U.S. Girls Go Grey


I listened to this once, and it's not bad.

anyone got a Sade link yet?

Is the Los Campesinos album in this thread?

I saw it on usenet, tanner. I can grab it if you want.

MACHINE, have you come across this during your illicit travels yet:

If you don't mind, thanks.

It's finally here! Been LOVING their singles!





So, as it turns out, the BBC's Sound Of 2010 is much as the same as the Sound of 2009. We have quirky female songstresses, electropop types, grime MCs and angular indie merchants.

It's this latter category that Belfast's Two Door Cinema Club, who were named on the longlist of Sound of 2010 but who failed to make the top 5, fall into. And if you're wondering whether the world really needs another Foals and Bloc Party hybrid, you'd be forgiven.

Except that Two Door Cinema Club are a much better prospect than the generic indie guitar trio that they appear at first glance to be. Their songs are instantly likeable and catchy, they sound genuinely exciting at times and already seem like pop stars in waiting.

They don't sound particularly original or revolutionary, but at least they're not pretending to be. And when they produce songs as accomplished and confident as I Can Talk or Something Good Can Work, it's impossible not to fall under their spell.

The latter, one of their earliest singles, is one of the best tracks here, with shades of Vampire Weekend in the guitar riff and an addictively feelgood, uplifting chorus. I Can Talk, another single, is similarly terrific - even if the intro is seemingly lifted from Futureheads' Hounds Of Love and the whole tune sounds very reminiscent of Foals' Hummer.

There's a confidence and swagger that's very pleasing - every so often, a track will burst into life. Take Undercover Martyn for instance, which after charming with slinky verses and a bemusing yet endearing chorus of "to the basement, people!" suddenly explodes into guitar-fueled colour to genuinely thrilling effect.

There are some slow burners too, such as Do You Want It All, in which Alex Trimble's affecting falsetto sings a naggingly hypnotic chorus, before transforming into a coda which should have indie discos across the country packing the dancefloors. The fantastically titled Eat That Up It's Good For You meanwhile successfully melds eerie electronica with some African influenced guitar licks.

If there's a problem that Two Door Cinema Club may experience, it'll be being pigeonholed with other bands such as Delphic (even though there's far more of a guitar influence here than with their Mancunian contemporaries). Then there's moments like Come Back Home which sound almost too like White Lies for comfort, but which is shot through with so much energy and confidence that it's hard not to sing along with.

Overall, this is a fine debut album that does exactly what it says on the tin. While they won't win any points for innovation, Two Door Cinema Club are going to find their way into a lot of people's hearts during 2010.

Haven't come across this yet, but I did find their "lost" TVT unrelease as The Years.

I never made it halfway through the album.

from Bolachas (like pretty much this entire thread):

oh man, nice find Rads


looking forward to hearing that when I get home

I haven't listened to this yet, but that album cover is fucking fantastic.

Not sure if Eluvium's Similies has been posted in here, but I think it's very good. If not, I'll find a link.

I've only heard a song on SiriusXM, but did they add in a bunch of electro-beats on this album or is just the one song? The only other album of theirs I heard didn't sound at all like it.

I only half-listened to the CD this morning, but it seems like that's the case on several songs...and I was disappointed. Maybe it'll grow on me, but I listened to that Soft Pack CD right after & it came off much better.

I haven't seen it in here. Please post. Pretty please, in fact.

Copied from that other board.



Pierced Arrows - Descending Shadows (2010)

Like the man says, the more things change, the more they stay the same…or at least that's the way it seems to go with Fred and Toody Cole, the proud elder statesmen of garage punk. For close to 20 years, the Coles recorded and toured with Dead Moon, one of the toughest and most consistently powerful bands in underground rock, but in 2006, they pulled the plug on the group, and more than a few folks assumed that Fred (a grandfather who has been making records since 1966) was ready to retire. But thankfully, that wasn't in the cards, and after teaming up with drummer Kelly Halliburton, Fred and Toody are back in action with a new trio, Pierced Arrows, and the combo's second album, Descending Shadows, has more in common with Dead Moon than substantial differences. Fred Cole's guitar work is still sharp and elemental, his vocals remain an impassioned howl against a world that seems to conspire against all good things, Toody's singing is still a touch smoother and more sorrowful but just as emotionally edgy, and her bass work locks in tight with Halliburton's in a rhythm section that's an ideal fusion of frenzy and precision. From a songwriting perspective, Pierced Arrows feel a bit leaner, more deliberate, and more tuneful than one expected from Dead Moon (especially on the almost-ballad "This Time Around"), and the production is a shade cleaner and more refined, though this is still as no-frills as rock & roll gets these days. But the meat of the story is that after fronting one great band, Fred and Toody Cole are fronting another great band, and while Descending Shadows sounds like it preserves a live set rather than exploring the possibilities of the studio, it's a live set from a band that's tight, focused, righteously angry, and full of fire; this music is fierce and anthemic without ever sounding pretentious, and Pierced Arrows show that a few decades of experience can actually be good for you in punk rock, a welcome revelation in a genre that thrives on youthful snot.

kinda bummed to hear this. came as a total surprise to see this up on bolachas yesterday and i was looking forward to it.

I was just wondering this morning if Rogue Wave was gonna release an album this year (was listening to their debut) and bam, the leak is here waiting for me when I get home.

ah the wonders of modern day music consumption. you can will it to the trash can ask quickly as you can conjure it to reality.

I'd just be interested in the BH link (Yeasayer sucks)