How you doin?

Another week, another slew of amazing new releases.

Put down that pancake, O useless, floppy, oily, excuse-for-a-12″-record, laying limp and fattening in your pan… and once more observe the mantra of the web monkey, repeat after me:

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC! Get yourself down to your local record shop / internet webshop / high street retailer / mail order co. / digital download store and buy more music!

When not flinging his batter ceiling-ward with great abandon, your humble web monkey has mostly been getting excited about……

OUT NOW ::

BAND OF SKULLS – ‘Sweet Sour’ (Electric Blues Recordings)

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DAMIEN JURADO – ‘Maraqopa’ (Secretly Canadian)

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HOOD – ‘Recollected’ (Domino)

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JIM WHITE – ‘Where It Hits You’ (Loose)

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LIJADU SISTERS – ‘Afro-Beat Soul Sisters’ (Soul Jazz Records)

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MY BEST FIEND – ‘In Ghostlike Fading’ (Warp)

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PERFUME GENIUS – ‘Put Your Back N 2 It’ (Organs)

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RYAN TEAGUE – ‘Field Drawings’ (Village Green)

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VA / DJ SNEAK – ‘fabric 62: DJ Sneak’ (Fabric)

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PLUS! As there’s an ‘A’ in the day today (and a vowel in the month), the ever-dependably ace Thrill Jockey records have approximately one million records out this week – including brilliant new longplayers from guitar-fx-loopstation maestro Dustin Wong (with ‘Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads’ on CD/LP), the Fiery Furnaces’ Matthew Friedberger with his latest vinyl-only solo opus (wittily entitled ‘Arrested On Charges Of Unemployment’), Pontiak with their brilliant new album (‘Echo Ono’ on CD/LP),  two very warmly welcome vinyl re-issued classics in Trans Am’s ‘The Surveillance’ and Tortoise’s ‘Standards’ – as part of Thrill Jockey’s 20th anniversary celebrations this year (more on this later, ron) – and lastly, but by no means leastly, Wooden Shjips with the vinyl-only limited edition 12″ ‘Remixes’, which – featuring as it does reworks by both Andrew Weatherall and Sonic Boom – has to be *the* hottest biscuit in the jungle biscuit barrel for your humble web monkey’s people (the black-rimmed specs chapter of the Nerd tribe of Nerdobia) this week.

Listen to a soundclip, by clicking: HERE.

To play us out… I defy you to name a fiercer album opener than this stone cold classic cut from Tortoise’s ‘Standards’, the Sonny Sharrock-styled soaring sky-scraper ‘Seneca’.

Turn it up and ENJOY.

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Right, that’s enough alliteration from me, i’m off for some Jif and crunchy white sugar.

That’s the problem with Pancake Day – it always leaves me feeling a bit…. flat.

HA!

Web Monkey signing off…..Adieu for now!

…

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Greetings surf-burgers!

How you doin?

Your humble web monkey here, with another fabulous blend of Wit, Waffle and – as befits today’s date - Womantic Wuv, from the world wide web.

Without further ado, let us once more let loose the reins of reality and plunge ourselves into the whirling miasmic vortex of Joycean stream of consciousness, Burroughsian cut-up logic and Kerouacian beatnik enthusiasm, rushing benzedrineless – EARS FIRST! – into the sonic slipstream.

Erm, sorry, not sure what happened there.

It’s this new Word Of The Day toilet paper they’ve had fitted in my cage…

On we go!

By now you should know your humble web monkey’s mantra:

Get yourself down to your local record shop / internet webshop / high street retailer / mail order co. / digital download store and SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC!

OUT NOW::

SUZANNE CIANI – ‘Lixiviation’ (Finders Keepers Records)

Like the BBC – or the United Nations – your humble web monkey cannot play favourites, and must maintain a critical impartiality and balance in reporting at all times. Having said that….. if i *were* to name an album of the week, this would be the badger.

Nuff waffle from me, here’s what Finders Keepers Records have to say:

“The American Delia Derbyshire of the Atari generation. With a sonic portfolio that boasts commissions for the Xenon classic pinball machine, the sounds for the Meco ‘Star Wars’ theme, the Atari TV commercials and the electronic sound effects in the original ‘Stepford Wives’ film (amongst many others), the mutant electronic music CV of Suzanne Ciani is proof that in a 1970s commercial world of boys’ toys, monopolised by a male dominated media industry, a woman’s touch was the essential secret ingredient to successful sonic seduction”.

Phew! They had me at “The American Delia Derbyshire of the Atari generation…”.

My voltage controlled oscillator has gone into overdrive, my rack-mounted modules are overheating and as for my sawtooth… well, it has been truly Attacked-Decayed-Sustained-and-Released.

Delia Derbyshire…. Daphne Oram…. and now Suzanne Ciani – it’s a good job Mrs Web Monkey keeps me out of trouble, otherwise i’d be sending out bunches of patch-cables via Interflora this day.

‘Lixiviation’ is accumulating huge love out there in the Press-o-sphere, with Album Of The Month and 10/10 reviews in journals as varied as The Wire, Vice, Dazed & Confused, Mojo, Clash, Q and Buchla Box Babes Bi-Monthly. Okay, i made that last one up.

Here’s a superb vintage clip of Ms Ciani on the David Letterman Show, circa-1980.

ENJOY.

 

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I’m a-running outta time, outer space, banana/potassium-derived energy and bad synthesizer puns to go on much longer…

Let’s wrap up this week’s session with not one but TWO lurrrrrve-inspired St Valentine’s Day Spotify Playlists – beamed in from our rocking A*Nauts, the Future Sailors (pictured below).

Take it away cyber-comrades of The Future!

“A romantic musical journey, taking in everything from Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s classic “The Power of Love” through to beautiful new tracks from the likes of Darwin Deez, Alex Winston, Joan As Police Woman and Frank Turner. Turn the music up and the lights down… “

Link: HERE – [PIAS] Valentines

Tracklisting, here:

Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love
First Aid Kit – Emmylou
Seasick Steve – Don’t Know Why She Love Me But She Do
Frank Turner – Isabel
Darwin Deez – Constellations
Alex Winston – Choice Notes
Agnes Obel – Riverside
Royksopp – Happy Up Here
Gruff Rhys – Sensations In The Dark
Jose James – DETROIT LOVELETTER
The Divine Comedy – I Like
Drive-By Truckers – Everybody Needs Love
Jonny – I Want To Be Around You
Teenage Fanclub – Baby Lee
Local Natives – Airplanes
Harper Simon – Berkeley Girl
Angus & Julia Stone – You’re The One That I Want
Girls – Love Like A River
Simon Lynge – Love Comes Back To You
The Duke & The King – Still Remember Love
Madness – It Must Be Love
Erland & The Carnival – You Don’t Have To Be Lonely
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Heart in Your Heartbreak
Lindi Ortega – Dying of Another Broken Heart
We Are Scientists – Nice Guys
New Young Pony Club – Architect Of Love
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
Joan As Police Woman – Run For Love
Husky Rescue – Sound Of Love
The Ghost – Blood of Romance
Dub Pistols – I’m In Love
Big D and the Kids Table – A Kiss A Week
Rhythms Del Mundo – Somebody To Love
Bebel Gilberto – Bring Back The Love – Original Version
Anna Calvi – Desire
Hooray For Earth – True Loves

And from Union Square:

“100 Ultimate Love Songs is a stunning playlist of the greatest contemporary & classic love songs of all time, from poignant love ballads to smooth soul classics, there is something here for everyone”.

Link, here: 100 – The Ultimate Playlist – Greatest Love Songs

Tracklisting, here:

Christina Perri – jar of hearts
Birdy – Skinny Love
Madness – It Must Be Love
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love
Amy Winehouse – Our Day Will Come
Jacqui Hicks – What The World Needs Now Is Love
Mariah Carey – Without You
Gloria Estefan – Anything For You
Maria McKee – Show Me Heaven
The Bangles – Eternal Flame
Ellie Goulding – Your Song
Katy Perry – Thinking Of You
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On – Single Version
Dinah Washington – Mad About A Boy
Pixie Lott – Cry Me Out – Edit
Rose Royce – Wishing On A Star
The Stylistics – You Make Me Feel Brand New
Rumer – Slow
Andi Hopgood – Out Of Reach
Tony Bennett & Carrie Underwood – It Had To Be You
Michael Bublé – Guess I’m Falling 4 U
Andy Williams – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Dina Carroll – Don’t Be A Stranger
Rachel Morrison – Have I Told You Lately
Oleta Adams – Get Here
Sade – No Ordinary Love
Vanessa Williams – Save The Best For Last
Phyllis Nelson – Move Closer
Lisa Stansfield – Lay Your Hands On Me
Mica Paris – My One Temptation – 7″ Version
Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are
Chicago – If You Leave Me Now
Tracey Ullman – Move Over Darling
Kirsty MacColl – They Don’t Know
Nazareth – Love Hurts (Studio Demo)
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody (From Ghost)
Mel Torme – The First Time Ever Is Saw Your Face
Grady Tate – And I Love Her
Barbara Dickson – Memory (from Cats)
10cc – I’m Not In Love
ABC – The Look Of Love
Atlantic Starr – Secret Lovers – Single Version
Barry White – Just The Way You Are
Captain & Tennille – Do That To Me One More Time
Chris De Burgh – The Lady In Red
Demis Roussos – Forever And Ever
Sade – Smooth Operator – Single Version
Diana Ross – You Are Everything
Dusty Springfield – The Look Of Love
Etta James – I Just Want To Make Love To You – Single Version
Jimmy Ruffin – What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted
Joan Armatrading – Love And Affection
Diana Ross – Endless Love
Joe Cocker – Up Where We Belong
Paul Weller – You Do Something To Me
K-Ci & JoJo – All My Life
The Real Thing – You To Me Are Everything
The Foundations – Baby Now that I’ve Found You
OneRepublic – Apologize
The Saturdays – My Heart Takes Over – Radio Edit
Will Downing – A Love Supreme
Donna Summer – Love To Love You Baby
Michael Bublé – Me And Mrs. You
Gilbert O’Sullivan – What’s In A Kiss – Original Version
Rachel Morrison – Martha’s Harbour
Etta James – At Last
Erma Franklin – Piece Of My Heart
Beverley Craven – Promise Me
Billy Paul – Me And Mrs. Jones
Toni Braxton – Breathe Again
Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing – Single Version
Earth, Wind & Fire – After The Love Has Gone
Stephanie Mills – Never Knew Love Like This Before
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
PP Arnold – The First Cut Is The Deepest
Rachel Morrison – Songbird
Ken Boothe – Everything I Own
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tracks Of My Tears
Omar – There’s Nothing Like This
Blackstreet – Don’t Leave Me
Lonestar – Amazed
Rachel Morrison – Everybody Hurts
Billy Ocean – Suddenly
The Style Council – You’re The Best Thing
Will Downing – Where Is The Love
Jeffrey Osborne – On The Wings Of Love
Sam Brown – Stop
Snow Patrol – Run
The Isley Brothers – This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) – Single Version (Mono)
Donny Osmond – Puppy Love
Jamie O’Neal – All By Myself
Appleton – Don’t Worry
Kool & The Gang – Cherish
Elkie Brooks – Fool If You Think It’s Over
Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around
Extreme – More Than Words
Trisha Yearwood – How Do I Live
Lionel Richie – Stuck On You
David Gray – This Years Love
Mama Cass – Dream A Little Dream Of Me

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<3 – as the youth say.

(<3? What? Less than 3? hmm)

Let’s get it on…..

Adieu for now!

::

With Zulu Winter‘s brand new single ‘We Should Be Swimming’ due out on 27th February 2012 (via Play It Again Sam), tis with great pleasure that your humble web monkey presents – HOT out of the video oven! – the official video.

ENJOY.

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Zulu Winter will be touring a bunch this year – be sure to catch em live before they ascend to the enormodomes!

February 27 NME Awards Show, Cargo, London
March 9 -18 SXSW, TEXAS, US
May 7 Birmingham Hare And Hounds
May 8 Bristol Louisiana
May 9 Oxford Jericho
May 11 Brighton, The Great Escape – Jam
May 12 Manchester Soundcontrol
May 14 Glasgow King Tuts
May 15 Leeds Brudenell
June 2 Field Day, Victoria Park, London
June 24 Isle Of Wight Festival

I have it on good authority that these chaps are going to be MEGA. HUGE.

Get yourself down to your local record shop / high street retailer / online store / mailorder firm / digital download emporium and get involved.

As ever – support independent music!

Adieu for now.

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How you doin?

Inspired by a late night rewatch of David Cronenberg’s ‘The Fly’ in your humble web monkey’s garret this weekend past, today’s web-waffle is a mutant hybrid, a genetically-spliced – at biomolecular level - fusion of….

OUT NOW! – aaaaand – Tips For ’12.

Without further ado….

SHARON VAN ETTEN – ‘Tramp’ (Jagjaguwar)

US singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten releases her brand new album – ‘Tramp’ – on Jagjaguwar, distributed by PIAS in the UK, this very day.

Aided and abetted by, amongst others, the brothers Dessner from The National, Julianna Barwick and Zach Condon (aka Beirut), Sharon’s music has been garnering praise from all quarters and with fervent enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic.

Read the BBC review for ‘Tramp’ here: CLICK!

Read the Pitchfork review for ‘Tramp’ here: CLICKETY!

Here’s a live video of ‘Give Out’ from the new record.

ENJOY.

And – as if to prove that there is no snobbier snob than an indie snob (and your humble web monkey is most definitely guilty of being an indie snob), here’s an older clip of Sharon playing a tiny intimate show for npr at sxsw, posted purely on the basis of her cool T-Shirt.

(Siltbreeze-era?) The Dead C?!?

I want one!

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GANG COLOURS – ‘The Keychain Collection’ (album) / ‘Fancy Restaurant’ (single) (Brownswood)

Newly signed to Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings imprint, UK nostalgia-woozy downtempo beatsmith Gang Colours (or Will Ozanne, as his mum calls him) is receiving the head-nodding headz… ummm… nodding heads of cool approval (cooval? approol?).

READ: the Guardian New Band Of The Day piece, here: CLICKETY!

DOWNLOAD: a free mp3 digifile mcnugget for the track ‘On Compton Bay’ via Pitchfork, here: CLICK!

ENJOY the official video for his brand new single – ‘Fancy Restaurant’ (out in the UK via Brownswood on 20th February) – here:

‘The Keychain Collection’ album is out in the UK on 27th February 2012.

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ALABAMA SHAKES (Rough Trade Records)

They have been variously described as “the future of music”, the spiritual heirs to Bruce Springsteen’s Rock n Roll crown (which in itself would make a great band name…) and count amongst their fans Adele, David Byrne, Drive-By Truckers and Booker T. Jones. They’ve sparked an insanely enthusiastic bidding war, earning comparisons to Janis Joplin and Otis Reading along the way.

Now signed to Rough Trade in the UK, with a four track import CD EP that sold out in a heartbeat (grab a copy if you see one – these biscuits are like rocking-horse ‘eggs’!), three sold out dates at London’s Boston Arms in late February (a ticket so fiercely HOT that even Commander Ar’Kid of this parish had to buy himself a ticket) – Alabama Shakes’ full length album ‘Girls & Boys’ is due out in April on Rough Trade Records.

Sure to be HUGE.

CLICK! Here to read what Rolling Stone magazine has to say.

CLICK! Here to hear Alabama Shakes playing a session and being interviewed on NPR’s ‘World Cafe’ interweb radio station.

CLICKETY! Here to read a recent live review and to see some (94!?) gorgeous live photos from the Reverb website.

CLICK! Here for Alabama Shakes facebook badger.

Here’s a taste of the “future of music”.

ENJOY.

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OK ok, so this genetic splicing isn’t as easy as it looks – damn you Goldblum, with your effortless charm and geeky sex appeal!

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Here’s this week’s OUT NOWS! ::

YOUNG GUNS – ‘Bones’ (Play It Again Sam)

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MARK LANEGAN BAND - ‘Blues Funeral’ (4AD)

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OF MONTREAL – ‘Paralytic Stalks’ (Polyvinyl)

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CLOUD NOTHINGS – ‘Attack On Memory’ (Wichita)

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THE TWILIGHT SAD – ‘No One Can Ever Know’ (FatCat)

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To play us out, not one, not two but three spanking videos!

First up, Young Guns with the title track of their brand new album ‘Bones’ (PIAS).

ENJOY.

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Next up, The Twilight Sad with ‘Another Bed’ from their brand new album ‘No One Can Ever Know’ (FatCat).

ENJOY.

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Who’s on third base? Of Montreal with a jazzfunk12″megamix sampler of their new longplayer ‘Paralytic Stalks’ (Polyvinyl).

Now, i’m not sure what medication Of Montreal’s fans have been prescribed, but some of their youtube comments are downright fruity! (some choice examples: CheezyMushroomPizza says: “I just came”, Eddy67 is “getting excited. sexually”. Mndud: “If I could, I would f*ck this music so hard”. BLIMEY! Calm down lads, it’s only music!).

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To play us out, I toyed with Steve Miller Band’s ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ (ha!), The Cramps ‘Human Fly’ (for Count Dykula, late of this parish) but in the end plumped for this, nothing to do with PIAS, nothing to do with Tips For ’12, nothing to do with new releases, just a damn fine song.

ENJOY!

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Valentine’s Day soon… Am thinking of the below – taken from the aforementioned ‘The Fly’ – as an inscription for Mrs Web Monkey’s card - whadja think? No? Too Emo?

“You’re afraid to dive into the plasma pool, aren’t you? You’re afraid to be destroyed and recreated, aren’t you? I’ll bet you think that you woke me up about the flesh, don’t you? But you only know society’s straight line about the flesh. You can’t penetrate beyond society’s sick gray fear of the flesh! Drink deep or taste not the plasma spring! You see what I’m saying? I’m not just talking about sex and penetration, I’m talking about penetration beyond the veil of the flesh! A deep, penetrating dive into the plasma pool!”

….

Erm, darling, where are you running off to?

Hehe – adieu for now!

Jeff / Seth and your humble web monkey, yesterday

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How you doin?

In the words of the great philosophers TLC (yes, Plato, Socrates, Descartes - whatevs – Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes knows where it’s at) your humble web monkey has three CRAZYSEXYCOOL videos to unveil today.

Without further ado nor waffle….

WILEY – ‘Boom Blast’ (taken from the album ‘Evolve Or Be Extinct’ – out now on Big Dada)

This tune has had the whole office bopping like maniacs. The video is so chockful of energy and exuberance that I am convinced that just by *watching* it, that i am actually burning up calories, they are exercising down the gym so that i don’t have to. Another pastry please monkey butler, Wiley is working out for me. The album is in the shops NOW!*

* ‘Evolve Or Be Extinct’ was released on January 19th as it was Wiley’s birthday. Shame on you if you forgot to send him a card this year. I’m reminding you now. Next year = you have no excuse.

Right, altogether now….

“D-d-d-d-down down d-d-d down down d-d-down…..”

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THE KILLS – ‘The Last Goodbye’ (single, out 13th February on Domino Records) 

To cool down after all that exertion, and on a very different register, here’s the brand new single video from The Kills. In 2012 Alison and Jamie celebrate 10 years of ‘killing it’, and there’ll be a plethora of Kills-related activity happening to coincide. Here though, is the beautiful video for ‘The Last Goodbye’, directed by the beautiful soul that is Samantha Morton.

This, from the Domino website, elucidates further:

“The Kills – Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart – will celebrate 10 amazing years with the release of the beautiful new single ‘The Last Goodbye’ on 13th February 2012. Directed by the Oscar nominated actress Samantha Morton, acclaimed for her directorial feature debut ‘The Unloved’, this is her very first music video. Shot in monochrome on crisp, silvery 35mm, the video reflects the beautiful simplicity of the track, with an old-school photo booth providing an intimate backdrop for Mosshart’s intense and heart-warming opening performance followed by a series of touching to-camera poses reflecting the musicians’ longstanding, spirited friendship.

“It was an honor to work with Samantha Morton on this Casablanca-esque, silent-film-esque, Americana photobooth Woolworth’s hay day period piece of surrealism/ realism/ story time tell-tale-ism, black and white 35 mm film, washed in strange light, over this love hate tune, heartbreak song, life-goes-on lullaby, The Last Goodbye. It’s a doorway into the future of the fatal past-tense. Get it?” – Alison Mosshart.

“I love the fact that when you used to go to a photo booth, you used to have wait sometimes a good twenty minutes. It could be 8 minutes, 9 minutes. Sometimes, I remember, if they were really crap, you’d have to wait forever and you’d go off for a cup of tea and you’d come back to get your passport pictures and they were there. Also, it was quite expensive when we were young. It was like a real treat but now, it’s still expensive but you just get these crap images of yourself. They’re just horrible and they won’t last in the same way. So in a way a think the song was incredibly nostalgic and I think made me feel nostalgic” – Samantha Morton.

Enjoy.

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A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS – ‘So Far Away’ (taken from the mini-album ‘Onwards To The Wall’, out in the UK on 6th February via Dead Oceans)

The nihilistic New York psych-Spector rockers APTBS return with a five track mini-album – out in the UK on 6th February via the Dead Oceans label. This video evokes life on the road perfectly (or maybe modern life itself?) through a series of rapidly flickering still photographs (possibly done on Hipstamatic?).

Probably not suitable for epileptics or the seizure-prone, perfect for the rest of us, short-attention-spanned as we are through prolonged exposure to the internet. Click click click click click.

Enjoy.

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More waffle later, ron.

Adieu for now!

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How you doin? Hope this finds you well, with all your weekends being wunnerful, wondrous and westful.

Well, it looks like 2012 has only gone and kicked off innit? Big style, properness, new release heaven, action jackson, full fat moo juice, more-pocket-money-please-mummy, bring back the EMA, full blown electric job, ain’t it?

There are *TONS* of new releases out today – here are but a few.

As ever, get yourself down to your local record shop / internet webshop / high street retailer / mail order co. / digital download store and SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC!

Without further ado….

ARCTIC MONKEYS – ‘Black Treacle’ (Domino)

The boys with the black stuff return with a brand new single – on future sailor formats no doubt, but also as a limited edition 7″ heavyweight vinyl (dang, it’d better be on none-more-black vinyl) - tis out today and the lads are special guests on Jonathan Ross’ Saturday night show on ITV this coming Saturday (28th January, fact fans).

Check out the video (333,000+ views on youtube already!), below:

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RODRIGO Y GABRIELA – ‘Area 52′ (Rubyworks)

The Mexican Mulder & Scully, maestros of post-metal acoustic guitar magnificence, Rodrigo y Gabriela return with a brand new album ‘Area 52′ on Rubyworks.

Here’s a DVD-esque ‘Making Of’ / trailer for the album:

When *not* appearing at the Leveson Inquiry for being a bunch of naughty phonetapping badgers, here are some of the lovely things that the Press have had to say about the album:

“The Mexican guitar heroes have moved on, in style. An impressive departure” – The Guardian *****

“An invigorating listen” – The Daily Telegraph *****

“Something new and exciting” -  The Times ****

“A thrilling showcase of their continued genius” – Indie London *****

“An immediately rewarding collection. Formidable” – R2 Magazine ****

“One of the most fabulous music collaborations in recent years” – Shout 4 Music (9/10) 

“Sets the benchmark of musicianship and craft just that extra bit higher” – Entertainment Focus ****

 “Wild global hybrid music” – The Arts Desk ****

 “It’s a qualified success” – The Observer

 “Another breath-taking reinvention from two of the most naturally gifted axe-slingers around” – AU Magazine

“Like listening to the soundtrack of a James Bond movie set in Cuba” – The Independent On Sunday

“It’s the whole enchilada, exciting and the musicianship is undeniable” – Mojo

“A worldy psychedelic broth” - Outline Magazine 

“It proves exactly how impressive this band have become” – The Fly

…

To celebrate this momentous release, label boss (and gentleman and scholar) Roger from Rubyworks has compiled a superb Spotify playlist of Rod and Gab’s album inspirations!

This, from the Future Sailors:

“For this exclusive Spotify playlist, Rodrigo and Gabriela highlight some of their favourite Cuban artists and music, together with tracks from some of their favourite guest artists who were invited to collaborate with them on their stunning new album ‘Area 52′. Includes arranger Alex Wilson, sitar player Anoushka Shankar, jazz bassist Carles Benavent and Palestinian oud ensemble Le Trio Joubran”

Spotify playlist: HERE

Tracklisting, below:

Irakere – Bacalao con pan
Silvio Rodríguez – Ojalá
Javier Limón – Inside Me
Los Van Van – Que Le Den Candela
Le Trio Joubran – Nawwâr
Alex Wilson – Anglo-Cubano
Silvio Rodríguez – Cancion Urgente Para Nicaragua
Carles Benavent – Por Diosss
Anoushka Shankar – Prayer in Passing
Mali Latino – Ankan Tolon
Le Trio Joubran – Masâr
Carles Benavent – Madrid
White Zombie – More Human Than Human

::

Also OUT TODAY!

(Seek em out yourself, google em, BE SHERLOCK, talk to a human down your nearest human record shop etc etc)

…

CRAIG FINN – ‘Clear Heart Full Eyes’ (Full Time Hobby)

The Hold Steady man thrills us as a solo artist with his literate take on bar-room dog-track rock n roll.

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LEILA – ‘U&I’ (Warp)

The former Rephlex / Bjork / XL sonic sister Miss Leila Arab returns for her second album on Warp Records ‘U&I’.

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MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY – ‘City Awakenings’ (Xtra Mile)

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GONJASUFI – ‘MU. ZZ. LE’ (Warp)

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DJ FOOD – ‘The Search Engine’ (Ninja Tune)

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ISLET – ‘Illuminated People’ (Shape / Turnstile)

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FIRST AID KIT – ‘The Lion’s Roar’ (Wichita)

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VA / SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENT – ‘Voguing And The House Ballroom Scene Of New York City 1989-92′ (Soul Jazz)

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FRANCOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS – ‘E Volo Love’ (Domino)

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PORCELAIN RAFT – ‘Strange Weekend’ (Secretly Canadian)

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A veritable smorgasbord of new titles from THRILL JOCKEY RECORDS, including IMBOGODOM (Alexander Tucker & Daniel Beban) with ‘And They Turned Not When They Went’, JASON URICK with ‘I Love You’, space-rockers RHYTON with ‘Rhyton’ and lastly, but by no means leastly, your humble web monkey’s personal IMHO pick ‘o the week ‘favourite’ of this week’s new releases - ZOMES’ ‘Improvisations’, a limited edition vinyl only longplayer featuring three raga-like lo-fi cosmic keyboard hymns from Asa Osborne (formerly of LUNGFISH). Listen to extracts and read up on the release, HERE.

Phew! That’s it for today’s meandering ramblings. Til next time…

Adieu for now!

::

Filmed in New York’s Bronx and directed by Raúl Gonzo, the video was made on a rare day off on the band’s recent six week tour of North America with the band setting up without permission in a New York street and starting a fire… pretty much a normal day off, then.

‘Arguing With Thermometers’ is taken from the #1 album ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ – OUT NOW!

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnNW-nbots 

or right here, right now:

www.entershikari.com

::

How you doin?

Continuing our regularly irregular series, here’s today’s Tips For ’12:

DIAGRAMS (Full Time Hobby)

Technicolour post-everything prog acoustronica pop from former Tunng man Sam Genders. Following a killer 5-track EP last year, Diagrams release their debut proper full length longplayer – ‘Black Light’ on Full Time Hobby – this very day (160112).

Sam and pals hit the road, like this:

Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour (Ambush Reality)

Radio 1: Zane Lowe’s Album Of The Week

“Tighter, brighter and more focused than ever. Enter Shikari remain fearless and uncompromising leaders in a field of one” - Rocksound 9/10

“This rage against the machine could well be the four-piece’s defining statement” - NME 8/10

“A multi-layered and multi-faceted success… This album is a riot” - Kerrang! KKKK

“Streets ahead of the competition. Angry, innovative, and often ahead of the curve” - Q ****

“One of Britains best live bands finally delivers an indispensible album” - Front Magazine ****

 “A writhing mass of modern protest songs” – Bizarre

“Disenchantment should always be this spellbinding” – The Fly 4/5

Out now, on special edition CD + DVD, standard CD, vinyl LP and digital download.

Teaser video and soundclip to your right —>

The band tour the UK in March:

March
17th Edinburgh Corn Exchange
18th Hull University
19th Manchester O2 Apollo
20th Wolverhampton Civic Hall
22nd Plymouth Pavilions
23rd London HMV Hammersmith Apollo

Check out the Big Cheese website for exclusive footage from ES’ US tour.

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How you doin?

Continuing our look at the HOTTEST! NEW! ACTS! RIGHT! NOW! – aka Tips For ’12 – today we have [drumroll please Animal]…..

BAND OF SKULLS (Electric Blues Recordings)

This hard riffin’ UK three-piece have already had their music featured on the tellybox’s ‘True Blood’, ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Skins’ and many more. Massive in the USA, Oz and across Europe, the band return like all-conquering rock heroes to these shores to play a headline show at London’s Roundhouse on March 6th and a UK-wide tour with The Black Keys in February that takes in the Manchester Apollo and three sold-out (!) dates at Alexandra Palace.

Like all proper rock bands should, Band Of Skulls are touring a bunch, check out their website for a full list of dates and much, much more, here: CLICK!

Their new album ‘Sweet Sour’ (Electric Blues Recordings) is out in the UK on 20th February

Without further ado, check out this slinky, sexy riffer, replete with gratuitous kung fu showdown. TASTY!  

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FIRST AID KIT (Wichita)

From riffsters to sisters, our next Tip for ’12 are hotly-tipped folk duo First Aid Kit. My man-in-the-know here in the office says – “Teenage Swedish sisters with a serious line in sororal harmonies” – and who am i to argue? Fleet Foxes love em, Jack White loves em, Wild Bill in the horrorfice loves em, my pals D+T down in Brighton love em – you too will fall – nee *swoon* – for the Söderbergs.

Their website is here: CLICK!

Their brand new album ‘The Lion’s Roar’ is out on 23rd January (via Wichita Records).

Here’s a taste of the title track (which has had over 350,000 yootoob views already!). Enjoy.

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PORCELAIN RAFT (Secretly Canadian)

Despite having a moniker that sounds like Thor Heyerdahl’s nickname for the WC, Porcelain Raft is actually an ace blissed-out synaesthetic dreampop one man band from London-based, Italian-born Mauro Remiddi.

Getting major press smoochies from everyone from the Guardian (band of the day feature: here) to The Fader (great interview w/videos and soundclips: here).

Mauro tours extensively as Porcelain Raft, rivalling Henry Rollins or James Brown as the hardest working man in showbizniz, check his confirmed live dates thus far this year (oof!):

Jan 17 – Trinity, Bristol UK *
Jan 18 – Ritz, Manchester UK *
Jan 19 – Arches, Glasgow UK *
Jan 20 – Cockpit, Leeds UK *
Jan 21 – HMV Institute, Birmingham UK *
Jan 22 – Concorde, Brighton UK *
Jan 24 – Academy, Oxford UK *
Jan 27 – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto ONT ~
Jan 28 – Il Motore, Montreal QC ~
Jan 29 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston MA ~
Jan 31 – Webster Hall, New York NY ~
Feb 01 – Black Cat, Washington DC ~
Feb 03 – Metro, Chicago IL ~
Feb 04 – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee WI ~
Feb 16 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London *
Feb 22 – U&G. Hamburg DE *
Feb 23 – Vega, Copenhagen DK *
Feb 24 – Rockefeller, Oslo NO *
Feb 25 – Berns, Stockholm SE *
Feb 27 – Tavastia, Helsinki FI *
Feb 29 – KB, Malmo SE *
Mar 02 – Introducing Festival, Berlin DE *
Mar 03 – Introducing Festival, Cologne DE *
Mar 04 – Lucerna, Prague CZ *
Mar 05 – Hansa 39, Munich DE *
Mar 06 – Magazini Generali, Milan IT *
Mar 08 – Rockstore, Montpelier FR *
Mar 09 – Bikini, Barcelona ES *
Mar 10 – Shoko, Madrid ES *
Mar 11 – Hard Club, Porto PT *
Mar 12 – Lux, Lisbon PT *
Mar 14 – I.Boat, Bordeaux FR *
Mar 15 – La Cigale, Paris FR *
Mar 16 – Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing FR *
Mar 17 – La Laiterie, Strasbourg FR *
Mar 18 – Les Docks, Lausanne CH *

* supporting M83
~ supporting Smith Westerns

His new album ‘Strange Weekend’ is out in the UK on 23rd January (via Secretly Canadian).

Make sure you check out his intimate and gorgeous website/blog here: CLICK!

Here’s a taste, mind your head as your swoon once more won’t you?

Enjoy.

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More Tips For ’12 tomorrow. Take care out there, ya hear?

Adieu for now!

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