There Goes The Fear

Video of the Moment #177: Vampire Weekend

Mary Chang — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:59 +0000

Oh, Vampire Weekend. Those quirky, chirpy hipsters from New York City we all know and love are gearing up to release their second album, ‘Contra’, on XL Recordings in January 2010. And they’ve just released the video they filmed to go with the first single to be released from the new album.

Called ‘Cousins’, it’s a hoot. If you liked the immediacy of ‘A-Punk’, I have a feeling you’ll take a shine to this instantly. I myself caught the promo video, oh, like 5 times yesterday when it premiered on MTV America yesterday. As usual, Ezra Koenig and the gang have made a fun and frenetic video to go with the infectious tune. Check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

‘Cousins’ is available now from iTunes. The 7″ single (backed my ‘California English, pt. 2′) will drop on 15 December and can be pre-ordered at Beggars Group. ‘Contra’, Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album, will be released on 11 January 2010 in the UK and can be preordered from Beggars Group or Amazon.

Bands to Watch #147: Windmill

Mary Chang — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:28 +0000

My favourite holiday spot as a child was Disney World in Orlando, Florida, because with the sun always shining and the palm trees swaying, it was a world away from what I was used to growing up in the Mid-Atlantic. My parents probably recognised early on that I had boffin tendencies, because I avoided the roller coasters of the Magic Kingdom and gravitated towards the technologic geekery of Epcot Center. But as a child, there was wonderment to be had to be thinking about what could be in the future, and that’s what Epcot, ‘Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow’, offered. And from the sounds of Windmill’s second album ‘Epcot Starfields’, Matthew Thomas Dillon and I had similar memories.

The London-based Dillon became fascinated with Disney’s vision for the future and seemingly limitless ideas for this Florida amusement park that was only realised after his death. Dillon’s fascination with these fueled the writing of this album, and even a glance at the song titles (‘Ellen Save Our Energy’, named after a ride at Epcot, for one) indicate an obvious Disney/Epcot influence. The Independent and the Sunday Telegraph gave ‘Epcot Starfields’ their kudos. Have a watch of the whimsical, aeronautically-themed video for ‘Big Boom’, a track from the album, and see if you agree. Aborted attempts at eating ice creams are always love.

Click here to view the embedded video.

‘Epcot Starfields’ is available now from Friendly Fire Recordings.

Video of the Moment #176: Animal Collective

Mary Chang — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:18 +0000

Animal Collective is one of the few bands that make me proud to say I’m a Marylander. They may live in New York City now, but we all know they’re originally from Baltimore. And the name of their latest album, ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’? That just so happens to be the venue where I saw my first gig.

And here is their latest video for the opening track from ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’, ‘In the Flowers’. Amusement park rides, crowded New Yawk streets, trippy kids’ drawings, and modern dancers all figure prominently in this promo that goes well with the swirly sounds of the song. Intrigued? Have a watch and see for yourself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Delphic / January 2010 UK Tour

Phil Singer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:24:03 +0000

One of our biggest tips for success in 2010, Delphic have announced a sizeable UK tour for January 2010.

Tickets are on sale now.

Thursday 14th January – Norwich – Arts Centre
Friday 15th January – Oxford – Academy 2
Saturday 16th January – Sheffield – Leadmill
Sunday 17th January – Bristol – Thekla
Tuesday 19th January – Brighton – Audio
Wednesday 20th January – Wolverhampton – Little Civic
Thursday 21st January – Liverpool – Kazimier
Friday 22nd January – Glasgow – King Tuts
Saturday 23rd January – Leeds – Cockpit 2
Tuesday 26th January – London – The Tabernacle

Four Tet / February 2010 UK Tour

Phil Singer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:17 +0000

Four Tet, known to his mum as Kieran Hebden, has announced a string of shows for February and March around the UK.

Tickets are on sale now.

Friday 12th February 2010 – London Dome, Tuffnell Park
Thursday 11th March 2010 – Manchester Club Academy
Friday 12th March 2010 – Leeds TJs
Saturday 13th March 2010 – Edinburgh Bongo Club
Wednesday 17th March 2010 – Brighton Concorde 2
Friday 19th March 2010 – Birmingham Custard Factory
Saturday 20th March 2010 – Bristol Fiddlers

Band of Skulls / February 2010 UK Tour

Phil Singer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:30:17 +0000

Fresh from being featured on the Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack, Band of Skulls have announced a UK tour for early February 2010.

Tickets are on sale now.

Thursday 4th February 2010 – Leeds A Nation Of Shopkeepers
Friday 5th February 2010 – Liverpool EVOL
Saturday 6th February 2010 – Glasgow King Tuts
Monday 8th February 2010 – Newcastle Cluny
Tuesday 9th February 2010 – Manchester Ruby Lounge
Wednesday 10th February 2010 – London 100 Club
Thursday 11th February 2010 – Bristol Thekla
Saturday 13th February 2010 – Southampton Talking Heads
Sunday 14th February 2010 – Birmingham Hare & Hounds

MP3 of the Day #125: The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Mary Chang — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:40 +0000

I seen and written about New York phenomenon the Phenomenal Handclap Band many times now since the summer, but I feel like my love for this band and their catchy tunes isn’t going to wane anytime soon.

The latest? The band has out now an album of remixes of ‘You’ll Disappear’ and ‘15 to 20′, two of the best earworms from their self-titled debut. Luminaries from the dance scene including Prins Thomas, David E. Sugar, and Munk have taken one of these songs and added their special flair for this special collection. And in advance of their live appearance tomorrow night (Friday 20 November) at Brixton’s The Rest is Noise music shop, why not have a listen to this remix straight from Londonium itself? London dance institution Horse Meat Disco have taken PHB’s ‘You’ll Disappear’ and made it even funkier, if that’s even possible. And I believe they’ve done it. Give it a go and let us know what you think.

[See post to listen to audio]

MP3: Phenomenal Handclap Band – You'll Disappear (Horse Meat Disco remix)

You can get the ‘15 to 20/You’ll Disappear Remixes’ album from iTunes or directly from their label Friendly Fire Recordings.

Spoon / February 2010 UK Tour

Phil Singer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:30:37 +0000

Texas’ very own Spoon have announced a trio of UK shows for February 2010.

Tickets are on sale now, priced between £15 and £16.50 each.

Sunday 14th February 2010 – Glasgow King Tuts
Monday 15th February 2010 – Manchester Academy 3
Tuesday 16th February 2010 – London Electric Ballroom

Video of the Moment #175: Asobi Seksu

Phil Singer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:08 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Asobi Seksu – Transparence

I don’t know much about Asobi Seksu, having first been drawn to them thanks to “Thursday” being featured in an episode of Skins series 2. However, I do love this video for their new single – echoing summer perfectly, it’s gentle and hazy, reminiscent of those lazy Sunday lunchtimes in muddy fields around the UK. Watch and enjoy.

You can catch them on the road supporting White Lies at the moment.

Muse / September 2010 UK Stadium Shows

Phil Singer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:44:26 +0000

Muse have announced a duo of stadium shows to round off next summer.

Tickets for both shows go on sale tomorrow morning (Thursday 19th November) at 9am from this link, or Friday morning at 9am (20th November) from everywhere else. Expect more dates to be added as each one sells out – they sold out two nights at Wembley in 2007, so I don’t see why they can’t do more!

Saturday 4th September 2010 – Lancashire County Cricket Ground
Saturday 11th September 2010 – London Wembley Stadium