For anyone who can’t wait for the new Fearless Vampire Killers album (I know I can’t..), here’s a nice teaser for you! The band have just released a new video for the first single off their upcoming second album ‘Exposition: The Five Before The Flames’, a prequel to their debut.
‘Diamond Dust & Crimson Reign’ is more ballady than we’re used to with these guys, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have the same kick-ass chords that we love the band for. Plus the video seems to be following on the plot from their originals, which I absolutely LOVE. Just would like to know a bit more of the storyline..
Seeing as the weather is still freezing cold, I’m sure I’m not the only one spending their evenings curled up on the sofa in their pjs with a cup of cocoa / hot chocolate / camomile tea / other (its pretty much a part of my daily routine at the moment..). If you feel like you’re missing out on some fun though, maybe this will help:
These amazing pyjamas are from This Is Pulp and might be a little pricey at £39.99, but I think they’re worth it! Think how much wear you can get out of them in Movember? To be honest, I would be tempted to go out in that top as a vest top and just hope no-one notices..
Clever stop-motion? Check. Vinyl porn? Check. Adrenalin fuelled rock-goodness? Check. Must be the new video from Leeds rockers Hawk Eyes then..
There’s something Reuben-ish about the new single ‘You Deserve A Medal’. It might be the shortness of the track (only 1:56, gosh!), but either way its not a bad thing. Tearing through in the blink of an eye, this is one that you’ll want to put on a repeat a few times to really appreciate. Either way, you’ll be humming this to yourself all day..
The band’s new album ‘Ideas’ is out now. Catch them on a very brief tour of the UK (read: only Birmingham / Sheffield / Leeds) next month.
Just as I was wishing for more sleazy, female fronted rock’n’roll, I came across the awesome Deap Vally.
The duo (Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards) bizarely met at a needlework class in Silver Lake, California and have been making blues-tinged rock ever since. Its hard to write about an all-woman band without crying ‘feminism’, but I don’t think its misplaced with tracks like ‘Make My Own Money’ and cited influences being Thelma and Louise.
Behind the oozing rock’n’roll though, there’s real talent. Listen to songs like ‘I Put a Spell on You’ and you can hear the raw emotion behind the lyrics, combined with some pretty decent guitar playing. Think Jack White with more sex appeal (debatable).
I’ll be honest, this one gets massive props from me just for the vague (and possibly unintentional) Crow film reference. See the flames? Bleed From Within clearly have some good movie collections..
Anyway, this is the title track from the Scottish metallers new album, due out on March 25. Even better news is the fact that you can download the single for free now, from the Century Media website. Oh, and did I mention the band are on tour with Heart of a Coward (groove metal, apparently) this April?
Tonight I’ve been having a quiet night in, watching The Runaways. The film, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning is based on the early life of Joan Jett (played pretty well actually, by Stewart) and her first band The Runaways.
It’s quite a good insight into the lives of bands in the 1970s, particularly the rise of female bands in rock and working the publicity machine. Not to mention the soundtrack is amazing. Its definitely inspired me to check out some of The Runaways and Joan Jett’s early work.. Especially for tracks like this:
I’ve been a fan of Finnish ‘Love Metallers’ HIM since my early teens. It must’ve been one of my first un-adult accompanied gigs when I went to see them at Portsmouth Guildhall. Thanks to a brief sound problem (causing many over 18s to head straight to the bar) we managed to squeeze our way close to the front. Lead singer Ville Valo prowled the stage, cigarette in hand, rich baritone voice echoing the room like some untouchable rock God.
All the way home they were the only thing we could talk about. Did they wander about Portsmouth before the show? Had they stood where we were standing now? Years later, when I briefly moved to the city, walking past the Guildhall on a night out would still bring back happy memories.
‘Buried Alive By Love’ has to be my favourite song of HIM’s (and one that I used to have playing on repeat on the bus to college). It features the beautiful Juliette Lewis (of Natural Born Killers fame).
What are they up to now?
The band are releasing their eighth album ‘Tears On Tape’ on April 29th. They’re touring pretty constantly from April onwards. More info on their facebook here.
Huge congratulations to The Black Keys, who won the 2013 Brit Award for Best International Group yesterday. The Ohio duo released their seventh full-length album ‘El Camino’, featuring this (amazing) track:
I was going to write about things to buy today, like I usually do on Wednesday. Today though, its the birthday of one of my favourite musicians, taken far too long before his time: Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain, the frontman of Seattle grunge trio (and hugely influential band) Nirvana would’ve been 46 today. I can’t think of a better example to remind people of what a loss his tragic suicide at 27 was than this cover of ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, a traditional folk song.
I guess the lesson we can all take from this, is to seek help if you have a problem. Call the Samaritans (or your country’s equivalent). Don’t deprive the world of what you have to offer it.
Happy birthday Kurt Cobain. 19 years on, you are still greatly missed.
I’ve been desperately trying to keep up with Pure Love. Last year, having seen Gallows at Reading festival and become a vague fan, I decided to go to their Valentines day gig in Shepherd’s Bush. It wasn’t to be though. The friend I was planning to go with was running late at work. We’d made plans, I couldn’t go alone and leave her with nothing to do on the most romantic day of the year (debatable). Not when we were both single.
To cut a long story short, we spent the evening drowning our sorrows in wine and chocolate. It wasn’t a bad night, but I couldn’t help feeling that I’d missed out. This year I missed out again as I already had plans. Safe to say, I’ve been pretty determined not to miss out on their album release.
As the name suggests, the album is full of anthems, dedicated to the lost young people today. The band manage to sum it up pretty well, sauntering through dark relationships in ‘She’. There’s even a quick reference to singer Frank Carter’s departure from Gallows two years ago on ‘Bury My Bones’ as he growls ‘I’m so sick of singing about hate..’.
‘The Hits’ is a straight-up punk song, with ‘Anthem’ adding an underlying bluesy tone, almost reminiscent of The Gaslight Anthem. (Even if I can’t help thinking of the ‘down and out’ song from Bugsy Malone).
The record really picks up with the more joyful ‘Beach of Diamonds’ and rock’n’roll esque ‘Handsome Devils Club’. The entire record’s intended outreach can be summed up in the track’s lyrics ‘we are the wrong and the guilty, we are the young and the unimpressed’.
‘Riot Song’ is an instant classic, starting off a little slow, only to channel The Clash with the ear-worming chanting ‘there’s a riot on the streets of England’. ‘March of the Pilgrims’ is a more than fitting finale to the record, building up to a roaring crescendo
I wouldn’t quite associate the songs with the name Pure Love, but this record definitely fits the band members’ description of being a more positive take on life than the savage angst of Gallows. Its definitely a fitting anthem for the so called ‘lost generation’, almost becoming what you wanted Greenday’s American Idiot to be; churning the hopelessness of today’s recession-clad society into a cry for change.
The Rock Chic 