Pocketbooks - whispered, and then harmonized indie pop that makes me think of a Mario Kart 64 tune more than imported Swedish indie pop. Which this isn’t. Pocket Books: London, lo-fi, piano accelerated journeys, things not changing, the 1990’s, The Go Team with the colour taken out, and Belle And Sebestian members awkwardly inserted. The result = vivid + distinctive*indie-pop*.
First things first: Please go and vote for my site at the BT Digital Music Awards: In the best music blog category. It’s a UK music award, and I don’t see it saying you can’t vote more than once with different email addresses. And you can vote once every day! [Link]
Muse released an incredible sci-fi/ western/kung fu music video for Knights of Cydonia a few months ago and no-one told me. It’s one of the best videos of the year. [Link]
Los Campesinos: UK buzz band. It’s realism time @ Drowned In Sound “Los Campesinos! are charming, attractive and above all have the potential to become something very special. Right now, though, I just wish they’d be given a little more room to grow” [Link]
One of the best UK mp3 blogs Spoilt Victorian Child has called it a day. Hopefully the record label arm will continue to release great music. They released Victor Scotts album “Happy Days” a while back and it’s still one of my favourite albums. Get it now.
The Wooster Collective street art/graffiti blog used to have a lot of their artists create some brilliant 20-100 minutes mixes and then deliver them in podcast form. It’s got me into a lot of fantastic hip-hop music and I would seriously recommend it to any discerning listener looking for something fresh. I honestly can’t stand a lot of indie when I’m listening on my iPod - these mixes are perfect when I’m on my bike or just aimlessly wandering from place to place. All the podcasts are still available to download. [Link]
The band VS band ruckus after ‘Generic Enterprise and Freudian Metaphysics 101′ at Poptown’s art school yet again fails to reveal any individuality in these bland, awkward post punk types.
Well The Royal Treatment plan are a different band. They are the ones who didn’t even bother going to class: they already know it all. They are not afraid to throw the first punch, they aren’t afraid to get stuck in and they are making some promising and enduring music in the process.
“You Don’t Need Me” and “Trained” are post-punk tales we have heard whispered before, but you’d usually have to travel about 3500 miles from London to New york to witness it delivered with such velocity and precision. R.T.P are Britains answer to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sonic Youth induced rock, pop and punk sensibilities. The subtle and almost melodramatic Princecess P “makes the dark side seem attractive” and with delivery like hers it won’t be long until we all succumb to it, to the power and to The Force.
MP3: The Royal Treatment Plan - You don’t need me
The latest Not Your Usual Bollocks Podcast is available now. Go and download the show now + subscribe. MK shares a range of hot, fast and intresting music all really intrestingly presented. [Link]
Drowned In Sound: Not since White Town has the British undercurrent of ‘bedroom music’ been so interesting. Is there a real resurgence in the idea of a studio-free existence? [Link] Recently featured bands like Emmy the Great and Jeremy Warmsley illustrate the trend.
Albert Hammond Jr solo songs were rejected by The Strokes [Link]
New Banksy art @ The Wooster Collective. He’s gone and stencilled a possibly not live elephant [Link]
Here at Nothing But Green Lights I try to write smart posts about new British music that is really good and can be appreciated by a lot of people. There are a lot of other places to find new British music online. Click the map to read the A-Z.
"...Afrobeat has gone all desert-storm, with instrumental precision: an assault of funk and drum... the sandstorm churned up behind it betrays kilowatts of energy and a solar rhythm" [11th May: more] | [Photo credit]
"Grandiose in a run down country house kind of way. Perhaps a lament to the old hedges carved to take the form of a pride of lions, but now, sadly but a shadow of their former sense... It’s like folk music recovering from the revolution: rejuvination and lost memories of the songs that rallied them."
[12th September 2007: more]