If you like The Vaccines and The Killers then you are gonna love Spector! After a couple of unsuccessful cracks with both 'Les Incompetents' and 'Ox.Eagle.Lion' and a failed career as a Where's Wally impersonator (this may not be entirely correct), lead singer Fred Macpherson is pulling out all the stops this time.
Following a tad of soul searching, Macpherson decided to write songs inspired by the music from his adolescence. "It was about trying to connect with what music was from 2001 to 2003 - The Strokes, The Rapture, The Von Bondies, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, music for my 15 year old self," he discloses. What he forgot to mention was the fact that the songs he had written were absolute belters. Debut single 'Never Fade Away' is a storming anthem of a love song, narrated perfectly by Macpherson. "You know I’ll never fade away, but if I do, it'll be because you ask me to."
Seeing as they're off to support Kaiser Chiefs as well as having an album in the pipeline for release early next year, it's time to get excited. After all, Fred's gang may just be here for quite some time. Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it: Spector - the future of independent music.
Lou Reed? Metallica? Joint album? What the f**k? Yes, it's true; these two musical behemoths are teaming up for a collaborative album set for a worldwide release on October 31. Spooky stuff.
Based on playwright Frank Wedekind's play, 'Lulu' revolves around the tragic life of a dancer. Recently banned by the London Underground for looking too much like graffiti, the album cover features an armless, old mannequin with the album's name sprawled across the image. Now is it just me or does this look nothing like graffiti to you? And surely the fact that it looks like the title has been written in blood is far more offensive than just graffiti. Check out the freaky cover below to make up your own mind.
Album covers aside, this LP has drummed up a lot of hype following a statement from Metallica saying that they found themselves "sobbing away" when they recorded the "amazing poetic lyrics" for 'Junior Dad. But never mind tears from the heavy metal hard men, it's former Velvet Underground front-man Reed who has surprised everyone by claiming this collaboration is "the best thing I ever did".
Seeing as this is one of music's most unlikely pairings, you're probably wondering what the hell 'Lulu' is going to sound like. Well, you're in luck because this week MetalliReed (it could catch on) posted a short clip online of their forthcoming album's first single. Have a listen to the, erm, strange clip of 'The View' below:
There are also set to be a number of long tracks on 'Lulu' with two songs being both over 11 minutes long and 'tear-jerker' 'Junior Dad' lasting a whopping 19 minutes and 28 seconds. 'Lulu' just seems to be getting weirder by the minute! Whether it's a classic or a mere shambles, 'Lulu' will no doubt be something special.
The tracklisting for 'Lulu':
'Brandenburg Gate'
'The View'
'Pumping Blood'
'Mistress Dread'
'Iced Honey'
'Cheat On Me'
'Frustration'
'Little Dog'
'Dragon'
'Junior Dad'
Coincidentally, Flaming Lips have described their equally as weird 'six hour song' project as Lou Reed's Velvet Underground meets Super Mario Bros. With fans giving donations in return for their name being sung out by lead singer Wayne Coyne, the epic song will benefit both the Central Oklahoma Humane Society and the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma. Click here to listen to the gargantuan 'I Found A Star On The Ground' in full.
Here’s a little nugget of news for fans of The Black Keys to look forward. The Ohio double act, who are currently finishing up on their seventh studio album, have announced that they will embark on a UK tour in February 2012. Following up from their Grammy award winning album ‘Brothers’, both Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney will be looking to showcase their as yet untitled LP which is due for release at the end of the year. Playing their biggest UK shows to date, The Black Keys will be bringing their bluesy rock to Nottingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and London.Only two tracks – ‘Little Black Submarine’ and ‘Lonely Boy’ – have been revealed from the new album’s tracklisting so far. However, the group have confirmed that the LP has been strongly influenced by the likes of The Clash and The Cramps.
Whilst the album sounds like a brilliant prospect to me, it will be interesting to see whether the duo can maintain their superb dynamic and put on a brilliant show at such large, demanding venues like Alexandra Palace and Nottingham Arena. Only time will tell.
The Black Keys will be performing at:
Nottingham Capital FM Arena (Feb 3) Edinburgh Corn Exchange (Feb 4) O2 Apollo Manchester (Feb 6) London Alexandra Palace (Feb 10)
Also on the cards for The Black Keys is Blakroc 2. This collaborative rap-rock album is set feature the likes of Mos Def, Wiz Khalifa and many other top rap artists but is yet to have been given a release date.
Dubbed as the Blues Brothers of Ohio, The Black Keys have a busy year ahead as they look to go out and impress with their seventh studio effort.
No, Tribes are not a bunch of native Indians complete with panpipes and fancy feathered headwear. Tribes are, in fact, the best new band to come out of London. Forming just last year, the four-piece are the love child of that other Camden favourite The Libertines with their mix of grizzly lad rock' If you’ve never heard of them before, let’s sum up Tribes quickly: Not amazingly talented, not incredibly original but a priceless ability to write a catchy hook. On the back of just one EP and a single, Tribes have tallied up a massive play count due to their sing-along effect. Don’t worry, even if you don’t know the words, humming will do. To find out for yourself check out the drag fest video for ‘Sappho’ below:
Whilst shunning promotion tools like Myspace, the group have got a real buzz about them, basing their initial success on their live gigs. Speaking of the matter, lead singer Johnny Lloyd said: "We didn't wanna do the MySpace thing really, didn't wanna do it all online. Just having 1,000 friends on MySpace doesn't mean your gigs are go"nna be busy." As an unsigned band their popularity grew to such an extent that Tribes were chosen to be the first unsigned band to do a Maida Vale session for Radio 1. Here, the boys from Camden proved that they had the live chops too.
What makes me really love Tribes is that they’re giving British guitar music another notch of hope. Basically they're gonna be a big deal and i predict them to blow up in a similar way to the Vaccines earlier this year. And on the back of being signed by Island Records a few months ago, I genuinely believe that this prediction could materialise.
Now that the hype machine is pretty much on overdrive, I suggest it’s time you join the bandwagon. Tribes are already supporting some big name bands this year like the Kaiser Chiefs, whilst also headlining their own 9 date UK tour and prepping their debut album ‘Baby’ for its January 2012 release. It’s a busy year ahead for the anthemic four-piece. To finish off, here’s Tribes with their Pixies-esque maiden single ‘We Were Children’:
That's it. Another Reading Festival has gone by, leaving a smokey haze over the deserted, muddy and tent-ridden fields at Little John's Farm. Seen by many punters as an uncharacteristically poor line up this year, tickets took longer than ever to sell and even hardcore festival goers turned their back on the legendary August event. Melvin Benn (the festival organiser) must have been pretty worried by the festival's reception in anticipation to the main stage's christening last Friday. The truth is, though, he had absolutely nothing to worry about as Reading Festival delivered a knockout blow once again.
I, myself, had an epic time at this year's bash whilst being able to witness some of my favourite bands as well as a myriad of breakthrough artists who are taking the music scene by storm. Racking up a view count of around 30 different performances, I knew it would be incredibly difficult to compile a 'Top 3' when looking back over the eclectic line up. However, taking everything into account from my terrific experiences over the weekend, I now present to you (in no particular order) my Reading Festival 2011 Top 3:
The Strokes
First up are the NY giants who headlined the Main Stage on Saturday night with their lo-fi, garage sound. Although, playing along with a minimalist style set up on stage, the quintet oozed coolness . Combining a pretty much greatest hits set with a few tunes from their new album Angles, The Strokes had the crowds entertained throughout. A nostalgic mix of classics along with a number of crowd-pleasing future hits seemed to be just the right ticket for a bustling and excited Saturday night audience.
Best Bit: When Jarvis Cocker joined the band for a rendition of The Cars' Just What I Needed.
Worst Bit: Julian's vocals were a bit off at some points, but we still love him!
Pulp
Playing just before The Strokes at Reading and headlining Leeds on the Sunday, Pulp came back with a bang that left everyone wanting more. After a tedious wait during soundcheck, the crowd were at fever pitch when Mr Cocker swaggered onto the Main Stage. Opening with 'Do You Remember The First Time?' and closing with 'Common People', Pulp offered up to Reading an unforgettable set jam-packed with Britpop, singalong gems. Being slightly wary before the set as Pulp are a band who made their name before my time, I was seriously impressed by their performance. So impressed, I had to put Pulp in my Top 3!
Best Bit: The mass singalong to 'Common People' as Pulp closed their set in a perfect fashion.
Worst Bit: Not alot really. Maybe a couple of songs didn't get the crowd going as much but it was still an excellent set.
Muse
One of the biggest and best live bands in the world graced the final Main Stage slot of the weekend and took the whole festival's breath away. Playing 'Origin of Symmetry' in its entirety for the first half of the set, hardcore Muse fans were treated by Matt Bellamy and co. Later on though, the not-to-so-hardcore fans of Muse were also indulged with a mammoth greatest hits set which closed with their legendary guitar anthem 'Knights of Cydonia'. Just before this though, I had a musical epiphany. As Muse's set came to a close, I came across the realisation that Muse just had to be the best live band I had ever witnessed. I now know why their stadium tours are in such demand and I will most definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next one. Truly exhilarating stuff.
Best Bit: The special effects, the stage set up and the grandeur in general. Also, 'Knights of Cydonia'.
Worst Bit: When I was bursting for a wee at the start. Some of the songs from 'Origin of Symmetry' didn't engage the crowd that much.
Notable mentions also go to My Chemical Romance who dug deep and excited the audience with a brilliant, underdog-like performance. The band, who were famously bottled in 2006, came back and proved many wrong with a setlist packed with memorable hits. Also, Brian May made an encore appearance for 'We Will Rock You' and 'Welcome To The Black Parade'. Not too shabby at all. Friendly Fires were another band who got the crowd jumping and dancing like fools with their summery beats. Pretty impressive too seeing as it was extremely cloudy and on the verge of raining! Finally, Metronomy also deserve a big mention as they have risen up the festival's ranks to play a midday slot on the NME Stage. Their hits from Mercury Prize nominated 'The English Riviera' added a true touch of summer to the festival.
