Around these parts, we’re unreasonably fond of the Leeds based (hey, that’s where I’m from!) 5 piece Hookworms. From early single releases, to the groups outright brilliant debut effort Pearl Mystic, their winning combination of psychedelic noise kraut and blood sucking is something that’s never flinched in the face of the effusive praise being heaped upon it. Unsurprisingly, following that debut album, [...]

There’s something intrinsically hilarious about Vampire Weekend’s return, a double A-side single with two tracks from their forthcoming LP ‘Modern Vampires of the City’. The first ttack, ‘Diane Young’, is all Footloose shimmer, Status Quo aping structure and comically modulated vocals, topped off with the kind of maximalist production that’ll see it played at every party this side of the [...]

Ask yourself this, is there a more obvious metaphor for playing around with darker themes than naming your album after a material that is literally darker than the namesake of your last album? No, of course not, unless you’re willing to title your record “SAD SONGS” and put a big crying face on the cover, along with a complimentary vial of tears [...]

Before we begin, a quick question; what were you expecting from new music from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Given their last outing, 2009′s outstanding It’s Blitz!, few would point at you and laugh if you suggested they embrace those moments of dancefloor genius that littered Blitz and use them as a basis for the disco revival that I’ve been fruitlessly predicting for 6 years now. [...]

At this point in his musical career, Nick Cave shouldn’t be allowed to be so outstanding, it’s probably bad for his health, or at the very least, everyone else’s miserly careers (saying that, The Kings of Leon are aiming “to have a box-set career.” so, uh, watch out Nick). Still, we’re firmly into the promotional run up the release of [...]

So, six days ago Nick Cave announced that those adventurous (or trusting) souls who pre-ordered his latest record with The Bad Seeds would get to hear the first track entitled ‘We No Who U R’ on the 3rd of December as a reward for their determination in acquiring as much pre-order swag as possible. Today is that day, and in a surprising move, he’s gone [...]

Yo La Tengo, or, That Band You’ve Always Wanted To Get Into But Just Can’t Work Out Where To Start, have returned (following their brief excursion into the wild, wild world of limited edition EP’s) with an update regarding their previously promised, and massively hyped full length return. Naturally, this being their first outing since 2009′s clearly brilliant ’Popular Songs’ LP, their new one [...]

Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, Prince’s wardrobe from 1997. What do these three, seemingly disparate things in space and time have in common? The world found itself in a state of shared grief when they were lost. Hell, even those left starving in vast continents took a moment to grieve for the incredibly wealthy yet somewhat pleasant Princess Diana when she [...]

Alright, so, imagine for just a moment that you’re one of those hip young cats looking to make a way into the blow-job infested waters of the professional music industry. Are you there? Great. Now, you’re going to need a name, and Butthole Surfers has long since been claimed. Wait, what’s your real name? Chazwick Bundick? That’s clearly a little too [...]

You’ve waited. The days have felt like an endless repeat of David Cronenberg’s ‘Cosmopolis’, the nights have been grueling, made uncomfortable by cold sweats and a tremor which wouldn’t quit. We became accustomed to these feelings, this is the new world, we told ourselves. It didn’t have to be this way. It started with a post, innocuous enough, regarding the BBC’s [...]