Warpaint 6 Music session

Can be found here. Session begins around 1:40:00

Don't You Call Anybody Else Baby

Have you bought this yet? Why not?
Hands down one of the best albums of 2010. Best? Just perhaps.

Sad times

A sad day in music indeed, on the anniversary of John Peel's death, the world is now short one more musical legend with one of reggae's greatest voices, Gregory Isaacs, passing away Monday.

Warpaint - Out Today

I can't remember the last time I bought a record the day it was released. I've preordered them, bought them in the incredible play.com sales and on random paydays, I go shopping.
Today however, I'm scooting over to Rough Trade to get my grubby little mits on Warpaint's debut album and I can't wait.

Why am I buying it today? Mainly to prove a point to myself. I've been listening to the album for a while and it is a truly remarkable offering, a heady mix of shoegaze, psychedelic indie and ethereal harmonies that leave you calmly excited and desperate for more.
The album's slow progression works in it favour with most tracks over 5 minutes. The listener is encouraged to really submerge in the mood and melodies contained in each package and appreciate their slow-burning nature, as opposed to compacting everything into a three and a half minute package that focusses on an immediate impact. Not that Warpaint don't of course, their tracks are given space to breathe over the 5 minutes instead of the huffing and puffing over a 3 minute track. The same effect but more gentle and effective.


Buying it on release day is because I'm still excited to experience it. I'm excited to go home with a freshly wrapped CD, carefully take the plastic off, pop the CD in my computer, put on my headphones and listen. Not to a 192 MP3, to the actual CD. To flick over the artwork, the thank you's, the lyrics, who knows what's in the booklet? To immerse myself in an album's full sensory experience, as opposed to simply listening to the songs with the rattle of tube trains in the background.

This doesn't make me a better person than you, that's not what I'm trying to say. This is about loving an album that I can finally hold, by all accounts this record has been a long time coming and in the world of blogs hyping band after band, the excessive media exposure means fans can often be tired of a band before they've even released their debut album.
This is about the end product, the culmination of all those shows, press releases and interviews to raise awareness in an overcrowded music media world. This is how the band want me to engage with their music, nothing in an album's presentation should be unintentional and I cannot wait to read every word, interpret every picture and be completely consumed by the album.

I recommend you do the same.
Buy it here

Friday Eargasm

My week's been a long one.

Now, I don't know about you, and that's my fault, how are you by the way? Good week? Anyway, aren't you glad it's Friday?

My brain is decidedly foggy this morning; a beautiful Italian meal with lots of Prosecco, some whisky and a rather interesting walnut liqueur from Bologna have left me feeling a touch delicate. However, it is Friday and with another night out ahead, I am soothing my head this morning before winding up for another London Friday night. The weather this week has been on the Arctic side of cold which signifies the switch from beer to spirits for a few months. This also handily coincides with training as beer is the worst idea when trying to get fit but spirits tend to not be too detrimental.

Anyway, despite it being Friday and my body shutting down, there are still 7 hours left of the working day and I need to keep going.

Based on a conversation I had last night, this week's Eargasm is the wonderful Glory Box by Portishead. I tend to prefer the PNYC version, Gibbons voice is fully unleashed and the solo has a few extra little fills that kick it up a notch.

So settle in with a warm hoody, a white chocolate bueno and wallow in the beautiful sounds of Portishead.

That my friends, is a Friday win.

Forgive the interruption

I'm an idiot.
It's true, I can give you a list of people that would agree with me.
And that's ok, you know? Those people often are pretty accurate with their opinion, I have been known to do stupid things and stupid things tend to follow me around, it's a part of my life I've learnt to embrace.

I'm running a half-marathon.

13.1 miles
21.08 kilometres
My house to Maidstone.
My flat to Wembley.
Half the distance from Dover to Calais.

A REALLY BLOODY LONG WAY.


Sponsor me. I'll put up the links when I have them set up. I'm donating to two incredibly worthwhile charities who have directly affected my family and have helped thousands of others. I will detail these when I have the justgiving site up as you'll be able to see exactly where your money will go, instead of reading now and forgetting about it in 6 weeks time.

If this happens, I'll post pictures but donate more

It's in March. So you have plenty of time to donate, then save up, then donate a bit more. You gave generously when I grew an irritating moustache for Movember and that was wonderful. It was itchy and it looked prepubescent but it was for a good cause, one close to my heart, and that's what matters with fund raising.

Now, I'm not going to lie and say this was a snap decision. As I'm sure most people do, I have a little list in my head of things I must achieve in my life, things that I've always thought would add to my legacy. I don't expect I'll have much of a legacy but the only way to find out is to try and see how big it gets (that's what she said).

I won't list it all for you but running a marathon is on that list. Why? Why the freak not. It's a gruelling task, a talking point and if I can help a charity by lifting one leg up and putting it in front of the other, why would I not. Hell, if Phiddipides can run 26 miles to deliver a message of "we won" having just fought a battle, I'm sure I can do it fuelled by Lucozade (official energy drink of choice for Alex's run, I'll expect a cheque soon please Lucozade people). He did die shortly after from exhaustion but that's not a fact I'm going to dwell on.

So yeah, apologies for the now split content of music/marathon training. But then I don't really mean that sorry as if it makes you donate and donate some more, it'll have been worthwhile.

I hate Monday's

I used to love Garfield cartoons. I think that's mainly cause he lvoed Lasagna though and I really love lasagna.

Every Monday makes me feel like this driver.

4 more days to the weekend...

Let's pretend, happy end...

My first love.

Well not quite, but my first celebrity crush. This was also the first album I listened to until it broke (ah cassettes), the first band poster I ever owned, the album contained the first song I associated with a girl, the first time I paid attention to production, the first band to make me scour the dialup era internet for every live version, acoustic version and remix in existence.

It's still one of my favourite ever ever ever albums. If you haven't spent some time with Version 2.0, to really intensely listen, to discover Manson's perfect delivery of emotions, the stunning layering of sounds and a flawless demonstration of how to write pop songs, do it right now.

If you have, then revisit it. Trust me, it's still a knockout album.

And my goodness was I right with Shirley Manson. She is hands down one of the sexiest performers out there but not in a gratuitously "look at what I've got to show off" kind of way. The intense emotion of this performance puts many current female performers to shame; just because you have it, it can be far sexier to not show it off.

Garbage - Version 2.0 on Spotify

Friday Eargasm - If These Trees Could Talk

An annoyingly common misconception is that intrumental post-rock must be melodic and soft and sweet. Though genre pioneers Mogwai built their career on sudden dynamic shifts and other bands such as Caspian and TWDY also use swathes of heavy distortion, bands that incorporate melodies and have some kick to them, in my iTunes at least, are few and far between.

Long favourites of mine are the brilliantly named If These Trees Could Talk from Akron Ohio. They mould intricate melodies into crashing thunderous sections that evolve on the themes they introduce. What is immediately clear on listening to ITTCT is that they're superbly talented musicians and listening to their tracks feel like they're taming a wild explosive beast.
The calm sections before the inevitable thrash retain an air of uncertainty and each moment is spent waiting, teetering on the edge of when the song will next launch itself down a wonderfully distorted slide.

I've often said that instrumental music soundtracks the images in your head but ITTCT create new images, they evoke feelings you'd forgotten about, bring anger and passion to the surface of an otherwise calm mood.
This is music to listen to loud and to revel in, to get and cleanse anger to.

Next Girl

This song has been bouncing around my head all weekend. The Black Keys are very adept at writing simple bluesy guitar melodies and though their earlier work focussed on the lo-fi spectrum of blues, their latest effort Brothers is crisp and shimmery in sound without compromising on the prominence of the riffs.

They have also created a band image that is concurrent throughout the packaging and video material for this record. From the vinyl looking sleeve, the heat activated CD (seriously) to the messaging along the bottom of the video for Next Girl, The Black Keys are portraying an image that is definitely working for them, Brothers debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Brothers is available from Play on the cheap, as is their equally essential album Attack & Release.

What's really odd about this is that people are saying this video is either better than Ok GO or trying to be Ok Go.

What seems to be missing is any acknowledgement that they're exactly like Ok Go in that it's a barely average song with a clever video. Videos used to be promotional songs for singles, tools to sell more of the main product. How many people have gone out and bought an Ok Go record based on a few dogs, or will buy this record?

Not nearly as many as is necessary I feel.

Friday Eargasm

It's finally here, the last day of the week and a chance for me to suggest something sexy to put in your ear.

Don't test me, I'll do it.

Fine, go here and download the latest release free from worriedaboutsatan, a collection of demos, b sides and remixes from their early days as a band, right up to their latest remix of White Hinterland.

They really are an exceptional band with a great understanding of how important being accessible to a fan base really is. Constantly active on twitter, allowing questions to be submitted through their website, they seem to be genuinely nice guys as well as very talented musicians.

Download All This Is For You over here and send them a note to let them know just how great their music is

@teamsatan

I think I know already..

..what my favourite album of 2010 will be.

As is often the way with my lists, it didn't come out in 2010.

It is probably still the most engaging, interesting, exciting album though and as I discussed the other day, that's what matters on my lists.

2010, You have 3 months to give me something better than this.

Best of luck.

Magnetic Man

I want to do a proper dissection of this album in a bit as there's a lot more going on than first meets the ear.

However, for the moment check out the debut Magnetic Man album on Spotify now. All signs point to this album being the one that really pushes dubstep on from the Rinse FM's of the world and onto the Radio 1 playlist.

In fact, the incredibly catchy 'I Need Air' was already playlisted over the summer and I got my dubstep groove on to it twice at Big Chill alone, once during Magnetic Man's incredible late ngiht set and again to Joker.

Magnetic Man, comprised of dubstep superheroes Benga, Skream and Artwork, err on the side of poppy dubstep but the album also takes in grime & drum n bass whilst retaining an accessible feel to each song, aided by guest vocalists such as Ms Dynamite and Katy B. By retaining this cleaner and sharper edge to their music, they avoid alienating themselves from the female audience, as is often the case with 'dubstep'.

edit: I completely forgot to add this yesterday but Anthemic is one of the best songs I've heard in ages. Anthemic doesn't even begin to describe that track. Check it.

Stream the Magnetic Man album here (Spotify Premium subscribers only I'm afraid)

New beginnings

I know every now and then I stray from musical content, this often becomes a venting platform, a sharing platform or just a boring platform and I kind of like to have a little place where I can spill my thoughts out that isn't a facebook status or Twitter.

Often, 140 characters just doesn't cut it, y'know?

I just want to let you know something that is coming back into my life that I'm extremely psyched about.

Something that I love but disappears for months at a time.

Hockey.

Not any more, with 1 day to go until the regular NHL season starts and 2 long days until the Washington Capitals lace up and skate out to general apathy in Atlanta, my favourite sport is finally back.

Now I'm not a typical sports person, I don't follow football religiously, I enjoy a bit of cricket and am slowly learning Rugby (let's go Bath).

However, Ice Hockey is the coolest fucking sport ever invented. FACT. And come Friday 8th October at exactly midnight, the Washington Capitals, MY Washington Capitals will begin the EIGHTY TWO GAME slog to the playoffs.

I'm no hockey blogger, I would never attempt to be. I simply don't know enough despite having followed this sport and this team for what is going to be my tenth year. But I love this team, I love it's attitude, I love it's passion and I love it's playe

rs. They're the only thing to constantly give me crap and yet I keep coming back. Now, on the brink of success, on the eve of the regular season, a nervous excitement is bubbling up inside me.

The best way for me to describe it would be in a musical way.

The Washington Capitals shooting their opening night video last year, as rockstars.

It's the morning of a gig. Your favourite band are playing tonight and you've scored tickets. Not tickets, guestlist. You know someone and they've upgraded your guestlist to AAA.

You're triple A to watching your favourite band. And you've never seen them before.

Throughout the day, you try and concentrate, you try to not think of what's ahead. But wherever you go, there are gentle, subtle reminders.

It's cold, so you put on the band's hoody. You need to get your head down and work, so you put on their last album. Facebook is coming alive with people saying how excited they are for that night.

As you queue to get in, you cannot stop moving your legs, tapping your sides. You think queuing at the bar would help but that dull thud of warm up music only serves as a reminder to the sonic assault you're about to receive. You wait barely patiently through the support acts, showing them the minimum amount of respect necessary whilst discussing which song will be played first, and last.

Then finally it comes.

A tortured analogy? Perhaps. But that's how I'm feeling right now. The preseason is over, the Caps convention is over. Finally, for the first time since April, Hockey means something again. It takes a certain kind of person to truly love a sports team, especially one that was so disappointing for so long.

Now, on the eve of what could be the greatest season in Capitals history, the one where they might finally win it all, I can smell the rinks, hear pucks banging off glass, ringing around boards, the thud of player on player, calls out on the ice and from the bench. I can taste the stale hot dog buns, smell the coffee and feel the cold hit me as I leave the rink at the end of the game.

Somewhat surprisingly, I'm guarded with my emotions, it takes me a long time to let my guard down. However, I love this team and will defend it to the death. Looking on my desk in front of me, I see my keys with my Caps keyrings on. There's my Caps hat in my bag, the Caps logo as the background on my iPhone. There's my jersey's and jumpers at home, my mini stick's, my good luck pucks and my posters. None of this really matters, it just makes me feel a little more connected to a team that's thousands of miles away.

What I really enjoy, what gives me the greatest pleasure is watching my favourite game played by my favourite sports team.

The only team that has ever made me think

"You know what, with these guys, it's more than just a game"

Let's Go Caps.

Burial & Kode9 for MAH

If you haven't listened to this yet then you really, really should.

I don't post links up for download but click here and it'll lead you to a list of places where you can download it.

It's a tour de force of UK garage, 2-step, dubstep and drum n bass and is expertly mixed, as is to be expected. There's even Prince in there.

Burial & Kode9's mix for Mary Anne Hobbs

Zero 7 - Home (Unrecorded Remix)

Home: Unrecorded Remix by The Unrecorded

Hello Luxembourg!

That's right people, Boywithacoin yesterday received a rush from Luxembourg of all places.

I'm spreading my message of slightly sad, musical ramblings right across the globe.

Much love to my readers in Finland, Russia and China too with now readers as far away as AUSTRALIA.

Google stats is so much bloody fun

Eargasm: It's not mature and it's not progressive...

listen closely