Death Grips // NO LOVE DEEP WEB

What seems like, and in fact is, mere months after the release of 'The Money Store', the ever-generous Death Grips have offered up yet another long player of menacing, genre melding hardcore rap in 'NO LOVE DEEP WEB'. Do tracks like Pop and Hunger Games point towards a radio friendly, mainstream courting change of direction? Not. A Chance.



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SFV Acid // SFV Acid #2

LA's Zane Reynolds (AKA SFV Acid) has pulled a stellar second record out of the bag in 'SFV Acid #2', full of fractured electronic beats that despite their destructive, discordant nature manage to come together as a realistic whole. It's even soulful at times, as on Chaco Love Steve+Happy Acid Kinesinte and Summers Vage Cloud. Take a listen to the full album below, courtesy of PPM Records.



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Caged Animals // Piles Of $$$

Directed by the spectacularly named Ace Norton, the new video for Caged Animals' Piles of $$$ sees Vincent Cacchione and bandmate/partner Magali Charron go through various stages of happiness, unhappiness, masochism, and more unhappiness, playfully juxtaposed by Caged Animals' auto-tuned croon and synth-led R&B.

Check out the video below, while Norton's other 3 minute flicks for Lucky Numbers label mates Friends and Darwin Deez are also a must see. Piles of $$$ is taken from Caged Animals' new 'Eat Their Own' LP, which you can also listen to below.





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Palpitation // I'm Absent, You're Faraway

Just stumbled upon this Stockholm duo and, having come out of the trance induced by their debut record I'm Absent, You're Faraway, felt compelled to post. Palpitation have the wintry whispered vocals akin to fellow Swedes jj, however their sound is perhaps more traditionally along the Scandinavian indie pop lines, at times sparse and at others edging towards the epic, lovelorn melancholy of Wild Beasts.

How this record, released in June on Luxury, remained under my radar until now is beyond me; perhaps it's an easier fit with these cold November nights than the cold summer ones.

Palpitation - I´m Absent, You´re Faraway by EDPMC VICENTE 66

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Spectrals // Bad Penny

Spectrals
Bad Penny
Released: 17th October
Wichita

Great name for an album that isn’t it? Whether it’s self referential relating to the well known phrase or saying ‘bad pennies always come back’ or ‘there’s two sides to every coin’, whether it’s satirical commentary on our current economic strife, or whether it’s a nod to Steve Albini and Big Black’s fiery Chicago punk track of the same name all adds a curiosity to the record, a trait all record names should have as far as we’re concerned. Knowing Louis Jones’ aka Spectrals’ previous output and propensity for melding sonic ingredients, all three are likely to have figured somewhere down the line.

As for the content, fewer questions are asked. Since the early and wholly justified buzz of 2009’s Leave Me Be and 2010’s ‘Extended Play’, backed up by multiple split 7”s, extensive touring and support slots, the influences of 60s pop, soul and doo wop, plus the occasional garage smack, have been worn firmly on the sleeve. A trait often criticised, but one which if done well and with ingenuity is to be admired. The high points on the record take these touchstones and buff them into something beautiful. Lead single Get a Grip’s driving pop provides a plucky undertone to Jones’ lovelorn, meanderings as he confides “I find it hard to get my head out of the right side of the bed”, while the jangling lilt of Jones’ guitar on Doing Time has a timelessness that may sound simple but is missed so often by others attempting a similar feat.

Spectrals - Get A Grip by Slumberland Records

Unfortunately, there are aspects of this debut that drift without making much impact, which is perhaps where the delving into multiple musical pots makes for an inevitably mixed whole. Where Spectrals’ live shows and Jones’ charisma conjure a fuzzy warmth and throwback atmosphere, at times the record is a tad mundane and predictable, making its low ebbs such as Many Happy Returns pass almost unnoticed compared to the earlier teenage crush and garage blast high of Big Baby. Confetti has the lyrical intricacy and pop playfulness of Alex Turner or Paul Weller over classic 60s beat pop, however its peak is followed by the easy listening snooze of Luck Is There to be Pushed, which is reminiscent of Simply Red and is rendered impotent alongside the far superior tracks Jones is clearly capable of. Two sides to the coin indeed, but on one there’s plenty to admire.

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White Denim // D

White Denim release their fifth full length record today, and Spinner are offering you the chance to listen in full before you pull your shoes and socks on and head to the shops to get a copy. Lucky you!

On first listen, the familar psych-rock jams are accented with what seems to be an extended percussion section, leading to a distinctly more mellow feel to D than previous outings. Let us know what you think.

Check out the video to Drug here.

White Denim - Drug from One Story Productions on Vimeo.

Friendly Fires // Pala

We posted about the brilliant and bold Live Those Days Tonight back in March, and here now is the full record for you to stream (and then go out and buy) in full.

The band have also discussed their 80s rave, Aldous Huxley and ham sandwich related inspirations with Dummy which you can check out here.

Little Comets // In Search of Elusive Little Comets

Little review of the pop sprites' long overdue debut record for the excellent Fugitive Motel here.

In Search of Elusive Little Comets
Little Comets
Dirty Hit
Released: 31.01.2011

What were Columbia thinking? One can only guess at the contractual wranglings, angry words, ultimatums and fist shaking that went on prior to the label dropping Little Comets in early 2010, but on one thing we can be certain; in a dark corner of Columbia HQ an executives brow is sweating feverishly as it approaches the block, while the sprightly pop brilliance of In Search of Elusive Little Comets ironically soundtracks the bleak scene.

I was charmed by Little Comets prior to the aforementioned struggles, and am therefore delighted that the early singles and demos have made it to the record and received a Rich Costey spruce up. Adultery’s opening lambaste is rapidly followed by the cowbells, howls and infectious riffery of insta-hit One Night in October, before Robert Coles exorcises the strains of the past 12 months with ferocious yelps on Joanna. While intelligent indie-pop may not exactly be en vogue, the market for it undoubtedly remains. Mystery Jets have done a fine job of capturing the ears, hearts and wallets of the mainstream, while the devoted followers of Bombay Bicycle Club and Two Door Cinema Club will no doubt quickly accept Little Comets to their collective bosom.

The band's made-for-radio jangly pop is instantly likeable; Tricolour’s pristine 80s production and Mathilda’s off kilter afrobeat channelling Paul Simon through a Geordie filter. When the tempo temporarily slows on Her Black Eyes and piano-led closer Intelligent Animals, Coles’ vocal drops the dependence on its impetuous idiosyncrasies and carries a drama and fragility akin to Everything Everything.

This is a debut brimful of hits and verve from a band finnaly getting the spotlight it deserves.

Japandroids // No Singles

No Action has quite a thing for twosomes. Something in the base brutality that seemingly only a couple can generate has resulted in healthy obsessions with The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Tiny Masters of Today, Death From Above 1979 (RIP) among many, many others.

Latest and, perhaps, greatest of these is Japandroids, whose Post Nothing LP of 2009 is a gem. The grooves of the aforementioned DFA 1979 are melded with the surging guitar soundscapes of Sonic Youth, creating a devastatingly beautiful noise-blitz on The Boys are Leaving Town and the stunning Wet Hair.

Before all this, though, came a couple of EPs; 2007's All Lies and 08's Lullaby Death Jams, kindly re-issued to us Brits as album No Singles come May. While the tracks are no match for Post Nothing, Darkness on the Edge of Gastown hints at a heavy metal Whirlwind Heat, while Coma Complacency proffers fist punching cries over a brooding base. Much to enjoy, but what's more interesting is where Japandroids are going than where they've been.

They'll be plying their trade at Islington's The Garage on 20th May after February's sold out ICA show and wowing the SXSW-ers this month.