The Cold Cut

Bloc Party- Talons (Link 2)

The hype surrounding 'Intimacy' is slowly ebbing away. In retrospect, you gotta say- what a move by Bloc Party. I'll be posting my full verdict on the album soon, but this I'll say: 'Intimacy' definitely has its charms.

Bloc Party are a pretty solid band by my reckoning. I don't buy into this whole 'Kele is a moody bastard' shit- as long as the tunes keep coming, then I'll be happy. Kele is entitled to his privacy, and his mood-swings. I do, however, have a few niggles with the band, all based around their music, and primarily where its going. Firstly, one of my mates astutely pointed out that Bloc Party always release great songs in the aftermath of an album release. It's happened thrice- 'Two More Years' and 'The Marshalls Are Dead' were nigh on perfect, and could have lifted the latter part of 'Silent Alarm'. 'Weekend In The City' suffered badly from top-heavy track listing, and was followed by a host of bonus tracks that were stronger than most of the songs on the album ('Rhododendron', 'Atonement', 'The Once And Future King' and 'Version 2.0' to name a few).

And now, we have 'Intimacy'. The pacing is kind of wrong on this album... it starts loudly, but the first few songs are weak and jarring, excepting 'Biko'. The album slowly builds to a perfect, redeeming second half. Riddle me this- I purchased the mp3 version of the album, and whilst I recieved their new single (I thought single's were meant to come from albums?) 'Talons' free by email, it is not included in the album listing. This is a move beyond comprehension- 'Talons' is one of the stronger singles they've released in recent years, with chiming bells and a dance riff that is definitive of Bloc Party's new direction. Kele said of 'Talons':

“We wanted to keep things fresh and we thought the fans would be more excited to get a new song rather than something off the album. Talons is one of the last songs we recorded during the Intimacy sessions and I always had it in mind to be one of the extra tracks we promised for the CD if it turned out well. It turned out great so we decided to make it the next single. I’m enjoying this way of working, not over-thinking things, just make a decision and get on with it! It’s quite liberating in a way, I’m sure it’s going to be the way things happen more and more in the future."

The person responsible for the ordering of BP's albums really needs to get the boot. All three have been either top or bottom heavy, with unbelievable emissions- think about 'Intimacy', except remove 'Ares' and 'Mercury' and replace them with the one two punch of 'Talons' and 'Flux'. That's a proposition.

Secondly- where do the band see themselves in a few years time? I get the distinct impression that 'Silent Alarm' was just a front- albeit a fantastic, album of the year front. However, Kele has always made it clear that he wants to experiment- I remember one particular interview where he spoke of his long term wish- to mess around with Timbaland beats, basically. I respect this, but why not just start as you wish to continue? Anyway, back to the present- 'Talons' is another triumph for the band. It's just not going to make as big of an impact as it could.

Intimacy can be bought from the Bloc Party website. In doing so, you can collect your free download of 'Talons'.

Bloc Party- Mercury (Telemitry Mix) (Link 2) (Link 3)

Telemitry, take a long, exaggerated bow. For you are the true master. Where have you been for the last few weeks?

Since the Telemitry remix of 'Viva La Vida' -which turned it into a sure-fire dance floor hit- I have been waiting for a similar challenge to come along. 'Mercury' is it, and this version of the song is easily superior to the Bloc Party version. Telemitry basically had the balls to do what Kele imagined. This is the definitve remix of 'Mercury- there's no need to look elsewhere. They might as well re-release the single with this as a B-Side. All I can say is, 'well done'.

Visit Telemitry's Myspace.

Pin Me Down- Cryptic (Link 2)
Pin Me Down- Pretty In Pink (Link 2)

This really isn't me, but all I can say is... fuuuuuuuck. Why didn't someone tell me earlier? Why did you leave me out of the party? Pin Me Down are so, so, so incredibly ace, and clearly destined for huge things. Why 'Cryptic' isn't number vexes me. It came out in May, and I've only just heard about it? Boy-girl duo's are based around a nice dynamic, and in Milena Mepris and Russell Lissack from Bloc Party, we have a combo for the ages.

I'm almost certain that there's a good story behind this duo. Since 'Flux' came out, Bloc Party interviews have been less than chilled, as if Kele was forging a path for the band that he alone wanted to take. And 'Mercury' must have been even more taxing... I like the song, but do you notice that huge gaping silence? That's the gap left by Russell- as my brother correctly questioned: what's the point of writing songs which don't use one of the best guitarists of the modern age? Nice one, Kele. Stop being moody, continue with this experimentation, but use Russell as well as those nice synth lines.

Enough of Bloc Party- Pin Me Down are, as a breaking band, in a league of their own. At this point, we can only be sure of one thing: Russell is hiding a super song-writing brain behind that killer fringe.

Visit Pin Me Down's myspace page, and buy 'Cryptic' from the iTunes store.

I'm not a 'report every piece of music news' kind of guy, so I wasn't going to talk about Bloc Party's cryptic countdown (see full story) until it came to fruition, and it has. The countdown was (as suspected) for the release of new material. Or more specifically, a new single, entitled 'Mercury', to be released on 11th August.

At this point, I would struggle to describe it as anything but 'different'. And a live enigma- with a combination of blaring trombones and vocal loops, Bloc Party's original set-up will struggle with the amount of noise generated for their new songs (although 'Flux' comes off well). It's a tad repetitive at this point in time, but still continues the theme of electronic experimentation that Kele has obviously fallen in love with.

Both guitar and bass are neglected in favour of this new direction, although the heavy synth line- used as the basis of 'Flux'- pops up a few times. I'm slowly falling in love with this song, but honestly, if it wasn't Bloc Party, I really wouldn't give it the time of day. But then, maybe that was Kele's plan- find the way into our hearts with perfect pop songs, and then pull the once over in search of his true love- beats/electronica. Whether the rest of Bloc Party are so enamoured remains to be seen.

Watch the official video below, and hear the interview Kele gave before premiering the single with Zane Lowe on Radio 1. The single will be released as follows:

'Mercury' CD:
1. Mercury
2. Mercury (Hervé is in disarray Remix)
3. Mercury (CSS Remix)
4. Mercury (Flosstrodamus Remix)

Heavyweight 'Mercury' 12”:
Side A. Mercury (12” Version)
Side B. Mercury (12” Instrumental)

'Mercury' Heavyweight 7”:
Side A. Mercury
Side B. Idea For A Story

Pre-order the single from the band's website!

Be afraid... very afraid. Maxl Rackson

I love mash-ups. Its two for one. Buy one get one free. Whatever you want to call it. That is, when you are lucky enough to find a good one.

Either way, when executed well, a mash-up is elevated a level above the original songs. Generally, you have to search long and hard for a truly brilliant combo, but I've done the work for you. Enjoy, and think of the possibilities. In order of brilliance:

Rihanna/New Order- Shut Up On A Blue Monday (ComaR) (Link 2) (Link 3)
Simply genius. Whoever put two and two together should really quit their day job. This is one of the rare occasions where the songs fit perfectly together. Seamless. Rihanna becomes bearable- it must be a miracle. Listen, NOW!

Nirvana/Michael Jackson- Smells Like Billie Jean (Link 2) (Link 3)
Imagine: this is what MJ would sound like if his voice was a bit lower, and he wrote brilliant grunge music instead of sickly pop gems. And stopped screeching. Cha-mon-e.

Crystal Castles/Bloc Party- Hunting For Witches (Link 2) (Link 3)
A remix and a mash-up, this is good enough for a coveted spot in the list. Once again proving that Crystal Castles are 'so hot right now'.

Jackson 5/Guns N' Roses- Illiterate City (Divide And Kreate) (Link 2) (Link 3)
A five part harmony is a definite improvement over Axl's screeching. Chinese Democracy that, bitch.

Eurythmics/The White Stripes- Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Seven Nation Army (DJ Poly) (Link 2) (Link 3)
Yep. Another perfect combination. I personally would have put Jack a little bit higher in the mix, but its beautiful, regardless.

Britney Spears/Amy Winehouse- Detox (King Of Pants) (Link 2) (Link 3)
At times verging into discordant territory, this just about pulls it off. Its the combo of that baritone sax and the 'Toxic' beat.

Tell me when the links go down- I'll upload them again. Oh, and keep checking back- I'll be updating again today.

Today, I'm going to introduce you to the newest feature of The Cold Cut, 'The Cool'. Mixtapes are the lifeblood of many blogs, and I feel optimistic that they could become a respected feature of The Cold Cut. 'The Cool Vol I' is my first foray into this area of music blogging, and I hope you enjoy my first attempt. Expect many more; they will come as soon as they're ready. Comments and criticisms are always welcome...

The 'January Blues' are a phenomena that many of us suffer from: the comedown from the Christmas season is a difficult one, and the reality sets in that summer is whole half year away, and the following Christmas even longer. Then you have the extra pounds that we all put on, the fact that work starts again, and the dire weather. My first mixtape is designed to help you overcome and directly deal with this situation. Split into two halves, the first signifies the melancholy first few days, and the second the light at the end of the tunnel. Sad/Happy listening...

January Blues- Download complete zip (single tracks available for download below)

Click the (B) to buy the album each song is from...


The January Blues

1.Queens Of The Stone Age- You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire (B)
2. Longwave- Meet Me At The Bottom (B)
3. Lupe Fiasco ft. Jonah Matranga- The Instrumental (B)
4. The National- Black Slate (B)
5. Dangermouse- Threat (B)
6. Metric- Grow Up And Blow Away (B)
7. Imogen Heap- The Moment I Said It (B)
8. Calla- It Dawned On Me (B)
9. Cee-Lo- Childz Play (ft. Ludacris) (B)
10. Bloc Party- Rhododendron (B)
11. CSS- Superafim (B)
12. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Over And Over Again (Lost & Found) (B)
13. Doves- There Goes The Fear (B)
14. Faithless- Hour Of Need (B)

Bonus Track
Jennifer Raffety- January Blues

5 down, 15 to go. This is proving more taxing than I initially thought, but on the plus side the fact that I'm struggling emphasises the quality of music that has been released in 2007. Keep checking back daily for the countdown. Any guesses for my top 5? And what are yours?

15. Bloc Party- A Weekend In The City
I wasn't instantly won over by this, but the brilliance of 'Song For Clay', 'The Prayer' and 'On' had me in a head-lock from the start. The album won the battle, and its pleasing to see that their style is changing (and now we have Flux!). Unfortunately, they missed out on a golden opportunity by not releasing the B-Sides with the album- some of the bonus tracks are better than those on the release itself. Even without this addition, A Weekend In The City is a progressive, solid album, whichever way you look at it.

Favourite Track: Song For Clay (Disappear Here)

A brilliant opener, hectic and with more bass than ever seen on a Bloc Party song. Kele takes it to new heights with his falsetto. Tragically, the rest of the album couldn't quite live up to it, but it set the right tone straight off.

14. Justice- †
D.A.N.C.E. is one of my favourite tracks this year, and † lived up to the immense hype surrounding it. The common misconception is that Justice sound like Daft Punk, but as I've made efforts to point out, this really isn't the case. From experience, I've realised that you can't put this album on in the background (try learning for exams with †! Ain't happening...), and that when 'Genesis' kicks in, there ain't no going back. † demands your attention, and you had better give it.

Favourite Track: D.A.N.C.E.

It had to be, didn't it? Now all I have to do is find one of those awesome T-Shirts...

13. LCD Soundsystem- Sound Of Silver
Before Sound Of Silver, James Murphy was an unknown to me, his music an enigma. Despite this, I found it hard to ignore a well crafted, 9 track (no duds) dance album, held out in front of me by my brother. Crafted around the unstoppable trio of 'North American Scum', 'Someone Great' and 'All My Friends' (the latter two are both contenders for my favourite song of the year), Sound Of Silver is a rarity in that the dance beats are actuallly coupled with something meaningful, in the form of Murphy's lyrics.

Favourite Track: Someone Great

This one's for you, Michael! Destroys All My Friends on the emotion scale.

12. The Shins- Wincing The Night Away
The Shins are a frustrating band; whilst they might be big in America, they have yet to make an impact in the UK. That might be in the works, but an 'OC/Garden State effect' might help them along.

Just as with The Hold Steady, its great to see a group of 'older' guys making great music together. I absolutely loved Chutes Too Narrow, and with Wincing The Night Away, things only get better.

Favourite Track: Sleeping Lessons

This caught me off-guard the first time I heard it; unfortunately, it doesn't happen much in music nowadays, but I like being suprised...

11. Kings Of Leon- Because Of The Times
Third time around, the Kings took the road less travelled, and made things difficult for themselves. They emerged on the other side with the new outfits (skinny jeans, leather and new hair) and an updated sound. Because Of The Times pulls a new trick on us, and rather than re-hashing the excellent, but dated, Molly's Chambers and Red Morning Light, there are many signs of progression on their third album proper. Their most challenging, accomplished album to date.

Favourite Song: My Party

It is what it is- the high 'oooooohs' and the relentless guitar feedback make this gritty song into a classic. Textbook Kings with a twist. 'On Call' who?

Bloc Party- Flux
Blackbox Remix- Positive Tension
Bloc Party- Hero
Bloc Party- 13 Version 2.0
Bloc Party- Skeleton

I think Bloc Party should take the award for most prolific band: you would be hard pressed not to like at least some of the tracks off of their last couple of albums. Since mid-2004 they've released:

1. Bloc Party EP
   
2. Little Thoughts EP
   
3. Silent Alarm
4. Silent Alarm Remixes
5. Two More Years EP (Stand-alone single)
6. The Present (Song for Help: A Day In The Life: recorded in 24 hours)
   
7. Weekend In The City
8. Weekend In The City Bonus tracks (one for all 13 different released versions)
9. Flux (out November 12th, another stand-alone single)
   

The latest announcement (number 9) from the band came during their recent live performance at Madison Square Garden (during the later stages of their US tour), where they played 'Flux' and announced that it would be released on November 12th with 'Emma Kate's Accident' and 'The Once And Future King' as b-sides. I'm going to go with my initial reaction- as different as this track is, I really love it for what it is: a simple way to inject some variety into things before the band start recording their new album. Performing live, Gordon (Moakes) replaces the usual basss line with synthesisers, and Kele's voice is fed through a vocoder to create an interesting song with a really strong dance beat to back up the telling vocals.

"We must talk about our problems
We are in a state of flux."

I've decided to break out some of the Bloc Party rarities that have been sitting around on my iPod for a while now- enjoy, and leave your comments on 'Flux'... songs at the top, follow the links to download... (Flux downloaded from Good Weather For Airstrikes)

In other news, Kele's long lost brother Paul Sackey played really well in the rugby against Australia today- what a talented family, hey?

As I lie ill in my bed, these are the best tracks that compile my playlist today. From now on, this will be a daily fixture, as well as my track of the day post... Click on the individual links to get the each track, or go here to download them all..

Albert Hammond Jr.- Back To The 101
Buy his debut solo album, Your To Keep, here...

Bjork- Crying
Buy her first album, Debut, here...

Bloc Party- Staying Fat
Buy their new album, A Weekend In The City, here.

Idlewild- No Emotion
Buy their new album, Make Another World, here...

Maximo Park- A Fortnight's Time
Buy their new album, Our Earthly Pleasures, here...

The Hours- Ali In The Jungle
Buy their new album, Narcissus Road, here...

The Stills- Still In Love Song
Buy their first album, Logic Will Break Your Heart,

Enjoy, and come back tomorrow to get the next installment in my day playlist...