The Cold Cut

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:

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

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!

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

CSS- Rat Is Dead (Rage) (Link 2) (Link 3)

It seems as if everyone is trying to get a piece of the 'free music' pie nowadays. Radiohead and NIN cashed in, but everywhere you turn, there are more generous bands offering their latest song free, requiring very little effort on our part.

The Long Blondes did it with 'Century'. Coldplay have now done it with 'Violet Hill'. CSS are the latest group to jump on the bandwagon, with much better results than the previous two examples.

CSS have put a new song up for grabs on their website, and it rocks. Hard. Now reduced in numbers (since Ira Trevisan left), the Brazilian five-piece have been hard at work for their second album. I'm predicting a slightly more mellow affair... Lovefoxx's english has really come on, and considering she's now shocked by her lyrics from their debut, the x-rated stuff will no doubt be found in less abundance.

Their new album, entitled 'Donkey' (how very CSS!), is released on 21st June, but this new cut (not the lead single) is a revealing look at how the album will sound. It's very punkish, much less synth focussed, and a little bit less wild; lyrically at least... no 'music is my beach-house' here!

People are quick to disregard CSS as just a party band, but I just can't kick the feeling that they're going to be important- crucial even- to breaking down the barriers for international music. Even since they made it big I've recieved emails from bands like Nancy and Bonde De Role who are receiving far more attention than they would have in previous years.

You can download the track via the band's newly updated website, or above.

Another day, another podcast- I've been bitten by the bug! It's so easy... I promise I will get back to writing soon- I'm just feeling a little bit uninspired at the mo'.

Just a short one- a load of new(ish) tracks, with some oldies interspersed...

New music podcast... (Link 2)

1. Captain- Spoils
2. Synthar- Hurricanes
3. Courteeners- Not Nineteen Forever
4. Crystal Castles- Courtship Dating
5. Audiobytes For Autobytes- 143 chp
6. Battles- Tendency
7. Foals- Balloons (Live At Nottingham)
8. Le Tigre- Deceptacon

Update: What a learning curve! I think I could make a much better podcast second time around, given I now understand how to use Audacity. I might go back and put in new vocal cues... expect more podcasts soon! And watch out for the podcasts on iTunes.

So, with the one year anniversary, I decided it was time to start branching out. Therefore, today I take my first steps into the world of podcasting. I wasn't initially convinced- radio, which you can download- ooh! However, it seems to have gone the distance, and I feel that its time The Cold Cut crosses over into another world.

As I mention in the podcast- I'm new to this, so things are likely to improve very quickly. One thing is clear: your voice never sounds the same when recorded... I sound a little suicidal at the beginning (school, work etc), so I had to get a little more excited about the music.

Download the April edition of The Cold Cut podcast... (Link 2)

Tracklist:
1. Eve/Radiohead- Tambourine Reckoning
2. Artful Dodger- Something
3. Sway- Download
4. Wale ft. Daniel Merriweather- Let's Ride (produced by Mark Ronson)
5. The LK- Private Life Of A Cat
6. Kate Bush- The Big Sky
7. Peter Moren- Social Competence
8. The Joy Formidable- Butterflies Last Spell (TEED Remix)
9. Metric- Combat Baby
10. Matthew Dear- Neighbourhoods

Edit: Okay, so all 14 songs are on Hype machine. They're not doing too badly, but I had an idea. The other day I had chart domination for a little while, (1-4 most popular tracks), and wouldn't it be cool if I got 1-6 or 1-14 (if you so wish). Basically, if you have the time, head over to hype machine, listen to the tracks and drop a big fat heart on them. Cheers...

The Cool Volume II: All The Rage (zip file, album artwork included)
Single tracks available below...

I'm feeling pretty chilled out at the moment. I'm on holiday, spending some time with the 'rents- I have things to do, but overall life is just ticking along. However, when I started this post a good month or two ago, I was in a fit of rage (disclaimer for friends and family- not brought on by people, just a circumstance). You know that feeling- you want to put your fist through a wall or something similarly solid. I was helplessly frustrated when I started this post- luckily, I'm not anymore (although I'm still a little tetchy- an apology to family, friends and readers must be extended). However, why let a good thing go to waste? I only got half way through before going away to blow off some steam- you will no doubt notice a change of musical tone...

Oh and a small tip: for maximum enjoyment, crank up the volume...

1. Roxy Music- Bitter Sweet (B)
2. Patrick Wolf- Bloodbeat (B)
3. Iron & Wine- Boy With A Coin (B)
4. Howling Bells- Low Happening (B)
5. Eminem- Soldier (B)
6. The Whip- Frustration (Mazen Murao Master) (B)
7. Les Savy Fav- Rage In The Plague Age (B)
8. Chemical Brothers- Galaxy Bounce (B)
9. Muse- Bliss (B)
10. Justin Timberlake- Cry Me A River (Remix ft. 50 Cent) (B)
11. Walter Meego- Forever (B)
12. Louis XVI- Finding Out True Love Is Blind (B)
13. Guillemots- Get Over It (B)
14. Black Star- Thieves In The Night (B)

Click the (B) next to each song to see a selection of albums from that artist.

Crystal Castles- Vanished
Crystal Castles- Courtship Date

Ubiquity- something that is present, appears, and is found everywhere. A quality that one might apply to Crystal Castles of late. When not remixing every song within reach, this duo have been busy releasing an endless flow of original music- 4 releases in the last two years, and counting. And on March 18, their self titled debut CD (a re-introduction, if you like, and first actual CD), will be released. The world's a stage.

Who are they? Multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. Their sound? A warped, twisted mix of enhanced synths and vocal chords. Oh, and don't forget the beats. And they have an awesome creation story. Their first release, 'Alice Practice', is exactly that. Alice, the vocalist, was messing around, whilst Kath recorded, unbeknownst to her. He posted the resultant song on MySpace, the record labels came running, ba-da-bing, they have a deal.

This album has the collective music blog's holding their breath. Whilst their live offerings have thus far lest many people undercooked, the perfect nature of songs like 'Black Panther' and 'Vanished' is enough for me to forgive them. Lets face it, how many other bands use an Atari computer chip/keyboard to produce their music? That silence? That's the sound of a band making it big.

The album cannot be pre-ordered yet, but make sure you cop it...

In my short blogging career I have never been quick to jump on the bandwagon. Some might accuse me of being behind the curve, but that isn't always the case. I just feel tainted somehow, writing about a band such as Vampire Weekend or Feist, who have quite literally been blogged to death (and stardom). My thought process is as follows: if 1000 other people have written about them, what else can I add? Sure, I could put my own unique spin on things, but that doesn't alter the feeling I get that those sort of posts are pointless. This is me making up for those lost chances: rather than writing about the great artists I haven't mentioned, this new feature will allow me to post some of their music without boring you. First up, Vampire Weekend:

Vampire Weekend- The Kid's Don't Stand A Chance
Vampire Weekend- I Stand Corrected
Vampire Weekend- Campus
Vampire Weekend- Walcott
Vampire Weekend- A-Punk (Live on SNL)
Vampire Weekend- M79 (Live on SNL)

NB- Normally I would feel terrible posting more than two tracks by an artist in one post, but considering the whole album is on the Hype Machine I think this is acceptable. Enjoy...

I'm feeling inexplicably down at the moment- not that I think you all want to hear regular updates on how I feel, but it might explain the lack of inventiveness this weekend. I have an absolute bitch of a week coming up, so I'm just trying to take things easy today.

Rather than writing a long post today, I'm just going to treat you to some of the great music being released at the moment, which I have missed. Enjoy...

We Are Scientists- After Hours
The eccentric, New York three piece have produced a single (and album) worthy of stardom.

Elbow- Grounds For Divorce
Guy Garvey et al have finally become comfortable with their sound. Great songs ensue.

Del The Funky Homosapien- Bubble Pop
Del coasts through a song that, whilst not his best, still has me salivating over the prospect of his new album.

Vampire Weekend- A Punk
I'm not going to waste my time writing about these guys... everything has already been said. They're young, talented and destined for big things.

Bat For Lashes- Sweet Dreams (Live Lounge)
Further proof that here we have one of the most talented women in music.

I would just like to direct your attention to this brilliant article by Ars Technica, concerning the impact of user generated content- and blog posts- in particular, on the performance and volume of sales on an album.

"Blog, Social Network buzz correlates to better album sales"- Ars Technica

The idea isn't really new, but I have to say that its a nice feeling that blogs are starting to become acknowledged as free, and powerful, press. The fact that a couple of scientists sat down and worked this out is pretty cool- "if 40 or more legitimate (written by normal people and not by marketers) blog posts were made before an album's release, sales ended up being three times the average."

Thats a large increase, and the popularity of blogs is increasing, as labels start to send whole albums via internet, free of charge, for us to review. This is the life...

This could just be a momentous occasion- the night that music first became truly free. Qtrax, a service which has been in development for years now, if available for beta download at 12PM tonight.
Qtrax is "the worlds first, 100% legal and free Peer-2-Peer music application". The premise is simple- adverts around the browser are used to pay the artists. However, many have tried, and most have failed- somehow, the people behind Qtrax have found the winning formula- the browser looks sleek, and the adverts aren't distracting.

Effectively, this could be the turning point, the first time when a 'free' music service really takes off. The fun days of Napster are about to be recreated, except this time you don't have to feel guilty every time you download a track.

Obviously, the choice will be 'limited', at a massive 25 million songs. This pales in comparison to services such as iTunes, but the choice will no doubt be increased over time. Anyway, I really recommend you give it a try- it can be downloaded from 12 tonight... I own a Mac, so I wont be trying it out for while. Any comments on its initial performance would be appreciated...

Download QTrax here

A track to herald the new age, perhaps?

Michael Jackson ft. Akon- Wanna Be Starting Something

Another day, another song murdered by an rubbish musician. Fergie put in a horrible performance of 'Live And Let Die' at Movie Rocks, and completely murdered the classic track. I'm not sure if its the suggestive interpretive dance, the diamond encrusted gun stand or Fergie's terrible singing, but this is without a doubt the worst cover version I've ever heard. I've included the Beatles' version of the song as a point of reference. Do you reckon you have song that could challenge this in terms of its mediocrity? Gimme your best shot.

The Beatles- Live And Let Die

As I said before, its about that time when everyone is depressed, and everything seems to come and once. I'm in a massive rush, but I just wanted to get a quick post in before bed (unfortunately, I do need sleep!). Well, my tip for the day is newly signed band The Dodos. I received an email tip today informing me of the fact that the San Fransico based guitar and drum duo have signed to Frenchkiss Records, also home to Les Savy Favs (post on them coming soon) and The Hold Steady. That's not a bad alumni to have, and I think it bodes well for The Dodos. Other than an admittedly painful name, these two guys have everything going for them. Putting together a "country-blues-loving guitarist and a metalhead drummer" (see their website) and this what you get. And what is 'this'? Well, you can't really pinhole them, but its energetic, its folky, its fun and its easy to listen to. Good enough for you? I bloody hope so...

I've been listening to their back catalog all day, and what I've heard has we wondering where they've been... okay, their older songs are far too long and they need focus, but I've seen many horrendous bands unjustifiably making it big. Just goes to show you there's no justice in the music industry... All I can say is, good luck to the duo on their latest album 'Visiter' (out March 2008), and leave me a comment if you like the tracks I've posted: one track from each of their three albums, including their latest single, Fools.

The Dodos- Fools
The Dodos- Nerds
The Dodos- Notes

You would expect that the Christmas spirit would make people happier, but in reality, Christmas spirit at school is an absolute nightmare. The teasing advent calenders reveal how little time is left at this place. Songs are even recited by the lower years:
"One more day to go
One more day of sorrow
One more day in this old dump
And I'll be home tomorrow!"
Reading that, I realise how childish it is, but this place is depressing. Considering we have excruciatingly long days at my school, even on Saturday(!), you would think the staff would cut us a little slack, with only a week left. But no; instead they press on. It's not as if I haven't got enough to worry about with a 4000 word physics research project. My only comforts and distractions are my friends and my music, which save me from the general moodiness and depression that occurs when the sun sets at 4 o'clock.
There is one artist that has been on repeat at nighttime, due to the fact that I feel like his album was written for me, to suit my mood at this exact moment in time. A quick search on Google shows that I am not alone in this: Burial's new album 'Untrue' is a late entry for best album of the year. But classing it among the other great albums of 2007 is a mistake, because none of the other albums on my list (soon to be posted) are as unique and daring as 'Untrue', or lie under such a cool moniker as 'dubstep'.

Burial is the working name of an anonymous dubstep artist thought to reside in London. He doesn't do live shows, and despite being a ghost he's released two critically acclaimed albums since 2006: his self titled debut and 'Untrue'. Both of these albums are a bit special; I can't quite pin my finger on- or explain- the way they make me feel, but lets just say they are both brilliant. Which is weird, I suppose, considering that you would do well to find a more solemn couple of albums. The main reasons they appeal to me are the layered beats, synths and vocals. It's not so much your typical music as an emotional recording of sounds. And it works...

Burial- Shell Of Light
Burial- Etched Headplate
Burial- Ghost Hardware
Burial- Archangel

Admittedly, I'm not in the greatest of moods this evening after having been rejected from the university of Cambridge this afternoon, something which I wasn't really expecting. I've been building this university up for a long time now, and to be honest, being rejected is probably the best thing that could have happened to me at this moment. In the end, Cambridge is just like any other university: bricks and mortar. Its put things in perspective, shall we say. Anyway, I feel a little hurt inside, and these are the tracks that have been getting me through this afternoon. The observant ones of you will notice a theme with the song lyrics(*hint hint*). What are your musical weapons of choice for the bad moments in your life? Any tips? I could do with some...

Johnny Cash- Hurt Buy
Athlete- Wires Buy
Howling Bells- Low Happening Buy
Massive Attack- Teardrops Buy
Captain- This Heart Keeps Beating For Me Buy
Travis- Why Does It Always Rain On Me Buy
Arcade Fire- Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) Buy
Fugees- Ready Or Not Buy
Longwave- Tidal Wave Buy
Feist- One Two Three Four Buy
Elbow- Ribacage Buy
.

Artist: Radiohead
Album: In Rainbows
Rating: 9/10

[Slow Clap] Well done, guys, you've done it again. Not only is 'In Rainbows' a massive triumph over the machinations of the music industry, its quite possibly the best collection of Radiohead material recorded since the bands formation. The "you decide" price marketing scheme has garnered so much publicity that this album could be mediocre and still change the music industry, but rather than being eclipsed by it's own publicity, Radiohead have produced a 7th which is as strong as its marketing ideas. As well as producing the most bravely controversial albums of the year they've also produced the most musically accomplished offering thus far (well worth the reasonable £5 I paid for it)- 'In Rainbows' is a serious contender for album of the year. 'In Rainbows' shouts clearly to the world that in Radiohead, we have a band who buck the trend, and for that matter, don't give a damn what said 'trend' is.

With all the publicity surrounding this release, you could get so wrapped up in it all that you forget about the musical content of this album; however, for the purpose of this review, I'm going to assume we all know about the price of the new album, or should I say, lack of one. After flying through the registration process yesterday, I was greeted by a long link to download the album, which was playing within 5 minutes of purchase. Things open in Kid A fashion with '15 Step', which starts with processed beats and then tricks the listener seconds later once the full band come in, moving swiftly into Hail To The Thief territory. But fear not, things are mixed up again half way through as Thom Yorke howls and we are thrown back to Ok Computer. To finish things off, we have an echo effect, some more eerie synths and even a group of shouting children in the background. So, all that in one song? Well, '15 Step' is a brilliant opening track, but the rest of the album is much the same: In Rainbows is a masterful mix of all their previous styles- The synths of Kid A and Amnesiac are mixed with the eerie guitar-trio of The Bends, OK Computer contributes atmospheric falsetto from Yorke alongside the overall polish of Hail To The Thief.

'In Rainbows' is such a dense collection of songs that I really have my work cut out describing them to you: as you've read, summing up 15 step took me upwards of 150 words, and thus I'm not going to give you a full track by track description, rather a condensed idea of what the band offer here. Following 15 Step, a distorted baseline announces the arrival of 'Bodysnatchers': this is text-book Radiohead, all wailing falsetto, but I suppose you could call it the weak spot. But, hey, what a weak spot: most other bands would kill to produce music so sonically diverse, and its a testament to this album that such a brilliantly crunchy (listen to it, then comment) song can be considered weak. Next comes 'Nude', a real standout track, with a procession of falsetto ooh's and acoustic guitar solos that rise higher and higher until Yorke is singing in his trademark falsetto at the end. I can't really express how beautiful this song is, but I'm sure many of you have heard live versions, and if not, download it and have a listen (below). We are brought back down to Earth by 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi', another one of my favourites, but listening here I realised I had only heard half the album. Possible singles from the second half include 'Reckoner' and 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'.

As I said earlier, 'In Rainbows' doesn't need a track-by-track runthrough, rather a confident assurance that this is a brilliant album. It's been a long hiatus for the band, but listening to this album, you can see its been well spent. As if it weren't obvious already, Radiohead have firmly cemented themselves as a great band once again: all said and done, 'In Rainbows' presents an even better combination of the band's styles than Hail To The Thief, an album which most felt was brilliant but more of a stepping stone than a progression- agreed?

Just a few seconds ago a little pop-up appeared on my Digg widget stating that 'In Rainbows' has already gone platinum, just days after its release. What more can I say? The numbers speak for themselves... Take my word, buy the album for a price of your choice, and enjoy listening to this album both for the music and what it stands for. I'm not including any tracks because defeats the idea of this experiment, but here's a link to the download website...

In Rainbows- Download

*Okay- I couldn't resist posting at least one track: its available for a very short time only, so download it quick by following the link

Radiohead- Nude

I'm not feeling up to a full length post today (hard day at school, what can I say?) but I thought I'd upload a few tracks that I'm listening to at the moment.

Common (ft. Dwele)- The People
Fallout Boy- Hum Hallelujah
Placebo- Running Up That Hill