Kurt Vile supplying the tunes for a sun soaked Spring

So Spring 2011 has landed in London and the sun is shining and the sunglasses have been dusted off and people are walking the streets of Soho with a smile on their face. I have been listening to Kurt Vile's debut album for the past few days and I have to say 'Smoke Ring For My Halo' which was released on Matador a couple of weeks ago is almost the perfect soundtrack to the sun soaked city.

To be honest I had not heard anything from this album until I got hold of it and Kurt Vile (lead singer of The War On Drugs) has delivered a collection of psychedelic, fuzz filled folk songs that are brilliant. The War On Drugs really reminded of The Verve's early work and Kurt's vocals are not a million miles away from Richard Ashcrofts. I don't usually like comparing musicians but Kurt's sound really hit a nerve with me and this album already has the nostalgic feeling you get when you return to an amazing record after several years. Clearly Kurt was a hit at SXSWand you can hear why. Spend some time today getting to know Kurt Vile's sound and you wont regret it - start with 'Baby's Arms':

Kurt Vile - Baby's Arms by squidrobot

Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever by musicmule

I have mentioned them before but Kurt's band The War on Drugs released one my favorite tunes of last year and it's worth listening to again - The War On Drugs - Comin' Through.


Comin' Through - The War On Drugs by livkend

Wherever you are, enjoy the first sights and sounds of Spring!

Andy in London

2 Huge Album Releases Last Week That Deserve Your Attention

For some reason last week saw the arrival of 2 fantastic albums that will be played endlessly all year and come December I know I will be saying these are some of the real the highlights of the year! Have I peaked too early? - possibly, only time will tell.

After spending another chunk of March travelling to and from Boston I have had the time to really absorb The Vaccines debut album- What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

We have seen much written, talked and shouted about London boys The Vaccines- and you have to say they fully deserve the rapid rise to success and the hype whirlwind that has followed them is just deserved...

This album is crammed full of post punk gems that are so infectious they will stick in your head all day and night. Wreckin Bar opens the album and sets the pace:

Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) - The Vaccines by gregkent

I am seeing them twice this year and am genuinely excited to see this band live. NME said The Vaccines are the return of the great British guitar band and I have to agree. This album reminds me of when The Strokes exploded and then heralded in a new post punk scene - maybe electro is slowly curling up and crawling back into a hole somewhere?- 2011 will be huge for this band.

I have to say I haven't noticed any US marketing other than SXSW - but I have the feeling the imminent invasion of the USA by The Vaccines will come towards the end of 2011- keep your eyes peeled and be sure to catch them live!

Highlights from the album are current single If You Wanna & Blow It Up:

Blow It Up by The Vaccines

As well as the more delicate and passion filled - A Lack of Understanding:


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I cant fault this band and their debut in my opinion is one of the best albums of the last 10 years, utterly brilliant from start to finish. Thank god for the The Vaccines. Believe the hype!

Ok - 2nd great album release in the last 2 weeks is The Naked And The Famous's debut album - Passive Me  - Aggressive You. Flying the flag for New Zealsnd - NATF are a big synth band who have managed to get great dream pop right and mixed it with some excellent guitar based melodies.

Passive Me - Aggressive You is an album that grows in its sound and grows on you as it wins you over. This band are producing noise filled, electronic,  sometimes experimental tunes that stay with you. Ok, to get you into them and to find out what they are about check out my highlights from yet another superb debut album :



School of Seven Bells had a fight with Passion Pit and then had an affair with MGMT and Foster The People at the same time, anyone?

I am enjoying this remix of their single Young Blood too:

The Naked And Famous - Young Blood (Dave Sitek Remix) by The Naked And Famous

Iam sure this is another band that will have more & more success this year.

So, there is loads to dive into here - get stuck in and enjoy. I am loving these new bands and their debut albums.

On a side note and a little nod to Boston over the St Patricks Day weekend how's about a bit of The Dropkick Murphy's - why not eh?

Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston by tadpoletunes


Andy in London :-)

LA Bands to check out at SXSW This Year

Oh Texas my Texas...my birthplace my home.  The place that houses the proud capital of the one and only Austin.  The magical city that for roughly 3 weeks a year is invaded by peeps from NY,  LA, and beyond....Lapping up all of the hospitality, BBQ and Tex-Mex, and the music/film/comedy they can stand.  Being a Texan and having been in Austin for South By as they call it now, it's interesting to see the small city come alive in this one special spring time event every year.  Now living in LA, I'm feeling a little disappointed that I can't just hop on over this year and check everything out like I used to.

So, instead of focusing on not being there, I wanted to focus on some of the cool LA bands that are out performing in the Lone Star State this week.

AM and Shawn Lee -- Dark into Light

AM & Shawn Lee - "Dark Into Light" by Ubiquity Records

I'm a sucker for a transatlantic collaboration, and this is the product of exactly that. AM in LA, and London composer Sean Lee. I'm interested to see what the response will be for this album.

The Belle Brigade -- Sweet Louise

Sweet Louise by The Belle Brigade


LA Bro-Sis duo, and just-so-happen-to be John Williams grandkiddos make pretty cool music as expected.  KCRW has been pushing them and I think they'll have a good showing in Austin.

Lord Huron --Stranger

I think maybe it's best to just let the music video serve as the enticement for this one. There is something magical in his music, and the word on the street is that this guy really knows how to fill up a space with sound in a live venue.


Lord Huron - "The Stranger" from Giant Eel Productions on Vimeo.

I'd also like to recommend this tune, which takes a while to warm up, but oh so worth it!

Lord Huron - Mighty by Half Pint


Eastern Conference Champions -- To the Wind



Now this isn't one of the newer tracks (their new album is due out in April and it's been four years) but I like the video and song, and figure it's enough to get you to explore this band further if you like what you see.

And finally, if you're going to be in Austin, check out Voxhaul Broadcast why don't ya?

I've been hearing about these guys bred in Orange County for quite some time now...gotta say I appreciate their rock guitar.





-Laura in LA