NEVER AGE AGAIN

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Finally the Gloves remix of Miami Horror's genius hit; Sometimes, has landed. You should all know why this is a big deal by now so all I'll say is he's done for the song what Aeroplane and Au Revoir Simone did for Paris.


Sometimes (Gloves Remix) - Miami Horror

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HYPE

Two Door Cinema Club have just released a new song, a prelude to the debut album release coming early next year. It's called I Can Talk and to be honest, it's not my favourite track from the trio, but it's still pretty damn catchy nonetheless. Also, bucking current trends of all remixes being released lately possessing some truly awful qualities, the I Can Talk remixes seem to be shaping up pretty nicely. I think i prefer both the Crystal Fighters and French Horn Rebellion remixes over the original actually.

I Can Talk - Two Door Cinema Club
I Can Talk (Crystal Fighters Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club
I Can Talk (French Horn Rebellion Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club

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Fyfe Dangerfield of Guillemots fame is releasing a solo album. Here's a great track from the impending release, When You Walk In The Room. Sounds sort of the same, and also completely different from the band's work. Has a cool sort of bluesy-rock feel to it at times.

When You Walk In The Room - Fyfe Dangerfield

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Really can't wait for Fenech-Soler's album to drop, from what I have heard so far it looks to be as cool and catchy as Friendly Fires debut album, with a bit more edginess. Golden Sun features a brass section throughout underneath falsetto vocals and the synthy dance work you've come to know and love from Electro bands of the 2000's.

Golden Sun - Fenech-Soler

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Boy Crisis are a strange band. They clearly have their minds in the gutter at all times, with their songs having a strong sexual undercurrent, and, well actually; a strong sexual overcurrent as well. Strawberries is hilarious, disgusting, wildly inappropriate and insanely catchy all at once. It's a song you'd hate in theory but in practice you can't help but get caught up in the beat and sing along.

Strawberries - Boy Crisis

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Finally, A female singer-songwriter who I feel I could grow to like as much as my future-wife to be, Kate Nash (She will be mine, oh yes; she will be mine.). Ellie Goulding utilises electronic backdrops to sing Indie style songs about love, loss and love-loss. Heard this a hundred times before? Maybe. But nobody has done it as well as Goulding so far in my opinion. She's going to be huge very soon, so jump on the bandwagon while there's still seats available.


Under The Sheets - Ellie Goulding
Starry Eyed - Ellie Goulding

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Additionally here's a Tom Vek B-Side from the Nothing But Green Lights single called One Horse Race. Hardly new, but like all material from Vek; still one of the coolest songs around almost 5 years on. One Horse Race actually featured on a radio station in GTA IV most recently, so you may have heard it subconsciously without even knowing. Here's hoping he releases a second album in our lifetimes.


One Horse Race - Tom Vek

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MONARCHY

Monarchy are a duo from the UK who are going for a Friendly Fires/Visitor/Junior Boys feel, a sound that's getting a bit of attention at the moment. It seems like the 80's intergalactic space-age sound of the past few years isn't in danger of going anywhere despite what the naysayers may claim. Which is all the better for me because I can't get enough of the stuff.

Gold In the Fire is a relatively down-tempo affair; a slow burning electro track with generous amounts of vocoder and falsetto. If you don't find yourself hooked at first, wait around for the chorus and it might just convert you.

Their visual identity seems to be pretty well thought out too, with some cool retro-futuristic design seen in both their band photo and their website header.

Gold In The Fire - Monarchy
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Myspace

HYPE

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Post War Times are a band from the UK bearing more than just a passing resemblance to Foals with tinges of Friendly Fires. Of course too much of a good thing is still a good thing, and these guys have some really solid tracks on their recently released LP; The Greats And The Happenings. While Foals are the closest comparison I can make, that's not to say that the whole album sounds the same. Heaps of changes in tempo and style throughout and well worth a look.

Den - Post War Times
Whole World On Its Head - Post War Times
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From Mystery Jets' Making Dens US re-release; (renamed Zootime), Crosswords is a more dancey number than the rest of the album, and a few years on is still really rather unique against their body of work. I had a mixed copy of this song for so long that was only two minutes long and spent the better part of 2 years trying to track it down. I then gave up for a while, only to finally acquire it recently.

Crosswords - Mystery Jets
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Little Red have shifted their sound from an Indie Rock identity to a more 50's/60's Surf Rock sound. Think Beach Boys and you'll have an idea what to expect. This track is from their Coca Cola EP, which sports a striking bright red cover and the iconic Coke typography. Really cool.

It's Alright - Little Red
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Laura Marling is one of the closest sounds that i've found to that impossible quality that Kate Nash possesses. In fact, New Romantic could easily masquerade as one of Nash's songs due to the subject matter and sound. This one is from her My Manic And I EP.

New Romantic - Laura Marling
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Alphabeat have a new single, called The Spell. It's very 90's in sound; think of the poppy Dance music of the era and you'll know what to expect.

The Spell - Alphabeat
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From Metronomy's first album, a far cry from the band you may or may not know now, is an instrumental track called This Could Be Beautiful (It Is). I'll also throw in a new song of theirs, the title track from the Not Made For Love EP. Not Made For Love is vastly different from This Could Be Beautiful (It Is) so if instrumental songs aren't your thing don't let that stop you from grabbing this one, it's a tragic song about two people wanting very different things from each other.

This Could Be Beautiful (It Is) - Metronomy
Not Made For Love - Metronomy
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That's all folks.

HYPE

Well I've finally found a band that sounds similar to Bloc Party. And no, contrary to popular belief, it's not every fucking band you can think of from England. I mean christ, I feel like Jason Segel's character from How I Met Your Mother when he is looking for the perfect burger and morons consistently suggest the most obvious places to look.

Undeserved animosity aside, We Are Tokyo, an Indie band from Bristol certainly sound a whole lot like Bloc Party's early stuff, mixed with the sounds from A Weekend In The City. They currently have a few EPs out at the moment, and unfortunately, no, they aren't anywhere near as talented as Kele and the gang, but hey, Bloc Party's pre-Silent Alarm releases were rough around the edges too.

Possibly not as exciting to anyone else as they are to me, but We Are Tokyo are definitely going on my "To Watch" list.

A Victory, I - We Are Tokyo
Perfect Hands - We Are Tokyo

MYSPACE

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Here's a pretty chill track from an artist called Baxter, if you're a fan of Anoraak then definitely check this out. Like all good songs, Proof is about the slow decline of a relationship into collapse, with silky smooth vocals and spacey synth-work. Very difficult to find information on this guy, so apologies for not being able to provide a link to his website.

Proof - Baxter

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Lo-Fi-Fnk are a Swedish Electro Duo who released an album; Boylife, in 2006 which was largely ignored by all but the most tenacious musical explorers. This is likely due to the lack of release in many countries, but don't let that stop you from ordering it online or searching yourself at any good record store. Considering the date of release, this stuff was pretty cutting edge back in 2006, these days Lo-Fi-Fnk will sound similar to a few bands kicking around at the moment, great Electro-Pop without a doubt.

Steppin' Out - Lo-Fi-Fnk
Change Channel - Lo-Fi-Fnk

MYSPACE

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Friendly Fires recently re-released their self-titled debut, and I would definitely recommend the purchase if you haven't already picked it up. For $19.99AUD I got the album, a CD of previously unreleased bonus songs and remixes and a DVD with four music videos and a live concert, Friendly Fires Live At The Forum. If you haven't heard Friendly Fires before, think of a mix between Klaxons and Metronomy; if you haven't heard Metronomy before; they are a combination of Friendly Fires and Klaxons. And if you haven't heard Klaxons before; kill yourself immediately.

Kiss Of Life - Friendly Fires
Bored Of Each Other - Friendly Fires

MYSPACE

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As always, go out and buy this music please, these songs are only for sample purposes, if you like what you hear, then buy the albums these artists slave over, if not, then delete them, the futile defence against music piracy begins with YOU!

TOP 100 SONGS OF THE 2000's (59-50)

The 2000's are really one of the best eras to be in musically. Of course both the very wise and the very ignorant will argue against this statement, but no other point in time before this has it been both so easy to create music and share it with the world, and so possible to have it sound like whatever the hell takes your fancy.

I've always described the 2000's as an amalgamation of all of the best parts that have come before it. Whether it's fashion, design or music, all of it cuts and pastes from trends of the 60's, 70's, 80's and (thankfully least of all) the 90's. However due to the wonderful power of hindsight, we can trim off all those ugly fads that took the world by storm when we knew no better, and what we're left with is the best of the best.

And what better way to celebrate the versatility of this great time we live in (creatively at least), than to count down the top 100 songs of the 2000's.

100 - 90
89 - 80
79 - 70
69 - 60

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NUMBER 59


Maybe - N*E*R*D

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo's band project set out to sound like Rock, infused with elements of Hip-Hop/Rap, Funk, Electronic, Pop and all points in between. Maybe was an instant stand-out from the second album, Fly Or Die, featuring a surprisingly heartfelt direction, covering the degeneration of a relationship and its long-lasting effects. When I first heard it, I was instantly hooked, I then subsequently played it on repeat, exclusively, for roughly 7 months or so, putting it on every mix CD i burnt that year. Other tracks would be swapped and removed, better songs came and went, but Maybe was perennial. The decidedly simple instrumental identity of the song, with marching band drums, uncomplicated piano and a memorable, but unobtrusive guitar riff; helped put the focus on Pharrell's ambiguous faux-rap quasi sung vocals, and the meaning behind them.

NUMBER 58


The Hardest Button To Button - The White Stripes

Elephant is the one of the best albums from The White Stripes. There's at least four or five songs from it that I could easily replace with The Hardest Button To Button on this list, with one pretty obvious track coming to mind. But the reason why The Hardest Button To Button won out for me was basically because of the music video. Both songs are incredibly strong, and although while it could be quite successfully argued that Seven Nation Army was more iconic, the stop-motion video for The Hardest Button To Button stuck in my mind from first viewing. Directed by the same man who created the famous Lego-animation music video for Fell In Love With A Girl; Michael Gondry returned to direct The Hardest Button To Button, which featured no less than 80 identical Bass Drums and Fender Amps.

NUMBER 57


Such Great Heights - The Postal Service

The hugely successful collaboration between Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and the guy nobody knows from Dntel spawned a heap of great tracks for those waiting for Transatlanticism's October release in 2003. Reflective of an electronic spin on the best years of Gibbard's musical career (rather than the rubbish ones of today), every track on The Postal Service's debut, Give Up, was well thought out and catchy. Yanking the heartstrings out of everyone's chests was the lead single, Such Great Heights, which was a message to a lover far from home that's being missed terribly by their significant other. One of the best moments of this song is unbearable headache the opening electronic blips give you when you listen to this track with quality headphones and the volume cranked up to 11.

NUMBER 56


If You Got The Money - Jamie T

Sounding like a strangely compelling mix of The Kooks and Bob Marley, Jamie T fell into the shortlived resurgence of a genre of indie music generally from South London called "Thamesbeat". If You Got The Money was the lead single from his impressive debut album, Panic Prevention. Featuring only an acoustic guitar and a reggae style rap combined with bubbly, carefree lyrics, it was essentially the most effortlessly feel-good song to come out of 2007. You just can't help but sing along, even if you can't keep up.

NUMBER 55


Paris - Friendly Fires

Paris was the second single from the 2008 eponymous debut LP by Friendly Fires. With Electro-Rock sensibilities, and covering the common desire to live in one of the greatest culture capitals of the world; it's no wonder this song was a huge hit in the UK and around the world in slightly more indie circles. The simplicity of the idea behind the song, and the core lyrics of the song; "One day we're going to live in Paris, I promise, I'm on it." is its key to success, taking a concept that's so universally appealing and summing it up so succinctly ensured the promise, and the song itself, became instantly accessible. A highlight of the track is the inspiring and uplifting instrumental fade-out of coming in with about 50 seconds left of the song. It really creates this euphoric state of mind that drives home the message of the song that anything's possible.

NUMBER 54


California Waiting - Kings Of Leon

Contrary to the popular belief of their recently gained tweenage fanbase, Kings Of Leon had a successful music career and three albums previous to the massive release of Only By The Night. During this time they released a slew of standout tracks that really complimented the Alternative Guitar-Band movement co-led by The Strokes, TV On The Radio and similar bands. California Waiting was one such track, with the idiosyncratic catchy southern vibe that is strangely absent from all their recent work. The sing-along chorus is the undeniable hook of this song, and it's clear pretty quickly that this is one of the best California-related songs to be released in the 2000's.

NUMBER 53


Mind's Eye - Wolfmother

Australian Classic Rock revivalists Wolfmother are one of those bands that grow on you. For a very long time I really despised their sound, the endless and numerous guitar solos, and the cat-strangling vocals of Andrew Stockdale. As of late I have warmed up to them, but Mind's Eye was always a track that sounded like the very best of the band; what they could achieve if they went less Led Zeppelin and more Pink Floyd. Suitably epic, and ultimately unique within the rest of the self-titled debut album, the psychedelic keyboard solo two thirds in is a definite high-point of the song.

NUMBER 52


Daydreamin' - Lupe Fiasco

Sampling a cover of a cover of a cover, Daydreamin' is one of Lupe Fiasco's most interesting works lyrically. Literally about a giant robot rampaging through a city, piloted by a daydreaming Lupe, and featuring the passionate, soulful vocals of Jill Scott, its a very memorable track. Reflective of Lupe's tendency to favour melody and lyrical structure over shameless self-promotion and ego massaging, Daydreamin', like most of Fiasco's work, really does stand out against the over-saturated Hip-Hop/Rap genre this decade.

NUMBER 51


Apply Some Pressure - Maxïmo Park

Fast paced indie rock from UK Post-Punk Revival band Maxïmo Park. One of the best tracks from their first, and best album, A Certain Trigger. The constant change in tempo, Paul Smith's iconic vocals and the angular guitar work creates an incredibly compelling package from start to finish.

NUMBER 50


Shadowland - Youth Group

Ok, I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong (when there's no escaping it at least). I was positive that Youth Group were going to be huge. I really was. Not because of the initially interesting, but ultimately infuriating cover of Alphaville's Forever Young. But because of the main single from their second album; Shadowland. Great melody, a punchy, repeating drum line, strong vocals with abstract lyrics. The overall sound of the song had a sort of timeless quality that borrowed from retro teenage anthems of decades gone, the single cover followed suit, and about a hundred or so plays in it still hadn't lost its appeal. This song was the start of something, you can just feel it when you hear it, when you slowly learn the lyrics and feel the urge to sing along, by the way it makes you feel when you hear it on a lazy summer afternoon. While Forever Young was eternal in name only, Shadowland really feels like a link to long lost times of youth where days could last an age and limitless free-time was taken for granted. Youth Group found a way to bottle and mass produce nostalgia in song format.

Unfortunately it turns out Shadowland was the band's only encounter with greatness. And while it was always amazing live, the rest of their show was really pretty bland, the quality of Shadowland was more hurting than helping, really driving home the fact that they didn't have much else worth hearing. Apparently they are up to their fourth album now but you probably wouldn't even know it. It's a real shame that they couldn't keep a good thing going, but even though they understandably fade into obscurity, it would be a real shame if Shadowland disappeared forever with them.