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.

The Suffolk-raised 20-year-old released his acclaimed debut album ‘+’ in September 2011 and he hasn’t looked back since. The album, which is now triple platinum with over 900,000 sales, debuted at #1 in the official UK charts upon release and reclaimed the #1 title at the turn of the year.

Furthermore, Ed Sheeran has received the most amount of BRIT Awards nominations this year, for ’Best Male’, ‘Best Breakthrough’, ‘Best Single’, and ‘Best Album’ , with the ceremony taking place at London’s O2 Arena on February 21st. In addition to this, Ed received nods from iTunes (‘Best Newcomer 2011’), BT Digital Music Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’), BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards (‘Best British Single’) and Q Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist’).

Last year saw the release of the massive UK top 5 singles, ‘The A Team’, ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ and ‘Lego House’. No doubt the “flame-haired guitar genius” will continue this trend when he releases his new single ‘Drunk’ on February 27th.

Ed Sheeran UK Tour Dates 2012

October

Mon 15
London Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 20
Newport Newport Centre
Sun 21
Bournemouth Windsor HALL
Mon 22
Plymouth Pavilion
Sun 28
Birmingham Ballroom
Wed 31
Nottingham Nottingham Arena

November

Thu 1
Manchester Apollo
Mon 5
Doncaster Doncaster Dome
Wed 7
Hull Hull Arena
Thu 8
Blackpool Empress Ballroom
Sat 10
Newcastle City Hall
Mon 12
Edinburgh Usher Hall
Wed 14
Glasgow Barrowlands

Tickets go on sale Wednesday 25th Jan at 9am.

Death In Vegas play Camden Crawl 2012

Death In Vegas are to headline the opening night of the Camden Crawl 2012

The Camden Crawl offers 300 artists & events in & around Camden Town, London for 1 ticket over 3 days between 12pm – 4am between 4th – 6th May Bank Holiday weekend.

Officially the summer’s opening festival, The Camden Crawl is the UK’s definitive urban multi-venue arts showcase. 1 ticket gives you everything you could want from a cultural event, all in the proximity of Camden’s legendary venues. 300 new, established and emerging bands; the best comedy; exclusive, bespoke and pioneering performing arts; a fully interactive experience and loads more.

The Camden Crawl will introduce the Bank Holiday festival for the first time with an opening night marathon at Camden’s historic KOKO venue on Friday 4th May. As an explosive start to what promises to be the best Crawl ever, psychedelic electronic innovators Death In Vegas (aka Richard Fearless) will top the evenings bill which celebrates this landmark occasion.

“We’re really over the moon to be playing the opening night of this brilliant festival. We’re going to bring our full on sonic and visual assault to Koko, our first time playing this amazing venue and first time playing Camden Crawl.” – Richard Fearless

For more information visit www.thecamdencrawl.com.

Blink-182

Blink-182 have been confirmed to headline an Eden Session on Sunday July 8.

The Californian three-piece come to Eden following the release of their acclaimed sixth studio album Neighborhoods last September, their first record since the band split in 2005.

Blink-182, otherwise known as Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, are probably best known for 1999’s seminal Enema of the State, which went on to sell 15m copies and spawned perhaps the band’s most well-known singles All the Small Things, What’s My Age Again and Adam’s Song.

Enema of the State was Blink-182’s third studio album, following 1994’s Cheshire Cat and 1996’s Dude Ranch. It preceded 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and their self-titled fifth studio album, released in 2003 and heralding a more mature sound for the trio.

The band split in 2005 but reformed in 2009. New album Neighborhoods continues the band’s progression into more mature themes.

Blink-182 has sold more than 27 million albums in total and has won multiple awards, including Best New Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Rock Act at the same ceremony in 2001.

Martin Williams, Eden’s Marketing Director, said:

“Blink-182 are a great coup for the Eden Sessions. The band defined the pop-punk sound of the late nineties and early noughties, mixing catchy guitar hooks with lyrics that tackle serious issues in a humorous way. We’re really excited to be part of Blink’s return to the top and can’t wait to hear them perform songs from their long-awaited new album at Eden.”

Blink-182 are the second announcement for the 2012 Eden Sessions. UK soul and hip-hop star Plan B will headline a show on Friday July 6. More acts will be announced soon.

The Eden Sessions enter their eleventh year in 2012, following an acclaimed series of gigs in 2011, featuring Brandon Flowers and Pendulum among others. Previous years have seen performances from acts including Oasis, Kasabian, Mumford & Sons, Florence and the Machine and Muse.

Eden’s Inside Track scheme returns for the 2012 Eden Sessions. Members get a guaranteed pair of tickets to each show, with seven days to decide whether to buy them before they go on general sale. As well as priority booking and the latest Sessions news, Inside Track also gives members the chance to win exclusive Eden Sessions prizes.

Tickets to the Blink-182 Eden Session cost £35 plus booking fee and go on sale to Inside Track members today (Tuesday January 24) and on general sale at 6pm on Tuesday January 31. To book, contact the Eden Box Office on 01726 811972 or visit www.edensessions.com.

But can they play. Third album Helping Hands exceeds even the expectations raised by critical acclaim for their first two albums and they effortlessly, beautifully evoke it, without fanfare. Cello, as a lead instrument is a rarity in indie circles but it just seems right and is beautifully underscored by Viola. A shifting backdrop of understated guitars, bass and keyboards creates mood and variety, whilst the beautiful voice of John Blain Hunt picks out the lyrics.

A more self effacing frontman I struggle to bring to mind. Shyness, painfully observed, for songs which cry out to be played live; on listening to the album again, it does not quite capture the beauty evoked by live performance, carefully orchestrated changes of tempo communicated by soundless counting in or a quiet nod, it all seems meticulously rehearsed. I was captivated but this is plainly not everybody’s cup of tea.

Highlights of the set included “The day our voices broke“- available as a free download at present, and, “I am the butcher”, a skiffle tinged country number , a lush sound created by six string instruments knitted together by deliberate drumming.

An hour or so and it was all over. This was powerful, yet subtle stuff. The sheer craft on display is awe inspiring, wonderful music in an idiosyncratic setting made for a very different live music experience.

Earlier, support was provided by Darren Hayman, playing songs from The Ship’s Piano on a baby grand, accompanied by only spare and plaintive trumpet. Perhaps hampered by my lack of  familiarity with the material this was interesting rather than compelling stuff. but delivered with commitment and wit. A fitting support to what was to come later.

All in all, an evening of intelligent, moving pop.

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.

Ed Sheeran new single will be ‘Drunk’

Ed Sheeran has announced that his next single will be ‘Drunk’, released on February 27th via Asylum/Atlantic Records. He posted the video up online today – watch it here. It’s the 4th single to be taken from his triple platinum album ‘+’ which shot back to the top of the charts  at the beginning of this year 4 months after its initial release.

2011 was a phenomenal year for Ed Sheeran. With over 2 million records and 100,000 live tickets sold he was named as 2011’s Breakthrough Artist by Q, MSN, iTunes and the Digital Music Awards. Last week Ed received four  BRIT awards, shortlisted in the categories for British Solo Male, British Breakthrough Act, British Single for ‘The A Team’ & British Album of the Year for ‘+’.

Ed said at the time;

‘Exactly a year ago to the day I signed my record deal with Asylum/Atlantic Records. Today I have an album that’s gone triple platinum, 3 sold out tours and now four BRIT Award nominations. I’m over the moon! I really couldn’t have hoped for a better start to 2012.’’. He plays the first of two sold out Brixton Academy shows tonight in London, on the final leg of his UK tour.

The brand new video for ‘Drunk’ includes highlights from Sheeran’s last year out on the road as he toured up and down the country relentlessly. Watch it below and see if you recognise yourself… and some of Ed’s singer (and ginger) chums.

Ed Sheeran new single ‘Drunk’ is due for release on 27th February 2012.

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

Field Music

It seems nobody is ever indifferent to Field Music. Fans of their distinctive albums and joyful yet precise live shows love their intricate melodies and unusual time signatures, but to others they are just pretentious pseuds. The way the brothers Brewis grin at each other as they roam a stage swapping instruments can be mistaken for them being too pleased with themselves – I think they just love what they do. Dismissing them, and leaving before the end, my friend quipped that they might write a musical next…..

Perhaps with Plumb they have:

From the opening bars of “Start the day right” there is a whiff of musical theatre about this album. Close your eyes and you can see the Brewis boys arms outstretched West End musical style. But this is not a big departure, if  you didnt like the 3 albums released since they formed in 2004, you wont  like this. It is unmistakeably, brilliantly Field Music.

2nd track “Its OK to change”(of course they havent) has a signature nagging baseline and fades to an eerie sound of running water at the end which bleeds into “Sorry again mate”, mournful tuba and the usual close harmonies. Church bells on “A new town” add to the  eerie mood but this track is just an interlude really. Such slivers of music are a feature of the record creating atmoosphere(and explaining why an album shy of 40 minutes has 15 tracks.

The middle stretches of the album are characterised by more prominent guitars, bigger chords and piano such as on “Choosing sides”

“Who’ll pay the bills” is classic Field Music reminiscent of XTC, an easy comparison but they are no mere copyists, lush strings and orchestration on “So long then” is inimitably them. as is the beautiful mournful vocal interlude of “How many more times” in which they enquire solemnly, how many more times will you see the moon?

This is expansive ambitious music which repays repeated listening, there are fewer obvious pop singles than on earlier albums but “A new thing”, available pre release as a free download on the website is a contender, closing the Album on an upbeat note. My favourite though is ” Just like everyone else”(one thing you cant say about Field Music who are  quite unique) a trademark nagging bassline and insistent drumbeat which put me in mind of Secret Machines masterpiece “What used to be French”

This is a wonderful record- Classic Field Music, the same but different to what they have done before. If you like it look out for Brewis solo efforts; David released “Sea from shore” under the name School of Language in 2008 and Peter released an album under the name “The week that was“  the same year

This year, a new Peter Brewis solo work “One copy” can only be heard at The Lauriston Gallery in Sale(until January 17th), because there is only one copy…………now maybe that is a little bit pretentious?

Field Music release new album ‘Plumb‘ on the 13th of February on Memphis Industries.

In July 2011, nine years after they formed, Manchester’s Marconi Union released their fifth album, Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) and the first for the Just Music recording label.

Marconi Union is Richard Talbot, Jamie Crossley and Duncan Meadows.  They formed in 2002 when Talbot and Crossley met while working in a record shop and the following year released their debut album Under Wires and Searchlights, on the Ochre Records label.  But it wasn’t until 2005 that they released a second album, Distance, this time on the All Saints Records label. The following year they played the Big Chill Festival and Eden Sessions, as well as giving their first interview.

Further albums were released through their official website – A Lost Connection (released as a digital download in 2008 & CD in 2010) and Tokyo (2009).

Duncan Meadows joined Marconi Union on a permanent basis in 2010 and together they released Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1). The album drifts even further in to ambient layers landscapes of serene beauty while managing to effortlessly entwine elements and whiffs of dub, electronica, glitch and even Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Westerns.  As with much ambient music the album plays out like an imaginary film soundtrack.

My favourite album is Distance which shows a moody, darker side to Marconi Union while they were still toying with lighter beats stimulating the soundscapes rather than the atmospheric purity of Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) that errs away from electronica and towards a contemporary classical music.

Marconi Union are making wonderfully deep, thought-provoking music that should simply be heard and appreciated by more people; which is possibly the reason why Just Music will be re-releasing their first two albums in 2012, along with plans to release a new album next summer.

Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) has six beautifully relaxing tracks that blend into one another leaving the listener in a sublime state of relaxation.

Over the past nine years Marconi Union has quietly whispered their way into the consciousness of those looking to ambient music rather than X Factor 15 minutes of fame.  No fanfares. Their fan base is growing organically through word-of-mouth, without hype.  Their music is continuing to develop a style all of its own with each release.  If you haven’t already indulged your ears in the beauty of Marconi Union, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Album Re-issues
On 30th January 2012, Just Music will be re-issuing two albums by Marconi Union:
Under Wires and Searchlights & Distance.