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  • Los Campesinos signed to Wichita. Cribs/Bloc Party/ Bright Eyes have rested in this stable for some time. Fantastic news for one of the best unsigned bands of the year. They have a new song “Frontwards” at their myspace page.
  • “Young at Heart” covering Fix You. Read more about Young At Heart here
  • North Korea forced to restrict the sale of Ipods. Microsoft to fill gap with music player that functions just as well as bricks, say sources.
  • the Hegelian dialectic of irony and sincerity in the evolution of hipsterdom. Superstructural semiotics for the scenesters. They get hipsters, we get fucking new rave and indie-shite like The View. That’s it, I’m moving, red states have gotta be better than rain, rave, and the run of the red party. Maybe Canada will do…

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    Non music links:

  • Little Planets?
  • Stencil art + cleaning the tunnels of Brazil’s underground. Rather original to say the least.
    More Underground art “DO NOT FALL IN LOVE“. They call it culture jamming, but it’s really cultural observation and reapropriation. If you dig that sort of thing.
    “Mind the Smack” and “Stand clear of the Whores“
  • Animation + Urban Decay in Reality. a short animation. Do you recognise these types?

    • Tags: UK Music by Mike Smith
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    Sleeping States

    Songs about NYC, by British artists? I would struggle to consider New York and recreate it in song, all I could do would be to take what people have told me, shown me, and what I have found and write something, I’d probably call it “NYC though through not me”. The U.S is a place I’ve no doubt I’ll visit in the next few years but until then, it’s British guy writing about their experience. “…the same bruised croon as Beirut’s Zach Condon” so Said the Gramphone… it’s all the wonderful things about voice, and it’s a fantastic interval to what could otherwise be a very ordinary busy and yet strangly light day. This song might not brighten up your day, but here’s to hoping it help you appreciates intervals, space and people telling you stories about the Americas.

    MP3: Sleeping States - Trip to NYC

    Also available to download from his myspace page, “Don’t make me Over”. Said the Gramphone, as alluded to earlier has the tracks, has a 3rd tracks and a wonderful commentary on “Rivers” available for your enjoyment and general listening pleasure.

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    In other news, I missed “No Music Day” . Well I say I missed it, the day still occurred, I just happened to listened Joanna Newsom’s album Ys and couple of times, then attended Quantic Soul Orchestra feat. Spanky Wilson, which proved to be one of the best gigs of the year. No Music Day is a nice idea, and though not observing it, just being aware of the state of our musical intake is always worth a few minutes of reflection - be it once a year for a day, or just as a background noise. But then again, the organiser has been portrayed as a Machine Gun utilising sheep murderering inflation assisting anti-celebrity. So choose your idols + organisers wisely.

    Tags: UK Music by Mike Smith
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    LINKS

  • Drowned in Sound:” ‘Bootlegs’ of singles played live and then sold legally to the audience after the show are to count towards top 40 sales.”
  • Economy Wolf (who I posted about a few days back) have a fantastic song called Yellow Kudra, and an excellent video available here. It be a man doing an “interpretative dance” in the grasses. In his short shorts.
  • Microsoft’s zune mock-up pic:: “Share music=get laid/but then the next morning the music you share is gone, just like a one night stand/DRM, it’s like that empty feeling/it’s ok. you weren’t compatible anyway”.

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    Non Music Links:

  • Lions fighting elephants.. Photo from the BBC’s Planet Earth series
  • Cycling at full speed through New York City. Bike messengers are apparently on crack. Or at least that’s one way of metaphorising this madness. Youtube Vid
  • A new story every day. A word extra in each new story every day. We are up to 17 words. My favourite so far: Day 14, 14 words; “Graceful Corruption”

    “Don Mangione! You really want me to…?”

    “Take a dive, yes.”

    “But… it’s ballet!”

  • Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney. Youtube Presents easily digestible Marxist - from the happy and scary Disney superstructure.
  • Speed Flying. Skiing with your parachute open to navigate the tricky bits. See the shorter video or see the detailed, longer and grander ride down the mountain.
  • Make it seem like you are in a firs-person-shoot-em-up all day with this PDF/Cut out.

    • Tags: UK Music by Mike Smith
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    Economy Wolf

    Another band with Wolf in the title! These guys will be big in oh seven. And it’s not that you can’t make music like this. It’s just people don’t. It doesn’t sound like 2006. It’s makes me think of 1992, a classic year when things were so much cooler. Cool was cool. Phones were big. Clothes were greys, and France was so hot. Now this Economy Wolf track is one of the best tracks of the year, and I hope it makes up for a lack of posting lately. Economy and the Wolf sing this song in French, and are set to release their debut album early next year over here. It’s already going to be my favourite album of 2007. Nay. I jest. But it is a great track, so click the play button below, or download it, save it to your harddrive, put it on your mp3 player and jog until you find sun or rain. Because this song is inspiring. Seriously, it’s all about 0:27–>.

    MP3: Economy Wolf - It’s all behind you

    http://www.myspace.com/economywolf

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    Anyone who even thinks of calling this lo-fi New Rave or Folk New Rave gets a poke in the eye. I’m looking at you NME. You can fuck right off calling the Knife the dark side of New Rave. Electro is enough. Fuck off. I hope that doesn’t count against future job prospects. (I still love you Connor)

    Tags: UK Music by Mike Smith
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    Links

  • Drowned In Sound link how yet another venue (Oxford zodiac) has been turned over to the “Academy” Music Group, with the death of the London Whale “May it, alongside the varied and interesting bill of artists playing the Zodiac rest in peace.” [Link]
  • Drowned in Sound also turned 6 recently, and they’ve been counting down their top 66 albums of the last 6 years. Go find out what they all are [Link]

    My top 6 albums of the last 6 years are

    6 The Strokes - Is This It
    5 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
    4 McLusky - Do Dallas
    3 The Go Team - Thunder Lightning Strike
    2 Daft Punk - Discovery
    1 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

  • The latest Take Your Medicine Podcast is available now. [Link] Download or search “Take Your Medicine Podcast” in Itunes Music Store to download the free new music show.
  • There’s a fantastic remix of Depeche Mode covering Personal Jesus floating about. Head over to Acid Girls to get it. [Link]
  • “Universal said it was only fair to receive payment on devices that may be repositories for stolen music.” Microsoft and Zune go a bit wacky offering Universal free money. Why? Maybe to screw Apple? Or maybe to fend off lawsuit derived from Microsoft allowing wi-fi sharing of music (with 3 day expiry date). Hopefully, someone will circumvent that protection soon enough…

    • Why all of this sets a dangerous precedent for musicians and music lovers.

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  • Non Musical Interesting Reading: New Yorker: The city’s bicycle zealots. [Link]

    Tags: UK Music by Mike Smith
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