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Pop Musicology - "The Second Drummer Drowned"

Pop Musicology - August 2006

New Wolf Parade Video

August 31st 2006 11:15
I know what you're thinking. 'Hey, your updates are terrible at the moment! Just finding something vaguely diverting on YouTube and writing a paragraph about it trying to be funny!' You're right.

But, oh! There's an excuse. I've been covering the Fortuna Pop festival in London to celebrate 10 years of Fortuna Pop, and it's been amazing so far. Some great snaps and a chat with Darren Hayman (formerly of Hefner), The Lucksmiths (nicest people ever?) and Bearsuit (enjoyably psychotic). It'll be worth it, trust me.


But till then, enjoy the new video for Wolf Parade's 'I'll Believe In Anything'. Even though the album was released nearly a year ago (and it was one of the best of 2005), they're still plugging away. But when the songs are as good as this, it doesn't matter. And the video is nice too. Watch how the chicken explodes! If I knew how to embed a YouTube vid, I would, but you'll have to settle with the link. BOOM!

Wolf Parade
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Who Says Bono Isn't Self-Righteous?

August 29th 2006 13:15
Imagine the scene. Bono walks into U2 towers. 'For God's sake, there's so much ill in the world! How on earth do we go about erasing it?'

At that moment, Luciano Pavarotti walks in. 'Ciao, Bono! Wanna do a tawdry interpretation of Ave Maria with nonsense lyrics about how bad war is whilst simulataneously making us look like heroes of the first world?'

'You bet your sweet massive ass I do!'
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Semifinalists Live! For Free!

August 28th 2006 13:17
One of the year's most mind-bendingly brilliant bands to emerge from the whole Art-Rock fallout, Semifinalists, played a sparkling free show at Camden's Lock Tavern on Saturday afternoon. Free! FREE! PM was there so damn quick...

PM got the chance to interview them before the gig as well, the results of which will end up somewhere soon when it's all written up and strung together. Topics covered included Trees Falling in Space, muskrats, the meaning of punk and Macgyver. Possibly the nicest bunch of people ever ever ever.

Their show was without their usual visual projections, but was still astonishing in its vivacity and sheer pop corners. Here are a few pictures. Look how I experimented with Sepia! Ooh!

Semifinalists at Camden Lock Tavern


Semifinalists at Camden Lock Tavern


Semifinalists at Camden Lock Tavern


Also playing were PM favourites Hot Club De Paris, whose tightness was so inherent and musical that it can only imply telepathy, and whose drummer apparently had a broken leg. Well, he was on crutches anyway. Following them were The Research, who had a massive buzz about them thanks to a good review in the NME and a cover article in Plan B magazine. Their indie-pop magic is accomplished and pointy, featuring some manic stand-up-sit-down keyboard work and tuneful squeals about, well, God knows what. But it was fun. Check it, y'all!
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New Magoo Single Released, er, Last Week

August 26th 2006 09:11
Eek, didn't realise that one of the finest pop bands of the last decade released a single on the 19th. Woops. Superteen Scene is taken from their joyous last album, The All Electric Amusement Arcade which is out on either Chemikal Underground Records or Sickroom Records. I can't remember.

But the single and the album are both top. Go here to hear some songs, they will turn your face upside down.
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Jason Molina - Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go

August 25th 2006 15:41
Jason Molina – Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go
(Secretly Canadian)
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Angels and Airwaves - Oh! How They Offend Us All...

August 24th 2006 18:44
"I'm trying to inspire people … to think that if they change their own view of the world, not only will they change the world for themselves — they'll change it for everyone else as well."

Tom Delonge from Angels and Airwaves
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New Lemonheads Track Unveiled

August 24th 2006 10:19
Crikey! After an age of interesting (i.e. not as good) solo material from leader Evan Dando, it seems that the rumours were true and the Lemonheads are recording again and have a new album in the pipeline, due for release on the 26th of September. And this time, Dando has roped members of Black Flag and the Descendants to help out.

So, any massive innovations? A new kautrock feel? Previously unchecked Gabba influences? 'Course not. Just pretty and triumphant punk n roll. Give it a listen, you'll dig out your flannel cardigans again.
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Keane Singer Enters Rehab

August 23rd 2006 19:00
Now this is just too weird to be true! The kid from Keane? Really? In rehab?

Tom Chaplin From Keane
Chaplin - Mmm, lovely booze...
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Green Man Festival Day Three

August 23rd 2006 10:18
Before we get into day three, I should mention that there is some more in-depth coverage of PM's festival experience at www.indieworkshop.com, including an interview with Huw Stephens from Radio 1! I had to chase him first, of course...

Day three:
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Green Man Festival Day Two

August 22nd 2006 10:28
The rain came down, but the (inside-out) tent proved resilient. Thank goodness. Cooked some spaghetti for breakfast and then day two went like this...

Literature Tent - Donovan (Again!):
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Green Man Festival Day One

August 21st 2006 19:23
Well, PM made it there and back in two pieces. The second piece was the exhaust pipe hitting the floor fifteen minutes from reaching home this afternoon. No joke. AND there was a problem with the digital camera transfer to my computer, so the first few acts photos are lost. Sorry. To make up, the best photo PM has ever taken will appear tomorrow! Stay tuned!

But The Green Man Festival itself was an utter delight from start to finish. The Friday went something like this...
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New Rapture Video

August 17th 2006 10:07
That took a very long time to come out, didn't it boys? One would assume that there is an entirely new direction to your new material, some sort of seismic shift that transplants us from the damn-funky throes of your first album and takes us somewhere where all the road signs are in the musical language of dance, where the women are all hipsters and the men look like David Bowie. And they can all dance perfectly.

Alas no, it sounds the same as before. Fun, though. Listen to those guitar rhythms and the bassline and you'll swear it's House Of Jealous Lovers.
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Green Man Journey Mixtape

August 16th 2006 19:39
OK, so PM is off to the Green Man Festival on Thursday (tomorrow). It's a long drive. One man (well, two men – hello Rob) versus the open road. What to do on this accursed journey into the belly of Wales, leaping from bridge to toll-booth, through sweeping mountain ranges and hellishly-priced motorway services?

Listen to a specially catered mix-tape! Woop!
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The Good The Bad And The Queen Release Teaser

August 16th 2006 10:19
With tickets going on sale for their BBC Proms show, The God The Bad And The Queen have got the hype machine's wheels in motion. And to add fuel to the fire, they've released this teaser video. You may as well skip to to the last ten seconds, because that's the only bit with music in. Sounds intriguing, like a dubby Arctic Monkeys. Which, on reflection, could be hellish.

So we'll see. And the BBC Electric Proms are next in PM's line of fire (after we've dealt with Angels and Airwaves).
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Blink 182 Reveal Reasons Behind Split. And They're Hilarious.

August 15th 2006 18:13
So the reason they finally killed the band that wouldn't die is not that they got their pee-pees caught in the zipper. Nor is it because all that naked running around cities was tiring them out. Even more shockingly, it is not because people finally realised what an absolute inhuman atrocity they were as musicians and people.

blink-182
Ah, it's good to be dead...

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Sandi Thom - A Deconstruction

August 14th 2006 14:40
Okey dokey, it's time to kick the critical shit out of Sandi Thom's 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker'. Childish it may be, but my goodness the rose-tinted ignorance of this woman deserves to be taken down.

Sandi Thom
Thom - Sucks
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Precious Fathers Make Rain Hilarious

August 13th 2006 15:05
Today is a day on which PM finds itself not bothered about the whirlwind chases of news snippets, the crushing immediacy of new music, or scouring for un-copyrighted pictures. Today is a day that the plug for my bath got completely blocked, meaning I had to drive down to the supermarket to get some Cillit Bang. The weather, unfortunately, had other ideas and a thunderstorm the likes of which PM hasn't witnessed in years descended rather suddenly.

What to do? I need a shower, I'm smelling a little bit festive and the hair is far from immaculate. I begin the drive down Egham hill to the supermarket. My windscreen wipers are surely scratching the glass, such is the fervour with which they hurl the water from in front of me. Other cars drive monstrously slowly, clawing their way up the hill like mountaineers while I cautiously coast down like a wary skiier.
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Say Hi To Your Mom dislike Pitchfork

August 12th 2006 15:58


Eric Elbogen from ferocious mopers Say Hi To Your Mom has sent an open letter to Brian Howe from Pitchfork Media regarding his decidedly luke-warm review of latest album 'Impeccable Blahs'.
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Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru

August 12th 2006 08:20
This is funny stuff, a sort of sequel to the video with the horifically insulting record shop clerks. This one is a little subtler and takes the piss out of bloggers. So yeah! Nice to see Devendra Banhart proclaiming his own beard to be fake...

And if I knew how to make it so you could see the video on PM without having to go to Youtube, I would. But I don't. Does anyone know? Someone must know...
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Axl Rose Visits Cancer Victims

August 11th 2006 16:25
Axl Rose - he loves the needy. Why do you think his band is made up of session musicians? But he showed how caring he was the other day by doing the rounds at UCL's Teenage Cancer ward. What a guy. Reportedly, the patients were cheered up no end by Rose's visit.

Axl Rose on stage with some blokes from some studio somewhere
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Festival Line-Up Jealousy

August 11th 2006 13:05
On a recent visit back home, I ran into an old colleague (we worked in a little record shop). He informed me that he was travelling all the way to France for his festival kicks this year (having already gone to the ATP weekender with Dinosaur Jr. and the Shins). What a scumbag...

La Route Du Rock has an astonishingly good line-up, and PM is exceptionally jealous:
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Architecture In Helsinki Get Remixed

August 9th 2006 10:17


Architecture In Helsinki, a strong contender for best band EVER, are releasing a tour-only remix CD. Which means it will only be available on their tour of the US. So if anyone picks one up at any point, y'know... send a copy my way. But if they would just tour the UK, then we wouldn't have this problem. Ah well.
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DFA 1979 Split!

August 8th 2006 17:29


I realise this happened a few days ago now, but still... damn! They weren't bad!
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Stupid Things The NME Says #2.5

August 8th 2006 10:45
This is a special edition of PM's little rants, especially dedicated to the NME web forum.

Quite simply, a portion of the users of the NME's Internet forum is utter scum. And by writing this, PM is no doubt adding further potential ammunition for their inimitable brand of take-the-piss-mercilessly-out-of-everything humour. Frankly, PM is past caring about a bunch of no-faced negativity-mongers who spend unhealthy amounts of time thrashing their insult glands till they explode all over their computer screens.
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Arthur Lee - A Tribute

August 7th 2006 08:34


This is a difficult tribute to write. PM will try to describe Arthur Lee, Love and their music and legacy, but also a few of my own experiences with Love as well.
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DANANANANAYKROYD New Single On Moshi Moshi!

August 4th 2006 18:31
At last! Someone has signed them! DANANANANAYKROYD's first proper single, Totally Bone, will be released on Moshi Moshi records on September 18th. And with the good company of Hot Club De Paris and Architecture in Helsinki, Moshi Moshi are proving themselves to be... well, great!

Until then, PM heartily urges you to go to the band's MySpace and download their impeccable demo. It is punishing in a Bloc Party sort of sense, but warm in a Smashing Pumpkins sort of sense at the same time. And they have two drummers, which means they're ace - and not in a novelty sort of way, either. They use the two drummers with obliterating effect rather than having them just make it a massive muggy mess. So if you aren't quite post-punk enough to give the po-faced 6th Form dramatics of Bloc Party a go, but you sure as hell like to dance like a flannel shirt-wearing stoner from 1993 then DANANANANAYKROYD are your new favourite band.
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Arthur Lee Dies

August 4th 2006 10:08
Arthur Lee - 1945-2006


Influential singer with Love, Arthur Lee, has finally succombed to his long battle with leukaemia. He died yesterday, aged 61.
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80s Quiz

August 4th 2006 08:17
PM has been alerted to this quiz on 80s song lyrics. PM did terribly. 31.5 points is not really anything to smile about, is it?

Ah well... Maybe a picture of PM looking sad about a nagging lack in 80s pop culture knowledge is in order.
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Damon Albarn's New Band

August 3rd 2006 16:29
Damon Albarn - how does he reach the strings?



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Korn Release Statement

August 2nd 2006 22:15
After a fan died at their Family Values show on Monday, Korn have released a statement about the event. Anyone else think this is a little bit impersonal and weird? Particularly the Deftones mention? Why are they important? Are they trying to shift a bit of blame? Because it's no-ones fault except the dicks who did it.

"All the bands on THE FAMILY VALUES TOUR offer their sincerest condolences and prayers to the family of 30-year-old Andy Richardson. Richardson, who attended Sunday’s show at Atlanta’s Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater, was beaten by two men at the concert and subsequently was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, August 1. The incident occurred during the Deftones set, before tour headliners KORN took the stage. KORN are appalled at the actions of these men and are imploring anyone who witnessed this senseless act or has any information about the attack to please immediately come forward by contacting local authorities."
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