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Pop Musicology - "The Second Drummer Drowned"

Pop Musicology - October 2006

New Easy Anthems Download

October 29th 2006 13:37
Of course it's good... Go here and get it, it's called Concrete Star Signs. Best thing about it: cheeky bouncy boingy piano matched by beautifully legato-flavour strings bold enough to melt your face. It's a Sunday, PM is dreadfully hung over and this song made me want to eat sensible foods and not vomit in my cups. So this song is officially wonderful.

You know what's even better than all that, though? Easy Anthems have a wonderful record coming out FOR FREE DOWNLOAD later this week. Details are sketchy, but hey. That's folk. Plus MySpace won't let me check my bulletins. Needless to say, more details will become available as they emerge.


But for now, just listen to that damn song.

Easy Anthems
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New Euros Childs Tracks and Album

October 28th 2006 08:26
The wonderful deluge of Welsh folk songsmithery takes another turn upwards as Euros Childs reveals some details for his new record, due out early next year (isn't everything due out early next year at the moment?).

From his MySpace:

"Hello, just a quick note to say I've finished a new album. It was recorded over a period of 12 days in Bryn Derwen studios North Wales with ace engineer Dave Wrench. The album features the musical talents of Peter Richardson, drums, Meilyr Jones, bass, Alun Tan Lan, guitar and Dylan Hughes, Organ. The album features a few tracks people have been asking how to get to get hold of: Henry a Matilda Supermarketsuper, Bore Da, Sandalau and Warrior (actually that's a lie, no one has asked about Warrior, I just like the title). The album should come out early next year. Any more news and I'll post it up on this blog thing. Bye."


Chap! Nice Chap!

Here's a photo of the Euros experience at the Green Man Festival.

Euros Childs at the Green Man Festival


Go to Euros's website as well, there's links to an interview PM did with him for Indie Workshop, as well as the Green Man coverage. And some spiffing MP3s too. Here's one:

Dawnsio Dros Y Môr (Recorded Live - 12 Bar, London, 6/12/05)

That's good, yes? Now go and download the rest. PM actually has a video or two of the great man in action, maybe those'll find their way up sometime soon...
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The French Disconnection Hits London Again

October 27th 2006 12:19
The French Disocnnection, the ever-popular series of French acts heading across to London makes a double-barrelled appearance once again at the end of November. After two completely superb shows in the Spring and Summer (PM was at both like some sort of Francophile mentalist, review links here and here), headlined by Sebastian Tellier and Bertrand Burgalat respectively, we are now treated to shows by Adam Kesher and Stereolab singer Laetitia Sadier's side-project Monade (a PM favourite - look!).

It all takes place on the 29th of November (Autumn Collection, The Windmill, Brixton) and the 30th of November (Winter Collection, The Luminaire, Kilburn), and boy, it's bound to be ace, isn't it?

Here's s picture of the last French Disconnection event, and a now-legendary PM-filmed video! Ooh, my steady hands...

Bertrand Burgalat
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More Gruff Rhys Details...

October 26th 2006 12:16
Well, not really details, but PM has managed to locate Rhys's MySpace, cunningly not containing his name at all... what a berk. And it was only created a couple of days ago, how up to date is this blog?! Ah well, the tunes are unsurprisingly wonderful, pop butter melting on toast from the grill of sensible chord progressions and mental Welsh rambling. But the best bit? It's a video for the Candylion single! Enjoy!

And looky at the Herbs-esque artwork!
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Gruff Rhys New Album Deets

October 25th 2006 12:17
Gruff Rhys is to release a second album. Back of the net!

Entitled 'Candylion', it promises to be another ride through the whimsical brain of a man whose whimsy is almost certainly more whimsical than yours, being backed by an initial single of the same name. Want some pics and vids? Here you are sir.
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Flaming Lips to Release New EP

October 24th 2006 19:24
Everyone's favourite purveyors of noisy avant-melodic madness The Flaming Lips are to release a baby new EP into the world sometime soon... it's on... err... checking now... yep. November 13th. It's headed up by 'It Overtakes Me' from their rather flawless 'At War With The Mystics' LP (the one in the beer ad with the puppets and that), and includes some suitably silly additions, some new tracks and a re-mix of 'New Radicals' entitled 'Albino New Wave Mix No.12' or something similarly ker-azy. So buy that one.

The Lips are touring Europe as we speak, and PM will be at on be of the London shows. With a camera. For pictures. For you. Make ya feel good?
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Finlay Outclass All Of Brixton

October 22nd 2006 15:10
Do you know who was playing in the Brixton Academy this weekend? It was Panic! At The Disco. Sellout crowds singing along with the looming threat of a good old-fashioned bottle in the face. Who's playing in the slightly less glamourous Windmill pub? It's some sort of rather hip Acoustic night with some Vauxhall Conference bands. Which turns out to be better? You know already, you tools!

The Windmill played host to a folky bloke last night called Dan Raza who broke a string, shouted and walked about a bit and then spoke to his parents. Nice shrieking, sir. He was followed by a true lesson in how to be complete cack in one easy step - join Loose Cannons. They were... oh... how to put it... yeah... cack. They looked like they wanted to look like they owned the place, but came off owning only the own idiocy and naffly annoying chug-chug Razorlight-soundalike Strokes rip-off workmanisms of any pretender to the dubious NME throne. Crap. (And, rather cheeringly, PM could not locate a website. Ah well).
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ATP Line-Up Expands

October 22nd 2006 10:58
Not only are the Dirty Three curating 2007's ATP festival, they've announced that Nick Cave, no less, is due to headline. PM has bought tickets and is planngin to live only on one Onken Biopot per day to make ends meet with this ridiculous expenditure. Of course it doesn't matter a jot when you learn that Low are playing as well. And after chickening out of tickets for their Don't Loo Back show in Camden a few months ago, PM is making damn sure that they're seen this time round. And, ooh, ooh, guess who else? It's only A. Silver Mt Zion! Another band that PM was cheated out of seeing when they cancelled one of the London shows over the summer - the one we had tickets for. We'll get 'em, just you wait.

So, the confirmed bands so far are


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Explosions In The Sky Announce New Album

October 19th 2006 09:31
Explosions In The Sky have finished their new record! At last! Huzzah! Looks like the winter is gonna be a pretty one...

The band, via their MySpace, said:
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Easy Anthems

October 18th 2006 10:46
After he saw PM's wee critique of the excellent Beat Radio LP (still downloadable, so, y'know... get it...), their keyboard/guitar fiddler informed us of another project he is fifty percent of - Easy Anthems. Loving parents Vanesa and Philip Jimenez form this folky duo, who have written the following about themselves:

"We Broke Up, And We Made Music, And We Got Back Together, And We Made Music, And We Got Married, And We Made Music, And We Broke Up, And We Made A Kid, And We Got Back Together, And We Made Music"
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Beat Radio - The Great Big Sea

October 17th 2006 18:13
What? You haven't downloaded it yet? Come on... here it is. Do it now.
Beat Radio


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Misty's Big Adventure Fashion Parade Video

October 14th 2006 15:30
After that massive 'tiff' with the Teats, Misty's have finally stuck their video on YouTube - go here and admire its astonishing pop-baiting genius. And also admire Noddy Holder from Slade doing the voice-over at the end. Nice touch. The Teats, then. Who are they? Well, PM thought they looked familiar... and they seem to be the Retro Spankees (substantiated by YouTube comments), who I saw playing a rather excellent set supporting Bearsuit and The Chemistry Experiment last year in London. So there you are. Hoax over? Probably not, cos people are fick, innit.

Go to the Misty's site and listen to some more, then look at this article posted by an anonymous PM reader (cheers for the link, A. Nonymous) and then look at The Retro Spankees site as well, because they certainly aren't terrible.
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Dirty Three To Curate ATP

October 13th 2006 11:54
The All Tomorrow's Parties festival 2007 will be curated by The Dirty Three, as revealed on the ATP website this morning. This is superb news. The event takes place in April of 2007, and has previously been curated by the likes of The Mars Volta, Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian and a load of other people who are really really ace. PM is evaluating the financial repurcussions of such a purchase (£120/£140 depending on the chalet you book), and hoping that the books will balance by Christmas time. It's gonna be a lean one...

No acts are confirmed yet, but all will apparently be revealed next week. PM is considering placing bets on the following acts being selected: Low, Nick Cave, Nina Nastasia. If I can make money on that, then maybe that ticket will come even sooner.
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How Indie Are You?

October 11th 2006 18:06
CNN have constructed a quiz! How delightful! PM did not do well. I put it down to a hatred of Morrissey. PM is, according to the test, 'moderately down', which I assume means I have the same street cred as my dad. Give it a go and see what the popular press thinks of the modern independent music scene kids! And mind out for the Wes Anderson question, that one's tricky...

Here's the link, go down to the bit that says 'Under Cover'.
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Beat Radio Album Download!

October 10th 2006 14:20
PM's new favourite band Beat Radio have finally finished recording and mastering their new LP, The Great Big Sea. First things first, go and download it cos it's really special. Second of all, here's a snippet of an interview I did with their head honcho, Brian Sendrowitz, YET TO BE PUBLISHED! WOO! You're all ahead of the press, and don't it feel so good?!

Beat Radio
live photos by ryan immegart
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Misty's Vs. The Teats!

October 9th 2006 10:09
Glorious pop tarts with added gloves Misty's Big Adventure are having their first official feud! With a proper crap post-punk revivalist bunch called The Teats! They've taken them for a proper ride! All about needing a band to look like Razorlight in their anti-rip-off single 'Fashion Parade'. Basically, The Teats' ignorance led to them being lampooned and made to look like complete indie spoons without even realising. Their response? Post Misty's single before it gets released! Mmm, harsh! Just go there and listen to the revivalist-baiting genius of the hilarious lyrics...

Look at the blogs of the repsective MySpaces (here and here) and decide for yourselves. But if you side with The Teats then I'm never posting again cos I'll kill myself.
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Fanfarlo - Talking Backwards

October 8th 2006 11:21
Fanfarlo are a lovely bunch. Ringleader Simon Aurell's is a tale oten told, of migration and new roots being planted thanks to the impeccable nurture of British music, after upping sticks and leaving Sweden. And it shows - 'Talking Backwards' is a particularly pretty example of Fanfarlo's brilliantly logical and simple pop, but containing enough salt and grit to make it smack of something much more interesting. It's got that same bass drum thud-thud as The Arcade Fire, but the same melodic sense of Hefner with some rambling about faked artistic intent. It all makes for a pulsing little baby of a pop song, egged on by its own intentions.

Even better, oddly, is the B-Side 'Tuesday (You Come When We Call)' with its beautifully measured saxophone/recorder duel and clever intricacies. The electronic burbles underneath are insanely well reigned in, providing an utter essential to the wonderful schmaltz and gloop of a tune over the top. The chorus melody is one that you will literally make you want to kill yourself because it is so depressingly good, so much better than anything you could think of on your own. 'You swallowed all that we put on your plate', Aurell lovingly intones. There is a sad, sad gravity to it all, but one lightened by the skewed pop-along-a-Spector layered all around the edges. The edges are the most important thing in this song - so as the recorder lightly yields at the very end, it becomes clear that you need to press the 'back' button on your stereo and put yourself through this nagging melancholy all over again. It's the only thing you'll want to do.
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New Daniel Johnston Tribute

October 6th 2006 16:37
Hang on, there's a load of these aren't there?

This one is, however, looking particularly tasty. Look at the tracklisting!
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The Butterflies of Love - Orbit Around You/In A Blizzard In A Lighthouse

October 5th 2006 13:32
The Butterflies of Love's new double A-side is as beautifully unhinged as anything they've released in their beautifully unhinged careers. It represents a massive return from industrial woes that crippled the last album, and another opportunity to fall in love with them all over again. 'Orbit Around You' is what driving in the sun was made for. Pure radio-fried gold, its anxiety is spurred by a searingly spurned narrative telling us that Jeff Greene 'don't wanna have to try so hard'. It's all rather sad, but breezes past in a jiffy thanks to some impeccable 'ooohs' and 'aaahs'. And with that central trait of TBOL working so successfully, it seems only reasonable to chuck another great song on the back of it. 'In A Blizzard In A Lighthouse' is the most recognisably Butterflies-y of the two tunes, all gloopy spaced out whirly guitar noises and the saddest most poppiest voice this side of Kevin Shields fronting REM. Imagine that. Then buy this single. It sure don't suck. The lonesome mourn of Dan Greene's contribution is as cannily measured a drawl as they come, smacking of life lessons learned and lights left on upstairs. A gorgeous stroke of a song.

You should go here and listen to their other stuff. And then save up for the new album which will apparently be coming out on Fortuna Pop records in early 2007. PM wants it now...
Butterflies of Love at F-POP! Fest
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Lil Chris - Oh, You Colossal Shitbag

October 2nd 2006 20:00
Lil Chris is a young man who was the unlikely star of a reality TV show hosted by Gene Simmons, Rock School. Mr. Simmons attempted to school a group of dysfunctional youths in the ways of Rock Excess and taught them how to play their instruments. At the climax of the series, the band he put together opened up for Judas Priest. Lil Chris was the singer at this particular concert and has now embarked on a career of his own as a singer inhis own right. Needless to say, it is utter swill.

To those that have already seen the video and heard the song, I apologise for making you sit through it all again. Go to the lad's MySpace and listen to 'Checking It Out'. What the hell does any of it mean? PM genuinely can't work out if the song is some sort of love story or if it's just a phrase that happens to fit the tune. Which is a loose term on this occasion.
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New Hot Club De Paris Single

October 1st 2006 11:51
I know, PM keeps going on about this band, but COME ON! Have you ever heard anyone tighter? Them there pop-punk tunes are so full of melodies and syncopations to trip over that you'll be screaming for 4/4 and a lie down after five minutes. And they're on Moshi Moshi! The new single, 'Everyeveryeverything' has the best chorus this side of... er... anyone? Yeah. It's out as of this week. It's fucking great and you have to buy it. Or join Moshi Moshi's singles club and get the Dananananaykroyd single too. They are a kindly bunch. ]

Unfortunately, Hot Club are touring with Dirty Pretty Things. What are they thinking?! Should be headlining... Their debut album, 'Drop It Till It Pops' is coming out on October 9th.
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