LITTLE COMMENTS: THE MUSIC BLOG

Caan - Every Little Thing

2012-03-16T17:30:00.001Z

Release: 19^th March 2012

Label: Camouflage Records

Genre: Pop/Alt

FORMER Ou Est Le Swimming Pool bassist Caan is looking to forge a solo career bouncing off the success of his previous band. New single Every Little Thing is the first piece of material to stem from his debut solo album and features a hypnotic repeated percussion/synth which plays throughout the track, complete with occasional roars from an additional synth to overall produce an interesting instrumentation.

Caan’s vocals take centrestage and as predicted they hold up well, with a similar tone to The Weeknd. Every Little Thing has elements of Caan’s former band and its clear Depeche Mode is an influence. It’s a solid track that leaves me intrigued to hear more. Stream it below, and check out three remixes too.

Heavy Blanket - Dr Marten's Blues

2012-03-15T17:30:00.002Z

Heavy Blanket - Dr Marten's Blues from Outer Battery Records on Vimeo.

It was the summer of 1984, and a teenage J Mascis was bored. Sure, his band Deep Wound were still playing shows and melting faces. That band would prove to be one of hardcore’s seminal influences, but J didn’t know that then. Disillusioned with the direction that most of his hardcore heroes had taken, he wanted to start something new. He wanted to shed the pretentiousness and elitism that had risen around him – to slow things down and turn the volume way, way up. This new band would influence generations of disenfranchised youth while tipping their hat to their heroes of years past, before punk existed. And so: he needed a band.

Read more »

feedtime - The Aberrant Years

2012-03-14T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 13^th March 2012

Label: Sub Pop

Genre: Punk/Rock/Blues

LATELY there’s been a lack of punk releases featured on Little Comments and for that I am sorry. I thought it best to revitalise the genre-blog relationship with a collection of a band at their peak time. Australian trio feedtime is one of the most celebrated underground bands of all time, with fans and bands alike being highly influenced by their gritty reckless sound (I believe Mudhoney is a fan).

The Aberrant Years bares a collection of the band’s material during the years of their greatest lineup throughout the year of 1979, all the way up to the demise of it ten years later. During that time, feedtime released albums shovel, Cooper S, and suction which saw them signed to seminal Australian record label Aberrant Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records and Rough Trade US.

This collection features all of that material as well as a bunch of rare bonus tracks, so it’s a must for any fan of old school feedtime, or for anybody looking for some new punk music. Feedtime’s sound is often centred around the sledgehammer heavy bass sound, with the guitars and drums going insane to support it all behind (at times) some incoherent yelling from the vocalist.

It sounds just like an old school punk band should sound, so fans of Black Flag will definitely want to check this out, as this is quite possibly one of the strongest collection of the year.

Free Download Of The Day #13: Nihility - Explosive

2012-03-13T20:00:00.002Z

TODAY’s free download is from Nihility, a band hailing from Massachusetts, and you can grab their fantastic new album Explosive below.

Fans of bands such as Velvet Revolver and Eagles of Death Metal will definitely need to jump on this, as they will certainly admire the solid electric and bass guitar solos and the sassiest rhythms heard in a long while. Nihility have a great old school sound, and can use it to produce either explosive (hur) moments or slow and sombre moments too.

Stream the entirety of Explosive below, and download it for free here.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://nihility.bandcamp.com/album/explosive-free-download"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Explosive (Free Download) by Nihility&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Johnny Parry - Keep Kicking And Screaming

2012-03-13T17:30:00.000Z

THIS may certainly well be the most ambitious record of 2012. Genius composer Johnny Parry returns to the airwaves with new single Keep Kicking And Screaming, a track created through the mind of Parry and his 30-piece ensemble.

At first the gruffness of Parry’s vocals may put the listener off the track because of its harsh contrast against the delicate instrumentation, but once the various other vocal yelps and string/horn sections introduce themselves, everything seems to fall in place to create a simply astonishing piece of music.

Johnny Parry’s new album Fields & Birds & Things will be released on 2^nd April, via Lost Toy Records. Hear Keep Kicking And Screaming below.

Odonis Odonis - Busted Lip

2012-03-12T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 21^st May 2012

Label: FatCat Records

Genre: Lo-fi/alternative

ODONIS Odonis is back with new single Busted Lip, which comes from debut album Hollandaze that was released last year. The song offers an accurate description of what the listener should expect Hollandaze to sound like: Lo-fi, gritty, ballsy rock with a thick and claustrophobic production that will grip you by the throat until it’s finished.

Busted Lip has that certain badass quality that could feature in a Quentin Tarantino film, complete with Bauhaus-esque hazy vocals and Them Crooked Vultures-style guitars that roar throughout the track. B-Side I’d Prefer Walking draws back the claustrophobia a tad to allow a bass guitar cameo to take centre stage, providing a nice change of pace and variety to the single.

Hollandaze is out now via FatCat Records and Odonis Odonis will be touring the UK for the first time in April, and will be touring Europe in May. Hear the new single below.

fun. - Some Nights

2012-03-08T17:30:00.002Z

Released: 21st February 2012

Label: Fueled By Raman

Genre: Pop/Alt

TL;DR: What Happened?

IN 2009, three people collaborated together in the hope of producing a sound that extended the boundaries of what a trio can create, and with the help of a lot of session musicians, and all collated under the name Fun., came Aim & Ignite. Aim & Ignite was a debut effort from a band that showed a lot of balls and originality in some aspects because of songs that could have you gripped in harmony and tears within a couple of songs. It was an exciting album that made Fun. a band to keep on the radar.

Three years later and it appears that Fun. has shut away all of those elements that truly defined their sound. Second album Some Nights has become a commercial success for the band because of lead single We Are Young, which featured Janelle Monáe providing guest vocals. Well, a guest vocal snippet, as she repeats four words a few times, hardly anything to tack onto the end of your song title. The song featured on Glee months ago, and because of that, it allowed Fun. to hit mainstream highs, even reaching number one in a couple of charts.

Paul Newman And The Ride Home - The Importance Of Being Ernest Hemingway

2012-03-07T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 30^th December 2011

Label: N/A

Genre: Punk/Folk-Punk

TL;DR: Solid and Passionate

PAUL Newman and the Ride Home are back with new album The Importance Of Being Ernest Hemingway, a collection of songs Paul wrote during some of the lowest points of his life.

It’s full of great punk and folk riffs scattered around with optimism that makes me wonder how he managed to keep his head held high, but it’s nice to hear somebody make feel good songs out of the context and not use it to produce another sad album. You can stream the entire of The Importance Of Being Ernest Hemingway below, and buy it with whatever amount of money you want too.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://paulnewmanandtheridehome.bandcamp.com/album/the-importance-of-being-ernest-hemingway"&amp;gt;The Importance of Being Ernest Hemingway by Paul Newman and the Ride Home&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Little Comments Interview 06/03/2012: SIMPLE BLASTA

2012-03-06T17:30:00.002Z

ON Friday night I was able to find some time thinking about the interviews I used to have with various bands last year, and I missed that. So later on that night, I was very fortunate to have an interview via email with my favourite person from Belarus, Simple Blasta.

You can read the entire interview below, and also listen along to his new EP, Night Phone Talks, while you read about our conversations regarding the new EP, the to-be-released debut LP, Heavy On The Drums, and also what it's like to live as a musician in Belarus.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://simpleblasta.bandcamp.com/album/night-phone-talks-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;night phone talks EP by Simple Blasta&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Free Download Of The Day #12: Gomez Addams - Rattle & Move

2012-03-05T20:00:00.002Z

ONE of my favourite discoveries of 2012 has dropped yet ANOTHER song for free on his Bandcamp. Singer-songwriter Gomez Addams is back with Rattle & Move, an acoustic track full of light guitar licks and the perfect atmosphere for the sunnier side of the year.

Stream the song below and download it for free here.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://gomezaddams.bandcamp.com/album/rattle-move"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Rattle &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Move by Gomez Addams&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Family Machine - Quiet As A Mouse

2012-03-05T17:30:00.001Z

Family Machine - Quiet As A Mouse from video jon on Vimeo.

OXFORD band Family Machine is back with new single Quiet As A Mouse, a gorgeous track with Anna Log of We Aeronauts of Brainlove Records (great name) providing lead vocals. It’s a soft and fragile sound full of gentle acoustic melodies and fantastic vocal harmonies which helps flesh out the track a little more.

Download Quiet As A Mouse and the sheet music for you to play along to it for free here.

Family Machine is currently in the middle of recording its second album with acclaimed producer Ian Davenport, who has worked with the likes of Supergrass (RIP), Badly Drawn Boy and Athlete.

Simple Blasta - Night Phone Talks EP

2012-03-02T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 29^th February 2012

Label: N/A

Genre: Electronic

TL;DR: This guy again? He’s STILL really good!

SIMPLE Blasta is back once again with new EP Night Phone Talks, the second to be dropped in the last two months. The one man project’s debut EP was Yesterday’s Hero, four songs which displayed a great skill in manipulating samples and forming catchy beats out of them.

Night Phone Talks progresses the low-fi sound from its predecessor and adds a hip-hop tone to it. Drum patterns are added to give a nostalgic hark back to 90s hip-hop, while extra layers introduce themselves and slide easily into the chilled atmosphere of each of the five tracks featured.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://simpleblasta.bandcamp.com/album/night-phone-talks-ep"&amp;gt;night phone talks EP by Simple Blasta&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Cheap Girls - Giant Orange

2012-03-01T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 21^st February 2012

Label: Rise Records

Genre: Pop Punk

CHEAP Girls is back with new album Giant Orange, and it accompanies the welcome appearance of March nicely. The month of sunshine, the month of warmth, the month of spring. What we have here is eleven tracks full of loud, catchy guitar riffs captured perfectly with the odd guitar solo and vocals that bellow over the already loud landscape of the instrumentation and slip neatly into the listener’s ears.

Variation is not a main priority on Giant Orange, what seems to be the main priority however is having fun and enjoying the darn thing. It goes perfect with the sunshine, and bares that certain nostalgic feeling that harks back to a time where The Offspring, Blink 182 and Sum 41 were the ultimate summer bands.

Cross Wires - East London Demo

2012-02-29T17:30:00.001Z

Released: 26^th February 2012

Label: N/A

Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock

CROSS Wires is back with its second release of the year, East London Demo. It contains three songs in their demo form, but to me they sound pretty good as they are. They all offer the exciting indie riffs and young enthusiasm that has been ever-present throughout the Cross Wires discography.

I cannot wait to see if there’s a full length dropped by these guys at some point this year, as all the previous releases have all been solid so far. Stream East London Demo below and download it for free too.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://crosswires.bandcamp.com/album/east-london-demo"&amp;gt;East London Demo by Cross Wires&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Free Download Of The Day #11: Gorillaz (Ft. James Murphy & Andre 3000) - DoYaThing

2012-02-28T20:00:00.000Z

THIS is definitely a collaborative effort worthy of being heard by everyone. Gorillaz, who is coming off a huge success from third album Plastic Beach in 2010, is back with new track DoYaThing, a track that features James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem fame and Andre 3000 of Outkast fame.

It’s the first piece of material to drop from the three members, everybody knows now that LCD Soundsystem was put to rest by Murphy after the release of the fantastic This Is Happening in 2010, and Andre 3000 hasn’t released anything with Outkast in years, whereas Gorillaz released The Fall last year. I think this is the first incident where the people involved have got me genuinely excited prior to hearing the song, and there’s a 13 minute extended version too. (Above)

DoYaThing is arguably one of the best tracks of 2011, it blends together the sombre yet catchy vocals of Damon Albarn, the intense spitting from Andre 3000 (who literally goes insane for this track) and the heavy bass influx that ultimately takes the reigns for the track that is so reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem. It’s a fantastic listen, and is also FREE to download here.

Khepra - Nameless

2012-02-28T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 9^th February 2012

Label: N/A

Genre: Electronic

TL;DR: Good stuff.

KHEPRA’s Nameless is the fourth beat tape of his discography, and offers beats that are new, and some that have been around his tape decks forever. It’s a great collection of chilled electronic and hip hop beats that the listener can really relax to. Fans of Flying Lotus and every other artist on Brainfeeder will definitely enjoy this.

Stream Nameless in it’s entirety below, and download it for free here.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://khepra.bandcamp.com/album/nameless"&amp;gt;Nameless by Khepra&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Free Download Of The Day #10: Super Best Friends Club - Universe Universe

2012-02-27T20:00:00.000Z

IS your music library in dire need of a fresh reboot? Maybe just a track that can add a ton of colour to the murky mesh of sad songs that has become the soundtrack for the cold, wintery months? Well here’s the track to download for free today.

Super Best Friends Club is an eccentric collective from London that boasts some seriously creative material, and has often touched upon the genres of tribal and drone, mixing the two together to create an almighty explosion of colourful tunes.

The next release to come from the group is EP People We Forget This Is Love, which is due on 5^th March. You can however download one of the tracks from the EP, Universe Universe, entirely for free below.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://superbestfriendsclub.co.uk/track/universe-universe-2"&amp;gt;Universe Universe by Super Best Friends Club&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Richard Parker - Mechanisms EP

2012-02-27T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 19^th March 2012

Label: Communal Blood

Genre: Instrumental/Post Rock

TL;DR: Great.

MECHANISMS is the new EP from Leeds based Instrumental band Richard Parker, and the debut on brand new record label Communal Blood. The four piece are currently in the studio recording their debut album, scheduled for release around autumn time, and will have a single Trophies, set for release in June.

The three tracks on Mechanisms are great. They offer all of the post-rock sounds that saw bands such as Gang Of Four and Mogwai rise to fame, but incorporate pop into the structures to make the tracks catchier and more appealing. The band also display full control of tempo to continually warp the three tracks from slow, relaxed music into full and frantic rock that is really exciting to hear.

This is a great example of instrumental music and I cannot wait to hear the debut album from Richard Parker. Mechanisms is free to download via their Bandcamp, but you can also stream it below.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://richardparker.bandcamp.com/album/mechanisms"&amp;gt;MECHANISMS by Richard Parker&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Funniest Music News Of The Year

2012-02-24T20:00:00.000Z

CASH MONEY SIGNS LIMP BIZKIT

"Weezy F. called into Lenny Green’s “Kissing After Dark” radio show last night, and revealed that Cash Money had signed Limp Bizkit to the label. According to Wayne, Birdman is also about to sign Ashanti.

YEP. I didn't know there was still a demand for a washed up band who's boom period was over a decade ago.

But nevermind. Keep on Rolling, behbeh.

Slow Down, Molasses - Bodies (Music Video!)

2012-02-24T17:30:00.000Z

JUST as I thought the latest OFWGKTA music video could not be beaten, it seems Slow Down, Molasses, who had a fantastic album out last year, has stepped up to at least show a good fight for the crown.

The music video for new single Bodies is in 3D, which means you will have to have some 3D glasses lying around in order to properly take in all the effort the band and makers of the video put into it. But if you don’t, then watch the normal version of the video above, which is still pretty good to watch.

Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

2012-02-22T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 20^th February 2012

Genre: Alternative

Label: Matador Records

TL;DR: Fantastic.

PUT Your Back N 2 It is the sophomore album from Mike Hadreas, otherwise known as Perfume Genius. It follows on from celebrated debut Learning, a sterling introduction into the sad landscape and sombre mindset of Hadreas. While the material on Learning was certainly strong, it wasn’t allowed to truly show off its potential due to slightly shoddy production quality.

However, every aspect of what made Learning so great appears to have improved for Put Your Back N 2 It, and while the album title annoys me to the point of grammatically crying inside, it is one hell of an emotional experience and definitely one of the best releases of the year.

Free Download Of The Day #9: SubVibe - This Is SubVibe EP

2012-02-21T20:00:00.000Z

IT’S been a long time coming but we’ve finally got a very good electronic/dubstep EP on Little Comments! SubVibe is an artist a friend turned me onto last year and after becoming hooked on every single song on the SubVibe official Youtube channel, there is now some material to download, for free.

That’s right, you can grab a copy of This Is SubVibe for free by liking their Facebook page and in return you will receive a link to download it legally. It’s a fantastic EP full of different genres including dubstep, electro and even Moombahton, that’s right, Moombahton IS a genre!

Check out the opening track This Is SubVibe below, and prepare to be blown away.

ZEBU! - Chill Wave

2012-02-21T17:30:00.000Z

Released: 21^st February 2012 (TODAY!)

Label: N/A

Genre: Chill/Surf Rock/Jazz

“ZEBU! is the dynamic duo of Ted Lee and Steve D'Agostino. Formed in 2003 at Hampshire College in the throws of hippiedom, ZEBU! continues to be the greatest Rock band that has ever lived”…and Chill Wave is their new album! It features a mixture of two extremes, and often combines the two for a confusing yet wonderful listen.

On one hand we have the laid back, chill wave where the reverb-heavy instruments are led by the sassiest of saxophones, creating a therapeutic listen. On the other hand, the listener’s gifted some Wavves-like surf rock that is driven by the most unexpected of tempos, and it’s great.

The track Lip Service is free to download, while the rest of the NINETEEN songs can be yours by paying the small fee of $8. Stream Chill Wave in it’s entirety for free below.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://zebu.bandcamp.com/album/chill-wave"&amp;gt;Chill Wave by ZEBU!&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Free Download Of The Day #8: Odjbox - Cotton To Fabric

2012-02-20T20:00:00.000Z

TODAY’S Free Download comes from electronic instrumental man Odjbox, with his debut album Cotton To Fabric. This album is FULL of jazzy melodies and killer grooves, and is absolutely free to stream and download via Bandcamp!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://odjbox.com/album/cotton-to-fabric-2"&amp;gt;Cotton To Fabric by Odjbox&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Yeo - Home

2012-02-20T17:30:00.000Z

Yeo - Home

Released: 12^th January 2012

Label: N/A

Genre: Country/Folk

YEO’s Home is a wonderful album full of happy country and acoustic instrumentations topped off with a smattering of warm vocal harmonies to create thirteen songs that tell their own story and remain individual from eachother. There is also some electric guitar cameos during some songs, adding a little variety to Home, and giving it a stronger well rounded listen too.

It’s currently free to download (name your price) via Bandcamp and is available to stream below.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://snackswithyeo.bandcamp.com/album/home"&amp;gt;Home by Yeo&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;