Biffy Clyro‘s video for the almost title track from their double album Opposites looks like it has the sort of budget most feature films wouldn’t. Like ‘Biblical’, it stars Simon Neil looking all too obviously attractive, which according to our Senior Editor is an issue because “now other people will realise he’s good looking”. I think they probably already did. And, like ‘Biblical’, the twins take a back seat, more literally this time, and Simon ends up taking a bit of a battering. Hopefully it’ll all come good once the inevitable eleventh single is released.

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Phosphorescent is set to play to London’s sold-out Village Underground tonight and at The Great Escape Tomorrow. If however you arent one of the lucky ones able to catch him at either of these performances then dont be too dishartened, he has announced another UK headline show at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 26th November. This follows on from news about Phosphorescent’s new single ‘A Charm / A Blade’, to be released on 27th May via Dead Oceans.

Tickets go on sale at 9am 17th May from all the usual outlets.

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In the lead up to the release of their forthcoming UK IV EP, The 1975 have unveiled closing track, ‘fallingforyou’. Having now revealed a number of tracks due to appear on the EP we can finally build up a decent picture of what it’s likely to sound like. I think the EP could go either way if I’m honest and I still can’t decide how I feel about The 1975.

The new IV EP is set to be released on the 20th May through Dirty Hit / Polydor in the UK.

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What we have here is the official video for London Grammar‘s brilliant track ‘Wasting My Young Years’. The track itself is an emotional and passionate number which the video seems to capture perfectly. Metal & Dust Recordings will release ‘Wasting My Young Years’ on 16th June.

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Released via Bella Union, Veronica Falls released their sophomore album Waiting For Something To Happen earlier this year. Directed by Paul Kelly the band has now unveiled a video for the album’s title track. They are currently set to play a number of festivals this year including, Latitude, Primavera and Green Man, so if you get a chance you really must catch Veronica Falls at one of their live performances.

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Their fifth track to date, LA’s Sir Sly have released ‘Found You Out’, a track which veers away from their slightly darker previous releases. Sir Cly clearly have potential but to me this track doesn’t feel like their best, don’t get me wrong I like the track but I feel there is a lot more to come from this band that will surpass this current release.

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Still relatively under the radar, you can probably forgive me for not knowing too much about Laurel. However what I do know is that she has an amazing voice and that this is an artist you will be hearing much more about in the future. ‘Blue Blood’ is actually the second offering from Laurel following on from her online debut track ‘Next Time’, both written and produced by the artist herself.

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I had a graphic novel of Kurt Cobain’s life when I was a teenager. Oddly, the one page that stuck in my mind wasn’t the depiction of his suicide, but the image of a young Dave Grohl jumping into a fight with recently ex-drummer Dale Crover, with Kurt shouting “This is our new drummer Dave; he’s a fucking metronome!” The reason I mention this is because Fay Milton (Savages drummer) hits hard, blisteringly fast, and with robotic precision. The infamous Jehnny Beth, with her Anglo-French accent rasping insults and her wide eyes piercing the audience before they’ve even played a note, is the allure that dragged most of the crowd to the Arts Centre, but it’s Fay Milton and Ayse Hassan’s rhythm section that made the gig so rapturous.

Bands need a frontman; they need the edge, the sex appeal, the freedom, that spark that sets the band alight, but they also need a solid backbone; because without it, the posturing of the abrasive singer and the enigmatic guitarist would tamely flop into insignificance. Savages have that core, and they have the bravado in abundance, and it’s scarily good when it all comes together. They play most of the material from Silence Yourself (the calmer ‘Marshal Dear’ being the notable exception) in an attempt to do as they record suggests, and throttle the audience. And they don’t half achieve it. Hammering through a punkier set than I expected, there was hardly any faffing around with guitar pedals, and hell of a lot more drum-skin battery. There’s no point mentioning track names, because every single song was intensely good, but needless to say whispers of “Husbands, husbands, husbands…” echoed around the vaulted ceiling long after the band disappeared. There was no encore, as there didn’t really need to be one; Savages arrived, thrashed any doubts out of the critics’ minds, and left riding on the crest of their own wave. It was no holds barred sensory barrage, and awesome in the truest sense of the word.

Alex Throssell
Dance Yrself Clean

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You may love them or hate them, but what we have here is another classic RAC remix. While the original is definitely worth checking out for its own merits, this RAC remix takes the track in a more relaxed direction creating a smooth summer hit that’s bound to end up on countless playlists this year.

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Turner’s records have always had salient strings running through them. Predecessor England Keep My Bones was steeped in English heritage, history and wistfulness. 2009 effort Poetry of the Deed was a heavy, full-band affair which embraced rock’n'roll. Tape Deck Heart is, first and foremost, a break-up record. The common motifs throughout the album are that of heartbreak and longing, spitefulness and stepping forward.

None so are they more evident than opener ‘Recovery’. As the lead single from the record, the song represents one of the most commercial songs Turner has ever written. His ability to craft immediate pieces of music whilst still retaining punk rock sensibilities has a hint of Josh Ritter. The candid lyricism is steeped in his signature wit (sample lyric: “If anybody asks us let’s just tell them that we met in jail”) with brusque, urgent drums from Nigel Powell of the Sleeping Souls. The song is relatable and catchy and represents Turner at his best. ‘Recovery’ sets a precedent on the album for focusing on the breakdown of relationships, longing for answers and a lonely frustration. It’s a testament to Turner that the track isn’t even the strongest on the record.

‘Losing Days’ is packed full of Sleeping Souls harmonies and yet more bleak lyricism (sample lyric: “I’m collecting scars that never seem to fade”) which is entwined with upbeat, pop-punk jangly guitars. It is reminiscent of Turner live favourite ‘Father’s Day’ with similar musicianship and broken spirit. ‘The Way I Tend To Be’ builds upon the England Keep My Bones formula of folk guitars and Anglicana vocals. It is the sound of Turner longing for the good old days (“I remember you and the way you shine like truth in all you do”) and proves to be an album highlight.

It is the diversity of the record which cements its position as one of Turner’s best, though. The ache of ‘Good & Gone’ (“I have searched for you in the darkness of a dozen dingy dancefloors”) represents an emotional side to Turner we haven’t heard since the crestfallen nature of Love, Ire & Song track ‘Substitute’. ‘Tell Tale Signs’ follows, combining piercing guitar strumming with a resolute vocal. The track centres around a female character (presumably the same girl in the songs ‘Reasons Not To Be An Idiot’ and ‘I Am Disappeared’) and Turner’s cries of “goddamit, Amy” are haunting. The track also holds a rare nod to his past (“with a disassembled disposable razor I stole from my dad”) and represents a bleak confession before the most fun song on the record.

‘Four Simple Words’ has been played live by Turner for over a year and is an overt swipe at the music industry. “We’re all so very 21st century” Turner laments, before blasting “lacklustre scenesters from Shoreditch” who “don’t really mean it”. The frustration boils over into the track and perhaps shows Turner’s pent-up anger at the fickle industry. The song is quintessentially punk in essence, remembering when bands had to “work for their keep” and “drove thousands of miles to play a show with no sleep”. ‘Polaroid Picture’ represents Turner’s brilliant poetry (“we used to be brothers, superheroes and warriors”) before a triple attack of heart-tugging lyricism at the end of the album.

‘Anymore’ is a gaunt look at relationship breakdown with Turner suggesting it met an end “not with a bang, but a whimper”. The acoustic nature displays the leaps that the Winchester-born singer-songwriter has made with his vocals. His voice reaches into corners you haven’t heard from him before, and that is represented best by the stunning climax of ‘Broken Piano’. The song is clearly the most brave song Turner has ever written, full of Freddie Mercury-esque whimpers and barren organs. The song best highlights the power of Rich Costey’s production. Turner spent three-times as long on this record as he has on any of his previous four, and it shows best on the finale. It is cleaner than Turner’s signature sound and, whilst this may not suit some, it shows a great progression from his Nambucca days.

As with any Turner record, there are a plethora of bonus tracks. ‘We Shall Not Overcome’ displays more heartbroken connotations as Turner sings “the girls I like don’t kiss too many boys”. The resounding message is one of hopelessness. “We shall not overcome, we shall underwhelm” he sings. ‘Tattoos’ is a journey through the history and mythology of tattoos (of which Turner is covered) before the brilliant ‘Time Machine’ tells a tale of Turner having “Donnie Darko daydreams” of visiting “rock’n'roll drive-through’s in the 1950s”.

The record may not be his most immediate work to date (except ‘Recovery’, of course) but the record is undoubtedly Turner’s own. His ability to pour his heart and soul into his music is a worthy trait and, by the end of the record, you feel like you’ve been put through the ringer. It is brutally confessional and honest. More importantly, however, it is a record which Turner needed to write. It nods to Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and even to Jack White’s Blunderbuss. The Anglicana lyricism is still evident but the overall tone of Turner’s music on the record is one of a forlorn individual who has been relinquished of hope. In an industry that is full of “lacklustre scenesters from Shoreditch”, you have got to respect a man who journeyed from Camden pubs to the grandest stage of all. This is just another chapter of that exciting and all-encompassing journey. See you at Wembley again next year, Frank.

By James Daniel Rodger
Dance Yrself Clean

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