Spectbro, Simon & Garfunkel & Women.

Really digging these three at the moment. Their use of harmony is sweet and works well in then sun.

Simon & Garfunkel - I Am A Rock
The Beatles - Long & Winding Road (produced by Phil Spector)
Women - Group Transport Hall

coooooooooool.

oh brother, lay a hand on me.

holy fuck

I can't really remember a time when my mind was blown by a duo songs as much as these 2, it was probably pretty recently but was some how erased from my memory via alcohol. i can guarantee your life will become better if you love this songs (if not better, then at least more credible, and that's better right? uhhh).


arms - shitty little disco
this piece of all out awesomeness could so easily have been turned into a piece of shit if it wasn't created in the right hands (the right hands being the guitarist from Harlem Shakes a.k.a. Todd Goldstein). The defining drum beat clearly a tongue in cheek reference to the song title and the theme of the song, taking the listener on a journey through the many scenes perfectly described by Goldstein. His prodigiously brilliant, jaded and sardonic yet gloriously optimistic vocals describing a drunken night put on auto-pilot: the party, hopelessly failing in a drunken stupor, a fight and of course the drinking. A feeling of being under the influence is projected onto the listener through Goldstein's phrasing and vocal melodies in some sort of forced empathy.
That's only half the story however, the constant semi-muted shimmering guitar line is the vessel in which Goldstein intends us to travel through his vision in, a sort of leitmotif that alters yet is always familiar, opening in what could sound like a Stokes b-side and developing into a sort of The National meets indie-dance (puke) but somehow excellent verse, a syncopated hi-hat line greeted with harmonious backing vocals as the song grows proud and confident before hitting a wall of thrashing crashes, followed by subtle I Was A Cub Scout synths, with that guitar riff slowing to a stop.
is this song going to change the future of music? No.
Is it pure unadulterated genius? Yes.

the horrors - a sea within a sea
If you had to put money on which over-hyped indie-band looked certain to fade into obscurity with their second album and get dropped by their label, it was probably The Horrors, and when they looked like this, you can't help feeling they'd probably deserve it:

However some how, the band returned with one hell of an album, dark and physdelic, baffling and cold, altogether superb. The first snippet we heard of this was Sea Within in A Sea, not only is better than the bands entire back catalog but it's also better than 99% of other singles of the last 12 months. Undeniably dark, penetrated only by the arpegiated synth that shimmers through the songs last few minutes. The band have clearly taken influence from dark, synth lead post-punk band S.C.U.M. (a member of which may be related to a member of The Horrors) as well as krautrock godfathers Neu! Sea Within A Sea is however a song that is probably easier explained by listening than by reading about. Thank me later.

this should be fun

Dag för Dag - Shooting From The Shadows

With the rise in recent years of technical, mathematic sounding, often instrumental music focus seems to have shifted from great song writing and the fun of music to a self indulgent wankfest of who can write the most technical 20 minute long epic, don't get me wrong sometimes this is great (see: Russian Circles, Dillinger Escape Plan, Rolo Tomassi and Talons), great guitar-pop music has seemed to take second place to this (unless it's some sort of derivative of pop, pop-physc, pop-folk or god forbid pop-drum & bass) and with the British scene offering such a poor crop: Maximo Park, Ladyhawke, Little Boots, White Lies etc. it's been put down to the Americans to give us what we need. Bands like Vivian Girls, Time New Viking, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and now Dag för Dag are supplying the world with great, great lo-fi pop.


Dag för Dag are a US/Swedish two piece delivering stripped back, noisy and gorgeous guitar pop. Opener of their 'Ring Me Elise' shows the brother sister duo's rougher side, simplistic drumming and gloriously sloppy guitar is the dish of the day here, however it would be easy to assume this sort of sound is the only string to the bands metaphorical bow. 'Pirate Sea' and 'Words' however, blows this theory out of the water. Subtle keyboard sounds and meloncholy vocals put the band's obvious talents in a whole new light, clearly taking cues from Joy Division (especially when it comes to bassist/vocalist Jacob Snavelys Ian Curtis and Peter Hook approach to his musical duties), PJ Harvey and one time tour-mates The Kills.
Despite this great first half of the record, the concurrent two tracks combine the rawness of Ring Me Elise with the subtlety of Words, creating more mature, developed and accomplished delightful lo-fi pop. However this doesn't mean the earlier tracks are neccessarily worse, one of the many joys of this band is the lack of production and the way the band avoid over thinking the songs and the fact they seem to come together by way pure unpolished talent.
The only low point on the record is supplied by way of the final track - a remix of 'You Holler, You Scream', this isn't because the remix is bad, it's actually really good, it just sounds completely out of place: a pristine, well produced remix on a record recorded on a 4 track. It's sort of like putting the Sydney Operahouse next to St. Pauls Cathedral - both are great, but they don't complement each other and it doesn't work. However when viewed as a bonus track, the remix is a great track on one of the brightest debuts of the year so far.

8/10

Shooting From The Shadows is out on Saddle Creek now

Words (Directed by Marcus Harrling):