PREMIER: Slydigs - Bang Bang & My Bullet Was Gone (Music Video)

Slydigs have come to my attention and I've spilled a great cup of coffee sitting up so fast. Yes, these guys are a serious RocknRoll outfit. I'll tell you how I know this almost instantenously its because of their hair. If a rock band has great hair there gonna go far and Slydigs have the best hair since Arctic Monkeys in my opinion.

The British rockers from Warrington in the North West of England remind me of early records made by super successful Aussies Jet who are one of my all time favourite rock acts. After watching "Bang Bang & My Bullet Was Gone" it's safe to say we're all seriously impressed at TMR. Co-editor Volita immediately said she loved them and that was 30 seconds into the video!

The highlights of the tune are the musicians powerfully playing in unison to support the song, the brass section thundering in and out as a hook and the vocals that cut through. Because lets face it if your vocals can't cut through a rock n roll track your in a precarious position, thank goodness these vocals have more cutting power than a commercial lawn mower while being sweeter than lemonade.

I'm also blindingly taken back by the cinematography of the music video that gives the viewer a privileged glimpse into how real RockNRollas play on the road. The lush stage lighting also adds buckets of finesse and glamour. I also really dig Slydigs attitude towards music. It's a take no prisoners gun on the trigger approach and they mean business. I mean the video could have easily been by Kasabian! or another notable act who top the charts on the regular.

I usually don't get so fired up about a new Rock Band this early in the year but Slydigs have bucked the trend and I'm stoked. I also want to mention that lads image is on fire. So stay tuned if your ready to rock with the electric Slydigs in 2014. The group have told me they will be hitting the studio with producer George Shilling a mainstay of Primal Scream and their legendary records. The E.P's release is scheduled for April/May and they plan to hit the road all round Europe to support the release.

May the Rock Gods be with Slydigs in 2014

Rock On TMR

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Musings about MGMT - Musical Heroes of a Lost Generation

MGMT is an interesting band for a mirade of reasons. Just today I was scouring the internet and revisiting the duo's early music which I adore. However, what caught my eye on account of if it being spread all over the internet was a 'riff' about the duo being bemused by success. It became apparent through a bit of reading that the pair were severely caught off guard by the maniac success of their first album "Oracular Spectacular". If you think about it does seem at odds with coherent thinking that two indie rockers would spawn 3 serious mainstay  anthem in modern times. No wonder the band was confused as well because they'd actually released runaway hit 'KIDS' 3 times prior to platinum sales of their so called 'debut album'. Fortunately the unassuming debut record by MGMT instead of becoming a commercial failure founded a place in the hearts of countless children worldwide as a very sought after record. 

Unfortunaetly there is a sadness tinged to the inspiring success of MGMT. As they became a band decidedly against grasping the power of music in their hands, unknowingly dealt to them by a dice roll of fate. It does seem resoundingly sad that the success of "Oracular Spectacular" could poison the band against their artistic abilities to solidify the new psychedelic/pop phenomena the band had discovered. In turn the long-term ill effects of success creating an unsettling affect upon the direction of the band. Some critics even stating that the band descended into a post "OS era" of musical degradation in which the pursuit of their damaged musical egos was paramount. 

Indeed the shock of having written some of the most populars songs seemed lost upon MGMT. One might even speculate that the hits they so unwittingly made saw them beckoned into a self-imposed state of prolonged depression. The effects of such problems discernible by the bands action in choosing to shun their new won fans by creating alternative songs which seemed paradoxically flawed. The fact that the mainstream didn't understand MGMT's later works was equally meet  by the undergrounds brooding resentment of their place in popular culture. I guess the saying it's lonely at the top isn't around for no reason. It also seems a musician can't simply make top tier songs from an alternative background see them cross-over into mainstream territory, then try reverse the recipe towards later indie acclaim. It seems no one has any interest in a band that seeks to re-enter the underground via the mainstream (an utterly foolish pursuit some might say). Perhaps the trappings of success are just to hard to miss! despite the problems of MGMT is it not unfeasible that they could still have derive some level of satisfaction by creating experimental hits. If they had added a potent underlining political message aimed at the youth it might have been a perfect endeavor. It almost doesn't even need to be said that chasing the illusion of reputation seems utterly pointless in music, especially when those that would viciously detract from your works are the same people you seek praise and acceptance.

Don't get me wrong i'm not saying there's anything wrong with the new music from MGMT. In all sincerity I enjoyed "Your Life is A Lie". The video was fun the cow-bell even golden live but  what i'm really trying to get at is the feeling of sadness created by a band like MGMT. It just seems crappy that a band who has the songs within them to compete with the greats (Bowie, etc), chooses to shun their responsibility by producing cathartic music for so many. Its like MGMT in  a way is like someone walking into a voting booth who in the end decides not to vote when they are faced with the conundrum of actually being able to. To be painfully frank it seems that the band is completely underestimating how many people are relying on them, crying out for them to flatten the trashy pop-stars of today whose music is gone tomorrow. 

Music lovers want a champion, no they need a champion and it hurts music and fans to the very essence when musicians who are able to create the envisioned master-piece deny them. On the very basis that to many people will find enjoyment in the new piece. Everyone wants MGMT two simple guys from Brooklyn to create another classic album because everyone else lacks the style and finesse to do it properly (like them). 

To put things in perspective people round the world are dying under oppression and although MGMT can't change that they can create a piece of art, world-spanning that can help address atrocities and reduce human suffering. 

If and it's a big if MGMT made a whole album of hits with a truly dark and political sub-text it would be the best album of the decade if not ever. What they are doing right now is great and sarcastically funny but it is second rung to art that reverberates around the world. Lord knows we could all do with a new record to cling too in these uncertain times. 

To sum up all I would ask of MGMT is for them to start thinking about others more who make up the lost digital Generation. Despite the world and it's beautiful technology corporate greed, corrupt politics and consumerist ideology still threatens human happiness. Musical Heroes are still needed and MGMT is one of them thats already  established. RockNRoll TMR

High Art + Low Art = Art 

The Cribs - A Medley of Great Indie Rock Songs

I was once a sceptic of The Cribs but I've changed my tune and really like them. They're a band with some solid integrity. They do exactly what they want and their music is refreshingly alternative. In a sense the guys write pop songs but they rock them out and don't worry about commercial factors.                 I for one completely agree with the bands rock ethos, because to be quite frank, no mistakes should be sanitized out of existence for greater sales. The main reason being that one runs the risk of ruining a potentially great song because of a miner defect. And lets face it you don't just throw something away because it's not perfect, at least I don't anyway. For me then the imperfection of The Cribs is why they're great because they stand for; great rock music without the dross that causes malignant creative rock hang-ups or should I say hang-overs laughs.

On a personal note I'm actually really keen to dig deeper and find the hidden gems scattered amongst their albums. I also just want to mention that the core band are all siblings and that makes them rock even harder for me. I remember people asked the lead singer once if he was worried about his album charting after the success of a previous record going number 13. He said he didn't give a f#uck as long as the record was better than the last. For him at the end of the day he just wanted to rock with his brothers and everything else was either irrelevant or close to it. Cool. Another thing I like about The Cribs is how they use their brains to twist things in a creative way lyrically and make fun of people that would try to detract from them, very inspirational :)

King Krule: The Snarling "Easy Easy" (London)

I recently found out about the fire King Krule and his song "Easy Easy". Critics have been comparing him to Billy Bragg and it's not hard to see why. His songs are powerful and his voice is ginormous. The aforementioned song has a refreshing, genuine and British vibe too it. It's not indie dross or mainstream crap its genuine music that is in this day and age can be quite hard to find. He actually reminds me a lot of the Arctic Monekys before they blew up. The song is an extremely emotional performance in which Krule sings about dead end jobs, zombie people and the drabness of life in general. 

However, despite the moross view of life offered by the young man that seeks to highlight how the bulk of the society is slowly being crushed to death, you just cant help but feel positive while listening at the same time (rare). It's this distinct talent of Krule to tie low points and high points of everyones life experiences together that makes him a compelling new artist.

I've also included his live performance on David Letterman that he smashed. Especially considering it was his American TV network debut in front of millions. On a side note what I think would be really exciting would be if Krule channelled a little more Johnny Rotten. Everyone knows that Krule can snarl and it would be awesome to see him hack at society even more than has done so far and more violently.  To sum up a brilliant new musician with cracker of a cricket swing :) Videos of the blazing Londonite below!! 
Moss Rock

 

Easy Easy:

Well same old Bobby, same old beat
Well yeah they got nothing on me
The same old clutch, same old streets
But yeah they got nothing on me
And easy come and easy go
Well yeah I'm sure I told you so
Well they just want you for your dough
Man I'm sure I told you so
And with your dead-end job
That's been eating away your life
You feel a little inside
The trouble and strife
And now you spend your evenings
Searching for another life
And yeah I think maybe
I think you've got them in your sights

[Chorus]Well, easy easy
There's no need to take that tone
Well easy
I'm on the telephone
Man just leave us alone

[Verse 2]Ow no I should've kept my receipts
Cause the sandwich I bought
Yeah it's been off for a week
And 'low Tesco's stealing my money
When positivity seems hard to reach
I keep my head down and my mouth shut
Cause if you going through hell
We just keep going

[Chorus]

Sleeper Agent's New Rock Single "Waves" - A Dose of Californication

Sleeper Agent is a young rock band from Bowling Green Kentucky, in the USA and hail from the same underground rock scene as Cage the Elephant. Both the bands veteran guitarists remember swinging around on bar tables and generally getting raucous in the early days of their "Rocknroll degrees" before snatching deals from the majors. After placing songs in car commercials playing packed out concerts with Weezer and generally being good dudes Sleeper Agent are back with their new single "Waves". The song is pretty chilled out and sings about relaxing in California, something that I can definitely relate too (and the Kings of Leons aka "California Waiting" cover).
 If you haven't been to Los Angeles the feeling is kind of hard to describe but you can capture it anywhere in the state. I guess it's just the pure dopiness underpinning the capital of world entertainment. And its not the dopiness of down and outers buzzing out on Sunset Boulevards in the middle of the night. Instead of picturing a dark nightmare try and conjure up a euphoric feeling, like living in a fairytale were everyone is satisfied. The reason for the happiness in LA is because everyone has travelled hundreds of miles across the U.S in the vast majority in search of opportunity a career or at the very least a good time. When I listen to Sleeper Agents song Waves this is what it reminds me of the very fabric of the West Coast built up over time and cemented by the carefree days and great vibes in the sweet sunshine. Perhaps the Chilli Peppers hit the nail on the head when they named that special buzz 'Californication'. Whatever it is The Eagles, Gram Parson and the plethora of other countless Californian legends didn't come out of nowhere. And neither did Sleeper Agent so keep your ears perked for the new record dropping early 2014, on Mom + Pop/RCA. On a personal note I am really looking forward to the rockier material on record. I just hope my computer speakers can cope with the  audio onslaught on full volume, fingers crossed they survive !!!    

RockNRoll The Noes

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The Neo-Kalashnikovs New Single: "Turn the Tables"

Here it is guys the new single "Turn The Tables" thanks for listening and rock on!!! :)

Oh Village: Say No to Wilco

What is the bands ethos and mantra ?

"Anything can happen"

Hey did it feel getting so far in the Youthink Magazine's Best Teen Band Competition sounds like there was some stiff competition taking out 2nd plae against 50 bands is one serious feat of endurance?

It was an awesome experience and we learned a lot. The best part was meeting other amazing young bands in our area.

Whats British Columbia like to play as a band and what is the kind of thing people do for fun there? hanging out at Sheetz lol ?

We don't have Sheetz here, but we looked them up and they look amazing. We would hang out at a Sheetz all day long!

Does Oh Village approach recording in a certain way? home studios or big studios? particular recording method for example completely live ?

We've done both home and studio recording, and we like both for different reasons. Our album was recorded at The Sound Suite in Abbotsford.

Which tracks are the band most proud off the album?

Restart and In This House because they exceeded our dreams.

Have you guys been playing your jams in neighboring states?

We have played a bit in some other Canadian provinces such as Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

How was it working with Steve Klassen on Headlights/Red lights E.p ? 

Headlights/Red Death was a great first step and a fun experience. It was like a first date between the band and Steve Klassen.

Where is the best place to get our hands on a copy of the awesome album Far Side of The Sea ?

At one of our shows or on Bandcamp. It's also available on iTunes!
  click here =   http://ohvillage.bandcamp.com/

 Would you guys like to be a band likened to Wilco  ?

In some ways, no.

Your guys music is really cinematic was that something you wanted to achieve?

I could see it easily scoring a great bit in a movie or climatic T.V event?

Thanks Moss. Though we've never made that a goal, we appreciate the comment.