Holly Miranda

XL Records have pretty much owned 2009 from Friendly Fires ascent to hugeness to The Horrors reinvention via the emergence of The XX everything the label has touched has come out golden. 2010 is going to have it's work cut out following up but in latest signing Holly Miranda XL might just have struck good again. Holly has spent years in punk bands in New York but her solo work consists of delicate citadels of peace laced with acres of melody and emotion. Her debut record is due out next year and is produced by Dave Sitek. Holly has already worked with anther TV on The Radio member in Kyp Malone as well as being lauded by Kanye West earlier in the year- point being she's well connected.

Below is a stream of Holly Miranda's single 'Forest Green Oh Forest Green' which is out on November 9th in the UK.

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Album Of The Year #6- Friendly Fires: 'Friendly Fires'

ALBUM REVIEW
LIVE REVIEW

This St. Albans trio seemed to be waiting in the wings for an eternity. It was worth the wait though as this self titled album exceeded all expecttaions and shot the band into the stratosphere. Encompassing house, techno, electro, glacial pop and soul Friendly Fires craft and finely tune their material to it's optimum potential. Songs like 'Paris', 'Skeleton Boy' and 'Lovesick' are as danceable as they are romantic- for a dance record 'Friendly Fires' has some beautiful lyrics. There is no let up in the qaulity on display, from beginning to end it is 100% superb and deserves everybody's attention.

'Paris'

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Introducing... Everything Everything

Everything Everything make the sort of music I dream of in a perfect haze of beauty then wake up crushed when I realise I will never have the ability to commit it to tape. The band take elements of the Gang Of Four/ Wire post- punk jitter style and mix it with intricate multiple harmonies that cross over one another to create a mesmerising sound. The one band I think of when listening to the demos is the wonderful and much maligned Field Music.

The four piece from Manchester have just released their first single ‘Suffragette Suffragette’ (Seems they are fond of repetition) which begins like The Cribs ‘I’m A Realist’ before descending into a dark prog-pop master piece with falsetto vocals and a fierce battle between riffs and Foals esque high fret work. It’s a fine introduction to the band and a late entry for one of the finest singles of the year.

There is still time to see Everything Everything live before the year ends too with an extensive touring schedule taking in Brighton, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and London before Christmas. A deal with XL records is drying as we speak and only good things await this eccentric and alluring band.

MYSPACE

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*Yawn*- Age Old Debate Rears It's Head- Again.

The Guardian today decided to take another look at the class divide in the current indie music scene, roughly 10 months after their sister paper The Observer did so. Link

Under the tagline "Who will be the future of British indie - posh toffs, or laddish oiks?" Matt Bolton dissects the current and ongoing disparity between working and middle class bands. The discussion is ultimately moot because it doesn't matter what sort of school a band went to or how many bedrooms their house has. Music is not divided by class it's divided by quality and creativity. Some of the greatest popular music this country has created has come from the lower echelons of the social scale. From The Beatles harmonies and innovation via Joy Divisions heart on sleeve honesty to Pulp's combination of the mind and groin the history of British music is rooted in its working class 'oik' roots.

However running parallel to these bands were middle class 'toffs'. The Rolling Stones decadent London glamour, The Clash's intellectual rallying and Blurs art school pop brilliance all came from more 'privileged' backgrounds. If there is a gap or separation in 2008 between the classes it's that the working class bands are simply not stepping up the plate or creating anything interesting. The Enemy and The Courteeners are not poor in my opinion because they went to a state school it's because they lack originality, creativity and intelligence. It can be done as Elbow and Dizzee Rascal show by continuing to innovate and create whilst never singing about lager or ripping off Paul Weller.

At the moment 'British Indie' (Whatever that is) should worry less about starting rival school fights and focus more on the meaningless pop acts infiltrating and diluting a rich tapestry of culture built up over 5 decades. Who cares where a band came from? It's where they are going that matters and what they will deliver on the way there.

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Friendly Fires- Live

LINK HERE

Friendly Fires
September 28th
Korova, Liverpool.

“This barrier is really annoying me” chastises Friendly Fires lead singer Ed Macfarlane during between song banter. The problem is it’s keeping him from his audience, and what an audience it is. Perhaps I was naïve to underestimate Friendly Fires popularity but Korova’s low ceilinged basement is rammed. I’ve never seen it this busy and I have seen some big bands play here (Foals, Klaxons). Then again, why wouldn’t people want to see Friendly Fires? Their debut album is amongst the finest of the year and it’s instanatneous pop hooks mixed with the most danceable rhythms around make for an irresistable mix.

As the sweat descends upon the packed crowd the mirrors on the wall steam up and dancing bodies rub against flailing limbs and bellowing chests. Macfarlane traverses the steel barricade to join in the melle throughout the gig heightening an already ecastatic atmosphere. ‘Photobooth’s taught bassline gets feet tapping straight away before segueing into the equally brilliant ‘On Board’. The glam stomp of ‘White Diamonds’ is a highlight, showcasing the skills of the bands tight musical skills whilst maintaining the sense of fun the is carved throughout all of the songs on show tonight. Macfarlane introduces ‘In The Hospital’ sarcastically as “A slow burner” before launching into three minutes of brain chasing catchy brilliance. If you cut Friendly Fires they bleed pop, talk of house, electro and whatever influences you like but the choruses here are huge and deserve to be heard in far bigger venues.

The bands singles are perhaps their finest moments yet and tonight they take centre stage. The Epworth produced wall of sound ‘Jump In The Pool’ is a deviation from the more direct hits in Friendly Fires arsenal with it’s trippy sonics and afro-beat backing but it still maintains the dance pop ethic that permeates all of the St. Albans bands sound. It also works well as a partner to ‘Paris’ tonight, and pretty much any nights, best song. A glorious and romantic love song that wraps daydreaming plans of escapism around fast beats and shoe gazy guitars, it is the culmination of all the great ideas and sounds Friendly Fires have to offer.

As Macfarlane spends more time in the audience they themselves go the opposite way surfing onto the tiny stage over the barrier. The gig ends with the album finisher ‘Ex-Lover’ and the sweaty masses congreated here move back into enjoying personal space and fresh air again. Whilst the amount of people gathered tonight was surprising it will hopefully become an ‘intimate’ gig in the future as Friendly Fires deserve adoration the world over.

'Paris'

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Vampire Weekend- 'Ottoman'

New studio material from the silver spooned deck shoes from New York. No great progression but nice nonetheless, also by recycling the chorus from Kape Cod Kwassa Kwassa they are reducing their carbon footprint. Score.

'Ottoman'

http://hypem.com/track/641668/Vampire+Weekend-Ottoman

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Friendly Fires- 'Friendly Fires'

http://www.gigwise.com/news/45276/friendly-fires--friendly-fires-xl-released-010908

Friendly Fires
‘Friendly Fires’
XL Recordings
September 1st
4/5


The party album of the Summer has arrived. Friendly Fires debut LP is the product of two years hard work via a string of fine singles matched only by the sonically similar Late Of The Pier. Like LOTP Friendly Fires craft a blend of joyous dance floor fillers with thought provoking song writing and epic choruses. Unlike ‘Fantasy Black Channel’ though ‘Friendly Fires’ is a more relaxed affair, sure it has it’s moments but if Late Of The Pier are running around the disco spilling drinks and causing mayhem then FF are on a yacht with P. Diddy schmoozing and sipping cocktails. It’s a more grown up affair.

A range of influences blend and mesh here, The Rapture and the post punk spiky jerk riffs that preceded them, label mate Beck’s pop eclecticism and countless beautiful waves of euphoric noise all combine to make an album that twists and surprises at every corner. The album is self produced as well bar ‘Jump In The Pool’ (Paul Epworth behind the desk on that one). The bands singles output is all here, ‘Photobooth’, ‘On Board’ and ‘Paris’ all fit in nicely, never dominating and taking attention from the newer songs. It’s testament to the album and strength of song writing on display here that a song as strong as ‘Paris’ has competition for the albums best track.

‘In The Hospital’ and ‘Jump In The Pool’ both share ‘Paris’s grandiose pop template with big choruses and foot tapping rhythms throughout. ‘Paris’ however is the behemoth that cannot be ignored, a song so perfect and cinematic in scope you suspect the band will never top it, the rest of the album however is a frantic race for second place.

There are two basic sonic arrangements on display here. Number one is the glacial pop epic as mentioned. The second is the angular Gang Of Four meets DFA punk dance sound as exhibited on ‘Lovesick’, ‘Skeleton Boy’ and the New Order aping ‘Ex Lover’. This part of the album provides the climb up for the other half’s come down, a perfect counterpoint to the slower, more relaxed elements here.

Following two years in the making the 10 tracks here could be described as measly, this is not a band that suffers from padding or filler so another couple of tracks could only have enhanced ‘Friendly Fires’. That is a minor gripe however in what can only be described as a brilliant debut album from a fine band.

'Jump In The Pool'

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