Muse are a band that have defied their own boundaries time and time again. Forged in the crucible of uncertainty over the last two years, ‘Won’t Stand Down‘ is a testament to their determination to transcend musical expectations.
With a juggernaut bassline that pulses through the bones, Bellamy spins a heavy-metal riff before breaking into his renowned melodic wails that hark back to the days of ‘Hysteria‘. However, long gone are the lustful poems about being held hostage by desire. Instead, we’re at the mercy of a devout proclamation that they’re ‘owned no longer’, before pushing forth a tsunami of noise that echoes the frustration we haven’t heard since ‘Citizen Erased‘.
If anything, ‘Won’t Stand Down’ is a manifesto of a carefully nurtured core value held strong by the ropes of experience. Indeed, perhaps the greatest life lesson is that we have to courageously stray far to appreciate home and, like prodigal sons, they’ve returned to the sounds that started it all.
To borrow the words of Walt Whitman, here they now stand with their robust rock and roll soul.
Is there a new Muse album on the way? We’re yet to know. But you can find the brand new, pretty creepy video for ‘Won’t Stand Down‘ below:
If they haven’t already, Dublin maestros Fontaines D.C. are in the process of taking over the world. Latest single ‘Jackie Down The Line’ is the initial release from upcoming third album Skinty Fia, a record the group have daringly, or is it jokingly, described as being disco. With this new song, their sound moves on at the same time as dialling back a few decades, flirting with a slow, bleak baggy groove and energetically dour Irish twanged lyrics about the heartache and trauma an unfortunate “Sally” has in store at the hands of a “Jackie” (‘Jackeen’ being a shitty term for a Dubliner) some undefined moment later on in their doomed, messy dalliance. Potentially the most classic sounding track Fontaines have put out there yet.
Skinty Fia is out on 22nd April 2022. You can pre-order the album in it’s many dazzling formats by clicking here.Check out the brand new video for ‘Jackie Down The Line’ below:
Spector have spent some time away. It’s been seven years since their last full length LP – 2015’s monolithic synth-laden ‘Moth Boys’, which itself arrived a few years after supercharged indie debut ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’, but their break has been anything but one spent twiddling their thumbs. With a slew of EPs, producer credits and other musical projects the lads have explored myriad avenues, burnt up experimental energies and have settled back into their Spector suits for ‘Now or Whenever’.
The guitars are clutched firmly to their chests, the choruses have been pumped up really, really big and Fred Macpherson’s lyrics are as incisive and quick as they’ve ever been. ‘Do You Wanna Drive’ sounds like ‘Chevy Thunder’s cautious, slightly jaded uncle with “McDonalds on the dashboard, horizon in our eyes” and ‘Bad Summer’ tells the story of a short and doomed sad romance kindled at a friend’s wedding over a driving guitar line that Interpol will undoubtedly be jealous of.
Some of their finest musical pals have been roped into the mix as The Magic Gang lend a couple of their inimitably upbeat harmonies to ‘Norwegian Air’ and ‘Funny Way Of Showing It’, as well as ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’ which has MT Hadley giving a jaunty helping hand as the frontman admits to an ill-fated love: “guess we’re different aspect ratios”.
Closer ‘An American Warehouse in London’ spiritedly twists with the story of a trans-atlantic relationship but where both parties are English in the US and taking over-exposed photos, ending at a point where Fred’s voice basically becomes Julian Casablancas’ on ‘Repitalia’ as he croons “euphoria’s boring/ when you’re not here”.
If Spector must disappear into the wilderness every few years to restock and reload their premier league indie arsenal, when the fruits are a collection of hooks, choruses and words as stonkingly huge as these… yeah, we’re good with that.
‘Now or Whenever’ is finally out now to buy in many bundles and forms over at spector.co.uk or you can stream it on all of the usual platforms.The boys are also out on tour very soon. The shows have been delayed but all rescheduled dates are available to purchase here.
To wishfully launch us into an optimistic and brighter new year, singer songwriter David Ford has granted us a small screen operatic ballad of coronavirus sparring hope. Recalling, over piano and violin, finer days of “Rock’n’Roll/soda pop and Philly soul”, the latter-day troubadour considers the stunting impact of the virus, “a thousand dumb conspiracies” and the militant hope we are all pinning on the “two shots of Astra-Zeneca” (let’s choose to ignore the fact that he’s probably queuing up for a third by now).
Accompanied by a black and white live performance promo vid, the single is out now for you to stream at all the usual outlets. You can buy it on bandcamp along with the entirety of his marvellous solo output and you can watch the video below:
To hurl us headlong into Christmas cheer and bow out of 2021 in suitably alternative indie style we have compiled our own list of our 8 toppermost festive songs, brought to you in watchable YouTube format. Sit back, scroll down, click along and enjoy!
1. Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Potentially the greatest punk band put out one of the most enjoyable, dumbest Christmas singles going. Turning their snarling, lanky, leather and denim, drop out pioneer punk into pure yuletide joy for one song only.
2. Manic Street Preachers – Ghost of Christmas
Although they don’t celebrate the fact, the Manics created this saxophone rocker tribute to 70s Christmases and nostalgia, sounding every bit as ballsy as the Slade classic they evidently love.
3. Julian Casablancas – I Wish It Was Christmas Today
Between The Strokes and The Voidz Mr Casablancas took some time out on a solo project. During his wilderness years he conjured up this innocent ode to holiday magic. Thankfully for us it actually is Christmas right now but we appreciate Julian’s sentiment all the same.
4. Fountains of Wayne – I Want An Alien For Christmas
Back in the 90s Fountains of Wayne gave us this wonderful throwaway proto-emo indie tune where they begged Santa to hide an extraterrestrial in their stocking this year. There was pretty much nothing else Christmassy about the song other than that bit of the lyric, but it’s a solstice banger all the same.
5. Glasvegas – A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
A contemplative, heart churning number now from Glasvegas’ 2009 wintery EP, where James Allen finds comfort and solace from turmoil in a quiet moment, feeling snowfall on skin when the rest of the world has turned to crap. If it doesn’t cause a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye then you’re a cold, cold human being.
6. Joni Mitchell – River
Another contemplative classic. From one of the timeless Joni Mitchell’s greatest albums, this song is less jingle bells and handclaps and more carols, piano and brass bands, warming your hands on a cup of mulled wine while considering lost lovers at the happiest time of the year.
7. The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping
The best of the mainstream Christmas classics you’re likely to still hear on Radio 1. A new wave, post-punk wonder in it’s own right. You’ve already heard it a billion times so we don’t need to explain it anymore. Just take a listen to it again.
8. Tim Wheeler & Emmy The Great – Home For The Holidays
Tim Wheeler from Ash and Emmy The Great put out a whole Xmas album in 2010 and this was their heartwarming single about dreaming of bumping into an old flame in their hometown in the last days of December. The rest of the album was a collection of festive covers performed in their inimitably twee indie style.
Bonus mention: Razorlight feat. Lisa Moorish – Fairytale of New York
A gorgeous rendition of The Pogues masterpiece performed by Johnny Borrell, Lisa Moorish and an acoustic guitar. Sparse, minimal and beautiful.
And with that we would like to wish everyone who has followed us in 2021 a raucous and massively merry Christmas!Here’s hoping 2022 actually ends up being decent.
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you in the new year!
Independent author Ryan Bracha has an alter-ego. His name is Disgraceful Friend and this alter-ego has just released a spunky second album, Craft Excluder. Slotting into a bookshelf laterally with Scroobius Pip, Sleaford Mods and sonically with Working Mens Club, the record is compiled of Bracha’s sarky spoken word nestled just under the surface of plentiful squelchy industrial beat soundscapes and electronic experimentalism. There’s loads to unpack here amongst the darkly funny verse and expertly produced rhythm, the yorkshireman’s topics of carefully crafted fascination aren’t overt, the words definitely feel like lyrics to music rather than a collection of sound-tracked poems and the beats are crazily comprehensive with unforgettable hooks that stand up all by themselves, but the subjects cover: aged dad dancing when you should know better (Snake Hips), the uncomfortable consequence of freedom of speech (The Tolerance Paradox), the subversive science of branding and persuasion (The Colour of Money) and the absolute shite that web browser pop ups cover your computer screen with (Pop-Up Pirate).
Fellow author Craig Furchtenicht delivers the saga of Gary and Kyle – on ‘Prettiest S.O.B. in the Room’ Gary is a narcissist whose father used to say he was pretty enough to be part of Hitler’s master-race, in a non-weird, non-creepy, non-white supremacist way, with an oversized and weird nemesis, Kyle who, on Motherfucker With A Gun, gets his long obsessed over revenge on the pretty son of a bitch, Gary, with a bloodbath shoot out in a retail store. ‘Fake Fake Fake’ is a 7 minute expression of expectation versus reality over a rotating beat that has already made it’s way to 6 Music on Tom Robinson’s Fresh on the Net mixtape and ‘I Don’t Like You’ confrontationally destroys the sentiment that all people have goodness in them somewhere at the same time as marvellously picking a fight with the listener, ending a reel of scenarios of human kindness with the sign off “others? I dunno, they’re just pricks. That’s where you come in. I don’t like you!”
The record is a collection of one Barnsley resident’s (and his friends’) observations on a rather pitiful modern world alchemically transformed into a danceable slinky electro creature of an LP.
Craft Excluder is out now to buy on Disgraceful Friend’s bandcamp on CD with an 8 page booklet and nifty artwork or on MP3. Click on the link to snap it up.
The album is also available to hear on Spotify. You can watch the video for Fake Fake Fake below:
The mighty Billy Nomates has written and released a Christmas song to raise funds for Feed The Homeless Bristol throughout December. ‘Christmas is for Lovers, Ghosts and Children’ highlights the disconnect between the festive season shown online, in the media, on the high street and the reality many people experience – of Christmas being a poignant, lonely time.
The message is starkly honest but Billy AKA Tor Maries manages to include all the seasonal hallmarks of jingle bells, handclaps and some euphoric synthesiser alongside her unassumingly soulful vocals with the overarching request being just to spare a thought and give a hand to people who find the holiday period tough.
‘Christmas is for Lovers, Ghosts and Children’ is currently available to purchase on a pay what you like basis on Billy Nomates bandcamp.Tap here if you’d like to spare a few quid to own the track and give to a great cause.
There’s a fun simplicity to Best Coast – power chord rock, west coast (obviously, duh) surf vibe, Beth Cosentino’s optimistic emo pop vocals, easy rhymes (“Nostalgia’s overrated/ or maybe it’s just complicated?”). ‘Leading’ is, thank all of the Californian gods, more of the same. This time the duo have teamed up with Los Angeles’ wonderful DIY teen punks The Linda Lindas who play the role of Beth n’ Bob’s backing band.
The release of Best Coast’s latest album, the brilliant Always Tomorrow, was rudely interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the duo are taking the opportunity to breathe new life into it with an expanded deluxe version, out on January 7th 2022, with ‘Leading’ coming out as the leading (lol) track. Hit the link to find out more about the release and their US tour.
Death of the High Street have put out some top quality tunes this year and they’re leaving 2021 in style with new single Drink Driver, an appropriate public service broadcast for the festive period: the bleak story of a lager-sodden, down on his luck dropout who exists illegally behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Astra, soundtracked by cowbell and a meaty Stooges bass line.
Alongside the single DOTHS have unearthed a music video recorded by them on a £50 budget in 2019. The promo clip shows singer Scott navigating roads wearing smudged clown make up, oversized red shoes and battered suit, bottle of vodka in hand, sat in a kids Early Learning Centre foot to floor ride on plastic car being chased by drummer Joey in policeman costume riding a similarly undersized toy police car.
Drink Driver is out NOW! Looking forward to much more from Death of the High Street in the new year! Check out the video below:
To come up with new single ‘Traps’, art-rockers Bloc Party have delved back into their own archives, interrogating debut album ‘Silent Alarm’ and singer Kele Okereke’s solo output to compose a sure-fire indie club monster. The band’s line up has changed considerably in latter years, having lost and gained an entire rhythm section in 2016, and the importance of razor-sharp riffist Russell Lissack’s role in the band is now searingly clear as, when their craftsmanship is stripped back to basics, his earworm hooks coupled with Okereke’s distinctive voice are the defining elements of the Bloc Party sound.
‘Traps’ may be similar to their early stuff but the foursome of 2021 are lyrically ballsy in a way they never have been before, as Kele openly and forwardly pursues a wannabe bed partner with lines like “You’re not making it easy for me/ strutting ‘round here in those pum pum shorts”, “Meet me in the boom boom room/ and we can do what you like”, even co-opting ‘Grease Lightning’ lyrics to get his lusty way.
Edge of Arcady 