Single Review - Lulu & The Lampshades - Feet to the Sky - Noize Makes Enemies

Lulu & The Lampshades are a quirky playful brand of folk pop with a wholly loveable musical style that is both rich in fun and highly addictive melodies.

Their debut single “Feet to the Sky” reveals their desire to escape. To take a gutsy spontaneous step back from everything that is familiar and throw themselves into the unknown; something that the joining of sweet indie melody tunes with poignant, smart lyrics like /Shake me from the things I think me whole/ leave the listener wishing that they could runaway with them too.

With glottal stops aplenty, their informal narrative talking-meets-singing vocal style bounces along upbeat backing in a way that instantly draws likely comparisons to Laura Marling, Those Dancing Days and most notably, Peggy Sue and The Pirates, the latter of which they have frequently shared a stage with.

As the cooler nights draw in, Lulu & The Lampshades’ quirky style of sunshine folk alongside handclapping and sharp lyrics, bring welcomed warmth to ears all over London Town this Autumn, not to mention a great deal of anticipation for the follow up from this exciting new band.

Single Review - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday - Noize Makes Enemies

/All I know is that you’re perfect right now/ As Kip Berman’s soft vocals purr over the lo-fi pop guitar strings, the sheer vulnerability in The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is unavoidably endearing. As their heartfelt lyrics, bulging with teenage angst, ride the waves of their own personal brand of noise pop, the collision of juxtaposing extremes seem to justify the buzz that has surrounded this New York four-piece so far this year.

‘Come Saturday’ has a harsher feel than previously release tracks, with its highly distorted guitar input at times overpowering the trademark fragility of Kip’s vocals. Yet the track stands strong with their influences of The Ramones prevailing and undertones reminiscent of The Cure. But it is the subtleties in the track that make it so appealing. The intoxicating combination of dirty pop rock with the twee innocence of lyrics like /you don’t have to dress to please/ perhaps undress for me/ make it clear that these are set to be exciting times for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. And rightly so.

EP Review - The Voluntary Butler Scheme - Trading Things In - Noize Makes Enemies

/If you were broccoli, I would turn vegetarian for you/

Yes, possibly more fitting to the lacking lyrical prowess of the likes of the Jonas Brothers, but there is something, as much as your natural instincts will fight it, quite unavoidably endearing about Rob Jones’ soft vocals and twee pop melodies.

The one-man-band’s EP hosts all the sunshine exuding Indie chirp of the early works of Noah and The Whale and latter tracks contain poignant lyrics like: /My heart’s too bored to beat without you here/ effortlessly encapsulating the dim gloom of a broken heart over a typically upbeat backing ditty that is almost, structurally, similar to the likes of The Beatles.

Final track ‘Vending Machine’ also stores the same buoyant atmospherics as the previous but a sort of lo-fi distortion over the tracks, manipulating Rob’s delicate vocals with a harder edge, a welcomed darker shade is also contributed.

Whilst at a glance, the EP stands quite forgettable amongst the plethora of exiting releases of 2009, there is something likeable about The Voluntary Butler Scheme that culminates in a cloud of intrigue around Rob and his future releases.

Single Review- Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar - This is Fake DIY

Fuck Buttons are back and ‘Surf Solar’, the first release from their forthcoming album, is just over three minutes of characteristically dark electro that storms in and leaves you up to the neck in vast unrepentant beats.

Sounding like Do Make Say Think on a particularly enthralling acid trip, the track grips you with its effortlessly addictive urgency in a sort of futuristic War of The Worlds inspired soundtrack, unapologetically invading every part of the listener.

Retaining the undertone of Mogwai-esque melodies with frustrated distortion and lo-fi drones that so defines their previous releases, the Bristol-born duo once again seem to firmly push all the right buttons with their innovative take on all that is experimental.

Album Review - Get Back Guinnozi - Carpet Madness - This is Fake DIY

Get Back Guinnozi is a quirky French-meets-English five-piece that fuse electro kookiness with European overtones. They delicately dabble with all the quirky foreign simplicity of the likes of CSS and Indie eccentrics of Those Dancing Days….but like decaffeinated coffee or food that you’ve cooked for yourself, there seems to be just something missing, something that reduces its appeal.

It’s hard to pinpoint what it is exactly, the band contains all the ingredients that work so well for the afore mentioned outfits. Yet, tracks like ‘Go Back to School’ indulges the childish chants that so toxically saturate, and ruin, pop songs of the like whereas ‘King’s Song’ sounds like Kate Bush trapped (against her will) amongst some disappointingly damaged instrumentation.

But Get Back Guinozzi are in fact, likeable, and as their diverse influences surface and comparisons to the likes of Animal Collective can also be derived, the debut pans out as a sort of schitzophrenic production with sudden lyrics demanding /Don’t get mixed up/ I am fucked/ and an entire minute dedicated to deep erotic breathing.

Credit where credit due, the band seem to drip with innovation as they continue to surprise and alter what we expect. Regardless of their lack of mass appeal, Get Back Guinozzi seem pretty bloody interesting as they dare to veer entirely from the mainstream and stick two fingers up at conventional structure and genre, leaving listeners unsure what to make of the musical whirlwind but intrigued as to what else the five-piece are will deliver next.

EP Review - The Just Joans/ The Smittens- Split - This is Fake DIY

Often when two things come together, the end result is something enhanced and something that already seemed perfect, suddenly appear even better. Think Those Crooked Vultures; the culmination of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Jon Paul Jones combining and utilising all their years of expertise and musical prowess to create one effortlessly brilliant supergroup.

And then there are the others. Much like when Walkers’ Crisps brought out Chicken Tikka Masala flavour crisps, the end result is something of a huge disappointment. Not only are both individually, at best, marginally enjoyable, but when forced into an unnatural proverbial blender; the taste is bitter in every sense.

The Just Joans and The Smittens fall into the latter category. The EP provides each band singing one of their own tracks, as well as covering one of the others in a hope that the Live Lounge style of production will inspire a new lease of life and exciting new version. Instead, the cutesy Scottish quintet’s Alphabeat inspired ‘ba- lit' be a lack of anything truly memorable on 'he sunshine exuding little set of ditties something endearing and fun, there seda-ba’s’ and high-pitched High School Musical happiness stirs feelings of nausea.

The Just Joan’s version of ‘Gin & Platonic’ sits better when the female vocals are non-existent but the overall feeling, as with all tracks, is that the self-indulgent joining of two groups of band buddies has overshadowed the actual compatibility or talent of combination.

Whilst fans of all-things-twee may indeed find this sunshine exuding little set of ditties something endearing and fun, there seems to be a lack of anything truly memorable on ‘Split’.

Interview with Dom Hoare (Echaskech) - Noize Makes Enemies

“When you’re an electronic music artist these days, it pretty much means you bring out a laptop and not a lot more. And it’s not that exciting to watch someone check their emails [Try telling that to Little Boots!-Sub-Ed]. But we’re not at all like that when we play live”
It’s half six on a uncharacteristically sunny September evening in London and one half of Echaskech, Dom Hoare, dives right into explaining what sets the Electronica duo apart from in their peers in such a saturated niche.

“We wanted to be a visual thing as much as a music based thing. We’re far more organic in kind of the live aspect, we end of meshing all kinds of things and making all sorts of noises out of all sorts of boxes. So it’s fun to watch anyway, even if Mark’s [visual artist, Mark van der Vor] not there, which he isn’t always- fpr example if you’re at a festival you cant really get projections working so then it’ll be just the two of us.”

Mark van der Vor is the newest sort of honorary member to the London duo, providing a visual experience to work alongside the beats produced by Dom and Andy Gillham, who’s musical journey started over a decade ago:

“Me and Andy are old school mates, we used to go to the same school. We both studied music there and we also sort of grew a love of electronic, or dance, music I guess. In the late 90s we used to go down to Metal Heads quite a lot , down in Shoreditch, which was sort of drum and bass night and an excellent venue on a Sunday night. We kind of formed a group then, which was drum and bass.

“We had a sort of moderate success there, kind of left it and had a hiatus until about 4 years ago, we re-formed as Echaskech and decided to do it as more of an audio visual thing. We got Mark V on board and sort of mashed it all together one night. It was totally random; we went down to Brick Lane and played a gig there. We met for the first time that night and sort of said; ‘Lets just pretty much jam’ at a live performance and it came off really, really well so we’ve stuck with it since then really.”

Two albums in and the band seem to have stumbled across a formula that works. Something undoubtedly spurred on by the effortlessly likeable nature of the band, as Dom talks of their future plans, there is sense that Echaskech have a more advanced sentiment with their music, less so chasing the bright lights of stardom and more like the fame is something that found them in the most natural and organic way:

“When our first album came out, our launch party was one of the best gigs we’ve ever played just cause everybody’s there in good spirits and celebrating your music and you know, it’s not too judgemental so the pressure is off a bit. Although the album’s already out, we’ve got a delayed album launch at the end of October (28th) which will be at the Queen of Hoxton. It will be open to everyone, it’s kind of first come, first served for that night. But we’re already really looking forward to that.

“Also, every month we curate a night at the Haywood Galleries called ‘Concrete’, In fact, this Saturday it’s going to all be a bit of a jump up rave experience [laughs]. We have all sorts of acts that play there from basically, folktronica to the sort of thing this weekend, which is AGT Rave Crew, who have been described as the ‘Chas n Dave of Rave’ and they’re exactly that. They just mash any kind of bass noise to brakes and it sounds fantastic. And every month from there until Christmas we’ve got some fantastic acts booked, some real beauties. We’re doing a special Christmas gig too”

The end product of Dom and Andy’s clear vision and knowledge of the industry means their output spills out influences with tracks like ‘Every Touch’ sounding almost Postal Service meets Sigur Ros meets DJ Shadow. Something truly diverse.

Any band that can stir up such heightened emotions amidst beats that cause legs to dance like they wouldn’t get another chance to, but minds to pause and get lost in the beauty of the band’s Mogwai-esque style, clearly have more talent than most of us could wish for.

Far from your average electro music, forget stereotypes of the genre. Forget Justice, Simian Mobile Disco or even those bloody awful remixes, Echaskech produce something different, something awe-inspiring and something truly unique.

New Music - Interview with Lemonade (Noize Makes Enemies)

“Extreme bass, new age synthesizers, carnival, dolphin noises, swimming”

As far as musical influences come, you don’t get much more obtuse than this. But for a band whose very fibres embody diversity and a hybrid sense of self, anything but randomness would seem somewhat out of character.

Step into this vibrant world of Lemonade. An exciting new band from Brooklyn, a state which seems to churn out off-mainstream gems at a pace that matches the rate that China spews out air pollution. Yet, unlike their predecessors, the likes of MGMT, TV on the Radio and Grizzly Bear, Lemonade keep it funk but pile in their dubstep and house influences.

So how did this new breed of dark beats meets infectious upbeat overtones begin between Callan Clendenin, Alex Pasternak and Ben Steidel?:

“It was very spontaneous. Alex and Callan had the concept for a while and when the opportunity to play a show on 2 weeks notice came up, they got together with Ben and made it happen. It's been going pretty well since then.”

Rather an understatement for a band that have already received such great feedback, with ‘Big Weekend’ hailed as Nick Grimshaw’s single of the week and with the three-piece’s self-titled album out this week, it seems things are really about to take off for the band. Something the band seems quietly confident of, promising that their debut will be a good mood provoker amongst the listeners:

“They can expect joy and dancing.”

It would seem the listeners can also expect an album jammed with innovation and a whole host of genre-dodging musical delights, particularly with percussionist Alex’s training in Arab and Latin music to bring that extra slice of originality to the band’s carefully crafted music. And following a busy Summer, things look set to continue at a fast face for our new favourite electro mavericks:

“We’ll be writing new songs and playing more shows. We’ll also be getting a Swatch sponsorship (hopefully)”

Typically jovial, it’s often hard to know when Lemonade are being witty, as their welcomed especially dry sense of humour colours so much of their speech, or being serious; having also told us “We all met at a casting call for the popular American children's show Kids Incorporated.”. But it is completely clear that they are a band that give their everything to the music; a completely admirable quality in an industry where it seems so easy to get lost in the trivial falsities.

Whilst, Lemonade may well be a band of few words, short of musical talent, they ain’t. Enter their vivacious world at your own peril, it’s pretty bloody infectious.

Reading Festival Review - Noize Makes Enemies

Reading Festival. An opportunity for music fans of all ages to drink a justifiable vast quantity over the bank holiday, a reason to step away from reality for a long weekend and a chance for a lot of teenagers to set fire to things in a pointlessly destructive way (something demonstrated by the 600 person riot that took place Sunday night).

With some of the best weather we’ve seen all Summer, Reading Festival 2009 may well have been one of the most chaotic, but it also showcased some of the most incredible talent the music industry has to offer.

Whilst inevitable annoying clashes between lots of our favourite bands unavoidably occurred and occasionally the testosterone-fuelled activities of fourteen-year olds setting fire to their farts made you wish you were at Glastonbury, in reality, we wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It’s been a week since we all crammed as much of our lives as we could into rucksacks and hoped security didn’t notice our 100ml dry shampoo, yet it seems almost a lifetime ago now we’re all back in the rat race. So here’s a run down for those who missed it… or for those who want to nostalgically mourn its passing.

FRIDAY
The weekend got started with crazy young things, Dananankroyd (no, we couldn’t pronounce it either). Flocks of people rushed to the NME/Radio 1 Stage, if only because it was the only tent to shield from a sudden downpour. Full of youthful energy and enthusiasm, the band started off with song that allows everyone in the crowd to learn what to call this chaotic band (Dana-nan-ana-KROYD). 2.30pm and with the skies clearing, an impressive set by The Virgins is followed by an immaculate hour of The Airborne Toxic Event. Lead singer, Mikel Jollett, effortlessly pours out charisma and the tent is soon full of long-standing fans and curious new ears with ‘Sometime Around Midnight’ spurring an eruption of applause. Anticlimactically, Little Boots, full of industry-formulated clichés followed on the NME/Radio 1 Stage, with the rain causing the tent to look misleadingly full, amidst the same-sounding electro boredom.

Later, Jack Penate played to a rather unexpectedly packed crowd. With his set list showcasing his older pop tracks like ‘Spit at Stars’ with new singles like ‘Pull My Heart Away’, it seems Jack finally reached the level of credibility he has been striving for and deserves as oppose to being a guilty pleasure for many. Clashing Placebo and Florence and The Machine and Friendly Fires with Bombay Bicycle Club no doubt caused a lot of festival-goers distress but Florence characteristically stole the show. With the gig falling on her birthday, after climbing up the tent scaffolding, Welsh told the huge audience “I said I’d get higher than I did at Glastonbury, and I have!” Whether she meant due to narcotics or geographically, ending with her renowned ‘You’ve Got the Love’ cover, her astounding vocal ability was left in no dispute. Friendly Fires followed with an opportunity to show how far they are from just another electro band, with lead singer Ed Macfarlane keeping the audience captivated with his vocal prowess and metrosexual dancing shamelessness.

Fans of Jamie T later flocked to see their favourite chav scream out his trademark lyrics before leaving 10 minutes early to catch headliners, Kings of Leon on the Main Stage…and to be disappointed. With Caleb telling a sea of fans “I know some of you are sick of Kings of Leon, and so are we. But if any of you don’t think we deserve to be where we are. Fuck You.” The band went on to play an uncharacteristically un-interactive set before Jared threw his guitar into the audience and shoved his finger up. Perhaps a result of a noticeably more aggressive audience this year or whether KOL are attempting to step back from the pedestal they’ve so long resented, fans felt noticeably let down. Yet, spirits would have undoubtedly been lifted by Marmaduke Duke’s set on the Festival Republic Stage midway through Kings of Leon. With showmanship in the bucket loads, Simon Neil crowd surfed as he sang his way through the band’s back catalogue, playing more mainstream releases including ‘Silhouettes’ and ‘Everybody Dance’ as well as the lesser known metal. As he sang “I wish you weren’t ordinary”, audiences were left instead feeling pretty chuffed that Biffy Clyro’s frontman’s side project is so far from it.

SATURDAY
The Rakes were the third band to grace the Main Stage on the sunny second day. Whilst the open air was less suited to a band that strive in more intimate gigs, singer Alan Donohoe, brought the set to life with his eccentric vocals and trademark dancing like a sporadic fit of ADHD, something that makes the band appear wholly endearing. Yet the highlight of the Saturday for those ‘in the know’ was no doubt the unannounced band that sandwiched themselves between Patrick Wolf and You Me at Six on the NME/Radio 1 Stage. Them Crooked Vultures took to the stage at 4pm. The supergroup, made up of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Led Zepplin’s John Paul Jones rocked an amazed audience, not least because of their astounding status as musicians individually, but because of their musical prowess as a band. The Maccabees clashed with Maximo Park on the Main Stage later, but The Maccabees showed their worth with a spine-tinglingly good set. Working their way through the old and new tracks, Orlando’s vocals pierced the hardest of hearts in the way that he does so well. Changing the pace entirely, The Prodigy followed on the Main Stage with thousands dancing like their lives depended on it. Second headliners of the weekend, the Arctic Monkeys, showed a lot less resentment towards the crowd and played a predictably good set, fusing their new sounding tracks with classics including ‘Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’; much to the crowd’s delight.

SUNDAY
Master Shortie kicked the last day off on the Dance Stage, playing a highly energised set. Reminding audiences of his debut album’s release and his future tour repeatedly, the nineteen-year-old soaked up the atmosphere and pumped energy into a rather hungover crowd, soon getting everyone dancing and screaming ‘Dance Like a White Boy’.

1pm, the sun still shined down on Reading as Noah and The Whale took to the Main Stage. With Charlie’s vocals cooing over an orchestra of musical instruments fitting the open air perfectly, even an electric toothbrush was used for sound, demonstrating the attention to detail that has got the band so far. Metronomy and Passion Pit took to the NME/Radio 1 Stage later in the afternoon, with both impressing audiences but Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos’ vocals perhaps less suited to such a grand stage.

Vampire Weekend played to the high-spirited crowd, keeping everyone energised before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs graced the Main Stage with Karen O dressed typically eccentrically. Playing an astounding hour of tracks from ‘Heads Will Roll’ to the notoriously intoxicating ‘Maps’, the band looked delighted as the crowd cheered ceaselessly and it soon became clear that for many, this would truly be one of the performances that defined their weekend. Bloc Party followed and despite concerns that they would struggle to perform to the best of their abilities on the Main Stage against the open air, the band played an astounding set. Regardless of the British drizzle, festival goers danced harder than they had all weekend as the band played songs from all three of their albums, with Kele’s vocals reaching into the hearts of their loyal fans.

Radiohead rounded off the weekend, making the lives of their decade-long standing fans. A little late to start, the band was the first to re-adjust the lighting and screens to fit their set and it made all the difference. A truly atmospheric and incredible end to a weekend that showcases some of the best bands in the world.

Interview with Jonathan Corley (Manchester Orchestra)

Following an impressive set on Reading’s NME/Radio 1 Stage last weekend, Atlantic indie rockers, Manchester Orchestra, release their second full UK album ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’ this week. Noize caught up with five-piece’s bassist, Jonathon Corley, to find out a bit more about the release and one of our new favourite bands.

“I think everyone in both camps is excited about the upcoming tour. It's been awhile since we've been out with those guys. We all lost our minds in the desert last time we toured together. Maybe that will happen again.”

‘Those guys’ are the Metal meets Emo tyrants, Brand New, and with the pairing of this, and the band’s exciting support slot for Biffy Clyro’s upcoming UK tour – it is more firmly set in stone than one of mythological Medusa’s worst enemies, that just another indie band feigning to be credible in some half-arsed industry move, they ain’t.

The band’s new album fuses true rock in its more mainstream format with lyrics that dare to spit the words of painful truth like /You’re not alive when I need you/ but manage to still exude an overarching endearing sense of poetry, in the way only the best songwriters can muster.

Defining themselves as “Abrasive southern indie rock... or music to listen to during a shakedown”, the band’s creative juices flowed further than just a traditional album release – instead choosing to treat their devoted fans to a video series to go alongside the end product as a sort of narrative interpretation:

“Each song has a video that weaves discovered 8mm film into a story that flows all the way to "The River" [end track]. It was a massive project tackled by a couple of guys from Destroy Rock Music (Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki). They had about four months to complete the entire project, which is a feat in and of itself.”

Yet, the multi-media end result seems to more than justify the means. Having spent 300 days on the road with the last album, you can be sure that the band can also promise some polished and spine-tingle inducing sets on their upcoming live shows:

“We're constantly working on new things. The schedule we've chosen to maintain keeps us on the road and out of the studio, at the moment. When we're home, however we're usually recording. You can find new video podcasts from tour updated regularly online. There is sure to be something exciting musically out later this year.”

Manchester Orchestra’s diverse sound and unique output combines all the best aspects of American rock acts such as Weezer with sprinklings of the divine likes of Right Away, Great Captain in a way which conveys their bottom-line vulnerability in a way which is impossibly likeable. Having received positive press and even shining comparisons by Caleb Followill himself (that’s the front man of Kings of Leon for those of you who’ve only really heard ‘Sex on Fire’): “"They remind me of us. They are country boys from Georgia and sing this raw passionate music”, it seems that the next few months are set to be pretty life-affirming for one of the most understated, but exciting, bands in a long while.