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Tron Legacy Trailer

So Jeff Bridges just won an Oscar and I sorta got to thinking about the guys’ legacy. Yes he’ll forever be known as THE DUDE and film buffs will cite his performance in Fearless as flawless, but hey… remember this little gem from the 80s called TRON??? Yea THAT was him too. Basically, he’s the guy you want to burn one with and wax poetic over the nature of consciousness over some beers and a game of well… TRON. I digress. There’s a pretty bonertastic trailer flying around for the sequel to TRON. Yes it looks amazing but listen to the score here for a little preview of what the Daft Punk boys will be cooking up for the soundtrack.

Where do you start with a band like Pavement? In recent years there have been few acts that have cultivated – and then steadfastly retained – a similar level of underground, independent credibility. Or inspired so many other acts with their lo-fi, indie rock sound. In fact, if you heard Quarantine The Past, a retrospective of the band’s initial 10 year stint together, without knowing anything about Pavement and their place in rock music’s pantheon, you could be forgiven for writing them off as yet another grunge-lite outfit pedalling the sort of jangly guitar pop you’d find on an early ‘90s Nirvana or R.E.M. B-side. Which, in a perverse way, is probably the greatest testament that could be paid – those B-sides likely wouldn’t be there without Pavement’s influence, as the band’s sound cross-pollinated with that of their contemporaries, including Sonic Youth and R.E.M.

So it’s only when placed in the context of the early 1990s music scene that Quarantine The Past can be properly appreciated. While the album doesn’t include any unreleased or new tracks (Pavement reformed last year; the comeback tour is underway as you read this) it gathers the band’s most significant tracks from the period spanning 1989 to the breakup in 1999. Stereo and Cut Your Hair will be instantly recognisable to anyone who took an interest in the indie scene in the UK 20 years ago (it makes me shudder to think it was that long ago). Meanwhile, album cuts like Shady Lane/ J vs. S and Date w/IKEA continue Pavement’s pattern of wrapping winding lyrics around surprisingly tight melodies (despite all their efforts to sound to the contrary) that still sound fresh today.

The only criticism that can be levelled at Quarantine The Past is that it gives the desperate-for-new-material Pavement fan what she or he will have been wishing for: something they haven’t heard before. Granted, the tracks have all been given the obligatory run through the digital car wash, but re-mastering Pavement tracks almost robs of them of their raison d’être – they were never about crystal clear fidelity, but rather the quiet, knowing, scratchy warmth of a close friend. Of course, many Pavement fans are obsessive-compulsive completists who’ll buy Quarantine The Past anyway. But it won’t supplant last year’s brilliant and exhaustive deluxe reissues of the band’s original albums, crammed with live recordings, unreleased gems and alternative mixes. No, instead this is the ideal place for a new generation of fans to discover just why Pavement are spoken about with such reverence. It’s an album bursting with songs of charming honesty, intriguing simplicity and that cast the musical mould for a generation.

You can download Quarantine The Past, along with Pavement’s back catalogue, from Nokia Music Store. If you’re a Comes With Music member you can get it all for free.

Should you happen to see Gabriella Cilmi leaping buildings in a single bound, clad in tight blue leggings and sporting a fetching red cape, don’t be alarmed. “This is my superhero record,” the Australian singer-songwriter says of her upcoming album, Ten, with a hint of laughter. “One track is called Invisible Girl and another one’s called Superman, which is quite smooth and sexy… Another track, Defender, is all about going into battle to protect people that you love. I am a bit of a guard dog like that, so if anyone messes with my friends or family then I get a bit mad.” It’s a departure for Cilmi who, following the success of Lessons To Be Learned, could have conveniently been pigeon-holed as yet another white, female Jazz and R’n’B singer. Ten, Cilmi tells us, is “not quite what you’d expect. It’s definitely more electronic than my previous album, which sounded quite retro and fifties.”

The themes of empowerment and musical diversity percolate through the entire album. “I didn’t just want to make Lessons To Be Learned Part 2, that would be a little too easy and probably a bit boring,” reasons Cilmi, who talks with the sort of self-assurance you need when you’ve signed a recording contract aged just 13. Now 18, she’s keen to show that she’s not going to conform to anyone’s expectations but her own. “I had so many different possibilities for this album and have toyed with lots of different ideas. One was to do a New Orleans piano album, but I sat in front of my piano and realised my playing isn’t quite up to the standard of Dr. John or Professor Longhair.” The artists Cilmi references – two of the most celebrated Louisiana Jazz pianists – aren’t part of the average teenager’s CD collection, but they highlight her eclectic tastes and influences. Ultimately it was Donna Summer, the seventies disco diva, who set Cilmi on her way to Ten. “One of my mates gave me I Remember Yesterday and it kind of rocked my world and inspired me, so I started listening to Giorgio Moroder, who did Flashdance and worked with Blondie when they went disco, and other things like Amy Stewart and Gloria Gaynor with I Will Survive. Powerful women on a mission.”

Now Ten is in the bag – it’s released in the UK on 22^nd March – has Cilmi settled on this new sound? “Oh no, probably not,” she responds with enthusiasm. “I have a zillion ideas and don’t know which road to go down. I love all different types of music, so I’m always looking at new things to try out. I would like to make a country record one day but don’t tell my label that,” she adds jokingly. The only constant that Cilmi will admit to, is making music that people can relate to. “I remember this video of Cat Stevens playing Father And Son. The video is him sitting in a corridor playing and I remember watching it and thinking that this is why I want to make music, music that people can feel.” Returning to her musical tastes, Cilmi admits to enjoying everything from the Macarena (“because they say ‘Gabriella’ in it”) and Shaggy (at the mention of whom she bursts into song, giving a quick medley of his hits) to Curtis Mayfield and Led Zeppelin. The latter’s House Of The Holy is a particular favourite. “I am a massive Led Zeppelin fan and there’s something for everyone [on that album], with a bit of everything on it, even some Reggae. I love the variety of it.” Asked if she’s heard Them Crooked Vultures (a collaboration between Led Zep’s bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Queens Of The Stone Age Josh Homme), Cilmi says she’s only heard one track. “My brother’s into it, so I will have to go home and listen to it. I did like Robert Plant’s collaboration with Alison Krauss, it sounded really good.” There’s a pause. “I got to meet Robert Plant backstage at the O2 and made the biggest fool out of myself,” Cilmi says, unable to stop herself. “I was in the queue for food and he was in front of me, so I tapped him on the back and the only thing I could think of asking him was, ‘Are you having the pie or the salmon?’, it was the most embarrassing moment of my life.”

It’s refreshing to hear that Cilmi’s managed to keep her feet on the ground, despite the global success she’s enjoyed so early on in her career, and the number of superstar artists she’s come across in her rise to stardom. “I played in front of Ronnie Wood when I played Jools Holland. When I played Sweet About Me he was tapping his foot along with it.” Cilmi gives the impression that she doesn’t take what’s happened for granted and still gets massive enjoyment from the journey she’s found herself on. “I felt super-special playing the main stage of Glastonbury, it was the best thing in the world,” she explains. “When I got up on stage in front of all of those people, it was amazing.” She readily owns up to still getting nerves prior to performing, despite doing live shows for the last five years. “I used to get really nervous and had to do meditation classes to calm myself down, but now I find that the best way to deal with it is to use my nerves as a fuel tank, to just throw myself into it.”

Cilmi is equally open about the fact that she doesn’t know quite where she’ll be, musically, tomorrow, next month or next year. It’s a trait she finds appealing in others, too. “I would love to collaborate with Danger Mouse,” the innovative producer behind The Beatles/Jay-Z mashup, The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley and, most recently, Broken Bells, among others. “He is so versatile from all of the different artists that he has worked with. I would love him to produce one of my albums,” wishes Cilmi. “Also I would love to work with Justin Timberlake. It’s really interesting to see how he has evolved out of NSYNC to what he is doing now. He would be a good guy to take home to meet your mum. But probably not the type of guy I would take home,” she adds slyly. “I love his music. For a pop artist he is just the king, has some great melodies and when he’s on stage you just can’t take your eyes off him. Yeah, I would definitely love to work with him.” It’s this mix of youthful honesty, unadulterated talent and willingness to acknowledge and expand her musical roots that make Cilmi so compelling. So much so, that you can’t help hoping that she gets her wish.

You can download Gabriella’s single ’On A Mission’ from Nokia Music Store – if you’ve got  ‘Comes With Music’ , it’s completely free! Her new album, ‘Ten’ is out on 22nd March.

I gave up scouring the internets for D’Angelo updates a long time ago cause really… NO ONE has heard anything new from dude since he went M.I.A. post epic opus Voodoo (TEN YEARS AGO). I’ve gotten by on the occasional awesome guest shot but then some news concerning D’s bizarre behaviour will surface and I just go back into my shell of denial and disbelief in D’s chances of a comeback.

So here’s a “new” unmastered cut from D’Angelo: 1000 Deaths.  The track may or may not be showing up on the James River album that may or may not be coming out-EVER. Like I said, I’m over it. But then… this track man… wow… Dude is just baring it all over a bubbling stew of electric funk, casting out inner demons with each mumbled verse turned desperate shriek.  Amazing.  STAY UP D, WE NEED MORE OF YOUR MUSIC.

So Mark Linkous has joined the long list of musicians I love who have committed suicide. Over the weekend it appears that the man who was Sparklehorse took an overdose with the express intention of ending his own life.

Now, Linkous never became a household name, even amongst ardent music fans – and even after suffering a potentially career-enhancing, near-fatal overdose back in 1996 – but Sparklehorse became a cherished part of my music collection over the years. Linkous’ strange, delicate voice and sparse, fragile arrangements were the first thing I reached for when I wanted to wallow in, or be lifted out, of my own misery. Nobody wrote sad songs steeped in Americana quite like him, and nobody seemed willfully experimental enough to pepper his albums with odd, harsh noise or bizarrely evocative lyrical imagery (his frequent mentions of horses and teeth bordered on the obsessive) like him.

Songs like “Homecoming Queen” and “Saturday” from the debut Sparklehorse album “vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot” are masterclasses in quiet, restrained, and deeply sad beauty.

But the song I’ll remember him most for is “Sea of Teeth” from the album “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The first time I heard it, it opened up something inside of me that I can’t really explain. It’s quite simply one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

If you’ve never heard any Sparklehorse, now is as good a time as any to start listening, and this is as good a song as any to start with.

R.I.P.

I don’t know how anything works.
There, I said it.
Technology is something I use every hour of every day – I would frankly be lost in a sea of utter pointlessness if it didn’t exist – but I really don’t know how any of it actually works.
I mean, OK, I understand the vague overall concepts of binary, electricity, light and sound, but getting me to explain how stuff like computers, phones, mp3 players and televisions work using those concepts would be like asking a bluebottle to explain the finer points of Euclidean geometry. The very best it could do would be to vomit on a piece of rotting meat, then suck up the resulting, semi-digested, viscous fluid through its proboscis, which you’d have to agree, probably isn’t the most full and accurate of explanations.
The thing is, I don’t think the vast majority of us are meant to know how these things work. Our brains don’t operate that way. Just look at the way people act on planes. It’s easier and much less distressing just to switch off the part of your brain that whispers in a panicked voice, “Heavy. This thing’s really heavy. How the hell is it staying in the air?” and just enjoy the pretty, pretty clouds. Look, that one’s shaped like dumb ignorance. Beautiful.
The thing is, the way I feel about technology is, I reckon, the way the vast majority of people feel about music. It’s everywhere. It’s essential to our lives. We love it, and our existence would be infinitely less interesting if it didn’t exist. But we don’t know how it works. And thinking about the mechanics of it leaves us cold.
Read the rest of this entry »

If the second album is generally acknowledged to be a band’s tricky proving-point, then what of the third? If you’re lucky then like the third act of a play it would move towards resolving much of the heartache and trauma expressed in the second, reviewing lessons learned and hoping for better in the future.

The Winter of Mixed Drinks

The Winter of Mixed Drinks from Scottish indie folk Frightened Rabbit manages to portray this excellently. Whilst its critically acclaimed predecessor, The Midnight Organ Fight (well there’ve certainly been worse euphemisms for sex) wallowed, even reveled in the still-raw emotion of a recent breakup and its subsequent flailing rebounds (“You twist and whisper the wrong name, I don’t care nor do my ears” – The Twist) their third release gains some ground in moving on from the experience.

Luckily the album feels no less personal and sincere than Organ Fight despite Hutchinson (Scott; writer, lead vocals + rhythm guitar) describing it as this time, semi-fictional. The brutally frank lyrics and all too-familiar emotions however are far from fictitious.

The going is sometimes rough, images of death and lonely desperation rear their heads throughout the album; but this time the voice is more wry, on the outside looking in at the feelings (“When all you need’s a coffin and your Sunday best, to smarten up the end” – Things).

Leading single Swim Until You Can’t See Land rolls and tinkles like the lyrical waves and shoreline that describe someone (let’s be honest, probably Hutchinson) distancing himself from a heartbreak and its deliverer.  (“Let’s call me a Baptist, call this the drowning of the past. She’s there on the shoreline throwing stones at my back.” – Swim Until You Can’t See Land)

The progression of the album is faltering, it loops and returns to an earlier refrain (Man/Bag of Sand) and time is given to instrumental meandering. As it approaches the midpoint it sees our narrator wishing to shortcut this difficult rite of passage (“If this is the prime of life, I wish I could skip the blasted youth, skip the youth it’s aging me too much” – Skip The Youth). But slowly, despite the set-backs and self-doubt some acceptance is gained. The momentum is helped by Hutchinson (Grant; drummer, brother to Scott) using his drumming to drive on the songs when guitars and vocals drift and fade with almost militaristic beats.

This third record also sees the addition of a fifth band member, Gordon Skeene on keyboard.  Whilst it enriches the sound adding a choral, airy sound (see: Foot Shooter; the track most likely to be referred to as ‘epic’ and ‘the one that gets them noticed’) die hard Rabbit fans won’t be complaining of the band over-complicating things. No lilies being gilded here; they won’t be going all Snow Patrol any time soon.

Things turn around though somewhere after the current single, Nothing Like You’s almost gloating accomplishment of having finally pulled someone that although not particularly special has the vital quality of being nothing like the person who so badly wounded him. In the last couple of tracks our protagonist’s outlook brightens as the tunes become more affirmative (“Though the corners are lit the dark can return with the flick of a switch. It hasn’t turned on me yet, yet” – Not Miserable).

Deluxe edition bonus tracks Fun Stuff and Learned Your Name provide a great little epilogue to the main album that may leave you questioning whether all is so neatly finished and resolved…(“And I’m quite all right, I get by just fine; I’m not depressed, not most of the time. It’s just the fun stuff is much less fun without you.” – Fun Stuff)

Frightened Rabbit – Nothing Like You (Alternate Video) – Fatcat Records

More Frightened Rabbit videos on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/frabbitTV

Frightened Rabbit are currently touring, more information can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit

Download Frightened Rabbit on the Nokia Music Store. If you have a ‘Comes With Music’ Subscription you can download as much as you want for free!

I found myself downloading this album after a romantic evening with my fella, looking to continue the loved up state I’m in whilst at work doing the finances. Alicia’s really grown as a songwriter and most of the album did not disappoint with Miss Keys belting out soulful ballads with some awesome harmonies.

Alicia’s influences throughout are noticeable, with a clear nod to Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, TLC, Missy Elliot and Leona Lewis. Tracks like ‘Unthinkable’ (which had me checking the album blurb to see if Tionne from TLC was actually singing) and ‘This Bed’ (an old skool RnB funky love song complete with “I love you, baby” voice-over in the middle) has Alicia demonstrating her full vocal range and clearly shows she is an RnB princess through and through.

My favourite track off the album is ‘Like The Sea’ – the song ebbs and flows with a rhythm that actually had me funking out in my seat and ‘Love Is Blind’, although the generic sliding bass took the edge off the track, it contains a punchy African rhythmic beat, wicked harmonies and a kaleidoscopic vocal in the middle that had me nodding my head in kudos to Alicia.

Like a lot of new album purchases, upon my first listen I actually hated a couple of tracks. ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart’ is way too 80’s electronic, drippy cheese-pop for my liking and had me switching for the skip button half way through. And as for ‘Wait ’til You See Me Smile’, although it contained beautiful lyrics, again sounded too 80’s for me and actually reminded me of 80’s TV drama the Thorn Birds (gosh am I old enough to remember that series?!?). I don’t know whether playing them more will make them grow on me, I have my doubts.

If you are loved up, feeling soppy or just generally like romantic ballads then download it, you won’t be disappointed.

‘The Element Of Freedom’ and loads more music from Alicia Keys is available to buy from  Nokia Music Store. If you’re a ‘Comes With Music’ subscriber, you can download it all for free!

Tom Mcrae 'Alphabet of Hurricanes' OUT NOW!

I became a fan of Tom McRae around 2001.  I went to see him perform at The Anson Rooms Bristol University back in 2003. Since then, I’ve often admired his song writing ability and unique voice which inspired me to start writing songs of my own.

The Alphabet of Hurricanes Is McRae’s 5^th studio album and needless to say whenever I hear of a new studio offering from Mr McRae a real sense of anticipation begins to build.

The best way for me to describe how this music impacted on me is this. Imagine (if you will) buying a new piece of clothing, a shirt or pair of jeans…work with me now…I’ll get to the point. Now, the first few times you put them on and wear them out generally feels a little bit awkward, the material a bit stiff and uncomfortable. Then over time it begins to settle and then eventually it becomes part of you. This is exactly what The Alphabet of Hurricanes did for me. The first couple of plays left me feeling slightly bewildered. There was no ‘big bang’ impact like I expected there would be. It all felt a little bit tepid. This has happened to me before. Much of Bob Dylan’s music didn’t register for me to begin with but overtime this changed. Similary Dave Matthew’s Band I hardly paid any attention too, now they’re my favourite band. It’s weird how things work sometimes.

The Alphabet of Hurricanes sees McRae continue to intertwine humble and heartfelt lyrics with understated but often effective musical arrangement. Piano, brass, wind, scratchy violin, bass drums and acoustic guitar all play their part in keeping the album interesting and varied.

The first few tracks ‘Still Love You’ &  ‘A is For…’ leave you thinking how the rest of the album is going to pan out and whether it will go anywhere. It’s not until ‘Won’t Lie’ & ‘Summer of John Wayne’ come into the mix that you start to recognise the McRae style and flair with the latter of these two tracks really standing out. Here the vocals and EBOW guitar are truly inspiring and a spine tingling experience. ‘Told My Troubles To The River’ is one of the songs that still doesn’t work for me. The Lyrics are good but the music (for me) doesn’t work and feels a bit like oil and water in that they don’t mix well. The next 3 tracks are probably the best on the album. ‘American Spirit’ is an emotionally charged triumph of a song with beautiful arrangement and and a soaring vocal. ‘Please’ is also an excellent track and reminded me of the ‘Just Like Blood’ album he released in 2003 with the perpetual rhythm and bold chorus. ‘Out of the Walls’ is great purely for its simplicity, the piano really works and the subtle but effective EBOW shows its face again to provide a haunting background. There is also an interesting section towards the end of the song where the tempo appears to speed up. Whether this is deliberate or not I’m not sure but it was refreshingly good. ‘Me & Stetson’ is a real toe tapper and the reverse reverb piano at the beginning really sets the impetus for the song well, a good tune. The album finishes with 3 tracks ‘Can’t Find You’, ‘Best Winter’ & Fifeen Miles Downriver’ that are all stirring tunes. Nothing big and bold here rather more personal tales that tell a story that you feel have a true but private meaning. On reflection this was a nice way to finish but it took me a while to really get used to it.

In conclusion I wouldn’t say this album has won me over quite yet, but it’s certainly getting there quickly. Because I’m such a fan of Tom McRae I’m willing to persevere with it. Sometimes you have to really reflect on what you’ve just listened to in order to truly connect with it.

7 /10

‘Alphabet Of Hurricanes’  and loads more music from Tom McRae is available to buy from  Nokia Music Store. If you’re a ‘Comes With Music’ subscriber, you can download it all for free!

Monday mornings are made for Phil Collins. They are not to be interrupted by the likes of iamamiwhoami posting yet another chuffing video! It’s too early for me to be thinking about who it is, or who it isn’t, and it’s totally interrupted the chilled mood I had going with Big Phil crooning in my ear. Tut.

So I shall leave it to you guys to muse on… Who the heck is it???? You know the drill…