It’s that time of year…

When we all need a holiday. And I like pretty infographics…

Educate your Ears with… ROYKSOPP Remix

Those unmistakable Norwegian masters are back and treating the Eple faithful to a couple of free tracks available on their website.

http://royksopp.com/track-of-the-moment

New track ‘Shores of Easy’ is a soaring, swirling reminder of just  what  makes them Royksopp, but it’s their remix of the Irrepressibles –  ‘In this  Shirt’ that is the stand out. Trust us, it’s good.

James

 

ROME – ‘Seasons Trees’ feat. Norah Jones

 Danger Mouse & Danile Luppi release “Season’s Trees”, the latest single to be taken from their super Spaghetti Western themed opus ‘Rome’.

“Season’s Trees” features the honeyed vocals of jazz poster girl Norah Jones wandering delicately over a backdrop provided mainly by a restless bassline and some slightly melancholy strings, all of which combine to present us with a track which could quite easily be from the Zero 7 songbook.

Danger Mouse Season’s Trees glides through your mind and Jones’ silk-tinged voice works perfectly as a vehicle here, providing the only real change in melody. This is both a strength and a weakness, as you want to listen to it again when it ends but this is mainly because you’re worried you’ve missed something. It’s great background music.

Dangermouse’s production & Luppi’s arrangement is subtle but effective, though, this is still destined to be one of those songs that ends up on a coffee table compilation, where people can say “Who’s singing?, is it Norah Jones?, good to hear she’s still doing something.”

‘Season’s Trees’ is out now on EMI.
‘Rome’ is also out now on EMI.
3 out of 5

One to Watch – BASTILLE – Flaws/Icarus

 South-London based 4 piece ‘Bastille’ continue to gain  prominence with their recently released double ‘A’ side  Flaws/Icarus.

Originally the solo brainchild of singer-songwriter Dan Smith,      the recent formation of Bastille as a band has seen his music  quickly gather momentum, a successful appearance on this year’s  festival circuit giving an indication of things to come.

First track ‘Flaws’ is a wonderfully stripped back slice of alternative indie-electro pop, showcasing the vocalist’s descriptive tone on a song that makes sensible use of harmonies and electronic accents to cleverly accompany a melancholy but infectious melody.

It’s Icarus however, the undercard of the double ‘A’ single, that is arguably the stand out track. With a nod to the infamous Greek myth in the chorus, 80’s sensibilities, piano driven harmonies and locomotive percussion combine to orchestrate a track ripe for the foot stomping festival circuit.

With an album and tour to follow later in the year, Bastille may well be about to trouble Britain’s airwaves on a regular basis…remember you heard it hear first.
Flaws / Icarus is out now via Young and Lost club
3.5/5
By James

Educate your Ears with….Alpines – Cocoon

 

 

Hotly tipped South-west London based duo ‘Alpines’; aka Catherine and Bob (which wouldn’t have been quite as catchy a name), release new single ‘Cocoon’, a hauntingly beautiful 3 and a half minutes of innovative alternative pop.

 

Soaring across like the harmonious ghost of an unrequited love in an empty nightclub, ‘Alpines’ have presented us with a song which garners favourable comparisons with the likes of Portishead, Antony and the Johnsons and Burial; an emotionally entwined story, steeped in regret.

Building from a solid beat, with a classic electronica bass and temporal synths, the song builds into a powerful chorus: “I want you / more than I think you do / and I used to / be blinded by you”.

Catherine’s voice is one of those that you’ll either love or hate, but it’s undeniably unique and works in sync with the dense backdrop sharing many of the fragile hypnotic qualities which has made Kate Bush’s voice so distinctive.

3.5/5

Cocoon is out on the 22nd of August – Polydor

London Gigs:
August 16th – Old Blue Last
August 23rd – XOYO

/ Review / – The Electric Modern / Cuba Cuba @ Water Rats

I received a text a couple of weeks ago from a friend, inviting me to this gig to see his ‘new favourite band’. I accept, it’s a good chance to have a catch up, as he doesn’t live in London. Thusly, when the 5th arrived and I turn up outside the Water Rats (one of my favourite intimate venues in London) I realise I have absolutely no idea what to expect.

The Electric Modern took me back to my late teenage years, with a performance of upbeat, riff-driven american style punk-pop, that reminded me of Fall Out Boy, but with a British tinge around the edge. There’s nothing particularly new or original about their sound, but there doesn’t need to be.

If you want a good performance, and some music to get your feet tapping to then you should give these guys a listen, their stand out track was ‘Oxygen’ – with a catchy ‘ooo ee ooo’ chorus that (after slight encouragement, and geeing from an enthusiastic member of the crowd) everyone sang along to. Good, polished fun.

Cuba Cuba have a similar sound, but have added more of an edge and some more ‘intelligent’ writing. Again, it’s food-tapping sing-a-long stuff, but is more reminiscent of Bloc Party. They have a bright future.  Sadly by this point, the evening was running behind and there were less people in the crowd to enjoy what was a great set, ruined (as with the Electic Modern) by a sound engineer who sadly couldn’t mix. Stand out tracks were ‘We Rode’ and ‘Bonus’. Definitely a band on the rise…

Loved both bands and performances, it’s a shame about the sound.

/Old School / – Cardigans – Higher

When I was younger, I used to have a 30 minute walk to college or work, or where-ever I was going that wasn’t near home, which was pretty much anywhere.

On these long winding walks, I was so grateful for my walkman (TAPES MAN, TAPES!) on which I used to play mixes that I’d made (old school ‘burning’) mixed with songs from the radio.

On occasion, I was lucky enough to have an entire album by one single band. One year, towards the end of the walkman’s era, I was given ‘Gran Turismo’ by The Cardigans for my birthday, and I’ve loved it ever since.

This was one of the songs from that album, and those walks, that has stuck in my head.

Always struck me as an odd choice for track 6, mind you.

Amy Winehouse – RIP

I don’t think there’s much more to be said.

/NEW/ – Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle

The Boys are back in town – and continuing the slightly poppier sound from ‘Ivy and Gold’, they’ve produced another track which is guaranteed to make you get your funky flip-flops on and make you feel like you’ve experienced a 4 minute version of British Summer.

You won’t not like this.

LIVE – PRINCE – Hop Farm Festival

 Sunday night saw Prince Rogers Nelson, formerly ‘Symbol’ but better known as ‘Prince’, perform his first, hotly anticipated, open air gig in Britain for nearly 20 years. ‘This is real music…by real musicians’ repeatedly proclaimed the pop funk legend on a night that will live long in the memory for the 30,000 assembled in the serene, quintessentially English surroundings of Kent’s Hop Farm.

Arriving on stage to feverish applause, dressed head to toe in white, with trademark white heeled boots that only he could get away with. Prince immediately thanked the audience for their attendance and quickly banished any whispers of a diva-esque, phoned-in performance by hyping up the crowd with a classic old skool funk jam, cleverly used to introduce his exceptionally striking band, as well as for a quick live soundcheck for what turned out to be a monster 2 1/2 hour greatest hits set.

First up was ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ and the crowd duly obliged, before flowing perfectly into ‘Delirious.’ A sudden explosive flash and an unmistakable wave of synths sent the crowd ecstatic as Prince unleashed a turbo charged version of ‘1999’. Moving effortlessly for a man of 53 and clearly happy to be here, Prince charged around the stage, the crowd in the palm of his hand, all chanting in unison to his every request. For a star often shrouded in controversy and secrecy it was genuinely surprising to see him so open and at home. It seems his 50’s have brought him a comfortable maturity where he is less about being a ‘Symbol’ and more into showing why he is one of the greatest performers and musicians of the last century.

Classic hits ‘U got the Look’, ‘Raspberry Beret’, a slowed down ‘Little Red Corvette’ and ‘Cream’ quickly followed before Prince changed the pace with a hypnotic, soulful rendition of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. Prince even found time for a bit of comedy, slyly suggesting ‘that was of course Sinead O’Connor’s track’ before cheekily noting ‘nah…I bought a house with that song’

The highlight, and finale of the set was an extended performance of Prince’s signature hit ‘Purple Rain’ and was arguably one of the greatest live performances this reviewer has ever seen. Prince’s haunting vocal floated mesmerically over the crowd, who were a combination of dumbstruck and euphoric as the song built to its timeless chorus. Prince has always been an incredible instrumental talent and none more so then here with a classic guitar solo that signaled the firing of Purple and Gold confetti into the sky, his own ‘Purple Rain’ mixing with the tears of many of the people of the assembled, everyone realising they were witnessing a truly epic moment.

‘Do you know how many hits we’ve got? We’ll be here till this time next year.’ This was the statement and start of Prince’s three encores, delivering a steamy version of ‘Kiss’ and even finding time for covers of Play that Funky Music and Sly and the Family Stone’s Everyday People, before the festival curfew ended a near 3 hour musical odyssey.

Nearly 25 years on from his peak, Prince is still one of the most exciting, virtuoso performances in the world today. In the sad absence James Brown and Michael Jackson, we are truly lucky to have him, they really don’t make’em like they used to. We can only hope he’s around for many years to come.
5 out of 5

 

James