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Debut Album from Race Horses

Laura — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:34:08 +0000

Race Horses, formed in 2005, is a psychedelic garage-rock four-piece from Wales. Consisting of former schoolmates Meilyr Jones, Dylan Hughes, Gwion Llewelyn, and Alun Gaffey, Race Horses has been garnering wildly enthusiastic reviews from the likes of NME, Shindig!, and Clash Magazine for their debut album, Goodbye Falkenburg, released last month. They will reportedly playing at this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, TX.

After four singles, an EP, and a name change (from Radio Luxembourg), Race Horses has been working hard to define a unique sound, and what’s presented on this album certainly doesn’t disappoint. Though the influences by early 90s Welsh pop/rock group Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci are undeniable (all of their work to date has actually been produced by former Gorky’s member Euros Childs), Goodbye Falkenburg seems to belong to a class all its own. Mixed Welsh and English lyrics over trippy guitar riffs, tin-toy brass lines, clapping, ooh-la-la backing vocals, and ethereal four-part barbershop harmonies are common components of a Race Horses song. Tracks are complexly layered à la Bohemian Rhapsody while still weaving clear, brilliantly groovy melodies. In the vein of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Goodbye Falkenburg is as much a collection of fantastic songs as it is a thoughtfully, carefully, and deliberately assembled musical experience.

Celebrate the joys of baked goods by checking out their video for “Cake” from the new album below:

Photo courtesy www.myspace.com/racehorsesmusic © Owain Llyr 2009

Mercer and Mouse Find a Balance with Broken Bells

Hilary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:45:21 +0000

After announcing in 2009 that The Shins’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse would be collaborating on an upcoming album, anticipation for the release was instant. Finally, the album, featuring the already popular single “The High Road,” has been released (legally) and has already acclaimed some critical praise. The duo, residing under the name Broken Bells, involves Mercer on vocals, guitars, and bass, while Danger Mouse takes over the organ, drums, piano, and synths, as well as the album production. Although Danger Mouse is no stranger to collaborating with alternative artists, he does not shy away here from playing his part- rather than just supplying his samples, he is a major factor in the instrumentation and live recording. Mercer, in addition, reworked some of his more familiar tactics- he has taken up some different vocal styles (though the unique voice still remains undoubtedly his), adopting a more falsetto range and mellow style. And while his guitar work is undoubtedly there and pleasing, it takes a back seat to the overall sound of each carefully-constructed song. Though there may be a few kinks here and there, depending on who you ask, the combination of these two artists’ styles and respective strengths flows nicely and aesthetically. The overall product is perhaps best seen alone rather than as a combination of two artists, though it isn’t hard to see where the two shine respectively. As far as collaborations go, this one proved pretty successful- the blend of each artist’s style is balanced and fresh; though it is not the most eye-opening sound out there right now, it does certainly stand out from the rest, and the duo certainly don’t clash when they are put together. And really, what more could you ask for with a combination like this?

New Gorillaz Video – Stylo

WBRU — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:41:53 +0000

Check out the brand new video from Gorillaz for the song “Stylo” off of Plastic Beach (out this Tuesday) below!

Foals’ New Video for Spanish Sahara

Gianna — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:29:11 +0000

I recently rediscovered Foals, a 5-piece band from Oxford, England. Although they received quite a lot of attention for their 2008 album Antidotes, they’ve been flying under the radar for a while—this means I was thrilled to find out about the release of their promotional single “Spanish Sahara” a few days ago. It seems that Foals have left behind the catchy indie pop sound they are known for and are headed in a different direction. I’m curious to hear the rest of their new material. Foals’ new album “Total Life Forever” is scheduled for release on May 10^th 2010. Check out the haunting new song (and beautiful accompanying music video) here: Foals – Spanish Sahara.

OK Go’s Duelling Videos

River — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:54:53 +0000

OK Go (whose lead singer, by the way, was a Brown grad, so there’s a little bit of Providence in them) is really best known for their geeky and enthusiastic music videos, and because everyone KNOWS they’re best known for their music videos, they’ve got to keep topping the last each time they come up with a new one. For their latest single, “This Too Shall Pass”, they’ve got TWO. But before we see them, a refresher course: A Million Ways and Here It Goes Again.

As for the new ones:

Marching Band version, which can’t be embedded (which the band is pissed about, by the way)

Rube Goldberg Device version

Which is your favorite?

Gorillaz: One Week Until ‘Plastic Beach’

Sam — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:16:36 +0000

That’s right! In a mere week, Gorillaz will release their third studio album and first album in five years. In true Gorillaz style, ‘Plastic Beach’ will be an eclectic mix of 16 tracks featuring collaborations from artists like Mos Def, Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, and more. Drawing from dance, hip-hop, electronic, and ethnic music, ‘Plastic Beach’ is sure to please fans of the virtual band’s previous work as well as attract new listeners. A sneak preview of the album is provided by NPR’s Exclusive First Listen.

Photos of The Used at Lupo’s

Gianna — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:21:11 +0000

The Used at Lupo's

Last Saturday I headed down to Lupo’s for my first major concert photography assignment for WBRU! I fought through the crowd to get to the front, set up my camera and eagerly anticipated the beginning of the show. Scrambling to get a good photo when The Used finally started playing was the ultimate rush! They put on a fantastic show. Check out some photos below!

Contra Conquers the Billboard 200: What Does it Mean for Indie?

Stephen — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:41:30 +0000

Temporarily beating out the likes of Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, Vampire Weekend’s Contra is only the 12^thindependently released album to ever hit #1 on the Billboard 200. I would argue that it is either the first or second “indie” album to top the charts, depending on how you classify Radiohead’s In Rainbows. Though it has now dropped below #50, Contra’s chart-topping success forces us to consider the future of indie. Does this portend the ultimate triumph of indie over commercial pop? Does it mark the death of indie? Does it mean anything at all?

Indie is everywhere. After years of ascent, it now truly permeates mainstream culture. Mainstream films like Where the Wild Things Are and 500 Days of Summer prominently feature indie acts like Karen O, Regina Spektor, and The Smiths. Perhaps more tellingly, even the most uninventive, commercially motivated films tend to include indie alongside mainstream hits (I’m thinking especially of last week’s Valentine’s Day, which included a song by The Bird and the Bee). Indie is the soundtrack for many commercials, ranging from Google’s recent campaign highlighting The National to Outback Steakhouse’s infamous campaign featuring jingles by Of Montreal. Even the Muzak Corporation, perhaps the entity that has done the most to commercialize music, has gleefully hopped on the Indie bandwagon – I can admit that I know from experience that M. Ward is on the soundtrack in Providence Place’s J Crew. Vampire Weekend’s #1 release seems to be definitive proof that indie has become mainstream.

In September, Nitsuh Abebe wrote an excellent feature for Pitchfork titled The Decade in Indie. In his conclusion, he discussed the growing tension between assessable, poppy indie (like Vampire Weekend) and more experimental indie. He refrained from making detailed predictions about the future of the genre, but concluded that “something is coming– some kind of spasm, some rearrangements of where things stand.” With the mainstream popularity of some types of indie, can indie remain a useful umbrella term? “Indie” has never been a particularly informative or specific title, and it may be nearing the end of its relevance. Are we ready to call Vampire Weekend pop, Daft Punk electro, and Wilco folk-rock? I think we might be.