We Have Band // Divisive

Having worked their mesmerising effect with paint on Metronomy's On The Motorway, France's Jul&Mat have turned to similarly London based electro/glitch-poppers We Have Band for their next directorial outing. If you can tear your eyes from video and concentrate on the track, Divisive is perhaps the band's finest track to date, adopting previous single Honeytrap's insistent baseline and power-chorus while adding a shroud of synths reminiscent of DFA's roster. It's compelling stuff and makes the brow sweat ever more for their forthcoming debut LP WHP, out April 5th.

See them in their all their fleshy beauty at London's Kings College on April 8th before they flit off to Europe.

We Have Band - Divisive - by JUL & MAT from JUL & MAT on Vimeo.

The Maccabees feat. Edwyn Collins

Something great, courtesy of the NME tour's final bow of 2010, took place at Brixton Academy. Following a hype-fulfilling, tambourine fuelled performance from NYC's The Drums, a feedback drenched set from The Big Pink and a coming of age performance from a visibly gleeful Bombay Bicycle Club, The Maccabees tore through a frenetic hour of new wave hit after hit after hit.

Orlando Weeks' voice and on stage presence has progressed beyond comprehension since the band's early days and, having picked up a guitar himself, the band's sound is noticeably more physical on Young Lions than their debut's spiky punk shudder of X-Ray. It's the combination of the two that keeps the kids dancing, with full time ring-leader and part-time guitarist Felix White leading the Brixton faithful through a soaring Precious Time before the misanthropic noir drama of No Kind Words highlights the flaws in most of this year's 'Best ofs' in their Maccabees related oversights.

While the encore was inevitably going to feature Wall of Arms highlight Love You Better (which it did, along with the equally inevitable yet no less exhilarating or joyous re-appearance of the other bands), no-one could have predicted Mr Weeks' introduction of new-wave icon and one of the most distinctive voices in British music Edwyn Collins. A thrilling Rip It Up was the cover of choice, with Collins taking centre stage and proving that while his body may be letting him down his charisma and vocals remain as sharp as ever they were. Collaborations are one of the many things The Maccabees do right, but this one was more right than most.

While the much, and often rightly, maligned NME may be in something of a decline, the bands on tonight's bill are definitely on their way to even greater triumphs.



Edwyn in his youthful pomp.

Vampire Weekend // Giving up the Gun

Premiered on Channel 4 last night (so often the domain of mediocre Madonna and Oasis efforts), Vampire Weekend's video to promote new single Giving up the Gun maintains their burgeoning reputation for videos as unique and entrancing as their songs.

Directed by Emmett Malloy who recently worked on The White Stripes' Under Great White Northern Lights, the video not only features the unlikely menage a trois of Joe Jonas, RZA and Jake Gyllenhal, but sees them battling a fearsome red-head in some sort of heavenly future tennis. A delight.

Late of the Pier // Best in the Class

While many bands take time off in between albums to consider their options, court tabloid attention, perhaps indulge their other artistic leanings, or even move to America or India in search of musical nirvana, Late of the Pier seem to have done none of the above. 2007's self-released Zarcorp demos and the following year's album offered a refreshingly original tangent to their indie-electro peers and, somewhat re-assuringly, new double A side Best in the Class shows no signs of anything so passe as 'moving on'. It has been a live staple for some time of course, but has only now achieved official single status. No doubt coming to a Skins soundtrack near you soon, the single and accompanying video show the foursome at their unrestrained, unrepentant best.

Have a look see here.

Lightspeed Champion - Marlene EP

Here's a review of Lightspeed Champion's Marlene EP for the marvelous The Fugitive Motel.

Lightspeed Champion // Marlene EP
Domino Records // 25th Jan 2010

A restless soul is Devonte. Since Test Icicles' noisily parabolic rise and fall there’s been many a change of musical heart and direction. The brief dalliances with Chicago’s art-scuzz geniuses Whirlwind Heat; the Harold & Maude/Cat Stevens tribute act persona circa 2009; the recent demos from the Blood Orange alter alter ego; writing credits for Diana Vickers (no, really). But it’s Lightspeed Champion that’s stuck, despite the documented troubles of following up the majestic debut Falling off the Lavender Bridge.

Marlene is the fruit of those labours. The wry, melancholic lyrics and delivery that lent …Lavender Bridge its charm remain, along with the expansive yet sombre strings. What is immediately present and sets this single apart from anything Hynes has offered before is a perky indie-pop bounce, reminiscent of the commercially friendly moves made by Mystery Jets’ Two Doors Down or Patrick Wolf. In fact, it’s as if it can’t quite make up its mind what it wants to be. The jangly guitars and “Stop being cool, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh” laments switch intermittently with haunting violins and esoteric, “I’m waiting ‘til the sun has gone down, I’m waiting for a strand of your golden locks to sew my stomach shut” fables, but the seams between the two are all too visible. Where the first record oozed eccentric and restless inspiration, Marlene seems to court convention without fully being convinced by it. There’s no doubting the joy in its playfulness, and Hynes’ voice is as crisp and pleading as ever, but from a man seemingly so full of ideas (as the classical instrumental Concerto .2 “So Long! So Long!” and French language Gainsbourg cover on the B-sides confirms) it leaves one somewhat unfulfilled.

Tracks:
1. Marlene
2. Marlene (Radio edit)
3. Concerto .2 "So Long! So Long!"
4. 69 Annee Erotique
5. He's The Great Imposter
6. Tete Morte

Elvis Costello

Reasons for the existence of this blog in the first damn place, part one: Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

I guess as good a starting place for any new music blog is the past. The inspirations and idols that have shaped the present. One of whom, too often overlooked in No Action's humble opinion, is Elvis Costello.

Now this may be because the old man is a grump. But lest we forget (though he probably wouldn't be interested in such a recollection) the same man's first two albums are a match for anything that 1977 and 1978 produced (Ash aside). In honour of the new wave triumph that was 78's This Year's Model, here's Elvis at his spitting, writhing best and in doing so inspiring future generations of New Wavers (and someone from Neighbours).

New posts will be about stuff that's new.