Having the missing uke replaced by a second guitar, coupled with Elizabeth sounding more like Kirsty McColl  than ever is, however, more than adequate consolation for those disturbed by the initial discovery.

‘Capricornia’ is our first permitted peep over the wall into the hallowed garden of the second album or, as I understand that we’re legally required to refer to it, the long-awaited/much-anticipated second album, and it duly delivers on the areas that you’d hope and expect it to. Driving bass – check. Solid drumming – check. Bouncability – check. Catchy tune – check. Fab guitar building to a crescendo – che… hold on, where’s the classic Rains guitar build up? Where’s the bit where he takes it all up a notch lifting the track to another level? Hmm, it all sounds a bit too polished, a bit too professional, very, dare I say it, radio-friendly? Or is that just my natural paranoia creeping in?

I still like it a hell of a lot though and it’s unmistakably Allo Darlin rocking out – I suppose it’s just taking me a while to get used to the way it feels compared to past efforts. The second album, you may be reassured to hear, is still as keenly looked forward to as ever, at least in these quarters anwyay.

You can buy the new single from your usual supplier of fine pop tunes. Oh, and it’s backed with the rather lovely ‘Tallulah’ as well. A great heart-rending track only previously available on the Hangover Lounge EP.

Picture of Pulp

Britpop has been retired for some 15 summers now. It showered itself in glory for two bright years but the fame became too powerful and Britpop eventually swallowed itself whole, omitting the painful stench of excessive flatulence as it went.

However, sat slippered and bloated in its easy armchair, it can look back with pride on some of the cheeky scamps it spawned; mouthy chancers who could write glorious pop songs with verve and wit. And at the heart of that family is the bastard child called Pulp. The gangly, gawky interloper who finally found a home and friends in the mid 90s. But for Pulp, the story had begun long, long ago.

Three is not the magic number for Pulp. The band’s fourth album, His ‘n Hers, finally propelled them from the wings where they’d waited for 16 years. Most bands would have given up long before. But then most bands don’t have a Jarvis Cocker at their heart. And Jarvis Cocker’s strange and beguiling heart beats throughout the band’s first three albums.

Perhaps in light of Pulp’s recent comeback, Fire Records has decided to reissue the band’s early back catalogue: It (1983), Freaks (1987) and Separations (1992). Some of the tracks previously appeared on Countdown: 1992-1983, which Cocker compared to a “garish old family photo album” on its release and urged fans not to waste their money.

Like the awkward teenager, whose skin is too taunt for misplaced bones, Pulp needed time to grow into themselves. So it’s fair to say that, on their own, neither of these reissues is a pop classic. But then it can be fun flicking through old photo albums.

It is a collection of folky, whimsical portraits, all summer haze in the daisy parks. Cocker’s love of Scott Walker shines through on tracks like My Lighthouse and Wishful Thinking. And there are vocal mirrors reflecting the inflections of Morrissy. The acoustic arrangements are sparse and the lyrical honesty is a world-apart from the word-played wit that became Cocker’s calling card.

Jump forward four years to 1987 and Cocker has collected a new set of musicians, including Russell Senior, who would become an integral part of the band. Senior expanded Pulp’s sonic range, giving Cocker the scope to travel through darker landscapes. On Freaks his voice has changed, from the earnest wonderings on It, to a brooding, half-spoken, half-sung delivery, telling tales on the seedier underbelly of suburbia. The album is a midnight fairground ride, ringing with carnival chords borrowed from The Doors and an art-school ethic straight from the Velvet Underground.

By the time Separations was released in 1992, three years after it was recorded, Pulp already had pop gems including Babies and Lipgloss in their set. The album can’t match the band’s evolving songwriting skills and it never quite reaches the claustrophobic heights of Freaks. However, the first half showcases Cocker’s growing confidence and lyrical mischief: Don’t You Want Me Anymore contains the fantastic line “I’ve never seen you look as ugly as you did that night”. The second side of the album is an experiment with acid house stylings. It never quite works but did spawn the brooding frustrations of My Legendary Girlfriend.

Pulp fans will lap up the reissues. However, the albums are also well worth exploring on their own terms, especially Freaks. They contain all of the pieces that Pulp would eventually meld together; humour, pop-eared radars, delicious hooks and a kitchen sink disposition. Some bands were born and died within the confines of Britpop. Pulp were much too smart to implode. Their roots stretch back to 1978 and the strange teenage visions of Jarvis Cocker. Exploring those visions across a changing landscape is time and money well spent. All three albums have been remastered and repackaged and come complete with bonus tracks and liner notes from Everett True.

The BRIT Awards 2012

The BRIT Awards 2012 will be held at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday 21st February.  Below is a list of all the nominees, with my suggested winners in bold.

British Male Solo Artist
Ed Sheeran
James Blake
James Morrison
Noel Gallagher High Flying Birds
Professor Green

British Female Solo Artist
Adele
Florence and the Machine
Jessie J
Kate Bush
Laura Marling

British Breakthrough Act
Ed Sheeran
Anna Calvi
Emeli Sande
Jessie J
The Vaccines

British Group
Coldplay
Arctic Monkeys
Chase & Status
Elbow
Kasabian

British Single
Adele – Someone Like You
Ed Sheeran – A Team
Example – Changed the Way You Kiss Me
Jessie J featuring VOB – Price Tag
JLS featuring Dev – She Makes Me Wanna
Military Wise/Gareth Malone – Wherever You Are
Olly Murs featuring Rizzle Kicks – Heart Skips A Beat
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
Pixie Lott – All About Tonight
The Wanted – Glad you Came?

Mastercard British Album of the Year
Ed Sheeran – +
Adele – 21
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
P J Harvey – Let England Shake

International Male Solo Artist
Bruno Mars
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
David Guetta
Ryan Adams

International Female Solo Artist
Lady Gaga
Beyonce
Bjork
Feist
Rihanna

International Group
Foo Fighters
Fleet Foxes
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Lady Antebellum
Maroon 5

International Breakthrough Act
Foster The People
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Lana Del Rey
Nicki Minaj

British Producer
Flood
Paul Epworth
Ethan Johns

Outstanding Contribution Award – Blur

Critic’s Choice Award – Emeli Sande

MasterCard has announced the launch of an exclusive Priceless Duets competition to support its 14th year of partnership with The BRIT Awards.

Something For The Fans sees MasterCard cardholders offered the chance to sing a duet with the likes of Emeli Sandé, JLS and Labrinth.  The winners will be will be aired on the night of The BRIT Awards 2012 on ITV1. A dedicated website www.somethingforthefans.co.uk will give fans the opportunity to register and provide their audition videos, as well as the opportunity to win one of hundreds of pairs of tickets to The BRIT Awards.

The winning Priceless Duets will feature in the advertising breaks of The BRIT Awards with MasterCard ceremony, which will be broadcast on ITV1 on February 21st 2012.

Sponsored Post

The Words consists of Stephen Draper (vocals/rhythm guitar), Niel Rowbotham (lead guitar/back vocals), Tom Jackson (Bass/backing vocals) and Graeme Smith (drums), and their previous EP’s have gained airplay on 6Music, as well as being featured in a host of promotional campaigns.

The single Everybody’s With You is a real crowd-pleaser, and with its simple chorus and clever lyrics it’s a great way to gently introduce the listener to the slightly heavier sounds on the rest of the album.

Tracks like Head Over Heels are fun and innocent, telling the story of an unfulfilled crush with an appealing tune to highlight the quirky lyrics. Under the Sun comes just at the right time, with the lyrics “We were dancing in the bars, singing how the future’s ours, Wishing all those summer days would stay” reminding us that autumn is very nearly upon us.

Both Sirens, and Demons head in a more gritty, urban direction. They have an almost American Rock twist to them, yet manage to do so without losing the inherent Britishness that runs throughout the album, and throughout their previous work.

The band’s Manc background plays an important role in the music, and they have stated that their music comes from “the same buildings, the same weather, the same way of life”. Following in the footsteps of other uniquely manc acts, they have said it is “not stereotypical ‘Manchester music’, but it is music made in Manchester…and that’s generally a good thing”.

The Words forthcoming UK live Dates:

11th November
O2 Academy 2, Islington

12th November
Album Launch Show, Factory 251

19th November
Vintage Rockbar, Doncaster

Many audio devices today come with some sort of headphones as part of the package. Right now, ear buds are a popular design for these. Usually the model that comes with the device is of the most basic quality. Therefore, it is generally a good idea when you purchase an audio device to replace the standard headphones.

When replacing these headphones consider buying a pair of what are known as Noise Cancelling Headphones. These are different than most standard types of headphones, they come with a built in microphone on the external part of the headphones. Outside noises at different frequencies are picked up by this microphone, the noise is then processed and the headphones are able to produce a sound that is the exact opposite.

Because of this, the offending sound is effectively cancelled out before you can even hear it. Therefore, background noises are effectively eliminated, which makes for a better music listening experience. Noise cancelling headphones are able to produce high quality sound and must be operated with batteries since they work to cancel out noises. Even though these headphones use batteries, not a lot of voltage is needed, so the batteries do last quite awhile. If replacing batteries is a concern, rechargeable batteries are a good choice.

If you’re rather fond of the ear buds style of headphone that comes with most devices, you are still in luck if you want to go with noise cancelling headphones. You can purchase these in both in the ear and over the ear models. Therefore, you can still have the convenient fit of ear buds.

Many commuters find that they work well to get rid of unwanted sounds associated with commuting. Also, many studies have shown that this excess travel noise can often cause fatigue, as a result, when these sounds are blocked, you can feel much more energized after your commute.

Alexander Tucker - Dorwytch

There should be a golden shelf in every home, where pop-hearted pickers can freely roam; making misty-eyed happiness with the chiming beauty of The Beach Boys’ I’m Waiting for the Day, or parading a summer-sun swagger with The Stone Roses’ Sugar Spun Sister. A shelf of three-minute soul-lifters that brighten every corner.

But sometimes those corners need shade; somewhere to rest weary limbs, lie back and drift away. This is the musical time and space that Alexander Tucker inhabits, a place where fragile emotions can bathe in the afterglow ripple of familiar shadows.

From a man who began his musical career fronting hardcore band Suction, Dorwytch is a beguiling marker as to how far Tucker’s sonic sojourns have taken him. At the turn of the century Tucker waved goodbye to band life and took the solo road, experimenting with folk-picked patterns, electronica and looped textures.

Dorwytch brings together all of these elements, loosely spun with minor-tuned string arrangements to create an otherworldly backdrop for Tucker’s intertwined melodies. Like John Martyn and Kevin Ayers (on a Whatevershebringswesing trip), Tucker embraces the ageless folk tradition of weaving instrumental soundscapes with heart-ripped lyrics. The stories are strange enough to conjure images of sheet-strewn dreams but who needs literal meaning when the resulting tapestry is so rich with emotional memory.

The pace of the album shifts very little. Opening track His Arm Has Grown Long picks up on the background drones and more pastoral elements of Led Zeppelin III. While the soft-buzz, electronic swell of Half Mast is spiritualised and laser guided, whispering half-promises of shifting tone into melody. Then, in the slow-motion beat of a lidded eye it dissolves into twinkling pulses.

This lack of shift creates the odd stumble, such as Pearl Reilcs, which lacks the mesmerising, layered pull of the tracks around it. But it’s easy to recover your position from a stumble. So assume a lose-limbed posture, close your eyes and open the door to Dorwytch, a soft-smiling friend that isn’t laden with answers and opinions but knows where you’ve been.

Alexander Tucker has a number of live dates over the next two months.
Thu  Mar 24     London, UK      Borderline
Tue  Apr 12      London, UK      Madame Jo Jo
Fri  Apr 15       London, UK      ICA
Tue  Apr 19     Liverpool, UK   Don’t Drop The Dumbells
Thu     May 12          Brighton, UK    The Great Escape

Catch up with Mr Tucker on myspace.

There are no videos yet for Dorwytch but you can watch Tucker’s version of Rodeo in the Sky.

All of these tracks were recorded way before betting online became the norm, most of them hits before the internet even came in existence.

We have put together a list here of our Ten Best Gambling Songs.

1. Ace Of Spades by Motorhead

Lemmy and the boys never sounded as good as on this outrageously good slice of heavy metal rock. Great to hear the track re-worked in a recent commercial for beer, featuring the man himself.

2. Winner Takes It All by Abba

Maybe not the type of gambling that we had in mind, but anyone who has been subjected to a bitter divorce will understand what we are talking about here.

“I’ve played all my cards, and that’s what you’ve done too, nothing more to say, no more ace to play.”

3. Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears

The only decent Britney song, it always reminds me of the scene in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest where the inmates are playing cards and Martini just keeps saying ‘hit me’ throughout the game!

4. Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley

“Oh there’s blackjack and poker and the roulette wheel, a fortune won and lost on every deal.” Need we say more?

5. The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

The title track from Kenny Rogers 1978 Grammy Award winning album, fond memories of the singer performing this on the Muppet Show of all places.

6. Blackjack – Ray Charles

A cracker from Ray Charles that introduces us to the lyrics “I sat there with two 10s, I thought I’d have some fun. The dealer hit 16 with a 5, just enough to make 21.”

7. Three Card Trick – The Clash

The Clash may have been metaphorically speaking about the state of the UK on this track from the 1979 album London Calling, but it can easily be applied to gambling.

8. Luck Be Your Lady Tonight by Frank Sinatra

From back in the days when the Original Brat Pack were most likely to be found knocking back a few drinks, smoking and gambling at the glitziest Casinos, and no-one thought anything of it!

9. Poker by ELO

No other Electric Light Orchestra song manages to sound quite like this track, although it is distinctively ELO.

10. Beedlebum by Spike Jones

Not really a gambling song but it is about horse racing. This was one of the records that my father used to play to us as children, performed by the inimitable Spike Jones and remains a favourite forever.

Thank You

Words shape thoughts, distort lips and can lead to promises; promises that can be broken. So to unwrap the sonic thunder-flash of Golden Worry, mostly free from the threat of broken promises, is a visceral joy. There is no rhyme or reason, just untarnished feeling; the kind of raw emotion that Gang of Four, Joy Division, Animal Collective and Liars can muster at their instrumental best.

Since forming in 2006 Thank You have had all manner of words cast in their direction, words often used to try and pinpoint a sonic delivery that is hard to define; art, rock, post, progressive, punk. But we all know that words are just words and when music is this good they’re rarely needed, so I’ll try to be brief.

The opening, helter-skelter guitar rhythms of 1-2-3 Bad could lead to the sort of pleasant but undistinguished 4x4, all-terrain angst-thrash employed by many an indie wannabe. Thankfully, ten seconds in the percussive lines are drawn, a rousing clarion call to the guts of freedom.  There is no set verse, chorus, middle eight structure, just distorted attacks that coarse and pulse on the chopped, hypnotic flesh-skin sea – a malleable template for the rest of the album.

Like a pre-division Warsaw Thank You alter tone and texture, sometimes subtly, often with right-angled force, with such skill that numbed and bleached emotions are beaten and bruised into action. But melody is not left to rot. The lilting organ refrain on Birth Reunion skips into view clutching Jamie, Wordsworth and the magic torch; before descending into rousing, pick-blurring flurry.

Thank You attack then refrain, caress then frighten, all the while clutching your hand with a breathtaking force, energy and grasp of the sonic promised land. It’s a promise they can keep alive long after the needle has lifted, when words only serve to pollute the air and sour the ears.

There are no live dates planned but keep checking the band’s myspace site.

In the meantime experience the born-again joy of Birth Reunion.

Jim Noir - Zooper Dooper

“New Jim Noir EP to be released on 10 January 2011.” My saucer-moon eyes beamed at the press list. Still crater-faced, I tripped to Mr Noir’s website and, holy leaping cows, it’s already out there; zodiac dust, making psychedelic eyes at the stars, just waiting for you to press buy now. “Why now?” Well, come with me, back to 2006 and The Tower of Love…

Like all good affairs this one started with a coy glance, a glint in the passing sun; The Tower of Love. Jim Noir’s debut album comprised home-spun EPs, weaving rhythm, melody and harmony into a multi-hued, magic carpet ride. Its swirling organs, shifting times and surround-sound hooks snaffled many a music critic. Washed ashore, on the other side, The Guardian proclaimed Jim Noir “a Mancunian Ziggy Stardust” while others painted happy faces in the direction of Ray Davies, Brian Wilson and The Super Furry Animals.

The red-hand-gang simplicity of Jim Noir’s songs casts a synthesised, glycerine spell, stroking the spine in nostalgic waves and recalling moog-powered journeys from the late 70s and early 80s. And the simple approach is at the heart of Noir’s musical method. “Once you get older and start analysing music you start to limit yourself.” he says. “When you’re a kid you don’t try to do anything, you just want to do it. I don’t sit there and work the music out, I just press record and play something and that’s it. It’s all improvised. I never work on anything for long at all. It either comes together very quickly or I chuck it.”

Watch Jim and his band perform My Patch, from The Tower of Love.

On new EP Zooper Dooper this pre-pubescent, speed-ball approach is immediately evident. Kitty Cat funks into view with a childish swagger, swapping Starsky and Hutch Top Trump grooves under the playful gaze of Chorlton and the Wheelies. Noir’s skill at taking simple refrains, then refracting and reflecting them via a myriad of harmonious sonic textures, is infectious. Riffs and melodies latch on to cranium creepers, swinging forever more in the memory’s breeze.

She Flies Away With My Love nods and winks in the direction of the fantastically pastiche theme tune for Look Around You. While the instrumental Zooper Dooper hints at the spectrumatronicalogical sounds of Fonda 500. The final three tracks showcase another of Noir’s inimitable skills; presenting pathos-flashed stories with a lonely classroom charm.

After a hard drive meltdown last year, it has taken Jim Noir longer than he planned to release a new album. But with one due in 2011, Zooper Dooper is a star-lit launch pad for what will surely be a hook-laden slice of psychedelic pop.

Only one Jim Noir gig is planned before the end of 2010, at Liverpool’s Static Gallery on Friday, 3 December. To keep up-to-date with live appearances in 2011, keep checking Jim’s website.

Listen to Cars, the closing track on Zooper Dooper.

Stuart Turner and The Flat Earth Society

Steal between the shadows of polished perfectionism and chaotic disintegration and there hangs a well, strung from the bowed arm of midnight. Its keeper is rather particular, inviting very few to sup the broiling liqueur and even then, administering doses that rarely last a lifetime. But those affected few become cursed with that rarest of things…the blues.

There’s no time here to dissect the blues and study the violet ooze for meaning. But if we can start with the assumption that it seeps from within, gloriously discolouring the cradle and the grave, then it’s safe to say that, on the strength of his third album, Stuart Turner has the blues.

 Gin and Bitters is rough and melodic, tender and raucous, caustic and open-armed. It talks of love, fear, loss and hate; like all great blues the album paints dark and mysterious shades across the unfathomable lands that connect the clichéd watchtowers of human emotion. Musically, Stuart Turner effortlessly shifts shape, amalgamating many forms from folk and swamped psychedelia to stomping, swirling rock and the delta plains.

Album opener Shimmy bursts into life with beef-hearted power. In the throat-busting vein of Don Van Vliet and Tom Waits, Turner’s voice is a flayed and ragged force that can strip skin and rattle exposed bones. Happy Lazarus casts the same eye-moistening spell conjured by Roky Erickson on True Love Cast Out All Evil before breaking down somewhere south of the main street exile. And the spirit of Robbie Krieger’s sliding guitar drops haunt the driving anger on Essex.

The well may reflect classic freeze-frame images of the past but then those drawn to the well often have a lot to share. And gaze into the mirror, boy, and the blues is your own to find. And framing the blues of Stuart Turner is The Flat Earth society, a simmering concoction of bubbling guitars, popping backbeats and, at times, frontline brass.

Steal between the shadows of polished perfectionism and chaotic disintegration and there hangs Gin and Bitters, strung from the bowed arm of midnight with a snarl on its chops and blue-suede blues in its stride.

Get a taste on Spotify or buy from most embittered online retailers. Gin gin…

Visit Stuart Turner online