Remember Me (Blueboy Cover)- Tame Impala

A wonderful cover by Aussie psych rockers Tame Impala of the 90s hit song Remember Me. The boys have put their own little twist on it and in my opinion absolutely nailed it.

The xx - Crystalised

Released : 18 August 2009
Album: xx (out 17 August in the UK, no confirmed Australian release date)
Length: 3:21

Touted as one of the band's to look out for in 2009, this British teen band had alot to live up to. And they haven't disappointed. Crystalised is the first single for the band and its painfully simple structure and sound makes its thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are shared by the two guitarist. One male and the other female, their dark brooding yet oh so innocent voices leaves you begging for more. The most interesting and unique thing about this song comes in the third minute of the song where the two voices intertwine in the most unorthodox of ways as the male voice sings one line his female counterpart respond creating this cryptic conversation between the two. Truly stunning.

The Killers Live at V Festival 2009

Last weekend saw one of the biggest music events of the year, V Festival 2009 held over two days in two English cities, Staffordshire and Chelmsford. The Killers headlined the Chelmsford stage on Saturday night in front of an enormous crowd of over 70 000. The band chose to close their set with two of their biggest hits from their debut album Hot Fuss. First on this video is Mr Brightside, the popularity and legacy of this success is evident in how the crowd drowns out Brandon Flowers' vocals throughout the song. They ended the night with their era-defining indie anthem All These Things I've Done with a wonderful sing-a-long towards the end. This video backs The Killer's reputation as one of the best live band's going around at the moment.

Stillness is the Move - Dirty Projectors

Released : 25 June 2009
Album : Bitte Orca
Length : 4:10

A very different track from the indie collective. It gives very much a RnB vibe with soulful vocals. The song is a stand out track on their album Bitte Orca not only because it is excellent but because it is so unlike everything else. It's highly melodic, has an addictive riff and very catchy lyrics. Fans who are accustomed to their unique and at times other worldly sounds will be dissapointed by the sound and those who are new to the collective will find this track slightly misleading as it is not a very good representation of the rest of their music. Nonetheless I love this track and I know many of you will especially those who enjoy a bit of RnB.

Welcome

Hello to all new readers of the blog especially those who have discovered it through Macquarie University's Grapeshot Magazine. I would like to thank everyone at Grapeshot for publishing my reviews and articles in their wonderful publication over the past 2 months. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for them and look forward to continuing to do so in the future. Due to this new found exposure I will be making some new adjustments to the blog to make it more user friendly. The changes will come in over the next few days. These changes will mean that the blog will updated on a more regular basis with a greater emphasis on new tracks and Youtube videos, mostly live performances.

Please spread the word :)

Oasis and Placebo Cancel; Lily atThe Ashes; Luke Steele with Jay-Z;

The biggest names in rock n roll are dropping like flies. Last week I reported several tour and show cancellations due to illness or injury within a band. This week matters only grew worse with Placebo frontman Brian Molko collapsing on stage during the band's performance at the massive Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. The cause of the sudden collapse has been attributed to fatigue, jet lag and a form of Asian Flu. Unfortunately the band has had to cancel their entire forthcoming American tour which was to run through September and October. The band hopes to make up for those shows as soon as possible. According to the band's management this is only the 3rd time Placebo has cancelled shows in their careers. On the other side of the world over 75 000 eager fans in Chelmsford England were anticipating Oasis' headlining performance at the V Festival. But only a matter of hours before they were scheduled to hit the stage and less than 18hrs after playing in Staffordshire the Britpop heroes called off the show due to a viral infection which had brought down lead singer Liam Gallagher. It was meant to be the final show of the band's 15 month world tour.

As much as it pains me to write about this I will include this. English pop starlet Lily Allen has spent much of the past week (along with most Poms and Aussies) following the 5th and final Ashes Test Match. Lily was spotted in the crowd with a new "friend" watching the game and listening to the BBC commentary on the radio. She also played the main stage at the V Festival which was being held nearby. During her set she praised the English teams performance at one stage exclaiming "I fucking love the cricket!". Her set was dominated by songs from her highly successful second album It's Not Me, It's You.

The most incredible piece of news to be announced this week was the inclusion of West Australian artist Luke Steele on the opening track of Jay-Z's highly anticipated Blueprint 3 album. The Sleepy Jackson and Empire of the Sun star will more than likely be singing on the chorus of the song. Steele's second band Empire of the Sun which also includes Pnau frontman Nick Littlemore has enjoyed enormous success in the UK and the lead single of its latest album Walking on a Dream is starting to receive solid exposure in the US. This might just give the band the extra boost they needed to crack the difficult American market.

Humbug - Arctic Monkeys

Released : 21 August 2009
Label: Domino
Length : 39mins
Personnel:Alex Turner (Vocals and Guitar)
Matt Helders (Drum)
Nick O Malley (Bass)
Jamie Cook ( Guitar)

The best way to tackle this album is to take it track by track as the album changes pace and vibe with each song. My Propellor is vastly different from the openers of the band's first two albums, the song gradually builds and it gives us an insight to the band's new 'stoner rock' influence with dreary vocals from frontman Alex Turner. Crying Lightning was the first release from the album and it is nothing short of brilliant. The lyrics are cheeky, the guitar work is intricate, the bass is typically melodic and Matt Helders once again proves why he is one of the premier drummers going around at the moment. This is followed by Dangerous Animals which is the reminiscent of Favourite Worst Nightmare, with its bass loop and almost spoken lyrics. The complex riff and solo will push the band when they perform this song on stage. Turner's second band Last Shadow Puppets have had a major influence on this record and that is most evident on the 'stringy' Secret Door, this will undoubtedly divide fans but its quality is undeniable. Potion Approaching is once again reflective of co-producer Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age) influence but it's one dimensional drumming and monotonous vocals is a let down. Unfortunately matters do not improve on Fire And The Thud which struggles to bring together any sort of coherence or passion. Thankfully the next track Cornerstone gives a beautiful Beatles-esque sound and an inpeccable vocal performance from Turner. A real highlight. The stoner rock returns with Dance Little Liar but this time we have rolling drums, a bouncy tempo, dark lyrics and some wonderfully weird guitar effects. The album reaches a spectacular climax on Pretty Visitors with thundering drums exploding out of the speakers and the best line on the album 'what came first the chicken or the dickhead'. The final track The Jewellers Hand is not unlike the closing track on Monkeys' first two works and most importantly it is equally is brilliant. Humbug in one word. Subtle.

Rating : 8.5/10

These Are My Twisted Words - Radiohead

Released :17 August (leaked 11 August)
Length:5:38

Another song taken from the post- In Rainbows sessions. The song isn't quite your regular Radiohead track. The vocals don't come in until the 3min mark and the tempo remains pretty constant through out. Nonetheless the band proves they are still at their majestic peak. The way the guitars dance around each other is simply stunning.

New Moon Rising - Wolfmother

Wolfmother have returned with another new song. This time fans have got their first taste of their forthcoming album Cosmic Egg coming out in October. New Moon Rising is very much a return to form for the band after a rather poor response to Back 'Round. The guitar work is more prominent and the drumming really gets the feet moving. Lets hope there's much more of this on the new album.

Kasabian, Jet and Aerosmith Frontman under the weather

There seems to be something going around the world of rock n roll.

British rockers Kasabian are down under at the moment doing some promotional work. Unfortunately frontman Tom Meighman has gone down with swine flu like symptoms and has been admitted to hospital in Sydney. Subsequently the rest of the band has been quarantined in their hotel rooms. There was a special acoustic show scheduled on Wednesday night which had to be cancelled. Guitarist Serge did talk with Triple J. The interview can be downloaded here

Jet frontman Nic Cester has been rushed to hospital after collapsing onstage at a gig at The Hard Rock Café in London.The singer first collapsed after performing only two songs, however then got straight back up joking that he must have swine flu. Three songs later Cester collapsed for a second time and was then taken from the stage and rushed to hospital. Jet's 3rd album Shaka Rock will be released on 25th August.

Rock band Aerosmith have called off the remainder of their summer tour in the wake of singer Steven Tyler's on-stage accident last week. Aerosmith had been scheduled to tour Canada and the US until 16 September. Tyler suffered head and shoulder injuries after falling off stage at a concert in South Dakota. He was subsequently airlifted to hospital before travelling to Boston to consult with his own doctors.

Wonder - Lisa Mitchell

Released : July 31 2009
Label:Scorpio Music
Personnel: Lisa Mitchell (singer/songwriter)
Dann Hume (producer)

Former Australian Idol finalist (this will be the first and last reference to that show on this blog) Lisa Mitchell has dropped her highly anticipated debut album after an extensive stint over in London working with some of the most respected songwriters and producers. To date the Victorian singer-songwriter has released two highly acclaimed EP's which has included hits like Incomplete Lullaby and Neopolitan Dreams, the latter being one of the many highlights on this lush sweet album. The cute factor runs off the meter right from the opening moments which has Lisa seemingly walking down a path singing to herself. The stand out tracks are peppered throughout the albums with radio-hits Stevie and Coin Laundry giving the album a more sensible pop feel. Listening to this album I can't help but draw comparisons between Lisa and English folk pop sensation Laura Marling, who in 2008 released her debut Alas I Cannot Swim at a similar age as Lisa. Both girls possess stunning voices but Laura's musicianship is far superior making her record more enjoyable and interesting even after dozens of listens. It doesn't help either that Lisa carries the same tone and attitude through the entire record which is about 5 tracks too long (referring to the Special Australian 15 track edition). With these songs she could of made 3 brilliant 5 tracks EP's instead of a full length. Nonetheless Lisa now has enough songs in her repatoire to put on some great shows.

The deluxe edition of the album comes with 4 excellent demos. The iTunes version has yet another 3 demos.

Rating : 7.5/10

Grohl + Homme + Led Zep; Michael Jackson This Is It Movie; Wolfmother Album Details; No More Radiohead Albums - 12/08

It has been a little while since I updated everyone on music news. So here is all the biggest news from the last few days.

First up is an update on the rumours flying around in early July about Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age songwriter Josh Homme and legendary Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones collaborating together in a new supergroup. It was all confirmed last week when the trio announced themselves under the name of Them Crooked Vultures. They have set up the essentials for every 21st century rock band with a new website and Twitter page. Furthermore the band played their debut gig in Chicago on the 9th. Hitting the stage after midnight Grohl got behind the drums, Homme played guitar and unsurprisingly Jones was on bass and keys. They ripped through 12 songs which they recorded together in Los Angeles in July. Below is a sample of the new band's music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qR59OKj0CI

Last weekend a LA court gave the greenlight to producers of Michael Jackson's This Is It tour to release a film created from the hundreds of hours of footage that was captured during rehearsals for the singer's cancelled London shows. The movies will be released into cinemas around the world on October 28. Some of the footage captured in the Staples Center will be shown in 3D and the entire film will be reviewed by the Jackson family and associates, ensuring that in no part of the film is Jackson portrayed in a negative light.

Aussie rockers Wolfmother have set a release date for their 2nd album. The band which now only includes one of its original members will be drop the follow up to their self-titled debut on October 12. The album titled Cosmic Egg will have 12 tracks including the first official single off the record New Moon Rising which will be released on October 5. The only taste of the re-shaped band fans have had so far has been the track Back 'Round which will not feature on the album. There are also strong rumours that Guns N Roses guitarist Slash will be on the album.

In Rainbows may just be the final Radiohead album we ever hear. Despite having spent the last few months in the studio with long time producer Nigel Godrich, the band apparently have no intentions of releasing a new LP anytime soon. In a recent interview Thom Yorke commented that 'we can't possibly dive into that(album releasing) again. It'll kill us." Instead the band will plan bring out singles and EP's. Nothing is certain at this time but what is certain is that in two weeks time the band will headline the Reading & Leeds Festival in the UK, which boasts one of the, if not THE best line ups for any festival anywhere in the world this year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_and_Leeds_Festivals_line-ups#2009

RHCP ARE BACK

On 3rd August Red Hot Chili Pepper's drummer Chad Smith told the media that the band was planning re-banding in October to start planning out their next album after a 2 year hiatus. During this time each member has pursued their own projects. Bassist Flea has made guest appearances on several albums as well as studying Music Theory at USC for a year. On the other hand lead guitarist John Frusciante brought out his 10th solo album The Empryean back in January but did not do a tour in support of it. RHCP frontman Anthony Kiedis produced a TV series about his own life in LA. During 2009 Chad Smith was part of the rock n roll supergroup Chickenfoot along side greats like Joe Satriani and Sammy Hager. The band released an album this year which was unfortunately poorly received nonetheless the band has sold out their American Tour which will end in October.

RHCP's last album Stadium Arcadium was released in 2006 and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. The band tour on the back of it for close to 18 months playing 140 shows the last of which was at the Leeds Festival in August 2007. At this stage there has been no official confirmation from any other members of the band or their management. Some sources close to the band claim that all 4 members are on board and are looking forward to begin writing.

Ready, Able - Grizzly Bear on Letterman

One of the bands of the year were invited for the second time by Letterman to appear on his Late Show and on this occassion they actually performed. The band chose to play a lesser known track off their brilliant album Veckatimest. The song sounded simply perfect with some extra musicians on stage with them. Ready, Able is one of the many highlights on Veckatimest and live on stage is sounds just as spectacular.

Pearl Jam Stadium Tour; All Points West Festival; Coldplay on Simpsons

( This writer will attempt to hold in his excitement about the following piece of news)

American rock band Pearl Jam have announced their Australian/New Zealand Tour for November 2009. It will be an all-stadium tour and will visit each major city in both countries. This will be Pearl Jam's first tour down here since 2006 which saw the band play Newcastle for the first time. The tour will be in support of their forthcoming release Backspacer coming out on in September. The band has stated that the shows will be one-night-only events.

November 14, Perth, Perth Oval
November 17, Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
November 20, Melbourne, Docklands
November 22, Sydney, Sydney Football Stadium
November 25, Brisbane, QSAC Stadium
November 27, Auckland, Mt Smart
November 29, Christchurch, Lancaster Park

Tickets go on sale August 17. WOOOHOOO!!!

Jersey's All Points West Festival came to a close on Sunday night with British soft rock megastars Coldplay headlining the main stage. The opening day of the festival was marred by heavy storms which delayed the start of the festival by 4 hours. Things eventually got going at 4:10PM leaving the tens of thousands of fans frustrated and angry. Headlining Friday night was local legend Jay-Z who was replacing The Beastie Boys, he dedicated his set to the band's ill member Adam Yauch. Other highlights on the night were Fleet Foxes and Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Homegrown band Vampire Weekend survived heavy storms to complete an excellent set in front of a very large crowd. The mood of the festival changed entirely on Saturday as the main stage was taken over by prog rockers Tool and their graphic imagery. Also on stage were Brits Arctic Monkeys and a surprise performance from Ice-T. Sunday was host to a stunning line up of bands including Coldplay, MGMT, Elbow and Mogwai . Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had some fun with the muddy weather telling the crowd "We're four people from Britain who grew up in the mud and the rain,so we take our hats off to you New Yorkers and New Jerseyers for surviving what could only be described as a mud jacuzzi." The New York Times described the festival the next morning as 'All Points Wet'

Briefly, Coldplay are set to appear in an forthcoming episode of The Simpsons. The band will reportedly be hired by Homer to play a private concert for him and Bart after he wins the lottery.

Horehound - The Dead Weather

Released:July 14
Label: Third Man Records
Personnel: Jack White (Producer, Drums, Guitar and Vocals)
Alison Mosshart (Vocals and Guitar)
Jack Lawrence (Bass, Vocals)
Dean Fertita (Guitar and Keys)

Jack White is back after finishing his world tour with The Raconteurs and recording the official song for the latest James Bond film. The first taste we got of this album was Hang You From The Heavens a real throwback to the early days of Led Zeppelin, it was hard-as-nails rock n roll. Alison Mosshart's vocals could of been mistaken for Jack who instead opted for a backseat placing himself behind the drums but is still very much in control of the band without doing a Phil Collins. Jack hits the drum with finesse and elegance whereas Allison comes out with her fists and doesn't back down. The band apparently finished this record in a matter of days, entirely inspired by extended jam sessions. That isn't reflected on the album, the songs are tight and structured with all the qualities of carefully written and produced piece of work. The highlights are held very much in the first half with I Cut Like A Buffalo and Treat Me Like Your Mother, both tracks offer a level of anger unheard on other Jack White produced records. Above all the hero of Horehound is bass playing extraordinaire Jack Lawrence. Every track on the album is defined by its brilliant bass line, each has its own character and feel. This compensates for the embarrassingly poor guitar work that features throughout this album, it's weak and uninspiring and is compounded by the fact that you have one of the best guitarist of this generation sitting behind the drums. Nonetheless this isn't the record you might expect from musicians of this calibre but a solid effort.

Rating : 7.5/10

Uprising - Muse

Album: The Resistance (out September 14)
Release: 3rd August
Length:5:90

The first official single off the forthcoming album The Resistance has leaked almost 24hrs before its world premiere on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. In a previous post I included a preview of the song in which Lowe claimed that there was a rap-section in the song. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything it really reminds me of the eclectic American art rock group Battles. A grinding dancefloor ready bass line, a beat that belongs on a Peaches song with 'we-will-fight-to-the-end' lyrics. There is nothing all that wrong with this track, it's actually quite enjoyable to listen to. The only let down on this track would be the rather dull guitar work, I understand that this is very much a bass driven song but I'm sure there are countless Muse fans out there like myself who prefer their guitar driven songs. I don't see this song adding to the anticipation of The Resistance but it won't hurt them.