Eagulls Preview

With the release of their infamously sardonic open letter addressed “TO ALL BEACH BANDS SUCKING EACH OTHERS DICKS AND RUBBING THE PRESS’ CLITS” and the raucous urgency of their DIY punk, Eagulls have introduced themselves to the music scene in tornado of venom, anger and fuzzy guitar, and are destined to arrive of at Bristol’s Louisiana on 28th February, as a part of their UK tour.

Eagulls’ music perfectly embodies the archetypal punk slacker aesthetic, as well as simultaneously delivering a sense of vitality that makes their music energising and exciting, as can be heard in ‘Nerve Endings’ and ‘Fifteen’.  Critics of Eagulls will probably condemn them for lack of originality, but in this age of commercial supremacy, their low-fi sound and approach (they recorded their album on cassette and sold it for next to nothing) still remains refreshing.

The band’s charging bass, relentless drumming and gruff, insistent vocals create a sonic quality intended to be experienced live – and with their scrappy punk leanings, their show will definitely be one to remember.

See their tour poster for full live dates and check out ‘Nerve Endings’ here:

To see the original article click here.

READING AND LEEDS HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED

It’s all blowing up today!  Wasn’t too keen on the idea of reading before, but now with the likes of Arctic Monkeys,  SBTRKT, Warpaint, and Annie Mac, It’s looking more like a possibility.

What do you think about this years headliners?

MORE BESTIVAL HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED

From the moment Bestival decided to indulge my childhood nostalgia with the announcement that Outkast were headlining, I have had my eyes fixed on the ever increasing festival lineup with the intensity of a hawk, and personally I’ve not been disappointed. With Foals, Major Lazer,  Caribou and Wild Beasts, being only some of the headliners (more are to be announced soon) Bestival is definitely looking to be on my to-do list this summer.

Playlist of the week #1

So as a new addition to the blog I thought I would introduce a weekly playlist where I share the music that I’ve been indulging in/ repeating non stop/ raving about during the week for all of you guys, so that this hedonistic pleasure can become a communal thing!

So this week, I’ve been dipping back into some of the housier tracks on my iTunes, the remixes of songs that I love, as well as some fantastic new releases that make me want to bottle the music, attach it to an IV and pump it directly into my veins (I’m looking at you Wild Beasts).

Happy listening  x

Apologies!

To those that read my blog, you may or may not have noticed a certain lack of action over the christmas holidays, and I’d like to firstly offer my excuses (Revising for exams and holidays), and secondly  my apologies: Sorry!

Don’t worry though, as well as a load of reviews that will be coming your way, I’m also planning to do a playlist-of-the-week-type-scenario where I will be indulging you all in the music I’ve been listening to, so keep your eyes peeled!

Big Love,

-Juliette

FIRST GLASTONBURY HEADLINER CONFIRMED

Arcade Fire has just been confirmed as the first act to headline the first day of this year’s Glastonbury.

Glastonbury’s official press release has stated the following:

“We’re very pleased to announce that Arcade Fire will headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2014, on Friday, 27th June.”

Arcade Fire also announced their participation in Glastonbury 2014 with the following (rather artistic, and characteristically sparse) tweet:

Next year, one week in June pic.twitter.com/mzfhRg0Ut0

— Arcade Fire (@arcadefire) December 19, 2013

As always Eavis leaves us itching for more! Who do you think will be the next headliners for Glastonbury 2014?

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• Arcade Fire hint at headlining Glastonbury 2014: ‘Get your wellies ready’ (miamiswamp.com)

Album Review: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – ‘Live from KCRW’

With their extensive back catalogue of studio albums, singles, and one-off releases, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds tuck another live album under their belt with the recent release of ‘Live from KCRW’. For this album the distinctive deadpan and charged performance that characterises the band’s sound has been stripped down to its bare bones, with the intimacy of the live session for LA’s KCRW radio station translating beautifully across the entirety of the album. Through this unadorned performance, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds manage to deliver the complexity of the songs in the most simplistic and effective way possible.

The album eases you in with the broody guitar strums and crooning vocals of Nick Cave on ‘Higgs Boson Blues’. Despite the minimalism of the setting, Cave still retains aspects of performance throughout the album and manages to convey them subtly yet effectively in this song, with his cry of “Here comes Lucifer!” managing to strike the perfect balance between fear and resignation. Cave’s lyric about Miley Cyrus also begins to sound particularly topical in this rendition, and manages to crack a few laughs from the audience.

‘Higgs Boson Blues’ is then chased down with ‘Far From Me’, which ends with the audience enthusiastically attempting to guess the next song, and some brief but well delivered banter from Nick Cave himself. The piano is then introduced with ‘The Mercy Seat’ which seems to create a grandiose atmosphere, perfect for the numerous bible references, highlighting the authority with which Cave delivers the lyric “a eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. The piano is also offset by Warren Ellis’ beautifully melancholic violin interludes which deserve special mention. The hauntingly eerie ‘Push the Sky Away’ from the recently released eponymous album, is also another highlight. The layered singing, and sparse instrumental really stays with you for long after the album ends, with Cave’s hypnotic vocals being the highlight of the sparse track.

Despite these excellently executed tracks, songs such as ‘And No Longer Shall we Part’ fail to make an impression, with Cave’s usually lustrous vocals sounding strained, and the percussion almost sounding gimmicky and twee. The closing track ‘Jack the Ripper’ is well performed, but seems to jar completely with the atmosphere of the album as a whole, ending the album with a confused burst of energy.

Overall Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds have created a well-crafted album. When the songs succeed they soar into the bounds of brilliance, yet some off-key song choices prevent the album from reaching it’s full potential. The album ends with the enthusiastic sated clapping of the audience, yet on the contrary, it left me with the slight murmurings of disappointment.

Originally written for Bristol Live – See original article here.

Related articles

• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Live from KCRW; Goat: Live Ballroom Ritual – review (theguardian.com)

First Latitude Headliners Announced

Personally, I’m not feeling too bowled over by these announcements. Many of the acts I’ve already seen as they were pretty active on the 2013 summer gig/festival circuit, so nothing too shocking. Marika Hackman and Goat should be good, but thus far I’m disappointed.

Pixies Bassist Update

Surprisingly she’s not another Kim.

Following the Pixies hasty break with Kim Shattuck after her three month stint with the band, they seem to have found another female bassist to replace the second Kim. Paz Lenchantin (of A Perfect Circle and Zwan) has stepped up to take this coveted role.

According to a statement released by the Pixies earlier today she will be the band’s touring bassist for the majority of their North American Tour.

Here’s hoping this arrangement lasts longer than the previous ones!

Related articles

• Pixies Name a Bassist for Upcoming Tour (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)

Macaulay Culkin’s Pizza Based Velvet Underground Tribute Band?

Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame has recently started a pizza themed Velvet Underground Tribute.  Although initially some may be dubious as to the musical quality of the band’s eight minute long demo,  the glorious kazoo solo and fantastically complex lyrics of the song elevate each band member to the status of a demi-god.

Only joking, but the demo is pretty funny,  and with pizza related renditions of the classics (“I’m Waiting For The Delivery Man” being one of my personal favourites) and a spot on deadpan impression of Nico, it’s maybe  perhaps potentially worth a listen.

Tantalise your tastebuds below.

Related articles

• Macaulay Culkin Has a Pizza-Themed Velvet Underground Cover Band (jezebel.com)