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

/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.

/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.

Nicola Roberts – You know, Girls Aloud. Ginger…

The one off Girls Aloud who you know because she’s not any of the others… turns out, she’s actually quite good as a solo artist, and will hopefully prove that it really IS the quiet ones that surprise you. Her debut single ‘Beat of My Drum’ is below, and it’s actually really very good. And , from a shallow point of view she looks damn good in the video.

Admittedly she doesn’t look entirely comfortable as the focal point of the video, but she’ll get used to it – the album, based on this interview for the Guardian sounds interesting, and if the album continues in this song’s vein, we could be in for a cracker. So without any further ado, and with much production from Diplo, (you’ll definitely recognise one of the samples) pray silence please for; Beat of My Drum.

RvJ Top 50 Glasto Countdown #22 – Eels

Where to start with today’s choice: Eels.

The protagonist (which does seem appropriate with Eels) of the band, E seems to have been around forever, his distinctive vocals and gentle melodies instantly winning a place in the heart of anyone who listens to them.

Taking his first steps in the musical world with a couple of Solo records in the early 90’s, E became Eels in 1995 when E, and drummer ‘Butch’ met Tommy Walter. Their first release (1996’s Beautiful Freak) has gone on to become known the world over  as it contained the classic songs ‘Novocaine for the Soul’, ‘Susan’s House’ and ‘Your Lucky Day in Hell’.

1998’s follow-up release ‘Electro-Shock Blues’ was a darker effort, focussing as it did, mainly on a very difficult time in E’s personal life, proving that music was his catharsis.

It was up to 2000’s ‘Daisies of the Galaxy’ to brighten the mood again – and it did, helped in part by ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’, THAT song which includes the wonderful line: “Goddamn Right, it’s a beautiful day.

Since then, he’s added a further 6 LP’s to his already impressive collection – including the concept albums of Hombre Lobo, End TImes and Tomorrow Morning (2009-2010)

So much more to write, but no space: This is a band, and man, that has to be seen, if you haven’t already. He truly is one of music’s greats. You can see him/them on Sunday, on the Other Stage, in the evening

Choosing a taster was an incredibly hard choice – I could’ve picked any of the above songs – but you can google them. Instead, I’ll leave you with an upbeat effort from 2009’s Hombre Lobo, “Beginners Luck”.

Robin

Tomorrow: Crystal Castles

RvJ Top 50 Countdown #21 – The Go! Team

 Take 6 Brighton based alternative dance enthusiasts, add a dose of indie garage rock , a sprinkle of  electro, a dash of hip hop and soak in a rich broth of  happy- clappy, jump around samples and you  have something approaching The Go! Team.

Vocalist Ninja and the rest of the gang first hit the scene of the 2004 with the critically acclaimed,  slow burning masterpiece -‘Thunder, Lightening Strike.’

Albums ‘Proof of Youth’ and most recent ‘Rolling Blackouts’ have seem them successfully occupy a mid-sized niche, they never seem to be troubling the top of any charts but their strong performances and relative global appeal have seem them still appear a mainstay of many different festivals, one of those acts I guarantee you will say…’Oooh they do that one.’..especially as the Go Team’s music seems to have heavily appeared on T4 vignettes for the last 4 years.

Loud, explosive and something for everyone, give the Go Team a try when they hit the West Holts stage early Sunday evening.

Today’s Taster: Well…it’s got to be LadyFlash.

James

Tomorrow: Eeels

RvJ Top 50 Glasto Countdown #20 – Aloe Blacc

Number 20?! That means there’s 4 weeks to go, pop-pickers… so if you haven’t started already, I suggest saving.

Or, do what today’s pick did, and write a not so subtle song requesting help.

Aloe Blacc (and his band ‘The Grand Scheme’) sprung into the public consciousness with the infectious ‘I Need a Dollar’. (Dollar, dollar is what I need) Beginning his solo musical career in 2003 – he had already released one album (Shine Through – 2006) before the aforementioned single (from latest album – Good Things) gave him what he was asking for.

Prior to this, he had been part of the indie-rap duo ‘Emanon’, with Exile – sadly not related to a similar sounding rap artist from later in the 90’s.

Playing on the West Holts Stage on Saturday evening, Blacc is a talented soul-singer and rapper whose sound is very funk and soul orientated – think Cee-Lo Green meets Raphael Sadeeq: and his performance is bound to be one of those where you find yourself dancing away until suddenly… He needs a Dollar….

To prove he’s more than that – Today’s taster is the funk-tastic ‘Loving You is Killing Me’

Robin

Tomorrow: The Go! Team

RvJ Top 50 Glasto Countdown #19 – Those Dancing Days

 Today we bring you the bubble gum indie pop of the  hotly tipped Swedish female 5 piece – ‘Those  Dancing Day’s. For those that don’t know the band formed in 2005 while the members were all still  in school and signed to Wichita Recordings in 2008. ( in no way shape or form have I just copied  that from Wikipedia ).

Their name derives from the Led Zeppelin song “Dancing Days” but they sound nothing like the Lords of Rock and a lot more like the an indier Go Team! with less people and a lot less shouting. Instead they provide us with beautifully Anglo-indie pop sensibilties with a soulful voice that fizzes over their electro dabs and jangly guitar fuelled style, eminently qualified for festivals and worthy of a wander down to the Park stage on the lazy afternoon of the Saturday.

Todays Taster:  Run, Run.

James

Tomorrow: Aloe Blacc

RvJ Top 50 Glasto Countdown #18 – DJ Shadow

Today’s choice is the acclaimed DJ and producer, Joshua Paul Davis, aka DJ Shadow.

Creating and constructing a wide variety of songs with imaginative flair, mainly based in funk, soul and jazz: his first album ‘Endtroducing’  (1996) was created entirely from samples, and gave us such classics as ‘Midnight in a Perfect World’ and ‘Building Steam with a Grain of Salt.  Both Endtroducing, and the follow up, ‘The Private Press’ were a massive soundtrack to my uni life, and since then have continued to play a part in my regular listening habits.

Since his first release, he has produced work for UNKLE, collaborating with James Lavelle, and released 3 further albums – depending less on samples as time has gone by, and creating more of his own music, without losing that distinctive ‘Shadow’ sound.

DJ’s like Shadow are always interesting to watch live, perhaps less performance than watching a band, but definitely no less skill, and generally some awesome tricks thrown in to wow the crows… he’s headlining the John Peel stage on friday night – up against a little band called U2 – but I really don’t think his crowd will be lacking.

The Classic: Midnight in a Perfect World.

Robin

Tomorrow: Those Dancing Days

RvJ Top 50 Glasto Countdown #17 Plan B

 Number 17…? Are we on Number 17 already? Jeez….well today we look at someone who has more  association with the number 1, a certain Benjamin Paul-Ballance Drew, the rapper/singer,  songwriter, actor, film director *breathe*, Ivor Novello winning, multi platinum selling artist., a.k.a.  Plan B.

Plan B has been kicking around since 2005, collaborating with many rap, grime and garage artists and was a little more hardcore in his lyrical content than we are currently used to. It was of course 2010’s the Defamation of Strickland Banks, a new soulful direction for Plan B, that presided over his stellar rise to fame.

I’m yet to see him live, but with a full big band in tow, I’ll wager it will be a crowd favourite when he plays on Sunday’s Pyramid Stage, a well deserved stage for the multi-talented ‘chav come good.’ I’ll leave you with 2010’s most played song on commercial radio, smash hit – She Said.

James

Tomorrow: DJ Shadow