An indie rock band from London, consisting of
Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram and Ed Nash.

Inspired by the backdrops of Jack Steadman’s travels through India, Japan and Turkey during the bands hiatus, ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ was their first number one album in the UK. Those senses of exploration can be felt in tracks like Luna, where the band experiment with other instrumentals, rather than the guitars that were prevalent in previous tracks.

Clash called it ”sincerely captivating and euphorically playful,” and it was an album that the band wanted to take their time with. “We ended up self-producing the album, that wasn’t our plan at the beginning, we tried out a couple of different producers and we couldn’t get the results we wanted, so that made things take a bit longer,” they told HMV back in January.

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Born September 1980, in Twickenham,
nominated for her album One Breath.

Anna first picked up a guitar aged just 8. She was influenced heavily by composers Messiaen, Ravel and Debussy, drawing elements of their work into her own. Apart from being known for her dark and romantic style, she is also know for her intense live performances and skilled guitar craft.

Anna isn’t shy of critical acclaim. Her debut album was also shortlisted for the prize in 2011. Recorded in Texas, One Breath was recorded on and off over the space of three years, and is a far more personal approach than her last. The Independent on Sunday said that the album is a ”sophomore smack-down of grand, fearless ambition.”

Will she win the Mercury Music Prize? Let us know what you think below.

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Whilst we’re trying to make sense of it all, we’ve compiled this list of the latest and greatest tracks that we’ve got on repeat.

Rubblebucket – Carousel Ride

We’re amazed that this hasn’t been picked up by media people already. It’s one of the best and freshest tracks we’ve heard in a while. This track is about letting go of all your problems for just a brief moment, whilst returning to your childhood memories at the fairground.

SBTRKT (featuring Ezra Koeing)

The mysterious SBTRKT has returned full of post-dubstep tunes that are rich with originality. In this one, Vampire Weekend’s frontman Ezra Koeing joins the party to provide those trademark slick vocals on an interesting, but brilliant track.

Haim (featuring A$AP Ferg) – My Song 5

With A$AP Ferg on the remix of Haim’s best track from their last album, this tune has been given a further kick that admittedly it probably didn’t need. That said, A$AP Ferg provides an interesting concept of a volatile relationship and a soup reference we didn’t really wish to hear.

Kiesza – Giant In My Heart

Kiesza proves with Giant In My Heart that she isn’t just a one trick pony. Not only can she grove, but she has a soulful and delicate voice that works wonders with a house inspired beat.

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We’ve shortened their 10-track album to our favourite three. It’s a tough list to decide. Trust us…

1. Little Monster

There’s no doubt that this track, on it’s own, is huge. It holds your attention with an effortless transition between a withdrawn verse and a monstrous chorus.This track is soon to be festival stable.

2. Out Of The Black

With an unmistakable rhythm and bruising riff, this one encapsulates all that Royal Blood are about in four minutes. The band are able to achieve their own unique sound within the closed confounds of modern rock music.

3. You Can Be So Cruel

By taking elements of Queens Of The Stone Age and Jack White, this track is one of the standouts from the groups debut. Again, those epic riffs are present along with a callously contained breakdown at the end of the track.

What are your three favourite tracks from the album?

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That was in February. Fast forward to August and we’re post-MTV Music Video Awards. Although many questioned the decision to put Lorde, a pop artist, up against rock’s famous Arctic Monkeys, Linkin Park and The Black Keys, the teenager still managed to walk away with the moonman.

A shocked Lorde picks up the award for best rock video.

Many quite understandably reacted in anger at her victory. Editor-in-chief of Australian Rolling Stone magazine described the difference between Lorde and the others nominated in the category as ”chalk and cheese”. Even the winner looked confused as she went to collect the award, taking a few seconds to compose herself before looking into the right camera.

So is this the evidence that the slow death of rock is actually happening?

”…It’s always waiting there, around the corner. Ready to make its way back through the sludge.”

Alex Turner, BRIT Awards 2014.

Is this point that we’ve reached ”the sludge”? No doubt we’re going to take the words of a greased up, and clearly drunk, Alex Turner with a pinch of salt. But maybe he has a point.

But VMAs have always been a bit of a strange event (you only have to look back at Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s performance last year). A lot of publications have suggested that MTV wanted to give both Ariana Grande and Lorde an award, and maybe they’re right too. It could be as simple as that.

If we’re certain of anything, we’re certain that Lorde isn’t a rock musician.

In the UK we’ve just been treated to a brilliant debut from Royal Blood, not long after they’ve come back from wowing festival goers at Reading and Leeds. At the time this post was written, they’re sitting in the number one spot on the UK Album Chart. Perhaps in the UK, rock isn’t completely dead and buried.

You can’t deny the stark and ironic differences between the infamous BRITs speech and Lorde’s VMA win.

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If they’ve escaped your notice so far, now’s the time to listen up! After less than 2 years performing together, Royal Blood are ready to deliver their much anticipated, self-titled debut album.

Made up of one part Mike Keer on bass and vocals, and one part Ben Thatcher on drums, here’s a bubbling cauldron of hard hitting rhythms and edgy riffs that’s at once energetic and energizing.

Heavy, dark and a little seductive, Little Monster is the absolute highlight of this corker of an album for me. As if the gritty yet fuzzy bass riffs and Keer’s soulful vocal performance aren’t enough to get you hooked, the lyrics to the chorus (‘I got love on my fingers, lust on my tongue…’) are unrelentingly addictive. Much like the rest of the album, this song will have you jumping around like House of Pain.

Put simply, Royal Blood have truly produced a thing of beauty. Sprinkled with influences from the early to mid-noughties, including Muse (circa Stockholm Syndrome), The White Stripes and The Smashing Pumpkins, if I detect correctly, this album boasts a sense of timelessness that is sure to be reflected in its future success. My only criticism is that the bass sometimes sounds like it wants to jump out of the speakers, but it’s trapped in the delicate balancing act of maintaining a crunchy texture without overpowering the clean, crispy and occasionally breathy vocals.

9/10.

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As soon as the reported tried to ask Rita about the rumours that Calvin Harris had not been releasing some of her material (we’re guessing stuff that was made whilst the pair were together), she decided that she had enough.

She replied with: ”Thank you. Bye bye.” before quickly walking away.

What the awkward exchange below.

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Swifty went from country-star to pop-princess almost as quick as Miley Cyrus lost her innocence, promising a new sound that’s different from her last album Red (2012). Shake It Off hasn’t got the wub-wub-wub that tainted I Knew You Were Trouble, and it also lacks her known acoustic taste. This isn’t another Love Story.

At first, we were a little hesitant to accept this new Swift. She’s shrugged off her style and substance which put her in a different category to the likes of Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. All the story telling about her famous, well documented failed relationships with a few notable celebs have all but disappeared, for now.

Is that the same boombox from the Bezerk music video?

But since she’s had so much stick for arguably bitchy tracks like We Are Never Getting Back Together, we salute the return of the more fun-loving Swift, like the one we heard in 22.

Do we like it? In the words of Taylor herself, hella yes. It’s incredibly catchy, the beat is infectious and the breakdown is a far more respectable version of the one that occurred in Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl (thankfully).

There’s almost no doubt that this latest single will hit the mega bucks in the next few weeks. In a few days, the video on YouTube has clocked up an impressive view count of 5 million, and counting. We can literally hear the money being posted directly into Swifty’s letter box.

Will the rest of her next album, 1989 (we see what she did there, ey Adele?), be like this? Doubtful. We don’t think she’s done telling us what she thinks of  Jake Gyllenhall, Harry Styles, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Zac Efron… um, well you get it. Here’s to a new, but old, but still young pop diva.

Earl Sweatshirt has accused the video of ”perpetuating black stereotypes.” Do you agree? Join in the conversation on Facebook or Twitter! #ReloadThis

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Azealia Banks – Heavy Metal And Reflective

It’s the first new music we’ve heard from 212 rapper Azealia Banks since she dramatically, and callously split from her former label Interscope. Her debut album has yet to materialise, and it still remains one of the most anticipated rap albums yet to be released.

Jamie T – Don’t You Find

”I like the melancholy of it – it’s the reason I put it out first,” Jamie T told Zane Lowe. It’s a different sound to what we’ve normally come to expect from Jamie T, as he’s ditched his traditional cockney sound for something more airy. But we like it.

Mallory Knox – Ghost In The Mirror

Whilst Jamie T is trying new things, it’s more of the same for Mallory Knox. Having just come off partnering stages with the likes of All-American Rejects, Ghost In The Mirror is a taster from their new album ‘Asymmetry’.

Weezer – Back To The Shack

Back To The Shack is the first real teaser for Weezer’s September LP, ‘Everything Will Be Alright In The End’. The single boasts loads of promise, even directly hinting that Weezer want to return back to their mid-90’s glory days. Lets hope that does actually happen this time.

Real Lies – North Circular

Heavily reminiscent of The Streets and with elements of garage and hip-hop, Real Lies offer a gritty insight into English life. We expect this band to do big things in the near future.

We’ll share ours if you share yours. Let us know what you’ve been listening to in the comment section below!

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Elly Jackson is going in for the chill…

After a five year break in (and occasionally out) of hiding, La Roux are back with their long-awaited follow-up album. Or should I say her long-awaited follow-up album. You see, the common misconception that La Roux is a solo act, made up only of Elly Jackson, has recently become a reality, as she and her now ex-collaborator Ben Langmaid, have gone their separate ways, citing ‘artistic differences’ as the reason for their decision.

It only takes a couple of tracks to establish that Jackson has returned as bulletproof as ever. Funky, fun and flirty, Trouble in Paradise, is packed with summery synth-pop that will get you in the mood to groove, or simply kick back with a jug of freshly made lemonade. Silent Partner and Paradise is You are among the stand-out tracks on the album, the former for its lyrical candour, presumably concerning the band’s recent restructuring, the latter for its feel-good subject matter and warm yet chilling vocals. But where Jackson really shines is in Cruel Sexuality, where the layering of vocals is at once rich and airy; the lyrics infectious without being cheesy.

Filled with catchy hooks as heard on Kiss and Not Tell and Sexotheque, Trouble in Paradise is the perfect soundtrack for long, stuffy drives to the seaside. However, I very much doubt that it has a shelf-life of more than one summer, unless you happen to be an avid fan of all things electro. Having said that, it’s more performance based than its predecessor, which makes it more accessible to those who prefer the sound of a guitar to a sawtooth wave.

6/10.

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