Nothing Broke

“I’ve seen America / with no clothes...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:09:00 +0100

“I’ve seen America / with no clothes on”

Haven’t we all?

Hayden and Tom Wild Beasts doing a pared back album preview and...

Tue, 03 May 2011 21:08:46 +0100

Hayden and Tom Wild Beasts doing a pared back album preview and it’s AMAZING. #excited

Esben & the Witch - Marching Song (Golau Glau Remix) A song...

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:35:27 +0100

Esben & the Witch - Marching Song (Golau Glau Remix)

A song with so much atmosphere it sounds like it were recorded on Jupiter. Splendid.

"Witty remarks, Witty remarks, Witty, Witty, Witty"

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:27:30 +0100

“Witty remarks, Witty remarks, Witty, Witty, Witty”

- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Gimme Some Salt

Memory Tapes - Today is our Life Courtesy Gorilla vs Bear

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:38:20 +0000

Memory Tapes - Today is our Life

Courtesy Gorilla vs Bear

God I love Grandaddy

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:10:30 +0000

God I love Grandaddy

Belle and Sebastian Write About Love

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:44:00 +0100

Belle and Sebastian Write About Love

Years

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:12:35 +0100

Now, have I mentioned how Ohad Benchetrit’s ‘Years’ album was the best thing released last year? No? Well, that’s OK, I’ve changed my mind anyway.. It is, quite simply, my favourite album of all time. Search it out, put it in your ears, let it invade your being.

Dreams change, it’s true. Don’t be scared..

"This building’s totally burning down. And my, and my, and my, and my, and my heart has slowly..."

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:48:13 +0100

“This building’s totally burning down.
And my, and my, and my, and my,
and my heart has slowly dried up.”

- Shit Luck - Modest Mouse

Snow & Taxis - Gold Panda Preview from GP’s deput long...

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0100

Snow & Taxis - Gold Panda

Preview from GP’s deput long player, which drops October 18th. Excited

Pretty sure minimal techno is my new favourie music genre, and...

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:42:00 +0100

Pretty sure minimal techno is my new favourie music genre, and it will be yours too if you give Black Noise a spin. This one even has Panda Bear on it, _and_ has been mucked about with by Four Tet - what more do youse want?

Phew, for a minute there..

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:19:45 +0100

Phew, for a minute there..

sexmusic: infinity guitars // sleigh bells download: amazon |...

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:19:41 +0100

sexmusic:

infinity guitars // sleigh bells

download: amazon | itunes

Latitude 2010

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:57:00 +0100

The stunning Suffolk coast played host to the 6th edition of the ‘More than just a music festival (TM)’ Latitude a couple weeks back and Nothing Broke was there. Here’s a belated review of some stuff I saw, leaving out some stuff I’ve already reviewed this summer (Villagers, Marling, The National, Islet - all as wonderful as before):

The Kissaway Trail - FRIDAY starts with the Norwegian’s getting really in to the spirit of the festival by having a bubble machine on stage with them — not that they needed one, though, as every kid here seems to have been bought one. Good fun was had by all, but mostly by the band — it’s too early for all that energy. (5/10)

Black Mountain - Don’t look like they are having fun, and barely do they have the energy to strum away at their guitars. It’s a good thing, then, that this really is top notch stoner rock. The closing track Tyrants is one of my favourite tunes ever, listen to it, now.. (8/10)

Back? Good, then we’ll continue with…

Girls - The Sunshine Arena is running late after partially collapsing earlier so we have to bugger off before Hellhole Ratrace which is a pity. But is doesn’t explain why the PA is bleeding quiet. Pretty good stuff for the Girls though, from what we could see, and hear. (6/10)

School of Seven Bells - Too quiet is not how you’d characterise the PA in the Word Arena, and blasting SVIIB’s dream pop at us at top volume is a splendid way to start SATURDAY. Oh and the Deheza sisters are hot. (7/10)

Belle and Sebastian - It’s been a while since anyone’s seen Stuart Murdoch and co. but it seems as though the rest has done Belle good, even if they’ve been having nightmares about being asked to play Jumpin’ Jack Flash (which they play anyway). There are obviously too many B&S hits to fit into even a headline set, but this is well judged set list - including The State I’m In. Almost perfect. (9/10)

Antlers - This is way way to weird to kick off a SUNDAY which sees Nothing Broke in a bad way. Which is a shame because I really think there’s something to this band - let’s make a note to see them in other circumstances and move on to something more soothing like…

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Who, despite the baking sunshine at the Obelisk manage to revive us with their gentle freak folk (whatever that is). They fit the outdoors surprisingly well, too; not sure why they got rid of their keyboard player though. (6/10)

These New Purtians - Are a staggeringly dull proposition live, it turns out. Reproducing Hidden on the live stage may be an impressive technical achievement but when it’s done to this degree of detail it really leave you cold. No thanks (3/10)

Jonsi - So two years ago Sigur Ros headlined the main stage here and played what is probably the best gig Nothing Broke has even been to. So it’s with great anticipation we head back to the Word Arena - and we are not disappointed. Jonsi’s voice bounces around the tent on alternating waves of keyed harmonics and guitar noise, transfixing all present. The pounding finale of Grow till Tall leaves us with little choice but to abandon thoughts of seeing either of the real headliners, they would never have matched this. (10/10)

"It’s a grower. Yeh? Well, it never grew on me"

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:54:27 +0100

“It’s a grower. Yeh? Well, it never grew on me”

- A Footnote - Nosferatu D2

soundcloud: Grinderman, Nick Cave’s other band, are...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:49:02 +0100

soundcloud:

Grinderman, Nick Cave’s other band, are back.

‘Heathen Child’ is taken from the bands forthcoming ‘Grinderman 2’, due for release September 13th, on Mute Records.

Also, check out the band’s website for a bizarre teaser for the album.

Worriedaboutblackstreet

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:38:26 +0100

jam 2 by worriedaboutsatan

Glastonbury 2010

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:41:00 +0100

OK, so 2 weeks have passed and I’m just about over the obligatory Glasto lurgee, so now seems a good time to pass judgement over the 40th birthday party. I’ve not included ev’rything I saw, coz I’m lazy. Also, because of the heat I think I only went to a couple of sets that I wasn’t always going to love, and I’m not going to write about that, so don’t expect much critical analysis (:

The Flaming Lips - It’s actually a bit of an over-sight that I’ve never seen Coyne and co before, I love the Lips you see. And I came to this Friday evening headline set with a lot of expectations. They met every single one. Not much else to say (10/10)

Thom Yorke + Johnny Greenwood - Mixed feelings about this secret set, as good as the sing-along-a Karma Police / Street Spirit (Fade Out) closing and Idiotheque were absolutely sublime. Just a shame that Thom’s solo stuff was rather thrown away at the start of the set to get to the point of Greenwood’s arrival. I do _love_ Harrowdown Hill with a pash though. (8/10)

LCD Soundsystem - Again, not the greatest set list (where per chance was Someone Great?). But the sound was spot on the crowd were in the mood for a party. They will be missed. (8/10)

Meursault - Criminally under attended BBC Introducing set. I fucking love the noise made by these guys. I can kinda see them continuing to fly under the radar though, which is a shame because those who were there were treated to something rather special. (8/10)

Frightened Rabbit - Seem genuinely pleased as punch (and a little over excited) to be on on the other stage, and we’re pleased to have them. We’re even more pleased though (those of us that made up the audience of 30 or so) later to see a drunk Scott play an acoustic set (minus a string of G) on top of the Park hill later in the day, a true Glastonbury moment. (8/10)

Laura Marling - The (not insubstantial) crowd at the Park Stage seemed to be made up almost entirely of Marlingites singling along to every bloody word of opening track ‘Ghosts’. And Laura deserves this kind of adulation, she really does. (8/10)

Villagers - A similarly devoted crowd greet Conor and his band on stage, but only one of 40 or so people. Which again is a shame because the song writing on show here deserves a wider audience, and the stage craft is not quite good enough to raise the gig up to the next level without help from a larger crowd. Especially when the guitarist decides to borrow a German football shirt for most of the set. (7/10)

The National - Not necessarily a band built for the outdoors the Brooklyn boys pulled this off with panache, if not, perhaps the intensity which might be expected of their own headlining gigs. (7/10)

Wild Beasts - Won over an initially soporific crowd beaten into apathy 4 days of sun and dust, I know it’s not their fault but the utterly dreadful new compare in the John Peel tent was really not helping matters in there either. I do want to see WBs again in their own environs now. (6/10)

Field Music - Field Music suffered from much of the same apathy that initially beset the Wild Beasts, and to be honest, the weight of guitar hooks and not entirely catchy pop songs did not rouse the crowd one jot. (5/10)

Edit 12/07/2010:

Originally completely forgot about King Biscuit Time, here’s correcting that:

Steve Mason: When Steve decides to send his band packing toward the end of the set we get the feeling something special is on the cards, and indeed we are treated to an acoustic version of the Beta Bands Dr Baker. On the bands return they kick in to electronica KBT hit Walk the Earth, somehow the transition works and lifts a solid set up to new heights. (7/10)

Glasto Flashback: Delakota - The Rock Let’s not simply go...

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:08:00 +0100

Glasto Flashback: Delakota - The Rock

Let’s not simply go back to last week, but 1999 and the New Bands Tent (now John Peel) where virtually no fucker was listening to the likes of Muse, Add N to (X), Coldplay*, Death in Vegas, Gay Dad, Sneaker Pimps, Dark Star**, The Regular Fries and my own personal favourites Delakota. THOSE. WERE. THE. DAYS.

(*) Honestly the worst band on this list at the time; how things stay the same eh?

(**) Props to Marc Riley for playing Dark Star’s Graceadelica on 6music to put me on this trip.

thommyc: Radiohead’s Phil Selway’s solo project kicks off on...

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:30:27 +0100

thommyc:

Radiohead’s Phil Selway’s solo project kicks off on SoundCloud. Great track.