This musically unorthodox, experimental record will receive a limited release from today. Tony and Gruff will also perform a handful of live shows to coincide with the album’s release, including debut UK dates at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on 28th and 29th July, Camp Bestival in Dorset on 30th July and the Field Day festival in London on 31st July.

Tony Da Gatorra is a Brazilian TV and VCR repairman, musical freedom fighter and the inventor of his own unique ‘Gatorra’ instrument. Part drum machine, part guitar, the Gatorra provides the unique sonic style of Tony’s peace-loving protest songs and features heavily throughout The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness.

As a massive fan of Tony, Gruff set about tracking down the cult hero during his travels throughout South America (an adventure that also lead to road trip movie, Separado!). Having finally met, the pair undertook their first gig together and promptly booked in to a Sao Paulo recording studio to begin rehearsals…

Gruff takes up the story: We spent 5 days rehearsing a set of songs to play live at the venue – our only shared language was music itself so there was no small talk, just intense concentration on the music. On the final day, as the rehearsals had been so productive, we hooked up some recording equipment and took about 5 hours out to make this record. We recorded several live takes of each song then chose the best versions. I added a harmony vocal overdub on two songs, otherwise it’s pretty much what we recorded at the time. Upon returning to Cardiff I took the songs to producer Kris Jenkins’s studio whose excitement for the album and general encouragement was infectious – then we called in noise legend Sir Doufus Styles to oversee the final mix. Armed with 5 flasks of strong coffee, 75 sticks of gum and a bank of vintage compressors we mixed The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness at extremely loud volume in one epic 12 hour session.

Tony Da Gatorra adds: Hello, peace my brothers, this record was made with lots of feelings and true love to bring consciousness and show a little bit of truth that needs to be said without hypocrisy. We are creatures of God, so there’s no death. Spirit is light, all evil won’t prevail – there’s no evil when it crashes with goodwill.

The record is out now…..

Aias are Gaia, Laia and Miriam. Gaia sings and plays guitar. Laia sings and plays drums and Miriam sings and plays bass. And the three together they try to make songs for anyone else to sing. Pop with distortion, lots of “oooos” and vocal harmonies in in a cave with endless ceilings sung in their native Catalan (not Spanish, mind you!)

Aias began as a birthday party band and by surprise ended up being a band for real, or at least that’s their current intention. The desire to win in the fight against the instrument itself, the need to shout a bit during the week, a Vivian Girls concert during the Primavera Sound Festival and the providential intervention of Cristian Pallejà (Nisei, Sedaiós) lead to a home made recording in a village lost in Catalonia and an unexpected winter signing with the New York Label, Captured tracks.

“A La Piscina” is their first full-length release, out 14th September

Track order:

1. Tu Manes

2. Quan Tornis Dema

3. Mon Inventant

4. Bali

5. Una Setmana Sincera

6. A La Piscina

7. Moto

8. Dues Pedres

9. Aias

10. La Truita

11. Vine Amb Mi

12. Amunt I Avail

AIAS is…

Gaia Bihr: voices and guitar

Laia Aubia: voices and drums

Miriam Garcia: voices and bass

Directed by Nils Leonard, the controversial video see’s the cover star of Feeder’s new album cause havoc on the set. The topless girl takes a baseball bat to anything she can find – smashing tables, TVs, guitars and anything that gets in her way. The masked girl then forces singer Grant Nicholas to the ground, where she bites his lip, before severely beating drummer Karl Brazil. In a final act of violence she sets fire to the drum kit, and an astonishingly filmed slow motion piece.

“Making this video was a lot of fun and hopefully it captures the essence of
Renegades.We all believe in this song so we wanted the video to reflect
that.Thankyou Renegade girl you totally nailed it.”

Grant Nicholas

This video, and accompanying song has seen Feeder taking it right back to their roots, and has invigorated the group and fans alike. The trio have just returned from Japan and a headlining slot at Wakestock Festival, will play several other shows over the summer. They head out on a UK tour in October to coincide with part two of the bands plans for 2010 ….

Feeder’s new video for their single ‘Renegades’ (out August 30th) – check out an exclusive ‘teasers’ from the video here, please forgive for what I am to say feminists of the world, she has great tits. Really, she does.

20 SECOND TEASER – FEEDER – “RENEGADES” from Feeder on Vimeo.

The first single ‘(It’s Not War) – Just The End Of Love’ from Manic Street Preachers’ new album ‘Postcards From a Young Man’ has been getting it’s radio debut across all UK networks as of late last week. On the Friday the band announced details of a one-off secret show to launch the album in London on the 5th August. Tickets for the show will not be on general release, instead access can be won by entering a competition on the official Manic Street Preachers website or by visiting the band’s Twitter page

www.manicstreetpreachers.com // www.twitter.com/manicspostcards

Most bands don’t get to their tenth album.  Mercifully.  By then, the youthful brio, the wit, the desire, the flair, the fun, the zeal and commitment have usually all evaporated to be replaced by self-loathing, disappointment and the sour taste of promise unfulfilled, or the deadening torpor of sanctified elder statesman status and the moth-eaten trappings that go with it; the Lifetime Achievement awards, the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, the box set that looks suspiciously like a coffin. Familiarity has bred contempt, old friends have become strangers, laurels are rested on and the hits of prehistory dusted off for the Greatest Hits tour, the divorce settlements, the tax bill.

Ten albums into their life’s work, it would be wrong to say that the Manic Street Preachers are raging against the dying of the light. Because the light has never burned brighter or with a fiercer clarity. ‘Postcards From A Young Man’ comes after the acclaimed ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’, a record of steely intent and corrosive power on which every lyric was taken from the final folder of work left by former member Richey Edwards just prior to his disappearance in 1995. That album in turn was a typically stark and startling follow-up to 2007s triumphantly resurgent ‘Send Away The Tigers’, an album that gave new heart to their global faithful and introduced the band to new countries, new audiences, new possibilities.

Quite……

West London based independent label Full Time Hobby, home to School Of Seven Bells, Tunng, The Leisure Society, Malcolm Middleton and many more, have announced the release of their latest compilation ‘Hobbyism’ on the 16th August.

Think the independent music scene is suffering? Think again. The fully independent, fully brilliant Full Time Hobby label continues to go from strength to strength. A new compilation of its latest, greatest moments, ‘Hobbyism’ is proof that the label’s wide-ranging roster is in rude health.

‘Hobbyism’ is the place to hear brand new tracks from Fujiya & Miyagi and School Of Seven Bells plus cuts from new psych-folk heroes Erland & The Carnival and label stalwarts Malcolm Middleton and Tunng.  The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. Erland & The Carnival – My Name Is Carnival

2. School Of Seven Bells  - Babelonia

3. Micah P. Hinson – 2’s and 3’s

4. Tunng – It Breaks

5. Malcolm Middleton – Carry Me

6. Fujiya & Miyagi – Taiwanese Boots

7. The Leisure Society – We Were Wasted

8. White Denim – Mirrored & Reversed

In collaboration with clothing label Firetrap, Full Time Hobby ran a competition to design the sleeve for ‘Hobbyism’ and an accompanying T-shirt. The winner, picked from almost 1000 inspired, original and occasionally explicit entries, was a striking geometric design by Manchester-based designer Christopher Nieri. “We’re very keen on the design side of what we do, the packaging and general presentation of what we’re up to,” says label co-founder Nigel Adams. “We feel like it’s more important, rather than less, in a digital world where people still yearn for the tangible.”

Born in January 2004, Full Time Hobby was, is and always has been a labour of love, a label run for the joy of music. Six years since its founding, it has a character, sound and ethic all its own. “We are still proudly independent, bent on supporting artists that are there for the long run and plough their own individualist furrows and we are constantly excited by the new music we’re hearing,” says Nigel. “We are having our best year yet with lots of new and interesting artists coming our way along with the blossoming of our long term acts; intriguing developments in the Tunng camp with their third FTH release, Micah P Hinson pushing the envelope with his third FTH release and the return of Fujiya & Miyagi and School Of Seven Bells with their second albums for FTH that tweak and pluck their blends of guitar and electronics in new and beguiling ways.”

Having spread its wings into live events, Full Time Hobby debuted at SXSW in 2009 co-hosting a night with MOJO magazine, and a rematch happened at another co-hosted showcase at Brighton’s Great Escape in May, this time featuring Tunng, The Leisure Society and Erland & The Carnival. A French exchange also took place, in a similar collaboration with French culture mag Les Inrockuptibles at the Fleche D’Or at the end of May. Diary dates for all Hobbyists are as follows, only the one so do get in quick……

1st October, Theatre Royal, The Windsor Festival – Tunng, Micah P. Hinson, The Leisure Society

Nu Disco wizards, Mighty Mouse, are giving away a free original track, ‘The Beast’, taken off their new single, ‘Disco Battle Weapons Vol. 1’ out this August on Disco Circus Records.

This is the first in a series of Disco Battle Weapons from Mighty Mouse, featuring two tracks, ‘Junglefish’ and ‘The Beast’. Both tracks were written for the duo’s forthcoming ‘Disco Circus (Volume 2) compilation released 6th September 2010.

Their trademark cinematic disco sound has received accolades already from the likes of Aeroplane, Rob Da Bank, Annie Mac, Jaymo & Andy George, Andrew Weatheral, Lemon Jelly and Radio 1 (”act to watch in 2010”). Mixmag placed their debut compilation ‘Disco Circus (Volume 1)’ as the 8th best of 2009, which continued to receive rave reviews across the board.

Reigning supreme on Hype Machine, at the blogs and on radio with remixes for Gorillaz, Fenech-Solar, Ali Love, Robbie Williams, The Glamour, Performance and Bent, it is safe to say Mighty Mouse are the producer duo of the moment.

Mighty Mouse will be DJing through September, October and November in support of Disco Circus (Volume 2) and are currently recording their debut album.

Catch them at the Disco Circus 2 Album Launch Party @ Queen of Hoxton London on 3 September 2010.

And your copy of The Beast here…..

Mighty Mouse // The Beast by Mewbox

Emerging as one of the most acclaimed and talked-about breakout acts of 2010, Leeds quartet Pulled Apart By Horses return this September 6th with the release of ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’, the second single release from their critically acclaimed debut album (see quotes above for proof!). First single ‘Back To The F**k Yeah’ exploded all over Radio One, no mean feat for a jarring, screaming two minutes and forty seconds of noise! ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’ is equally – if not more – explosive. The vocal hook is instantly infectious, yet the riffs will melt the skin from your fingers to your toes, or as the band would describe it…….

“It’s a celebration of fired up dancing and the slapping of human palms connecting with one another,” explains guitarist James Brown. “It was penned to unite its listeners via the medium of discordant wailing and flailing bodies. We hoped to infuse dance floors and peoples legs with its reigning rhythm. It’s good for your health to party, so here is a musical invite to ours!”

The track has already been singled out by The Guardian in their 4/5 album review (“High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’ should sound amateurish, but is – like the rest of this rip-snorting debut – brutal, noisy, fun.”) and is released on 7” and digitally (the B-side is cover of Sky Larkin’s ‘Somersault’).

The band are also set to support Foals on their UK tour and are also pleased to announce a headline appearance at The Garage in Islington on December 2nd. Have a ganders at the video fro their previous single ‘Back To The Fuck Yeah’ below……..

Confirmed dates are as follows:

July

30 // Kendal Calling Festival

31 // London // Roundhouse (supporting Biffy Clyro)

August

1 // Underage Festival

7// Hevy Festival

27 // Reading Festival

29 // Leeds Festival

September

4 // Manchester LCCC (supporting Muse)

12 // End Of The Road Festival

November

10 // Norwich UEA (supporting Foals)

11 // Lincoln Engine Shed (supporting Foals)

12 // London // Brixton Academy (supporting Foals)

December

2 // London // Garage

Pulled Apart By Horses are:

Tom Hudson(vox/guitar)

James Brown(guitar)

Lee Vincent(drums)

Robert Lee (vox/bass)

Pete Lawrie is now a much-loved new name in my life. Possessing a bellowing, raspy voice that is just plain resonant and bellowing, as well as a dexterity that covers Celtic folk, rock and the at times melodramatic makes for some pretty darn good listening. Hailing from Penarth, Pete has collaborated with the likes of Speech Debelle, strange when you think of his own output, but completely on point with his mélange.

Pete Lawrie is also somewhat prolific beyond his own recordings. A quick YouTube search throws up road-trip high jinx, hip-hop covers with Lauren Pritchard (under the River Kids moniker), whilst his MySpace hosts a series of mix-tape compilations of home recordings that should prove prized and telling as his career unfurls.

All That We Keep’s careworn beauty is a fine example of how special this unassuming character is set to be. Backed by two of his own remixes under different aliases, a Jay-Z cover (‘Song Cry’) with American songstress Lauren Prichard, and a new track written with Guillemots vocalist Fyfe Dangerfield, it’s a fascinating introduction to this intense but welcoming young Welshman.

Grab a copy here…..

Pete Lawrie (Jocks remix) // All That We Keep by Stayloose

The chap’s voice lends itself to the music’s variance in meter very well, at times the Waterboy’s with the attitude of The Pogues, coupled with the ferocity and elegance of Dylan and the occasional, hanging poignancy of David Gray, but in more of Welsh growl, and a very nice Welsh growl for that matter. As I mentioned, I’m a fan and Pete has been kind enough to answer a few questions for us…..

Which artists would you say have held influence on you and your work?

Lyrically, my favourite artists are Paul Simon, Jay Z and Bill Callaghan. More recently Laura Marling. All are as conversational as they are Universal. Anyone who can make you feel that you are in the room, but with enough swag and attitude to remain slightly aloof, untouchable. Musically, I can honestly say there must be records i love in every genre. I try to play to death a new record every week. I still collect music as much as I can. Still as big a fan as I ever was.

What is the most nervous / disastrous performance you’ve had?

I have a recurring dream, that when we play a song called Just Dust, I have to play it on a tiny piano and my hands are too big. I end up giving the crowd their money back and my career begins to freefall. When that dream becomes a reality, then that will be the answer to this question

What are the apparent highlights of Glastonbury for you?

Doing a midnight, Landrover tour of the festival Stewards was a hoot. They never get to hear any music. They just get the grumpy hungover types in the morning and the Pissed rowdy types in the night. Must be a horrible job

At present who are the most interesting artists in world?

I suppose Lady Gaga has reinvigorated the idea of a proper popstar. She is our Michael Jackson or Madonna. I don’t think she is particularly innovative however, so to me, someone more like Andre 3000 or Janelle Monae. They are spontaneous and brave in their musical output and charismatic in performance

Why?

Oh. Umm, I kind of answered above I hope

Do you have any plans to play the UK in the future?

Yes, we have had an incredibly busy summer so far and the dates just keep coming in. You can see where we are playing herewww.myspace.com/petelawrie

In a perfect world whom would you like to work with (alive or dead) and why?

I would like to collaborate with musicians who have no care for genre boundaries. A supergroup with no predetermined sound. Sounds horrible I know, but not with the right members. So, maybe Danger Mouse to produce, Bernard Purdie Drums, Roots Keyboard player on Keys. Flea on bass. I would say Hendrix on guitar, but I think he is too good to jam. It would always be the ‘Hendrix show’, so maybe Dan Auerbach ( Black Keys) on guitar. I would Share Vocal Duties with Mos Def, whose Singing voice I love as much as his raps.

Oh and you can check out his latest video, for ‘All That We Keep’ below…..

Having picked up some serious support on his Jalapeno debut “Something Special” from the likes of Aeroplane, Unkle and Tom Middleton as well as key house jocks like Mark Knight and The Shape Shifters – Max Sedgley shifts things up a gear with the release of new single Sound Boy.

Vocals come courtesy of one of the UK hottest MC’s – Tor Cesay. Listeners to Radio 1 and 1Xtra need no introduction to this girl – her previous productions have earned her a Radio 1 Maida Vale Session and countless plays from the likes of Zane Lowe / Mary Anne Hobbs and Gilles Peterson. Tor teamed up with Max to drop this summer bomb prior to releasing an EP of her own new material in September.

Remixes both come from Max’s Jalapeno label mates. Holland’s dance superstars Kraak & Smaak drop a rolling bass with rave stabs club banger while Parker eschews his down tempo Nu-Funk roots for a speeded up wobble bass extravaganza. Added to the package is Max’s own Afrodub remix making sure all bases are covered.

Max first came to international attention with the release of “Happy” – a single widely acknowledged as a classic and a festival favourite to this day. Picked up by Rob Da Bank’s Sunday Best label, Max and his band The Shoots toured the world on the back of his debut album.

Max will be dropping his new album “Suddenly Everything” at the end of August on Jalapeno Records.

And here is the video for ‘Sound Boy’……

After the release of their ‘with/avec’ EP last summer, Montreal based trio Plants and Animals return this year with their debut UK album, ‘La La Land’. Their second studio album (debut LP ‘Parc Avenue’ was only available in North America), ‘La La Land’ will be released in the UK on September 13^th through Secret City. Having already pricked up the ears of North America’s most discerning critics, ‘The Mama Papa’ is the first single to be taken from the record.

With a penchant for recording on analogue tape, Plants and Animals’ records sound like they could have been made in 1972, but for all their warmth, it’s also impossible to deny how raw and recent the songs sound. New single ‘The Mama Papa’, released through Secret City on 2^nd August, is a case in point. With a nod to the motorik inspired rhythms of Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, the sound is undeniably that of a guitar band, but the tautness of the rhythms that drive the song nod as much to the band’s own love of afro beat as ruby in the dust, AM 70s rock.

‘La La Land’ builds on the eclecticism of the ‘with/avec’ EP, with the psychedelia now more brooding than pastoral, the guitars louder, the grooves smoother, and the sonic subtleties ever more nuanced. Inspired by a rediscovery of electric guitars, amplification and fuzz pedals, the album was recorded at the band’s hometown go-to studio, The Treatment Room and also at Studio La Frette, a dilapidated old mansion just outside of Paris, filled with vintage equipment in the cellar.

The band received thunderous applause worldwide for their debut album Parc Avenue in 2008, which was nominated for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize and garnered praise from everyone from Pitchfork to Danger Mouse, who invited them to open for Gnarls Barkley.
Plants and Animals are Warren C. Spicer, Matthew ‘the Woodman’ Woodley and Nicolas Basque, two boyhood friends from Canada’s East Coast and a weird francophone native. As their name suggests, the band have been a creature of evolution from the start.

Watch the video for ‘The Mama Papa’ here……

The Mama Papa by Plants and Animals from Secret City Records on Vimeo.