100 albums recorded since 2000 better than Oasis pt.6

Past the half way mark now and Pt.6 of my 100 albums better than Oasis. Let's start the latest batch by heading to the North and East of England.



Field Music - Measure

The Brewis Brothers incorporated a harder rock edge to their intelligent melodic pop to great effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x257xocl4_k

Fighting With Wire - Man Vs Monster

Heavy melodic rock from Nothern Ireland teenagers.  An album all rock fans should own. That tiny area of the world really produces some great bands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG7kU5J9oUQ





Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed

Musically not fantastic, can be a bit plodding, but lyrically brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfGLzDQ7e-k








Goldheart Assembly- Wolves and Thieves

Beautiful melodies and harmonies belie a darker edge to the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LNGZypCDGE

Graham Coxon - Happiness in Magazines

Proving Coxon isn't just a great guitarist, but also not only were Blur a better band than Oasis, this also carried on in his solo career.  I particularly like the comment under this video "He makes Oasis look like twats."  Nuff said :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgV91MiN_sk

Guillemots - Through The Windowpane

Epic, sweeping although tender pop songs with Fyfe Dangerfield's haunting vocals at the fore.  A stunning debut. The band have struggled since to capture the same magic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EaAYi64Rpo&ob=av2e




The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

Solid rock backing for Craig Finn's tales of the underbelly of American society. Fabulous live band and a must see, if just to see someone who has the looks of accountant completely lose control of his bodily movements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKVNA7o0-48&ob=av2n

Jamie T - Panic Prevention

Eclectic urban, gritty pop music. Bit of hip hop, bit of punk, bit of everything thrown in.  Wonderfully inventive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZvYkZfAtq0&ob=av2e

Grinderman - Grinderman

Nick Cave with a stripped down Bad Seeds. Same intelligence, same sense of humour, just more raw and dirty rock n roll.  The man is a legend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl6GJmuMX2Q&feature=fvst

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

The first album by the mighty Maiden I've bought in a long time. They've still got without a doubt, massive riffs, twin guitar heaven and Bruce on vocals. Melodic metal heaven from one of the originators.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSQVU5V1-No&ob=av2e

August Album reviews

http://www.mudkiss.com/andysaugustalbum.htm

Mudkiss album reviews for August.

Not Above Evil




















The Loud




















Epigene

Various Artists - Dirty Home of Riot Rock n Roll

The Icarus Line

Jeff Bridges (Yep, that Jeff Bridges)

100 albums recorded since 2000 better than Oasis pt.5

Ash - Free All Angels

A return to form for Ash. Pop punk with a melodic edge at it's best. Who says the Americans do this best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW8mEMqiNhc

Amplifier - Amplifier

Criminally ignored progressive rock hailing from the same city as the Gallagher Brothers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLqCb09JC8

The Black Keys - thickfreakness

Brilliantly raw and filthy blues rock from Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0YlVWyM4ak

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Stripped down, emotionally charged folk from the backwoods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMmr1oMPGA

Midlake - The Courage of Others

Gorgeously melodic intensity and one of the most relaxing albums ever recorded. Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcHVYrcb6As

John Grant - Queen of Denmark

Clever, clever pop music with great lyrical dexterity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6iWtIFJ-og







The Miserable Rich - Of Flight and Fury

Chamber pop with dark lyrical themes around relationships incorporating James De Malplaquet's wonderfully controlled vocals. One of the U.K's finest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtYXYzbmGlg







British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music

Anthemic rock from one of the U.K's most eccentric outfits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2n-7K0Ef6Y&ob=av2e

Dangermouse  / Jay Z - The Grey Album

Intelligent and inventive amalgamation of The Beatles - White Album and Jay-Z's - Black Album, subsequently and ridiculously banned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VVykEt37c




Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters

Another criminally underrated talent, with an album of just fantastic and emotive pop songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0EylOpX1eg&ob=av2e

Euros Child goes all swamp blues

Talking about musical mavericks, ex of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Euros Child releases yet another free collection and moves away from electronica and into stripped down swamp blues for the four tracks on his "Beef Bridge EP."

One of the music industries true eccentrics, Euros is always well worth a listen.

http://www.euroschilds.com/

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

One of music's great mavericks, Stephen Malkmus with his band The Jicks, release new album "Mirror Traffic," which includes Beck on production duties through Domino on August 22nd.

Can't wait?........Ok............ it's streamed in full at the link below.



http://www.npr.org/2011/08/14/138957392/first-listen-stephen-malkmus-and-the-jicks-mirror-traffic

Blitzen Trapper

http://soundcloud.com/subpop/blitzen-trapper-love-the-way


Free download of "Love The Way You Walk Away" from Blitzen Trapper for all you banjo lovin, harmonica appreciating country rockers out there, certainly something I'm not adverse to these days.

The album "American Goldwing" is released on September 13th.

The new breed of Mudkiss Pt.2

http://www.mudkiss.com/augustalbumskidz.htm

Part 2 from the new breed of album reviews for Mudkiss as Callum, Josh and Lydia give their thoughts on :

Merissa Nadler

Japanese Voyeurs

Heights

Robots in Disguise

China Bull Shop

Filthy Nights

Barricades Rise

This Frontier Needs Heros

Foster The People

100 albums recorded since 2000 better than Oasis pt.4

Sorry for the delay people, it's been a busy week.  Back to business now however and Pt.4 of my 100 albums better than Oasis recorded since 2000.

Tried to help if you aren't aware of certain albums with a link to a bit of YouTube footage.


Spires - Spiral of Ascension

Only come across this beauty from last year recently. It's metal, but it's not metal, if you see what I mean. The progressive elements are within, without an over reliance on the harder vocal aspects.  The guitars swoop and soar in tandem and separately, creating an almost relaxing atmosphere on occasions.  Stunning stuff.  UK metal is back in a big way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YieApEq00qE




Phosphorescent -  Here's to Taking It Easy

Country folk of the most heart wrenching, poignant and yearning type interspersed with some top quality lead guitar interplay. Gorgeous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8J1mK3jats







Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig

One of the few musicians who's been around Donkey's years, still producing something exciting. Classic Cave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjZQYWGrT8E




Orphans and Vandals - I am Alive and You Are Dead

Intense and disturbing lyrical imagery from a truly dark mind.  One of the classic debut albums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNiwhI3zoQ8






Mclusky - The difference between me and you is I'm not on Fire.

Warped sense of humour from the Welsh punks. The first album I came across, unfortunately turned out to be their last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o66g12emwE






Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk

Folk super group including Conor Oberst, Jim James and M. Ward produce a master class in melodic pop music basically.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIiDvOdkyCc





The Strokes - Is This It

I don't need to say anything about this one I guess. We all know......although a good friend of mine recently admitted this was the album which made him aware of bass lines.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1vvUec71v8






Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

I could take or leave Kasabian....mainly leave.....up to this point and then they upped their game with a consistently good collection of indie rock tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBo9bfdS4DE



Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

Probably one to annoy the metal purists and the hardcore Slipknot fans as they certainly took a more melodic turn.  Personally, I regard "All Hope is Gone" as a great rock / metal crossover album and in "Snuff" one of the great power ballads of all time, in a very deep, dark sense. Excellent short film to accompany the track on top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXEKuttVRIo&ob=av2n




Bring Me The Horizon - There is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It, There is a Heaven, Let's Keep it a Secret

One of the most inventive British metal albums for years, brutal, yet beautiful in places.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-4m0ivCFeo

More new blood at Mudkiss

As if three new writers added to the Mudkiss ranks wasn't enough, (another collection of album reviews from Callum, Josh and Lydia will appear soon,) we continue to mine the seam of youthful talent and reveal our latest addition, Chumki Bannerjee.

Chumki has taken over the role of singles / EP reviewer for the site and she is really rather good, as you'll find out through the link below.  Check out new offerings by:

Van Susans
Night Wreckage
Jodie Marie
The Beautiful World
Delta Maid
Films of Colour
David J Roch
Louise Distras
Nhor
Hyde and Beast



and last but not least

Noel Gallagher.

http://www.mudkiss.com/augustsingles.htm#.TjpIz8EDADU.facebook

The Music

This week see's the final ever performances by The Music, in London tomorrow night, followed by two home town gigs in Leeds on Friday and Saturday. A band who must rank as one of the most underrated British rock outfits of all time, produced three albums, their eponymous debut in 2002, "Welcome to the North" in 2004 and "Strength in Numbers" in 2008.  Over the years they received great critical acclaim, built up a fervent following, although true success continued to evade them.  They excelled particularly in the live arena, the gig I attended in Lancaster back in 2005, still resides in my top 5 of all time.



The Music leave us with with a back catalogue filled with quality, rather than quantity, full of some of the biggest riffs this side of Led Zep and in Rob Harvey, a truly inspiring clean rock vocal.

A parting gift is available as a free download  from their website, "Magic Hands," a track recorded while the band were working on their fourth album, subsequently never destined to see the light of day.


 http://www.themusic.co.uk/


So to the strains of "Magic Hands" let us bid, Robert Harvey – vocals, guitar, Adam Nutter – lead guitar, Stuart Coleman – bass guitar and Phil Jordan – drums a fond farewell. 


The Music, after this weekend may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.  

l

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woKUFyqIAE0&ob=av2nh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ospxlZZM2Hw track and it just seemed a shame to leave it gathering dust for ever. It's good to go out with something positive g about the single lead singer Robert Harvey said:

"We love the track and it just seemed a shame to leave it gathering dust for ever. It's good to go out with something positive and new and we think it deserves to see the light of day. Hopefully the fans will agree - again we want to thank everyone who's been with us on this journey and look forward to celebrating an amazing ten y

Manchester becomes the epicenter of UK Metal

While Manchester's musical heritage is the envy of many a city, spanning decades and genres, metal has never really raised it's head much above the industrial parapet, although that's about to change.  From within the confines of the city and surrounding areas, a plethora of extreme talent gathers, producing some of the most intelligent and innovative metal music around.

Take, Spires and debut album " Spiral of Ascension" released in November last year.  Incorporating progressive elements, Paul Sadler - guitar / vocals, Paul Cuthbert - guitar, Alex Jolley - bass and Chris Barnard on drums have produced a melodic masterpiece.  While hinting towards Opeth, Mastodon or Emperor territory, a real calm pervades the ether, the guitars swooping and soaring, accompanying Sadler's predominantly wraithlike vocal.  On the occasions he incorporates the more metallic rasp, still  restrained, never overtly invasive, "The Infinite Descent" a case in point.

"The Broken Hourglass," "Martyr" and title track "Spiral of Ascension" extend past the ten minute mark, highlighting not only the technical ability of the players within Spires, also a complete aptitude for holding the attention, tempo and mood changes abound, if ever metal could be called relaxing, this is it. "Spiral of Ascension" is an album you can become completely lost within..... epic certainly, although unpretentious..... magnificent, whilst still being modest and utterly accessible, transcending the progressive metal genre.

Spires are currently touring with another of UK metals current crop of monoliths, Talanas, having two dates at The Joiners Arms in Southampton and The Peel in Kingston-Upon-Thames prior to appearances at Bloodstock Festival.  Definitely ones not to miss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qwUjTEz148
        

       

Talanas Interview

Here's one to tell the Grand kids. "Yes, children, I really did interview one of the biggest metal acts on the planet, before they hit the big time :-D"

http://www.mudkiss.com/talanasinterview.htm