We’ve written before about how one of the most consistent sources of subtly emotive music available today is the nocturnal anthem, the soundtrack to late night walks through the urban sprawl. The debut single from London-based Obongjayar, Creeping, is a distinctive new approach that gets this right.
Documenting the city at night, each of his carefully selected words builds an image at once indirect and immediately recognisable to anyone who’s found themselves watching the 3am crowds go by. The downtempo production fits the mood of the track too, if being a little flat to stand on its own two feet.
However it’s an assured opening from an assured new talent.
Like this? Follow our <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/crackintheroad/playlist/1UB6gJIZpmiO0H2zmSbg02" target="_blank">On Repeat Playlist</a> for a handpicked selection of the very best in new music; updated weekly.
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:4hFnlpT7IqxdR9wfCayRw6" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>
 
<iframe width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/chWm2OOw8U4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Video produced by Frank Lebon (NB: limited to 480p)

Introducing: Obongjayar

Primavera was the first international festival I ever covered for Crack in the Road, way back in the steam-powered days of 2011, and has staunchly remained annual event of choice ever since.
The lazy, go-to comparison often touted is that it combines Benicassim and ATP, with the former’s location (Barcelona) minus the V Festival on Tour vibe, and the latter’s niche musical nous minus the financial shit storm (we’ll return to that later).
But that overlooks the small details that, whilst sometimes difficult to pin down at first, are what sets Primavera apart. Despite its attendance now scraping 200,000, it still rarely feels claustrophobic or overly crowded, thanks in part to its sea-front-park location. Each stage also offers its own environment and surrounding: from auditorium, to grassy field, stone amphitheatre, shipping port, back-to-back stages, and beach. Schedules are also carefully structured to position the big names midway through each day, which mitigates the traditional division between “headliners” and other acts.
Then there’s the music itself. Unlike ATP’s – frankly suicidal, at this point – approach to narrow festival lineups, the organisers have managed to expertly develop the scale and appeal of the event each year, yet retain artists with niche appeal. Instead, Tame Impala sit alongside Ukrainian resonant piano master Lubomyr Melnyk.
Take this year’s Friday afternoon lineup, for example:
<ul style="margin-left:2rem">
<li style="list-style:initial">Maybe you want to get out of the sun, into a proper music auditorium, and listen to a guy freak out on the sax?  (Kamasi Washington – 21:00, Auditori)</li>
<li style="list-style:initial">Say you’re feeling a bit thirsty, want to grab a Sprite, and listen to a guy go in over a Clams Casino beat? (Vince Staples – 22:10, Pitchfork)</li>
<li style="list-style:initial">Perhaps all you’re looking to see is that fat guy who supported Red Hot Chilli Peppers in 2007 sing some white boy R&B? (Har Mar Superstar – 23:10, Adidas. Yeah, don’t really, but the point stands.)</li>
</ul>

Obviously that leads to constant scheduling clashes between acts you would like to see, but it’s hard to be disappointed by that when you’re seeing an artist you want to see either way.
Given you’re reading this on this site, I’m going to hazard a guess that you’ve a basic appreciation for the major names in the world of this year’s summer festivals, so I’ll skip going in to detail about why you should see headliners LCD Soundsystem, The Avalanches, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Brian Wilson and Sigur Ros.
Instead, we asked friends of the site for their smaller recommendations of acts you should all see. You can view these alongside our own tips, in a bespoke Clashfinder, here:
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42.png" rel="attachment wp-att-32324"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-32324" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-05-30 at 09.39.42" width="815" height="264" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42.png 815w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42-300x97.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42-768x249.png 768w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2016/05/Screen-Shot-2016-05-30-at-09.39.42-50x16.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" /></a>
<a href="https://clashfinder.com/s/primaverasound16/?user=077o65.ub&">https://clashfinder.com/s/primaverasound16/?user=077o65.ub&</a>
Thanks to Josh Cryer, Charles MacDonald-Jones, Jarrett Hawrylak, Mark Corcoran-Lettice, Charlotte Faulkner, and Rig Saunders for the tips.
(Tambien, si necesitas moneda, Barry Hogan tocará La 2 a las dos de la mañana en Miercoles)

Preview: Primavera Sound 2016

Here’s a hot take for you: Adult Jazz are the single most underrated band in the United Kingdom today. Come at me bro.
Pugnacious or not, in sheer terms of the quality of their craft to popularity and acclaim, it’s a statement that is hard to dispute.
A favourite of every single person who wrote for Crack in the Road, their debut -2014’s Gist Is  – was four years in the making. Combining staggeringly skillful musicianship and a tight group dynamic, it stood as one of the most mature debut albums of recent memory, a quality that extended to the band’s spellbinding live sets. Yet it arrived to minimal fanfare, and was only granted a little more attention in the year end roundups.
Not ones for the limelight, they’ve laid low until today, dropping new single Eggshell. Masking Harry’s standout vocals with electronic effects is a bold change to make, but it is a decision that sits well alongside the jittery electronic backing. Perhaps somewhat more understandable, though, given its accompanying album – May 20th’s Earrings Off! – will arrive on Tri Angle Records (Forest Swords, Mssngno, Haxan Cloak).
Echoes of Limbo Panto were abound throughout their debut (and not just because they both found their feet as bands in Leeds) and the fuller, rich sound of Eggshell has a similar attention-grabbing effect on first listen as Hooting and Howling did.
This is an album to watch in 2016.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P-7xWtdMzWs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

New: Adult Jazz – Eggshell

It’s quickly becoming apparent that, with his new project LA Priest, Sam Dust (neé Eastgate) is not fucking around. Gone are the ‘quirky’ nu-rave stylings and am-dram vocal acrobatics of his former output, in its place we are seeing a mature artist shooting to carve out his own distinct style.
If you recall how the refrain vocals on first single Oino (Engine, his 2007 single, doesn’t count) were warped to the point of barely holding themselves together in a recognisable form, new track Party Zute / Learning to Love takes this concept and applies it to every one of its many (many) instrumental layers.
Starting in subdued form, the opening minute offers scant instrumentation, pairing shimmering keys alongside Eastgate’s shaking vocals. But from here things only become more muddled, with layers of whining synth and stuttering bass that stop-start, repeat and weave in and out of focus. The end effect is reminiscent of Adam Crisp’s recent work as Clarence Clarity, but with a clear and significant debt to last decade’s popular new disco strand of revivalist electro.
As it unfurls across its 8 minute track time, practically flooding the listener with its host of touch points, Party Zute / Learning to Love proves itself gorgeous, expansive and genuinely exciting.
If Oino was Sam’s announcement that he had returned – post-LOTP – and matured, Party Zute/ Learning to Love is his statement of intent as LA Priest.
The debut album, Inji, hits the stores 29th June.
<iframe width="500" height="400" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F203247161&show_artwork=true&maxwidth=500&maxheight=750"></iframe>

New: LA Priest – Party Zute / Learning to Love

Poster:<a href="https://thomasvanhuyse.tumblr.com" target="_blank"> Thomas Van Huyse</a>
Last year, along with partner in crime, <a href="https://disconaivete.com/" target="_blank">Disco Naïveté</a>, alongside the undying support of <a href="Hypem.com" target="_blank">Hype Machine</a>, we brought The 1975, HAERTS, Hozier, Wolf Alice, Holychild, GEMS, Le Youth and Gorgon City together as part of Austin’s now legendary week long Hype Hotel event. Now marking our third year in Texas, we’re delighted to be teaming up with both of them again, to showcase what we truly believe to be the unmissable show of the SXSW week.
With the likes of London Grammar, Chromeo, Future Islands, and of course The 1975 performing at 2014’s Hype Hotel alongside past appearances from the likes of Disclosure and CHVRCHES, it’s now undoubtedly an annual highlight upon many calendars. As always, our gratitude goes out to Taco Bell, Mazda, Tito’s Vodka and Miller Lite for helping make Hype Hotel possible.
So, without further ado, I’m delighted to present to you the line-up for this year featuring some of the most exciting artists in the world right now, on Friday 20 March, 12pm – 6pm.
Danny L Harle (DJ)
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/101199251&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Lydia Ainsworth
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166787737&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Christine & The Queens
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/185065262&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
George Maple
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/165726783&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Willow Smith
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166249960&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Raury
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/137837037&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
ILoveMakonnen
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/162777996&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://hypem.com/hotel/2015/" target="_blank">RSVP is essential, and open now.</a> We throughly recommend getting there early as this is going to be heaving. See you out in Austin!

Announcement: Hype Hotel – Crack in the Road x Disco Naïveté

Few days late on this one which, given our past track record with Burial releases, is a poor show.
But it’s hardly surprising. Lambeth has been floating around for a fair few years now, after it was spun by Kode9 on Benji B’s show in 2009 and was expected for release shortly after. Therefore, it was easy to overlook it as being the same radio rip that many people have had spinning for five years.
Its release now, as part of Hyperdub’s 4th and final birthday compilation of the year, is fitting: the compilation is a celebration of the “core” sounds that have characterised Hyperdub’s work, particularly garage, house and techno. It also ties in with the statement we received from the man himself earlier this year ‘I want to go and find some old tunes I did that still sound alright and never came out’.
It’s a bit of a shame, then, that the track itself is more of a curiosity than anything. Off the back of last year’s sprawling and emotionally hard-hitting Rival Dealer, it serves more to remind us just how far Burial’s sound has developed since his Untrue days.
Similarly, out of the many bootleg and radio ripped tracks floating around, Lambeth was never the one that got most pulses racing (fans of True Love VIP or Archeron, keep the faith, your day may still come).
Don’t be mistaken, it’s a solid, straightforward 2-Step cut and it’s great that the completed version finally reached the light of day – but Come Down to Us 2014 this is not.
Pick up <a href="https://www.hyperdub.net/releases/view/284/HDBCD028">Hyperdub 10.4 here</a>.
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gI8Gft90-wc" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

New: Burial – Lambeth

Shout out to Tim over at Vancouver Sleep Clinic for the tip on this one.
Finding any information related to an artist simply named Wyatt at first proves a bit tricky:
Robert Wyatt? Nope.
Canadian country group, ‘Wyatt’? Nope.
Any one of a thousand eponymous artists? Nah.
It turns out Wyatt is actually related to another artist we’ve previously covered on this very site – but not in the way you’re thinking. Rather, this is the solo project of the manager of Brisbane based three-piece MTNS, AKA Jarryd Shuker. But where their sound comes off as a grandiose barrage of incredibly-overwrought vocals, pounding electronic drum pads and stuttering synths, Wyatt takes a different approach.
Clearly, on his debut EP, Jarryd Shuker has invested himself heavily. The final product is a carefully considered blend of wispy synth drones, barely-there drum clicks and minor-key piano. Meanwhile layered vocals manage to toe the line between wistful and melancholic, without ever feeling like they’re forced.
For the duration of the EP, you get the sense that the music you’re hearing has been carefully considered and curated. Nothing has been left on the track that just “makes do”, with each layer bringing something new to the mix that helps build towards the final piece’s goal.
Even the tracklisting feels meticulously curated, something that can often be overlooked now it’s possible to just stick a record online.
Since CITR started in 2010, there are a number of EPs that we’ve discovered that I keep in a heavy rotation. This already has the sense about it that it could be one of them. Now, it’s 9am, so perhaps I’ve not sold his music enough in this piece. In which case, here’s an easy to understand conclusion: listen. to. this. fucking. EP.
<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/45176290&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe>

Introducing: Wyatt

We’ve made no secret of the fact life has somewhat got in the way of Crack in the Road being as active as normal.
We’ve made no secret…but we ain’t apologising. How many of you spent last week camped in an abandoned château in the middle of Belgium, just two miles down the road from “Nowhere”? Now try and get an internet connection there….
Anyway, we wanted to do something to say thanks for bearing with us both during the quiet period and our recent/ongoing development work.
So like the guys from Canyanero, Sennheiser approached us and supplied us with a set of top-of-the-range Momentum headphones to give away. It’s part of an eponymously titled campaign they’re running at present, which is bizarrely fronted by Imogen Heap (in 2014? Really?).
I promised to be nice and not rail on the campaign, as that’s sort of the deal you agree to in these things. It could have been hard – a press release that features the word “paradigm”? Really? – if it were not for the fact the cans themselves are actually worthy of all this hype.
The sound quality is probably the closest to perfect you’ve heard, whilst the design is full of neat touches that make using them pretty damn slick. If you’re interested in learning more, a thorough breakdown of the headphones can be found <a href="https://www.whathifi.com/review/sennheiser-momentum">over at What HiFi</a> (five stars, yo).
In short, I’m actually a pretty big fan of these and, being retailed at £259.99, getting a pair for absolutely free is not to be sniffed at.
So, the competition. All the instructions are below and the closing date is Friday 25th July. We reserve the right to change the date/close it at short notice blah blah. You know the score.
We’ve lots in the works, so thank you for bearing with us the past few weeks.
And remember, we love you all.
 
<a class="e-widget" href="https://gleam.io/siPvK/sennheiser-momentum-headphone-competition" rel="nofollow">Sennheiser Momentum headphone competition</a> 
<script src="https://js.gleam.io/e.js" async="true"></script>

Competition: Win a pair of top-end Sennheiser cans

So here we have it, the first Grimes material in over a year.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/156075705″ artist=”Grimes” title=”Go”]
Warning signs abound as the rumour mill has been slowly fed the news that it was a track written for Rihanna. That Rihanna had rejected it. That blah blah.
It’s not hard to see why.
Regardless of personal preference, and I’d largely fall on the non-fan side of things, Rihanna and her team are not in the business of dropping tracks without a reason – particularly not one coming from the current darling of alternative-pop. They’re savvy and quick to spot a cutting edge track when they hear one.
The reason this was overlooked is because it is bland, trap-derivative guff. Even if this had come out at the same time that Bauer was still riding the wave of that track, could you really see Rihanna’s team opting for this over ‘We Found Love’?
This is even more disappointing when compared to the constant progression Grimes has exhibited in her work. I’m not talking stylistically, we’ve previously written at length about our thoughts regarding fans’ expectations, but rather it generally feels very unconsidered.
Visions was considered a tour de force for a reason, taking the weird and wonderful musical stylings of the Grimes of old and slickly packaging it up, without losing it’s fantastical and whimsical edges. It was a demonstration of a growing mastery of her craft, even down to appreciating the utility of silence – don’t tell me your breath has never fallen flat in your throat in that momentary pause before the first note of Genesis kicks in?
In comparison this just feels quite amateurish and bereft of personality.
Now, you may be thinking this is a little harsh, but there is a glimmer of hope. So much has been made of the fact this was created for another artist, it’s doubtful that her next album will follow in the same vein. If it sees her take a shift towards straight edged pop that means she finally breaks out in to the mainstream consciousness? Hell yeah, Grimes deserves it.
But this isn’t the track that will do it.

New: Grimes – Go (ft. Blood Diamonds)

Are you ready to get excited?
Good.
You might have seen today the news that Caustic Window by Aphex Twin has been “rescued” <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watmmofficial/cat023-caustic-window-own-the-legendary-record-by">via Kickstarter</a>. As a result, there is now a whole “new” Aphex album out there, 20 years since its release was scrapped.
Technically only those who contributed to the Kickstarter will get a copy, with a deal struck by the user behind the funding drive with Rephlex Records and the man himself to rip it and distribute copies to each supporter.
Luckily it’s on YouTube as well.
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uk7Q7nYJpS8?list=PL05YPqhPmTtJUC0AWZAOJrhWJrjlCH11q" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The reasons why it was scrapped are not entirely clear, though one of the voices you hear on the prank calls at the end offered the reasoning it may be down to “that classic loss of confidence any successful artist feels releasing something into the market after such acclaim”. Regardless, the fact is it took 5 years for anyone to even acknowledge its existence – and there are still questions over how the white label ended up online. For a better understanding of what exactly the album is, <a href="https://pastebin.com/WPTqiThR">read this breakdown from Mike P. and forum WATMM admin Joyrex.</a>
But you know what’s more exciting? This.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/154551619″ artist=”Aphex Twin” title=”Füld”]
Hear that? That is not on Caustic Window. Nor is Füld a track we’ve (or at least I’ve) ever heard before. But it sure as hell has all the hallmarks of a producer 25 years in to his career.
The most exciting parallel I can think of is that between the last 30 seconds of the track and last year’s Boards of Canada track Reach for the Dead. After the hazy, ambient track everything drops away, it starts building, the drums kick in, it starts to drive forward, it….
 
….it fades out.
It’s not satisfying enough of an ending for that to be it, not from someone with such experience. There’s something that’s meant to come after that – what it is, I can’t say.
Given the umlaut in the track name, it’s clearly intended to be pronounced the same as ‘fooled’. If we are going to read anything in that name, uploading a track and calling it that doesn’t really work. No-one has been fooled.
But that white label of Caustic Window, how on earth did that ever surface when there were only ever four copies – all owned by Richard and his close associates. Similarly, the Kickstarter says it took ‘a few emails’ to get both Richard and his label to agree to its release, and the Discogs sale was temporarily suspended. It just seems a bit too convenient.
Aphex Twin has always been one to play around with his art, whether that’s its composition, release or sheer oddities like putting <a href="https://www.bastwood.com/?page_id=10">images in to his tracks’ spectrals</a>. If it did turn out to all be a hoax, it’d be cool, but it wouldn’t really be that surprising.
What’s is surprising, though, is that with all the attention on him today, no-one has mentioned Füld. At all.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28935" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-17-at-21.23.44.png" alt="Screen Shot 2014-06-17 at 21.23.44" width="604" height="552" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-17-at-21.23.44.png 604w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-17-at-21.23.44-300x274.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-17-at-21.23.44-50x46.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px" />
 
That’s it. <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=site%3Aforum.watmm.com+f%C3%BCld&oq=site%3Afo&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i58j69i59l3.2342j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=91&ie=UTF-8">WATMM aren’t much more chatty either</a>.
At any rate, as it’s Richard D James, even if Füld was taken from a whole new album, there’s no guarantees it’ll ever see the light of day.
(Full disclosure: I’m aware how likely it is that this could be a hoax, not least due to how new the Soundcloud profile attached to it is. However, it is a very well done fake in that case, and the track itself is still completely worthy of note. If the artist has decided to release his work in that guise, then so be it)

New: Aphex Twin – Caustic Window (…but what is Füld?)

702. According to Last.fm that is the number of times I played the tracks off Vek’s 2011 album Leisure Seizure. It’s probably fair to say I’m a big fan already – there’s just something about his mix of melody heavy multi-instrumentalism, garage rock approach and slack jawed drawl that strikes a chord.
It’s became a trope a long time ago to refer to the timescale between his debut and followup, but it’s fair to say no one saw this week’s album announcement -titled Luck – coming. Last year’s Nothankyou collaboration with Dirty Projectors’ Olga produced a effortlessly catchy double A side, but even that was years in the making.
Luck, we’re promised, sees Vek in more experimental form than ever. On the strength of preview track /single Sherman (Animals in the Jungle) alone, we’re not reallt able to judge whether that’s true. What we do get is an energy that was missing from the, well, leisurely Leisure Seizure. A driving rhythm section propels the action forward, save a brief pause, under synth loops and a jingling guitar riff.
The end result is not dissimilar to A Chore, but shifting the focus of the track away from his ‘unique’ approach to vocals (I like them, your mileage may differ) back to the repertoire of instruments he is staggeringly proficient with might broaden his appeal this time round.
His lyrics still makes no sense, mind.
 
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rkC5lR7Qsng" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe>

New: Tom Vek – Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)

It’s been four years since we last heard from Owen Pallett, on 2010’s labour of love Heartland. To put that in to perspective, the incestuous Broken Social Scene/Arcade Fire/Beirut scene was still alive (just), with Owen as the lesser known prodigy that countless bands were indebted to. Since then he’s not been resting on his laurels – if an album has had strings on it in the past decade, he’s probably responsible.
Flash forward to today (or a month ago, rather. I missed this on original release) and, where the others are struggling to work out their sound and place in the music scene of 2014, Owen has finally returned with new solo material. In Conflict – out 13th May – is the sound of an artist who has found his voice, in more ways than one.
In a literal sense, he sounds more confident, full voiced and less reliant on the reverb drenched approach of his earlier work. Which is undeniably great, allowing you to fully appreciate the moments on new track The Riverbed where his voice sinks and rises to fantastic effect.
But it’s also the sound of an artist symbolically finding his voice. His not-particularly-appealing Final Fantasy name was dropped a few years back now, bringing together his solo material and his “Owen Pallett” credited production and orchestration work. The loops sound like they’re still alive and well but they’re now less obviously repetitive, with a tendency to shift and slide around the far denser mix.
All together, The Riverbed sounds more whole, full-bodied and like an artist who has gone away to work out exactly where he wants to take his sound next.
And it’s cracking. 
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/137504448&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

New: Owen Pallett – Riverbed

Nb: I realise the full title should read “Friendly Fires & The Asphodells” but that’s long and we’ve sold out for the hits. Maybe.
If you caught The Kooks new track earlier this week, you would have received a brief lesson in how badly it can go when you force a “different” sound. Particularly if that sound features the fucking word “diggity” in 2014.
So it is pleasing to see that Friendly Fires’ collaboration with Andrew Weatherall and Timothy J Fairplay (aka The Asphodells) is really enjoyable. Pleasing for me, personally, because I’ve always had a soft spot for Friendly Fires (Pala aside). It’s also been a long time in the making, first being mentioned back in 2012, but the result is the sound of a band stepping out of their pop comfort zone in to something different.
A-Side “Before your eyes” is a winding trip through electronic percussion, swirling synth lines and repetitive guitar rhythms. It’s hard not to get a sense that there are echos of Remain In Light era Talking Heads’ at play – sort of like The Horrors covering Fela’s Riff. When the final, jangling guitar line kicks in over the wall of sound that has built up, it’s hard not to smile.
Sadly, B-side Velo is a little bit more on the anemic side, with far fewer ideas. It’s pitched as taking ten minutes to build it’s hypnotic glory, but the lack of interesting texture or melody means it feels more like it limps to a finish line that should have come far sooner. But it at least shows a band (or two) trying their hand at experimenting with their sound, and it’s hard to fault them for that – there will always be missteps on the way. 
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/139537741&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

New: Friendly Fires – Before your eyes

Kishi Bashi is one of those artists whose name has floated around for a while, but I’ve never got around to actually listening to. Touring member with Of Montreal and Regina Spektor, his sound draws favourable comparisons to similar violinists Owen Pallet and Andrew Bird wherever he turns.
On this, the first track we’ve heard from his upcoming second album Lighght, there are obvious other touchstones too. There are moments of lush, soaring strings that echo Of Montreal’s Icons, Abstract Thee EP, and others where his vocals channel a one-man Beach Boys. The comparisons to Owen Pallet and Andrew Bird are not far from the mark, however there is a clear eastern tinge that gives the track a slightly off-kilter sound.
It’s bright, jittery and straight to the point. 
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/131688244&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

New: Kishi Bashi – Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!

Christmas might now be over, but the holiday period (whether that’s an actual holiday, or the vibe of New Year still being ahead) is very much still going. Whereas the next few months of long, cold, dark nights are probably not going to be the most appealing of times to work or commute, right now they’re great.
Grab a decent coat, the reindeer scarf your nan bought you, a good pair of headphones and go walk. Anywhere, just do it, it’s one of the best times of the year to do it – with a sense of optimism that isn’t half helped by the sheer number of festive lights still twinkling around, minus the Christmas music.
To soundtrack it, you need something new. Something atmospheric that matches your surroundings: dark, abstract and full of promise. Enter Montreal beatsmith Klātu and his incredibly well timed Alchemy EP. 
Klātu, aka Rémy Sealey, makes beats under that loosest of titles of “future garage”, but he’s come on leaps and bounds in the past 18 months. His debut album Mutual was a far rougher, scratchier affair, full of uptempo clanking drums and pitch-shifted vocals. It was good but, as anyone who has followed his Soundcloud can attest, he’s come on leaps and bounds since then.
It’s hard not to note the influence of last year’s “it-was-robbed” Mercury contender Immunity in his current sound, from the structure of his soundscapes, to the abstract artwork that sits on its front cover. But he goes beyond merely aping this sound, with moments where the pitter-patter of clockwork ticks and wood chimes takes over from the ambient backdrop to take the listener to a different track entirely.
Alchemy sound like the producer is positioning himself, marking exactly where his sound is at the end of 2013. It feels like a cliché to say it, but it really is now a waiting game to see just how great his next LP will be.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3165365111 size=medium bgcol=ffffff linkcol=63b2cc]

Introducing: Klatu

Three words upon my headstone: Albums of 2013

Sometimes you completely miss the bandwagon on a story.
 
“Clarence Clarity’s part of the future right there, it really is, pushing the boundaries on every level, sonically and lyrically” – Zane Lowe
“alternatively terrifying, hilarious and amazing” – Wonderland Magazine
“Whether or not you like shadowed newcomer Clarence Clarity’s debut track 4GODSLUV you’re most certaintly going to remember it, and him.” – Abeano
“There were rumours bandied about that perpetually elusive Jai Paul was in fact Clarence Clarity. Maybe it’s Burial in a slimy disguise?” – Line of Best Fit 
“It’s pop music for the f*cked up, insane, odd and those of us who want music to do deranged things now and then…So who is Clarence Clarity?”Breaking More Waves
Back in July, a number of outlets were keen to unmask who exactly self-described Fijian Clarence Clarity was. Coming out with a handful of tracks made of ominous, whining sounds, the attention to his music seemed to appear for a couple of days and vanish.
Guess it was shit.
Except it’s not. As we’re gearing up to do our end of year list in the next few days, I decided to trawl my iTunes by date and stumbled on a his music – unplayed, and the name not ringing a bell at all. So I gave it a listen and I was quite pleased to see that an artist we’ve been covering on the site since way back in the early days of 2010 had finally put out new material. Not least because I’d been a fan of his music since his first band ■■■■ ■■■■■■ broke on to the scene in 2004/05.
As with his other recent music, the tracks were all dark patchworks of vocal snippets, disjointed synth lines and foley sound effects. The poly-rhythms are off kilter, the vocal hooks are rife and it comes off like tortured pop for future-goths. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, Clarence’s Save Thyself EP feels like the follow up that never came to his earlier act’s final 2010 EP – infact I’ll swear the sparkling intro noise on The Gospel Truth was sampled straight from it.
So what was all the mystery about, and why had nobody realised it was ■■■■ ■■■■■? Sure his former band, as well as later project ■■■■■■■■■■■■■, never broke out in to the mainstream consciousness, but they both attracted a solid and fairly devoted fan base. In particular, their fan base were generally the people who you now see typing out hundreds of words daily under the titles “Introducing” and “Breaking”, something didn’t make sense.
Naturally, therefore, I figured I was wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time two artists were confused due to their vocalists sharing certain mannerisms – shout out to everyone who still has a ‘System of a Down’ cover of the Legend of Zelda theme tune lying around somewhere. Which, again naturally, meant the next step was to hit Google for a bit of research – there were a fair few stories about him in July and September, surely someone realised? It’s not like he’s vanished off the face of the earth, Bad Dream Hotline was plastered over a lot of ‘Best albums of the year’ lists 12 months ago. 

The first thing I did was to check the same place I found out about his last project back in 2010: a long dead fan forum for his first band. There was a post on there that connected them to Clarence Clarity.
Second point of call was to do whois search on the website linked to from his Soundcloud. ■■■■ ■■■■■.
Okay that seems quite conclusive. It’s him.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/109573156″ params=”color=76499d&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
 
But you’re not idiots and have probably noticed none of the above specifically points to the artist in question. Why? As we’ve seen on a number occasions during 2013, artists and blogs have clashed over just how far is too far when “exposing” the mystery behind an artist. Sometimes it’s questions over <a href="https://laurasnapes.tumblr.com/post/48060203153/this-wont-be-the-last-time-but-today-felt-like">whether the exposer went too far (hey!)</a>, whilst the exposers in turn have <a href="https://twitter.com/disconaivete/status/413292195731341313">argued at times that the information they’re posting is all already in the public domain</a>.
We enter a whole other minefield when the mystery has been purposefully constructed. Since the mystery behind artists like Burial and Wu Lyf has been seen to bolster the attention they received, as well as add an otherwise unattainable sense of mystique and isolation to their music, not a day goes by that a new artist doesn’t email blogs across the world positioning themselves as “anonymous”. Most of them are now ignored, or receive only a cursory glance at their background – <a href="https://breakingmorewaves.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/clarence-clarity-alive-in-septic-tank.html">just as with our friend Clarence Clarity</a> – but there’s a growing sense that this trend long ago reached capacity. In fact, the big “anonymous” artists of late (Jai Paul, Boots etc) have all been those where their anonymity was not constructed, it was not the product of a PR department spending 30 minutes brainstorming in their lounge, it was not spelled out in a carefully worded press release: it’s been down to a genuine desire to lay low and shun the spotlight.
There was a recent incident on this very site – <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/21107-feature-finding-jai-paul/">nope, not that one</a> – where an artist was unhappy with the mystery behind their alias being revealed. Nothing the writer of that piece did was illegal, immoral, or intrusive, but nonetheless the artist got in touch in a perturbed manner. By revealing their past, they argued, they were being prevented from having the fresh start that they were craving. They hadn’t claimed they were anonymous as part of some marketing hook, in fact they hadn’t promoted themselves at all – who was the blogger to deny them a second chance? In this particular case, the writer took the piece down, for the simple reason that the artist was right – everyone is entitled to a fresh go at things. If being an anonymous artist meant their music could receive the full commendations it deserved without being subjected to half-arsed, snide comments about the musician’s previous work (see: almost The Horrors), or lumped with expectations from former fan bases (see: Captain Murphy) then any music fan should be in support of that.
Any good writer, blogger, journalist (whatever you want to call yourself) that stumbles on a potentially interesting mystery needs to first ask, is there any real benefit in the mystery being deconstructed and exposed? This is the same test any “real” journalist would use before exposing potentially personal information. If people are being asked to spend their real money on a set of questionable Bandcamp tracks that may or may not be real, it could easily be argued that there is a very real public interest in revealing that. If a guy’s name is attached to a headline grabbing album but he is trying his hardest to not reveal his personal history, there’s a story there, but you’re probably not going to be winning any moral victories any time soon.
It’s half two. I’m fairly sure I haven’t re-read half of what I just wrote. But my key point is this: whilst trying to confirm who Clarence Clarity is via Google, I found that he made the following statement only earlier this month:
<blockquote>I’ve kept my personal details out of the picture for now, just while people are still being introduced to the music. I’d like the listener to paint their own picture of who they think Clarence Clarity is first. I’ll introduce bits of myself as we go. The music should have its own story, starting now.</blockquote>
I can’t think of any real benefit that can come from revealing who he is. I’ll therefore leave you with the knowing description that accompanied his video for Alive in the Septic Tank when it was first premiered on Noisey.
<blockquote>The keen eared audio entrepreneurs, those who inject themselves with forward-thinking music like jetsetting Mother’s digest Elle, should be able to distinguish the guy behind these vocals instantaneously.</blockquote>
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99214929″ params=”color=76499d&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The strange case of Clarence Clarity

It’s impressive really that, in the space a of a few short years, Field Day has gone from another date on the summer circuit, to one of the key “one day” festivals in the calendar. Gone are the days where you were more likely to hear Tamsin discussing how much K she was on in the queue to the toilets than <a href="https://itsthenewthing.wordpress.com/tag/modeselektor/">Modeselektor finishing their set</a>, replaced instead by an event that is finally starting to live up to the constantly staggering lineups they pull in. A feat that the organisers should be congratulated on.
On that note, here’s who we already knew were playing:
Metronomy/ Danny Brown/ Dusky/ George Fitzgerald/ Innervisions: Dixon & Ame / James Holden/ Jessy Lanza/ John Wizards/ Jon Hopkins/ Omar Souleyman/ Oneohtrix Point Never/ Seun Kuti & Fela’s Egypt 80/ Sky Ferreira/ The Temper Trap/ Warpaint 
Which as far as the first confirmations go for a city festival, is not too shabby at all. Danny Brown, Metronomy, Jon Hopkins and Warpaint need no introduction. On the electronic side, Omar Souleyman, James Holden, George Fitzgerald and Oneohtrix Point Never are the big names that will pull in the RA crowd – whilst German label Innervisions founders Dixon and Ame look set to play some of the brilliance on their roster. Yr alt kids got John Wizards and Seun Kuti (No-one’s world was set alight by the news The Temper Trap are still about).
A great start, but it’s the latest announcement that has perked peoples’ ears up (a fact no doubt reflected in ticket sales over the past 24 hours):
All We Are/ Blood Orange/ Courtney Barnett/ Charlotte OC/ DJ Barely Legal/ East India Youth/ Éclair FiFi/ Erol Alkan b2b Daniel Avery/ Evian Christ (DJ)/ Fat White Family/ Gerd Janson/ Ghostpoet/ Huw Stephens/ Jaakko Eino Kalevi/ Jackmaster & Oneman present Can U Dance/ Jagwar Ma/ Lunice/ Moxie/ Pawws/ Ryan Hemsworth/ SBTRKT/ Simian Mobile Disco (exclusive new live show)/ Slackk b2b Samename/ SOHN/ Sophie/ Teleman/ Tim Burgess (DJ)/ Todd Terje (live)/ Vessel
There are too many there to go in to proper detail for each, but let’s just say we’ll see you down front for Daniel Avery, Fat White Family, Evian Christ, Lunice, Sophie and Todd Terje.
But the real news this year is the expansion of the festival from a one day event, to a two day weekender – I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this will do some fairly brilliant things to the atmosphere, when you look at the difference that a lack-of-sleep-but-still-able-to-doze-in-an-actual-bed mindset has done to other city centre weekenders. All we knew previously was that Sunday would see Pixies headline, an interesting choice. Their recent material might have been a damp squib for some (read: me), but live reports have suggested they’ve lost little of their original ferocity.
But now we have the first few other acts who will be joining them. The Horrors hit the festival circuit again, off the back of their forthcoming fourth album. We’re yet to actually hear anything from it, but it’d be a huge surprise if it was anything short of excellent on the basis of Primary Colours and Skying. They’re joined by Temples (meh) and POND (aka Tame Impala’s incestuous brother). 

<a href="https://www.ticketweb.co.uk/fieldday ">So, yeah, get buying tickets</a> – the festival this year looks worth even having to brave Ticketweb.
Oh and I think the organisers are keen to promote their special <a href="https://soundcloud.com/field-day-festival/field-day-radio-episode-19">Field Day radio show</a>, which is presented by Eat Your Own Ears boss man Tom Baker. It’s not gonna change your life but, if that lineup has you a bit lost, it should give a taste of the quality on offer.
Update, March: We’ve just got word that there are further additions to the lineup, including a healthier looking Sunday lineup. They are:
Saturday 
Arthur Beatrice/ Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks/ Bake/ Eyedress/ FunkinEven (live)/ Jamie Isaac/ Jamie xx/ Jen Long DJ/ Marc Riley DJ/ Neneh Cherry & RocketNumberNine/ Only Real/ Phil Taggart DJ/ ReviveHer/ Tourist
Sunday 
Drenge / Telegram / Childhood / The Bohicas / Shy Nature
Obvious standouts include Jamie XX; Avey Tare’s new project, Slasher Flicks; long time Crack in the Road favourite Jamie Isaac and Drenge.
Tickets are still available and, now it’s getting warmer, aren’t you starting to pine enough for summer festivals that your wallet can take the hit?

News: Field Day 2014

Arcade Fire seem determined to keep everyone in a sort of “will it or won’t it” limbo in the run up to Reflektor.
First of all the marketing campaign seemingly reached saturation long ago, taking a leaf out of Random Access Memories and hitting you around the head with some sort of quote or “10 second first time ever played trailer of a synth drone” type of stopgap promo material, whilst conversely we’ve heard very little of the actual music – though live versions and SNL specials of a lot of songs do now exist, so the aim isn’t to make the album one big surprise.
Then there was Reflektor: a divisive attempt at changing style dramatically from anything the band have released before. If we were to consider the vastly different opinions on it (from staggeringly out of touch Rolling Stone reviews, to twattish FACT reviews with appeals to modernity, to the markedly absent NME review) it’s probably best described as being full of ideas, but not quite meshing them together to the sort of satisfyingly cohesive and well written quality we quickly came to expect of them a decade ago.
So then they go and release Afterlife. Gone is the rambling, repetitive styling; gone are the layers and layers of soaring synths. What we’re left with is the sort of electro-disco-inspired, percussion laden track that successfully evokes Haiti in the way we were promised so many months ago. Maybe that’s just the effect of setting the music to footage from Black Orpheus. At any rate the most important element, the actual song, seems to be far better this time around and much more what we expect of the band.
And that’s the key point to consider – this is a song that is fun, regardless of how emotive it might be trying to be. How many of the other big bands from 2003/4 are still producing material you can say that about?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r75BFcH4u2k

New & Video: Arcade Fire – Afterlife

To this day, I stand by my claim that Age of Adz was one of the finest albums of 2010. Whilst the unrelentingly dense, hyperactive electronic compositions and achingly personal lyrics – not to mention 27 minute closer Impossible Soul – put many off, in the context of the record it all made sense. It reflected the mild insanity that its creator had developed during a long term illness, the subsequent need to get out all the ideas he’d pent-up and the schizophrenic imagery of inspiration Royal Robertson.
Earlier, he dropped new track Take Me in appropriately understated fashion. Described as a ‘repetitive lo-fi pop demo’ he found under his desk, it fits with the more understated approach the track takes. The twitchy electronics and burst of static filled percussion from Age of Adz are present, but are far less overwhelming, sitting alongside ambient keys and twinkling piano. The personal lyrics remain, however they are closer to the despondent ‘letter-to-the-listener’ whispers and yelps of ‘Futile Devices’ and the closing movement of ‘Impossible Soul’, than the angry shouts that made up most of Age of Adz.
Whether this is a sign that a new album is to follow is anyone’s guess. The throwaway nature of its release would suggest not, however the flurry of activity that heralded Age of Adz was largely unforeseeable.
Even if not, it’s great to hear an insight in to how his sound continues to evolve.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/115523099″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
 
(Fuck off, I’m not mentioning his letter)

New: Sufjan Stevens – Take Me

Today Ministry of Sound decided to sue Spotify for copyright infringement, over user created playlists ‘copying’ its compilations. Their thinking is that the very act of curating others’ work together is intellectual property and anybody curating content in the same manner is infringing on this.
May I just say on behalf of everyone with half a brain cell fuck you Ministry of Sound.
Fuck your lawsuit
Spotify isn’t exactly ranking high in the esteem of most people who care about the rights of artists at the moment, thanks to it essentially paying the equivalent of a particularly stingy workhouse owner. But even then, the ridiculousness of this lawsuit – and more importantly, the worrying consequences a victory for Ministry of Sound would have for the wider music and digital industries – means that people still feel sorry for the slave driver on this occasion.
Perhaps if the Ministry of Sound could take a moment to engage the logic circuits in their serotonin down-regulated brains and consider how their compilations differ to any of the hundreds of millions of curated playlists online, they might see why their proposition is laughable. Is it the fact you had the cheek to stick an extra tenner on top of the price of the tracks that makes them worthy of intellectual protection? Or is it that every compilation and playlist today should be protected and, therefore, need to be unique? Fuck off.
Fuck your compilations
This is on behalf of every single teenager who ever received one of these from their nan at Christmas because they saw one of your garish, cluster-migraine inducing TV adverts. Yes you have put out some cracking compilations in the past – big shout out to last year’s Anthems 90s – but the majority fall in to one of two camps: 2 nightmarish hours of the trashiest cuts of the year, or 4 grating hours of the trashiest cuts of the last two decades.
Even when you do – incredibly, incredibly rarely – hit the mark, do you really think you sound anything but embarrassingly out of touch and past it to claim that the track order alone (on an unmixed assortment of tracks that you had no creative involvement in producing, no less) is intellectual property? Fuck off.
Fuck your club
Once upon a time you had a dream, a dream to open a club that brought the best elements of the US house scene to the UK. You had membership forms, a ‘music-first’ design policy and Larry Levan. Today you’ve got planning permission problems, Calvin Harris and Boris Johnson. That’s all that needs to be said. Fuck off.
As a final point, below are most Ministry of Sound compilations released in the past year, free to stream from Spotify, in one place. For each week this lawsuit continues we’ll add more of their compilations below, just because – get this – it’s completely legal and moral to build and share Spotify playlists like this and nobody should have to worry about a bloated hangover of a company kicking up a storm over songs they have no intellectual ownership over.
We even got involved with some of those fancy SEO shenanigans to encourage them to rank higher in future Google searches for related Ministry of Sound albums. They can thank us for that later.
 
Update from MoS:
“We understand your concern and are not trying to prevent you from putting together your own playlists.  This case is about playlists that copy our albums and that are made available by Spotify as playlists on a commercial basis, often including our logo and album art work.  Spotify does this without any recognition for the creative effort that goes into compiling our albums. Our case strives to ensure that Spotify recognises the value of our creative effort and that the service ensures that everyone (users and those that create great albums) is treated fairly.”
Notice this makes no more mention of compilation ordering. Compare this statement to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/04/ministry-of-sound-sues-spotify">those made by Presencer this morning</a>, it seems Ministry of Sound have backed down quite heavily from their earlier stance, or were trying to whip up a bit of attention at first. Either way, that’s not how quickly you’d expect a healthy company to change its stance.
If this is the case, then the Ministry of Sound’s issue boils down to people using their album artwork in their playlists and anyone who has used Spotify for a moment will probably know what we’re about to say: 

<h2 style="text-align: center;">You cannot set custom playlist artwork on Spotify</h2>
If your compilation artwork is appearing in peoples’ playlists, then your compilation is on Spotify. In which case, you have licensed it for use by any of the users on Spotify in Spotify playlists. Even better, the only way that a playlist could have a single image as its cover – and therefore fully mimic the MoS’s compilation – is if the entire playlist was an exported copy of a Ministry of Sound compilation that is already on Spotify in its entirety, which is pretty common for mobile users wanting offline access. Oh, and that’s not illegal and probably formed part of the contract the MoS license holder signed.
So that leaves one section of their reasoning intact: on a commercial basis. Spotify do not create the playlists that they make available via their service and largely give them free reign – why? Because they are made up entirely of songs licensed directly to Spotify by the relevant rights holders. So Spotify are not directly profiteering off the promotion of these playlists.
Therefore, any logically sound argument based around Spotify using these on a ‘commercial basis’ comes down to the same old tired argument posed at digital organisations by out-of-touch music industry bodies: you’re making money off our work by having adverts on your service. If that is all that this comes down to, we’ll have to see how this fares come court day. What I will say is that the tracks and artwork that this fuss is about were all licensed to Spotify with full knowledge of its advertising model.
In other words, all the Ministry of Sound has to base its case on is the same issue they were publicly decrying this morning and were roundly lambasted for – playlist orders that mimic their compilations. Not only does this make their new statement slightly disingenuous, it also would suggest they have sensed the tides are not going in their favour over this matter.
 
 <iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:6WZ47kZfyUWtpWczOK1TN4" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:4VfEUG1W1hNtpbzUxIGmP3" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:571Wmz8lgwWgYISV34mKuB" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:holloway:playlist:67N7zGRKbBTNR4VqtdSx95" height="380" width="300" frameborder="0"></iframe> 
I’m not suggesting you actually listen to these, mind.

Fuck You Ministry of Sound

It’s probably comes without saying at this point that Monol!th have shrouded their online presence in anonymity. After all, it increasingly seems a novelty when a new artist appears who is willing to be photographed, or offer at least put a name to theirthe music.
In this case, however, the sense of anonymity – as well as the isolation and darkness it in turn implies – is perfectly matched to the atmosphere exuded on Monol!th’s debut EP Pyramid.
What we do know of Salt Lake City native Monol!th is that they produce some of the most bleakly fragile electronic music I’ve personally heard in a while. Combining the kind of whining, grainy drones that formed the title track of Liars’ surprise change of direction WIXIW, with carefully constructed tenorion bloops, the sounds on Pyramid seem forever on the verge of drifting apart.
It’s surprising then that Pyramid manages to use these to explore a variety of possibilities and ideas. Just take the naïvely romantic chimes of ‘Hibernation’, and compare them to the surprisingly organic drones and whirs of ‘Rotary Engine’, or just-shy-of-danceable organs on ‘M9’. Listening to the record from start to finish is akin to dipping in and out of a number of different nighttime soundscapes, each connected in spirit but offering a different experience.
Oh and their Bandcamp page takes the whole obscurity trend to new heights, putting black text on a black background in a way that hides that fact you can actually download the EP.
Bet that was intentional.
Kids these days.
[bandcamp width=350 height=725 album=2309229336 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=63b2cc]

Introducing: Monol!th

There’s not a great deal out there on canadian pysch-kids Jeremiah Knight (Guitar), Ben Oginz (Synth) and Nick Kervin (Percussion & Bass) AKA MIMICO. Hailing from Toronto, they seem to have appeared online sometime in late 2011 and laid relatively low up to now, releasing their first EP on Bandcamp back in May.
Starting as a duo creating ‘long-form experimental pieces’  using a guitar and synth, adding a third member to tighten their arrangements has resulted in a sound that winds across the duration of the EP. One minute squealing guitars and driving beats that need to become the intro to a 80s cop-drama remake, the next spacey tones and oscillating drones and moaning vocals. 

Find their EP below (if you can’t fit in the whole thing, pick Astroblade).
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/7164889″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Introducing: MIMICO

Kathleen Hanna is cool as fuck.
If you disagree with, or the way it’s phrased, then unlucky; the mastermind of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and reluctant icon has tirelessly been putting out some of the best material to embody the punk spirit for the past twenty odd years.
That’s why it’s great to see that, having <a href="https://www.spin.com/articles/julie-ruin-kathleen-hanna-cover-story-august-2013/">conquered an all together quite nasty sounding bout of illness</a>, she’s come straight back with the new Julie Ruin material she teased at a few years back. We seemed to miss covering Oh Come On when it was released a couple of months back, so we’re not missing new single Ha Ha Ha. 
Fans of her earlier work won’t find any huge surprises here, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. This is scuzzy, energetic garage rock with Hanna’s trademark hyperactive half-sung, half-screamed vocals making it impossible to not play it at full volume.
Give it a spin below alongside personal favourite A Place Called Won’t Be There; a scruffier, rawer cut from the original Julie Ruin album back in 1998, breakbeat percussion, minimal guitar and all. 

Their album Run Fast is out 3rd September via TJR Records.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102450312″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102559335″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New: The Julie Ruin – Ha Ha Ha

I originally started writing this one up Friday afternoon, possibly the worst time to start writing something and not finish it as it’ll invariably get sidelined all weekend.
Anyway Pale, partly responsible for one of the <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/21716-announcement-citr-live-002-law-phoria-pale-funk-ethics-visuals-by-joe-evans-will-kendrick-charlotte-cousins-pauline-nadal/">best nights of the past year</a> (okay, imo), are back with a slickly arranged groove, that adds and takes pulsating and wobbling layers at just the right moments.
It’s been a pretty big part of my listening all weekend, but right now is the first time I’ve had a pair of headphones to hand to listen – and it is definitely a track that benefits hugely from headphones. Synth lines pan and phase in and out of channels and each other, whilst the dual vocals interlock like jigsaws.
Hugely recommended and it’s great to see the guys just keep getting better and better at what they do.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103463964″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New: Pale – Fearing Faces

Kodacrome are one of those artists that I swear I’ve heard of, but a cursory trawl of Google, Last.fm and Facebook suggests otherwise. Which is why we’re a little behind on posting up Strike the Gold, the first single from the band’s upcoming LP, overlooking what I thought was a completely different band to instead listen to the new Franz Ferdinand album that landed at the same moment (which, by the way, is so underwhelming I don’t have the patience to review it).
But anyway, Strike the Gold is well suited to listening at this time in the morning, combining a gently rippling synthline, hush-hush vocals and vague, sampled snippets to create an interesting yet understated piece.
In fact, that pulsing synthline serves as the heartbeat from which the other layers falteringly grow, building in to a track that has echoes of Sun God by Cut Copy.
<a href="https://www.bantermm.com/tracks/Kodacrome-StrikeTheGold.mp3">Download it here</a>, or watch the video below.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YZc4mQ7tsbY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

MPFree: Kodacrome – Strike the Gold

Just putting this out there, Kings of Convenience do nothing for me. I’ve no problem with them, they just never clicked for me. Which is why I’m particularly happy to find one half of the duo, Erlend Øye (aka The Whitest Boy Alive, another no clicker) is seemingly turning his attention and clear talents to a new use, creating 70s Italo-pop pastiches.
La Prima Estate immediately sets itself up as firmly indebted to the works of that era, coming off as the soundtrack to every it’s-not-racist-it’s-just-a-bit-of-fun 70s comedy that ITV4 plays. The synth flute is delightfully weedy and the Italian lyrics successfully evoke the sentiment the track aims for – if incomprehensible to an ignorant like myself.
Sure, this isn’t going to top any of end of year lists, or going to set the blog-hype machine on fire, but these days that’s nicely refreshing. Coming at the end of July, it’s the perfect summer holiday track.
Shame it’s pissing it down.
By the way, answers on a postcard: what’s the name of that 80s detective series with an antique dealer in it that was seemingly always on reruns throughout my childhood? This sounds like a cut from that.
 
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102968415″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New: Erlend Øye – La Prima Estate

The double A-Side to last month’s surprise release Know Yourself, the new project from Tom Vek (sharp dressing hermit) and Olga Bell (Dirty Projectors) continues to produce some of the tightest, percussion laden electro-pop around at the minute.
Whereas the swamp synth lines and off-kilter drumming on Know Yourself could have been lifted straight from Vek’s next album (to be released: 2025), Oyster approaches things in a slightly different manner.
With the focus this time around firmly on Bell’s vocals, the chorus sees her take centre stage, bellowing a , whilst Vek’s electronics cave in on themselves. Noisily. The influence of a certain reviled type of dance music are obvious: if the duo cranked up the bass during the chorus and emphasised the saw sounds, you could probably soundtrack a shitty Internet Explorer advert.
It’s a good job then that they didn’t, instead crafting two slices of top quality synth-pop. Fans of FOE and Bell’s old collaborators Chairlift will dig this to no end. 
Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the near future, but for now you can pick up the tracks on vinyl/download via Moshi Moshi, or stream Oyster and personal preference Know Yourself below.
 
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/94791825″ params=”secret_token=s-u7U7O” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
 
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102391652″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New: Nothankyou – Oyster

Big shout out to When The Gramophone Rings for spotting this one, else it might have just sat in my ever-more crowded inbox.
Describing his main influence as ‘[listening to] ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ on repeat endlessly as I farmed for experience points on Final Fantasy VIII’ , Edinburgh resident Stefan Noon’s debut track Riverine flaunts these proudly: the woozy, dreamy pop of Slowdive and the carefully constructed (yet accessible) orchestration of Nobuo Uematsu (FYI, the FF8 soundtrack was his best work. Don’t argue).
But it’s his vocals that really grab your attention, hinting towards a younger, less-tormented Jamie Stewart; a comparison even more audible on follow up track Signals.
This is carefully constructed, recorded and produced music that you need to hear.
 
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/87914684″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
 
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102433866″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Introducing: Stefan Noons

Having dropped their second album back in February, it’s not hard to see why Northern Automatic Music flew under a lot of radars. After all, a shoegaze album coming a matter of days after a lot of people set to work wearing down the grooves in their freshly pressed copies of mbv was never going to get the attention it deserved.
But yeah, the name Panda Riot would probably make you run to the hills anyway.
Which is a shame because Panda Riot have put together a much more thoughtful set of songs than their name suggests – and a far more modern collection of tracks than their forebearers managed.
Lead single Black Pyramids is case in point: whilst the first two minutes sounds suspiciously like Loveless, it suddenly drops the wash of guitar and drum away to reveal that it’s all in the context of a fully-fledged pop song. That’s how they seem to work: well crafted instrumentation in a strong pop-framework, from the brilliantly produced moment when the initial guitar kicks in in Mtwn Glass to the not-just-a-minute-of-filler-noise instrumentals Encrypted Wilderness and Golden Age.
At any rate, they’ve just announced that 300 copies of the album are to be pressed on to vinyl, designed in the style of old Folkway records from the mid-20th century and sold online.
Give it a listen/buy a copy from the player below.
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 537px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=103041552/size=large/bgcol=333333/linkcol=ffffff/package=3757544795/notracklist=true/transparent=true/" height="240" width="320" seamless=""></iframe>

Panda Riot – Northern Automatic Music

Testing live blogs, below:
[liveblog]

Test live blog

Here we go then, the first cut from Washed Out’s upcoming second album Paracosm has hit the web. Anyone still slapping the cheap ‘chillwave’ title on music take note: gone are the layers of grainy sea-spray-wash synths.
Instead, everything has been given a mid-budget sheen, birthing a summer bouquet of shimmering synth lines, hazey vocals and listless acoustic instrumentation. Someone on Twitter summed it up the four minute song within six minutes as “summerwave“, but I’ll have to let you make your mind up on that (ie, disregard it and never speak of it again).
Either way, today might have seen the summer weather stall for many of us, but you’re mind will find it hard not to flash forward to a sunny day at your summer festival of choice when the opening beat gives way, and the dreamy strings blossom.
Watch it below and keep an eye out for Paracosm, out August.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qJILRWBKnQ4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

New: Washed Out – It Feels Alright

Sigur Rós dropped a new video today for Kveikur, the second single off their forthcoming album of the same name, and it’s a good ‘un. All claustrophobic drones, screeches and static, it continues with the brutal and damaged aesthetic of first cut Brennistein – a track that made waves when it veered sharply away from the sound that the band spent over a decade carefully perfecting/falling back on. [Delete as appropriate]
Even though the shitty white iPod earphones I took to work today decided to make a muddy mess of everything, careful production goes some way to ensuring the track never caves in on itself. Jonsí’s strained, guttural vocals dip in and out of the sharp feedback and static, whilst the rhythm section stand their ground at the heart of the track, holding together rest of the noise.
All that’s left to see is whether the album, out 17th June, can keep things fresh for the whole duration of its runtime. If they can pull that off, they might be on to something special here.
Check out the video below, or head over to the <a href="https://shopusa.xlrecordings.com/kveikur">page</a> at XL to preorder the album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EG2N7euPXuc

Video: Sigur Rós – Kveikur

This has been doing the rounds since making a surprise appearance at Coachella, before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs set on Friday. It’s pretty surprising: a sub-two minute advertisement, shot on a camera phone, from an off angle at a festival, and it’s already racked up over 200,000 views (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MAdAfZOiqg">and a monkeys riding dogs remix</a>…what?).
But this is Daft Punk, and we’ve waited 8 years since the last album (and some might argue 16 years since the last solid album), despite their profile having grown immensely in the interim years thanks to sell-out world tours.
Without wanting to extrapolate too much from 100 seconds of audio and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da_Yp9BOCaI">an interview</a> from the Daft Punk site, let’s just say that if this is an album of live instrumentation based 70s and 80s disco recorded with god damn Nile Rodgers then I’m A-OK with that.
May 21st can’t come soon enough, though.
Catch a better quality version of the advert, from SNL last night, below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMJwcOiBoZE

Daft Punk x Pharrell Williams x Nile Rodgers – Get Lucky

Sigur Rós have just announced they are to followup last year’s chilling Valtari this summer, with Kveikur – an album being pitched as channeling the darker, more aggresive side of the band.
To prove it, they’ve released the video to new song Brennisteinn, opening with the kind of aggressively metallic drones and clatters that have rarely been heard since Ágætis byrjun and ( ). But there’s something new at the heart of Brennisteinn, nestled in amongst the juddering bursts of bass and increasingly gothic aesthetic the band are adopting. Coming soon after the band’s first lineup change since 1999, they’ve somehow managed to convert a smaller number of instrumentalists in to a more powerful, stark, clear cut sound.
For all Valtari’s successes, there was the hint that this was the sound of a band beginning to rest on their laurels slightly – with few surprises during the course of the record. If this followup is to continue with the sound of Brennisteinn – as other tracks previewed live would suggest – then this promises to be a treat.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6zXSdYXm8#!

Sigur Rós announce new album, new track, new video

London’s Field Day Festival today announced the latest additions to its 2013 lineup, including future brainchild-act King Krule, Koreless and Charanjit Singh. Now in its sixth year, Field Day will bring these and many more acts together on May 25th, showcasing how far the festival has come to now stand as a firmly established part of the annual festival calendar.
Last year’s Field Day saw Grimes riding high atop her buzzwave, Liars bringing techno-based WIXIW to life and The Vaccines being the greatest band that ever lived because they’re so dreamy and sing about breakup sex and stuff and sooo relevant to my life and…. This year’s big name draws include Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, Disclosure and Solange, whilst highlights elsewhere include the perennially enjoyable Kurt Vile, current ind-ehh hype machine darlings Savages, Koreless bringing his latest EP to life and Connan Mockasin being Connan Mockasin.
Tickets are priced at £55 and can be purchased <a href="https://www.fielddayfestivals.com/tickets/" target="_blank">here</a>. For more information on the event check out the official <a href="https://www.fielddayfestivals.com/" target="_blank">Field Day website</a>. Current line-up in full below.
Animal Collective / Bat For Lashes / Amateur Best / Bobby Tank / Charanjit Singh / Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs / Chvrches / Connan Mockasin / Daniel Avery / Daphni / Dark Bells / Dark Dark Dark / Daughter / Disclosure / Django Django / Do Make Say Think / Duologue / East India Youth / Egyptian Hip Hop / Everything Everything / Four Tet / Francois & The Atlas Mountains / Fucked Up / Gabriel Bruce / Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion / Guards / Happa / Hessle Audio DJs: / Ben UFO, Pangaea, Pearson Sound / How To Dress Well / J. Marinetti / Jacques Greene – live / Jagwar Ma / James Yorkston / John Cooper Clarke / Julio Bashmore / Karenn / King Krule / Koreless / Kurt Vile And The Violators / Kwes / Lee Gamble / Metz / Mount Kimbie / Mt Warning / Mulatu Astatke / Objekt / Palma Violets / Rainy Milo / Rudi Zygadlo / Savages / Seth Troxler / Shed / Solange / Splashh / Stealing Sheep / Stubborn Heart / Thomas Mapfumo / Throwing Snow / Tim Burgess / TNGHT / Toy / Virals / Vondelpark / Wild Nothing

News: Field Day adds more acts to its lineup

Beaty Heart have laid low for a little while now, last appearing back in 2011 on the Slush Puppy/Cola EP, and it appears to have done them the world of good. Seafood, out April 8th on Heart Throb Records, sees them venturing out with the first cut from their debut LP, as well as a clearer sense of what they are trying to be. Oh and they brought along a solid, tropical-pop song to boot.
(That comparison in 3, 2, 1…)
Animal Collective have always been their most obvious and unavoidable comparison  – not least back on Cola where, even with full knowledge that it isn’t, there are moments where Avey Tare may well have wandered in to the recording. But to be fair to them, Seafood suggests their sound is moving away from outright aping to more of a ‘strong influence’.
On Seafood, a tighter, less claustrophobic mix works wonders in emphasizing the sun-scorched calypso atmosphere, whilst the chorus is one of those ones you’ll have in your head for a while after the track finishes.
All in all, Beaty Heart are off to a – if not life changing – great start and we can only hope their album will be drop before the nights grow long again.
Give it, a remix and other cut House the Boat a listen below.
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F3850572" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F3854771" height="450" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

New: Beaty Heart – Seafood

You’re probably sick of the self-aggrandisation and bombast of these lists, so, here’s a list. Or something. I dunno. Just look at number one and get it over with, I’m sure you won’t even remember what #13 is.
15) Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2013/01/ddff3e4a.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-homepage wp-image-19052" title="ddff3e4a" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/ddff3e4a-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a> 

14) Why? – Mumps etc.
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/WHY.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19056" title="WHY" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/WHY-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
13) Beach House – Bloom
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/f251d544.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19055" title="f251d544" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/f251d544-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
12) DIIV – Oshin
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/diivoshin14004.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19054" title="diivoshin14004" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/diivoshin14004-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
11) Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/SharonVanEtten_Tramp.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19061" title="jag201lpjacketOUTre" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/SharonVanEtten_Tramp-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
10) Kendrick Lamar – Good kid, M.A.A.D City
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19062" title="Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art-100x100.jpeg 100w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Kendrick_Lamar-Good_Kid_Mad_City_art-50x50.jpeg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a>
9) Battles – Dross Glop
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/battles-dross-glop.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19066" title="battles-dross-glop" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/battles-dross-glop-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
8) The XX – Coexist
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19071" title="The-xx-Coexist" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="620" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist.jpg 620w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist-600x600.jpg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist-100x100.jpg 100w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/The-xx-Coexist-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" /></a>
7) Chairlift – Something
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/19.-Chairlift-Something1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19063" title="19.-Chairlift-Something1" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/19.-Chairlift-Something1-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
6) How To Dress Well – Total Loss
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/htdw-940x940.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19069" title="htdw-940x940" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/htdw-940x940-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
5) Frank Ocean – Channel ORANGE
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Frank-Ocean-channel-Orange.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19068" title="Frank-Ocean-channel-Orange" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Frank-Ocean-channel-Orange-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
4) Grimes – Visions
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/4771c8e8.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-19065" title="4771c8e8" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/4771c8e8-640x640.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a>
3) Purity Ring – Shrines
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Purity-pack-shot.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-homepage wp-image-19070" title="Purity-pack-shot" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Purity-pack-shot-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>
2) Tame Impala – Lonism
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19064" title="36f82082" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082-100x100.jpeg 100w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/36f82082-50x50.jpeg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a>
1) Chromatics – Kill For Love
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Chromatics-Kill-for-Love-1024x1024.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="Chromatics-Kill-for-Love-1024x1024" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/01/Chromatics-Kill-for-Love-1024x1024-660x660.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="660" /></a>

Albums of the Year 2013

To kick off the US leg of his current world tour, Morrissey popped up on Letterman to debut a track off his upcoming. Despite being touted by some publications as a new track, it’s Action is my middle name, a tune that’s been kicking around the live/bootleg circuit since….well, it was already around back when I still gave a shit about Morrissey.
If you’re of the camp that Morrissey has phoned it in since The Smiths // Vauxhall & I // birth // conception then this will do nothing to change your mind.  After all, it’s all there: the crooning, the (nowadays half-arsed) sexual metaphors, the nagging sense it’s become a bit club-singer-doing-glam-rock.
However, if you’re of the camp that he’s been good consistently // since his comeback // up until Years of Refusal, then there might be something here for you. I mean, it’s not disturbing the formula that’s kept his adoring fans entertained for decades and it definitely beats his last Letterman debut (the abysmal, screeching That’s How People Grow Up).
But then, Suedehead was 25 years ago and even You Are the Quarry is approaching a decade. It’d take a special kind of obsession to fall for the same formula, minus the riffs and genuine wit, in 2013.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQAKetuk_Yc

Video: Morrissey – Action is My Middle Name

Despite increasing its capacity by a whole 50%, this year’s In The Woods festival still managed to sell out lickity-quick. Now in its seventh year, the tiny woodland festival has seen demand grow and grow, thanks in no small part to its highly independent team carefully selecting the talent, beautiful lighting and captivating art installations that fills their woodland venue.
“So…it’s sold out? Stop banging on about it then, everyone who’s going knows all this” 
That’s very true – especially as lots of people who couldn’t go also know all of this – but there are many reasons to still be interested. As tradition, the organisers are staging a Warmup event at Corsica Studios in Elephant & Castle, London on 3rd August. Half live artist performances, half DJ shows, it pits festival curators Laurel Collective alongside last year’s performers Post War Years and Clout!, to offer a taste of what you missed last year (though Anais Mitchell and Alt-J, both acts from last year who aren’t in attendance, should give an added taste of what the festival offers). It also showcases new talent from Eugene McGuinness and the now-performing-solo keyboardist of Micachu and the Shapes, Raisa K, DJing under her solo name alongside…er, Micachu.
Doors open from Seven, and it runs all through the evening until 3am, so this is definitely one to attend. Want more reason? Throughout the night, pairs of tickets will be given away for the now sold out festival in September. Tickets for the warmup event itself are currently available for £12, a bargain for four live performances and enough music to tide you over until 3am.
Schedule and listenable things below, we’ll see you there.
Performing:
Live 
20:00 – Clout!
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=275149547/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" frameborder="0" width="400" height="100"></iframe>
21:00 – Post War Years
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F50803667&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
22:00 – Laurel Collective
<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F43000911&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe>
23:00 – Eugene McGuinness
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR5B54Dvzu0
Spinning Tunes 
00:00 – Micachu + Raisa K 
01:00 – Nightwave 
02:00 – Dauwd
<a title="In the Woods Warmup Event" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/500581796634911/" target="_blank">Facebook listing</a> 
<a title="Buy Tickets" href="https://www.fatsoma.com/tickets/in-the-woods-warm-up-show/corsica-studios/london/e68135" target="_blank">Buy Tickets</a> 
<a title="In the Woods" href="https://www.inthewoodsfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">In the Woods Festival</a>

Event: In The Woods 2012 Warmup

Not to cause you any disquiet so early on a Monday, but Titus Andronicus’ The Monitor is now over two years old. Smacking everyone in the face back in March 2010, the group’s second album dared to bring a heady slice of pure guitar cool back; stuffed to the brim with marching drums, Civil War battle speeches and that guitar riff on A More Perfect Union.
Luckily for us, though, they’re lining up their follow up as you read. Whilst that’s still a bit away, they have acted like the cool bros they are and released a free mixtape online, spanning live covers, unheard demos, dropped tracks and their cut from a forthcoming split 7″ with (the horribly titled) Diarrhoea Planet, ‘Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus’.
The tracklist includes:
1. Intro
2. The Boys Are Back In Town (Thin Lizzy) 
live at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ 3/4/2012, recorded by Tommy R the soundman
3. Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus 
from the forthcoming split seven inch single with Diarrhoea Planet, recorded 2/2012 by Kevin MacMahon at Marcata Recording, New Paltz, NY, featuring backing vocals by Alex Levine of the So So Glos
4. Arms Against Atrophy 
The band’s very first recording, made summer 2005 at the Graetzer residence, Glen Rock, NJ
5. My Time Outside the Womb 
Patrick’s acoustic demo, recorded at Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ, sometime early 2006
6. Every Time I See The Light Part Two 
From the live album “The Innocents Abroad,” recorded at the Hoxton Bar and Grill, London, England, 2/2009
7. Anxiety Block (Television Personalities) 
Recorded by Kevin MacMahon at Marcata Recording, spring 2009
8. First Inaugural Address, take two 
‘The Monitor’ outtake, words of Abraham Lincoln, 1861, spoken by Okey Canfield Chenoweth III at his home in Oakland, NJ summer 2009
9. A More Perfect Union
10. Titus Andronicus Forever
11. No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future 
Four track demos for ‘The Monitor,’ recorded by Sarim Al-Rawi at the Graetzer residence, 6/2009
12. Four Score… 
Four track demo for live violin arrangement, recorded at home
13. …And Seven (Remix) 
‘The Monitor’ outtake, recorded by Patrick on four track at Marcata Recording, summer 2009
14. El Scorcho (Weezer)
15. Interlude
16. Undone [The Sweater Song] (Weezer) 
From the Vice Halloween Party 2009, recorded by NYC Taper
17. I Fought The Law (Bobby Fueller) 
Rehearsal for OWS benefit at Shea Stadium, 11/2011
18. Riot Squad (Cock Sparrer) 
Live at that very benefit, recorded by Adam ‘Bomb’ Reich
19. Hot Pockets Theme (TV) 
Rehearsal recording, autumn 2011
20. Heroin (Velvet Underground) 
11-piece lineup live at the home of Sam Franklin, Ridgewood, NJ, 12/2005
21. Interlude
22. Waking Up Drunk (Spider Bags) 
Live at Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ, Spring 2010, featuring Dan McGee of Spider Bags on lead vocals, recorded by NYC Taper
23. Treatment Bound (Replacements) 
Rehearsing at Patrick’s home, spring 2011
…and you can grab it off <a title="Titus Andronicus Free Mixtape" href="https://www.mediafire.com/?zno13dj1n8to1tv" target="_blank">mediafire</a>.
Whilst that downloads, brighten up your morning  by revisiting the lead track off The Monitor, A More Perfect Union.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFHlK8ZXgvE&feature=fvst

New: Titus Andonicus Mixtape

Algiers is William K. J. Anderson and John W. Goodwin. The former once played bass and sang in much-missed Northern indie-pop types Dartz!, and the latter was the drummer for…erm…much-missed Northern indie-pop types The Maple State. Luckily, after a chance meeting at Sheffield University, the pair have combined their already considerable powers (with Anderson switching to guitar) and formed Algiers, to create some damn fine…ah…Northern indie-pop.
In all seriousness, though, the twosome’s debut EP Four Priests is out on Monday, and to mark the occasion, here’s the video to the track Uncover Me, lifted off said EP. As you’ll soon find out, Algiers make the kind of bittersweet, bookish, and infinitely tuneful racket that lifts the pair firmly out of the shadow of their previous outfits and into their own gloriously grin-inducing territory. ‘I think that I’ll be fine without you’? Yep, judging by this, I’m pretty sure we all will.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YBbi6LN5J8U" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe>
Four Priests is out on October 24th via <a href="https://www.bsmrocks.com/main.html">Big Scary Monsters</a>. You can keep track of Algiers <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearealgiers">here</a>.

Video: Algiers – Uncover Me

Cat’s Eyes multi-insturmentalist Rachel Zeffira, continued her relentless mission to bulk out the band’s recordings catalogue, covering the My Bloody Valentine track ‘To Here Knows When’ in a solo performance. Composed entirely on acoustic instruments, the piece manages to pull off what many have failed to do: cover the track that defined an album of bankruptcy, tinnitus and perfectionism to the point of madness.
Doing away with the layers of distortion of the original, this rendition focuses on the Wonderland-aping motifs at the core of the noise, creating a piece that evokes the more heartbreakingly wistful moments of the duos’ debut album, whilst building upon the dreamlike elements that they sometimes failed to acheive.
Performing live today (August 22nd 2011) at the Roundhouse, London, the pair will perform from a balcony, overlooking the art installation of Ron Arad. According to the artist, this piece consists of “a curtain made of 5,600 silicon rods, suspended from an 18 meter diamater ring” to allow “a canvas for films, live performance, and audience interaction”.
If you wish to attend, get down there for 6pm tonight, paying what you wish on the door.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FKHmXcb0sy0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="25"></iframe>

Listen: Cat’s Eyes – To Here Knows When

Crammed with his loveably ramshackle homemade productions and instantly recognisable vocal ditties, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam – Ghostpoet‘s February debut album – was not only a neat summation of the MC’s musical journey to date, but also an impressive statement of intent. Winning him his nomination for the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize, it has barely left our collective stereos since we first listened to it.
With his growing presence affording him evermore large performances, it’s with pleasure we can announce that he will be performing an intimate Last.fm pop-up session on Monday August 22nd and will take place at 8.00pm at The Big Chill Bar, on Brick Lane, London.
This marks the final event arranged between Black Cab Sessions and Last.fm, having already seen secret pop-up acoustic sessions from Sheffield duo <a href="https://youtu.be/FZ5ONXXxwoY">Slow Club in Soho Square</a>, and London based quartet <a href="https://youtu.be/qTZkcUSOx-Y">The Boxer Rebellion on Carnaby Street</a> .
This will be a ticketless event, but get down promptly to guarantee you have a place.

Event: Ghostpoet @ Last.fm

Each year in a unique forest location, somewhere in Kent, Laurel Collective curate a small festival, unlike any other- In the Woods. Curated, organised and built by the band with a small team of dedicated helpers, including celebrated event producer Lisa Farrell, the festival is fast becoming known as a benchmark show for breaking acts, having seen Anna Calvi, Micachu and The Shapes, Connan Mockasin and The Invisible all play storming sets on the cusp of career success. Indeed,Micachu returns this year to play a headline set, off the back of their project with the London Sinfonietta Orchestra.
This is an event where cutting edge music, arts and crafts collide in a forest-covered amphitheatre, where fans sample music, nature and locally sourced ale and food. With a bonfire and silent disco that goes until sunrise, a strict capacity of 500 tickets sold only to those on their mailing list and the overall individuality of the event, it is quickly becoming the festival season’s best kept secret. But, should you not be able to make it, Crack in the Road have been invited along to the party on the 3rd September and we promise to be trigger happy with our cameras to properly showcase the wonderful atmosphere of the site. There is also a warmup event that is sure to be unmissable. 

Taking place at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in London on Thursday 25th August 2011, the event is put on for all the bands, DJs, artists, staff and volunteers helping to run this years festival. Featuring live warm-up sets from this years festival acts such as Post War Years, CLOUT! and festival hosts Laurel Collective, as well as DJ sets from Man Like Me and last year’s headliners The Invisible. The atmosphere could never match the one of the woodland festival site, but with the performances allowing you to get a taste, it is still hotly anticipated.
Even better, though, there are a limited number of tickets available to the general public to attend, though these are rapidly selling out. As an added incentive, the organisers have promised that everyone who buys one will also now be entered in to a draw to win two free tickets to the now sold out festival itself.
So, if getting away from the Carling steeped piss bath that is most modern UK festivals is your sort of summer event, it makes sense to make every effort to attend.
<a title="In The Woods Warmup Party Tickets" href="https://www.wegottickets.com/event/127938">The few remaining tickets to the In the Woods Warmup Party are onsale here</a>.
For more information on the festival itself, as well as to join the tickets mailing list, visit the <a title="In the Woods Festival" href="https://www.inthewoodsfestival.co.uk ">In the Woods Festival website</a>.

In the Woods Festival 2011 and Warmup

Further to our post two days ago regarding <a title="Inní - Mystery Sigur Rós Video" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/9854-mystery-sigur-ros-video/">Sigur Rós mystery Inní trailer</a>, we can now reveal that Inní will indeed be a film. Whilst the trailer offered very little beyond the actual name of the project (and with attempts to contact the bands’ management resulting in a ‘wait and see’ response) it fell to Venice Days, a part of the Venice Film Festival, to announce that Inní will be a film and they will be the ones to premiere it.
The film has been recorded by Vincent Morisset, famously known for being the individual behind the Mirror Noir live DVD for Arcade Fire’s second album. It is being listed as a ‘surprise film event’ and all indications are that it will be largely composed of footage shot during the band’s 2008 tour. How can we be sure of this? Because a number of clips attributed to Vincent Morisset have been viewable on Youtube for a few months now. Notably, the first shot of Svefn-G-Englar is identical to one featured in the Inní video, as well as the overall style of the two being similar.
The Vencie Film Festival kicks off on the 31st August, so it won’t be long before more concrete information surfaces regarding the project.
Watch the clips of <a title="Morisset's Sigur Rós work" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/theblahs" target="_blank">Morisset’s Sigur Rós work here</a>, and catch the Inní trailer below.
<iframe id="tsFrame92680" src="https://cdn.topspin.net/api/v2/widget/player/92680" frameborder="0" width="400" height="300"></iframe>

Sigur Rós’ Inní – Mystery no more

Haitus. The overuse of that word by PR savvy bands and their management to gently ease fans in to accepting that their band have split meant that, when news filtered out in early 2010 that Sigur Rós were on ‘hiatus’, it made many uncomfortable. Yes there have been occasional mentions of the band by Jonsí during interviews, but having not recorded anything since June 2008’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust the signs were not good for Sigur Rós ever returning.
Only hours ago, after a period of complete media blackout, the Sigur Rós homepage posted a mystery trailer video for Inni. The exact nature of what this is a trailer for is not yet known, with ideas ranging from a live DVD in the vein of Jonsí’s own tour film, to a whole new album.
The prevailing belief is that Inni will be footage of a live show of some sort. Amongst the noise on the clip, there are identifiable audio clips from previous tracks such as Staralfur, whilst the visuals are notably similar to the aesthetic theme of their 2008 tour to support Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, their most recent studio offering. Indeed, lead single and show stalwart from this album is similarly titled Inní mér syngur vitleysingur – and contrary to reports, we ‘Inní’ is not a made-up term, rather it means ‘inside’ or ‘within’ in Icelandic.
Finally, despite having reported themselves as being in the studio this summer to record new material, it seems disparate for the band to have used seemingly old footage and audio samples to promote a new body of work, when they have historically been noted for their meticulous perfectionism in creating an all encompassing style for each set of album-tour-artwork-visuals.
It is strange, though, if Inní does indeed turn out to be live material of some sort, given that there has only been one studio album released since Heima, a double disc DVD of live performances, and Hvarf/Heim, a two disc compilation of live and unreleased studio material. One would hope that, if this is the case, there is something new to be offered by Inní, rather than this being an attempt to milk the band commercially.
Watch the trailer below and judge for yourself.
<iframe id="tsFrame92680" src="https://cdn.topspin.net/api/v2/widget/player/92680" frameborder="0" width="400" height="300"></iframe>

Inní : Mystery Sigur Rós Video

Okay, so it’s new festival time. Yes, yes, new festival time is seemingly every day in recent summers and it’s all pretty much reaching saturation. The issue is, though, that the vast majority of new festivals are just okay. Not bad. C+. Stick on a few folk bands, add a couple of DJs, put The Futureheads as headliner and voilà, you’ve got a festival. So lets do this the easy way- what reasons should you have to seriously consider Beacons Festival (and by the way, we strongly advise you do consider it seriously, because it’s looking fantastic)
1) The lineup reads like a whos who of the ‘just shy of mainstream fame’ crowd. Emmy the Great, Jamie XX, Willy Mason, Mr Scruff, Mount Kimbie, Ramadanman etc. – all names that you will definitely know and love (if you don’t, you clearly know of their existence and that they are kind of renowned for their talent). Indeed Beacons seems to exist as a haven for all of those artists-who-recently-toured-probably-for-DiS-but-you-completely-missed-them, as well as one guy who hasn’t toured recently…
2) Tom Vek. Those two words have one of two possible effects on you. First case, you shrug and just think “not everyone has your taste, stop acting hyperbolic about a few indie bands”. Second case? You buy tickets and stop reading here. 6 years away, a debut that still gets occasional listens, a sophomore that will easily sit in the top ten records of the year, his live show is not to be missed.
3) Truly independent market stalls. Most festivals will make a peacemeal attempt at this, with a few ‘quirky’ ostrich burger bars and the requisite hippy-and-incense emporiums, but Beacons sees a wide variety of independent stalls set up shop, ranging from a store composed entirely of goods made from waste products (Zinc White) to a sweets and socks shop (Super Fat Laces).
4) Thoughtful extra activities and art. Whether you are interested by the academics of the 72 hour long Impossible Lecture, interested in a non-binding wedding ceremony at Tit-Tat or the ever expanding crop circles of Woolgather, Beacons offers a wide range of activities and art installations.
<div>Being in its first year, Beacons could fail. Indeed, there are no guarantees that this will ultimately be any different to the countless other festivals that appear each summer, however Beacons’ real distinction is its prestigous pedigree that includes the Moor Music Festival, Iron Wagon, Leeds’ 580 Collective and the folks behind Field Day in London. It’s safe to say, on that history, that it likely will live up to expectations.For further coverage both before and after the festival, watch this space. For more information and to buy tickets, visit <a href="https://www.greetingsfrombeacons.com/tickets/">https://www.greetingsfrombeacons.com/</a><canvas width="50" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="54" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="71" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="42" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="64" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="41" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="37" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="42" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="86" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="50" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="54" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="71" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="42" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="64" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="41" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="37" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="42" height="13"></canvas><canvas width="86" height="13"></canvas>
</div>

Preview: Beacons Festival 2011

It’s official: in under a week, anyone attending Primavera Sound will be sat by the sea, taking in the sun and good music. Or at least be by the sea with good music. Indeed, the Spanish weather hasn’t been the greatest this Spring, with flooding even hitting parts of Barcelona a month ago, so who knows how it will turn out. All signs do indicate, though, that the northern coastline is finally starting to embrace the Mediterranean summer climate that thousands will be coming to enjoy.
Having been afforded a degree of access that is not normally given to websites of its size (we’re just that great), Crack in the Road will be roaming the many areas of the festival site, armed with just a bottle of cheap honey-rum and a camcorder. We’ll also be providing a number of tips in the coming days of the bands you may otherwise overlook who are playing the festival (if you need us to tell you again about artists like Sufjan, Islet and Cults being must sees, then you’re going to be missing some pretty amazing performances). As well, given the large number of clashes on such a wide lineup, we’ll also be noting a few we feel it might be worth warning might be worth giving a miss, because there is nothing worse than watching an artist you love fall flat live (we’re looking at you Ariel Pink).
So, below, is a fairly comprehensive set of information, compiled using the help of residents in the area, past visitors and the Primavera organisers themselves. Pay attention class!
The Stages
Whilst you can get a feel for each venue’s style from the type of bands they have in their lineups, there are other various differences: 

San Miguel stage: This is the main stage of the festival, located in the centre of the site. As you’d expect, this is where the headliners and bigger bands will play.
Llevant stage: This is a brand new stage for 2011, located in an area of the Forum that has never been used for Primavera Sound in past years. It will share the larger band roster with the San Miguel stage- think of it as the Other Stage at Glastonbury.
Ray-Ban stage: This stage presents a programme of long standing international bands and includes performances by bands which the festival themselves enjoy. Located in front of the sea, this stage allows many people to watch the concerts seated, thanks to the large terracing of the amphitheatre.
All Tomorrow’s Parties stage: Also located in front of the sea this stage will be commissioned by All Tomorrow’s Parties festival for the fourth year running. As you’d expect with an ATP stage, the music on show here is usually slightly more eclectic, meaning past shows have either been must sees, or slight flops.
Pitchfork stage: Sponsored by Pitchfork, this stage promotes new bands from the international independent scene, together with the most recent bands of the Spanish pop and rock scenes. Ends with electronic artists, who will play into the early hours each night.
Jägermeister VICE stage: Arranged by VICE since 2007, this is a medium sized stage featuring an assortment of national and international bands of various styles and genres. It is reinventing itself this year, by joining the ATP and Ray-Ban stages next to the sea.
Rockdelux stage: Featuring acoustics that are the envy of every patron to festivals with poor soundsystems (read: Leeds and Reading), this is the Auditorium of the Forum and hosts the more intimate performances of the festival. Be aware, performances here are restricted and it is strongly advised you reserve your entry for the headline acts ahead of your arrival at the festival (in the past queues for entry have reached a 2 hour wait in length).
adidas Original stage: This is a small stage, designed for new artists to showcase themselves for the general public, as well as for the music industry professionals of PrimaveraPro, who centre on this area.
Alternative Entertainment
Beefeater Theatre (Cine Beefeater) 
For the first time, Primavera will be home to the Beefeater In-Edit festival, which has been travelling Spain and South America for the past 8 years, showcasing a series of music documentaries. There will be six movies displayed over the course of the festival, including the Story of Creation Records and biopics of Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.
MiniMúsica
This will be the fifth year for minimusica and, speaking for myself, I’m jealous. The mindset for the organisers of this children’s activity, is that there is no such thing as ‘childrens music’, rather exposure to different types of sounds is vital. So in past year children have witnessed family orientated performances from such artists as Dirty Projectors.
It is an interactive performance in which the children learn to classify different instruments and learn to distinguish the qualities of the sound (pitch, speed, intensity, duration and timbre) and to give their opinions as listeners. 
This year’s theme will be “Means of Transport” and the minimúsica area will be noticeably bigger than in previous editions, with a “minigarden” of games and ar- 
tificial grass, as well as a stage for the concerts, and magazine Naif will put the icing on the cake by making sure that nothing is missing by supplying hundreds of the latest toys.
(I’m 21 years old and jealous of this. Don’t lie and say you’re not)
Salón Myspace Smint
This is a small stage which features a roster of the most popular independent artists listed on Myspace. As well, Myspace has organised a competition for new bands, whose winner will be win the opportunity to play on this stage for the public of the festival.
Ray-Ban Unplugged
An acoustic stage, where a variety of artists will perform, do interviews and greet  fans.The lineup includes Suicide, Avi Buffalo, Male Bonding and Julian Lynch.
Record Fair
A retail space for national and international independent labels to display their products to all visitors. A number of labels will have smaller bands on their roster performing in this area.
Accommodation
There is no camping (well, official camping) site at Primavera, so you will need to arrange your own hostel or hotel for the duration of your stay. If you are yet to sort this out, you’re pushing it close, and the majority of nearby hostels sold out months ago. However, there are still some budget places to be found a little further out. If you bear in mind that the metro system in Barcelona is generally in a far better state than other Spanish cities, probably on a par with the London Underground, then it should be obvious that your best option is to study maps of the metro system (we even included one below!). By following the Yellow line, number 4, you can see that Poble Nou could theoretically be reached easily from places as far as Trinitat Nova, though any further than Girona is probably not going to be an enjoyable journey after a night at the festival. As a general rule when planning, allow 2 minutes between each stop and 6 for each change you need to make.
Maps
Whilst common sense will help out most of the time, the fact is it is easier to get lost at Primavera than most festivals because, a) it’s in a city. b) everything’s in Spanish. c) EVERYTHING’S IN CATALAN. So to help, we’ve compiled together a couple of handy maps to help you on your way:
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/05/Plano-recinto-Parc-del-Forum_hi.pdf">The Parc del Forum site</a>
<a href="https://www.tryp-apolo.com/img/metromapbcn.gif">The metro line of Barcelona</a>
Stay awake in the coming days for more information and, if you’re English, please don’t add an ‘o’ to the end of English words. As a nationality, we will disown you in front of the Spanish if you do. Thank you.

Primavera Sound: A Guide

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mundomudo/" target="_blank">Headline Photo Credit</a>
Bravestation first entered our radar when they were announced to perform at Newcastle and Gateshead’s Evolution Festival. Hailing from Canada, this four piece have been causing a stir on both sides of the Atlantic with their debut self titled EP, which you can hear over on their <a href="https://bravestation.bandcamp.com/album/ep" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>. Driven melodic indie pop with a stunning level of complexity, Bravestation‘s sound has been compared to the likes of Foals, Yeasayer, and Wolf Parade (who feature on the band’s mix!).
With an upcoming UK tour in May, you have no excuse not to catch this fantastic band live. And if you’re still unsure, the band’s Exclusive Mix is an amazing insight into the band’s influences and inspirations!
<div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="300" height="300" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashVars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/bencrackintheroad/bravestation-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix.json&embed_uuid=609dcf9d-0c6f-4bf7-bce1-65ad5412d6c8&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="src" value="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" /><param name="flashvars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/bencrackintheroad/bravestation-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix.json&embed_uuid=609dcf9d-0c6f-4bf7-bce1-65ad5412d6c8&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="300" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" flashvars="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/bencrackintheroad/bravestation-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix.json&embed_uuid=609dcf9d-0c6f-4bf7-bce1-65ad5412d6c8&embed_type=widget_standard" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
<a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/bencrackintheroad/bravestation-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=cloudcast_link" target="_blank">Bravestation – Crack In The Road Exclusive Mix</a> by <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/bencrackintheroad/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=profile_link" target="_blank">Bencrackintheroad</a> on <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=homepage_link" target="_blank"> Mixcloud</a>
</div>

Crack In The Road Exclusive Mixtape #9: Bravestation

<a rel="attachment wp-att-6482" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/6481-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-8-lonesome-ghost/attachment/crackmix8"><img class="aligncenter size-900wide wp-image-6482" title="crackmix8" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/04/crackmix8-900x519.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="519" /></a>Artwork by <a href="https://www.ina-iv.blogspot.com/">Marion Beilles</a>
Since the release of their ‘None of These Songs are About You or Anyone You Know EP’, Lonesome Ghost have become firm friends of the site. Their music ranges from the wonderfully carefree to the painfully provoking, what binds the music however, is its firm narrative drive. “I left my shoes at your parents’ house” exclaims Matt on Golden Cage, Lonesome Ghost is a band that openly invites you into their world.
Matt from the band recently threw together a mix for us; the tracks giving a rather fascinating look at his influences. Ranging from Beach Fossils to the dark and brooding Zoo Kid (your welcome Matt), the mix is a wonderful compilation of contemporary pop.  Give it a listen bellow.
<div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="300" height="300" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashVars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-8-lonesome-ghost.json&embed_uuid=f93e302d-41a0-4250-9ac8-ed6c22b289bc&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="src" value="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" /><param name="flashvars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-8-lonesome-ghost.json&embed_uuid=f93e302d-41a0-4250-9ac8-ed6c22b289bc&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="300" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" flashvars="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-8-lonesome-ghost.json&embed_uuid=f93e302d-41a0-4250-9ac8-ed6c22b289bc&embed_type=widget_standard" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
<a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-8-lonesome-ghost/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=cloudcast_link" target="_blank">Crack In The Road Exclusive Mix #8: Lonesome Ghost</a> by <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=profile_link" target="_blank">Crackintheroad</a> on <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=homepage_link" target="_blank"> Mixcloud</a>
<iframe style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1878161277/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="https://lonesomeghost.bandcamp.com/album/none-of-these-songs-are-about-you-or-anyone-you-know">None of These Songs are About You or Anyone You Know by Lonesome Ghost</a></iframe>

Crack in the Road Exclusive Mix #8: Lonesome Ghost

<a rel="attachment wp-att-6259" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/6258-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-7-teenage-reverb/attachment/crackmix7"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6259" title="crackmix7" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/04/crackmix7.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="558" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/04/crackmix7.jpg 900w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/04/crackmix7-260x161.jpg 260w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/04/crackmix7-640x396.jpg 640w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/04/crackmix7-165x102.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></a>
Artwork by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanorits/">Van Robinson</a>
Since Crack in the Road had the pleasure of chatting with Teenage Reverb all those months ago, he’s been continuing to turn heads with his seamless blending of genres. Take his two releases so far, ‘Summit Demos’ and ‘Isolation Tape Night’, two collections of music that do their best never to wallow in a particular sound or texture. His work still manages to hold a continuous theme however, the songs invoking a sense of forced delirium, whether Reverb is experimenting with chillwave or shoegaze.
His Mixtape for Crack in the Road wears that philosophy on its sleeve, jumping from dreamy instrumental hip-hop to the rather disturbing Rn’B of The Weeknd. It’s a great listen and a fantastic addition to our Exclusive mix series. Check out the exclusive mix bellow and why not download his latest mixtape while your at it?
<div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="300" height="300" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashVars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-7-teenage-reverb.json&embed_uuid=841ae418-1828-4791-bcf6-3f03aef54972&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="src" value="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" /><param name="flashvars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-7-teenage-reverb.json&embed_uuid=841ae418-1828-4791-bcf6-3f03aef54972&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="300" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" flashvars="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-7-teenage-reverb.json&embed_uuid=841ae418-1828-4791-bcf6-3f03aef54972&embed_type=widget_standard" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>
<a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-7-teenage-reverb/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=cloudcast_link">Crack In The Road Exclusive Mix #7: Teenage Reverb</a> by <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=profile_link">Crackintheroad</a> on <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=homepage_link">Mixcloud</a>
</div>

Crack in the Road Exclusive Mix #7: Teenage Reverb

<a rel="attachment wp-att-5831" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/5781-crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-4-william-fitzsimmons/attachment/podcast4-copy"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-5831" title="podcast4 copy" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/03/podcast4-copy-900x532.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="532" /></a>After the release of his newest record Gold in the Shadow, which has been received with fantastic critical acclaim so far, we were delighted when William agreed to put together a selection of some of his favourite tracks. Showing his primarily folk influences, including the likes of Nick Drake, Band of Horses and Crosby, Stills and Nash, it’s a wonderfully relaxing listen, what better way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon?
<div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="300" height="300" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashVars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-4-william-fitzsimmons.json&embed_uuid=493d702b-dbc7-44c1-b05e-abb0a40c236a&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="src" value="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" /><param name="flashvars" value="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-4-william-fitzsimmons.json&embed_uuid=493d702b-dbc7-44c1-b05e-abb0a40c236a&embed_type=widget_standard" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="300" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=106" flashvars="feed=https://www.mixcloud.com/api/1/cloudcast/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-4-william-fitzsimmons.json&embed_uuid=493d702b-dbc7-44c1-b05e-abb0a40c236a&embed_type=widget_standard" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object></div>
<a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/crack-in-the-road-exclusive-mix-4-william-fitzsimmons/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=cloudcast_link">Crack In The Road Exclusive Mix #4: William Fitzsimmons</a> by <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/crackintheroad/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=profile_link">Crackintheroad</a> on <a style="color: #02a0c7; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=base_links&utm_term=homepage_link">Mixcloud</a>

Crack in the Road Exclusive Mix #4 – William Fitzsimmons

<a rel="attachment wp-att-5541" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/5539-review-burial-four-tet-ft-thom-yorke/attachment/jason2520and2520thom5b15d"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-5541" title="jason2520and2520thom5b15d" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/03/jason2520and2520thom5b15d-900x596.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="596" /></a><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="18" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12039529&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=5e66cc" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="18" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12039529&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=5e66cc" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object> 
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="18" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12039581&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=5e66cc" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="18" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12039581&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=5e66cc" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>
On paper, this sounds like one of the best ideas for a collaboration in years. Take Burial (an artist so at the top of his game that even Guardian readers listen to him) Four Tet (fresh off the back of doing another collaboration with Dan Snaith) and add Thom Yorke (does he really need any introduction?). In reality, though, this is a tight affair, which draws on their individual strengths, without surpassing the levels of their separate works.
The beats to first track Ego immediately reflect the names involved, with the signature drum sounds of both artists being audible, though it would be fair to argue that this is heavily dominated by Four Tet. The swathes of phased sounds that fill out the backdrop to the vocals back up this Four Tet dominance, sounding like they could have been sampled directly from his previous album There is Love in You. Whilst they never feel out of place, there are times when they can seem slightly overwhelming- whether this is down to the sparseness one would associate with the Burial sounds that they accompany or perhaps a choice made during production. Thom’s vocals on the other hand are pretty much signature at this point and, though never bad or wrong, they don’t stand out for particular mention, nor are they integral to the track.
On the flip side Mirror, however, Thom’s importance is noticeable from the outset, seeming to dictate the direction of the track, rather than simply being another layer. It’s fair to say that this is Burial’s track this time, the atmosphere being typically sparse and dominated by that drum sound. Of the two tracks, this is definitely the strongest, however it is also the one that sounds less like an amalgamation of all three artists, with Four Tet’s influence being far more minor, suggesting that perhaps the first side track would also have been served better by one less name and a bit more of a focus to its sound.
As a final note, a number of early listeners have hinted at a potential issue with Burial that may pose issues in the future. The sounds that are scattered across the two tracks are, for the most part, identical to those of his earlier work and, whilst it would be unfair to say he hasn’t tightened and perfected his sound over the course of his career, there is a growing feeling when listening that perhaps there is only a limited amount more material that can come from this sound before everything starts to feel a bit stale.
For the time being, though, this is not an issue and, if you were lucky enough to purchase one of the vinyls in the matter of hours they were on sale, this is a collaboration that will enjoy repeated listens.
Out March 21st on Kieran’s own Text label.

Review: Burial / Four Tet (ft. Thom Yorke)

<a rel="attachment wp-att-4924" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/4901-review-four-tet-daphni-split-12/attachment/fourtet_thezoo_150211_016"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4924" title="FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/03/FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="600" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/03/FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016.jpg 800w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/03/FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016-260x195.jpg 260w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/03/FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016-640x480.jpg 640w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2011/03/FourTet_TheZoo_150211_016-165x123.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a>
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="18" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11244394&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Georgia&color=5e66cc" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="18" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11244394&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Georgia&color=5e66cc" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object> 
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" height="18" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11246384&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Georgia&color=5e66cc" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="18" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11246384&auto_play=false&player_type=tiny&font=Georgia&color=5e66cc" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>
So two of the most critically acclaimed electronic artists of 2010 are to put out a split 12″ together, but many people are only just starting to take notice of this fact. Four Tet is clearly one big name on this release, but the other, Daphni, may not catch the eye, until one realises that its the latest alias for Dan Sanith, aka Caribou aka Manitoba. Having released There is Love in You and Swim respectively last year, any work from the darlings of the electronica scene will be lapped up immediately- releasing a split record doubly so.
But that’s all just hype unless the songs pull it together. In the case of Four Tet’s contribution, Pinnacles, we get a hypnotic number, centred around a grooving, disco-esque bass line. The repetitive nature of the track is hardly a far cry from last year’s album, but gone are the delicately put together beats and gasping vocals, opting for continuing the dancefloor trend that Kieran has hinted at aiming towards in his work since. It also helps a tremendous deal that it is immensely catchy, with the 8 minutes seeming to vanish whilst listening (in a good way, not a Jean Michel Jarre “did I just pass the fuck out?” kind of way). On the basis of this track alone, it is in no way a bad change of direction and it will be interesting to see if this new style propels him even further in to the mainstream electronic conscience.
So to Daphni then and, thus far, the only way to hear any new alias material from Snaith has been either on the recent Resident Advisor podcast (RA.246) or by playing a guessing game as to which songs scheduled for release under the name Daphni were instead released on Swim. Ye-Ye is far darker than the upbeat offering by Four Tet, but equally danceable, showcasing a further evolution in the stylistic development that bridged Andorra and Swim. This time there are no allusions to choruses or pop mechanics, being a straight dance track and it is genuinely well crafted. But placed next to Pinnacles it does feel rather overshadowed, with the ‘Ye-Ye’ vocal sample not lending itself well to repetition by the end in the same way that the bass sample of the other does. Whilst this is hardly a sign of a slip in quality (and honestly could be simply the result of personal taste), it isn’t particularly memorable and there isn’t the same sentiment there to relisten as there is with the Four Tet side.
The split 12″ will be released via Hebden’s own <a href="https://www.boomkat.com/labels/?id=2477">Text Records</a> imprint, with the release date being stated as ‘soon’.

Review: Four Tet / Daphni – Split 12″

<a rel="attachment wp-att-4799" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/4796-l-i-f-e-g-o-e-s-o-n-fake-blood-remix/attachment/noah"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-4799" title="noah" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/02/noah-900x602.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="602" /></a>
How to move on from a breakup, by Charlie Fink aged 23 and 3/4.
Step 1: Take on a more positive message than that shown on your last album, realise life does indeed go on. Reflect this in the music itself, keeping the orchestration and sophistication of your darker moments, but infuse it with the catchy hooks of your earlier work.
Step 2:  Get a big name DJ to remix it in to something that gets rid of all that and is half danceable (though there are moments that sound fairly similar to the Filthy Dukes remix of ‘To Lose my Life’, so never too far away from melodrama then)
Get it here: <a rel="attachment wp-att-4797" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/4796-l-i-f-e-g-o-e-s-o-n-fake-blood-remix/attachment/l-i-f-e-g-o-e-s-o-n-fake-blood-remix">L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (Fake Blood Remix)</a>

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – Fake Blood Remix

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/4377-los-campesinos-theme-from-rash/attachment/new-white-heat-rash-site-banner-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-4384"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-4384" title="new-white-heat-rash-site-banner" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/02/new-white-heat-rash-site-banner1-900x435.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="435" /></a>With all the hype that suddenly appeared in the days leading up to Los Campesinos!’s ‘Heat Rash’ announcement (or rather, misplaced hype for a new album), many people quickly forgot about the mini-movie that was released to publicise the new project. Or more specifically, the soundtrack of this mini movie.
Showcasing the gorgeous glockenspiel and distortion instrumental arrangements that were hinted at during some of their best past album moments (2007, the year…, Coda and You’ll need those fingers….), the short piece did little to abate the new album speculation at the time. Quite the opposite infact, implying the widening of the bands’ musical palette that characterised the development from Hold on now Youngster to Romance is Boring shows no sign of abating.
In regards to the track itself, it can’t help but conjure up images of nights spent half awake and staring at fairy lights. Admittedly that’s the footage it soundtracked, and possibly a result of this writer having spent many nights doing the very same thing, but it’s fair to say that’s the imagery it would imply regardless. Being centred around a musicbox-esque loop, the track could easily have felt a bit flat and unsubstantial, like Lullatone without the infatuation for hypnotism, if it wasn’t for the heavily layered guitars and strings that occupy the space behind it and between the beats, filling out the rest of the track. Where the lead part lends the music a dreamy, night atmosphere, the other instruments’ gradual build up and discordant nature lends it a listless yet forward pushing quality that rewards repeated listens.
And that follow up album? It’ll be here eventually- the band released a statement at the end of January stating they’ve begun planning and working on the new album, with their huge, recent gig at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire seeing new track <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA2CjcPcqcU">‘The Black Bird, The Dark Slope</a>‘ get its first airing. Fans of investigative journalism might also be interested in stalking their local neighbourhood band guitarist’s Last.fm page to see hints of current demos. In the meantime, Gareth has confirmed that a “Double A Side, 7″/download, coming to Heatrash subscribers very soon.” The tracks are now known to be ‘Light Leaves, Dark Sees’ and ‘Four Seasons’.
As for why someone would suddenly write about this months after it soundtracked an advert? Well the lovely folks at Los Campesinos! have been kind enough to offer an extended and higher quality version of the track itself for you lovely readers, that’s why.
<object width="100%" height="81" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9427610&show_comments=false&auto_play=true&color=4f00ff" /><embed width="100%" height="81" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9427610&show_comments=false&auto_play=true&color=4f00ff" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object>

Los Campesinos – Theme from R*A*S*H

<a rel="attachment wp-att-4043" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/4041-news-panda-bears-back-in-business/attachment/panda_still2"><img class="alignnone size-900wide wp-image-4043" title="panda_still2" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/01/panda_still2-900x506.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="506" /></a>
Panda Bear aka Noah Lennox aka the guy who hits stuff in Animal Collective has announced the completion of his long-awaited new album Tomboy and has even set a release date.
Tomboy includes tracks previously released as a series of vinyl singles as well as new material which, according to a press release, will all be mixed by ex Spacemen 3 member, Peter Kember. The man responsible for producing MGMT’s Congratulations album last year.
Talking about the epic yet somewhat repetitive soundscapes created on Person Pitch, Noah believes he has restyled himself for the new release “I got tired of the severe parameters of using samplers. Thinking about Nirvana and the White Stripes got me into the idea of doing something with a heavy focus on guitar and rhythm.”
In comparison to Person Pitch, Tomboy promises to be a completely different animal, the heavier rock vibe contrasted with another influence on Lennox’s style – “With regards to where I am with Tomboy, I’m definitely reliving middle school and all the Baltimore R & B radio we used to ingest.”
Music news site I Guess I’m Floating posted a video yesterday featuring a new Panda Bear track “Atiba Song” which is expected to be on the new album. Watch it above.
Tomboy will be released April 19th via Lennox’s own label Paw-Tracks – <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.paw-tracks.com/" target="_blank">https://www.paw-tracks.com/</a>

News: Panda Bear’s Back in Business

It might seem odd to tip a band who have been around since 2003 as ‘ones to watch’, particularly when their first compilation of singles was released in 2008, but Free Blood are looking set to get huge. Trust us.
Self-named as the soundtrack for parties gone awry, this is music to fuel awkward sexual dalliances, desperate yelled misunderstandings on the dance floor, toilets over-flowing with the night’s collective regurgitation, lonesome midnight ramblings, hair-brained (possibly illegal) parlour games, sound systems fried by heat and spillages and back garden bonfires. For the first four years of their life, Free Blood were an entirely live act, most notably playing solely in New York (apart from one stint in Japan) and generally appearing without warning at parties across the state.
Many of you might have heard of their music in the past, particularly around the time of ‘The Singles’ in 2008, their only compilation to date, which brought them a small amount of exposure. It’s now though, as we start 2011, that they are looking to explode in to the wider concious, with their blend of electronic dance-punk ‘Never Hear Surf Music Again’ soundtracking the intro to Danny Boyle’s latest film ‘127Hours’. Check that out below, and keep your eye out for their other material which has been sadly overlooked by many up to now.
Download: <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2011/01/01%20-%20Never%20Hear%20Surf%20Music%20Again.mp3">Free Blood – Never Hear Surf Music Again</a>

One to watch: Free Blood

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1104" title="horsehead nebula" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula.jpg" alt="Orion, Horsehead Nebula" width="900" height="595" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula.jpg 1500w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula-300x198.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula-165x109.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/06/ic434large_horsehead_nebula-950x628.jpg 950w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></a>
Space is boring at the best of times. Yes it’s pretty, but so is the Mezquita at Cordoba, and you can enjoy the entirety of that without breaking your brain with distances, measurements and concepts that include everything that ever will and has been, of which even infinity is one of the easiest to grasp. At the same time, though, there’s a degree of cognitive dissonance at work here as it is pretty damn important and interesting at the same time, just only when considered at the right time (old high school lectures about the solar system in which half the class can’t even grasp that light has speed being a good example of when it can appear boring). Consider this fact: the milky way, our galaxy no less, being composed of 400 billion stars and also only one of billions of other galaxies in the visible universe, is crashing. Then consider that even this is of no real importance to us as individuals, occurring roughly 3 billion years in the future, 2 billion after the Sun turns us in to the planetary equivalent of Paul Gasgoine’s brain, and even if we somehow avoid that, our solar system being flung billions of light years out of the galaxy, as may possibly happen, won’t even have any real perceptible effect to the goings on in our own area. So it would take something pretty damn special to affect us right?
Betelgeuse is that red star in Orion that the aforementioned high school science lectures taught you about, being the ninth brightest star in the night sky and clearly visible to even the naked eye, though something as simple as a decent pair of binoculars will give you more detail if that’s yr thing. This is mostly down to its size, being one of the largest in the known universe and stands at a staggering 500 times the size of the Sun. Casual facts that stand as the equivalent of the name dropping the self-promoting DJ asshole at every party may try and discuss to other revellers aside, Betelgeuse is old. Old enough to be dying.
Now, you might know that stars die, you might not, depending on what sort of a child you were. Me? I once got OCD over putting the glow in the dark stars that stuck to my ceiling in to accurate constellations. In the past 17 years, Betelgeuse has shrunk 15% as a result of an endothermic build up of iron reducing the outward pressure in its core that maintains its gravitational stability. Nothing that surprising there, except astronomers at Mauna Kea, a large complex of observatories in Hawaii, have recently gone on record as saying Betelguese is no longer the round, disc shape that characterised its appearance from Earth, rather it has begun to become elliptic, indicating that the gravitational collapse is causing it to deform. In other words, Betelgeuse is collapsing at such a rate that the star itself is becoming unstable, like kicking a really shit football. As a result, there’s increasing amounts of dicussion amongst said astronomers that a Betelgeuse supernova isn’t something that’s going to happen in hundreds to thousands of years (which is still not that long in star lifetimes) but in the coming weeks to months, years at best. Apocalyptic myths aside, it is now expected to be incredibly likely before 2012, but in our lifetimes if the most long term estimate is correct. What will it do? Well the last good supernova that was seen on Earth was in 1054 awnd as bright enough to be seen in daylight for 23 days and in the night sky for 653 days.
 Okay, so something pretty nice looking will be in the sky, that’s not the life altering event I was promised at the start, you may be thinking. Now consider that this resulted in the night time brightness of a full moon when the moon was obscured. Then also that this was ten times the distance away that Betelgeuse is and is believed to have been far smaller in size and intensity. In fact, it is  expected that Betelgeuse will, at the very least, be twice as bright as a full moon, with the upper estimates placing it closer to a second sun in brightness- imagine the sort of ‘bright darkness’ you see at 5am on a summer day and you’re probably close. Even bigger, though, is the fact that for those areas of the world where it is visible during the daytime, it could be like having two suns. So farmers are going to be pissed off.
So to recap for those of you who use Spark Notes over classic literature, the two reasons why an irreverent individual like yourself should probably care:
1) Supernovas are bright. The last truely visible supernova was in 1054 and visible night and day. In the day it lasted noticeably for three weeks, at night for two years. It’ll likely be two to three times brighter than a full moon is on a clear night on a cloudy night. For two years.
2) We may be out of the immediate range of damage from the emitted radiation, but scientists believe some chromosomal damage may be experienced by the vast majority of the earth. It might not cause any noticeable harm, but nor does wireless internet, and you can bet there are enough people right now claiming some sort of injury from that.
* * * * *
Writer’s soundtrack: St Vincent – Apocalypse Song
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68rXwBtNsy8

Betelgeuse (Or how I learnt to care about supernovas and love science)

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-992" title="arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may.jpg" alt="" width="531" height="493" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may.jpg 531w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may-300x278.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may-494x458.jpg 494w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/05/arcadefire-suburbs-month-of-may-165x153.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 531px) 100vw, 531px" /></a>
As discovered earlier by P4K, a white label vinyl of the new Arcade Fire single was found by a Chris Ward in a Glasgow record store. As it turns out, a handful have managed to get in to the big wide world, one of which was found by Zane Lowe and promptly played on his Radio 1 show tonight, making this the one day his ‘hottest record in the world’ bullshit is actually true for once. Think about it, who doesn’t like Arcade Fire in the slightest? More importantly, if you know of someone, do they have a soul and are they sentient enough to be protected by human rights laws?
First, the important part, links:
Download (slow, after all there are quite a lot of people wanting them. Not sure why)- 
A:<a href="https://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Arcade-Fire-The-Suburbs.mp3">The Suburbs</a>
B: <a href="https://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Arcade-Fire-Month-of-May1.mp3">Month of May</a>
Listen-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mji0mxSXt8Q
A: The Suburbs
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23X24Ei7J2w
B: Month of May
Of the two, The Suburbs sounds more like a good album track (hopefully) than a lead single. Absoloutely nothing wrong with it at first listen, but perhaps a bit too plodding when it’s B Side is the tempo it is. Still, the track recalls the pre-Funeral work that made us all fall in love with the band the first time around, though it manages to do so without sounding like a backwards step.
Month of May, meanwhile, sees Arcade Fire revive their rockier side, all that talk by Win of his love for Bruce Springsteen clearly wasn’t a lie. Of the two, this is the winner for me (after two listens though). I would write more on this, but you’re listening to it right now. You are aren’t you?

Arcade Fire White Label Leaks

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-109" title="belleandsebastian" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b.jpg" alt="belleandsebastian" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b-494x329.jpg 494w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b-165x110.jpg 165w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2010/04/148087743_8a6349f891_b-950x633.jpg 950w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>There appears to be a popular misconception of Belle and Sebastian that suggests they’re merely peddlers of immature, ‘twee’ pop songs. Ignoring the arguments surrounding the usage of ‘twee’, which the band themselves have argued against for many a year, this categorisation is flawed by pigeon-holing the song writing of the band in to one type of song when, in reality, lead songwriter Stuart Murdoch is capable of a great deal more than this. One need only look to the parting track ‘I’m Waking up to Us’ for band member, and girlfriend, Isobel Campbell, which is almost venomous in its portrayal of her as a self-obsessed, materialistic weight around his neck. But, then, it’s easily possible to miss the subject matter of the lyrics under the violins and twinkly twinkly piano melodies.
Of course, being able to get angry doesn’t reflect emotional depth, just that Murdoch is vaguely human. Instead, you should just look to stand out (by far) track ‘The Chalet Lines’ from critically controversial fourth album ‘Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant’ , which stands testament to Murdoch’s ability to write from perspectives that contain more than a flat-one dimensional emotional level. Whilst intensely melancholy- it’s hard to write about rape in another fashion y’now – it also tries to draw out the other emotions the character feels towards the situation, notably anger, with this duality best summed up in the line ‘Oh what’s the fucking point at all’ – despair and anger together, ultimately giving a disconcerting effect that seves one purpose: to let the listener realise that they will never be able to emphasise with the character’s emotional state.
After giving it a listen, give Electronic Renaissance (below) a play to cheer yourself up, as well as remind yourself that it’s not just the lyrics of Belle and Sebastian that get wrongly pigeon-holed.
I’m Waking Up To Us
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWaFPwykvEM
The Chalet Lines
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D044NzcX4h8

Electronic Renaissance 
 
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP4_BJI8OCM

Don’t Feel Down

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2010/04/2361926215_6caee25d99_o.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-18" title="blocparty" src="https://samgolden.co.uk/blogs/crackintheroad/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2361926215_6caee25d99_o-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>Think of third album Bloc Party and what comes to mind? Cold and sterile? Experimental and forward thinking? Either way this, much overlooked, B-Side to the 7″ version of Mercury isn’t going to change your mind. What it does, though, is play on both perspectives, with the dissonant and harsh electronic sounds actually benefiting from the heavily compressed production style that served to hinder Intimacy. Of the third album track collection, this has somehow survived the test of time better than the rest, despite it’s obscurity.
<div> 
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mediafire.com/?by5wnohyj25">Download</a></div>

Crack in the Road

Introducing: Obongjayar

Preview: Primavera Sound 2016

Adult JazzEggshell

LA PriestParty Zute / Learning to Love

Announcement: Hype HotelCrack in the Road x Disco Naïveté

BurialLambeth

Introducing: Wyatt

Competition: Win a pair of top-end Sennheiser cans

GrimesGo (ft. Blood Diamonds)

Aphex TwinCaustic Window (…but what is Füld?)

Tom VekSherman (Animals in the Jungle)

Owen PallettRiverbed

Friendly FiresBefore your eyes

Kishi BashiPhilosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!

Introducing: Klatu

Three words upon my headstone: Albums of 2013

The strange case of Clarence Clarity

News: Field Day 2014

New & Video: Arcade FireAfterlife

Sufjan StevensTake Me

Fuck You Ministry of Sound

Introducing: Monol!th

Introducing: MIMICO

The Julie RuinHa Ha Ha

PaleFearing Faces

KodacromeStrike the Gold

Erlend ØyeLa Prima Estate

NothankyouOyster

Introducing: Stefan Noons

Panda RiotNorthern Automatic Music

Test live blog

Washed OutIt Feels Alright

Sigur RósKveikur

Daft Punk x Pharrell Williams x Nile RodgersGet Lucky

Sigur Rós announce new album, new track, new video