MP3 of the Day is a bit later today due to my sleeping in after a (frankly amazing) Mew gig last night in London. They’re easily some of the most talented Danes out there, epic but not too over the top. “Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy” was a personal highlight. Genius, really great band.

In other news, Wolf Gang (who I’ve been getting a bit obsessive over lately – read our interview here) has just had his new single, The King and All of His Men, remxed twice. Personally I prefer the Gaggle remix as it’s a bit more faithful to the original, however they both have their merits. Download and enjoy below:

MP3: Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men (Gaggle Remix)
MP3: Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)

…and you can also download a few “normal” tracks from Wolf Gang:

MP3: Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men
MP3: Wolf Gang – Night Flying
MP3: Wolf Gang – Pieces of You

Levi’s® OnesToWatch® have announced their 2009 lineup for a series of shows at London’s Hoxton Bar and Grill and also Cargo in two weeks time.

Each night has been curated with handpicked artists who represent the best in new and emerging talent from a dynamic musical spectrum. The roll call includes an exclusive first solo show from Andrew Davie of Cherbourg (pictured right) on folk inspired Monday, Basque-dance prodigies Crystal Fighters, and a much anticipated performance from much hyped Marina & The Diamonds. To close the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen shows, the Thursday evening will celebrate the best new female fronted acts, with sets from indie-darlings Sky Larkin (pictured top), the genre-defying songwriter and producer MPHO, and young singer-songwriter of the moment, Beth Beth Jeans Houghton .

Tickets for all the shows are available from selected Levi’s Stores now, or you can visit their website for for details.

Monday 16th November at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Cherbourg (Andrew Davie solo, pictured right) + Goldheart Assembly + Young Rebel Set

Tuesday 17th November at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Crystal Fighters + Violens + Wild Palms

Wednesday 18th November at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Marina & The Diamonds + Wolf Gang + Clock Opera

Thursday 19th November at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Sky Larkin (pictured top) + MPHO + Beth Jeans Houghton

Friday 20th November: Closing Party @ Cargo 83 Rivington Street
The Whip + Alex Metric (Live set) + Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs + Ezra Bang & Hot Machine + VERY special guests
Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve been loving Wolf Gang a lot here at TGTF of late. Yesterday we were fortunate enough to sit down and get a few questions to Max McElligott, the brainchild of Wolf Gang…

Hello Max, what are you up to today?
Today has been a pretty ordinary day spent in rehearsals with my band. When we are not spending hours getting totally lost in crazy and endless guitar solos and rhythmic exploration, there is a cafe where we can chill. A lady there bakes very good carrot cake.

I’ve seen some pretty crazy descriptions of your sound. How would you describe your music?
It’s incredible how descriptive some people can be isn’t it. I would just settle for British pop I suppose. Nice and broad.

I can’t get enough of “The King and All of his Men”. What’s the story behind it?
The song is fundamentally about a battle between good and evil, but I try with lyrics to avoid being too literal, I enjoy playing around with metaphors so that the meaning can be interpreted differently by various people. Having a woman as some source of focus seems to creep into my writing quite a lot though…The video was great because Dan the director knew exactly what I wanted, which was something different, a little arty and theatrical. It was a good laugh to shoot on the day too because a lot of the dancers were my mates, it was all pretty light hearted stuff. I think as a first statement of intent it gets the idea across quite well that the Wolf Gang project is a little different to the more generic band experience that people are used to.

On the subject of song-writing, how does it work for you? Lyrical concept? A riff?
I almost always start with the idea of the music, melodies and chord progressions are what normally pop into my head first. Then I can get a sense of the atmosphere of the song, whether it’s upbeat or slow etc, and start to come up with a theme and some lyrics. Then it’s a case of fitting these lyrics to the rhythm of the music. Read the rest of this entry »

Wolf Gang is Max McElligott, a part Irish, part German LSE drop out who fell in love with music and out of love with studies. “Mick Jagger dropped out of LSE and it worked for him so I’m taking my chances”. A debonair young blade with a post-modern understanding of pop and a love of opulent sound his debut single was which was sparkles with effortless flair and fizzes with enthusiasm, pushing aside genre boundaries.

This is Max’s new single, The King And All Of His Men, with a video that looks like it should be straight from the pages of Twilight. Download, listen, watch and enjoy.

MP3: Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men

http://www.vimeo.com/7291949

MP3: Wolf Gang – Night Flying
MP3: Wolf Gang – Pieces of You

One of the latest hyped bands to make it to our ears is Wolf Gang. Whilst the name may suggest a band, it’s actually just Max McElligott, a part Irish, part German LSE drop out who fell in love with music and out of love with studies.

Enjoy these two tracks, which are both multicoloured, multilayered, and quite different to much that’s out at the moment. I don’t know what else to say really – every listen I hear more, it’s very intricate and glorious. Take a listen.

MP3: Wolf Gang – Night Flying
MP3: Wolf Gang – Pieces of You