From accounts I’ve heard so far, We Were Promised Jetpacks have been wowing audiences across North America on their latest tour, which just wrapped up on 15 March. And at these shows, singer Adam Thompson has been referring to “our new EP” which is called ‘The Last Place You’ll Look’ and will be released digitally in the UK on 12 April. I’ve seen the Scottish quartet twice now and really love the immediacy of their debut album, ‘These Four Walls’. So I’ve been itching to get my hands on their new material.

‘A Far Cry’, the first song on the new EP, sounds like the Jetpacks’s “going to war” song. Darren Lackie’s drumming on the song should bring everyone to attention. The spare guitars from Thompson, guitarist Michael Palmer and bassist Sean Smith in the lyric-less ‘The Walls are Wearing Thin’ are proof that these Scots are technically dextrous with their instruments. They put in good effort with ‘With the Benefit of Hindsight’; the only problem with the track is that in the joy of putting horns with their usual backing, Thompson’s vocals are muddled and lost in the mix. For me, his powerful vocals are a central source of power in the band’s songs, so it’s the one disappointment I have with this EP.

Two of the songs should be familiar to WWPJ fans: for this EP, ‘Short Bursts’ and ‘This is My House, This is My Home’ have been reworked and give way to amazing results. An uncle of mine once asked me what they sounded like, and at a loss of how to describe their hard-hitting live sound I said, vaguely, “uh…punk? Rock-ish?” But you’d never think of these songs as punk. The re-do of ‘Short Bursts’ is less raw, warmer. And the new version of ‘This is My House…’ is slowed down, with added strings and Thompson’s emotional Scottish brogue coming together to feel like your mother wrapping you in a warm blanket. Lovely. While this EP is a good stop-gap between albums, it’s made me look forward to their sophomore effort and hope that they’ll be able to take the maturity evidenced in this EP and combine it winningly with the ‘These Four Walls’ laddishness.

As alluded to in my Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel gig review last month, I couldn’t buy this EP at the show because the merchandise table had disappeared from its post before I could get over there. And I’ve found out why I couldn’t find information on the physical release of the new EP: the physical format will only be available at their shows this year, so word to the wise: if you’re like me and prefer physical CDs, be sure to see them live and buy this great EP in person.

7/10

We Were Promised Jetpacks’s new EP, ‘The Last Place You’ll Look’, will be released digitally by Fat Cat Records on 12 April and can be pre-ordered now. The physical format of the EP will be available exclusively at the band’s live shows this year.

‘Listener friendly’ may be a cliché way of describing the homegrown songs by Fraser Gregory, folk-pop singer of London band Fraser. But it’s also one that certainly works. As a self-professed ponderer I think a lot of the themes are quite personal. The single, for example, talks about the need to be straight up in relationships, the times when you have to put your cards on the table and be upfront about things, even if it means losing the thing you love.

Gregory admits that a majority of the songs written for his band’s debut album, ‘A Garden At The Top Of The Tree’ are filled with a ’sense of contemplation’ – be it love, life and the universal mysteries that practically any human can relate to.

Perhaps that’s one of the best qualities about this 10-track album, the fact that anyone can understand it and come to love it. Pop fans will indulge its accessibility, indie fans will adore its originality, and folk fans will enjoy its melodies.

Let’s not forgot soul either. There’s plenty of that flowing throughout the album, too. For starters, the band’s first and radio-friendly single, ‘Lay It On The Line’, explores the importance of transparency – regardless of the outcome – when it comes to relationships.

If the electro-elements blended with the catchy melodies, don’t grab at you, then the following track, ‘Laughter’, definitely will. Another standout track, it’s is the type of song that stirs a double take, simply because it’s so good. Sure, that’s a pretty elementary way of describing it, but sometimes there are not enough adjectives to give a song the justice it deserves. Think of a less cheesy James Taylor on vocals, an infectious riff, layered on top of a glorious melody. See, I warned you it would be a lame description.

And just as in life, there are plenty of highs and lows echoing throughout the album, a teeter-tooter of emotion if you will. Songs like ‘Let It Rain’ and the string-laden, Snow Patrol-esque ‘Old Tree’ offer a sincere mellowness that is somber yet likeable.

The smoothness of the album continues with the rockier and edginess of ‘Bouboulina Sunshine’, which if you’re still living in the ‘60s, you may regard it as some obscure bside from the Liverpool Fab Four. Again, the recycled theme of ‘accessible’ is what highlights this track as an album standout.

Overall, Fraser is set to release a polished album that is filled with emotion and creativity that anyone with blood flowing in their veins will understand. Get ready, this band carries the goods to conquer the world.

I’ll admit it. I had never heard post-rock band Kyte before, but I’ll blame that on location more than anything else. Now that I’ve had the fine opportunity to review their upcoming album, Dead Waves, I’m just as curious to delve into their back catalog and discover even more of their ambiguous beauty. This four-piece band hailing from Leicestershire delivers an addictive dose of lush sounds and atmospheric pop that will leave you craving more.

Needless to say, Dead Waves isn’t the type of album you’d put on before hitting the town for a wild night out, although it certainly will come in handy if you’re feeling delicate the following the morning. Still, the album can also be enjoyed even if you’re not wallowing in post-hangover stooper.

The band have been compared to Sigur Ros and Snow Patrol for their sweeping, broad-ranging sounds and pure melodies, but there also tends to be a major parallel to fellow English band Athlete, especially with “You’re Alone Tonight” and “Designed For Damage”, which leans heavily on electro-pop and melodic bliss.

The twelve-song album may seem like a lengthy amount to the iTunes generation, yet the infectious pop and smooth mellowness ebbs and flows throughout the LP gives an impression you’re surfing upon an ocean with steady waves, rather than dead ones as the album title suggests.
As the album progresses, another striking aspect that the band does so seemingly well is balance earnest lyrics against a rising backdrop of percussion and building guitars. This kind of sober intensity is heard through standout tracks “Like She Said” and “Each Life Critical.”

Kyte is the type of band that can draw the most casual listener in with the first song and make them a mega fan by the end of the album. Or at least that’s what seems to have happened with me anyway. Immediately following the band’s 7 ½ minute closer and album title Dead Waves, I had the strong urge of listening to the album all over again. I have a feeling I’m not the only who will pine for another round of listening.

Kyte’s Dead Waves is released on KIDS on 19th April 2010 on CD and Download.

One of the greatest things that folk duo Turin Brakes does superbly is create powerful, infectious opening songs to each of their albums. This also proves to be the case on their latest LP, ‘Outbursts’, an acoustic-laden album that sees the band – Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian – return to their organic roots and grow a very splendid piece of work.

With album opener and first single, ‘Sea Change’ a strumming acoustic tune paints the scene of a quaint, beachfront that is quickly disrupted by an uproar of a furious tide, bringing with it deep, orchestral layers and intense vocals. Quite simply, the song is so good that there is an overwhelming urge to hit repeat before moving onto the second track, Mirror, a track that challenges earth, and all the gods in it, to do their worst and see if the heart of humanity survives. And it’s songs like this that prove how Turin Brakes have endured after continue to slap out lovely acoustic riffs and beautiful harmonies.

An added bonus you get with this album is there are no filler tracks, unlike with the group’s two prior efforts, where it was evident that some lackluster/not-so-good songs tended to be thrown in the mix. The middle section of ‘Outbursts’, with songs like ‘Will Power’, ‘Apocolips’ and the awkward but catchy ‘Embryos’ has made up for that, however, testifying that the childhood friends have gone back to conjuring their old, but nonetheless original, tricks of trade.

Finally, maybe it just can’t be said enough – and with a sigh of relief – that the pair have definitely weaved their magic back in each song, be it with their wonderful crescendos, soaring choruses or the strumming of infectious folk melodies. Outbursts shows the band once again finding sacred key that created a universal fascination nearly a decade ago. Let’s hope they latch onto it this time.

Turin Brakes’ Outburts is out now. Order from Amazon here. Their UK tour starts tonight.

It’s been quite a while since the Temper Trap’s debut album ‘Conditions’ was released (June 2009 for the UK and October 2009 for America). But seeing that the Melbourne, Australia indie rockers will be headlining their first North American tour next week at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, I wanted to take a closer look at their first major release that made the top 25 in the UK albums chart.

Prior to reviewing the album, I was aware of probably the same two songs everyone else is, if they’ve been listening to UK radio over the last 6 months or so. ‘Sweet Disposition’ is arguably the song that broke them first in the UK (thanks to radio airplay) and then America (thanks to the young person romance film ‘(500) Days of Summer.’ Featuring the smooth falsetto of lead singer Dougy Mandagi and bouncy guitar, it’s one of those songs that I initially lumped in with “infinite”-sounding tracks like Delphic’s ‘Counterpoint’, but then later realised they were completely different (the Temper Trap going for the indie rock sound vs. Delphic’s more electronic bent). The album’s opening track ‘Love Lost’ sounds like the younger brother of ‘Sweet Disposition’ – a bit more jazzier at times but falling short of its elder sibling.

‘Fader’, the other song in question, is completely different, and in my opinion, it’s one of the better tracks on the album. A very summery pop song, it’s got “ooh ooh oohs” that encourage the listener to join in (and don’t even try to tell me haven’t sung along or at least once played air guitar upon hearing it). Interestingly, Mandagi’s voice in this sounds like he’s from the Deep South (think of Caleb Followill’s drawl in Kings of Leon’s ‘Revelry’). Had I not known this band was from Oz, I’d probably made the completely incorrect assumption they were from Dixie.

Falsettos can certainly divide: some people love songs sung in a falsetto voice, and some don’t. I’m on the fence – I didn’t get the warblings of Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts) but now I’ve come to understand the appeal, and anything Muse’s Matt Bellamy sings in a high register is okay by me. And Mandagi’s voice is the problem I see with the Temper Trap achieving mass appeal. It’s certainly not in the instrumentation – the guitars and drumming are spot on, so I’m imagine they easily kill it live. But if you aren’t a fan of the falsetto, you probably won’t dig songs like ‘Soldier On’ and ‘Fools’.

Much better is ‘Science of Fear’, supposedly released as the second single from the album but I’d never heard previously because it didn’t do a thing in any of the major countries’ album charts. On this track, the falsetto is smartly reined in and set off by fine, swirly guitars and astronaut communications. This song easily beats out anything put out by more popular American rock bands like Paramore and Fall Out Boy.

The most unique track on here is the band’s final bow, with ‘Drum Song’. It’s entirely instrumental, and at least to me, it’s entirely unexpected, and the band get kudos from me for it. But it should be noted that even on the songs with lyrics, the Temper Trap sound a bit proggy, if that’s at all possible for the 21st century. Overall, it’s a good effort for a debut album but they haven’t hit it out of the park on their first go-around. I’d be interested to see where they go for album #2.

6/10

The Temper Trap’s ‘Conditions’ is available now in the UK on Infectious Records.

Swedish couple Ellekari Larsson (vocals/piano/organs/trumpet/synth) and Leo Svensson (cello/musical saw/glockenspiel) met in Stockholm and fell in love, forming The Tiny a mere 6 months later. A few years on, they are about to release their third album, ‘Gravity & Grace,’ in the UK. When I first received the album to review, I thought that Ellekari’s distinctive voice would grate on me after a few songs. Instead, throughout the album her vocals flit back and forth from sweet and delicate to raw, emotional and heartbreaking. As saxophonist Mats Gustafsson says, the album “crawls under skin, into bone and turns your soul inside out,” and it’s this raw emotion and power that makes this album stand out.

The album opens with single ‘Last Weekend’ (watch the video below), a song with tortured-sounding vocals, contrasting the joy of going to a friend’s wedding the previous weekend with the fear of losing someone. Ellekari sings “My friend got married last weekend and I was there to witness as he filled his life with love / and everyone around him was dancing, laughing, getting drunk on champagne / and there was I, feeling lonely by your side / for you not being able to promise me a lifetime of being true.”

The next track, ‘Burn,’ has a significantly lighter feel with Larsson doing many strange, interesting things with her voice. Her vocals are especially fascinating in the chorus, where she sings “Burn, burn it to the ground / and leave it all behind / throw that burden to the ground / strike a match and burn.” Her voice reminds me of a combination of Lykke Li and Bjork, though it has more character and depth than Lykke Li’s and is a bit more tame than Bjork’s.

Another highlight of the album is ‘Ten Years,’ a song urging a friend to forget about the man she’s been chasing for 10 years and to move on with her life, singing “You can do more with life than he will ever know.” The song is powerful and defiant, yet simple, with just vocals and staccato piano, plus strings in the chorus. The real gem on this album, though, is ‘The Man Who Ran,’ a haunting track of plucked cello and soaring vocals with mindblowingly good lyrics like “what if gravity is just another trick of the mind / hold on, hold on / if the trouble you see is nothing but imaginary tethers.”

While at first listen the most noticeable thing about this album is the striking and unique vocals of Larsson, the profound and deeply personal quality of the lyrics ensure you’ll get something new out of it each time you listen. It may take some time to grow on you, but once you spend some time with ‘Gravity and Grace’ I’m sure it will become an integral part of your music collection.

‘Gravity & Grace’ will be released on 12th April 2010. The Tiny will be performing two shows in London: 4th March at Union Chapel and 3rd May at the Borderline.A free mp3 of single ‘Last Weekend’ is available through their website.

Sunday night, the 22nd of April 2007. I was sat up in the balcony of Shepherd’s Bush Empire, looking down on Liverpool trio Hot Club de Paris as they played their opening set for Carl Barat’s Dirty Pretty Things. I’d never heard of these three blokes before but I have to say, nearly 3 years on now, I still remember being impressed by their attitude and angular brand of rock, even though I didn’t know any of their songs. One song, ‘Shipwreck’, got the crowd really excited. At the time I wasn’t a blogger of course, so the details are fuzzy and I was there primarily for the DPT experience. But now that I have heard Hot Club de Paris’s latest effort, six songs put together as an EP stop-gap between albums, I’ll be paying attention to where these Liverpudlians go musically in the near future. The cheekily-titled EP ‘With Days Like This as Cheap as Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want to Work?’ is borrowed from a poem by Nottingham poet Matthew Welton, a favourite writer of lead singer/lyricist Paul Rafferty. Further, according to an interview in Clash Music Magazine, Rafferty admitted that their band has a decidedly DIY outlook on making music, choosing to record and produce this EP entirely on their own.

‘Dance a Ragged Dance’ is the opening number: it’s got a great vibe and equally great lyrics, like “buildings / booked basement parties, sad times / the moonlight lit a kiss on the stairs“. Lovely. There’s also the proclamation of ‘we can either dance or die!‘ that wins points with me. Rafferty admitted to Clash Music that he is a fan of song lyrics, definitely a man after my own heart. The humble xylophone seem to be the instrument du jour these days, and Hot Club de Paris has gotten in on the act as well, using a xylophone’s notes to segue from into the next song, ‘Fuck You, the Truth’. ‘Song’ might be the wrong word to use, as it’s more of a spoken word tirade that you might expect, say, at a home game at Anfield sometime soon. Come to think of it, the Love Music Hate Racism people might do well to ring up these blokes because I think their style of music might be useful in writing a campaign anthem.

I’m not really sure where the band was going with the outro of ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’ It almost feels like it was tacked on later when they felt like aping the Rolling Stones. I don’t mind rocking instrumental outros; the ending just seemed so different from the rest of the song that preceded it, which I far preferred: a shoutfest laid on top of seemingly part Oriental / part Scottish (?) rhythm. This is the style I think best represents this band’s brand of art punk and is what they do best, as evidenced by ‘Dog Tired at the Spring Dance Marathon,’ for sure a mouthful of a title, but a great marriage between melodic vocals and guitars put together to create something special.

If I had to choose, ‘Noses Blazing’ is probably the track on this EP with the most radio hit-making potential. Short (just over the 2-minute mark) and simple (voice, guitars, and drums, the basics of a rock band), it’s proof it’s certainly possible to write a tight piece of pop without overthinking it. And to round things off is ‘Extra Time, Sudden Death’. What did I say before about stadium chants? Just reading the title of this one makes you think of the football pitch, and this is Hot Club de Paris’s football song. I’ll have to ask them about it sometime…

8/10

Hot Club de Paris’s new EP ‘With Days Like This as Cheap as Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want to Work?’ was released last week (22 February) is available now as on iTunes and as a limited edition 10″ from Moshi Moshi Records’s online shop.

Even if they appear to be all over the map, Petter and The Pix don’t need any Ritalin. They might be a tad hyper, maybe a little distracted, and most likely won’t sit still for too long. But why should they? When the world catches on to their latest album, ‘Good as Gold’, they’ll have no time to sit a spell anyway.

The second album from this six-piece Swedish band is a multi-genre, mega-layered craft that is both profound and confusing, making a one word description impossible to pen down. It checks all the boxes of indie, pop, rock, dance, acoustic and even soul. Despite the veil of mystery, a few good spins will allow the listener to lift the tracks, revealing something beautiful and original, with some elusiveness still remaining.

The frenzied opening track ‘Never, Never’ is a shambolic number, with calming lead vocals, yet stands juxtaposed against a blurry landscape of manic backing vocals and a mad rush of whirling sounds – an appealing song that gets the listener interested in what follows.

What lurks in the shadow of ‘Never, Never’ is the infectious ‘In The End Of The Day’, complete with a catchy melody that is sure to stick in your head, both day and night. Another oxymoron of a tune, the song itself is very poppy and a sense of happiness within is natural, despite Petter’s talk of being alone by – surprise, surprise – the time the day ends. Meanwhile, ‘Four Walls’ suggests something reminiscent of The Cure’s early days, while the electro-pop ‘Good as Gold’ also echoes the new wave movement of the early ‘80s. Finally, the closing track, ‘Last Time’ offers a tender, ballad-esque lullaby to drift peacefully off to sleep to.

But before you slumber or make any preconceived notions of what exactly this band is or the music they create be sure to set your alarm clock to the opening track. A new slew of perceptions are bound to rouse your bones and fill your head, causing you to listen once again to this highly enjoyable album.

MP3: Petter and the Pix – Momentarily Lost

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‘Good as Gold’ by Petter and the Pix will drop in the UK on 03 May.

The release of the highly anticipated debut album from those lovable lads from Northern Ireland, Two Door Cinema Club, is nigh. Having previewed five of the tracks earlier this year, I was eager to hear the rest of ‘Tourist History’. Considering that I liked what I had already heard, I put myself in the position of devil’s advocate and wanted to pose the important question: will the album as one unit sink or swim? With the digitalism of music and the availability of single mp3 downloads, the album as a complete entity is no longer as important as it once was. Often I get disappointed that the singles, promoted heavily on radio and via promo video, are the only songs on an album worth my ears – and my time. I can say without a doubt that ‘Tourist History’ is definitely a keeper and worth the pounds necessary for its procurement. It’s akin to the swinging, swaggering hipster at the school dance: when he’s standing on the sidelines, you’re unsure what kind of shapes he’ll cut, but as soon as the music starts up, he’s not just the life of the party. He is the party. And this album is one party you don’t want to miss.

I sat in on a live Gigwise chat with the boys in London last week and found out their name comes from the Tudor Cinema, a real place in Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland. So it makes sense that their debut album would pay homage to its namesake right off the bat, with the jaunty, guitar-driven track ‘Cigarettes in the Theatre’. It comes complete with Alex Trimble’s now trademark manic vocals, the ones you sometimes wonder, how on earth does he get the words out? The next track, ‘Come Back Home’, is a bit slower, so it’s a good change of pace, with heavier drums and howling lead guitar. The song’s premise: a wistful wish for a mate to return home, and that there is no shame associated with such a move. During my schooling, I had to return home when my father became ill, so the sentiment resonated with me.

The four songs that lie in the middle of this 10-track wonder are nothing short of stunning. With the exception of ‘This is the Life’, the other three have already been released by Kitsuné Maison as singles (‘Something Good Can Work’, ‘I Can Talk’ and ‘Undercover Martyn’). Make no mistake, they were obviously chosen because they’re infectious as hell and are sure to brighten your day. If there’s any doubt in your mind whether these are three blokes are having fun making music, consider those thoughts banished. ‘I Can Talk’, with its hard-hitting lyrics by a jilted lover, and the engaging, punchy ‘Undercover Martyn’ are probably the best of the bunch.

‘What You Know’ switches things up a bit, with different percussive elements and Sam Halliday’s melodic guitar. I can picture girls being spellbound by the lyrics, “I can tell what you want / you don’t want to be alone / you don’t want to be alone.” They certainly grabbed my attention and made me ache to see this band live as soon as possible. Kev Baird’s bass lines are the star of the closing track, ‘You’re Not Stubborn’.

The one minor fault I have with the album is ‘Do You Want It All’, sounding slightly spacey and with its slightly grating, repetitive chorus, but this is somewhat saved by Trimble’s yearning voice late in the song. Also, the freewheeling guitars make this song and the others on ‘Tourist History’ a joy.

Overall, this is one heck of a debut album. This is going to be the year of Two Door Cinema Club, I can feel it in my bones. Why? Because their tunes make me jump up and dance, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same. Announcing plans for their first-ever North American headlining tour even before their album is released in the UK? Surely it’s an excellent sign that people across the pond are taking notice of the buzz around this band.

9.5/10

Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album, ‘Tourist History’, will be released on 01 March in the UK on the Kitsuné Maison label. ‘Undercover Martyn’, the band’s latest single, was released on 22 February.

Talented Irish singer-songwriter Duke Special (real name Peter Wilson) has amassed quite a following with his previous albums ‘Songs from the Deep Forest’ and ‘I Never Thought This Day Would Come.’ In fact, when he created a Pledge Music account to raise money for his latest project, he far exceeded his goal. On 8th March 2010, Special will not only release a new album, he will release three! When combined together into a 3-CD set, they are referred to as ‘The Stage, A Book & the Silver Screen,’ but each of the 3 discs has a different purpose and a different sound. Writing and performing songs for musicals goes well with Special’s theatrical tendencies, so the result is something truly special (pardon the pun) that is well worth a listen.

The first disc, ‘Mother Courage and Her Children,’ contains studio versions of the songs Special wrote (with German dramatist Bertolt Brecht’s words) for the recent production of the famous anti-war play Mother Courage & Her Children at the National Theatre in London. Duke performed these songs on stage between September and December of last year. Not surprisingly, this album is the most theatrical of the three, with powerful vocals and dramatic music, complete with horns and strings. One of the highlights of the album is ‘Eilif (Song About the Soldier and His Wife),’ a song whose playful sound stands in stark contrast to it’s subject matter. Listening to the music alone, you wouldn’t expect to hear lyrics like “off goes her man / he will write when he can / and women have wept since the world first began” and “how quickly you’ll fall / oh God, help us all / a soldier should never get married.”

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