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Leeds based teens Grammatics started out in 2006 and have since produced a slue of 2-track releases. With their debut full length self-titled record out this year, they’ve been touring their socks off and subsequently bagged themselves the support slot in Bloc Party‘s ongoing Bloctober tour.

I managed to catch them at the Bristol O2 Academy on the 20th and can say wow… not just to their musical abilities, but to their sheer arrogance. No one that young should be can be THAT full of themselves, surely?! I won’t even start on the bassists’ “can’t-be-arsed” demeanor, or the lead singer giving the audience the finger as he walked off… Attitude aside, their music is solid.

The debut album is highly produced to a polished indie sheen that any 16y/old with skinny jeans would be proud to rock out to on the back of the school bus. I’m slightly disappointed it’s not really anything that hasn’t been done before. I can only describe it as very NOW. However, the edge to the band is the talented female cellist who not only adds a gentler touch to the vocal harmonies, but also nicely offsets the electronic bleeps and clicks with her darker, grandiose strings. One of the most memorable tracks is Murderer – and not just because the vocals are stupidly easy to remember – (say “Murder, murder, murderer” over and over and you’ve got the chorus) but because the track is backed by a coasting drumbeat which builds to a great anti-climatic wall-of-cello. Other stand out tracks include The Vague Archive, Broken Wing and the building 6:37min Relentless Fours (which you can listen to on Last.fm)

Given a little time and these guys could start churning out some serious contender material. After all, they already have the fanbase, the style and the live shows down.

Definitely one of the best from the cloned bunch of bands around nowadays.

> Last.fm
> Myspace

MP3 ♫ Grammatics – Inkjet Lakes

As the leaves change colour, so does our music habits. The summery electro-pop gets pushed aside to make room for some belly warming indie/folk, more in keeping with the weather and our increasingly reflective moods.

To commemorate this magical change in scenery, I’ve whipped up an Autumn 2009 mixtape; The Leaves Fell, Like I Did For You. Listen, download and enjoy xo

The Animators – The Sun
Clatter Clatter – Just To Say
This And The Sea – M.M.M.M.
Bombadil - Honeymoon
Volcano Choir – Island, Is
The Octopus Project - Wet Gold
The Feelies – The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness
Violent Femmes - Prove My Love
The Voluntary Butler Scheme - Trading Things In
José González – Down The Line
City & Colour – Sensible Heart
The Jealous Girlfriends – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (Smiths Cover)
Land Of Talk – May You Never
Mike Dunn & The Kings Of New England – Princeton

Mixed with love by Nat 3-D, October 2009 (66.6 mb)
MP3 ♫ The Leaves Fell, Like I Did For You
(right click > save/download link target)

Laura doesn’t write your regular over cooked love songs. Her approach is dreamy and quixotic, with simple yet endearing vocals and beautiful lyrics, laid against an ever-melodic soundtrack.

Now she’s set to unleash her eighth studio release July Flame in early 2010, on her own shiny new label, ‘Raven Marching Band Records’ and once again Tucker Martine is at the helm in production. This time, the album is based on the five senses and emotions of summer, with the title’s name inspired by delicious peaches she bought during a blazing summer’s day from a market stall called July Flame. Glad to see she’s sticking to her successful ‘theme’ formula. Thankfully for us, she’s made two peachy tracks available as a free download, called the July Flame Overture.

Both songs have a gentler, more subtle tone to them than some of her more recent work. Choosing a more delicate sound with heavy harmonies and lots of string backing, these first two songs have a slightly more country-folk feel. It almost seems as if she’s gone back to the original genre she started with but showing a much more experienced, matured sound, which she might have lacked back then, but excels in now.

MP3 ♫ Laura Veirs – I Can See Your Tracks

> Website > Last.fm > MySpace

post by Nat 3-D

With their fourth album Ignore The Ignorant just released and a nationwide tour ahead of them, The Cribs just keep on getting bigger and better. The band were already well established, even before legendary former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr joined them.

Arasha from 24/7 magazine spoke to Cribs drummer Ross Jarman; I’ve transcribed the best bits here…

“Your recent material is less lo-fi than your previous work. Was that a conscious decision?
It was a natural progression really. The first album was very DIY, the second a lot less and the third album was quite pop. The new album is a lot more cinematic with a lot more depth, especially since having Johnny Marr as another guitarist.

How did Johnny Marr end up joining The Cribs?
Gary originally met him at (former Pavement frontman) Stephen Malkmus’ house in Portland and Johnny told him how much he liked the band. After that, I met him at Glastonbury and we hung out for a bit and got on well. Then I saw him again at the Q Awards and asked him if he wanted to write a song with us. We originally booked a session for five days, expecting to write just one song. It was so productive that we wrote four, demo’d them and carried on writing more for an album. Then Johnny joined us on the NME tour.

So it all just fell into place.
Yeah it wasn’t planned. He wanted to be in the band and we wanted him to be in the band. We’d written all these songs with him and it ended up being a full time thing.

Were there any worries about Johnny’s iconic reputation casting a shadow over the band?
Not really. It kinda swings both ways, because we’re an established band; our fans are very loyal and hardcore and they don’t like any changes in the band. When there was a rumour going round that we were getting a new guitarist, at first they weren’t really into the idea, but when they found out it was Johnny Marr, it was like, fair enough! The fans enjoy the fact that he plays for us.

Are you into The Smiths or any of Johnny’s former work?
Oh yeah, we all listened to The Smiths when we were growing up.

Do you write collectively or individually?
We all get together in a room and just jam and what we like, we record. That’s exactly what we did with this new album, but with Johnny in the room as well. Everybody just bounces off each other and what somebody plays can really set you alight and throw you off in another direction. Gary and Ryan write the lyrics, being the two singers. Sometimes one of them will feel more inspired than the other, and sometimes they both share it.

I like your offer of an exclusive live disc and DVD with your new album, for people who buy it from independent shops in your various hometowns.
Yes, it’s a way of giving the independent shops something they can put on their shelves, to get the people in. There are a lot of independent record shops that are struggling at the moment and it’s a real shame. The album offer isn’t just for Yorkshire or Lancashire; you can go online and order from those shops.

Would you say The Cribs stand out against other bands? If so, in what way?
Well yeah: we’ve been going for a while now and we’re on our fourth album. A lot of these so-called indie bands just come and go. We’ve also played all the small venues and worked our way up, building up an organic fanbase who obsess about the b-sides and every detail of the band. We haven’t got a lot of casual fans, which a lot of other bands seem to have. Another thing is that most people now sell more digital and we’re completely the other way. Our fans are completely about the physical releases.”

The Cribs new album
Ignore The Ignorant
is out now on Wichita Records

> Website
> Last.fm

One of my most eagerly awaited albums of 2009 is almost here; Tegan and Sara‘s Sainthood.

Their sixth studio album isn’t looking to disappoint, with promises of a darker, richer, more intense sound. T&S have done a great job evolving their sound between each album to date; creating something fresh for their fans, without alienating new potentials. Many were surprised with 2007′s release The Con, which showcased a rockier edge to Tegan and Sara‘s indie/pop foundations. But with Sainthood, it seems that rocky edge just got a little harder.

The first peek given was at Canada’s Rifflandia festival in September where the duo performed SIX new songs from the upcoming LP. However, I have – so far – resisted the temptation to watch the live YouTube videos, preferring to hear the songs in high quality format, in the order they were intended. Call me old fashioned, but to me an anticipated album is like a Xmas present – it shouldn’t be opened ’til Christmas Day.

Hard at work making inkblots to go with the (now sold out) deluxe album & book bundle

That said, when I saw they were streaming new single ‘Hell’ on their website – in high quality glory – I just couldn’t resist having a listen! Being a ‘Tegan’ track, I wasn’t surprised to find a straight up indie/rock song. Quick intro, with the most delicious guitar riff, solid bass and pounding drums, which carries right the way through.

The wall of sound on ‘Hell’, however, becomes a little swamping. By the end, I just really want her vocals to burst into a screaming punk/rock frenzy to match the music… but that never happens. Her vocals towards the end seem a little jaded and the middle verses’ lyrics are somewhat flat. Who wants to hear her singing about garbage disposal? I thought this album was meant to be about the trials and tribulations of LOVE?? Saying that, the chorus is damn catchy and with some luck, might even get the gays dancing at their gigs! (I seriously can’t be the only one who enjoys a good mosh?)

♫ Tegan & Sara – Hell (for a better version, check out the stream on their website)

Over the last couple of years, Tegan has done a fair bit of work with musician-mates including Against Me!, Alkaline Trio and Hunter Burgan from AFI; all known for their harder sound. I think all this collaboration has rubbed off, with Tegan & Sara taking a sharper swerve in the alt-rock direction. ‘Hell’ shows a confident start to what looks more and more likely to be a great album and the second of theirs to be produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie. (To be honest, I’m just glad ‘Hell’ is upbeat, so I can play it in clubs! Plus it kinda makes up for the fact that I still think ‘Nineteen’ from The Con should’ve been released.)

Sainthood is out October 27th. I have my hard-copy pre-ordered along with their accompanying book trio ON/IN/AT which will only be available during pre-order or at 2010 gigs – stock permitting. You can pre-order yourself a saintly bundle from their store for a holy £63 / $80CA, or pre-order a digital copy from the iTunes store – country permitting – along with 3 bonus tracks; ‘Wrists’, ‘Light Up’ and ‘It Was Midnight’.

UK tour dates:
Nov 13th / O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire / London
Nov 14th / Academy 2 / Manchester
Nov 15th / Picture House / Edinburgh

> Website > Twitter > Livejournal group

post by Nat 3-D

One newest collaboration is Bell Horses, comprising of singer/songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs and electronica/producer extraordinaire Xian Hawkins (aka Sybarite). When Jenny was just breaking through with her debut album, Xian approached her through the power of MySpace and suggested collaborating. They got together and kicked things off, but decided to call in a little help from their friends; Alexander Ericson from The Northern Territories, The Antlers drummer Michael Lerner and classical string player Eve Boltax are all credited performers on the Bell Horses first offering – full length This Loves Last Time which is being independently released on October 13th.

This Loves Last Time is a darkly layered affair with a good helping of alt-pop. Xian’s producing has polished it into an off-beat package, perfectly blending his own style with JOY’s smooth vocals as well as seamlessly joining real instruments with computerized samples. It’s musically complex, with mid-tempo tracks which build nicely into rich tapestries of textures and sounds. None of the songs will have you dancing on the ceiling and you probably won’t even remember the words, but I have a sneaky suspicion that’s not what they were going for anyway.

♫ Bell Horses – Still Life (download it here)

> Website > Last.fm > JOY’s Website

post by Nat 3-D

Musically ‘…Equinox’ is reminiscent of old style Death Cab; fuzzy bass and cascading guitar riffs but backed by newest member Jason McGerr’s unique drumming style, it’s a bit of a blast from their past. However, vocalist Benjamin Gibbard lets the side down with his basic, repetitive lyrics. Where’s his subtle word-play we’ve come to love? Not here, that’s for sure. Perhaps because the song was written especially for the movie it stifled his lyrical abilities?

Personally this song grows on me with each listen but to be honest, I’m slightly disappointed, especially considering how much it’s release was hyped up. On the other hand, the extended New Moon trailer looks fantastic! You might hope that this song won’t put a dampener on the teen fantasy-fest monster-movie due for release November 20th, or you might hope that it does just that… Twarmite: You either love it or you hate it.

MP3 ♫ Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox

post by Nat 3-D

A perfect example of this is The Mountain Goats.

One look at The Mountain Goats Discography on Wiki turns me into a kid at a candy store. There’s almost too much to choose from. In situations like that, I usually just start with the latest offering. For TMG (an affectionate fan acronym) that comes in the form of 2009′s The Life Of The World To Come.

If you’d never heard any previous material and just looked at the track listing, you may presume TMG’s are a Christian-Rock band, as every track on the new album is named after a Bible scripture. That’s not the case. According to frontman John Darnielle, he hasn’t had some sort of ‘spiritual awakening’, but merely wrote these 12 songs based on “twelve hard lessons” the Bible taught him. Interesting. In fact, the album is a No Preach Zone, with the few Biblical references coming across both subtle and poignant.

Being familiar with TMG’s previous work, I can say The Life Of The World To Come is good. Just good. It’s simple and stripped down. Apart from it’s Biblical skeleton however, it doesn’t push boundaries the way previous albums did. There’s minimal trademark raw-emotion. Minimal fuss. Minimal effort. It’s just… good. Perhaps only 3 out of the 12 tracks actually stand out. One thing that remains constant though, is John Darnielle’s beautiful lyrical abilities, even if this album isn’t a display of his finest poetry.

If you’ve heard The Mountain Goats before, you’ll probably think it’s good too. However, for a first time listener it may possibly be construed as bland. Admittedly, The Life Of The World To Come lacks the seasoning evident elsewhere in their extensive discography. For a first time listener, I’d possibly skip this album and go back to the bitter brilliance that I started with; The Sunset Tree (2005) or even the beautifully resonant Get Lonely (2006). But while we’re here, take a listen to one of the stand-out tracks and judge this new offering for yourself…

MP3 ♫ The Mountain Goats – 1 John 4:16

> Website > Last.fm

post by Nat 3-D

So here I present to you 4 great unsigned ukulele artists you should be listening to; regardless of what instrument they play…

WISDOM TOOTH
Ohio based Meagan Day is a busy bunny, balancing 2 bands alongside her solo career and her Queer As Folk-Pop side project. Her songs are incredibly lo-fi with delicate ukulele backing, coupled with simple xylophone and harmonies. She mostly keeps her voice low, sounding a bit fearful to raise it too much lest she wake the neighbours. Meagan’s vocals coupled with her quirky lyrics is what succeeds at making Wisdom Tooth an innocent and fragile world with uke at it’s core.

> Last.fm
> MySpace

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JULIA NUNES
After winning Bushman’s 2008 YouTube Ukulele Video Contest, Julia has gone on to play at NY’s Uke Festival, tour London, play 3 days at Bonnaroo and even perform with Ben Folds. It seems anyone who picks up a ukulele looks to Julia as the equivalent of a uke playing Britney; but one with an adorable personality. Recording YouTube videos in her dorm room with cereal box percussion or occasional melodica, she plays an eclectic mix of covers and self-penned songs, self-releasing her original material… for now at least. Eventually a label will come calling, but hopefully Julia will keep her comical, streetwise, tongue-in-cheek style that she nails so well.

> YouTube
> Website

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DANIELLE ATE THE SANDWICH
Danielle Anderson not only plays ukulele, but also guitar, violin and clarinet, with an effortless voice to boot. Like Julia Nunes, DaTS began from humble YouTube roots and has quickly become a firm favourite amongst subscribers and musicians alike, performing originals & covers as well as writing the theme tune to hometown Colorado based TV show Everyday. Her songs hold all the charm and carefree ambience only a ukulele can provide, with more metaphors and adjectives packed in then any other wistful singer/songwriter could dream up. With Danielle, the ukulele seems to be her perfect musical dance partner, acting as a springboard to showcase her delectable voice and strong songwriting capabilities. > YouTube > MySpace

GARFUNKEL & OATES
Duo Riki Lindhome & Kate Micucci are pure comedy. Original songs about smug pregnant women, one night stands and bad dates never seemed so appealing until sung by two confident 20-somethings. Incorporating amusing accents, vocal narratives and witty one-liners which play on the cliches of human interactions, Garfunkel & Oates are a refreshing breath of lightheartedness. This even comes through in live shows, breaking up the setlist by reciting poems from Ashanti (yes they exist – she has a book!) It seems the ukulele brings out this great sense of humour in a lot of it’s users. > Website > YouTube

MP3 ♫ Wisdom Tooth – My Party

MP3 ♫ Julia Nunes – The Debt

MP3 ♫ Danielle Ate The Sandwich – The Patriotism Of Reincarnation

MP3 ♫ Garfunkel & Oates – Worst Song Medley

post by Nat 3-D