Following their 2009 debut ‘Our First American Friends’, Tubelord return brandishing a new line-up and expanded sound, attributable in part to a steady diet of Phil Collins during the gestation period of this EP There’s definitely a rhythmic force and variation to each of the songs which would do the bald one proud, with percussion a standout on each track. ‘Arbours’ begins with lazily-picked guitar supporting Jo Prendergast’s effortlessly high-pitched vocals, ultimately complemented by a kick-drum pattern that turns out to be as strangely hummable as the chorus. ‘Ratchet’ phases in with a grimy, trip-hop beat so slick that it will help shift thousands of SUVs on TV should it get the chance: it’s therefore impressive when Tubelord don’t labour the hook, opting for a snazzy trumpet lick mid-way. ‘Bazel’ throws a further curveball, seeing the band dip toes, then jump headlong into convincing prog-metal that remains utterly melodic and interesting throughout. ‘Tezcatlipōca’ proves to be an object lesson in layered production, and is truly served better as a whole. There’s certainly plenty to savour, and it’s refreshing to hear an album’s worth of ambition and experimentation play itself out in a few 3-minute songs.

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3. Kyshera – ‘Paradigm’

Breaking news, ex-Placebo-drummer Steve Hewitt has only gone and done a Grohl! Only, as to be expected, it appears that the quality of the originating band of your Grohlite frontman is relative to how much the subsequent project is worth listening to. But why not let a few perpetually inconspicuous has-beens take advantage of the resources and contacts that being signed to EMI has bestowed upon them? Surely the end result won’t be an earful of bland, overproduced fodder for impressionable adolescent rockers and aging Placebo fanboys! Oh wait… Nevertheless, regardless of any ‘It’s-Not-What-You-Know-But-Who-You-Know’-style criticisms of the feudal music industry that would allow this project to exist, it remains inevitable that Hewitt’s experience (with, like, guitars and stuff) has granted him a decent rock sensibility and the ability to pull some decent musicians together to, like, rock. Which it does do, with lashings of grease and angst. The punchy production expertly weaves the positively gurning guitar riff together with an oddly basic drum beat (arrogant drummer syndrome?) in a way that satisfactorily distracts from Hewitt’s predictably amateur vocals and lyricism (‘it’s so sad to see you fade from me’ – chorus material? Really?) comprising something inoffensive, superficially pleasing but altogether pointless.

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1. Les Savy Fav announce new album ‘Root For Ruin’ to be released in September
2. Dub Pistols feat. Lindy Layton & Rodney P– ‘I’m In Love’
3. Placebo – ‘Bright Lights’

Edinburgh’s Salute Mary hit 88 miles per hour in a Delorean aimed straight for the grunge era with their ‘Lonely Escapades’ EP, a sparse, moody offering which manages to at least ally itself with heavier-hitters such as Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins than the plethora of jobbing copyists that came in their wake. Backed up by a raw and spacious production that naturally calls to mind Steve Albini, the title track begins without fanfare, taking its time to build upon a lolloping bassline to a towering chorus riff. It’s very much the old ‘quietLOUDquiet’ trick, but it’s accomplished effectively enough to warrant repeated listens. ‘Hanging From Trees’ promises more of the same, as a plodding bassline supports familiar octave-informed guitars, so it’s a pleasant surprise when the cello accompaniment calls to mind Dirty Three, elevating and adding tension to what could have been a meander. ‘Alibi’ is less impressive, a standard punk thrash which spirals into a too-obvious Pearl Jam tribute. ‘Vivid Pale’ carries the Vedder torch further, although there’s an undeniable spirit at work which suggests that the band’s sound could well fill out beyond recreating their influences in later releases.

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2. Mary Anne Hobbs Presents- ‘Wild Angels’
3. Broadway Calls- ‘Good Views, Bad News’

The soundtrack album is a tricky beast. At worst, a dumping ground for discarded tracks and solo excursions that Should Not Be, with an obligatory love ballad for heavily-rotated product placement on music television. At best, they complement and enrich a movie, uniting a disparate group of tracks under a theme. This soundtrack occupies neither extreme, but manages to be an entertaining listen that reinforces the kinetic, cartoonish story of the film. Standouts include the spiky, meta ‘ Sex Bob-Omb’ from the eponymous movie band, Frank Black’s cutesy epic ‘I Heard Ramona Sing’, and BSS’s sublime ‘Anthems For A 17 Year Old Girl’. Some thoughtful inclusions appear, with T.Rex’s ‘Teenage Dream’ and The Stones’ ‘Under My Thumb’ showing the upstarts how it used to be done. Here be throwaways too: Beck’s ‘Ramona’ raises a snigger if you’ve seen the movie, but bores you senseless if you’re not in on the joke, and there’s as little need for the Bluetones to appear as there ever was for the Bluetones to appear anywhere. All in all, unsurprisingly inconsistent: view it as a sampler, less than an album, and you’ll undoubtedly manage to cherry-pick a few good tracks for your next Spotify playlist.

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Celebrating three decades of influential, thought provoking and groundbreaking punk rock, Bad Religion will release their fifteenth studio album, ‘The Dissent Of Man’, on September 27.  The album’s first single ‘The Devil In Stitches’ made its debut on the world famous KROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles last month and can be heard now at www.myspace.com/badreligion.  Fans can preorder ‘The Dissent of Man’ now at www.BadReligionStore.com.

Produced by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool), ‘The Dissent Of Man’ finds Bad Religion pushing the boundaries of their music as much today as they did in their formative years as a genre defining punk band.  Over the course of making the album, primary songwriters Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz’s songwriting was informed by life changing events, with Graffin writing his forthcoming book ‘Anarchy Evolution’ (out Sept 28) and Gurewitz embarking on parenthood again.

“These are some of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” says Gurewitz.  “A few of them took me way outside my comfort zone as a writer to a place I haven’t gone since ‘Recipe’ or ‘Stranger Than Fiction’.”

The result is one of the band’s most forward thinking and musically varied albums ever.  The Dissent of Man is not only a snapshot of the band’s personal experiences of the past years but also of their continued maturity in songwriting, capturing an array of styles ranging from blazing punk rock songs like the opener ‘The Day That The Earth Stalled’ and ‘Meeting Of The Minds’ and classic rock-tinged cuts like ‘Cyanide’ and ‘Turn Your Back On Me’ to radio rock ready hits like the first single ‘The Devil In Stiches.’

“I feel like the last couple of records have been amongst our most conservative, never straying too far from a Bad Religion sound,” adds Gurewitz.  “Whereas on this one we’re taking the songs to a lot of different places, exploring our influences and trying out some new things in a way we haven’t done in years.”

‘The Dissent of Man‘ is a testament to why Bad Religion has remained relevant for the better part of three decades.  Already having cemented their place in history as a groundbreaking band who helped create a movement in Los Angeles with classic releases like ‘How Could Hell Be Any Worse?‘, ‘Suffer‘, ‘Recipe For Hate‘, ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ and ‘Process Of Belief’, Bad Religion continue to inspire and create with a unique style that continues to cross boundaries and transcends genres.

As Bad Religion wraps up their 30^th anniversary, they open the next chapter of their storied career with ‘The Dissent of Man’.

Stay tuned to www.badreligion.com and www.epitaph.com to hear new music from The Dissent of Man and for news about Bad Religion!

The Dissent of Man Track Listing:

1. The Day That the Earth Stalled - 1:23
2. Only Rain - 2:43
3. The Resist Stance - 2:32
4. Won’t Somebody - 2:42
5. The Devil in Stitches - 3:28
6. Pride and the Pallor - 2:56
7. Wrong Way Kids - 2:43
8. Meeting of the Minds - 2:06
9. Someone to Believe - 2:38
10. Avalon - 3:28
11. Cyanide - 3:55
12. Turn Your Back On Me - 2:24
13. Ad Hominem - 3:27
14. Where The Fun Is - 3:04
15. I Won’t Say Anything - 3:22

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As a malleable teen I was very much moulded by music; Paul Heaton was a central figure in my creation. If not the Mozzerian clay itself, the Beautiful South man was at least the water upon the hands of the sculptor. Therefore I approached ‘Acid Country’ with great excitement. Though times have changed and Paul is, by his own admission not as pertinent anymore, he can still write a wonderfully catchy pop tune and this is demonstrated on ‘Ladder’s Bottom Rung’ – the forthcoming single. There are also great exhibitions of Heaton’s masterly melodies and assiduous narratives on songs such as ‘House Party’ – an amusing vignette with an endearing chorus, and the thoroughly enjoyable ‘Life Of A Cat’. There are however, tracks that are, if not poor then certainly superfluous at stages. His tendency to draw songs out as long as life can sometimes grate and not even his Northern wit can ease the tedium at times – the title track being an example of this. ‘Acid Country’ isn’t going to set the charts on fire (though someone should) but it isn’t meant to, it strikes as one solely for the fans, for us lifeless lot craving their fix of intelligible, wit-strewn music – and that’s what it is.

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The Barclaycard Mercury Prize Awards Show is being held next Tuesday, 7 September in London. The event will feature performances from this year’s shortlisted artists and will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2010 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.

The Awards Show will be covered by BBC Two, Radio 1 and 6 Music throughout next week. BBC Two will be broadcasting live from the event between 10pm and 10.30pm on the night of the Awards Show. There will be a further programme later that same evening on BBC Two starting at 11.20pm. Both shows will be hosted by Lauren Laverne and Jools Holland.

Music fans will also be able to access all the news from the Awards Show through the Prize’s digital platforms, with behind-the-scenes updates and videos being posted regularly from the venue in the run-up to the event itself.

The 2010 Albums of the Year are:

Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea
Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N’ Cheek
Foals – Total Life Forever
I Am Kloot - Sky At Night
Kit Downes Trio – Golden
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More (Shout4Music’s Pick)
Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation
The xx – xx
Villagers – Becoming a Jackal
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers

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3. Football Fusion – The football, music and dance event of 2010

With rave reviews landing in the monthlies for the irresistible hybrid of cold-wave, post-punk, disco and (new) romance that is their new album ‘Crush’, Abe Vigoda have just announced an extensive regional UK tour in November to follow their London, Oxford and Brighton dates in October… Upcoming UK live info below…

Saturday 9 October – OXFORD – OX4 Festival (£15)

Tuesday 12 October – LONDON – Cargo (£8)

Wednesday 13 October – BRIGHTON – Audio (£8)

Thursday 14 October – LONDON – XOYO (with No Age)

Tuesday 9 November – GLASGOW – Captain’s Rest (£7)

Wednesday 10 November – YORK – The Duchess (£7)

Thursday 11 November – SHEFFIELD – Harley (£6)

Friday 12 November – MANCHESTER – Islington Mill (£7)

Saturday 13 November – LEEDS – Brudenell Social Club (£10)

Sunday 14 November – NOTTINGHAM – Spex Fest @ Bodega (£10)

Monday 15 November – LIVERPOOL – The Shipping Forecast (£5)

Tuesday 16 November – BIRMINGHAM – Hare and Hounds (£6)

Thursday 18 November – CARDIFF – Buffalo Bar (£6)

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Paul Smith of Maximo Park will release ‘Our Lady Of Lourdes‘ on 1st November, the first single from his debut solo album ‘Margins‘. The single will be released on 7” vinyl (with b-side ‘Loop For Becca‘) and download (with a version of ‘A Little Lost‘ by Arthur Russell).

Written and recorded in less than 24 hours, Our Lady of Lourdes has a propulsive beat, lush echoing guitars and dream-like melodies. “The song is like a short story describing a sign language conversation. It also touches on how religion provides comfort to those who need it”, explains Smith of the mysterious lyrics. It’s one of the more electric songs on a record that also finds Smith exploring his love of acoustic and experimental sounds.

Margins is released on 11th October on Billingham Records, run by Smith, the label on which Maximo Park’s first ever red vinyl was released. The album is a collection of personal and intimate self-penned songs recorded with friend and co-producer Andy Hodson (The Matinee Orchestra/Warm Digits) at Hodson’s home in Newcastle over the past four years. Field Music’s David Brewis plays bass on the record. Maximo Park, together with Smith, are currently writing new material.

Smith, accompanied by a band, will take to the road in November. He says “I’ve been waiting to play these songs live for a while now so that should ensure an excitable performance although the songs will require a different execution to those of Maximo Park; less frenetic movement but no less emotion or commitment.”

UK TOUR DATES

26/11 – Bodega – Nottingham
27/11 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds
28/11 – Glee Club – Birmingham
29/11 – Thekla – Bristol
01/12 – Bush Hall – London
02/12 – Deaf Institute – Manchester
03/12 – Classic Grand – Glasgow
04/12 – Sage 2 – Gateshead

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As Belfast’s annual Belsonic brace of gigs draws to a close (previous nights having seen the likes of Florence And The Machine, Paul Weller, 2manyDJs and Paolo Nutini face the great unwashed on the great outdoors of Custom House Square) it falls to the Lostprophets and Biffy Clyro to entertain the sold-out crowd on a typically grey, drizzly Norn Iron summer’s evening.

Welsh emo-tinged skate rockers Lostprophets – a band who once seemed perfectly poised to beat the Americans at their own game of big-trousered metal with their first album ‘thefakesoundofprogress’ – take to the stage with the naggingly Maximo Park-ish sing-along of ‘Can’t Catch Tomorrow’. Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe every other conversation going on in the area really is just that interesting, but straight out of the gates the band fail to ignite the crowd – at least judging by the direction the bulk of them are facing.

‘Burn Burn’ is more successful, inciting some spontaneous pogoing and a timid singalong from those assembled who can recall the chorus. An ill-advised and pointless cover of Faith No More’s ‘The Real Thing’ (which serves only to highlight the disparity in skill and charisma between Ian Watkins and Mike Patton) morphs into ‘Last Summer’, which is of course hilarious, given that it’s currently raining and all that. ‘Last Train Home’ – a highlight from the ‘Start Something’ album – provides an opportunity for an extended breakdown / en masse singalong which fails to get the ‘en masse’ part right. When the same muted reaction occurs during ‘Where We Belong’ and ‘Rooftops’, it becomes mildly embarrassing to watch Watkins’ continual attempts to elicit a sing-along from a crowd which appears to be pretty much unaware of the material, or uninterested. It’s telling that the crowd is finally galvanised into movement by a cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Omen’, and some of this energy translates into a mighty ‘Shinobi vs Dragonninja’ (which admittedly sounds as fresh as ever) but it’s too little too late. On this showing, the Welsh lads appear to have taken their eye off the ball, incorrectly assumed all their songs are anthems and gone too stadium too fast – forgetting their strengths in the process.

No such problems face Biffy Clyro, who continue their unassuming upward spiral into the enormodomes off the back of increasingly accessible albums such as ‘Puzzle’ and the current, chart-straddling ‘Only Revolutions’. ‘That Golden Rule’ arrives at a breakneck pace, so much that so that it seems as if it’s finished before an appreciative crowd knows what has hit it. The staccato, string-led intro of ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’ provides a precious moment to catch the breath, then its straight back into effortless, polished alternative rock which should have had the support band scribbling notes at the side of the stage. The disco riffage of ‘Glitter And Trauma’ throbs through the crowd, showcasing the band’s knack of welding huge, radio-friendly pop songs to slightly off-kilter rhythms betraying their more experimental roots. The dual vocals of ’57′ proves that Biffy Clyro had the huge singles taken care of long before they joined the Radio 1 A-list playlist, whilst simultaneously displaying that the band have lost none of their legendary live passion in the translation to the big leagues. ‘Born On A Horse’ provides an uncharacteristically funky, yet typically left-of-centre approach which keeps the crowd moving despite the intermittent presence of that fine rain that soaks you right through.

It’s a seamless set, delivered with flair and technical precision: always renowned for their tight live performances, Biffy Clyro now give the impression of a band who could easily play all night without dropping a note, and who have been quietly generating a back catalogue of quality tunes that would enable them to do just that. The anthemic ‘Many Of Horror’ brings the set to a crescendo, each soaring chorus suggesting that the band are ready to take the next step and join the likes of Foo Fighters as an arena act able to reconcile the demands of the casual listener whilst still retaining an authentic edge.

An encore of ‘The Captain’ sends the crowd jubilantly into the night, rain-soaked but happy: perhaps to get more drunk, perhaps to keep dancing, perhaps to fall in love, or perhaps to ruminate on why the queues at the bar and the toilets were much bigger during the Lostprophets’ set.

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