140 characters

The new albums around at the moment reviewed in 140 characters or less, Twitter style.

Mumford and Sons- The Cave and The Open Sea

Rounding off their trio of EP's with their finest song to date ('The Cave') and standard B-sides. All well and good but an album now please?

Asher Roth- Asleep In The Bread Aisle

Laid back and confident but ultimately shallow. Will sell well to Uni students who identify with being a middle class urban wannabe.

Camera Obscura- My Maudlin Career.

Beautiful throughout- the Scottish sextet should hopefully achieve mainstream adulation with this, their finest work to date.

Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca

It's no coincidence that the female led tracks are the best here. As intriguing as it is frustrating Bitte Orca is its own worst enemy.

Golden Silvers- True Romance

Not as good as the demos promised- have ruined 'Arrows Of Eros'. However the twisted song-writing aligns them nicely as Mystery Jets Jr.

Noisettes- Wild Young Hearts

A nice mix of glossy pop songs alongside retro-soul. It's bizarre they are now a 'big' band but nice while it lasts. Car ad song still bad.

PJ Harvey & John Cale- A Woman A Man Walked By

Black Hearted Love promised a return to guitar slaying form, however this is a mish-mash of her recent output. For hardcore fans only.

The Virgins- The Virgins

Utter rubbish. Pointless wannabe hipster (imagine that?!) preening. Wants to be The Strokes sounds more like a really bad 80's boy-band.

That was all a bit negative wasn't it? Oh well, hopefully forthcoming albums from Jarvis, Patrick Wolf, Passion Pit and Maximo Park will impress. Not to forget the already reviewed Maccabees, Horrorsand Metric.

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New Music Monday

Welcome to Gigwise's weekly round up of all things new and shiny in music. Let us introduce you to two great new bands, recommend the five biggest tracks to hear, the weeks essential debut album releases and where you can see new music in your home town.

The XX
Four 19 year olds from London, The XX make dark and brooding music that is as introspective as it is indefinable. One of the great things that has come with the advent of the internet in modern music is the avenues and genres it opens up to people. No longer do artists stay in the confines of one style, instead they venture between folk and grime, between hip-hop and electronica. This style-skipping is reflected in The XX's music, refusing to sit still they play with dub basslines ('Stars') and juxtapose them with pop hooks and electric guitars all woven together by a hushed sense of tranquility. Recently signed to XL imprint Young Turks The XX are due to release their debut single 'Crystalised' soon with an album to follow shortly.

The XX@ Myspace

KASMS
From the East London scene that begat Ipso Facto and Televised Crimewave come the deranged and feral Kasms. Featuring ex-Test-Icicle Rory Atwell alongside star-in-waiting Rachel Mary Callaghan the four piece make a feral and trashy take on Riot Grrrl mixed with post-punk leanings. 'Bone You' is a spitting and flailing stab of a single that can only be made by the sort of bands who record hanging upside down at the end of dark alleys. Similarly 'Male Bonding' is a hook laden jerk punk workout of the highest order. KASMS release their debut album in May when they will also tour the country with Die! Die! Die!.

KASMS@ Myspace

5 To Download:

La Roux- Bulletproof
Following the brilliant 'In For The Kill' comes something even better. Bulletproof is another big slab of sassy 80's gloss and is mischievously being released the same week as Little Boots next single. Let the retro pop battle commence!

Mumford & Sons- The Cave
The folk troupe preview their third EP by streaming this track on their Myspace page. 'The Cave' is more of what we have come to expect from 'The Sons- epic and melodic hillbilly heartbreak.

Kill It Kid- Send Me An Angel Down
This Bristol band recently signed to Fat Cat Records (Home of fellow NMM favourites We Were Promised Jetpacks) and boast one of the most divisive sounds around. Following in the likes of Anthony Hegarty and Wild Beasts KIK main man Chris Turpin has a deep and rich voice that will entice and enthrall as well as create confusion aplenty. We think it's beautiful and hope you do too.

Apes & Androids- Nights Of The Week
Vaguely ridiculous music from the New York duo. Sounding like The Police covering the Baywatch theme 'Nights Of The Week' is sure to infuriate many but the uber-catchy hooks and ironic posing may snare more than a bit of attention. A nagging voice in the back of our heads says '2009's answer to Iglu & Hartly'.

Battant- Radio Rod
Stylish Anglo-Francais trio creating livewire art-punk. Think of Siouxsie fronting Devo (only not quite as amazing but good nonetheless).

Debut Albums out this week:
Dananananaykroyd release their long-awaited debut album 'Hey Everyone!' this week. Hopefully you don't need me to tell you that it's 12 non-stop supercharged hardcore pop songs that will leave you breathless and energised at the same time- a definite purchase. Elsewhere London based bloggers/promoters/ label No Pain In Pop release a compilation album featuring the likes of Telepathe, Abe Vigoda and Gentle Friendly whilst Still Flyin' set sail to their exubarant LP 'Never Gonna Touch The Ground'.

Hot Gigs:
Golden Silvers start their True Romance tour with dates in Nottingham, Stoke, Kingston and Oxford. School Of Seven Bells are on the road with Bat For Lashes playing in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and Birmingham. Italo-Disco revivalists Heartbreak play two dates in London and Lucy & The Catepillar plays in Bristol.

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Mumford & Sons- 'Love Your Ground' EP

Marcus Mumford, he of husky vocals and lead duties in this band, was Laura Marlings right hand man until very recently. Forget this however because it’s about the 28th most interesting thing about him. His band of sons are the latest in the Marling, Pistolet, Noah conveyor belt of London folk and they are possibly the best yet. Quite how Mumford & Sons have arrived so fully formed is anyone’s guess but the fact they have is a treat for us all. Having released their debut EP on Chess Club (It Hugs Back, Arks) in June the band return with another EP, more assured and even more achingly beautiful than last time. The music acts as a window into Mumford’s heart, a black and white wheel operated camera into a troubled soul.

‘Little Lion Man’ is a vitriolic self portrait reflecting on the demise of a relationship, “It was not your fault but mine, I really fucked it up this time didn’t I my dear.” With a jaunty beat and fast paced rhythm it’s easy to let the song slip by as an upbeat affair but listen closely and you hear a man tearing himself apart. ‘Feel The Tide’ is the lyrical polar but musical twin to the first track maintaining the poppy folk sound but infusing it with romantic uplifting words. The question raised with the bands of this ilk like the aforementioned Marling, Charlie Fink etc is the legitimacy of it all. Can a person in their early twenties from a commuter belt town really tap into and embody a style of music that is rooted in the 50’s and 60’s with visionaries like Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan? Personally I believe that whilst acts like Mumford & Sons et al may have a clear lineage the passion and emotion that powers their songs is so impressive and touching that to argue over the origins of the harmonica and slide guitar seems churlish.

‘Hold On To What You Believe’ and ‘The Banjolin Song’ make up a more morose second half of the EP but that is perhaps M&S better side. With time to dwell and wallow the words really resonate and the swelling in the key changes takes on a more profound effect. It is perhaps too early to predict properly but don’t bet on Mumford & Sons taking 2009 by storm.

8/10
DIS LINK

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