The Cold Cut

QUIX- Only In Your Long Hair (Link 2)

I would say I'm the slightly on edge right now. I've been over-taxed. I'm doing SATs (and whilst they are interesting, they do take up time). I guess I need to chill. Not let the little things get to me. Focus on the big picture. Go on a pub-crawl tomorrow night.

QUIX sent me 'Only In Your Long Hair' last night, and its exactly the medication that I needed. It winds you down. Chills you out. Uplifts.

In my opinion, no one can explain the process behind a track better than the artist themselves. As QUIX puts it:

'LA/Washington DC producer/turntablist QUIX is currently in the works on his debut solo LP - this is a demo version of one of the lead tracks - "Only In Your Long Hair" started as a comissioned remix for Washington DC rock act The Speaks - when the label (Warner) rejected it for its "club sound", QUIX held on to the track for use on his album.'

I love a track with a good story. 'Only In Your Long Hair' starts big, brings the synths to the party, and then we're set. As well as featuring a particularly quaint vocal sample, the song jumps around, and the scratching influence is clear. I like.

[Myspace]

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'.

Kanye West- Love Lockdown (Link 2)

I feel relieved. I feel happy. I feel exhausted. Many emotions. First, the good news. I am now able to get back into the swing of things. I have internet. I have lots of stuff to catch up with. I need to burst the bubble around me. The Cold Cut needs to become relevant again. Most of all, I have a blog to run. And run-it I will.

So how does one burst the bubble that's been enclosing you? With difficulty... I must admit, my lack of contact with the internet, TV and news has been a bit of an eye opener. As in, what the hell would we do without it? Now I appreciate it even more- I feel lucky to be connected again.

Anyway, back to the music. I've missed it ever so much, looking through my emails longingly on my phone. Able to see, but not to listen. Out of all the music that has flooded my inbox (about 250 emails and counting from the last few weeks- keep 'em coming), one track stands out. It's so 'now'. Kanye West's new track 'Love Lockdown', from the upcoming album release, '808's And Heartbreak'. A live debut at the VMA's was incredibly promising (watch it), and yet the recorded version falls annoyingly flat.

Disregarding an over-generous bass track that I could listen to all day long, it's hard to like this song, let alone love it. 'Love Lockdown' starts, peaks, starts, troughs, restarts... and finishes. It goes nowhere... Instead, we are treated to 270 seconds of Kanye living out a T-Pain fantasy. Jittery pianos and a vocoder dominate proceedings. There is no Chris Martin this time, though. And no intelligent sampling.

The VMA's were the perfect platform from which to launch the new album. Kanye performed well, his voice fragile, but hidden away behind Autotune. He sings better than you might expect, but will struggle with the live demands of this song. Still, it was a great performance, with strong images through lighting and his performance. Unfortunately, these fixtures cannot be translated onto the studio version.

This song hurts. Where has the genius of 'The College Dropout' gone? The concept is all wrong- Kanye isn't a singer by nature. It's brave, but a whole song of slow vocals is really pushing it. And in using a vocoder, you immediately take the emotion out of a song. I mean, who would attempt to prove that 'Lollipop' is an emotionally affecting song?

'808's And Heartbreak' drops on December 16th. Pre-order it on Amazon. The chips seem stacked against Kanye at this point in time. I'm not even going to mention the whole arrest fiasco. Still, I would never bet against him. Oh, and good luck Kanye. May you shock us all.

Muse and The Streets- Who Knows Who (Link 2)

Any new music from Muse is a bonus at this point in time. They most certainly deserve a rest after the seminal space opera of 'Black Holes & Revelations', and yet, I get the feeling that they're holed up somewhere (Mars at a guess) working out how to overcome the limitations of a 6 string electric guitar, drum kit and standard bass guitar.

However, in between this, Muse had time to quickly meet up with Mike Skinner from The Streets and record a very quick track. 'Who Knows Who' is a solid effort, considering the following:

"The MP3 floating around on the message boards at the moment is a track we recorded with Mike Skinner a few months ago. The track was the result of a late night jam session and something we did for a bit of a laugh featuring a blues riff we have been playing live recently upon which Skinner recorded some vocals. It is not intended to be a serious release so we are happy for it to be leaked around unofficially. Hope you enjoy, Cheers. Matt, Dom & Chris."

The Streets latest album-"Everything is Borrowed"-will be released on September 15- although Muse are alone in emerging from this new song with pristine integrity, The Streets have once again piqued my interest.

So, same old, same old. I will now be enjoying my last day of Barcelona. I've never done this before, but here's a little role play of what I believe my Sunday in Barca will be like:

"Ooh, it's sunny here. 30 degrees, in fact (Celsius, people!). Let's go grab some chocolate con churros. Ooh, Sagrada Familia/Park Guell. Lovely. More food. More drink. It's baking hot now. Walking down to the Olympic Port. Chilled afternoon. Wait until 9.30. Finally grab more food. More drink. Flight Home. End."

As you can see, it should be fun. Anyway, short on time to create this post, (my flight to Barcelona leaves in a few hours and I'm not ready yet) so a few more tracks to keep you busy.

Coldplay Vs. Nas- If I Viva La Vida (Starters Remix) (Link 2)
Justice Vs. Wu-Tang Clan- C.R.E.A.M. Your Friends (Link 2)
Britney Spears Vs. Justin Timberlake- Break The Ice (Raza Remix) (Link 2)
Yoav Yoav- Adore Adore (modwheelmood remix) (Link 2)
Black Kids- Partie Traumatic (Link 2)

What would I do without scheduled blogging? At this point in time, I will be happily walking around Barcelona, in the sweltering August temperatures. I'm away for four days, returning on Sunday evening.

I'm not going to let that stop me blogging, though. I have a little time today (Thursday ) to upload a few tracks, and prepare some posts for you. I'm sorry to say that the posts aren't going to be mind-blowing, but updates are better than a slowly stagnating blog. You can expect daily updates around lunch-time (for my American readers). So enjoy, and look after the blog for me, okay?

CRS- Sky High Graduates (Dub Floyd Screamixx) (Link 2)
CRS (Child Rebel Soldier) released a mixtape a while back- it kept well under the radar, but I got my hands on a copy, and it really doesn't dissapoint. The concept of Lupe, Pharrell and Kanye sharing a track is always enough to set me salivating, and the T-shirt above does nothing to lessen teh hype.

Daft Punk?- Daft Gang (Link 2)
People have made a huge deal out of this new track from Daft Punk. The fans are going crazy, which I find a little weird considering this is clearly a fake. Daft Punk would never willingly put their stamp on something so textbook. Will the real Daft Punk please stand up?

The Joy Formidable- The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade (Link 2)
Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Will someone in a priveliged position cotton on to the fact that The Joy Formidable are awesome? Another few months pass, another few corkers from the band. Injustice? [Myspace]

Gnarls Barkley- Reckoner (Radiohead Cover) (Link 2)
As if anyone needed more proof of Gnarls Barkley's pedigree? Well, if you're in the minority, listen to this tastefully interpreted cover of 'Reckoner'. Cee-Lo even adopts Thom's 'unique' style of dancing:

Kings Of Leon- Crawl (Link 2) (Link 3) or download from the band (preferably).

Discuss: Kings Of Leon- Unstoppable?

Kings Of Leon will creep up on you. Just when did they get this big? "This" being "walk-in-the-park Glasto headlining" big and "trotting out brilliant albums every year" big. I get the simultaneously wonderful and terrifying impression that nothing can stop this band... Most optimistic fans weren't expecting to hear from the band until 2009, at the earliest. And yet, information trickled out of the KOL camp that a new album, 'Only By The Night' is to be released in the US on September 22.

Yesterday, NME broke the news that they would be doing an exclusive free download of a new album track 'Crawl' between the hours of 3-5 PM on Monday 28th July. And download I did. The album now feels within touching distance. You can head over to NME now (the download is still up).

So, the verdict? These boys can do no wrong. 'Crawl' is dirty, grimy and sounds like a direct progression of their 'Because Of The Times' sessions. They riff on pop culture, with the repeated chorus of 'Walk away, walk away', and there is even enough time at the end for a fitting guitar solo (an element largely left out of their music... until now). In short, this song is nigh-on perfect, and once again, they appear to be moving onwards and upwards. The question is, will the Kings ever hit a wall? On the basis of this and the three preceding albums, I wouldn't bet on it.

The album's first single is called 'Fri On Fire'. No news on the release yet, but a mid-August release woudl be the safe bet to allow the pre-album heat to build. The album can be pre-ordered via Amazon. The band are also embarking on a UK arena tour this Christmas:

Brighton Centre (December 1)
Nottingham Trent FM Arena (December 2)
Newcastle Metro Arena (December 4)
Sheffield Arena (December 5)
Glasgow SECC (December 7)
Liverpool Echo Arena (December 8)
Birmingham NIA (December 10)
London O2 Arena (December 11)
Bournemouth BIC (December 14)
Manchester Evening News Arena (December 16)
Cardiff International Arena (December 17)

Subscribe to updates here

Update 2: The fileden links went down due to popularity! You guys sucked up 5 Gb of bandwith in about 5 hours. I've re-uploaded all the individual tracks on zshare for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.

Update: The Lemur is turning 17 tomorrow- Blogstars have put together another completely original mixtape to celebrate the event. Make sure you take a visit, comment, and most of all say Happy Bday to the furry dude. The Lemur Blog

Yay! I'm 18 today (26th July)! How exciting! The plan for the day was wake up (after a late BBQ last night with some frivolity), take a run, have brunch, open a few pressies/cards and then go to see The Dark Knight. The evening was be topped off with a meal down at the beach. Perfecto. I'm not going to cover the day's celebrations yet, although I will say that The Dark Knight was fucking amazing. A full review will be posted once I have got over the emotionally draining experience that was the best film of 2008.

To tie in with my celebrations, a secret team of uber-bloggers (and a few DJs/musicians) have been working behind the scenes with myself to create a super-blogtastic 18th Birthday mixtape for you. And it rocks.

The Blogstars (remember that name- coming to an internet near you soon) have each chosen a song to be featured on the mixtape, bringing together a host of musical tastes and some of the best music blogs on the internet. Think of this as the Justice League of music. On the right of each song, you will find the blog which selected it- click through to see some more from each contributor. Oh, and enjoy, as I will be doing!

You can download each track individually, but to save time you can obtain the whole tape in singular files as a zip. Mixtape artwork is above/below- click through for mega-sized versions. The tracklisting is as follows:

Blogstars Presents Happy 18th Birthday Mixtape (Full).zip (Link 2)

1. Cut Copy- Lights And Music (Boyz Noize Happy Birthday Remix)... The Lemur Blog
2. Treasure Fingers- Come True Tonight (Dub Mix)... Immuzikation
3. Rihanna- Disturbia... Pretty Much Amazing
4. Grum- Go Back... Check The Availability
5. K-OS- Neutroniks... Party cmyk
6. VETO- Built To Fall... Where Did I Leave My Keys?
7. The Uglysuit- Chicago... Hypeful
8. The Game Ft. Lil' Wayne- My Life... Gordon DJ Stealth McGinnis
9. Cut Copy- Going Nowhere (Whitey Remix)... Ohh! Crapp
10. The Silent Years- The World's Worst Birthday Gift... Hypeful
11. Felix Da Housecat- Silver Screen Shower Scene... Neon Cool Kids, Yo!

Bonus Tracks:

1. Patton Oswalt- You Are Allowed 20 Birthday Parties

Update: Links changed!

Santogold- I'm A Lady (Diplo Mix ft. Amanda Blank) (Link 2)
Santogold- Les Artistes (XXXchange Mix ft. Movado) (Link 2)
Richie Spice And Ratatat- Marijuana (Link 2)

You may have heard of Diplo and Santogold's new mega collaboration mix-tape 'Top Ranking'. I was late on the uptake (that changed, and fast), and if you still haven't got a clue, remove yourself from under that rock, and please Google it asap.

This tape is 'so hot right now', mostly down to it's ambition. Sprawling over 75 minutes, this is stacked full of rarities, with delectable names to boot. Does 'Santogold- Creator (Mumdance Mix ft Jammer, Badness, Chronik Rage, Slikman & Tempz)' float your boat?

'Top Ranking' is almost impossible to 'review' as such, due to its pure size and density. The majority of songs feature at least one artist (disregarding both Santogold and Diplo) if not three. I've listened to the tape in it's entirety a few times, and I will say this: if you love either Diplo or Santogold, this is an essential buy. However, to give you a track by track review of this mammoth tape would probably keep me glued to my computer for the best part of a week. Instead, take it as a whole- a whole that is absolutely incredible.

We get three completely new tracks from Santogold, and finally a musical meeting has been arranged between M.I.A. and Santi. They don't disappoint (see here for full coverage of 'Get It Up'), and I could easily see a Diplo/Santogold/M.I.A. tape coming out in the future -if M.I.A. continues with music, that is. And whilst I'm not fond of the constant comparisons between the two, this tape blurs the line between them. Diplo has worked with M.I.A. before on her Piracy Funds Terrorism tape- which was pretty much identical in concept.

The comparisons, however, are besides the point- Santogold and Diplo are the ones in the spotlight, not M.I.A. and Santi. They really are an unstoppable combination: Santogold is already one of the most inventive artists around at the moment, and Diplo never fails to accentuate and expand her sound even further. This tape has something for everyone, and pretty much every genre under the sun finds its way somewhere onto the 35 tracks. This tape is off the wall, absolutely insane and worth every penny. Cop it.

The tape is being released on Diplo's label Mad Decent. It's a steal at $9.00- purchase it from the Mad Decent store. The tracklisting is as follows:

01 "Dub Selection Intro"
02 Three 6 Mafia: "Late Night" (Unstoppable Mix)
03 Santogold: "Shuv It" (Disco D Blend) [exclusive]
04 Santogold: "I'm a Lady" (Diplo Mix ft. Amanda Blank) [exclusive]
05 Sir Mix-A-Lot: "Posse on Broadway"
06 Santogold: "Lights Out" (Diplo's Panda Bear Mix) [exclusive]
07 Aretha Franklin: "Save Me"
08 Devo: "Be Stiff"
09 B-52's: "Mesopotamia"
10 Gerri and the Holograms: "Gerri and the Holograms"
11 Santogold: "Anne" (Switch Mix) [exclusive]
12 Santogold: "L.E.S. Artistes" (XXXchange Mix ft. Movado)
13 Cutty Ranks: "Dutty Six Pack" [exclusive]
14 Santogold: "Find a Way" (Graeme and Switch Mix ft. Kid Cudi) / Lunar Camel [exclusive]
15 Richie Spice x Ratatat: "Marijuana"
16 Desmond Dekker: "007 (Shanty Town)"
17 Santogold: "Guns of Brooklyn" [exclusive]
18 Dixie Cups: "Iko Iko"
19 Tony Matterhorn: "Big Belly Guns" [exclusive]
20 Santogold: "Get It Up" (Radioclit mix ft. MIA & Gorilla Zoe) [exclusive]
21 "Mark Ronson in Studio"
22 Trouble Andrew: "Run - Hide"
23 Sister Nancy: "Pigeon Rock"
24 Nora Dean: "Barbwire"
25 Shinehead: "Know How Fe Chat"
26 The Clash: "Ghetto Defendant"
27 Warrior Queen: "Check It"
28 Santogold x Benga: "Unstoppable / Night Dub" [exclusive]
29 Shawty Lo x Skream: "Dey Know / Stagger"
30 Santogold: "Creator" (Mumdance Mix ft. Jammer, Badness, Chronik Rage, Slikman & Tempz) [exclusive]
31 Xray: "Turbulence Dubplate" (Starstruck Diplo Mix) [exclusive]
32 Barrington Levy: "Send a Moses"
33 Prince Jazzbo: "Ital Corner"
34 Santogold: "Icarus" [exclusive]
35 Santogold x Diplo: "Right Brigade" (hidden track) [exclusive]

Update: So the list has been announced in a ceremony today, with some notable absences. Duffy, Coldplay and Lightspeed Champion were all left off the list, whilst Laura Marling and Burial both look like serious contenders for the prize. Official list as follows:

Adele - '19'
British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?'
Burial - 'Untrue'
Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
Estelle - 'Shine'
The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
Neon Neon - 'Stainless Style'
Portico Quartet - 'Knee-Deep In The North Sea'
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss – 'Raising Sand'
Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
Rachel Unthank And The Winterset – 'The Bairns'

Tomorrow morning, the shortlist for the 2008 Mercury Prize is announced. Who should be on the list? NME's potential shortlist was as follows- my selections of their expanded list are highlighted in red. I've included a track of each of my selected albums for you to sample. Download the whole mix below as a zip, take a long listen to my picks, add your own and submit your personal list in the comments.

I'm voting for Lightspeed Champion and Laura Marling as the dark horses that will come and pull the rug out from underneath everyone else.

Who should be on the list?

Mercury Prize Shortlist Sampler.zip (Link 2)

Adele – '19'
Babyshambles – 'Shotter's Nation'
British Sea Power – 'Do You Like Rock Music?' ... Atom
Burial – 'Untrue' ... Archangel
Coldplay – 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' ... Lovers In Japan (Acoustic)
Duffy – 'Rockferry'
Elbow – 'The Seldom Seen Kid' ... Bones Of You
The Enemy – 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'
Estelle – 'Shine' ... You Are (ft. John Legend)
Foals – 'Antidotes' ... Hummer
Future Of The Left – 'Curses'
The Futureheads – 'This Is Not The World'
Hot Chip – 'Made In The Dark' ... Wrestlers
Jamie Lidell – 'Jim'
Johnny Flynn – 'A Larum'
Kate Nash – 'Made Of Bricks'
Kids In Glass Houses – 'Smart Casual'
The Kills – 'Midnight Boom' The Last Shadow Puppets – 'The Age Of The Understatement' ... Two Hearts In Two Weeks
Laura Marling – 'Alas I Cannot Swim' ... You're No God
Lightspeed Champion – 'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' ... Dry Lips
Los Campesinos! – 'Hold On Now Youngster' ... You! Me! Dancing!
MIA – 'Kala' ... Paper Planes Mystery Jets – '21' ... Hideaway
Neon Neon – 'Stainless Style' ... I Told Her On Alderaan
The Pigeon Detectives – 'Emergency'
Portishead – 'Third' ... We Carry On
Radiohead – 'In Rainbows' ... House Of Cards
Spiritualized – 'Songs In A&E'
These New Puritans – 'Beat Pyramid'
The Ting Tings – 'We Started Nothing'
Tricky – 'Knowle West Boy'
Wiley – 'Grime Wave'
The Wombats – 'The Wombats Proudly Present... A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation'

The Rest- The Close Western (Link 2)

If you read a selection of the more prominent blogs- my own core selection includes PMA, Hypeful, Gorrilla Vs. Bear and Stereogum- you generally get a comprehensive list (but by no means complete) of stuff that you're probably either listening to, or should be. Sometimes we miss stuff once or twice, but another blog will happily fill you in. And very, very occasionally, the collective blogosphere misses something altogether.

One of the few bands that full under this category (in my short time blogging) are The Rest. They emailed me a couple of weeks ago, bringing themselves and their debut album 'Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour' to my attention, even including a quote which addresses the above situation:

"…a seemingly seasoned performance which may be one of the biggest indie rock sleepers from the past couple of years…considering the band's apparently overlooked status in the blogging community."- Joe Tacopino- PopMatters.com

I try to take most submissions as they come, and not get over excited. I did the opposite, after being really impressed by one of the three songs on their Myspace: 'The Close Western'. The only thing I can really compare it to is the Arcade Fire, 'Funeral' era. The vocals from Adam Bentley are truly outstanding, and actually bring on chills; they're really reminiscent of Alec Ounsworth from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah mixed with Win Butler, and the 7 piece band's sound is complex, building from the smallest of openings into a full blown instrumental accompaniment.

The band have just released their sophomore album, 'Everyone All At Once', whilst debut 'Atlantis, Oh My Saviour' can be downloaded for free on the band's Myspace (although I suggest you pay for it!). I can't recommend them enough- great band's get overlooked, but I feel as if this time around, we're in a privileged position to change that. Lend a hand.

Coldplay- Death Will Never Conquer (Link 2)

I would love to be Brian Eno. Not for the reputation, nor the money, but purely so I could take a listen to all the off-cuts from Coldplay's latest album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' at my own pleasure.

The first of many b-sides and free releases came a few days ago in the form of 'Death Will Never Conquer'. A short track, just over 1 minute long, it's back to basics- just Chris and a piano. Or, live, Will Champion (drummer for Coldplay) and a piano. And here's where it gets interesting- Will has a good voice. An amazing voice, in fact. He might not have Chris quaking in his boots, but I absolutely love it when a band unveils a whole new dimension to their sound. Thing of the possibilities! Harmonies? They've done that. An album sung entirely by Will? Perhaps thats the plan for album number 4?

The song itself isn't exhilarating, but what it represents is. Now if only someone can release the vocal version of 'Life In Technicolour', my life will be complete.

Would you like a deluxe edition of Viva La Vida, including every track they recorded?

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!

Hello hello. I've really missed this over the last few days (free will, that is)- over the course of 48 hours, I've had 4 A2 Modules, and a complete lack of time and choice.

Now, with the weekend ahead of me, I'm taking a few hours off to compose myself and generally have a bit of fun. Loads of cool stuff has happened over the last few days, and whilst the focus of this blog is music, I'm sure that you are all interested in other stuff as well.

First things first, music. It's been an exciting week, with many album releases and anticipated releases. Before I start reeling off the tracks, I wanted to point out my latest addition to The Cold Cut: zips. My main aim is to provide you with as much fresh music as possible, and to keep the user experience simple and enjoyable. So to reduce time, at the beginning of every post, I'm going to zip all the music (yep, ALL of it) and upload it, instead of uploading multiple copies of each file. So if you're the kind of person who wants to have your cake and eat it, download the zip file, and get a small taster of this weeks music! I hope this makes things easier! Individual files will still be available for download, but in limited quantity.

The Return- All The Tracks In This Post.zip (Link 2)

Pharrell, Julian Casablancas and Santogold- My Drive Thru

Converse have continued their onslaught on the music world, except this time around, they're having an impact. Coupled with their uber-cool advertising campaign- Connectivity (see a few sheets below)- they recently commissioned a new song involving Santogold, Julian Casablancas and Pharrell. In doing so, they've assembled three of the coolest people in the public eye (look at the photo above and tell me you don't wish you were Julian?).

This is exactly the kind of image they want to present, and the song is great too. 'My Drive Thru' is a nice change for all three musicians- Pharrell mostly stays behind the mixing board, but the vocal combo of Julian and Santi is ree-diculous, with a nice chiming bell/guitar riff. In short, I love it, for its unabashed energy and bravery. And for all those grumbling about how 'I've lost all respect for Santogold', I ask, 'why'? These guys have to pay the bills, and I for one wouldn't turn down the chance of working with such talented musicians.
Lightspeed Champion is steadily moving into the limelight: please take the time to watch this incredible SXSW performance, and keep your eyes open for some new tracks no doubt arriving over the next few weeks. Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.comncert at baeblemusic.com

Lightspeed Champion- Xanadu

Coldplay's new album was brought forward and released yesterday. It frustrates me that there has already been a great deal of Coldplay bashing, mostly by the newspapers. The whole situation is confusing, as it appears the critics can't make up their mind: in the run up to the album, I read numerous articles stating that the only way Coldplay could win would be to change their sound. And they have- their reward is a generally unimpressed reaction.

Coldplay- Viva La Vida (Telemitry Mix)

Nas buckled. Big style... he changed the name of his forthcoming album (which you will know, and I will not write) to 'Untitled', but then released a mixtape with the original name. How confusing, and pointless. The statement isn't quite so large if the name is confined to a teaser, Nas! His first single, 'Hero', was released, and its a nice introduction to the new album. However, it doesn't stand a chance of dethroning Lil' Wayne from rap album of the year.

Nas- Hero (ft. Keri Hilson)
Lil Wayne- Let The Beat Build

Apple's 3G iPhone has also had a lukewarm welcome. I for one will be getting my hands on one: the main issues being brought up are no front facing video camera, no 'true GPS functionality' and the same 2MP camera. These are fair points, but technology is subjective. I hardly ever use my phone's camera, as it's crap, and if I had an iPhone, I wouldn't take it anywhere where I wouldn't take my dedicated digital camera- concerts, for example. Using an iPhone to take pictures would make you a huge target to the thieves who go to gigs solely to steal wallets, phones and anything else they can get. However, I would agree that I feel slightly cheated by the 'new' iPhone. Sure, it's got 3G, and a few tweaks, but to be honest, the main draw is the new application store. That's the main reason I will be purchasing one asap.

Mystery Jets- Two Doors Down (Duke Dumont Reconstruction)

The summer film season is finally kicking off- Iron Man was heaps of fun, and my top five remaining releases are The Dark Knight, Wanted, Wall-E, The Incredible Hulk and Hellboy 2. All action orientated, and almost all (The Dark Knight is a bit... well... dark?) heaps of fun. If your inner child isn't brought out by these little Wall-E vignettes, then the feature film won't be for you.

Fleet Foxes- He Doesn't Know Why

Oh, and a little thing called sport. Over the last few days, the sport has been sublime. From Holland (come on boys) caning in Euro to Nadal edging past 6 foot 10" Ivo Karlovic, I'm finding it hard to draw my eyes away from the screen. And with Wimbledon, F1 and more coming up, this is looking to be an enjoyable summer! Any die-hard supporters here? Whose your money on for Euro 2008? My top four: Germany, Holland, Spain and Portugal. Croatia might edge their way in there!

N.E.R.D.- Yeah You

And that's it- I've run out of energy, and things to talk about. More updates tomorrow! Nice to be back.

PS Leave a note if the links go down!

So, as we all knew it would, Coldplay's new album has been leaked. And it's ace. In my honest opinion, this is their best album to date, but a comprehensive review will have to wait.

I can sum it up in a few sentences: the backing is heavier in the mix, the instrumentals are lush (the only word in my vocabulary that fits). Oh, and this album has Brian Eno written all over it, in a very good way. Recently, I've started to see why Coldplay have numerous detractors, as their recent output had started to veer towards being formulaic. This album, therefore, will set things straight. The talent is all there, and every song on this album is a departure from their previous sound.

Anyway, I'm not going to post any tracks that aren't widely available elsewhere: however, since Coldplay mania is in full swing, enjoy these two new tracks (I'm not the first to post them), both high quality. Oh, and just to tease you, they're not the best tracks on the album. Not by a long way.

Coldplay- 42 (Link 2) (Link 3)
Coldplay- Yes (Link 2) (Link 3)

Viva La Vida can be pre-ordered here, or on iTunes.

This is really a brilliant time for music: yesterday I got my hands on the new albums from m83, No Age, Cut Copy, Santogold and Phantom Planet. All of which are excellent. And yet, I don't really have time to dwell on their brilliance, because a new wave of music is coming through.

Rihanna- Disturbia (Link 2)

Rihanna has actually gone bad. Her recent album's title- 'Good Girl, Gone Bad'- suggested a new direction, but didn't deliver. I'm happy with the fact that it had a few tunes on it, and in chart terms, Rihanna can do no wrong. The first single from her re-release of 'Good Girl Gone Bad', 'Disturbia', shows signs that she might be trying some new styles. Okay, so she sounds like a robot. But that's more than made up for by the first sentence: 'What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this? Oh, and the fact that she actually says 'shit'. Maybe things aren't going so great for the chart queen? Oh, and did anyone else make the connection between the song title and her purported connection with Shia LaBeouf?

Immuzikation- We're Gonna Have a Paaarty (Immuzikation GetTheFuckUpToniteBlend) (Link 2)

Immuzikation is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. I've been chatting to him a lot lately, and all I can say is that both he and I have some treats lined up for you. Stay tuned, and listen to his latest amazing mash-up: the last few have shown some serious signs of progression... my personal favourites are Santo Mia, Fish Tacos, and this latest addition. Check his day-glo Myspace.

Jon Regen- Let It Go Live (Link 2)

Jon Regen has just finished his European tour. You might remember my post about him a few months back- since then, Jon has been getting loads of positive write ups in blogs and other meda, and an extremely strong response to his tour. He sent through a live recording of 'Let It Go', the first single from his recent album, 'Let It Go'. It's a nice version, and Jon, with the help of a two man band, switches things up. Visit Jon's website...

Wale- Roc Boys (Freestyle) (Link 2)

Wale's new mixtape dropped a few days ago. Easily as good as '100 Miles And Running', this sets the bar higher. The beats are more clean cut, the rhymes more sophisticated, and althogether the music is more polished. Download it here.

Kenna ft. Lupe Fiasco- Say Goodbye To Love (Link 2)

Kenna's 'Make Sure They See My Face', released in October 2007, is a truly excellent album. Hopefully, this remix with Lupe Fiasco will see some more commercial success than the album version.

Webbafied- Can't Tell Me Nothing/Garbage (Link 2)
Webbafied- Phantom Part II (Link 2)

One of my favourite up and coming artists, Webbafied, has started to make some serious progress. I wrote a 'Definitive Justice' post a few months ago, and his tracks went to the top of the hype machine, as well as the post receiving a huge volume of hits and comments.

I know Webb has a load of great friends and we are all rooting for him: if you haven't downloaded it yet, 'Webbafied Does It Justice' is one of the best free releases of last year (yes, including 'In Rainbows'). He sent me an email update recently:

"So...my band mate Morgane invited me to the Release Party for ED REC VOL.3...LIVE in Paris, France...Of course I accepted the invite and got into party mode...assume of you may know, my latest project 'WebbaFied Does It Justice' is a cover of the Ed Banger Records Release 'Cross'

So it was a very good look for me to be in the house with these folks..hmmmm...Lemme rephrase that....not in the house..but ON THE BOAT...these dudes rented a boat for the party...it was nuts...we we're on La Seine at midnight when the Eiffel Tower lights up and shit..It was so ill!!!

Despite all the great scenery and extreme inebriation I had some promotional work to do...the first Person I polly'd with was DJ A TRAK...i don't know what the hell he was doing there but I'm glad I got to build with him...he was cool...talked about the buzz surrounding the Glow in The Dark tour...chatted about my project...and kept bumpin into each other for the rest of the night...It wasn't that big of a boat...oh...and his set was crazy...I got to build with DJ Medhi and he seemed impressed by the concept of the project...

I met both of the dudes from Justice...I hit one of them with a CD...He loved the idea of the project and assured me he would check it out...one of the dudes from Justice and Medhi did a set...and body'd it...the crowd was huddled around the DJbooth...it was funky as hell..it smelled like hot locker room and onions... Last but not least was Busy P...he was cool as hell...me and him kicked a lot throughout the night...I told him the details of the project and he was impressed with the fact that we didn't chop up their music...that I just rode it out as it was...he seemed genuinely interested in what i did...we had drinks..talked some shit....we really got it popping...he knew some of the people I came with so we were all just going in!! It was classic...
Left the boat at like 4:30am...got a crepe...hit the train...and hit the sack..."

Webbafied sent me some great photos: I'm pleased to see that he's making some serious progress. Visit Webbafied's Myspace and download his 'Hits Of The Year: Volume 1' and 'Webbafied Does It Justice' albums free. Now that Justice have a copy of his album I'm pretty sure things are going to get mental: more online exposure and some magazine interviews over the summer, no doubt. I can't wait!

Okay, so I've been on the receiving end of a couple of harsh comments comments over the last few days, most of which were justified. I'm not here to whine- I realise that my page is read by progressively more people, but when you get comments nitpicking particular words in a sentence, its hard to know what to do. I agree that I am not always up to my best (especially recently), and I'm not going to make excuses (uh.. exams?), but I just thought you should know that I'm trying my best to maintain high standards for this blog.

To be honest, all I'm trying to say is that it would be nice if the regular readers of this blog commented on some of the good stuff, and forged a relationship, rather than only leaving anonymous comments outlining how I am inevitably wrong (we all are, at some point). I did ask for feedback with my Coldplay remix, and I appreciate and will take on board all your comments. On my Arctic Monkeys post, however, I had a series of comments concerning my grammar (which was right), and my view point. Just to clarify, I never stated that I thought Arctic Monkeys were a one hit wonder. Some people did, however, and I addressed that.

Anyway, here are some new Oasis demo's. I'm going be diplomatic, and sit on the fence here: I don't think Oasis are 'the best band ever', nor do I think that they 'haven't been relevant for 10 years' (quoted from the font of all knowledge *sic*: NME). Instead of taking this approach, just take the tracks for what they are. Would you be listening if this wasn't Oasis? I would.

What's your verdict?

Oasis- Nothin' On Me (Link 2)
Oasis- Stop The Clocks (Link 2)
Oasis- I Wanna Live In A Dream (In My Record Machine) (Link 2)

Coldplay- Violet Hill (Cold Cut Remix) (Link 2)

Just thought I would share something with you: I was messing around with the new Coldplay single earlier on Garage Band, and my doodling turned into a remix of sorts. It's just about good enough to post (aka not totally rubbish), so please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Music is, in my opinion at least, designed to be open to interpretation. Therefore I decided to try my hand at the old remixing, and I can assure you, it's a lot harder than it seems. I wasn't a huge fan of this single when it was released, but it's a definite grower. In my remix I hope I have brought out some of the more important aspects of the song: its maritime connection, a little more power in the lower end of the spectrum- bass in particular. There are a couple of cool tricks that I picked up today- inversion, reversing etc.- which have found their way into the remix.

Anyway, I have to say I really enjoyed the process- having a Mac is brilliant, but the utility is wasted if you don't learn how to fully use the programs. This remix has pretty much taught me how to use Garage Band in a few hours. I hope you enjoy it, and leave comments- I'll be able to put your tips into practice next time I decide to remix a song.

Discuss: Best computing program for remixing?