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Song For Dan Treacy

One song has a dance club beat which is a reference to a moment he had as a teen, when, while being frustrated with his friends, he hears a song at a club that just makes him dance with himself. Mika incorporates a wide variety of background sounds including his teenaged cousin, as well as a choir and string instruments, which gives the album as a whole a diverse feel, while still keeping very Mika-esque feel. Unlike other artists, Mika is often visually inspired, which is why he surrounds himself with pictures as well as draws to immerse himself in his work.

To hear learn more about Mika’s sophomore album watch:

Part 1

Part 2

This track – Crying Lightning has been recently played at gigs by the band, here’s the single version (now available):

Crying Lightning

The new album Humbug is out in the UK on 24th August and on the 25th in the US via Domino.

It would be fair to say that ‘Crying Lightning’ has been influenced by Alex Turner’s Last Shadow Puppet side of things more than the full on sound we experienced with Teddy Picker: (from 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare)

Good luck to the Monkeys with their third studio album, hopefully to be as good as the previous!

Yorkshire (UK) quad The Cribs are readying their new album after announcing the title ‘Ignore The Ignorant’. Tracks include their new single ‘We Were Aborted’ which is currently available by download for free at the band’s website.

We Were Aborted

The release has been produced by Nick Launay who has worked with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Arcade Fire. It will also be the first record of theirs featuring new band member Johnny Marr of The Smiths.

Tracklisting:

1. “We Were Aborted”
2. “Cheat on Me”
3. “We Share the Same Skies”
4. “The City of Bugs”
5. “Hari Kari”
6. “Last Year’s Snow”
7. “Emasculate Me”
8. “Ignore the Ignorant”
9. “Save Your Secrets”
10. “Nothing”
11. “Victim of Mass Production”
12. “Stick to Yr Guns”

I really, really enjoyed the band’s previous album Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever so I have high hopes for this!

I can’t say that I “play” Guitar Hero. I’ve played it—and it was fun—but I still don’t understand why people just don’t play real instruments. I get it for the most part, it’s a completely different experience and that you get to participate in the music, whatever. But I’ve come to accept it as a dorm staple, seeing that it is as ubiquitous as potatoes in Ireland, pasta in Italy, or some other starch in some other country.  I had no idea how popular it was until I walked down that darkened hall on move-in day and heard the distinctive clicking of Guitar Hero guitars coming from every open door. The combined cacophony was unsettling. The immense popularity is why, I presume, the good folks at Guitar Hero are coming out with DJ Hero, bringing hip-hop and club to suburbia’s chubby fingertips.

“Turntables have begun outselling guitars” is the buzz around the block nowadays. It seems only right that a game like DJ Hero would come out. But it might be just another nail in the coffin of the much-professed death of hip-hop. I challenge you to find a rapper who doesn’t have a song that refers to the state of hip-hop in some way. You rap connoisseurs out there probably could, but it’s difficult. There are legions of hip-happers and mp3 DJ’s who really don’t understand the beginnings of the genre, who are simply enraptured by the bling and the hustlin’. DJ Hero could very well go two ways: one, it introduces people living under a rock for the past decade to club music and makes them want to genuinely explore and create, or it limits them to pop-rap and shitty electronica and continues the propagation of Disgusting Music.

According to the press release, among the 100+ tracks are artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, DJ Shadow, 50 Cent, Justice, Marvin Gaye, Beck, N.E.R.D. and The Beastie Boys. A bunch of these guys are going to be ill scratching and mixing to. But I’ve been to a 50 Cent concert; the DJ just stood there and played gun shots as periods whenever 50 Cent would stop a song abruptly and start talking to the crowd. Not exactly a great deejaying experience. A second player could also emcee if the beat is particularly hot and their nerdy rhymes are up to snuff. As for the more European House-inclined,  there’s the purely mixing aspect which might even qualify as actual practice for CD and computer DJ’s, seeing as the interface would be fairly similar.

DJ Shadow’s involvement, however, is surprising. A lot of what he stands for seems to directly contradict what DJ Hero is. He’s a digger, what DJ’s like to call people that love rooting through dusty vinyl crates. DJ Hero does not, and more importantly, can not give you that experience. With record stores going out of business all over, it’s sad that this often overlooked aspect of DJing is yet again overlooked.

But these are mostly just nitpicks. I really do look forward to playing DJ Hero, I just hope that they get it right.

In a newsletter email from the band they detail that it will be “the first time that pretty much anyone outside of Team Enter Shikari has heard it, so that’s quite exciting innit?”

It’s great to hear that Enter Shikari will be Zane’s ‘Hottest Record In The World’ for the band and their fans.

Tune in to BBC Radio 1 tonight between 7pm and 9pm (GMT) to hear it. If you don’t live in the UK you may be able to listen at bbc.co.uk/radio1. Give it a try!

DM Stith – Be My Baby

David E. Sugar – To Yourself

GZA – 0% Finance

Kelley Polar – Entropy Reigns (In the Celestial City)

Janelle Monae – Many Moons

In addition to the release date, Reverend And The Makers have announced the track listing for their debut album (see below). There will be a total of 12 tracks, including some of the band’s previous singles.

Track listing for The State Of Things:

1. The State Of Things
2. The Machine
3. Heavyweight Champion Of The World
4. Bandits
5. Open Your Window
6. Sex With The Ex
7. 18-30
8. He Said He Loved Me
9. What The Milkman Saw
10. Sundown On The Empire
11. Miss Brown
12. Armchair Detective

Battle does have a bunch of previous work as you can see on their official website (link above), but in the form of singles and mini albums.

After listening to some of Battle’s music on their MySpace page, I must say I was impressed. There is a good chance I will be buying their new album, and I suggest you do the same.

Track listing for “Break The Banks”

1. The Longest Time
2. Negotiation
3. Demons
4. Paper Street
5. North Sea
6. Looking For Bullets
7. History
8. The Time For Talking Is
9. Sit With Me
10. The Other way

Tracks on the album range from classic tunes by Sting or Jimi Hendrix to newer popular hits by Justin Timberlake. There will be tracks by indie bands like The Pretenders, and covers by Franz Ferdinand and others. Overall this album has a wide variety of genres; classic rock, mixed with modern pop and some indie. Looks like a great collection!

The album will include these tracks:

01 Kaiser Chiefs: “Flowers in the Rain” [The Move; 1967]
02 The Fratellis: “All Along the Watchtower” [The Jimi Hendrix Experience; 1968]
03 Amy Winehouse: “Cupid” [Johnny Nash; 1969]
04 Robbie Williams: “Lola” [The Kinks; 1970]
05 The Streets: “Your Song” [Elton John; 1971]
06 Sugababes: “Betcha by Golly Wow” [The Stylistics; 1972]
07 The Feeling: “You’re So Vain” [Carly Simon; 1973]
08 Foo Fighters: “Band on the Run” [Wings; 1974]
09 Kylie: “Love Is the Drug” [Roxy Music; 1975]
10 KT Tunstall: “Let’s Stick Together” [Bryan Ferry; 1976]
11 Franz Ferdinand: “Sound and Vision” [David Bowie; 1977]
12 The Raconteurs: “Teenage Kicks” [The Undertones; 1978]
13 Mika: “Can’t Stand Losing You” [The Police; 1979]
14 Kasabian: “Too Much Too Young” [The Specials; 1980]
15 Keane: “Under Pressure” [Queen & David Bowie; 1981]
16 McFly: “Town Called Malice” [The Jam; 1982]
17 James Morrison: “Come Back and Stay” [Paul Young; 1983]
18 The Gossip: “Careless Whisper” [George Michael; 1984]
19 The Pigeon Detectives: “The Power of Love” [Huey Lewis & the News; 1985]
20 Lily Allen: “Don’t Get Me Wrong” [The Pretenders; 1986]
21 Stereophonics: “You Sexy Thing” [Hot Chocolate; 1987]
22 Mutya Buena: “Fast Car” [Tracy Chapman; 1988]
23 Editors: “Lullaby” [The Cure; 1989]
24 Razorlight: “Englishman in New York” [Sting; 1990]
25 Groove Armada: “Crazy for You” [Madonna; 1991]
26 Paolo Nutini: “It Must Be Love” [Madness; 1992]
27 The Kooks: “All That She Wants” [Ace of Base; 1993]
28 Mark Ronson: “You’re All I Need to Get By” [Mary J. Blige; 1994]
29 Calvin Harris: “Stillness in Time” [Jamiroquai; 1995]
30 Klaxons: “No Diggity” [Blackstreet; 1996]
31 Just Jack: “Lovefool” [The Cardigans; 1997]
32 Natasha Bedingfield: “Ray of Light” [Madonna; 1998]
33 The Twang: “Drinking in L.A.” [Bran Van 3000; 1999]
34 The Fray: “The Great Beyond” [R.E.M.; 2000]
35 Girls Aloud: “Teenage Dirtbag” [Wheatus; 2001]
36 Maxïmo Park: “Like I Love You” [Justin Timberlake; 2002]
37 The View: “Don’t Look Back Into the Sun” [The Libertines; 2003]
38 Hard-Fi: “Toxic” [Britney Spears; 2004]
39 The Enemy: “Father & Son” [Yusuf & Ronan Keating; 2005]
40 Corinne Bailey Rae: “Steady, As She Goes” [The Raconteurs; 2006]