Midweek Mixtape #6

After first thrusting themselves into view with the release of their no nonsense self-titled debut album earlier this year, the stock of Leeds punk rockers Eagulls has continued to rise with two recent scintillating performances on Letterman and Jools Holland. Their confrontational punk rock isn't displayed any better than in 'Possessed', as cascading, fuzzed out riffs collide with pounding drums and aggressive, shouty vocals to create an enticingly-toxic melting pot of noise.

Anton Newcombe may be a divisive figure at the best of times, but it is hard to argue with the peaks of The Brian Jonestown Massacre's long and occasionally-frustrating discography. When he's on form, such as in 1996's Take It From The Man!, there are surely few songwriters more talented than the enigmatic Newcombe. 'Memory Camp', the stand-out track from latest album Revelation, sees the band returning to scale those huge mid-90s peaks once again.

Mac DeMarco is another hugely talented songwriter making a welcome return: this time with the critically-lauded Salad Days, backed by the hugely enjoyable 'Passing Out Pieces'. A careful evolution rather than revolution from his earlier sound, don't let his 'oddball' persona mislead you into thinking his music is equally slack and carefree: 'Passing Out Pieces' is delicately put together with a sheen and confidence that mirrors DeMarco's flourishing skills as a songwriter.

Leamington Spa two-piece Coves are a group of counterpoints and contrasts: a boy and girl, guitar and drum duo who mesh crashing blues numbers with dreamy electronic sounds to create beguiling songs more reminiscent of the L.A. sun than the undoubted delights of urban Warwickshire. 'Beatings' sums up this intriguing aesthetic as it soars with the repeated line My heart stops beating for you before slipping into a psychedelic crack-out in its stunning finale: distorted guitars, crashing drums and bleeps and glitches battling for precedence at the heart of this psych-rock behemoth.

Midweek Mixtape #3

Kelis - Friday Fish Fry

Kelis has become somewhat of a musical chameleon over time. Her latest album, Food, was released this week, and the nu-soul motown swagger of the record makes for a totally refreshing listen - something which is becoming a common occurrence for the American singer. Brass-laden with a strong retro vibe, Friday Fish Fry is the crowning point of the record and Kelis' delicate, husky and raw vocals are perfect for this soul-tinged classic.




The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Goodbye (Butterfly)

Back once again with their latest offering of psych-rock, The Brian Jonestown Massacre have an handy knack of not particularly changing their sound throughout their career yet always managing to sound different. The exclusive Record Store Day release Goodbye (Butterfly) has the band in full flow, with frontman Anton Newcombe's vocals barely audible over a droning, addictive melody and the soft, Beatles-esque backing vocal 'doo doos' chant a constant in the background. Always different, yet still unmistakably The Brian Jonestown Massacre. It's a record only they could make.





Pixies - Greens and Blues

Indie Cindy, the first studio album from the Pixies since 1991's Trompe Le Monde, sees the indie rock legends occasionally return to their great heights - particularly in the trademark Pixies sounding Greens and Blues. Soaring Santiago guitar riffs together with Black Francis' strummed acoustic, the calm amidst a storm of noise, ensure the loss of bass player and songwriter Kim Deal hasn't knocked the band far off their near-peerless course.





Jamie xx - Sleep Sound

Not content with producing sleek, sophisticated, Mercury Prize-winning indie pop with The xx, Jamie xx has done it again with his latest release. His 2011 Gil Scott-Heron remix album We're New Here was a triumph, and he soon followed that with the majestic Far Nearer. Now, Sleep Sound sees the producer return to the sound that he has managed to carve out for himself in an astonishingly short period of time. Another banger.

Album of the Week #4

Artist: The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Album: Take It From The Man!
Year: 1996
Label: Bomp! Records

It's sometimes easy to forget just how bloody amazing this album actually is. Beyond the antics of Dig!, the documentary charting the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Dandy Warhols rivalry, the BJTM managed to release three, yes, THREE stunning albums over a 12 month period- and this was the pick of them.

Take It From The Man! is like the band have taken everything that was great about 60s British music: rock & roll, drugs and chaos, added their own unique brand of chaos, locked themselves in the recording studio for a couple of months and out came this. It's a mess, it's a glorious mess.

But the songs are remarkably strong. Your favourite song on the album will most likely coincide with your favourite riff - and there's riffs aplenty here. Straight Up and Down now trademarks Boardwalk Empire, whilst the 11-minute version is a rarity in that it genuinely never feels like an eleven minute song. It's a suitably epic conclusion to an album that rarely loses any momentum from the first track onwards.

The band absolutely tear through 60s numbers that recall the Stones at their riotous best, The Kinks at their delicate best and The Troggs at their, well, just The Troggs. They wear their influences on their sleeves - (David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six and My Man Syd are two example titles - but it never turns into a lazy pastiche of music that, lest we forget, is around 50 years old now.

Instead, the BJTM use that time period as a template and expand upon it. The sprawling Cabin Fever or the, sorry to mention it again, glorious closing track Straight Up and Down span over 7 and 11 minutes respectively- it's a snapshot of what these 60s bands might have sounded like in the modern day. Who?, B.S.A. and Mary, Please are similarly euphoric nuggets of raw, rifftastic, garage rock brilliance. There's not a studio trick in sight, and it's all the better for its simplicity.

If you've never heard of this album, check it out. If you love it, rediscover it. If you've never been convinced by it, give it another go. It's a set of 18 tracks that is pretty damned hard to dislike.