Junk of the Heart

 Ok, first of all: the new Kooks album is amazing. It may be different to what many people expected, and yes, they use synthesizer sounds... but it's still The Kooks!

So, here's my opinion of every song on the album:

1. Junk of the Heart
The first single of the record and, as I expected, definitely a grower. It may not be "love at first listen" as perhaps Sofa Song was, but I would still say that it's one of the better tracks on the record!
2. How'd You Like That
Second song, second highlight: How'd You Like That rocks out with with pianos and guitars! Still not as energetic as some songs on their debut, but it really is a great song. The catchy chorus will make it a popular song for live shows.
3. Rosie
Electric verse, guitar chorus. In my opinion it's not as good as the previous two, but I like that little interlude after the second chorus. The second half of the song is better than the first one!
4. Taking Pictures of You
It's getting more quiet and calmed-down: acoustic guitars dominate the verse, more electronic sounds in the chorus. Experimental guitar tunes (for The Kooks) complete this little Indie-ballad!
5. Fuck The World Off
Hm, mixed feelings on that next song. Personally, I think it starts quite boring. The chorus is a bit better though, but it's still one of the weaker songs on the record for me. "Smooth" acoustic guitar plus bluesy electric guitar.
6. Time Above The Earth
Wow. The Kooks + violins = amazing. Why can't that song last longer than 1:54? Absolutely lovely melodies, violins, and Luke's voice only. And it's getting philosophical: "Thinking about life and each man's worth, how can one person be worth more than a thousand people knocking on his door?"
7. Runaway
Most electronic song on the album. But that chorus.... sorry, but all I can say is that the title fits! That may be a bit harsh, but it's the weakest track on the album in my opinion, from start to end.
8. Is It Me
Luckily, Runaway is followed up by another really, really great track. Is It Me is Indie Rock like The Kooks produced on their second album, but with a few electronic influences. It's among my favourites of Junk of the Heart!
9. Killing Me
Again a nice ballad, but with more guitars than Taking Pictures of You and only little electronic tunes. Great track!
10. Petulia
Only Luke and his acoustic guitar! Ok, plus background singers. Petulia is a quiet Indie-ballad with lovely melodies.
11. Eskimo Kiss
Hands down, the best song on the album. A happy Indie-Pop song in the tradition of She Moves In Her Way and See The Sun and an instant classic at live shows, I'm sure. I love it! "And it goes la la la la la..."
12. Mr. Nice Guy
A piano driven Rock song, which isn't quite the best thing on the new album, but definitely not the worst. It's an ok-song for me.

So yeah, they did change a lot in comparison to their wild, energetic debut album. There definitely will be people that are disappointed, but that does not apply to me. I though I would miss songs like Sofa Song or See The World, but this album is so self-contained that I forgot about that whenever I listened to it. Junk of the Heart deserves to be loved :)

A Different Kind of Fix

So, finally I can get my hands on the new, third album by Bombay Bicycle Club. It is a mixture of their last two albums: More Rock than "Flaws", more quiet than "I had the Blues..." But also more "Indie" than both of their previous records, despite the input of synthesizer-sounds. An album that takes more time to get into it than BBC's first and second.

My Top Three Four Songs:

A Different Kind of Fix starts with one of the best Bombay Bicycle Club songs ever: How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep? That melody will stick in my head for a long time. Probably the catchiest song on the album. Would fit perfectly on their debut as well!

The bass line of Your Eyes reminds me of Always Like This from their first album. But instead of guitars, electronic and synthie tunes define the sound of the song. The chorus is damn catchy, too!

Shuffle, the first single of the record and, along with How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, my favourite track. Do I have to say anything more about that song?

Lights Out, Words Gone. Slow, dreamy, untypical, but very nice! Again restrained guitars, but audible when you need to hear them. Lovely melody and lovely duet of Jack Steadman and Lucy Rose.


All in all, I think I'm allowed to say it's a pretty decent album at first listen. I suppose that it takes a bit to really get into it, as it is (again) completely different from the previous album(s).

 

Suburban (K)nights

song of the day. I could listen to it non-stop!

Speechless.

Today, Coldplay reveiled not only the kryptic title of their new album Mylo Xyloto, but also the release date: the 24th of October!

Considering that Coldplay is one of my favourite bands of all time, that's incredidbly exciting news to hear for me. Since they've performed several new songs on their festival appearances, the fan community is wondering which songs will actually make the record, what the title would be and so on. You can hear what the album will probably sound like here: Charlie Brown (my favourite song so far!), Hurts Like Heaven, Us Against The World, Major Minus and Moving to Mars. And for the gorgeous Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, a gorgeous video:

The second official single is called Paradise and will be released on the 12th of September, yay!

I absolutely believe that this album will be their masterpiece so far. Coldplay has grown as a band on every album and I hope they won't stop making music too soon!

Noel Gallagher + Thees Uhlmann

I like Oasis, but honestly I've never gotten into Liam's new band Beady Eye. They sound ok, but nothing more to me (yet). And so I wasn't expecting too much from the other brother's musical project: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds!

But, I have to say, I actually do like his approach of starting new. The first single of his October-album is called The Death of You And Me and is settled between The Last Shadow Puppets, acoustic Oasis and the actual Beatles. I think it's a lovely, warm-sounding pop song that isn't groundbreaking or innovative, but still pretty catchy.

But what really convinced me of his solo attempt was this nice, quiet acoustic song he did a while ago: Everybody's On The Run. Noel's voice sounds absolutely amazing in this. And I think it's extremely catchy, too! There's only a video with poor audio quality, but you can hear everything that's necessary. I really hope it's not going to change too much on the final record.


And there's another great artist that's wandering on solo-paths - the singer of the German band Tomte, Thees Uhlmann. I know his voice may sound a bit "uncomely" and he's singing German, but I don't believe that it's necessary to actually understand lyrics. it's the music that matters, in my opinion. And there's this wonderful, wonderful piece of music called "To Spawn And Die, The Salmons Are Moving Up The River"! the video is very beautiful and retro-esque. The song is about him personally and life in general. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do!

You can find another song of the upcoming album here. The Translation of the title would be "And Jay-Z is Singing a Song For Us" - how awesome is that

So, I would like to know, how do you like Thees Uhlmann? Should I continue to introduce German bands and artists to you? I would be happy if you would leave a comment for me on this. Furthermore, if you ever wonder what a German song is about and you can't find a proper English translation on the Internet, feel free to contact me and I will try to translate it for you.

The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future

I want to introduce one of the craziest and most creative bands that I know:

Los Campesinos! 

What is so special about them? Well, the band consists of seven members and their used instruments range from classical rock composition to violins,  lyras and xylophones. Singer Gareth has a very distinctive way of singing, and he takes turns with Aleksandra and after her leaving with his sister Kim.

Their music is energetic, wild, unusual and fragile at the same time. There are many bands outside that more or less sound very similar to any other band, but you really can't accuse Los Campesinos of that. They've already released three albums so far and a fourth one will be hitting stores in november this year!

What about the light that flashes in my head

I've discovered Non Tiq last year around Christmas, and a few days ago I got to listen to the song Quiet again. The swedish singer Nora Lindqvist is about to release her first studio album later this year, as you can read on her website.  Quiet basically is a very enjoyable and fresh-sounding pop song, and I guess Non Tiq's debut will be recommendable as well! exciting.

yeah, that looks somewhat frightening. but the song is actually really great!

You're So Cool

And there's yet another new and promising band on the spot: The History of Apple Pie!

I've discovered them a few weeks ago I really appreciate their attempt of playing Shoegaze-Pop.

Unfortunately, only three songs of theirs are available as studio-recordings so far and there's no hint for a proper debut LP yet. So, we can not avoid to just wait for an official announcement of The History of Apple Pie, wether they plan to release a debut towards the end of this year or not.

Single: You're So Cool

insert witty post title here

I'm sorry for the big delays between my posts, I'm quite busy at the moment. This will change immediately when my summer holidays finally get started (in two weeks)!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

If you haven't done so yet, watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It's absolutely hilarious!

22-years old Scott is dating a High Schooler, when he first saw Ramona Flowers. They begin to date, but before Ramona is all Scott's he has to defeat her Seven Evil Exes. Sounds weird? it is. but in an absolutely cool and likable way! Scott Pilgrim is a movie with lots of references to "nerd culture" and it takes it's wit out of it's turned-off way. The film is a comic adaption, and that's more than obvious.

Scott Pilgrim is in lesbians with Ramona Flowers.

As soon as I've gotten used to the movie's unconventional style, I completely fell in love with it. the dialogues, the characters, the music - everything is fitting so perfectly together. all in all it's definitely worth to see and certainly one of the best movies in 2010!

Sonic Youth

OK, they're not that new. but I fell completely in love with them some days ago. When you listen to Sonic Youth and you've never heard of them before, most people surely are being overwhelmed by the noisiness of there music, which seems to be absolutely inscrutable and not proper enough to actually enjoy it. but, if you listen to some of their newer stuff, like I did, it's getting much easier to "understand" their music. Listen to Reena and Pink Steam from Rather Ripped, Disconnection Notice from Murray Street or Unmade Bed off Sonic Nurse.

Sonic Youth really has what it takes to be one of my all-time favourite bands someday, because they are inventive, creative, and after 30 years, still know how to rock. There's a lot to discover with 17 regular studio albums, too. Cheers!

Something In The Water

Today, I went to the lake nearby the village I live in. It was raining, but I kinda like the rain. I just stood there, watched the raindrops falling into the water and listened to one of my favourite bands, Sigur Rós. It would have been a very peaceful moment, if I wasn't annoyed by all that rubbish laying all over the ground. I hate people who just throw away their stuff carelessly, especially if it's plastic. plastic can cause cancer (or at least is suspected to do so), and I believe it's true since cancer diseases don't decrease. It's not about saving the whole world by not throwing plastic stuff on the ground, but it affects the place you live in. It's your own environment you trash. I'm not some fanatic hippie, but I don't think it's wise to do this, anyway.

Also, I came across the music of Brooke Fraser, and I really like it. Something In The Water is a happy Folk/Pop/Country tune, but the rest of the album Flags is more quiet and unagitated, but it's beautiful nonetheless. You'll have to search for the songs on your own, as I can only watch the live versions due to the regulations of stupid GEMA. It will be worth it, though!

new albums - an outlook

Several fantastic new records and debuts have been released this year, but there are still some musical delights to come.

First of all, it's The Kooks that seed excitement in their fans, as their new album Junk of the Heart will be available 12th September. Unfortunately they've only released the b-side The Saboteur yet, so I'm still waiting for a foretaste of the new LP. Saboteur includes some nice piano passages, and also Hugh has been photographed while playing the violin in the studio, and I'm really excited how this will affect Junk of the Heart.

After 2009 and 2010 Bombay Bicycle Club are ready to bring on their third album in three years on 29th of August. The new single Shuffle is already available for download. Although it sounds kinda weird at the first listen, it's still very catchy and I appreciate it very much. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming album A Different Kind of Fix! If you're prefering a classic Indie-Rock tune, you should listen to How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, as it's much more like their first album.

The same release date is reserved for With You, Red Hot Chilli Peppers 10th Album and the first to be released after a break for 5 years. Without former guitarist John Frusciante and with new guy Josh Klinghoffer (a good friend of the band) they're coming up with a record that also is influenced by Afro-Pop, according to an interview. First single The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie is expected for 18th of July. I'm truly excited about all this, since the Chili Peppers were the ones that actually got me into music beyond common chart music.

Last but not least, also Laura Marling is about to release her third album in September called A Creature I Don't Know. There has been no official single released, but you can hear a preview with a lovely video already. Although it's only her voice and her guitar, it's so intense. it's really dark and atmospheric folk. You can also have a listen to some of her new songs played live if you search for the album title on Youtube.

Más Suerte

 

Over the last few days, I've been constantly listening to a great spanish band called Second. 

I've immediately became hooked with the song Más Suerte, a melancholic indie-type ballad with a stunningly beautiful singing performance. Actually I don't know what the song is exactly about but I think it's about some kind of a love story, as the video tells. 

 

Other recommendable songs off the album Fracciones de un Segundo (Fractions of a Second) are the rock tune Rodamos and the track Rincón exquisito, which is a bit more laid-back. As they've released several full-length records, I'm confident to find more enjoyable music made by them.

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

So... This is it. My first Blog. I'm gonna write about my life, my experiences, my feelings and... music. I'm just addicted to it. I can't think of a life without listening to music. It somehow... keeps me going. It's always around me. There's hardly a minute of the day where I don't have a song on my mind. I also play the guitar and the piano. This Blog will mainly be about Indie-Music of the 2000s, as this is my favourite type of music, but that also includes Folk, Electronic and other interesting artists and bands.

Besides that, I have big plans for my life. I want to travel the world, and I want to meet the different kinds of people on it. But I'm most interested in the British Isles and it's culture! I'm dreaming of living in or around London sometime, having a job in the music business. I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm ready to take the risk as I don't want lead a life that's just meaningless to me, I want to think and live outside the box.

This is what I can offer you: join me on my journey through Life, discovering secrets of the Universe and take part in Everything else I'm holding interest for. And, of course, have a listen to the music I have found in the undulant deeps of the internet. Have Fun!