Go! Team live tracks

The Go! Team hail from Brighton, and have a sound so upbeat you will want it to be summer, not this pathetic drizzle that still lingers about like a nasty smell. Their sound is such a unique and happy one that McDonalds approached the band to use a track in a comercial. Of course, the band laughed at the idea.

To describe The Go! Team is a lengthy task. Featuring hip hop samples, white noise guitars, string and brass arrangements amongst other instrumental exploitations/explorations, the group stand out in a music scene over saturated with simple indie/guitar acts. The Go! Team are something else. But, obviously, you will know this allready. So here are some mp3's of college radio session, including track "The Ice Storm" not featured on the amazing debut album "Thunder, Lightning, Strike".

mp3: The Go! Team - "Huddle Formation (Live)"
mp3: The Go! Team - "Junior Kickstart (Live)"
mp3: The Go! Team - "Bottle Rocket (Live"
mp3: The Go! Team - "We Just Won't Be Defeated (Live)"
mp3: The Go! Team - "Ladyflash (Live)"
mp3: The Go! Team - "The Ice Storm (Live)"

Links:
The Go! Team

¡Forward, Russia! early demos

¡Forward, Russia! are a Leeds based, number loving four piece, and if you haven't heard their blend of The Rapture meets At The Drive-In dance-punk, you really need to check them out. With only several singles to their name, all of which have been released on guitarist Whiskas own label dance_to_the_radio (who have released music by the likes of This Et Al and iLiKETRAiNS), they have caused quite a stir on the UK scene, touring with the likes of Biffy Clyro and VHS Or Beta. This year should see them ascend the slot of support band, and become a headline act to be reckoned with.

Their next single to be released, "Nine", will be available on the usual formats on Monday 24th April on the dance_to_the_radio label, and will be followed by the bands debut album "Give Me A Wall" on Monday 15th May, also through dttr. The album is produced by Paul Tipler (Idlewild) and will have 11 tracks, ten of which are all new recordings, the eleventh track being January's release, "Twelve".

As a treat for those of you who are yet to have caught the band, below are the links to download their May and August 2004 demos which brought them to the attention of the likes of NME amongst others. Enjoy.

¡Forward, Russia! - May 2004 Demo
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "One"
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Two"
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Four"
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Five"

¡Forward, Russia! - August 2004 Demo
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Three"
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Six"
mp3: ¡Forward, Russia! - "Seven"

Links:
¡Forward, Russia!
dance_to_the_radio

People in Planes

Cardiff's very own People in Planes are shortly to release their debut album, titled "As Far As the Eye Can See". Produced by Sam Williams (Supergrass, the Mystics), the album looks set to go down a storm both here and in the States.

The band, who were previously known as Tetra Spledour (who were previously known as Robots in the Sky), have a sound a kin to REM, Smashing Pumpkins, and as it is revealed not suprisingly, Supergrass. Talking of their origins, Peter Roberts (Guitar) recalls himself and Gareth listening to "I Should Coco" by Supergrass:
"We just listened to it nonstop all day, every day," Peter says, "That's the one that made us want to be in a band. So when it came time to record what would become As Far As The Eye Can See, Sam Williams, who produced I Should Coco, was an obvious choice."

You can hear the first single off of the album, "If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)" by clicking the mp3 link below. The track, which first appeared on last years "Talking Heads" single on Trigger Industries, has since been re-recorded and revamped (as well as renamed) and is a prime example of the bands brit rock-influenced sound.

The album "As Far As the Eye Can See" is to be released on the 28th March on Wind-Up.

MP3: People In Planes - "If You Talk To Much (My Head Will Explode)"

Links:
People In Planes

Something Glorious is About to Happen...

Okay. So I have decided to start a new blog, abandoning my livejournal, which I rarely visit, to attempt keeping a regular music related blog here on blogger. Chances are I won't be able to keep it up for long, but regardless, I will at least try.

First, a little about myself. I'm Graham, 19, and I am a first year student at University of Wales Aberystwyth studying English and Film & TV Studies. When not at Uni I reside with my parents and my sister in Telford, Shropshire, which is not far from Birmingham. My hobbies mostly revolve around music; collecting records, playing guitar, playing in a band, djaying. That said, I also enjoy art and photography, the latter being one of my great intrests which I have sadly neglected whilst at university... the price of Polaroid film (my favoured medium) being too expensive at the current time. I have also self-released several mini comics of varying (poor) quality with my good friends Robert Brown and Gareth Cutter, and between us we have our own self-publishing label, Mindlube Productions.

So we move onto why I decided to create this blog. I see a lot of other music-related blogs out there, and I thought it would be a good way of me to share my thoughts on bands, links to sites if interest and share with you links to music I feel is worthy of you checking out.

I shall begin my postings with a recent dj setlist from my set at Indiesoc (the Monday night Indie club, held in the Angel, Aberystwyth) from the 13th March 2006. Gives you a taste of the kind of thing I play during a set which is (I imagine) for an audience who wants to hear some 'hits', so to speak, rather than total obscurities. Anyway, here is what I played:

1. The Departure - Be My Enemy
2. The Go! Team - Bottle Rocket
3. Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz
4. Mclusky - To Hell With Good Intentions
5. The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers
6. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
7. The Smiths - This Charming Man
8. Pulp - Mis Shapes
9. Joy Division - Transmission
10. The Cribs - Hey Scenesters!
11. Kings Of Leon - Four Kicks
12. Bloc Party - Helicopter
13. Test Icicles - Circle. Square. Triangle
14. Smashing Pumpkins - Today (Request)
15. We Are Scientists - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
16. Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down
17. Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot
18. The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love
19. Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To

As you can see it's mostly made up of contemporary artists, with a few classics thrown in. At some point I will post some older sets which are from different time slots, which has meant I have played tracks I wouldn't during another.

Currently listening to:

The Blood Brothers
"Crimes" (V2; 2004)