The Killers are back!! After a lengthy break of almost 5 years, The Killers unveiled their highly anticipated new single ‘The Man‘.
Having enlisted the help of Irish producer Jacknife Lee (Editors, Taylor Swift) and regular collaborator Stuart Price (Madonna, Pet Shop Boys), ‘The Man‘ is taken from the bands forthcoming 5th studio album Wonderful Wonderful and follow up to 2012’s Battle Born. Sonically, it’s a much funkier vibe than we’re used to hearing from the indie band, with its prominent, punchy baseline, shimmering synths and Brandon’s effortless falsetto vocals taking command throughout. It’s creative, energetic and fresh, taking them out of their comfort zone and delivering an exciting new vibe.
Receiving its world premiere as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, Brandon Flowers commented on the writing process:
“Writing together, you’re literally waiting for lightening to strike. You don’t want to duplicate something you’ve already done. This album is sonically moving forward and we’re growing in a lot of ways.”
With four consecutive chart-topping albums under the belt, The Killers have stayed ever present despite their hiatus, with chart-topping single Mr Brightside remaining in the Top 100 since 2004 (give or take a few weeks).
Wonderful Wonderful is set for release later this Summer. Currently on tour, upcoming festival dates include British Summer Time in Hyde Park (July 8) and Lollapalooza in Chicago (Aug 8).
What better way to kick off June than with some brand new music from Arcade Fire.
The Canadian six-piece band unveiled their new single ‘Everything Now‘, taken from their forthcoming fifth studio album of the same name. Co-produced by Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk), Pulp’s Steve Mackey and Markus Dravs (Coldplay, Mumford), ‘Everything Now’ takes us on a sonic journey filled with swelling strings, infectious vocal chants, and even an ABBA-esque inspired piano melody. Speaking with Mista Jam, who premiered the song as his Hottest Record, Win Butler commented on the meaning behind the new single:
“There’s sort of an everything-nowness to life. Almost every event surrounds you on all sides. Some of it is fake, some of it is real, some of it is profound. Every moment refracts into a thousand different things. It’s trying to capture some of the experiences of being alive now in all it’s flaw and glory.”
Everything Now is set for release July 28th via Sony and serves as the follow-up to 2013’s stellar album Reflektor. Having just announced dates for their Infinite Content Tour, upcoming Festival performances include Primavera Sounds (June 3), Isle Of Wight (June 10) and Roskilde Festival (July 1), while upcoming London dates include two nights at York Hall (July 4 and 5).
Circa Waves, made up of Kieran Shudall, Sam Rourke, Joe Falconer and Sian Plummer, are gearing up for the release of their highly anticipated second album Different Creatures. We’ve already been given a taste of what to expect with ‘Wake Me Up’ and with that comes another brand new single.
The first one [Wake Me Up] was punch in the face and this one [Fire That Burns] is a hug to calm you down from the punch; It’s an aggressive hug!
‘Fire That Burns’ is the second single taken from the album and premiered as MistaJam’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1. Speaking with MistaJam, Kieran commented how the album title reflects not only the changes within the band but also how he was affected by the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
A lot of the song on the record comes from Syrian refugee crisis. I wrote a song about how bizarre it was and how we’re judging these people to be different from us when they’re not at all. Then the band and style changed and we became ‘Different Creatures’
Following the success of their debut album Young Chasers, Different Creatures is set for release via Virgin EMI Records on March 10th. Upcoming dates for the band include Rough Trade East (March 14), O2 Academy Oxford (March 25th) and Reading and Leeds Festival (August 25-27)
Florence + The Machine premiered their new single ‘What Kind Of Man‘ as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record.
The single is taken from their forthcoming third album ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful‘ and serves as the followup to 2011’s album ‘Ceremonials’.
Opening with haunting, distorted vocals, Florence creates an ethereal atmosphere before fiery guitar riffs and defined beats amp up the energy. While elements of ‘Ceremonials’ come to mind, ‘What Kind Of Man’ packs that extra punch with striking brass flourishes and menacing undertones throughout. Mix that with Flo’s commanding vocals and it makes for one strong return.
Ceremonials was so fixated on death and water, and the idea of escape or transcendence through death, but the new album became about trying to learn how live, and how to love in the world rather than trying to escape from it. Which is frightening because I’m not hiding behind anything but it felt like something I had to do. (Florence Welsh, Press release)
Produced by Markus Dravs (Björk, Arcade Fire) with further production from Paul Epworth, Kid Harpoon, and John Hill, ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ is set for release June 1st via Island records. Upcoming dates include Coachella, The Governors Ball and hopefully a few European festival dates. Check out the video below. Song kicks in about 1.44
Kasabian have returned and unveiled their brand new single ‘Eez-eh’.
The single premiered as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record and serves as the first single from their highly anticipated 5th studio album ’48:13′.
Eez-eh delivers an upbeat, jump around type of track with its noticeable electronic influences and infectious groove laden riffs, not to mention some humerous, satirical lyrics: “Horsemeat in the burgers” and “Being watched by Google“. No doubt a single that will go down a storm as the Leicester rockers gear up to headline Glastonbury’s Pryamid stage as well as Radio 1 In New New Muisc We Trust stage at Big Weekend. Further upcoming performances can be found here.
‘48:13′ is set for release June 9th while ‘Eez-eh’ is available June 2nd. In the meantime check out the track below and get ready for ‘Eez-eh’ to ‘Keep you up all night‘.
The single is taken from their forthcoming album ‘Supermodel’ and serves as the follow up to their 2011 Grammy nominated album ‘Torches’, which brought us the infectious ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ and ‘Don’t Stop ‘Colour On The Walls’.
Speaking with Zane Lowe who featured the track as his ‘Hottest Record’, Mark Foster commented about how the record came about:
“It was like a little gift – Last song we recorded and first song people are going to hear… This song for me is about reflecting on the past and it’s a moment of clarity and reflection.”
With acclaimed producer Paul Epworth on board again (Adele, Florence and the Machine, Friendly Fires), ‘Coming Of Age’ serves up a refreshing guitar and synth driven track. Fosters wistful vocals bring a compelling and honest energy to the track, not to mention some Beach Boys-esque vocals towards the end.
Supermodel’ is set for release March 24th and is available to pre-order now.
So many great tracks dropped the past month, so here are some of my ‘September Selections‘.
First up is James Blake ft Chance The Rapper with ‘Life Round Here‘. The London based producer & singer/songwriter, has teamed up with rising Chicago based artist ‘Chance The Rapper‘ for a reworked version of ‘Life Round Here‘, taken from his Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Overgrown‘. The track featured as Zane Lowe’s Hottest record where Blake spoke about the collaboration: ‘I really liked his mix-tape (Acid Rap) and saw him at South by Southwest. I just thought his voice would work really well. I never felt the track was finished, even when it went on the album, I always thought there was space for something else’. Blake has certainly found that missing element and the duo deliver a fresh and exciting outlook with Chances’s raw energy and Blakes melodic and atmospheric vocals. Check back soon for their forthcoming video, set to feature ‘Everything from Somalian horses to pirates and Chevy Impalas‘.
A while back I posted about rising New Zealand songstress Lorde (Aka Ella Yellich-O’Connor) and her infectious track ‘Tennis Court’, from her free ‘Love Club‘ EP. Her latest offerings, taken from her debut LP ‘Pure Heroine’, is another exceptional track titled ‘Team , where the 16 year old presents a very mature sound with her upbeat yet bittersweet melodic vocals, that is captivating audiences worldwide. Having recently performed on ‘Later with Jools Holland‘ Lorde is set to embark upon a sold out Australian tour but will first play ‘Vevo’s 2013 Halloween Party’ in Oval Space, London. Lorde also features on the forthcoming ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘ Soundtrack with a cover of Tear For Fears 1985 hit song ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World‘.
Is it Gangsta (Yes yes yes) is the first single to be taken from South London rapper Giggs‘ forthcoming album ‘When WIll It Stop‘. Produced by Mark Ronson and Tone P, this is the first new material to surface since his 2010 album ‘Let Em Ave It‘ and delivers a strong return to form from the SN1 frontmnan. Be sure to check out the 9 minute short film video, directed by Reg Traviss, that even had it’s own trailer released. You can also catch Giggs perform at Londons ‘Under The Bridge‘ on October 15th, while ‘Is It Gangsta‘ drops October 6th.
LA singer Banks has unveiled her new single ‘The Is What It Feels Like‘, taken from her recent 4 track ‘London’ EP. Produced by Lil Silva and Jamie Woon, the single serves as the follow up to ‘Before I Ever Met You’ from the ‘Fall Over‘ EP and the recent Teed collaboration ‘Warm Water‘. Banks has such a unique sound and delivers haunting vocals amidst deep sultry beats and eerie electronic production. Currently supporting The Weeknd on tour in the US, Banks will also support The Weekend in London’s O2 on November 26th.
Danny Brown returns with a new single ‘Dip‘ taken from his highly anticipated album ‘Old’. Produced by Skywlkr, ‘Dip‘ samples Freak Nasty’s 1996 single ‘Da‘ as well as references to Jay Z and Kanye’s Paris‘ throughout. The MDMA fueled video, shot during his European tour, showcases Browns rapid rap skills with some trippy animations to match. ‘Old‘ is set for release Oct 8th through A-Trak’s Fools Gold Records and features artists such as A$AP Rocky, Purity Ring and Charlie XCX.
Sia’s new single ‘Elastic Heart‘ ft The Weeknd and Diplo, is set to feature on the forthcoming ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘ soundtrack, alongside previously announced artists such as Coldplay, Lorde, Of Monsters and Men and Ellie Goulding. The sombre synt-driven track, which featured as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record, highlights Sia and Abel Tesfaye’s enthralling and haunting vocals with slick production as always from Diplo.
Having delivered one of the summers biggest anthems ‘Jack‘, Breach (aka Ben Westbeech) has unveiled his follow-up single ‘Everything You Never Had‘ featuring the infectious and soulful vocals from Andreya Triana. Sure to be a dance floor filler with it’s classic house vibes and 90’s rave influences, the Bristolian dj and producer is constantly raising him game with each new release. Be sure to check out the Joe Goddard remix, who once again works his magic on delivering a fresh new remix. ‘Everything You Never Had‘ is set for release October 20th.
Back in May, ‘What Love Is Made Of‘ provided us with the first look from Katy B’s highly anticipated sophomore album and follow up to 2011’s ‘On A Mission‘. Katy has since dropped her latest single ‘5AM‘, which serves as a worthy successor with it’s big room house vibes, infectious hooks and Katy’s smooth garage infused pop vocals. Set for release Oct 28th through Rinse and Columbia, expect her second album sometime in 2014.
‘Blood Runs Wild‘ is the latest release from Brotherly duo Ruen Brothers (Rupert and Henry Stansall). Having already released their retro inspired ‘Aces’ and ‘Walk Like A Man‘ to high praise, ‘Blood Runs Wild‘ follows the same suit with it’s vintage rock n roll vibes, sweeping vocals and upbeat melodies. The duo deliver such a mature and accomplished sound far beyond their years. With big support from Radio 1, Zane Lowe featured the track as his Hottest Record. Be sure to check out Ruen Brothers headline the Q Awards gig on Oct 19th at London’s Jazz Cafe, before supporting Tom Odell on his UK tour. Having signed a major record deal during the summer, ‘Blood Runs Wild‘ is set for release November 4th via Island Records (UK) and Universal/Republic (US).
From crowd surfing to thrilling guitar jams, childhood montages to drum battles and Jelly Tots to Percy Pigs; it can only be the pure talent and lovable charm of sisterly trio HAIM.
The LA sisters headlined the iTunes Festival on Saturday to a packed out Camden Roundhouse, having previously supported Ellie Goulding a year ago exactly to the date; a feeling they expressed with sincere gratitude and almost disbelief at their incredible journey: “This moment is a little surreal for us you have to understand” – Este.
As the iTunes screens are lowered, followed by an intense countdown to the headline act, the Roundhouse give the LA sisters a warm welcome to London. Opening their set with the infectious ‘Falling’, the crowd happily soak up their Californian vibes, as Danielle, (24) Este (27) and Alana (21) rock out on stage. Up next was their latest single ‘The Wire’; another confident single from their already impressive back catalogue. Two songs in and already we’re into a heavy jam session, to which Danielle tells the crowd: “Just imagine you’re in LA in our Living room”. Having originally started off as a family band called ‘Rockinhaim’, it’s not difficult to imagine the sisters jamming away in their living room and steadily progressing their sound into a more r&b-folksy vibe with 80’s influences, celebrating the simplicity of percussion and beautiful harmonies. Their intense jam session (a cover of ‘Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’) highlights the girl’s technical ability, musical talents and energy as they dominate on guitars and percussion to an ecstatic crowd.
With their debut album ‘Days Are Gone’ just days away from release, the girls give us a taster of some new material to which Alana comments: “We thought we’d do something special for you guys and play a song that’s on our new record called ‘Honey and I’ and we reworked it especially for you too.” ‘Go Slow’ provides a nice change of pace in the set, but one that’s short lived with Alana declaring: “It’s Saturday night we should be raging – I need to feel the floor shake”, before launching full speed into ‘Send Me Down’.
Fan favourites ‘Don’t Save Me’, ‘Forever’ and ‘Better Off’, are a testament to why HAIM are headlining iTunes festival. The energy the girls bring on stage is next level and their love of music just shines through. During ‘Forever’, a montage of childhood memories are displayed on the large screens behind them; a special moment displaying home footage of the girls playing in the snow, performing in school shows, to the present day where the girls are dancing in front of the Union Jack flag.
Not only do the girls display a serious amount of talent, HAIM sure know how to entertain and interact with the crowd, with their humorous banter about chocolate caramels, receiving Jelly Tots from the crowd and their declaration of love for Percy Pigs. Este sure isn’t taking any more chances, after her diabetic sugar crash onstage at Glastonbury!
HAIM close their electric set with none other than ‘Let Me Go’ followed by an immense drum-off, making reference to Estes previous comment: “We have drum battles in our living room all the time… I usually win them” If that wasn’t enough, Este kicks off her boots and launches herself into the first few rows crowd surfing.
With the release of their highly anticipated debut album ‘Days Are Gone‘ set for release on September 30th, HAIM made sure this was one performance that would have you pre-ordering their album immediately. Having started off the year on a high winning the coveted BBC’s ‘Sound of 2013’ poll, the HAIM sisters, now signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation label, have proved their a force to be reckoned with as the world fall in love with their California rock vibes. ‘Days Are Gone’ is available to pre-order now!
Supporting HAIM on the night were an impressive list of artists including 20 year old singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin, Manchester based Bipolar Sunshine (Adio Marchant), and 23 year old singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dan Croll. Gabrielle Aplin took to the stage with her 4 piece band, for an impressive 9 track set list including well-loved tracks such as ‘Keep Pushing Me’, ‘Panic Cord’, ‘Power Of Love’ and ‘Home’. Gabrielle, who last year supported Emeli Sande, has such a confident stage presence and happily interacts with the crowd for a sing-along, as well as displaying her beautiful vocals and musical talents on piano and guitar; a true star that has an extremely bright career ahead of her.
Be sure to check out full highlights from the night at http://www.itunesfestival.com/ as well as streaming upcoming live performances from Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Katy B, Justin Timberlake, Iggy Azalea and Katy Perry.
Indie rock band ‘Vampire Weekend‘ have released a new double A-side single ‘Diane Young/Step‘ as well as details of their forthcoming album ‘Modern Vampires Of The City‘. After almost 2 years in the making, this will be the groups third album and serves as the follow up to 2010’s ‘Contra‘ and 2008’s self titled ‘Vampire Weekend‘.
‘Diane Young‘ packs a punch with it’s upbeat melody, grunge style guitars and Ezra’s quirky vocal distortion, creating a thoroughly infectious track. ‘Step Up‘ offers a completely different vibe with it’s laid back retro melody and reflective lyrics “Wisdom’s a gift but you’d trade it for youth/Age is an honour, it’s till not the truth”.
Having recently closed SXSW in Austin, TX, the NY quartet premiered ‘Diane Young‘ and ‘Ya Hey‘, both of which will feature on their forthcoming album. ‘Modern Vampires Of The City‘, is set for release May 7th (a week later than expected) and is available to pre-order from iTunes.
With legendary Coachella just a few weeks away, the band are also set to play ‘The Troxy‘ London on May 2nd. Full list of live dates can be found here. Be sure to check out front man Ezra Koenig’s recent collaboration with Major Lazer on ‘Jessica‘, taken from the forthcoming album ‘Free The Universe‘.
The tracklisting for ‘Modern Vampires of the City’ :
From Jake Bugg to the Strypes – the classic vintage vibes are certainly striking a chord in today’s music scene. Meet Ruen Brothers; akaHenry and Rupert Stansall from Scunthorpe, who are the latest groupto emerge from the ever successful BBC Introducing, supporting unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar musicians.
Having successfully submitted their music via Radio Humberside in January 2013, the duo quickly gained momentum with their 60’s rock ‘n’ roll vibes and it wasn’t long before they were featured as Zane Lowe ‘Next Hype‘ record. Huw Stephens is also a big supporter and last week invited them to the legendary Maida Vale studios for a special BBC introducing session. Be sure to check out their 4 track set here.
Their latest track ‘Aces‘, which featured on the BBC Radio 1 playlist for BBC introducing, is an instant classic with its sweeping vocals, catchy upbeat hooks and massive feel-good chorus, that’ll have you singing along to in no time. Such a strong and unique sound that is sure to propel them further into the spotlight.
You can catch Ruen Brothers at the BBC Introducing Showcase tomorrow night at The Borderline, alongside Ady Suleiman and Indiana. The duo are also set to support Willy Moon at London’s XOYO on March 5th. Check out the official video for Aces below and enjoy the classic sounds of Ruen Brothers.
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