Albums of Note... Mark Oliver Everett (better known as ‘E’) returns as eels, with new album Wonderful, Glorious. It’s a return to the form that we saw from Eels in the ‘90s. In recent years, Eels albums have been a rather bleak affair, as Everett has had to deal with the death of his parents, his sister and his cousin, all in a relatively short space of time. Wonderful, Glorious sees Eels get some of the fight back – literally, in ‘Kinda Fuzzy,’ in which he snarls “don’t mess with me I’m up for a fight.”“this teeth-grit, eyes ahead attitude is something we've come to expect from Eels, and Wonderful, Glorious is at its best when he's at his growliest… By the end you even sense a form of happiness has fallen upon this most maligned performer…"
Frightened Rabbit have parted ways with Brighton indie label Fat Cat and release their third album Pedestrian Verse on Atlantic Records. With most of the album’s tracks having been written around the time of Scott Hutchinson’s relationship breakup, it can make for a pretty uncomfortable listen at times. With a new producer at the helm the band seem to have developed a more free-flowing musical ideal, even if the emotions contained within are high in intensity.“In summary, 'Pedestrian Verse' can perhaps best be described as the sound of Frightened Rabbit doing what they do best. Just how many more fall outs and break-ups Scott Hutchison can through to continue the cycle remains to be seen, but for now this is up there alongside 'The Midnight Organ Fight' as one of the band's finest collections to date.”
Conduit is the latest album from Funeral For A Friend. A triumph of quality over quantity, the album clocks in at just 29 minutes long. Our reviewer’s got it pegged as their best album since the storming debut which had them hailed as ‘the new Nirvana.’ The Welsh rockers have refused to mellow with age and Conduit is a ferocious mix of hardcore and melodic rock.“Funeral For A Friend are a big deal in 2013. The signs have always been here. 'Welcome Home Armageddon' saw them return to that early style, showing that they were still capable of writing catchy, melodic hardcore but with Conduit, they have perfected that formula.”
Rather than scoring a movie in the traditional sense, Tarantino likes to pepper his movies with songs by his most respected artists and Django Unchained is no different to any other Tarantino album in that respect. There are offerings from Rick Ross, Ennio Morricone and John Legend amongst others.“It's music that's stamped with Tarantino's mark; 'Nicaragua' is injected with the happy-go-lucky feel of the incredible True Romance score and Jim Croce's 'I Got A Name' is a classic left-field choice that's given new life by its use here. With this soundtrack Tarantino has once again shown his ears are just as good as his eyes.”
A Week in Video... Depeche Mode’s ‘Heaven’ is a slow and brooding affair, with the video to match. Shot in a church, in grey and sepia tones, footage of the band is interspersed with imagery of masked women and singer Dave Gahan is in peak heart-string-tugging mode. The band have lost none of their emotive touch, nor of their gothic tendencies, as they display quite eloquently, here.
‘Hey Judas’ gets another release from Fine Times. The video starts out looking like an episode of reality show ‘Shipwrecked,’ starting out with the band’s Matthew and Jeffery looking somewhat out of place at a beach gathering. Slowly, girls adorn them with tribal face paint, a passionate kiss turns into a bloody embrace and a man is sacrificed at a make-shift altar as the party descends into violent chaos. A colourful backing for a lilting. melodic tune.
Pacific Air’s ‘Float’ is a sophisticated slice of retro pop, laid back, with a classy swing and here we find them surrounded by a slew of beautiful women lounging around in the background, as the band formerly known as KO KO sing about the girl they know won’t stick around: “the girl won’t stay, no the girl won’t stay…”
Music in the News... After much speculation over whether or not they would play at Glastonbury Festival, the UK leg of Fleetwood Mac’s reunion tour has finally ben announced. With prices ranging from £45 to £125, it won’t be a cheap excursion to see the ‘Go Your Own Way’ hit-makers but tickets are expected to sell out quickly, nonetheless. They hit the UK in late September and are scheduled to play London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are due to play this year’s Primavera Festival. They will be joined by The Postal Service, My Bloody Valentine and Blur – all bands that know a thing or two about making a comeback. The festival, in Barcelona, takes place between the 22nd and 26th May and tickets are on sale now.
Fall Out Boy have announced their return to the live arena, with slots at the Reading and Leeds Festivals as well as a huge US tour. They also have a new single in the pipeline, entitled ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark,’ with an album due in May.
Also back with a new single (though you won’t have been waiting quite so long for this one) is Paramore. Entitled ‘Now,’ with a self-titled album coming on April 8, 2013. It’s their first release of new studio tracks in three years and is produced by Justin Medal-Johnson, who has previously found success with Beck, Nine Inch Nails and M83.