New album ‘Skying’ is out through XL Recordings on the 11th of July, but fans of the band have been kept at ease with the release of single ‘Still life’ earlier this week.

The bands debut in 2007 marked a strange resurgence of ‘goth’ culture from these arty creeps, however in 2009 their Mercury Music Prize winning album ‘Primary Colours’ showed them going into more experimental territories of Brit-rock past, now they appear to have regressed even further into an 80’s haze. Some will love it, others will hate it, but there’s no denying The Horrors are back and sticking to their guns.

You can check out the single ‘Still Life’ on Youtube or below.

Lots has been going on in the music world recently hasn’t it? That guy from The Village People died, Pete Doherty has received another prison sentence, it was record store day, and bands have continued to release music. Not only bands, but Hugh Laurie has only gone and done a blues album. Dr. House plays the blues! Can you think of anything cooler than that? Thought not.

Unless you have been hidden under a rock for the past few months you will be aware of Odd Future and if not that bright young rap collective then Tyler, The Creator-their leader-but for those who are none the wiser I will continue. This LA based hip-hop crew have recently come into the limelight for their sharp rapping and even sharper views. As a collective of more than ten guys from the puppyish age 18 plus Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) have been releasing mix tapes for free on their website for a while and have recently bubbled up as Big Earl went, and is still, missing and Tyler got a major label record deal. Rapping about subjects ranging from fathers, video games, rape, and homophobia they are earmarked for controversy as much as stardom. Their don’t give a fuck attitude and overuse of the word ’swag’ keeps them always in mind and their live performances are quickly becoming renowned; check out Tyler and Hodgy Beats on The Jimmy Fallon Show to find out why. Tyler’s debut album ‘Goblin’ has been released to mixed receptions, not that he cares anyway right? Whether you love them or hate them their is no denying that Odd Future are the next generation of hip-hop.

An even lesser known Manchester based band now WULYF or World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation. What’s happened to band names these days remember when The Band worked just fine? Yeah me either. Anyway WULYF have managed to keep just about everything a mystery from band members to song titles and it’s refreshingly brilliant of them. When you know nothing you want to know everything. Their website is damn near impenetrable with seemingly random manifesto like statements dotted around, but you can make your way to discovering a few songs and by god are they worth the search. It’s indescribable, but think children singing Tom Waits and you’re some way to understanding. I urge everyone to check these guys out.

If you’re merely looking for some new music by some old favourites then you can stream the new Death Cab For Cutie album here http://www.npr.org/2011/05/22/136465054/first-listen-death-cab-for-cutie-codes-and-keys or check out Belong by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, it’s a perfect indie-pop gem.

Due to a distinct lack of posting on my behalf recently I thought I would do a some mini-reviews of recent albums all in one place for you lovely souls out there that are just lost when we’re not telling you who to like.

Mogwai- Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

A great and varied album from the veterans of post-rock. Last album The Hawk Is Howling, was a bit lack-lustre, HWNDBYW though is an album that goes from strength the strength. It is an album that will feel much more accessible to those just developing a love for the genre, while still sounding relevant to the hardened fans.

Frankie & The Heartstrings- Hunger

Pure unadulterated pop genius.

Esben and The Witch-Violet Cries

A strong début that takes you to dark and tempting tides. At times captivating this album of indie-pop ballads can also border on grating, not because of the music which is sharp, but the whispery, whimpering, slightly scratchy vocals. Check out the video for ‘Marching Song’ if it sounds like your thing, once you see it there’s no going back.

Bright Eyes- The People’s Key

With a poppier sound than earlier efforts this could be the album that takes them mainstream. With all their senses intact Bright Eyes as usual deliver soul saving music and stark, clever lyrics. They are still the thinking man’s band.

Don’t forget to check out the new Arctic Monkey’s song ‘Brick By Brick’ and the latest tunes from The Strokes up-coming album.

Everything about Hurts is epic. Now I’m well aware that word went out of fashion some point in the history of the world, but Hurts are bringing it back and it’s dressed in a lovely suit too. The only way you could describe this; the last date of their tour in their home town of Manchester, is as epic.

It’s only right then that one of the breakthrough bands of last year be supported by some of 2011’s hottest new talent, Clare Maguire. Maguire sadly is anything but epic. You can’t dislike her, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough passion in the world for me to even care about her. Dull is the word that comes to mind and onstage she is exactly this. She has a great voice and can belt out a tune there’s no denying, but then so can anyone from the over 25’s category on the x-factor. If you lived through the 90’s then you will be able to instantly conjure up what she sounds like by thinking of anyone who had a vaguely popular single that year. She did however wear a nice floaty dress in which you could see her underwear, so that’s something at least, she then proceeded to prance around the stage extending her arms at every available opportunity and waving them around. The audience obviously loved it because they are well dressed cutting edge indie folk who probably saw her perform in the café down the road from them while you were still an embryo.

I should probably now apologise to Clare Maguire and her fans for that sewage that just spewed from my fingers please feel free to leave horrible comments below.

Hurts. Luckily the main attraction offers up a much more delectable product for us to tap our collective and well styled feet to. With not much more than an albums worth of songs to offer up the set started with album opener and synth heavy ‘Silver Lining’ setting the chorus chanting tone of the gig. It’s hard to pick the biggest song of the night when all the songs are this big, but ‘Wonderful Life’ is a strong contender and the audience were always eager to please these local lads. Theo is possibly the best frontman around right now and works the mic-stand like nobody else; it was part prop, crutch, and propeller and allowed for some brilliant leaning which only emphasised key changes and choruses. Not big on the talking crowd-banter was kept to a minimum and clichés somehow avoided, this from the band who sings about rain more than the chart top 100 put together, but when Theo did offer us some pearls of wisdom it came in a northern drawl you just can’t get your head around.

As I’m sure many fans were, like me, upset about the distinct lack of Kylie Minogue the boys decided to throw in a cover of ‘Confide In Me’ to show her what she was missing. It was a highlight of the gig and sounded excellent in a strange Depeche Mode sort of way. They can’t escape the 80’s and to be honest who would want them to. The best summation of the gig I can think of is “They covered Kylie and it was fucking awesome.”

With only a one song encore I had wondered what was left for them to play until ‘Better Than Love’ kicked in with its strong vocal “Every second is a life-time.” Hurts might be good on record, but they are and will become ever greater live;  with all the components coming into play from dazzling light shows, sing-alongs, and stage presence working together to make them an unstoppable force.

With more material on the way Hurts are definitely one to watch.

Sad news just in that former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore passed away today in his hotel room in Spain.

Moore will be best remembered for his work alongside Scott Gorham on Lizzy’s ‘Black Rose’ album, bt also found continuing solo success with chart topping hits ‘Out In The Fields’, ‘Over The Hills And Far Away’ and ‘Parisienne Walkways’ throughout the 80s. He continued to tour and gained great respect for his earthy blues sound.

Police sat there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Moore’s death, Downtuned would like to extend our deepest condolences to Moore’s family and fans.

The new The Streets album ‘Computers and Blues’ hits stores tomorrow folks.

The fifth and final album from Mike Skinner has been doing the rounds on the internet for a good few weeks, but finally it’s time for an official release from the man himself. Skinner is “fucking sick” of the name and the connotations that now go with it which is why this will be his last release under the moniker.

Working closely with Rob Harvey, of The Music, this album is unlike anything he has ever done before and showcases the vocal talents of Harvey and BBC sounds of 2011 nominee Clare Maguire. Computers and Blues is brash and in your face, Skinner has done what he set out to do and created an album you can “dance and drink tea to.”

The first single from the album ‘Going Through Hell’ has a great rock dynamic to it from Harvey and the riff running right down the middle of the track. Skinner is great at adapting his style to suit those he works with and in the process getting the best sound for everyone involved. Lyrics are on biting form “imagine the dilemma for the man and his penance if he could get fucked without hanging his health up would this be illegal would the Daily Mail rail on it?”

It’s a shame Skinner feels he no longer wants to be associated with The Streets, it almost detracts from his creations and he is a modern day poet, don’t let anyone tell you different, “I’m pretty good at puzzles, but puzzled by people.” That lyric gets to the heart of the issue, people associate Skinner with things he’s moved on from; i.e drugs. His most accessible album to date could possibly be his best. Die hard fans might complain about the up-beat pop melodies that are at the forefront of Computers and Blues, but Skinner still retains what made him great, an ear for a brilliant beat and a top-notch rhyme.

Lets hope this is only the end of The Streets and not Mike Skinner.

Check out: Without Thinking

Because we’re bunch of miserable bastards who spend most of our time listening to Tokyo Doom Jazz and shouting at people, it’s pretty rare that a musical event causes any stirring in our jaded muso loins here at DT towers, but even we were heartened this morning as we learnt that our very favourite band ever to play in London’s tiny Crobar are set to get it on again. Here’s the press release that appeared on DFA’s site:

Jesse and I have decided that what we can do together should not be denied.
Together again, as was always the intention, as a collaboration.
The collision of two different worlds.
As this all takes shape, we will reveal it to you.
All of it happening, as it always has, in our own way.
Thank you all for sharing in our excitement!

Yes.
SEBASTIEN

they love each other really...

So, there you have it, theelephant-faced synth-shout duo are back, hopefully in an attempt to teach Hackney/Village hipsters that not all two piece bands have to sound like Gary Newman….

Here’s to sexy results.

BBC’s sound of 2011 is quite a big deal in the world of music and deservedly so, not only does it allow new music to have its chance at throwing the charts into disarray, but it determines what you will be being smacked in the ears with for the rest of the year when you listen to the radio, go to clubs, bars, and when you tune into the fucking X-Factor, you know you do, you corporate bastard.

This year the BBC mixed things up by allowing the presenters of the ‘In New Music We Trust’ shows to take over the daytime schedule with Zane Lowe announcing the top 5 artists over the course of the week. Cleverly the BBC have got themselves a built in audience of those who regularly tune in to be educated by the likes of Zane and Huw and those who expected Chris Moyles to be dishing out his personal brand of morning coffee with way too much sugar.

The sound of, insert year here, does matter and though not all the winners go on to wow us, Little Boots I’m looking at you, some have shaped the entire year, Ellie Goulding, this year though the beeb have hit the ground running with a wide variety of artists who are all bound to become heavily appreciated in their inner circles.

At number 5 we have Clare Maguire a Birmingham girl who the likes of Jay Z and Rick Rubin were both interested in. Having worked on her debut album for over two years, big things are expected for this dark pop temptress with a soulful voice. Nobody at the moment sounds quite like this, but if you’re familiar with Amanda Ghost then you will like this one. What this means is get used to her being in the top ten and if you like her a little, your parents will like her a lot. These tunes are ripe for remixing so she’ll probably be greeting you on your nights out too.

Number 4 see’s the first of the dubby singer-songwriters come to our attention with Jamie Woon. The 27 year old has been bubbling up from the underground for some time, having the likes of Burial remix your work and declare themselves fans doesn’t hurt your reputation too much either, this is his year. From a long line of musicians, his mother sang back-up for MJ, Kylie, and Bjork, Woon has his beautiful voice layered over dark and haunting loops, he isn’t afraid of a simple acoustic number either, an eclectic talent for an eclectic listener. Dub-Step may have hit us hard last year, but this is the year of Post Dub-Step.

Jumping right in at number 3 is NME’s favourite new cover stars The Vaccines. You may have heard their name being thrown around by your indie friend who champions bands like The Drums and Surfer Blood, but don’t write them off as the next big band that will disappear in a year or so. These guys have been described as ‘game changers’ by some of the biggest critics in town and they are about to take us back to the indie chart success of 2007, but with a bit more bounce than your average Razorlight. Their sound is fuzzy, simple, and addictive. So be cool and pretend you heard them first.

Producer James Blake takes the number 2 spot with his Post Dub-Step styling’s. Not as underground as Jamie Woon, Blake has gone straight for the radio jugular, and unless you’re dead you have surely heard his new single ‘Limit To Your Love’, which shockingly is a cover of a Feist song and is probably better than anything Feist ever released. He’s going to be hard to miss this year and is perfect for nearly everyone. Inspired by artists such as Bon Iver he has the indie fans, a producer not afraid to show off he has the dance fans, and all mixed together and repeated on the radio for a few months he has the pop fans. Perfect.

Now up until this point all of these artists have been somewhat strange for a list of what the radio thinks is ‘hot this year.’ Underground dub-step and indie, even Clare Maguire sounds more like the Smooth FM type, but let’s not forget this is by those who are in the know and appreciate what they play, rather than those who order some songs that were on a list somebody gave them and then pretend they love the new Kings Of Leon song. You don’t like it really do you Fern? No.

At number 1 though is an artist Fern Cotton will probably interview on her popular ITV 2 show. She isn’t too populist to be cool or anything like that, well it depends what your opinion of ‘cool’ is, but she has been described as the new Lady Gaga. Are you still with me? Jessie J is the artist whom I speak of.  The start of her single ‘Do It Like A Dude’ says “Stomp Stomp I’ve arrived” Enough said?

The 22 year old has been writing for the likes of Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake for years, before her label, Island, told her to keep the single to herself, she was going to give it to Rihanna. Despite the fact of there being no gap in the market for another female solo artist Jessie J appears to have elbowed her way in and judging by these lyrics she is going to be one outspoken bitch. Perfect for radio 1 chart time. She might be the new Lady Gaga, but nobody seems to have noticed that Lady Gaga is still here and has a new album out this year, so it should be interesting.

We all like to rock the fuck out in the privacy of our bedrooms, right? Perfect your Bruce Dickenson hand movements, Van Halen guitar histrionics and Bonham tubthumperisms . And you’ll look like a bit of a spod while doing it too. Admit it, if someone walked in on you you’d  try to pass it off as a nervous tick.

But never fear. Thanks to Red Bull (best served with copious amounts of vodka) you can turn you bedroom antics into fame and fortune. And not in the Paris Hilton way. You will however need a band and some kind of musical talent though.

Red Bull Bedroom Jam is a…err…thing that allows bands to upload their performance to their site and let the internet, the harsh bitch that she is, judge their talents.

The winners get fame, fortune, girls, blow and will most likely end up with severe substance abuse problems, playing dive bars for pocket change. Which sounds pretty amazing to me.

So, if you’re in a band, or just enjoy arbitrarily downvoting any band that feature members with ‘haircuts’  head on over to the site and take part.

Remember Handsome Dan from Wayne’s World? (He was the ‘freak with a microphone’)

He had a cool voice.

But this guy has the coolest voice.

He may be homeless but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have quite possibly the greatest announcer voice I’ve ever heard. I could listen to him all day and be quite happy. Hell, give him the shipping forecast. I don’t care, i just want him saying stuff. Any stuff. Really. I’ve watched the video five times because I enjoy it so much.

In some pretty cool news, it looks like this video is going viral, and The Voice has been offered paying work. Go Team Internet!

It’s December and that means only one thing, time for lists! Oh and probably Christmas too, but what is Christmas without a good list. I’d make a top ten Christmas list if I had any idea what that even means, but since I don’t I’m going to be highly original and do lists of the best albums, films, and anything else that takes my fancy.

It’s a joyous time for me so get on board because otherwise this wont be much fun for you.

Let’s start with albums shall we. Now 2010 in music has been quite exciting and though some of the biggest bands going have released new albums and some even bigger bands have reformed, it’s new music that has come into the light this year and scooped all the prizes. Before you ask, no, Laura Marling will not be in this list or mentioned in any way from here on out because she should smash her boring guitar into her boring face and die a boring acoustic death.

So here it is, after much in house discussion, my top ten albums of 2010!

10. Just scraping their way onto the list is My Chemical Romance With Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Kill Joys.

A comeback record like nothing they have ever done this colourful concept album put the boys in black well and truly to bed. Danger Days showed My Chem now have the power of bands like Green Day in their hands and they can make an album become a global event. What they do next is anybodies guess.

9. Hurts- Happiness.

As much as it pains me to say it, the Manchester duo who came fourth in the BBC’s sound of 2010, are the coolest pop band around. Yes they dueted with Kylie, and yes they use far too much hair product, but in terms of sheer joy nothing beats Happiness. The cheesiest album of the year by far, but if you think you don’t like these huge echoey choruses and synthesisers then you’re only lying to yourself. You can’t hide for long, believe me I tried my hardest to hate it and now look at me.

8. Zola Jesus- Stridulum 11.

A dark avant-garde work of genius. The third album by the American born singer showed us just how good she can be. Her electro styling’s are reminiscent of Bjork, Ladytron, and even The Knife, Zola though is much more listenable than all of them, which is exactly why Fever Ray is supporting her and not the other way around. Stridulum 11 is an album you can truly delve into and get lost with for an hour or so.

7. LCD Soundsytem- This is Happening.
By far the best album of his career it’s a credit to James Murphy that he can bring himself to quit while he’s ahead. Each of LCD’s albums is better than the last and this is no different, mixing his usual ultra-cool indie with electro so pleasing it makes you do air keys. This is music on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

6. Pulled Apart By Horses- Pulled Apart By Horses.
The most aggressive band on the list, this Leeds band have brought some balls to the British rock scene. The eponymous album is nothing short of being a hardcore romp from one of 2010’s most unique bands. Expect big things from these young upstarts.

5. Yeasayer- Odd Blood.

The second album by Brooklyn’s weirdest band see’s them take their sound to a new level. A psychedelic amalgamation of the worlds finest music Yeasayer have created the years most eclectic album with their brilliantly honed pop vocals. At times very dark it never strays far from beautiful.

Is it me or does the guy on the left look like Harry Conick Jr?

4. The National- High Violet.
The oldest band on the list this is The National’s seventh album and just as consistent as their earlier efforts. A mature band The National have proved they can’t be written off as ‘dad rock’ and have come to dominate the international indie scene of recent years. High Violet has some of the bands best songs to date showing their knack for big instrumentation and clever lyrics. They may be critically acclaimed, but they deserve much more mainstream media attention than they get, next year could see them get even bigger.

3. Titus Andronicus- The Monitor.

One of my new favourite bands of the year the second album by this quintessentially New Jersey quintet reminds you just how good some feedback can be. The band that take their name from a classic work of literature obviously have a lot more up their sleeve than first meets the ear and this album, which is a concept album based on the American Civil War, is a slow grower, but give it time and you wont regret it. Inter-cut with stock footage, or so it seems, this album is fast, edgy, slow, and moving. T

Titus Andronicus could be the best band you haven’t heard of.

2. Everything Everything- Man Alive.

Easily the most insatiable album of the year. I almost want to say don’t listen to this because you will never stop. Everything Everything are the Pringles of music. Man Alive is a rare gem in an artificial pop world and this is a pop album, but don’t be disheartened because it’s also so much more than just a pop album. EE have angular math-rock guitars and keys, simple effective drumming, and arrogant singing. If you don’t tap your feet to this then you’re ears are dead. They top it all off by making it so effortless and pretty. With songs that slowly build up to immense walls of sound and some that never quite take off, not a single song on this album is worth skipping. Just start listening now and by new year you might have had enough, but probably not.

1. Beach House- Teen Dream.

If you search on Wikipedia for this band, yes I did that, what you get is ‘see disambiguation indie/dream pop band’ and dream pop is the perfect way to describe what Beach House do. This is their third and most widely recognised album since their conception in 2004 and it’s impossible not to fall in love with. The hushed vocals of French born singer Victoria Legrand are in such harmony with Alex Scally’s haunting lo-fi compositions that it makes time stand still. Don’t be fooled by the name Beach House are the least summery band in the world, this record is twisted and downright dark all of which is helped along by their interesting use of an organ. No other album of the year is so immersing and yet so simple. No matter who Legrand’s vocals are compared to, usually Nico, nobody else sounds like her right now, it’s a rare thing to not care what somebody’s singing about, because their tone tells all, but that‘s exactly what we get here. You will struggle to pick a favourite song from this album it works too well as a whole. If they make more of this delicious dreamy pop you can expect to hear much more from this duo.

Well that’s it folks my finest albums of the year are now yours to love and cherish and I suggest you do so immediately. My band to watch out for next year, as well as more from these lot, are Frankie and the Heartstrings. An indie pop outfit from Sunderland, they sound and look like a throwback to 50’s era pop with a modern twist and with their own label they have a sold DIY ethic. With a debut album out in February they could well be number one next year.

Christmas is once more upon us and this year its evil tendencies are back. SNOW has once more gripped the nation and descended us down to the seventh layer of hell where all anybody can speak about is SNOW and the real point of this whole entry, Simon Cowell’s minions with microphones have bludgeoned their way to the top of the charts. This ladies and gents is Christmas 2010, just like every other Christmas, except newer.

This entire post is basically an excuse for Interceptor to post yet more pictures of Cliff...

Last year the world breathed a massive sigh of relief when the first proper ‘chart battle’ in what feels like forever came to a satisfactory end. I say the world, because people who disagree with Rage Against The Machine winning are wrong and don’t count as part of functioning society. Yes Christmas 2009 was an anomaly, being the first in years that one of Simon Cowell’s minions with microphones didn’t top the charts. It will probably be the only year in modern history that real musicians hold the position.

Facebook campaigns were started this year, but it just didn’t have the spirit behind it. With three different campaigns going it just wasn’t organised enough to stop the force of mainstream Saturday night T.V. and Matt Cardle bludgeoned his way to the coveted spot with ‘When We Collide’ originally ‘Many Of Horror’ by Biffy Clyro.

He has now apologised to fans of the band for ‘ruining’ the song, personally I think he should apologise 439,000 times, one for each copy sold. There isn’t even really much to be said about his cover of the song. He’s just sort of stripped away everything that was interesting, to make it boring successful pop. Good for him. Of course I say him, what I really mean is a team of professional writers hired for the occasion. ‘When We Collide’ does now have the biggest weekly sales for any single of the year, excluding those for charity, which x-factor also won, to my surprise and delight.

It’s no surprise to anyone that x-factor wins every year and god knows it shouldn’t be a surprise. Apart from the fact that we are a nation of idiots who are spoon fed drivel and lap it up like kittens do milk, this program has a prime time spot on a Saturday night for three months of the year, coincidentally the three months just before Christmas. People have heard these songs for weeks on end and voted for their favourite, now if everybody that voted for Matt Cardle to win bought his single then these sales figures would undoubtedly be much higher, so let’s just assume that somebody realised what they had done and banged their head against a wall for three minutes instead of buying his single shall we?

Fig 1: Who would you rather go to a party with...actually...wait...don't answer that...

On the plus side of all this winter chaos, Biffy Clyro have had a great year. The very fact that an X-Factor winner is singing their song says a lot about how far they have broke into popular culture. They appear to be becoming Radio favourites these days, they must be the new Muse or something. One of the numerous anti X-Factor campaigns was for fans to just buy the original and they managed to get Biffy to number eight in the singles chart, not too shabby. Mon the Biffy!

So goes another Christmas, with its terrible weather and terrible soundtrack. Last year may have offered some hope, but it was all a mirage to shelter from the cold.

Is anybody even sure why they care about Christmas number ones? Look at the past winners, barely any of them are actually relevant to the holiday period. Bob the Builder got it in 2000 BOB THE BUILDER. That’s not even real. If Matt Cardle has got any other number one single of the year, nobody would care, but it’s Christmas and for some reason it matter.

Remember when Mad World won? That was a good year.

A Daft Legacy

With the release of the highly anticipated Tron: Legacy on December 17th it’s only fair that its unique soundtrack by French DJ’s Daft Punk gets the same treatment.

It seems only right then that the DJ’s who made their name in the 90’s house scene started their careers with a meeting a Euro Disney. Their unique brand of future-house-techno, as I’m labelling it, took the world by storm with such singles as ‘Around the World’ and ‘Technologic’ and their even more unique ‘style’ on stage is a uniform of leather suits with helmets shielding them from the rave happy crowds. Helmets you say? That sounds familiar. Yes Daft Punk are those guys that look they should have been in Tron. How perfect then that they happen to create music that suits the tone of the film like Cinderella’s slipper fits her own foot.

Two disks and over an hour and a half worth of music that takes you from a sense of impending doom and dread to moments of triumph and even elation. Daft Punk have pushed themselves to the limit here expanding to what sounds like a full orchestra being held captive and forced to play while Daft Punk have a techno battle over the top, just for fun. This album is strange because it’s not quite a soundtrack and not quite an album in its own right. If you look at the Tron grid and then try to imagine the natural music that would emanate from that world you will start to get some idea of what it sounds like. Epic is the word that comes to mind and I don’t use that term, as most do, lightly.

The duo consisting of, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, appear to have fully immersed themselves in the world. They had unlimited access to the set and director Joseph Kosinski and have formed a close relationship with original director Steven Lisberger, who is now contributing liner notes to the album. The pair even had their own Tron helmets purpose built, which I like to think turns their thoughts into music. All this attention to detail has paid off leaving the musicians with what could turn out to be the definite soundtrack of the year, even a generation. Now that seems like a rather large statement to make, but if you think about the last decade and ‘the rise of the machines’ then it doesn’t feel so odd. The internet has changed the way we all live and social networking is how we project our identities, much like the avatars and computer programme characters of Tron, this soundtrack takes you to that other world and forces you to face yourself. Epic, like I said.

Whether you like classical or modern music this album will work for you. It has pace and depth and substance and style, all things you want from music, it manages all of this without lyrics and only one introduction from Jeff Bridges or Kevin Flynn if you will. It’s reminiscent of a Clint Mansell score in the way the orchestra utilises the sharp edgy strings, but this is one soundtrack that truly deserves to be filed under the heading OST.

We don’t post shit like this that often any more (mainly because we’re a bunch of posing psueds who like to pretend we should all have jobs at The Guardian or something, rather than admit that we can’t spell, punctuate or grammaticise for toffee and don’t care anyway), but hey, this is fun, musical and ridiculously geeky -type in your sites URL, and any HTML (HTML!! Remember that?) will be transformed into soothibng synth beats!

Downtuned was pleased to discover that we’re a kind of jazzy early 90’s trip-hop, which may seem strange given the amount of Slayer related posts, but makes a lot more sense when you consider our massive tremazipan intake.

Anyway – play with this shit, it’s cool.

Knowing that Minus the Bear were supporting I had been excited about the gig for a long time and thus arrived early not wanting to miss anything. I don’t know if anyone has ever turned up to a gig at doors opening time, but I hadn’t before and it was a sight to behold. I was a bit shocked at the cleanliness and spaciousness of the Academy (which is much bigger than you think.) Luckily it paid off as drinks are half price till half 8 which worked out at treat, two cans of Red Stripe for £3.80 I think so my friend.

Arriving early is also an excellent idea for all us small people that populate the planet because it means you can see, which isn’t essential to the music, but you know, it’s a nice part of the gig-going experience since you paid 20 quid for a ticket. I still managed to miss what everyone chuckled about during the support set, but whatever it was probably shit anyway.

The apparently funny support band in question is Minus the Bear, Seattle’s very own math-rock band. Touring their new album “Omni” they played a set that suited the audience in question, with some older hits including ‘Knights’ and new single ‘My Time’. I always feel a bit strange watching support bands though and spend most of the time wondering what they are thinking about ‘us’ the crowd. Clearly some fans were present and I’m sure some of the nodding heads were converted by the bands massive sweeping soundscapes and lavish melodies.

As much as it appears the crowd may have enjoyed their set, nobody was really there to see them. No, the band the packed room was waiting for was Jimmy Eat World, A band who it feels like have been gone forever. With the stage blackened and the punters smacking their hands together the four innocent looking boys from Phoenix walked onto the stage and struck a chord straight into ‘Bleed American’.

With a band like Jimmy who have been going over ten years now it’s very easy to forget just how many hits they have and it takes a blistering set like this to remember. If you can name a song then they probably played it and then they played some that you can’t name too, just for a bit of fun. It’s amazing to see a band like them still having fun after all this time, it really does seem like they love what they do and who they do it with. If you don’t believe me then the fact that they threw in the full 16 minute version of ‘Goodbye Sky Harbour’ leaves nothing to be discussed. Hearing a song that big and pure live is nothing short of spectacular. There is literally nothing to not like about this band.

The only thing they lack is crowd-banter, but when the music is this good I don’t think anybody cares about hearing how good they are compared to last nights audience.

When you have a few hundred people singing along to every song it can start to sound a bit fuzzy and crap, I’m starting to find this is a venue issue more than an band one, and the Academy is great for not doing that. The band were never drowned out by the audience and the sound stayed clean and crisp throughout, which is perfect for a band like Jimmy who tend to be note perfect.

They pulled out all the stops playing everything from ‘Blister’, ‘For Me This Is Heaven’, ‘A Praise Chorus’ to newer classics like ‘Pain’ and ‘Futures’ to songs from their consistently good new album “Invented”. After an already epic set they come back on to chants of “Jimmy, Jimmy” and play a 4 song encore with their biggest hit to date ‘The Middle’ and my personal favourite, the vicious, ‘Get It Faster’.

Jimmy Eat World are one of those rare bands who only ever seem to get better with age and leave nothing to be desired. They are genuinely nice people and genuinely great musicians.

My Chemical Romance’s latest effort isn’t so much an album release as a well orchestrated apocalyptic art event. With the advent of listening parties the band last night offered fans worldwide an exclusive preview of the album as hosted by the elusive Dr. Death Defying.

Apparently this is the bands departure from concept albums, but you tell me, fans are ‘killjoys’, areas are ‘zones’, enemies are ‘draculoids.’ Now personally I don’t care about this, they are great at what they do and this whole new world is utterly engrossing, so why change? Though this is still a concept album, it’s a massive leap from their previous sound with everything bright, poppy, and dripping electro from its very core.

Within the first three songs two singles are showcased. The world has already heard ‘Na Na Na’ and is undoubtedly sick of having it infused in their brains, but ‘Sing’ is relatively new and I’m sure it will sneak its way into the charts. Structured like a 30 Seconds To Mars song it seems a bit too epic for such an early place on the album, but it does have some more traditional My Chem breakdowns thrown in.

As much as I hate to say the album is insidiously pop-based, it is. Don’t fear yet though ‘Planetary (Go)’ will have everyone dancing to what is basically a rock song and the lyrical prowess that always made them great is still present “truth is not acceptable, fame is now injectable, process the progress.”

What made My Chem unique were the classic rock riffs from Ray Toro and the chugging punk sound that Frank Iero brought. It’s still very much audible on certain songs but otherwise it all seems to have been run through a synthesizer.

This album will gather the band a brand new assortment of young rock fans and the older ‘killjoys’ will stick with them out of loyalty and no doubt carry with them a sense of ‘I heard them first’ superiority (I know I will) and there is no reason why this shouldn’t bring them new fans, it’s a good album. In terms of their back catalogue it’s a great follow-up to ‘The Black Parade’ and if that was their first album I would be applauding them on creating a genre defining album, or something to that affect, but when you compare this with ‘Bullets’ or ‘Three Cheers’ it seems like their aggression just sort of wilted and died and then the bleakness of ‘The Black Parade’ made sure it had a proper send off. Having said all that ‘Party Poison’ is more along the lines of what I was expecting, being a fast paced, punky, guitar number and this is where the album gets good with ‘Save Yourself I’ll Hold Them Back’ bringing back the misfits-esque normality of the group. Gerard gets his wail back, the very camp My Chem swear of ‘motherfucker’ hits our ears, and we can all revel in some classic 80’s rock riffs. The band hasn’t gone anywhere it’s just a struggle to find them.

The whole concept of the album was originally Gerard’s next comic idea and it would have been a fantastic read there’s no doubt about it, but I’m fucking glad he sacrificed it for the band. Having scrapped an entire albums worth of songs, which I think we all desperately want to hear, the band were clearly in need of some new energy and one thing this album has in spades is energy. Our host for this evening Dr. Death Defying makes this whole thing exactly what it is, an experience. He acts as radio DJ for WKIL a fake radio station operating out of Battery City. He is so convincing me and probably everyone else listening wishes he was a real person and not a creation. Hearing his classic radio voice brings a smile to my face and his lair is pretty damn cool too. More bands need to embrace the concept album and the listening party. It truly is a phenomenon and My Chem is ahead of the curve on this one.

Getting back to the music after some reports from the zones ‘DESTROYA’ hits you in the face and is reminiscent of the experimental sound of early Lostprophets songs like ‘Shinobi Vs Dragon Ninja.’ It wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack for a game like Tekken. As a fan more used to this aggressive sound it’s good to see they still have it on an album that has a lot of ballads. The ballads aren’t bad by any means they are just in too large a quantity. Album closer ‘Vampire Money’ is fucking spot-on and may be the best song on the album, it makes you forget about ‘Na Na Na’ and remember the good old days. It’s fast and vicious with a ‘Wipe Out’ style surf-pop beat throughout. The album isn’t their best and starts off slow, but by the end it will leave you fist pumping and after a few listens you will realise it’s actually not that bad.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve been listening to this on repeat. For three months.

Thanks to the lovely chaps at Eurostar, DT were able to check out Carl Barat’s debut gig down in King’s cross on the 27th, and it has to be said that the Chavvily-Chic former Libertines man is just as at home at the front of the stage as his old boss Pete Doherty – if somewhat less generally shambolic. Carl’s hitting the road to promote tracks from his new, eponymous album and you and a friend could be lucky enough to catch him playing in glamorous Paris on November 5th, with free luxury Eurostar travel and a signed album thrown in for good luck.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning this great prize then head over to Eurostar’s site right now and get your name in the pork-pie hat.

Hit the jump for the full review

Stepping on stage after a variety of interchangeable support bands with post ironic names, Carl comes across as a refreshing, polished change to the often falling-apart-at-the-seams theme that typified later Libertines gigs, backed up ably by a profusely sweating band, he throws out tracks from his new debut album while stripping down to a wife-beater and gold chain look that prompts some very exacting comments from the blonde lady next to me.

Bashing out new single Run with the boys and interspersing the more rocking moments with a fantastic rendidtion of So long my lover, Barat moves the mood of the night expertly, but never allows the momentum to cease.

Of course, Mr Barat is no fool, and knows that however catchy his own tunes are (answer: Very, in a post indie-lad-rock way, all jangling, popping guitars and thundering, rolling basslines), a large portion of the crowd is here to listen to him rolling out tunes from his former group’s back catalogue, and we’re duly obliged. A jumpy, fun set rounded off with a surprisingly thunderous rendition of ‘Can’t stand me now’ that even sees the hipster types at the front attempt a little bit of moshing (bless ‘em).

Overall, a solid, fun night out with a professional, hard working band.

Everything Everything Get Dancey With Us….

Everything Everything are the best British band you haven’t heard of, until now. With the release of debut album Man Alive here is a band everyone can be proud of and they don’t sound anything like Oasis.

Foals and the recent onslaught of bands that lure us in with their charming indie awkwardness and pop hooks is exactly where Everything Everything should sit on your shelf. Yet just as Foals swallowed themselves up in a pseudo-intellectual nightmare along came Everything Everything to make you dance.

The boys were sad to find that their vanishing cream was a little too effective...

Not to tarnish them with cool art-rock expectations too soon, but quirky is a word that comes to mind. ‘Photoshop Handsome’ starts off with 8-bit Nintendo sounds and morphs into all four band members melodically singing about being airbrushed in schoolboy style rounds.

The album opener and re-released single ‘My Kz Ur BF’ is a sure-fire club hit demonstrating the bands penchant for dark lyrics “and I haven’t seen the body-count lately but looking at your faces it must have been bad” and sing along choruses.

Everything Everything’s sound is at odds with itself, they are a definite product of the digital age and yet somehow it all manages to sound very natural. Any song would sound at home on Radio One and ‘Come Alive Diana’ could be an Interpol song if half way through it didn’t have a laptop induced breakdown. The production brings a clean, layered, almost angular sound to the album which is reminiscent of Minus The Bear’s icy math-rock.

Just as your giddiness has peaked out come the ballads ‘Nasa is On Your Side’ and ‘Tin (The Manhole).’ While the sentiment is a good addition to a great album, at four minutes plus the return to sharp electro for finale ‘Weights’ is welcoming.

Everything Everything and Man Alive are insatiable. If you don’t tap your feet or attempt to sing to nearly every song on this album then you’re probably dead.

The gig is a sell out, the band on the other hand are not…

My Chemical Romance are getting bigger by the year and now, with the release of Danger Days, they are set to go astronomical. The band had some trouble after The Black Parade with the departure of drummer Bob Bryar, an entire album scrapped, and about two years away from touring everything could have been a bit of a disaster for them. Luckily for them they know what they’re doing.

Storming on stage to riotous applause they waste no time and get straight into new single ‘Na Na Na’ out of the four or so new songs they play, which are all tinged with electro, this sounds the most polished and is a rowdy opener to get people going.

When you see My Chem you go to see a show rather than just a band, yet this was more of a minimal affair with little in the way of crowd-banter or showmanship. This new low-key style fit perfectly with their set which consisted of songs mainly from Three Cheers. This was a band embracing their roots with some ballsy pseudo-aggressive rock. Gerard stalked the stage like he was genuinely pissed off and even invited one lucky crowd member on stage to help sing ‘Honey This Mirror Aint Big Enough for the Two of Us’ from debut album Bullets. He was greeted on stage to “If you dare ask for fucking photo you’re gone” and then proceeded to miss the song queue three times. Fans eh?

With only the one song from Bullets played some of the older fans were inevitably disappointed. Though with a very young crowd (parents were involved for under 14’s) that went nuts for singles like ‘Teenagers’ this wasn’t much of a problem. That wasn’t the only problem with the evening. The Apollo is a great venue because you can see no matter where you are and it’s a pretty perfect size for a band of their stature to seem like it’s still intimate, but the sound quality just wasn’t good enough. This was more likely a problem with the band, who had slightly adapted some intro’s the fit with the ‘space music’ in-between songs, but they never seemed to pick up the pace again ‘Ghost of You’ was a particular low-point.

Despite all this the songs they do play well ‘You know what they do to guys like us in prison’, ‘Dead!’, ‘Give em’ Hell Kid’ etc…have thousands of people screaming the words and sound flawless. When they get it right there is nothing like it.

My Chemical Romance has a lot to offer and if you’re a fan of the albums then the raw energy of seeing them live is a must.

It’s friday, and what better way to finish the week off than a visit from paul McCartney and his ‘Female-Loathing-Car”?

Judging by this latest video from Seattle sound stalwarts Soundgarden (for new top choon ‘Black Rain’) it seems the Downtuned staff aren’t the only ones wasting time watching Metalocalypse all day. Featuring something of a return to their ‘Badmotorfinger’ sound and heavier Sabbathy roots, this isn’t bad at all, but it remains to be seen if the reformed band can compete in the modern market – whaddaya think?

This is a music blog. So reviewing comedy is a bit weird. We wouldn’t usually do this, but both Brian and Andrew’s comedy is very much based in the world of music, specifically metal, so we’ll make an exception.

But just this once.

Andrew O’Neil is a heavy metal fan and cross dresser. He is quick to point out that he is not a goth, but I do not believe him, as his cross dressing involves a pair of those black and white stripy tights that can only be worn by goths. I hear you need a special license issued by Robert Smith to even buy them. He’s a goth. But we won’t hold that against him.

His comedy seems to draw on alt type culture observations, bizzare flights of fancy and puns so bad/good the front page of the Sun would be embarrassed. He may be a little too clever for his own good, a few jokes despite their merits fly rirectly overe the heads of many of the audience. His delivery is also a little unsure, he doesn’t seem to have the confidence to back up his humor. But hey, this is a guy I’ve only just heard of, so I’m fairly sure he’s finding his own way of doing things. He certainly has the material, and a nicely targeted audience, so he’s pretty much on his way – just needs a bit more oomph.

Brian on the other hand is a man made of good natured oomph. It’s hand not look at him without smiling, he looks like a muppet – albiet one that smokes a shitload of pot and listens to Entombed. And he knows this. He’s wonderfully self depricating – describing himself as ‘farts wearing a man costume’

His comedy fuses really, REALLY low brow humour (”Fart and Dick Jokes” is his new CD after all) with wordplay and observations. He may be telling a story about wanking, actually most of his stories are about wanking, but it never feels like gross-out humour or shock for the sake of it.

He really nails a sort of slacker mindset. People who are clever, but lazy and they know it. (Clearly he’s not lazy, but hey, y’know what I mean.)  Finding the humour in the ridiculousness that is modern life for a functioning nerd.

Plus the man is so damn likeable that even when you’ve heard the joke before, or it doesn’t quite work, hey, we’ll let it slide, because goddamn, you’re just so nice!

If my roommate did this, I would probably kill them.  I hope he gets his albums back.

And no-one turns into something…inhuman.

Cider usually means festivals in the Westcountry, teenagers on park benches and tramps on street corners. Not the best in new music. New music usually means self consciously cheap and crappy beers.

Not so any more. Kopparberg, purveys of a whole variety of tasty ciders, have got in on the game . Kopparberg Klash is the latest hunt for the nation’s best new band (among other creative type things). usually these involve a bunch of watered down pub rock bands and cookie cutter versions of whatever is currently in the top ten.

Lucky for us that Vice magazine is involved to make sure a well needed injection of skinny jeans, asymmetrical haircuts and keyboards that sound like NES  games.

The final (because who really wants to sit through the local also rans) is THIS WEDNESDAY, so if you’re about the Shoreditch area (where else?) get on down to The Old Blue Last to check out Plus Ultra, Dead Wolf Club and Filthy Boy along with MC Charlie Partridge of the East End comedy duo Robin & Partridge, DJs and a whole load of cider.

Head on down. We’ll be there if that helps.

We know it won’t.

What sucks? MOVIE REMAKES!

What rules? NICK CAVE!

So, finding out that 18 foot tall Australian master of jangly post goth awesome is penning a new version of The Crow is somewhat confusing. On the one hand, do we really need another version of The Crow? Alright, it’s a decent enough movie, but then it did spawn the horrible habit of lanky, spotty, goth boys dressing in duct tape every halloween. And remakes are genetically predisposed to be horrible bags of toss.

But then, Nick Cave is writing it. And Nick Cave is known for not sucking at anything. The Proposition was a pretty cool movie. Both his books do that dirty southern gothic thing with the subtly that few can manage.  And all his music projects have ruled.

The combination of Cave and Crow  would also cause a goth critical mass that would suck anyone wearing an ankh into a very, very black hole. Which would be funny.

Here I am in the sun, doing my best to look like a communist. One that's into Trans-Ams.

You know, there was a time when I considered myself ahead of the musical curve.
I got into metal when I was at school, and my collection got pretty big over the next decade. My tastes got more eclectic and (I like to think) more sophisticated. I spent time feeding my passion for obscure doom, hunting out limited edition vinyl singles, writing to bands and zines (There was no ‘interwebz’ in those days), and even tape trading.

By doing this I uncovered a lot of great music that most people will never get to hear. If you can be bothered then I thoroughly recommend you check out Pale Divine and Sir Hedgehog. I’m not going to add MySpace links because..well, because they don’t exist, but do some hunting for Black Tears distro or something and they’ll point you in the right direction.

Anyway, after school I took about ten years out from education. For some reason I thought I could be a musician, so I spent my time working McJobs and spending the cash on guitars and amps, fuel to get to gigs, and me and some friends wrote some great (and some not so great) songs. It was a lot of fun.

Wavves. Bought to you by the letter V.

So, eventually I returned to university at the ripe old age of 26, and had a lot of fun making out with teenagers and drinking. While I was there I met this chick. She was hot and fun and we really clicked. We had different tastes in music but we also had that same openess to new sounds and experiences. We took pleasure in discovering new things and I fell pretty hard for her, and she eventually broke my heart.

Afterwards,as part of the healing process I cut off all my hair and developed a pathological hatred for anything kooky, ooky, or altogether electro-ey. I thought it was because it stirred up too many bad memories, but actually it’s because I started seeing through all that posing, affected, skinny jeans and blue hair teenage shit.

You don’t like music hipsters, you just like name dropping bands you hope your moustachioed, vintage-clad friends won’t have heard of.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I caught a couple of bands at this thing. The Vivian Girls were on, and even though most of their songs seem to be about Mopeds (being ‘British’ is cool you see?) they’d have been alright, except that every festival sound engineer in the world now watches Glastonbury on TV and actually thinks that’s a decent mix.

Wise up knob twiddlers. If you want a decent festival sound watch some footage of Donnington in the mid 80s, when you could hear the band properly. To be fair, you also need a 400,000 Watt P.A System. And maybe the band just sound like they’re playing in a wind tunnel on purpose. Ever been in a wind tunnel? I once dropped a loud guff in bed but that’s about it.

The Vivian girls. Possibly pictured in a wind tunnel.

Anyway, there were also two types of booze on sale (San Miguel and fucking pear cider), and about a hundred nondescipt experimental art bands. There was also a pretty heavy socialist presence, because hey, Che’ was hip too you know? I once met a guy who’d met him. Apparently he looked like a chimp. On that basis I wrote a sitcom script about ex-revolutionaries living in an old people’s home together. It’s just as well I didn’t bring it along, because there’s no recycling bins. Conspicuous waste is cool.

I always saw myself as an artist I guess. I took pleasure in the things I created, and always spent time on the details, the little things that make something stand out. Now I spend my weekends in sub-Mad Max landscapes, surrounded by people who think it’s ok to go out wearing a cloak made from knotted doilies.

Old women are cool.

Doilycraft is cool.

That guy who used to be in Joy Division threatening to play his hit.

He’s cool too.

I’m really not that cool.

This is what being metal as fuck is all about. You may have a terrible job holding a sign for a pizza place. But that does not stop you from ROCKING THE FUCK OUT.

When life give you lemons CRUSH THE LEMONS IN A FIST OF METAL AND BANG FOR SATAN! FUCK LEMONADE! ROOOAAGGGHHH!

Watch the above video for as long as you can. I lasted for around three minutes.

If you’ve made it through the entire thing without vomiting on yourself, congratulations! You are now fully aware that there is an entire festival based around the rappers dressed as clowns sub genre invented by the ICP, famous as late for not knowing how magnets work.

I have never seen so many ugly people in one video.

A while ago we reported on the fact that someone had created a Roillins / Danzig slash fiction comic imagining a world where the two icons of awesome lived together as very special friends. Rollins saw it and thought it was funny. Thanks to Decibel magazine, Danzig has seen it too.

Well, kinda. He knows it exists but didn’t want to see it.

And in a quite brilliant turn of events, the dude who created the comic in the first place turned Danzig’s reaction into another comic.  Read the whole thing here.