Oh happy day! A new Belle And Sebastian has arrive and it’s the title track to the new record! Write About Love is an all too brief but spirited romp through a world of melody that only Stuart Murdoch can navigate through with such expert precision. This is definitely one that will have you dancing ’round the room as you play the song on repeat. One thing that can be truly be said about B & S is that they rarely disappoint. It’s a shame though that it seems that the gap between studio releases is getting a bit wider from album to album. No matter when the end result of our wait results in something truly fun and extraordinary such as this. Welcome back!

“Write About Love” by Belle And Sebastian, taken from the forthcoming Rough Trade release, “Belle And Sebastian Write About Love”

You know when I said the video for Underworld new single Always Loved  A Film quite possibly could be considered the video of the year. Yeah…well if you happened to share that opinion and in fact still do, you may want to click the video above once more. The Lady Killer himself, Cee-Lo Green has truly out-done himself here. As cute as the video for ALAF is, the video for Fuck You kicks the cuteness factor up a couple of notches and adds a couple of doses of sheer hilarity to boot. Lest we forget the important lesson to be learned from this. It’s quite nice to see in this day and age of truly talented artists getting pushed over to the fringes and video budgets shrinking that it really has forced artists and directors to really go back to thinking outside the box. Instead of competing to see who can make the biggest spectacle with the biggest budget, we’re seeing a return to some quality promotional films being created that can be entertaining, thought-provoking and still consistently push the creative envelope. This video is simply full of class.

Has there been a release any more eagerly awaited in 2010 than Hurts’ Happiness? I think not. So far with everything we’ve heard thus far, it’s hard to think that the record anything short of a masterpiece. It’s not just hyperbole that I’m espousing prematurely. It’s just how hyped up I am on these guys. To add a bit more to the duo’s growing legend, how about this Kylie Minogue cover of her 1994 single Confide In Me? Stripped of the glossy early 90s sheen and whittled down to a couple of synths, a percussionist and Theo’s soaring voice. A great choice to showcase to the world that they’re not just a couple of pretty boys. These boys can bring it anytime, anywhere. Love it.

“Confide in Me” by Hurts (Kylie Minogue cover)

I’ve gotta say that I’m really starting to change my initial opinion on Mark Ronson’s work. I know how good a producer he is for everyone else but for me, his work for himself left something to be desired. I had stated this before after hearing the first single from his new record Record Collection but after this new track with hall-of-famer Ghostface Killah called Lose It (In The End) just might make me a believer after all. To be fair, it must be said that virtually anything that Tony Starks puts work into is going to come up aces. What makes this pairing interesting is that the track sounds so…poppy, one would be somewhat surprised that Ghostface co-signed on it. No matter what the motivation may be, speculation or otherwise, the song is a winner. Ghostface’s verses go straight for the jugular as he’s found himself at his wit’s end over what else? Love. Mark Ronson himself on the hook and you’ve got yourself quite a pop song. I like.

And we’re underway! The return of OMD is now a reality. Here we have the video for the first single taken from the band’s comeback record The History Of Modern and this one is called If You Want It. It definitely has the feel of a sort of marriage between the McCluskey/Humphries early years and the McCluskey solo later years of OMD. Depending on which era you favour, this really can’t be considered anything less than a win. The two head honchos are older, hopefully wiser and it can be assumed their past differences that led to the split are behind them and their fans can look forward to a brand new record that will remind them of how vital a band the Manoeuvres truly were in their heyday.

“If You Want It” by OMD, taken from the forthcoming 100%/Bright Antenna release, “The History Of Modern”

“Scrape the skies
Get up off your knees
Just lift the marks
And new-found releases
I’ll pretend a pretty pretend
When all I wanna see is the end of this”

I’ve got to admit that sometimes there are cases where really great great bands do slip through my fingers and they go unnoticed and unrecognised on this here blog. For that I apologise, friends! It was a simple conversation that took place with a dear friend yesterday in which the topic of a certain Welsh trio came up and how their expansive sound creates such a confectionary concoction that it was only a matter of time before the indie kids went ballistic over them. Yes, I’m late to the game in writing about The Joy Formidable. I’ve had their record A Balloon Called Moaning for a bit of time now and can’t help but get a warm feeling listening to how amongst all the cacophony, the band is really a pure pop band at heart. The melodies are adorable. The songs are as cute as buttons and they rock. It doesn’t hurt that singer Ritzy is the easily the cutest girl in indie rock right now either.

Pretty soon the band will be touring the States and it would be a pretty good idea for you all to attend and show your appreciation for great pop music. Have at it.

Nov 03 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern
Nov 04 Montreal, QC Petit Campus
Nov 05 Quebec City, QC L’Agitee
Nov 06 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
Nov 08 Columbus, OH Wexner Center
Nov 09 Chicago, IL Schuba’s
Nov 11 Washington, DC Black Cat
Nov 12 Harrisburg, PA The Abbey
Nov 13 Allston, MA Great Scott
Nov 15 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 16 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

The Joy Formidable on MySpace
The Joy Formidable on Facebook
The Joy Formidable on Twitter

“Cradle” by The Joy Formidable, taken from the Pure Groove release, “A Balloon Called Moaning”

I was really very close to worrying aloud that there would be no more chapters to explore in the book of Scottish twee heroes Belle & Sebastian. To date, it’s been four years since 2006’s The Life Pursuit came out and since then there’s been a BBC Sessions record released but nothing of note otherwise. What is noteworthy about this band in my eyes is that normally the twee sound is one that very rarely, if ever catches my ear. Suddenly it happened one fateful day when the Belles cast their spell on me ever since the first time I heard Dog On Wheels featuring the trembling yet sweet vocals of one Stuart Murdoch and I was immediately smitten. I’m sure I was hardly the only one. The fact that The Life Pursuit ranks as my favourite B & S record served to only exacerbate the pining for some new songs by the band.

Finally the good news is starting to come in as the band’s new record entitled Belle & Sebastian Write About Love will be headed our way very soon! This should come as simply wonderful news to the lovelorn, the coy and the hopelessly shy guys and gals out there for we may now rejoice in the comforts of our own beds. What’s more is that the band will be playing out and about as well! Those of you in the BK, mark your calendars as they’ll be at the Waterfront at the end of September!

09/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Waterfront
10/02 – Las Vegas, NV @ Matador at 21
10/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium #
10/07 – Mexico City, MX @ Vive Cuervo Salon
10/08 – Mexico City, MX @ Vive Cuervo Salon *
10/09 – Guadalajara, MX @ Teatro Estudio Cavaret
10/11 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/12 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/14 – Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
10/15 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
10/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Festival
10/19 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Hall
10/20 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall

Belle & Sebastian on MySpace
Belle & Sebastian on Facebook
Belle & Sebastian on Twitter

“Dog On Wheels” by Belle & Sebastian, taken from the Jeepster release, “Dog On Wheels EP”

It’s been a little while since I last posted anything about Fenech-Soler but that’s about to change now. The band deservedly scored themselves a deal with B-Unique and we will finally see their self-titled debut record released on the 27th of September. First things first though as the first single to be lifted from the record will be Lies and will be out on the 20th of September. Lies is one of my personal favourite tracks from the band and really does a good job of showcasing the band’s strengths. An obvious affinity for the dance-floor and a strict attention to detail in writing a strong chorus. It’s no doubt that the band will find many a home in CD players and i-Pods everywhere.

“Lies” by Fenech-Soler, taken from the forthcoming self-titled B-Unique release

The Heartbreaks are on their way. To me, they are on the fast track to becoming the next great English indie guitar band. They are that good. They’ve got those fresh young faces that should drive the girls nuts. They write songs that make you smile and hug yourself while you sing out loud. Granted they’ve got a long way to go before they reach the heights of a certain fellow Mancunian foursome who defined indie in the 1980s but it must be said that The Heartbreaks not only stumbled onto the winning formula, they’re doing their best to try to improve upon it. Their familiar yet most welcome brand of indie pop is so innocent and so pure, one simply can’t help but fall in love. Not convinced? Not too long ago, I posted about the band’s new single I Didn’t Think It Would Hurt To Think Of You and deemed it as another winner for the band. Now you can watch the promotional film for the song and maybe all it will take is just another listen to knock some sense into your noggin and come to the realisation that this band is indeed for real. Come on. You can do it.

Janelle Monae is a star. A true artist.  I think I’ve said that maybe once or twice before but I mean it. Those of you who haven’t yet given The ArchAndroid a listen are really missing out on what an album sounds like. A complete piece of work encapsulating various emotions, states of mind and words and delivered through rhythm and rhyme. This is the video for Cold War. It’s a simple yet beautiful piece of work. Janelle cuts out the frills literally and figuratively and delivers what can be considered to be one of the year’s highlights. Taking a cue from Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U, Janelle gets up close and personal and demands us to watch, implores us to listen and she succeeds. This girl is good, friends.