by Ed Biggs One of the unlikeliest sensations of the decade so far has been Sleaford Mods, a duo consisting of instrumentalist Andrew Fearn and lyricist / polemicist Jason Williamson. Live, they’re one of the most talked-about British groups in years, with an entirely minimalist set-up. Take their recent Glastonbury performance: Fearn plays a pre-recorded track on his laptop and sips from a can of lager, while Williamson does all the
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by Ed Biggs Ducktails is the side project that Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile operates in tandem with his duties in that group. Over the course of six years and four albums, it’s expanded from his solo recording outlet to a four-piece group signed to Domino, one of the most prestigious indies in the business. Just like the New Jersey three-piece that is fast becoming one of the most essential American
by Ed Biggs “We want to create a new standard for the over-50 rap acts” said Chuck D in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, speaking just after the surprise release of Public Enemy’s 13th album. As one of the most influential acts during the ‘golden age’ of hip-hop in the late ‘80s, Chuck, Flavor Flav and Professor Griff have been raging against the machine for much, much longer than they
by Lauren James & Ed Biggs As the auteur behind Tame Impala, arguably the most celebrated new guitar band of the 2010s, Kevin Parker is nothing but an experimentalist. As soon as the world had begun to demand more of his retro brand of ’60s-inspired nu-psychedelia after the critical and commercial triumph of 2012’s Lonerism, he announced that he was jumping lilypads to a sound that is more synth than fuzz; more hipster,
by Ed Biggs It’s taken a five year absence to remind us not to take The Chemical Brothers for granted. With only the soundtrack to the independent film hit Hanna and a live album and theatrical release Don’t Think to tide us over, the commercial dance scene has become totally overrun by the empty calories of EDM, so a reassertion of the nutritional goodness provided by that scene’s spiritual forebears is
by Matthew Langham New York duo MS MR, consisting of Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow, return with their follow-up to their 2013 debut Secondhand Rapture which featured the alternative-pop hit ‘Hurricane’. While they aren’t considerably well known and are considered hard to place in the alternative pop landscape, Plapinger is probably best known for owning New York label Neon Gold – which released early records by Haim and Marina &
by Ed Biggs Though they can occasionally offer an interesting insight into an artist’s influences, covers albums have a distinctly chequered reputation – no matter how varied the source material, it takes a truly exceptional artist to avoid the potential pitfalls of the exercise. While most can muster up one or two original interpretations, the attempt to do so a dozen times usually produces a flattening effect over the course of
by Lauren James I should know better than thinking “hotly anticipated debut” is for anything other than PR and lazy showbiz journalism, yet I still clung to the hope that the much buzzed-about Years & Years would deliver a sound to define 2015. Communion is crammed with the kind of slickly produced house-pop London does so well, yet even singer Olly Alexander’s boyband-perfect voice fails to carve any palpable emotion into
by Matthew Langham Breaking onto the scene in 2009 with her debut record Hands, Little Boots’ unique style on tracks including ‘Meddle’ and ‘Stuck On Repeat’ drew praise from industry critics, particular for her use of the Tenori-on and the Stylophone. Whilst her 2013 follow-up record Nocturnes was overshadowed by her electronic pop contemporaries including Lady Gaga, Little Boots (aka Blackpool’s Victoria Hesketh) is now CEO of her own record label
by Ed Biggs Operating as Four Tet for over fifteen years, Kieran Hebden has been one of the most consistent forces in the kaleidoscopic collection of sub-genres that constitutes British electronic music, with his 2003 album Rounds universally considered to be a classic. However, his last album, 2013’s Beautiful Rewind, had all the elements that traditionally make up Four Tet records – gentle beats, downtempo rhythms and field recordings making up
