. "the happening" will be his first 18 rated film. it stars my favourite girl of the moment zooey deschanel and mark wahlberg whom i am massively indifferent about, he was good in "the departed" mind.

alter electro: volume II,

2008-05-19T19:41:00.004+01:00

introducing, alter electro vol II - a link to the past the new along the waterfall mixtape. this time around the electro is as heavy as ever but there's a definite 80's vibe. starting with RAC's zelda homage, the highlight of the decade for nintendo, moving onto some hip hop and 80's synth and rounding off with some old school electropop.

TRACKLISTING:

RAC - A LINK TO THE PAST
PLAYDOE - IT'S THAT BEAT (TOXIC AVENGER REMIX)
HEARTACHE - DON'T STOP (LIFELIKE REMIX)
LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION - GALAXY OF THE LOST (BO$$ IN DRAMA REMIX)
BIGFACE - I WANNA BE A STYLE CRUSADER (DATA REMIX)
KAVINSKY - TESTAROSSA AUTODRIVE
PISTOLAS - TAKE IT WITH A KISS

as always, mixed by myself. the cover art shows the legendary glasgow ABC in it's cinema/restaurant days. so sit back, pump up the volume on the ear phones or blast it through your sound system. seamless mixed version below to download in mp3 format, detailed breakdown coming tomorrow.

VOLUME I

download: alter electro vol II - a link to the past

stay safe!

big face,

2008-05-19T18:06:00.006+01:00

these guys entered the glasgow scene last year with single "i wanna be a style crusader" which managed to get on a good few "best of 2007" lists. the 5 man indie electro troupe were hotly tipped to make it big in '08 but for the past few months they've went into hiding, recording their debut album, and resurfacing this month to play a few gigs in king tuts and the arches. the band were lucky enough to get signed on by hipster french label KITSUNE, who have been standing along side ed banger in the parisian electro take over. the LP should be out towards the end of the year, so keep a big eye fixed on their progress.

the cheeky devils have even slipped onto may's alter electro, which should, big fingers crossed, be up tonight.

download: big face - drink juice like

download: big face - ride the front seat

check out the first part of this month's glasgow spotlight with john b mckenna.

i heart alphabeat,

2008-05-18T21:09:00.007+01:00

these guys have properly grabbed me. at first i thought it was just be and a couple of other idiots wearing our guilty pleasures on our sleeve but it turns out alphabeat have had the same effect as high school musical, unashamed, campy, catchy pop. to say i was startled at the observer awarding their debut "this is alphabeat" five stars in their music monthly today would be putting it very fucking lightly. but it retrospect maybe it's not that surprising. we're now in an age where it's not frowned upon to like something just a bit mainstream, it's almost passé to be passé, not cool to call something that's so honest and comfortable with what it is not cool.

the mixture or male and female lead vocal duties is straight out of the disney renaissance but their skilled pop crafstmanship is anything but new. they've delved into the golden era pop archives and brought back high brow pop, and back it up with genuine musical ability and a "we are what we are and if they don't like us fuck em", it's refreshing to see a chart act that aren't trying to be anything else (yeah mika tried the whole charade last year but the small fact that he's a prat got in the way).

this is probably the closest thing i'm going to get to gay-pride, damn right i like alphabeat, whose got a problem? okay enough of the melodrama, here's their two singles, in mp3 and video format, and a genius cover of daft punk's "digital love":

download: alphabeat - digital love
[technical problem, should be up soon]

download: alphabeat - fascination

those chord progressions! that vocal overlapping! heaven! and i just excitedly watched "i'd do anything about an hour ago, my manhood's lying shattered on the floor.

hot chip, covers and remixes,

2008-05-17T17:21:00.005+01:00

there's been some fun hot chip stuff surfacing over the past couple of weeks. again the BBC live lounge have given us an unorthodox gem, during their set hot chip played a cover of the "now" club track, wiley's "my rolex". despite it's grimey bass track, i actually quite like the original, get's me moving if i hear it out on the town. the new chip single (video below) is more introverted than "ready for the floor" but the mellow melodic strains that made up much of the first album make a welcome return. finally, a remix of that last single "ready for the floor", better than the original? i don't think so but decide for yourself.

download: hot chip - ready for the floor (V.I.P. remix)

download: hot chip - my rolex (wiley cover)

this month's alter electro should be hitting in the next couple of days.

john b mckenna,

2008-05-14T21:47:00.003+01:00

there's not been much homegrown talent featured on this blog yet, time to remedy that. glasgow has produced some of the UK's most exciting acts over the past couple of decades, the late 80s was a boom, and there have been some stand-outs in recent years (franz ferdinand, belle and sebastian,) but there's a fresh batch of glaswegian troubadors that have potential.

john b mckenna plays acoustic indie folk. he's been doing the rounds in glasgow over the last year playing the music pubs and smaller venues like the oran mor, getting some attention. i was introduced to john's music through a friend who knows him and has been to a few of his gigs, i've not yet managed to get along to one but definitely plan on seeing a performance soon. like many blossoming artists, myspace is the hub of his carreer so far. a good amount of tracks are featured, all exhibiting a keen and informed brand of songwriting. my favourite tracks are "tequila and sugar" and "keep me in the dark", the former is found on his self released debut 7" vinyl "my anatomy", available in a couple of glasgow record stores and here.

check out the myspace and a couple of tracks below.

download: john b mckenna - keep me in the dark

download: john b mckenna - a series of predictions

breaking: new N.E.R.D video, follow up,

2008-05-14T21:10:00.006+01:00

in a follow up to yesterday's feature, the video for N.E.R.D's "everyone nose" has finally surfaced. this is still piping hot, as i write this, not even 1000 youtube views yet. the video's styled on last nights party, a site that follows americas social elite, capturing the atmosphere of the US's most happening parties. a satire on cocaine culture? how astute pharrell.

i've been following the last nights party site for a while, it has attracted mounds of praise for being at the heart of cutting edge photography just now. williams has always had his finger on the proverbial pulse, one step ahead of the rest of the game.

download: N.E.R.D - everyone nose

premature opinion kills,

2008-05-14T20:14:00.005+01:00

brash is the only word to describe my itchy trigger finger dismissal of the kills when i first heard their brand of visceral swagger rock last year. embarrasing due to both my snap judgement aswell as that this is their third fucking album and i'm only now hearing about them. their sound is bare and raw, no drummer, instead a drum machine provides razor beats.

they released their new single's video this week "last day of magic". not as melodic as my normals tastes, maybe the reason it took me a while to warm to them. here's the film and another track taken from "midnight boom".

download: the kills - sour cherry

yeah i know that's an old album cover but it's a good picture, smart arse.

now you know,

2008-05-14T20:08:00.003+01:00

lidell restores my faith,

2008-05-14T01:04:00.007+01:00

jamie lidell was featured last month and on april's "the months" compilation. truly, i just can't get enough of his music at the moment, it really is the purest feel good soul. check the archive for my thoughts on his new LP (it's safe to say i liked it) and soak in these new tracks. i'm in a good mood this week, and my day to day listening is definitely reflecting that fact.

there are various artists and stories that are getting a lot of attention just now that i've not been covering. the fact is, and will remain so, if it doesn't turn me on, i'm not going to disingenuously write spiel about it. coldplay just don't excite me now, no matter how hard they try to remain current and legitimate, it's not going to work, stick to the ford focus demographic. santogold, hyped up pish in my opinion. and scarlett johansson, don't get me started on her attempts to defile tom waits' legacy, how she got bowie on board i'll never know. try checking out zooey deschanel's worthy foray into the music industry scarlett and keep on acting. i'll watch you pout on screen all day, just as long as it's not to the sound of your over produced singing voice, get woody allen back on the phone and abandon this pointless charade.

jamie's uncanny ear for a sweet tune, not superficial tat please. coldplay, SJ, i've figured you out. it's all about the soul.

download: jamie lidell - figured me out

los campesinos! exclamation!,

2008-05-13T23:50:00.007+01:00

this seven piece from cardiff have been battering my ear drums lately. lots of megabus journeys means lots of quality time with the ipod. it's always funny seeing whether the person in front of me turns around in disgust at the volume of it or not, i like to think myself a pretty considerate person most of the time but if it comes between me and my music then consideration can fuck off. my friends tell me i'll be deaf by thirty. but enough about me.

los campesinos! indie pop at it's finest. the hooks are present, but there's substance to boot. all 4 guys and 3 gals make full use of their numbers with skin tingling instrumentals and heady crescendos thrown into the core of acute pop sensibility. when a band take time over a drum line it shows, i'm sick of hearing half arsed drumming in my rock records, this is how it's done. the LP, "hold on now, youngster" shows these guys have the consistecy to outlive their flash-in-the-pan contemporaries, let's hope they get the audience they deserve. with a hot british summer coming up and belle and sebastian records on repeat growing old (more music please B&S!) i have my indie-sun soundtrack sorted.

download: los campesinos! - you! me! dancing!

download: los campesinos! - don't tell me to do the maths

damn! i didn't use the word septet! stay safe.

N.E.R.D strikes back, CRS helps out,

2008-05-13T19:59:00.006+01:00

to say i was gutted at the rumours a couple of years back that N.E.R.D had split over differences with the virgin label would be a massive understatement. "in search of" still stands as one of the most innovative (at it's time) and influential hip-hop albums of all time and "fly or die" is mainly excellent with only a few tracks letting it down.

but the threesome are back, as we all expected really. the new single is "everyone nose", a thumping funk-hop gem, and william's et al are being as experimental as always. a remix has surfaced featuring CRS and pusha t that's equally brash. not the best verse i've heard from west but i can't get enough of lupe this year, as you can probably tell (two in a row son). heres the remix and another track off the upcoming album, the not so PC "spazz".

download: N.E.R.D feat kanye west, lupe fiasco & pusha t - everyone knows [remix]

download: N.E.R.D - spazz

those in the US should count yourselves very lucky, the glow in the dark tour is going to be insane. a friend of mine was assistant to the stage designer so i've heard some of the details, it really is ashame there's no UK dates planned.

lupe fiasco, acoustic superstar,

2008-05-13T02:02:00.002+01:00

stripped down and melodic. this is rap like you've never heard it. no beat, just acoustic guitar, soulful singing and lupe's killer lyrics. kanye's young pretender has never sounded better. the BBC live lounge never fails to stay the platform for unique, intimate and exciting experiments. video and mp3.

download: lupe fiasco feat matthew santos - superstar (live & acoustic)

rac, 8-bit electro,

2008-05-12T22:04:00.004+01:00

i've been pretty lax in updating so far this month, had a busy couple of weeks, including a birthday yesterday. that's me 19, not too much teenage glory left to go, better make it a good year.

rac, remix artists collective, provided my favourite reworking of last year, their version of bloc party's "hunting for witches" was outstanding. their newest project is an EP of remixed videogame themes. Nintendo VS Sega is a four track blitz of electro nostalgia, mario, sonic and zelda are all covered. the best track is the zelda offering, methinks it'll wind up on this months alter electro. the whole EP is free to download from here.

download: RAC - link to the past (RAC remix)

the films,

2008-05-05T23:53:00.006+01:00

last year was an excellent year for film. the intelligent and the indie shone, taking advantage of the lack of big box office hits (enchanted aside, fucking love that movie despite the naysayers). but this year the blockbuster reigns supreme and this summer brings in the big guns, with some long anticipated titles and a different kind of indy. here's the few i can't wait for.

WALL.E

pixar's newest looks like a return to their witty charming best (cars was a misstep in my books) and when on their game, no one comes close. i was ecstatic to hear of the return of disney's traditional animation studio but disney is close to my heart whatever the medium. monsters inc and toy story remain two of my favourite films of all time.

THE DARK KNIGHT

batman begins was the glorius return of the coolest superhero out. with heath ledger's last substantial role as the joker, the dark knight looks likely to top it's predecessor.

TROPIC THUNDER

the heartbreak kid was unforgivable but without speaking too prematurely, he looks like he's got his mojo back. a return to the silly ironic mould of dodgeball, tropic thunder is backed up by jack black and robert downey jnr in what looks like the funniest comedy character in years, yes he is playing a black man. or he's playing an actor playing a black man. it's convaluted but it's shaping up to be fucking hilarious.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

knocked up, tied with superbad was last year's most piss-yourself-funny comedy. seth rogen and judd apatow are comedic geniuses, lucky they're respectively starring in and writing pineapple express then. weed dealer takes on the man. you know that's going to be golden. you know it.

INDIANA JONES AT THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

dr jones! dr jones! can't shitting wait.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2

if you know me you'll know that i have a strange sense of humour, i am a funny fuck, just in a strange way. but you'll also know that i'm not actually joking with this one. the two most gorgeous american's from my two guilty tv pleasures. no not ugly betty, she's a bint. alexis bledel from gilmore girls and blake lively from the no-replacement-for-gilmore-girl-but-actually-pretty-damn-good gossip girl, i'm going to be in a cinema full of 10 year old girls with an erection. alexis + blake = rager. i'm not joking.

irony and the pistolas,

2008-05-05T23:23:00.004+01:00

the posts recently have been very GTA influenced, and until i complete it (which should be pretty soon the pace i'm going at) the in-car radio is my primary source of tunes.

the best track i've heard so far is definitely "take it with a kiss". a london band i'd not heard of before, the pistolas, were responsible so i checked out their other stuff. and these cats know how to make music. sadly and strangely however, just as their track is featured on the fastest selling video game in history, they fucking split. it seems they've toured a bit with dizzee rascal and seem to have been around for some time. the injustice. check it out. punk-funk, very reminiscant of the rapture:

download: the pistolas - take it with a kiss

download: the pistolas - dinosaur

ultra violence, justice genius,

2008-05-02T23:28:00.003+01:00

another genius justice video for another insane justice single, kanye still can't keep up. this time around the single is "stress" and the video is an ultra violent clockwork orange-esque rampage. a gang of thugs adorned with the justice cross kick some fucking arse. it looks a bit like an 18 rated version of grease. check it out:

got properly stuck into rockstar's new masterpiece today, in which justice feature. and ricky gervais. nice.

the months, april,

2008-05-01T21:41:00.006+01:00

along the waterfall's had a decent first month. starting april 1st, i'm happy with the quality and volume of our features so far. every month, i plan to post a mixtape (a traditional one this time, no mixing, just old school playlist action) to sum up the months highlights, featuring the best tracks from the best artists of that month. each month will have a theme, based the compilation's title that hypothetically encompasses the lyrics of the tracks included to produce a coherent and impacting mixtape. the compilation will compliment that month's proper mix, in this case, "alter electro vol I: i do it for a girl". so without further ado, say good bye to april and say hello to:

LOVE IN THE HANDS OF THE YOUTHFUL,

1. YOUNG LOVE - MYSTERY JETS
2. WHY DO YOU LET ME STAY HERE - SHE AND HIM
3. WAIT FOR ME - JAMIE LIDDELL
4. SEA OF LOVE - CAT POWER
5. I STAND CORRECTED - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
6. KIM & JESSIE - M83
7. THE YOUTH - MGMT
8. FALLING SLOWLY - THE SWELL SEASON
9. SALTY WATER - LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION
10. MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE - ADELE

youth is a fickle cove,
kim & jessie stand corrected,
falling slowly through the salty sea of love,
he'll let her stay there, disconnected

download: the months, april: love in the hands of the youthful

the download is a folder with all the tracks properly titled and numbered, just extract. or play right now below.

new css,

2008-05-01T11:22:00.002+01:00

lovefoxx is back baby. brand new css track from their upcoming album "donkey". bit more guitarish. like it.

download: css - rat is dead (rage)

had to make an emergency trip to the dee for a meeting and a fatties wednesday. look out for an april sum up later on tonight when i'm back in glasgow, it's been a good first month. stay safe, for now.

kavinsky,

2008-04-29T23:49:00.004+01:00

there's something in paris' water. something that triggers the dormant but deadly "DJ" gene. this strand of DNA has the power to kill any club night, and murder the reputation of non-french pretenders. yup, i'm bangin' on about ed again.

kavinsky is the ace up the sleeve of ed banger records, not as notorius as his peers daft punk, justice, sebastian and mehdi, but equally dangerous behind the decks. as i mentioned earlier in the week, kavinsky is included on the new GTA soundtrack (which i still haven't played, fucking delay in delivery) so maybe he is finally getting the attention he deserves. he played the last night of coachella this weekend, let's hope for a UK visit soon. "testarossa autodrive" and "wayfarer" are his weapons of choice, and here they are.

download: kavinsky - testarossa autodrive

download: kavinsky - wayfarer

check out the sweet video for autodrive a couple of posts below. and stay safe.

shit name, good album, portishead,

2008-04-29T23:03:00.006+01:00

inspired. the only word that adequately describes the naming of portihead's long overdue third album. third.

i'm little late to the party, the album was released last month to glowing reviews. it is very good. bit overrated. the trip hop trio have slightly altered their sound opting for an even more chilled vibe, sleepy almost. the building grandeur of the first two LPs is gone however, the epic emotional swells of tracks like "roads" are noticably absent. no, this album is moving in a subtler fashion, beth gibbon's haunting vocals chill the senses in a way very similar to thom york's spooky crooning on radiohead's "nude".

download: portishead - machine gun

download: portishead - magic doors

gta IV, the soundtrack,

2008-04-27T18:29:00.002+01:00

details have leaked today concerning the soundtrack to gta IV, released tuesday. the full rundown is here but here are a few i'm particularly excited about.

+ THE BEAT 102.7:
kanye west (feat dwele) - flashing lights

after stronger, the best track on west's 3rd album, crusing around liberty city at night to the strains of kanye's synthy masterpiece sounds epic.

+ ELECTROCHOC:
simian mobile disco - tits and acid
kavinsky - testarossa overdrive (sebastian remix)
justice - waters of nazareth

when i heard gtaIV had an electro station i went "yass", a glaswegian form of approval non-scottish readers might not fully understand. when i read that not only justice, but simian, kavinsky and sebastIAn were all represented my heart leapt. justice must be my single favourite dance act at the moment and with fellow ed banger artists in the mix i think rockstar should be bought a pint for including the mosr exciting electro scene around in it's soundtrack. kavinsky's testarossa overdirve (featured above) is a storming electro gem, in fact i plan on featuring him a little more in depth in an upcoming post.

+ LIBERTY ROCK RADIO 97.8:
david bowie - fascination
queen - one vision
elton john - street kids

what would gta be without a classic rock station? iggy pop DJ's this channel and compared to the classic rock in the past games, i much prefer the line-up. especially the gay rock entries, queen (above), elton john and the legend that is david bowie. not so sure about the bowie song choice though, of his whole back catalogue, fascination?

+ RADIO BROKER:
LCD soundsystem - get innocuous
tom vek - one horse race
the rapture - no sex for ben
the black keys - strange times

hallelujah, the LCD track is in there (above), i was worried it was just for promotion. the one thing that could put me off this station is the fact that it's MC'd by the annoying-as-fuck juliette lewis (yeah the shitty actress that tried to move into indie rock) thankfully however the licks' track is a remix so it could be bearable, her grating voice on the other hand probably won't be.

as well as the modern hip-hop, electro and indie stations other highlights include some nas, aphex twin, count basie, miles davis, fela kuti, R.E.M., metallica, bob marley, marvin gaye and goldfrapp. how long until tuesday?

snappy and clappy, tokyo police club,

2008-04-25T18:42:00.002+01:00

carrying on their ambition to write the shortest indie tracks around, tokyo police club have finally released an LP proper. after a few EPs fans were asking where the album was, and it has arrived with "elephant shells".

clocking in at just 28 minutes, the record is a breezy run through of familiar territory. police club have retained the high octane poppy sound of their EP's and fans will be glad to hear that the hand claps are out in full force. so i'll respect the canadians' love of the brisk and leave it short. 11 tracks, kept the knack. buy it.

download: tokyo police club - centennial

dowload: tokyo police club - in my cave

gta IV footage + lcd soundsystem = cum stained underwear,

2008-04-25T00:09:00.003+01:00

yup, time to let the geek in me out for it's monthly stroll. any readers that don't know me personally won't know i'm actually on a video games course at uni. learning to make them doesn't quell the excitement when a big new release is around the corner.

and fuck me is this one big. need's no explaination really. and the trailer that's being spammed on TV this week has the single greatest LCD soundsystem track as it's background music. better be in the game, GTA's really have the best soundtracks. seriously i've taken to blasting "get innocuous" on the old ipod when i'm swaggering down the street. makes you feel cool as, trust me. looks like my jaded gamer psyche of late might be dissolving. this tuesday.

here's the soulwax remix. title was a bit much i know. stay safe.

download: lcd soundsystem - get innocuous [soulwax remix]

she and him on conan,

2008-04-23T23:43:00.003+01:00

i heart zooey deschanel. i covered "she and him" earlier this month, great americana album. here they are on the conan o'brien show, she's so cute when she's nervous. always been a sucker for gorgeous big eyes. bit of a tune aswell.

stay safe. for another night.

M83, not a motorway,

2008-04-23T22:08:00.003+01:00

more fakey 80s. what is this revival? bowie aside it was a shit decade. anyway, M83 have perfected the counterfeighties genre (that's not a real genre, i made it up, they actually call themselves "shoegaze" but i fucking hate shoegaze) in their latest album. french indie is going to be big this year, see:the shoes.

download: M83 - kim & jessie

shoesy shoe shoe shoe. shoe. the word is taking over the music industry.