http://www.culturedeluxe.com/ Culturedeluxe is updated regularly with the latest single reviews. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:28:23 GMT http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6283 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6283 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Dancing on the coat tails of Empire Of The Sun, perhaps is not the best way to start a career but, to my ears, it sounds like the fantastically named "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool" have been listening very closely indeed.&nbsp; It`s not necessarily a bad thing as they seem to sound a little more convincing, and take the very current 80`s sound to back their vocals. Interestingly, it doesn`t really work the first time you listen to the track, but after a few days, I had that bloody chorus echoing round my head for the rest of the day. Just wait a few years and they`ll turn into Depeche Mode. I have my fingers crossed. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6369 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6369 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Gather round children and I’ll tell you one of the great love stories of modern times. Biffy Clyro and BBC Radio 1 had met at a party several years ago but, after a brief flirtation, lost contact. Several years passed and the star-crossed lovers led their separate lives, Radio 1 having flings with several unsavoury characters, Biffy Clyro hoping for one more chance of happiness. On one fateful night Biffy decided to tag along to the launch party of ‘That Golden Rule’ and caught a glimpse of Radio 1 across the room. Their eyes met. Sparks glistened in the lamp light between them. A few drinks later they stumbled back to Radio 1’s place where they spent several weeks getting down and dirty. Now, with ‘The Captain’, it won’t be long until we find Biffy Clyro has moved in with Radio 1 to continue their great love affair. She won’t be able to resist the powerful opening chords, the epic, rousing chorus and the promise of stadium sing-a-longs that it brings. Take note children, for this is proof that some stories do have their happy endings.<em></em> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6373 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6373 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT What`s Scotland`s most successful export? Whiskey? Well, yes, it probably is. Tell you what it should be though: music. Straight up. Scotland is ripe for crackin` bands. From the ear shattering Mogwai, to the lush pop of Camera Obscura, via the twee stylings of the brilliant Ballboy. And then on top of that you`ve got Boards Of Canada, Remember Remember and Errors for those that like things a little more dance-able. Recently, them that live north of Hadrian`s wall have been asserting their skills once again with the likes of Frightened Rabbit, Glasvegas and We Were Promised Jetpacks releasing debut or sophomore efforts to much critical acclaim. It looks like there may another band to add to that roster: Copy Haho. They just need to play their cards right.<br><br>After a couple of limited 7" singles in 2008 and an EP released earlier this year, Copy Haho release Wrong Direction on Too Pure`s monthly singles label -- so if you want one of the limited to 500 copies you`ll have to be pretty quick. Side A finds the band, well, sounding not a million miles from early Libertines. It opens quietly, backed only by a lazily picked clean electric, then in comes a hooky riff and we`re off. However, to write Copy Haho off as a Libertines rip-off -- yet another tawdry scene band trying to emanate the lazy swagger of Doherty &amp; Barat -- would be oh so wrong. What they`ve managed to do on Wrong Direction is capture that genuine energy that was found on the Libertines` early work. Demons &amp; Gods on the flip-side carries on in much the same fashion: three minutes and 22 seconds of well-realised, poppy, good time indie rock. &nbsp;<br><br>Wrong Direction has got pace, drive, a shout-along chorus, a false ending and it`s catchy as fuck. Album please!&nbsp; ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6345 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6345 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Jo Fo’ are back with noisier production, heavier guitars and their brilliantly aggressive attitude. On single, Criminals instrumentation and trademark loud lyrics battle it out for attention before settling for a civil partnership in the chorus. It’s all good stuff of course, as pissed off Johnny Foreigner always is, with Kelly sounding particularly angry in the build up to the capital dissing choruses: <em>"London’s run by criminals, they sold you out, they sold you out!"</em><br><br>This erratically-natured new A side maintains a frantic pace throughout featuring some particularly impressive guitar-work from singer Alexei.&nbsp; After producing songs with such forceful energy, one can only wonder how they get through their live shows… ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6355 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6355 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT <P>It seems narrow-minded somehow to comment on it, yet irresistible all the same, that three lads from Watford could have such a preternatural grasp of the American college rock. </P> <P>Something about it seems childish and boring. Oh you guys, form one place but sounding like you are from the other place. And yet in this case I feel I can’t not mention it. There has always seemed to me an ethereal yet vast difference between alternative rock(s) on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. As a teenager I could never understand why so few British bands could do the widescreen drama that their American counterparts could. Where were our Pixies and Pavements and Pumpkins? There was, and still are, loads of British bands I loved, but they just couldn’t capture the nerve- tingling strangeness of life the way my American heroes could. For anyone who felt this way when listening to ‘Shady Lane’, finally a British band has arrived who has shaken off our national inability to operate on those grand American terms. Younghusband have a sound which is quintessentially born of the US underground. The trebly, dreamy guitars are a languorous joy, pregnant with faint melancholy and the promise of something to relieve it. Younghusband write instantly engaging melodies, and have the rare ability to find the magical chord which will turn the song on its head when its time for the chorus. ‘Idiot Son’is the second EP the band has released and marks a step forward in their abilities. </P> <P>The lyrics of chief songwriter and vocalist Euan Hinshelwood are more assured in their ability to relate a narrative this time around, one of the choice picks comes from track 2 ‘Black Boots’: “I dropped the bombshell, and you caught the bombshell, and you cut the wires, cos lightning won’t strike you, and you’ve got such a fascinating view”. The slightly cryptic lyrical style suits Hinshelwood’s delicate, navel-gazing delivery, which is the one part of Younghusband’s sound which is identifiably British. So maybe there was some mileage in the question of geography after all, but ‘Idiot Son’ is a very good record regardless of the terms it’s approached on.</P>... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6370 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6370 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Ahead of Editors’ third LP we were promised a dramatic reinvention, one that would split opinions amongst fans and critics alike. ‘Papillon’ is our first taste of this and it doesn’t fail to deliver. Gone are the spiky guitars that so deeply characterised ‘The Back Room’ and ‘An End Has A Start’, replaced instead with an irresistible synth hook that drives the track to its conclusion. Couple that with a brooding bass line, Tom’s signature deep vocals and a refrain, ‘<em>It kicks like a sleep twitch</em>’, that may well become one of the bands iconic lyrics, and you end up with a track that celebrates their reinvention and throws us headlong after them. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6362 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6362 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT With his amphetamine-skiffle and a lyrical style more suited to the hippy-dippy world of Welsh pranksters Gorky`s Zygotic Mynci (`<em>If you were broccoli I`d turn vegetarian for you</em>`), Stourbridge`s Rob Jones returns with a re-release of his debut single - bolder, bigger and still boasting a spiky bassline that would make his deceased Black Country namesake `The Bass Thing` proud.&nbsp; <br><br>This time round the lead track is packaged with three new EP bedfellows.&nbsp; There`s the short, quirky shuffle of `Arctic Climate` leading a vibrant polka around Trumpton`s village square while a bemused Windy Miller looks on.&nbsp; There`s the hollow banjo of `Heart Too Bored to Beat`, every inch the equal of The Last Shadow Puppets` cinematic echo-pop, just minus the pomp, orchestral grandeur and zeitgeist-clinging hype.&nbsp; Finally there`s the end-of-the-pier, last-dance-with-your-Granny of `Vending Machine` which combines cosmic, lo-fi waltz rhythms with the bingo call of life; a masterful piece of psychedelic folk.&nbsp; Thanks for sending me this EP, I won`t be trading it in. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6363 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6363 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT What The Candle Thieves lack in rock `n` roll kudos and cynical hostility they more than make up for in sunkist, shimmering pop.&nbsp; That`s possibly where the problem lies with much of the self-explanatory `Sunshine EP`, it`s as sugary as dipping a Wham Bar in cola but sadly lacks the fizz of each.&nbsp; While potential peers on the ever-growing folk-pop circuit (now the natural successor to the tiresome `indie-pop` genre) often season their twee output with sordid lyrics about how the singer nearly once touched the "privates" of a member of the opposite sex, The Candle Thieves are sadly candy-peddling eunuchs; stuck outside the big top while the more macho members of the genre entertain inside the circus of twee.<br>... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6273 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6273 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT <P>Take the backbone of We Are Scientists and splodge it with a slightly rougher, garagey coat and you have Gay Blades. If this analogy is anything to go by then the whimsical riffs in `Hey She Say` would lead you to believe that this is the band`s `Great Escape.` </P> <P>This is a no nonsense release, that could out swagger White Denim. The raw energy created by the band should allow any listener to empathise with their excitable heart on sleeve approach. There is a tinge of whinge from the singer that may put the emo-bashing contigency off. But open ears will realise that it`s all in the name of Gay Blades quirky, fun nature.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </P>... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6367 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6367 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT After seeing (at a distance) what I could of Coxon performing at this years Glastonbury festival, the prospect of more of his solo work coming to public light became increasingly exciting, and so he closes the year with a double A side release of `Brave The Storm` and `Dead Bees` (the latter of which honestly wouldn`t go a miss on a Blur album). The track trundles along at a steady but firm marching pace, with trademark Coxon guitar noise complimenting the dark feel - almost close to a Gorillaz track even. A strange choice though, given that the vocals dissipate less than halfway through, hardly commercially accessible, right? <br><br>On the flipside, `Brave The Storm` sees the geeky guitarist team up with female backing vocals and a gentle acoustic line.&nbsp; The lyrical delivery seems rushed in places, though clocking in at over five minutes, it`s hard to tell if the track is coming or going. In the end, it does deliver as the strongest track of the two, but nothing here seems to stand out. I can only hope his future holds time spent alongside his fellow Brit pop bandmates, where he belongs. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6361 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6361 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT As the name suggests, The Drums cleverly interpolate the traditional roles of lead guitar and rhythm section, bringing the oft-unsung members of the band to the forefront and sending the axemen sheepishly to the background - and that`s even when Jacob Graham and Adam Kessler`s understated, repetetive licks beautifully evoke memories of Dick Dale and other surf-rock royalty.&nbsp; What this gives us is an antidote to the hopelessness of Joy Division, with lyrics telling instead a tale of a perfect day spent surfing down at the beach with not a care in the world.&nbsp; All the while the music echoes the tight, metronomic danceability of Macclesfield`s finest but with Ian Curtis` doom-laden bellow replaced by Jonathan Pierce`s wistful, insouciant falsetto.&nbsp; The sea may be a little cold this time of year to actually catch some waves of our own, but this fine debut single is easily the next best thing. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=5876 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=5876 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT <p>How to make your band an easy target for press vitriol: Lesson one. Give yourself a egotistical moniker such as `The Great` or in this case `The Phenomenal`.</p> <p>So is `15 to 20` by The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band phenomenal? Well, if a numerical answer to `Wordy Rappinghood` by the Tom Tom Club fills you with celebratory joy then, yes I&nbsp; guess this could be considered extraordinary or remarkable.&nbsp; As for the rest of us, it`s just a likeable, percussion heavy, funk jam with plenty of cowbells and a little hand clapping ...though that`s not `phenomenal hand clapping` I hasten to add!!!</p> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6284 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6284 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT It`s fair to say that this track may be familiar to many, as it has been around in its original intrumental form for some time. It`s nothing new as far as Deadmau5` style goes either - the usual large epic "Stadium House" bandwagon that Calvin Harris has also recently jumped on board - basically rescuing the large trance riffs back from the cheesy euro-trance that`s dominated the charts for a good few years. It`s a good trick, just now - but give it a year and we will be sick to death of these kind of tracks.<br><br>Speaking of one track tricks, enter Rob Swire of Pendulum. Although it`s a million miles from Pendulum, his vocodered vocals are instantly recognisable, and fit pretty well into the track in a kind of nondescript fashion. It does sound a bit like somebody thought the instrumental would sound better with a vocal to get into the charts to be honest. Not bad, just not especially memorable. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6347 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6347 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT Duck Sauce is the collaboration between Brooklynite house god Armand Van Helden and Montreal’s turntablist and party dj A-Trak. The EP and forthcoming album ‘Greatest Hits’ are sort of a homage to the looping, filtered disco tracks of the 90s popularized by the like of DJ Sneak and Van Helden himself. That’s not to say they sound dated though, they have added just enough new production magic (i.e distorted synths) to them to make them sound current. `aNYway` is the obvious standout of the EP, looping and filtering the Final Edition classic ‘<em>I can do it (anyway you want)</em>’ into a disco anthem for the Annie Mac generation and the shiny style bar dwellers alike.&nbsp; ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6327 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6327 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT With its quirky drum-fill intro ‘Drumming Song’ quickly establishes itself as Florence and the Machine’s loudest release so far and offers a near perfect match of lyrical content to music. The rhythmic nature and repetitive lyrics help to create a claustrophobic, almost urgent atmosphere until the listener almost feels their own heart pounding along. It would have been easy for me to describe this as an album highlight, but, on an album that contains ‘Dog Days Are Over’, ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’, ‘Kiss With a Fist’ and the sublime ‘Cosmic Love’, it seems as though album highlights are simply run of the mill. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6328 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6328 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Cinematics are a Glasgow-based band - not that you`d be able to tell from merely listening; that familiar Glaswegian drawl that so many band`s from Scotland`s largest city seem to thrive on has been lost for an altogether more American-emo twang. This track? It`s well heartfelt, yeah?<br><br>The main sentiment of New Mexico is that our protagonist is standing in a car park in New Mexico (obviously), with $50 on his phone, trying to call his girl back home. Now there`s no reading between the lines here; lyrically it`s pretty blunt. Anyway, international roaming charges `n` all means that all he`s left to do is ponder "Are we staring at the same stars?" I`m going to say that if your `girl back home` is on British soil then no, you`re not. Seven hours time difference. I looked it up.<br><br>Fey, emo sentiments aside, we`re presented with a track which is all wide shimmering guitars, four-to-the-floor drums and driving bass. As a band, The Cinematics have toured with the likes of Editors and We Are Scientists; if it wasn`t for the shadows these bands have cast then maybe they`d be getting more recognition.<br> <br>For me The Cinematics don`t really have enough going for them - on the strength of this single at least - to convince anyone they`re doing anything which is more than "not bad". Ultimately this is Hollyoaks-indie*. It`s anthemic indie music by numbers. Maybe the imminent second album will throw up a few instances where the band are will to veer from the formula.<br><br>*I`ve been reliably informed that when Mandy`s baby died on Hollyoaks they played Bonnie `Prince` Billy`s <i>I See A Darkness</i>. For that they get mad props. That`s right, mad props. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6324 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6324 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT It seems like a lifetime ago (and for the average UK metal fan it probably is) since Senser first delighted us with their caustic mix of bandsaw guitar, dance samples and acid-spittin` delivery of agit-rock lyrics.&nbsp; Surviving a 50/50 split when the spine of the band left to form Lodestar, only to reform almost completely some years later, this is far from the first new release in years from the band.&nbsp; However, it is the first for some time to prick up our ears and find us taking notice once again of the band who looked likely to blow all others aside in pre-Oasis era.<br><br>`Resistance Now` is alarmingly similar to the material on Senser`s much-loved debut album `Stacked Up`.&nbsp;&nbsp; In fact, all but the staunchest fans of old would fail spectacularly if the track were presented `Pepsi Challenge` style alongside fifteen year old singles and the challengers asked to "root out the new `un".&nbsp; It is then a testament to the vintage of 2009 which finds Heitham Al-Sayed in electrifying vocal form, rapping in English and French, with the evergreen Kerstin Haigh backing him up spectacularly.<br><br>With metal remaining massively popular with teenagers across the country, and with an increasing recognition of those who have gone before by each new set of pubescent fans, let`s hope the political message of Senser inspires the marketplace in the same way Green Day`s diluted `American Idiot` did.&nbsp; Anger, angst and agitation are so much better aimed at authorities than the alternative apathy and antichrist adulation.<br><br>Anyway, the band`s old fans are in for a treat...<br> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6262 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6262 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT "Indie pop wankers!&nbsp; Jangly twee fuckers! Soft, shandy drinking C86 revivalists who are too scared to rock!"<br><br>Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sheffield four piece The Crookes,here to absorb the blows and insults thrown by people who think poetic melodies, "oooh" harmonies and jangly guitars are the worse musical combination since George Formby decided that the eclectic guitar wasn`t for him and picked up a ukulele instead. Both `The Colliers Wife` and `By The Seine` emulate the sound of the mid-80s indie sound to perfection, managing to keep the light, summer pop sensibilities that made the whole scene so endearing all those years ago. An essential listen for anybody who believes that guitars don`t necessarily have to be cranked up to eleven in a song and a suitable riposte to anyone who dares shout any of those phrases at them. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6320 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6320 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT <span lang="EN-GB">A bit of a missed opportunity here. ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ has a glorious, electro cinematic opening refrain which promises great things to come. Unfortunately, and in complete contrast to its uplifting beginning, the vocal melody is slightly confused and drab turning what could’ve have been the feel good song of the autumn into a good effort at best. Maybe someone should do a remix - without the vocal.</span> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6315 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6315 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT A year and a half on from the often unsettling yet universally acclaimed `Street Horrrsing`, this duo appear ready to redraw the line some inches, if not feet, above their debut LP.&nbsp; `Surf Solar` materialises and dematerialises in under four minutes which, for this act, is rarely enough time to get started.&nbsp; However, with a drum machine adding a steadying, mechanical influence to the analogue synth swirls and the chattering, clattering samples, this is the closest Fuck Buttons ever have (and probably ever will) come to a "pop" record.&nbsp; That`s pop if your culture happens to be big on transcendental synth nightmares instead of the banal garbage that litters our current hit parade.&nbsp; <br><br>B-side `New Crossbow` finds them contemplative, more reserved, and toying with around 20 loops: sub-sub-basslines, lolloping chugging machinery and satanic harps.&nbsp; But it`s the ever-building, always pulsating industry of the A-side that will have music fans gleefully awaiting their second full LP and a full length version of this modern masterpiece.<br> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6293 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6293 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT There`s something deceptively, yet knowingly, unprofessional about the production of Big Pink releases.&nbsp; The bass channels` volume is set so high in the mix that apparently intentional clipping occurs and, if you`ve ever heard the band live, you`ll know this appears to be their wont.&nbsp; It`s a shame as, without this idiosyncrasy, `Dominos` would sound almost identical to the early 90`s output of, ooh, World of Twist and that would be rather a nice thing.&nbsp; As for the subject of the track, well, if Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze want to stack girls up in a line and push them until they fall, one by one, into each other then that`s entirely their own business...they`ll just have trouble keeping them all standing with that intense bass shaking the room to its foundations. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6285 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6285 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT It`s an uncompromising beat that starts this track out, and when the voice booms "Mega" after this short lead in, it`s difficult to argue - dancehall-infused beats are the order of the day. With very little to the track other than a simple riff played out on rave-stab-101 keyboard plug in on Abelton live from the duo, sometimes it`s little more than is needed. One to cause dancefloor devastation rather than home play, but with their current status, I doubt the duo will care less. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6346 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6346 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT Since last year’s ‘Mars’ single and all the mystery surrounding the identity of the producer (Touche from the Wiseguys and The Black Ghosts)&nbsp; there was a lot of talk online about what the follow up single would sound like. The remixes he completed didn’t give a great deal away as they ranged in style between each one and his dj sets were more of a performance over four turntables than a showcase of the musical ground he might be covering in the months to come. <br><br>The title track on this ep is a slightly novelty sounding disco house workout that never really gets going enough to keep up with the countless other electrodisco records doing the rounds right now. ‘I think I Like It’ succeeds more at the looping, disco style, although also suffers from sounding very novelty. Thankfully the b-side, ‘The Dozens’ is in a similar style to the record that the Fake Blood name was made from, rolling along with a growling bass tone this will probably be the record that does the most damage on the dance floor. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6317 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6317 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Post punk, Gothic nonsense courtesy of O’Children, which is frankly more Inca Babies (remember them – thought not) than Bauhaus. In a definite case of style over substance, vocalist Tobias growls over rumbling bass and twangy, single note guitar lines taking the song, melody wise….well nowhere really.&nbsp;</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">The lack of melodic substance almost seems set up, enabling the possibility of sound tracking a vampire movie (you know the&nbsp;scene&nbsp;where the hero/ heroine walk through a dark, basement club while pretty Goths dance slowly around them, that sort of thing).&nbsp;Which, if you are a fan of the current glut of teen horror movies, makes it kind of cool, I guess?&nbsp;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">‘The Disco Dancers dead ...the bats have left the bell tower etc. etc…&nbsp;</span></div>... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6321 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6321 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT I had difficulties playing this promo. The dog ate my homework ... so to speak. That`s why I`m a little past on this review, but better late than never. Which is much how I feel about this EP too to be honest - UK (Grime) Hip Hop has largely passed me by over the last few years, so I`m possibly not best qualified to write the review of this 4 track EP. What I can say however is that lead track "Wave 2 Da Floor" has a heavy bassline that needs to be heard on a loud soundsystem to truly appreciate - it`s a mix of Wu-Tang style oriental chords with some neat beatboxing, then that sped up digital dub bassline hits - and that`s before we get to the sub-bass. The rhymes are tight with barely space to let the brain catch up with what it`s hearing. Someone needs to make a drum &amp; bass remix of this also please though as it`s got all the elements waiting for the killer makeover. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6286 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6286 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT One of the best tracks on the Dub Pistols` long player `Rum &amp; Coke` deservedly gets a single release. It`s been many years since Lindy Layton`s vocals so memorably graced a dub reggae track, which I`m sure will have special memories for a lot of readers. Together with Rodney P, the easy skank of `I`m In Love` deserves to be all over the radio and become a summer hit. Just hope it`s not too late given the usual British summer weather, but even if meteorological conditions don`t allow, the song itself will be sure to bring a short spell of sunshine into your life.<br><br>Remixes include a dubstep influenced remix from Cotti, and electro-house turn from the Groove Diggerz, an aptly named Cosmic Dub from Sunday Best and equally blissful dubbed out vocal version from RSD. Dub Pistol`s themselves also helpfully throw in a deep dub version. Pick of the bunch however is from the too hot for words Foamo who turns in a fidget house monster with some smart electro dancehall style percussion. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6288 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6288 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT ‘To My Bones’ starts off harmlessly enough in a shuffling, acoustic indie by numbers sort of way, which is actually not that unpleasant on the ears. Then the chorus kicks in and the whole thing goes Coca-Cola advert shaped as the Irish lass sings of fisticuffs and having lots of love, whilst in the video all her (video) friends dance around her smiling, laughing and singing along. Horrible, just horrible. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6291 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6291 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT Perhaps the most worrying thing about indie nearly-rans ¡Forward, Russia! (apart from that pesky upside down exclamation mark that you have to cut and paste every time you want to use it) was the fact they named their songs numerically leading to such ridiculous gig conversations as "Hey, what do you think of `nine`?", "Not as good as `seventeen`, mate."&nbsp; One act following in these footsteps (size nine, by the way) are instrumental experimentalists Three Trapped Tigers.&nbsp; Following earlier releases, `EP 2` charts the band`s progress through songs `6` to `9`, each showing a slightly different side. &nbsp;<br><br>Lead track `6`, probably leading through design than writing chronology, is by far the most ear-friendly and certainly comes as a gentler introduction to the band than, say, the noisy, metal abstractions of `8`.&nbsp; It also comes with an in-built nod or two to early Boards of Canada and recent Holy Fuck.&nbsp; Fans of the band will already be familiar with `7` from its recent outing on a <em>Too Pure Singles Club</em> release (along with old fave `1`) and the electronic dancehall bass, coupled with loose drum rhythms and walls of doom synth will please those of a more abstractionist persuasion.&nbsp; But, wait, didn`t we ask for a gentle introduction earlier?&nbsp; LOok no further than the bar piano player on the moon ambience and cosmic alien invasion of `9` - the perfect steady-yourself dénouemente to an earlier experimental and seat-gripping climax. ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6282 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6282 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT This was one of the tracks which really made us sit up and take notice earlier this year.&nbsp; If the deliberately sharp, bonafide rave stabs that introduce this track didn`t grab Prodigy fans of old by the ears, then the breezeblock drumbeats, rumbling bassines and a gigantic, fire-breathing breakdown certainly should have.<br><br>`Take Me To The Hospital` is a wily gem from Liam Howlett, it`s deliciously reminiscent of The Prodigy in their 90`s hey-day, but it also cuts a swath through the output of countless studio kids - those who have been spending stacks of cash picking up original hardcore rave 12"s from before their time, only to be surpassed with apparently little effort by one of the pioneers.<br> ... http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6171 http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6171 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT Now, here`s a timely morsel of new material from Friendly Fires, whose eponymous debut album has delighted increasing numbers since its release last year, culminating in a deserved Mercury Prize nomination.&nbsp; Produced by Paul Epworth, `Kiss of Life` is a multi-layered clatterfuck of intense percussion, dissonant basslines and helium vocals and will sit nicely alongside previous triumphs `Paris` and `Jump in the Pool` as their cocksure, if slightly less exciting younger brother.&nbsp; When Klaxons finally emerge sheepishly from the studio with their second album, don`t be at all surprised if it sounds exactly like this.<br> ...