Involuntary & Rapid Actions

Best Second Album

So on our Facebook group there's been a lengthy discussion about 'The Best Second Album Ever'. There's been some obvious one from Radiohead's The Bends, Foo Fighters The Colour And The Shape (1997) to backtracking to the best selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982), but there's also been some great suggestions which shall now be unveiled to you here...

There does seem to be a mutual agreement that Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister (1996), and The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (2003) are both albums where the bands have realised their full potential and executed it in beautifully uplifting 10-track goodness.

 

So to treat you here's a track from each:

Belle & Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister (live at The Barbican)

Download 06_If_You_re_Feeling_Sinister_Live_.mp3

 

The Shins: Kissing The Lipless

Download the_shins_kissing_the_lipless.mp3

Tunng - Good Arrows

If their previous albums are anything to go by, this third one is another treat! The hairy folk-tronica band from our very own UK are becoming evermore groundbreaking with the brilliant Good Arrows. There's definitely a progression in their songwriting and use of instruments compared to Mother's Daughter And Other Things and Comments Of The Inner Chorus; especially on tracks like Bricks, Spoons and King (note the one word song titles).

They'll be touring the UK through October and take to the US where they've been welcomed with open arms since playing at South By Southwest Festival in Austen,Texas in 2006.

Take a listen to their next single Bullets and just sit back and do nothing but imagine what random props they've used to create such a dynamic sound.

Bullets

Download Bullets.mp3

Lost Frog Fading In Haha

Blippy, electro music from an artist based in Japan also known as Kevin Simpson. Possibly a bit obsessed with frogs - but he has some good ideas as well as influences from Massive Attack, Air and Bjork that emerge through his music.

Some of the tracks are available to download on his MySpace page, but do check out Dubby Will Do to get an idea.

Download dubbywilldo.mp3

Better Than Klaxons?

A band called We Are Wolves (based in Montreal) have been tipped by Roman Tagoe, from London, on our Facebook page as 'the band Klaxons wish they were'. Sod nu-rave it's post-punk you should be aiming for.

Check out their video for the track Little Birds. I think you'll agree their videos and music are what Klaxons have been aiming to do but couldn't quite manage.

Why not join the group and post your own items, music and comments!

Or if you think that Klaxons deserve more credit, post a comment now!

The Sunshine Underground

They've been trying to break through to mainstream for about two years now. But the boys from Leeds are starting to make their mark and will be touring the UK until October 13th. The guys released their debut album Raise The Alarm (City Rockers) back in August last year, and it's fair to say if you like The Pigeon Detectives (also from Leeds), you'll love these guys.

Ed Barfoot in London has recommended their stand-out single Commercial Breakdown to put on the blog.

Download 01_commercial_breakdown.mp3

Kissaway Trail

l
European music has been a little overshadowed by Sweden and France of late, such as The Knife, Peter Bjorn and John, Robyn, Uffie, Justice- but let's look at Denmark for a sec.

The Kissaway Trail (Bella Union) released their self-titled debut in May. Most of the tracks also appeared on their EP Into The Ocean And Rise Again (Tracy and Smother + Evil = Hurt), but there's a few new tracks to lend your ears to: 61, La La Song and Soul Assassins.

To be fair their music needs to be appreciated live, but the record does hold it's own if you're after nothing more than a few upbeat tracks with slight hints of Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros.

Best seen live: Sometimes I'm Always Black and 61.

Download 107_61.mp3

Menomena

No, not the brilliant song off The Muppets, the band from Portland, Oregon.

This three-piece are great live, and refreshingly funny! From the comic art strip of them as characters in The Never Ending Story to their homegrown video for Wet And Rusting by Lance Bangs. They bring imagination to all aspects of their music to the very last detail.

Just check out their album sleeve created by Craig Thompson!

Their third album Friend And Foe is a little too experimental to be pop, but has some really accessible tunes like Rotten Hell,  Wet And Rusting and Muscle N Flo (which is what Blur would have sounded like with more drums and a Sax).

At times they cross into Pink Floyd territory with extended instrumentals and powerful harmonies over dark melodies - not to mention the frenetic drums!

They keep an element of surprise track after track but the best ones have to be Evil Bee, and their opening track when playing live, The Pelican.

For the time being here's the lovely Wet And Rusting which you can download from their MySpace page.

Download 03_wet_and_rusting.mp3

Don't be afraid to tell us what you think of them!

Results for Graduation

Kanye's final chapter of his Education themed album trilogy has reached number one success, but is it actually the work of genius he claims it to be?

He pulls off Stronger thanks to the heavy sampling of Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, and does much the same in the rest of the album. There's typical Kanye trademark production in Good Life with the sped-up sample of Michael Jackson's Pretty Young Thing, but there are signs that he's focussed more on his own songwriting. Teaming up with musicians like Chris Martin (Homecoming) and Producer Aldrin Davis (Big Brother, Can't Tell Me Nothin') he's combining hip-hop, pop and soul.

Kanye's musical progression is summed up in Flashing Lights.

Download flashing_lights.mp3

If you think there's a better track off the album recommend it and we'll put it on the blog!

Lanark

So as mentioned in the post about Hot Chip's latest offering, we recommended Lanark.

Though the name Lanark belongs to a Scottish town in Clyde, it's also the project of Felix and Al Doyle (of Hot Chip). Featuring on the Hot Chip DJ Kicks CD, the guys have recorded a really good track called The Stone That The Builder Rejected on K7. It's not entirely in keeping with Hot Chip's sound but instead shows hints of LCD Soundsystem crossed with The Shins and Adem. Oh yeah, and it's good!

The Stone That The Builder Rejected

Download the_stone_that_the_builder_rejected.mp3

Van She

They've been doing some great mixes of tracks by Klaxons, Utah Saints and New Young Pony Club. But their more recent effort has to be their best - and not just because it's Feist. 1234, currently being used for the new iPod Nanos, is superb, infectious and as close to pop as her record label could get.

And now the Australian DJs have put their mark on the song with a sexy and elegant match for Feist's vocals.

1234 - Feist (Van She Technologic Remix)

Download 01_1234_vanshe_technologic_remix.mp3