While best known for their wildly inventive exercises in hard rock, metal, prog and pop-rock sounds (as well as a seemingly glue-stuck “like Foo Fighters” tag) that have slowly helped push them further and further into the UK mainstream view, Scottish alt-rockers Biffy Clyro have also proved over the years to be reliable in delivering some really fascinating cover songs.
From Rihanna’s “Umbrella” to Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” to Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and The Killers’ “When You Were Young”, Clyro’s re-imaginings haven’t always bettered the originals, but in their (sometimes polarizing) attempts to recast these familiar nuggets, the results were never un-interesting either. So when the news dropped that the Biffy boys were gonna hit the Live Lounge studios, we were excited beyond imagination to hear what cover song they would try out next. When we found out it was going to be the slinky Ciara/ Justin Timberlake duet “Love Sex Magic” though, that excitement was multiplied times ten. Their last venture into American R&B (the aforementioned “Umbrella”) managed to be a winner…but what in the hell were they gonna do with this under-performing FutureSex/ LoveSounds leftover? Answer: Fill our hearts with glee!!
Rather than give it an extreme “rawk” makeover as they had sometimes handled their covers in the past, Biffy (thankfully) opt to go a more straightforward route this time, reinterpreting the original’s funk groove via some surprisingly groove-able singular guitar picking, and providing vocal performances that, while definitely awkward in that square-ish “non-soulful European white boys” kind of way, pull out some charmingly goofball, falsetto-aided male harmonies.
Three years after edging his way into the popular UK singer-songwriter circle armed with an intriguing, Scottish brogue-bathed white-soul vocal; a slightly scruffy, pretty boy look; and a couple of fine single offerings (the achingly romantic ballad “Last Request” and the feel-good “New Shoes”), Paolo Nutini returns to kick off that much intimidating sophomore round with this first glimpse of his upcoming Sunny Side Up LP.
On “Candy”, relationship strife is the central theme, with Nutini taking note of his current position as only a “stain there on (her) bedsheets” to the pleasant tune of a guitar-strummed breeziness. But while he’s all too aware of the “writings on the wall”, Paolo still isn’t willing to bring their union to a close, belatedly promising a day of pampering (“Darling I’ll bathe your skin/ I’ll even wash your clothes”) in hopes of attaining at least one last sampling of her “candy”.
Eventually, all this yearning builds into a thunderous finale in which he repeatedly exclaims “I’ll be there waiting for you”, effectively registering as hopeless cries towards a target that’s fading farther and farther off into the distance.
Yeah, “Candy” might require a few listens to gain a full appreciation of Paulo’s lyrics and the arrangement’s summer-toned ease, but once it does grow familiar, it emerges as a graceful entry that’s enticing enough to bring interest into how else his artistry has matured throughout the new album.
A comforting sigh of wispy, indie pop-meets-country-meets-girl group pleasantry filled with heartache-themed tales that prove you’re not alone in your post-breakup despair. That’s what we all have come to appreciate from Scotland’s Camera Obscura and, once again, that’s what is given on their fourth album (and 4AD label debut), My Maudlin Career, a stellar set of eleven tracks that, even on first listen, already feel like “classics” that have been adored over for years.
Mixtape Maestro’s favorite is “You Told A Lie”, a wintry-hazed midtempo that opens with lead singer/ principal songwriter Tracyanne Campbell feebly cooing a capella after a still-cherished old lover (“No need to convince me you were a catch”) before being swept away by a strings-adorned, yester-age C&W sway.
The soundtrack may sound sweet, but beneath it’s retro beauty, lyrics of a bitter and insecure slant illustrate a much sadder state of things as she over-analyzes why their romance went awry. “Who was it that said that love conquers all?/ Oh, he was a fool ’cause it doesn’t add up,” goes one striking couplet, while later Campbell frets over and over on a passing line her ex once threw at her about her eyes being the “coldest blue”.
What did he mean? Was it a loving compliment or a cruel diss? Sadly, she never gets an answer, and is only left to ruminate over the somber reality that she’s “stuck with them and they’re stuck on you”. Masterful.
A love song to a sex doll? That seems to be the premise behind “Rubber Lover”, a delightful little nugget by experimental Scottish alt-rockers Marmaduke Duke (aka The Atmosphere and The Dragon; aka the side project of Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Sucioperro’s JP Reid).
An early taste from their May-set sophomore collection Duke Pandemonium, “Lover” is set into motion by a cheerful Billy Joel piano sample (the Piano Man’s 1980 “Sleeping With The Television On”) which, alongside sparks of guitar and a steady dance thump, helps frame a kooky narrative about “Johnny” and his lustful adventures with his new toy.
The track might clock in at less than two minutes long, but what a good time that brief length yields: it’s nearly impossible to avoid singing along to it’s sugary “funky all the way home” chorus line at the top of your lungs or indulging in an endless repeating of it’s feel-good groove.
Below, catch a Live Lounge performance in which they take on Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and you’ll soon figure out why more people spend their time copying the single’s music video choreography over actually covering the record (YOU try recreating it’s spazzed out production acoustically or re-interpreting Beyonce’s steely, jack-hammer vocal and see what you come with).
That being said, Duke’s clap-happy “all around the campfire” rendition works fine, especially when the boys get to that quite lovely bridge section.
With all the hullabaloo that The View’s debut LP, 2007’s Hats Off to the Buskers stirred, you would have thought that the Scottish indie rock foursome were creating some life-altering stuff. In all actuality, the boys just knew how to wear their Oasis/ Libertines influences well, spinning off several well-championed records that might not have re-written any rules, but managed to hit the ears just right. That sense of pleasant familiarity can be found all over “Temptation Dice”, the band’s third single from their critically acclaimed, albeit commercially stumbling, recent release, Which Bitch?.
“Dice” subdues their young n’ rowdy style a bit behind a summery, ’50’s-styled beat as frontman Kyle Falconer rattles on to a cherished best friend about the importance of taking more risks in one’s life (“You’ll get fat running on the beaten track/ This dice will change your life…”).
His encouragements to be a little more wild once the sun goes down are enticing, mainly because of the tongue-rolls his Scottish brogue plants onto the lyrics, but also because of the surrounding musical elements (“doo-doo-doo” vocal bursts, sunny guitar riffs) that aid in bringing his sketching of a sedative-enhanced good time to fruition.
If you’re looking for something you yearn to “roll”, “dance”, “duck”, “dive”, “twist” and “tilt” to, the feel-good merriment of “Temptation Dice” is what you crave.
Perhaps sensing that one album was all anyone could take of disco-fuzz party confections with very little to say, Calvin Harris seems to be ready to switch some major gears on his upcoming second album by the sounds of it’s lead single, “I’m Not Alone”.
Somewhat sadly, the new track doesn’t see the Scottish DJ/ producer further indulging in the slow-creeping robo-soul of the I Created Disco highlight “Love Souvenir” (fingers are crossed in the hopes of getting a sequel of sorts to that somewhere down the line), but it does find Harris moving up a decade to celebrate a sound that was wholly “acceptable in the 90’s”: larger-than-life trance-pop anthems fit for a stadium-sized audience.
It takes a couple seconds (to be more precisely, forty-five) for “Alone” to get moving, but once it’s extended build-up of midtempo, guitar-drenched introspection gets out of the way and that base line thump and gigantic, 16-note synth hook enter the picture, the track quickly solidifies it’s position as the rest of the year’s go-to source for the ultimate aural-grasping of utter joy.
Expect this one to be pumping from seemingly everywhere real soon…and expect to not even care because it’s that damn good.
Single drops April 6th.
, punk, Ipod’s latest chic discovery comes by way of a 2006 album track from the Scottish indie band The Fratellis. “Flathead” has been adopted as the Itunes’ new advertisement theme and like all the others, you’re not cool until you’ve added it to your playlist.
Playfully going back and forth between a folk jig sing-a-long and snarling pop-punk rocker in the verses, “Flathead” grabs you from it’s inability to stay in one place for too long. Delightfully schizophrenic, the song is an infectious toe-tapper that never quits, even sliding by with a joyfully, gibberish hook (“Ba-ra-pa-bra-ba-ra-ra-ba”) that supplants itself in your brain like a tumor you wouldn’t mind having.
“Flathead” dedicates itself to a bar-hopping vixen who can be found “chewing on glass and a ticket stub” while busting boys’ groins for fun. Usurped by her take-no-mess style, the boys can’t get enough of her. It’s all leather jacket/ sunglasses in intention but with the frenetic pop hysteria of a Beatles-mania moment.
Pulling out another winner they dug around the crates for, Ipod’s newest find will have you bopping around endlessly, unable to break from it’s impressionable hold.
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
While best known for their wildly inventive exercises in hard rock, metal, prog and pop-rock sounds (as well as a seemingly glue-stuck “like Foo Fighters” tag) that have slowly helped push them further and further into the UK mainstream view, Scottish alt-rockers Biffy Clyro have also proved over the years to be reliable in delivering some really fascinating cover songs. 
Three years after edging his way into the popular UK singer-songwriter circle armed with an intriguing, Scottish brogue-bathed white-soul vocal; a slightly scruffy, pretty boy look; and a couple of fine single offerings (the achingly romantic ballad 
A comforting sigh of wispy, indie pop-meets-country-meets-girl group pleasantry filled with heartache-themed tales that prove you’re not alone in your post-breakup despair. That’s what we all have come to appreciate from Scotland’s 
A love song to a sex doll? That seems to be the premise behind “Rubber Lover”, a delightful little nugget by experimental Scottish alt-rockers 
With all the hullabaloo that 
Perhaps sensing that one album was all anyone could take of disco-fuzz party confections with very little to say, 
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