Still one of the most interesting and inventive acts to have appeared in recent years, PSB’s highly conceptual blend of styles and textures is yet to grow old. Quite the opposite in fact, as in ever track we hear appears to add a new dimension to the group.
‘Signal 30’ is from their forthcoming debut album Inform - Educate - Entertain and adds a thrilling yet menacing edge to the electronic-rock-meets-archival-footage template that we so enjoyed on The War Room EP. We might say that Wildgoose has serious guitar chops if we didn’t think that was an absurd phrase, but suffice to say, he is a bit good at this music thingy.
If you like this then it’s also worth noting that there’s a free download of non-album track ‘New Dimensions In Sound’ to be had.
After being linked to by Summer Camp’s Elizabeth ‘Teenage Clothes’ has been doing the rounds on Twitter winning over everyone that’s given it’s fuzzy brilliance a chance.
As you’d guess from the album artwork there’s a Smiths influence in Heathers, but it doesn’t overpower what is two and a half minutes of joyous lo-fi pop. It’s certainly the most fun thing we’ve heard that’s come out of LA in a while, AND it’s a free download. Get on it!
Note: These guys aren’t to be confused with the Dublin based folksy popsters of the same name.
This is really great stuff from the Leeds-based group and has ensured that forthcoming debut album Say It is a record that we can’t wait to get our hands on.
Catchy and quickly paced, ‘London Bound’ has elements of Altered Images quirky pop and The Sundays shimmering elegance about it whilst crafting an indiepop sound that’s all their own. What’s more, it’s rather addictive prompting multiple plays in anyone but the most dead at heart.
It’s a free download too, and comes packed with a rather fine remix, courtesy of James Hare. Strongly recommended.
The title track of one of our favourite albums of last year, ‘English Weather’ is the latest single by ace popsters Paintings of Ships.
Keeping with their DIY aesthetic the video was recorded on the bands phone and details a day in the life of a threadbare teddy bear. It’s very sweet and should hopefully throw some more attention the bands way.
If you want more of a taste of their album you can get a free download of ‘Summer Love’ on our free Pop Kept Loud download EP, or check out the whole album at their bandcamp page.
50) Under-Esitmate The Girl - Kate Nash 49) Do You Really - Glow Kit 48) Bats In The Attic (Unravelled) - King Creosote & Jon Hopkins 47) Stop Kicking - Blood Red Shoes 46) Something New - Girls Aloud 45) State Hospital - Frightened Rabbit 44) Blue Dahlia - The Gaslight Anthem 43) Summer, Somewhere - Screaming Maldini 42) Listen To Your Head - Kaiser Chiefs 41) Dark Star - Poliça 40) Default - Django Django 39) Coastal Command - Wild Billy Childish & The Spartan Dreggs 38) The Pain Comes Easy (The Rest Is Hard) - Paintings of Ships 37) 3 Hearts - Johnny Foreigner 36) She Crows (Document Minor Emotional Breakdown #4) - Los Campesinos! 35) Beeswing - The Futureheads 34) Piledriver Waltz - Caitlin Rose 33) Food - The Lovely Eggs 32) Electricity - Arctic Monkeys 31) Beneath The Waves An Ocean - Future of the Left 30) Rent - Field Music 29) Sixteen Salteens - Jack White 28) My Heart Beats - Veronica Falls 27) White Noise - Gaz Coombes 26) Simple Song - The Shins 25) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift 24) Chi-Town - The Cribs 23) Season In Hell - Dum Dum Girls 22) Spitfire - Public Service Broadcasting 21) Always - Summer Camp 20) They Launched A Probe - The Winter Olympics 19) Centre of Your Universe - Internet Forever 18) Gold On The Ceiling - The Black Keys 17) Murmurations - Tall Ships 16) Tina Weymouth - This Many Boyfriends 15) Darth Vader - Standard Fare 14) The Battle Of Peterborough - MJ Hibbett & The Validators 13) Pelican - The Maccabees 12) Mind Control - Friends 11) After You - Pulp 10) Closer - Tegan and Sara 09) The House That Heaven Built - Japandroids 08) Under The Westway - Blur 07) So Long - Taffy 06) Leave Your Body Behind You - Richard Hawley 05) The Beach Girls And The Monster - Bordeauxxx 04) Hips And Lips - Maxïmo Park 03) Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us - The Darkness 02) Capricornia - Allo Darlin’ 01) The Mother We Share - CHVRCHES
There’s a small handfull of tracks missing, but it’s mostly complete. Thanks to John for compiling it.
Top 50 Songs of 2012
No. 01: The Mother We Share – CHVRCHES
With tip lists working overdrive it’d be easy to have second thoughts about naming ‘The Mother We Share’ as my favourite song of 2012 for fear of adding to the hype. But this list is nothing if it not honest and ‘The Mother We Share’ is my favourite song of 2012.
CHVRCHES couldn’t have arrived more perfectly formed if I’d invented them myself. They have single handedly yanked me out of a music-weary fug when I’d resigned myself to depleted music love in the second half of my twenties. ‘The Mother We Share’ made me believe once again that the music I love could go somewhere and touch many other peoples lives. It provided that colour which 2012 was sorely missing and could be nowhere but the top of this list.
Top 50 Songs of 2012
No. 02: Capricornia - Allo Darlin’
Perfect. I can only apologise for this not being No. 1.
Top 50 Songs of 2012
No. 03: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us - The Darkness
Never bet against The Darkness. Critics would say that they should never have made it in the first place, and few expected that a return would be successful. The comeback track needed to be incredible to make any of this possible, and here we are now with Hot Cakes being a Top 10 hit. ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us’ is the side of The Darkness that I’ve always seen, the side that understands that rock and roll comes with its tongue in its cheek or its heart on its sleeve – and catsuits don’t always have sleeves.
Top 50 Songs of 2012
No. 04: Hips And Lips - Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park have stated that they’re fully aware of how much they had to prove with The National Health, and it’s a compliment to the record that they’re one of the few to have come out of the indie rock collapse unscathed. Without a doubt this was helped by ‘Hips And Lips’ which stands out as not only one of their best singles, but one of the best tracks to have emerged in mainstream guitar music in the last decade. A juddering, industrial tinged beast, it sounds as though it could crack open the Earth’s crust.
