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:

The Joy Formidable- Austere
The Joy Formidable- Cradle

Update: I (and the band) are overwhelmed by the reaction the tracks have had. On their last few hours, they occupied the number 1 and 2 spots on the hype machine popular list. If just goes to show you- great music knows no boundaries. This band are destined for huge things, and they really deserve it. Expect to see them in the near future.

Update: Holy shit. This post has gone 'mega', for use of a better word. The two tracks I posted have literally been stuck on the front page of the Hype Machine for the whole day- also, both tracks are within the top 20 most popular, and they only got indexed 20 hours ago. Impressive! I love to see a band such as The Joy Formidable benefitting from the publicity. Listen to the tracks, spread the word, and get it to number 1.

I am very occasionally impressed by a MySpace submission. Never before, however, have I been blown away. Sure, I do an inbox round-up every now and then, and the bands I feature are generally talented. The Joy Formidable, however, impressed me so much that now is their time to take centre stage...

Hailing from London, this three piece is the kind of band which maintains my belief in British music. A year ago, the band didn't even exist, but over the last few months they have crafted a distinctive sound that excuses their 'Other/Other/Other' genre choices on MySpace. Ritzy, Rhydian (who emailed me) and Justin have yet to release anything, but are already tipped by Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson (radio DJ) as the next big thing for their 'dream pop', the missing link between mainstream rock and indie. I was instantly hooked when they cracked out that bassline on 'Austere'- I didn't even know those kind of sounds existed anymore, and the song was recently used in an advert for Skins. Even after a year together they are already beginning to sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with their penchant for distortion and falsetto backing.

The most confusing aspect is their lack of a record deal- I have a strong sense that this is down to the band rather than labels, who must be falling over themselves to get their hands on such quality.

Check out their Myspace, and make keep your eye on this band. They are destined for huge things...