The Cold Cut

I'm going to keep this as short as possible: this post is acting as one of my 'breaks'... let me just fill you in. I'm at school at the moment, on study leave, and doing exams (every other day, it seems). To be honest, I'm wiped out. There is something sad about the existence that all final year students have at this point: much partying lies over the horizon, but at the moment all I do is sleep, get up, work. Rinse and repeat. It's boring, and at this moment, I'm severely tired of maths, chemistry and physics.

A few things to clear up: I apologise to all of you who have been sending me nice emails with music at the moment. I know I've been shit... Let me explain: I'm at school, and when I'm here I can't access MySpace or many other similar sites, so as much as I would love to listen to your music (trust me- I always listen to submissions... always), I can't post tracks unless you send me mp3 files. This wont be the case for much longer- I'll be out of here in 3 weeks. Oh, and please keep filling up my inbox. I love it, and promise to catch up when I'm free.

Okay, so just going to rattle out some of the great stuff from my inbox, and a few new tracks that I completely missed.

The Subways are back. Who, you might ask? Well, back in 2004, this three-piece were a huge indie hit: their songs were featured in various TV ads and also the O.C. (always a sign of success... sic). They're due to release their new album on 30th June, 'All Or Nothing'. Early signs show that the four year break has been very beneficial. Download the two new album tracks below. Myspace

The Subways- Alright (Link 2)
The Subways- Girls And Boys (Link 2)

I'm not entirely sure about this Justice remix of 'Electric Feel'. It's a little bit of a clanger, and the pitch change takes the retro vibe from the original. Regardless, it's a Justice remix, and whilst I'm beginning to think they need a break, it's another remix to add to their pile of inventive re-tools.

MGMT- Electric Feel (Justice Remix) (Link 2)

Okay- I'm starting to run out of steam (the little I even have left):

The Brakes- Into The Ground (Link 2)
Wow. Please bear in mind that this is live. Unbelievably tight. That's the kind of bond formed by a band who all went to middle school together, and have been recording since then. Myspace

CHAINGANG- Holiday (Link 2)
I eagerly await more news from this Australian group. Crunching bass, some urgent vocals and a new sound (very rare these days) have already set these guys apart. Impressive. Myspace

Roses, Kings, Castles- Sparklin Bootz (Link 2)
If you had told me that Adam Ficek from Babyshambles has a better voice than Pete Doherty, I wouldn't know what to make of it. And I don't. Oh, and his music is a little more tame that 'Fuck Forever'. Myspace

MGMT- Time To Pretend
MGMT- Electric Feel

It kills me that I think of this blog as a small taste of what's great about music 'now', yet I still miss out some truly brilliant bands, doing some groundbreaking stuff. The time constraints of being at a busy boarding school are the cause of this, but my circumstances don't make it any less painful. The first band I've completely missed out on recently is MGMT (short for management). A web-sensation, this band's popularity has rocketed over through a combination of web-publicity and great tunes, directly converted into sales across the pond.

'Oracular Spectacular' has been out in the US for ages, but the band's UK label held the release until the new year, and I think that was a good idea. MGMT have literally dominated the Hype Machine/Elbows popular lists for the last few months, and not without reason. 'Oracular Spectacular' is an album that's inventive, brave and most crucially, packed full of fun. I'm not averse to a simple tune... MGMT don't dress the songs up any more than is necessary, and are brave in their delivery. This is unashamedly great pop music. 'Time To Pretend' is surely the best song attacking stereotypical rock stars' clichéd lives of snorting coke with buxom hookers. Relentlessly powering through a great bass rumble, this is their best song to date.

Next for me came 'Electric Feel', featuring a throwback synth lick that is truly genius, a retro beat and falsetto. These varied songs are vital to the band's appeal, throwing some curve balls and mixing up the album, which I'm sure will be similarly well recieved in Europe. The band are already starting to make an impact over here, weeks ahead of the album's release. Tomorrow night they're performing on 'Later With Jools Holland', playing both 'Time To Pretend' and 'Pieces Of What'.

The album comes out on March 10th... pre-order it on Amazon. If you want to hear a couple more tracks, head over to the Hype Machine. Visit the band's website for more info.