Hooverphonic: "The Night Before"

I am about to sit down and listen to Hooverphonic's "The Night Before". The cover is very 80's. I hope that doesn't turn new listeners away from this wonderful band!

Tracklist:

1. Anger Never Dies (3:30)
2. The Night Before (2:48)
3. Heartbroken (2:47)
4. Norwegian Stars (3:09)
5. More (2:36)
6. One Two Three (3:00)
7. George's Cafe (3:49)
8. Identical Twin (2:38)
9. Encoded Love (3:28)
10. How Can You Sleep (3:50)
11. Sunday Afternoon (3:25)
12. Danger Zone (3:06)

Ladytron "Ace of Hz" released

The new Ladytron single, "Ace Of Hz," is available everywhere today. Download the track on iTunes.

Gang of Four: Free ep Available

Thanksgiving Drive Music: Twin Shadow

Thanksgiving has come and gone here in the US. Now it's Black Friday, a day that keeps me out of the shops. Thanksgiving usually involves a drive to a relative's home and that drive can be a long one due to traffic. The good part is that I can listen to whole albums. My attention does not hold at home... I just can't sit through a whole CD. I need variety. In the car, I have a smaller library to tap into. Yesterday, the winning CD was "Forget" by Twin Shadow. NME (or The NME) had a positive, if not geo-centric, review of this fine album. Read it here.

A New Album By 4AD artist Broken Records: "Let Me Come Home"

Let Me Come Home, expected in January, is the band's second album - the follow-up to 2009's Until The Earth Begins To Part. NME reviewed it this week and said "It is an elegant and, quite frankly, utterly beautiful record. 8/10"

4AD's press release says:

"Let Me Come Home started out as a series of sketches and song fragments in frontman Jamie Sutherland’s kitchen, later taking form in demo sessions at an old distillery grain store in the Scottish Highlands. Recorded and produced by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Delgados, Belle & Sebastian) at his Studio in Glasgow with artwork conceived by Vaughan Oliver at V23, Let Me Come Home will be released on CD, LP and digital formats.

Speaking about the inspiration behind their second album, Jamie Sutherland says:
“An idea started to form about the direction of the new record based on several films and albums that I became gradually obsessed with at that time. Watching the widescreen emptiness of films Badlands, Rumble Fish and East Of Eden, as well as records such as Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads, Calexico’s Feast Of Wire, and REM’s early back catalogue all became a strong influence on the direction of the new songs. It was also during this time that the lyrical theme of the record started to take shape, thinking about what was going on around me in the form of fears and concerns over making relationships work, and a need for security.”

Broken Records formed in Edinburgh at the end of 2006 and were immediately tipped for greatness by the UK press – a series of three independently released singles released in 2008 led NME to call them “an incredible proposition – set to go stellar as soon as they decide on a lucky label to sign to”. They originally came together when Jamie had a plan to set up a small independent label and collective. They never quite got around to becoming a label, so Broken Records became the band name instead!"

“We’re trying to do something different. People forget that music doesn’t have to be just bass, guitar and drums. It can be just as loud and exciting with glockenspiel and trumpet” – Broken Records

TRACKLISTING:
1. A Leaving Song <<<<<< free .mp3
2. Modern Worksong
3. Dia dos Namarados!
4. The Motorcycle Boy Reigns
5. A Darkness Rises Up
6. Ailene
7. I Used To Dream
8. You Know You’re Not Dead
9. The Cracks In The Wall
10. Home

BROKEN RECORDS is Jamie Sutherland (vocals/guitar), Ian Turnbull (guitar), David Smith (piano/trumpet), Andrew Keeney (drums), Rory Sutherland (violin), Craig Ross (bass)

New Like Sugar PopCast 34 out now!

Here is the track-list:
01 - C hapel Club - Five Trees
02 - O h Custer! - Forget It
03 - O u Est Le Swimming Pool - The Key
04 - W ild Nothing - Golden Haze
05 - T ribeca - Combat
06 - M arina and The Diamonds - Shampain
07 - A noraak - Don't Be Afriad feat. Sally Shapiro
08 - R oyksopp - I Wanna Know
09 - B londe Redhead - My Plants Are Dead
10 - B randon Flowers - Only The Young (Remix)
11 - C lan of Xymox - At The End of The Day
12 - G orillaz - Glitter Freeze feat. Mark E. Smith
13 - O MD - History of Modern (Part 1)
14 - K isses - Kisses
15 - K isses - Kisses (Joe Goddard of Hot Chip Remix)
16 - K isses - Kisses
17 - K ieTheVez - Here Is The House (Depeche Mode Cover)
18 - T he Cure - Treasure

Listen (stream or download) via zshare here.

Please comment below if you discovered anything your ears liked! A simple hello keeps me going! -E

Listen to the new Cut Copy single "Take Me Over"

Today Cut Copy releases the first commercial single from their new LP Zonoscope, “Take Me Over.” It’s available at all fine download outlets immediately, and will be dropped on 12” vinyl in the very near future. You can listen to it on Soundcloud here.

Video: Hurts "Stay"

I wonder if the single-earring look is coming back with the New Romantic sound? I think the singer looks like Peter Heppner of Wolsheim. There is an ep out for this Hurts track with a Groove Armada remix and a Full Intention Club Mix. See iTunes.

Northern Portrait and some TV musings

Eardrums Music has a nice post about the new Northern Portrait release. There is even a free mp3 of the lead track "Life Returns to Normal". Read it here.

I watched four episodes of "Downton Abbey" today. I love period dramas. Some friends find them to be "soaps", but I can't deny that I enjoy this genre almost as much as murder mysteries. As I mentioned, Wallander was excellent and I watched Sky1's "Thorne" this past week. I love the actor David Morrissey. He caught my eye in the 90's version of Dicken's "Our Mutual Friend". That book and film are in my top 10. I also watched the whole "The Take" series as well. Tom Hardy was so good (again). He was awesome in Wuthering Heights and Bronson, so I had to watch "The Take".

OK, what else? I found a free copy of Robyn's "When Doves Cry", but I was not impressed. I love covers, but this one did nothing new at all. It was too by-the-numbers.

Girl Talk: All Day (free download mix)

Strangely, I really found this to be a fun album to listen to. I was put off at first. All the rap, or it called hip-hop? I don't know the difference. I don't recognize most of the lyrical parts, but I love the music sampled to keep a melody going. Some classic 80's and 90's and some surprises too! Madness...Inxs, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, New Order. It all works seamlessly. This mix reminds me of the 1999 "Dirtchamber Sessions" that Liam Howlett, of The Prodigy, released.
So, check out this free download by Girl Talk titled "All Day".

British Sea Power: Living Is So Easy

"British Sea Power would like to relay news on the first single from their forthcoming new album. "Living Is So Easy" is the first single from the album Valhalla Dancehall. The track will be available to purchase digitally from 29 November. A free MP3 of an edited version of Living Is So Easy is now available to download from the link below http://bit.lylivingissoeasy.
The artwork and tracklisting for the Valhalla Dancehall album are also up on the site: http://www.britishseapower.co.uk/music
Living Is So Easy is a pop parable for our times and BSP have this to say about it: "We just shot the video for our new single. The video idea is based on footage from Henri-Georges Clouzot's unfinished 1964 film L'Enfer, also known as Inferno. There's a superb 2009 documentary on the film called Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno. The song Living Is So Easy features electronic keyboards, plus some Louis Vuitton and clay pigeons. It's a mixture of Serge Gainsbourg and Ralf and Florian-era Kraftwerk with a sprinkle of Stock, Aitken and Waterman. It's our most electronic song to date. This is the high life."

Valhalla Dancehall
15 November 2010

1) Who’s In Control
2) We Are Sound
3) Georgie Ray
4) Stunde Null
5) Mongk II
6) Luna
7) Baby
8) Living Is So Easy
9) Observe The Skies
10) Cleaning Out The Rooms
11) Thin Black Sail
12) Once More Now
13) Heavy Water

Insect Guide: "Bats" Single = awesome free music

Wow! This is great music. Download The Insect Guide's "Bats" single from Eardrums here. I played a track from this UK act way back on Like Sugar PopCast #4!

"Tracks One and Two are written by Insect Guide. Track Three is originally by Big Star. All songs performed by Insect Guide. Track Two features Graeme Naysmith (Pale Saints) on guitar". I am so excited to see their close ties to Pale Saints, one of my favs from the 4AD 90's scene. Please read up Insect Guide!

1. Bats
2. Hearts don’t Break (acoustic)
3. Nightime

http://theinsectguide.com/
http://www.squirrelrecords.co.uk/the-insect-guide/dark-days-and-nights/
http://darkdaysandnights.tumblr.com/
http://insectguide.bandcamp.com/

Pains of Being Pure At Heart track "Heart In Your Heartbreak"

Stream the new Pains of Being Pure At Heart track "Heart In Your Heartbreak" at Pitchfork.

Kite: Ways To Dance video and new ep

I can't discover every single syth act no matter how much time I put into it. Still, how did I miss this band? They are Kite from Sweden. Thanks to A Different Drum for carrying their CDs! I was able to hear a sample and then move on to YouTube to find this gem:

Ian McCulloch sings with Manic Streeet Preachers

I was never a fan of Manic Street Preachers. This is the only song I like from their new album.

Cut Copy "Zonoscope" announced

Zonoscope will be released in 2011 on February 4th in Australia, February 7th in the UK and Europe, and February 8th in North America.

Below you can find links to view the second installment of the Krozm documentary on the process of making the record, entitled "Skies of The Ape."
More music is revealed in this piece, which sees the band moving into their Christmas St recording warehouse, and all band members involved in the creative process.

SPIN: http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-cut-copy-unveil-album-artwork-video

THE VINE: http://www.thevine.com.au/music/news/exclusive-_-cut-copy%27s-new-album-title-and-cover-art-revealed20101103.aspx