UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Tuesday Ten (23/10/12)

Things have been busy this week in the Nikki Noodles studio, as you will have seen from my other posts. So today is the first chance I've had to sort out the next set of gems for you, but I don't think these will disappoint... Here goes...

1) Situation - Yazoo
YouTube Amazon
I bought the Upstairs at Eric's album when "Don't Go' came out but I soon decided that this was my favourite track and I played it to death. The vinyl was later commandeered by an ex during a nasty split, but this is one of those songs that I credit for igniting my unwavering love of EDM.

2) Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun
YouTube Amazon
At one point this song seemed to be everywhere, and like a lot of others I kept hearing it and thinking, "What is that song?". A real earworm of the chilled out genre.

3) Inertia - AutoVaughn
'Inertia' on iTunes
'Hell Of A Place' on YouTube
These guys supported Cage The Elephant when I went to see them in 2008 and they were absolutely fantastic. I can't find a YouTube video of Inertia, so I have instead included the link for another of their songs, 'Hell Of A Place', which was the highlight of the night at the gig. This was one of the rare occasions for me where the support outplayed the main act.

4) Greece 2000 - Three Drives on A Vinyl
YouTube Amazon
Arguably one of the best progressive trance tracks of the early 2000s, this is an absolute tune! A proper Ibiza anthem.

5) Cold Game - Maverick Sabre
YouTube Amazon
From the album 'Lonely Are The Brave', this is a great song from the Irish singer/rapper. His soulful voice is very current, whilst his style is slightly reminiscent of Plan B. If you haven't heard the album it's worth a listen.

6) Such A Fool - 22-20s
YouTube Amazon
Jangly guitars ahoy! The song sounds like it's constantly building up to something that never comes, in a quirky, interesting way.

7) Raver (Benny Page Remix)- Shy FX and the Ragga Twins feat Kano, Donae'o
YouTube Amazon
Great drum n bass that'll have, "When me was a yoot me used to blow my orn like a rayva!" whipping round in your head for aaaages.

8) Cry For Help - Rick Astley
YouTube Amazon
A stark contrast from the last entry, and equally different to Rick Astley's Rickroller, "Never Gonna Give You Up". This song is beautiful and shows that he's not just a Stock, Aitken and Waterman/PWL cookie cut out. He probably goes a bit far in shaking off that image with his Lion King mane though...

9) Ghost Town - The Specials
YouTube Amazon
A ska classic with great use of minor harmonic scales, it was released when there was widespead rioting in British cities, and became a bit of a theme song for them due to its topical lyrics about urban decay, violence and unemployment. I just remember loving the video!

10) Jump Around - House Of Pain
YouTube Amazon
This probably need no introduction at all! The most recognisable, incessant scream in the planet plays as a constant theme in the track. No party is complete without this blaring from the speakers and everybody in the room, well, jumping around. All together now..."Jump around...jump around...jump around...jump up, jump up and get down....JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP..."

What do you think of this week's selection? Are there any that you just can't bear? Or maybe one of them is your favourite ever song? Let me know!!

Exciting News! 'Plummet' to be used in a film!

I have some exciting news to share with you about one of my tracks!

'Plummet', one of my drum n bass tracks, will be used in the forthcoming Luke Mordue film, "Fallen Angels".

Filming starts next month. Luke is a local young film producer and actor, and his work has attracted financial backing from the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, as well as advice from Alan Rickman and Peter Firth of the BBC drama, Spooks. The film itself is quite dark, and follows the fallout after a Halloween prank goes wrong.

For more details on the film see Luke Mordue's "Fallen Angels" website here.

You can hear 'Plummet' here on my ReverbNation site or on any of the links in my profile to SoundCloud, MySpace, YouTube etc on the bottom left of this screen.

Needless to say I'm absolutely thrilled that Luke chose one of my songs for the film. More updates soon!

FULL GIG REVIEW - Bloc Party "Bloctober"

O2 Academy Birmingham, 15th October 2012
Support: Theme Park

When I last saw Bloc Party at the Reading Festival in 2009 it was the first time I'd seen them live, and I was completely captivated by them as they strobed, stomped and frantically strummed through their set on the main stage. I vowed to go and see again as soon as I could, but they thwarted my attempts to by going on a 3 year haitus. And that was that.

So imagine my glee when I saw that they had made plans to tour in 2012 for what they called "Bloctober", following the release of their latest album, 'Four'! I couldn't wait to part with my money to get the tickets, although not quite quick enough it seems as I could only get balcony seats. As it turned out, this was probably a blessing in disguise...

Bloc Party were ably supported by Theme Park, who I'd not seen live before. After a tentative start they soon got into their stride with 4 of the 5 band members swapping jobs from song to song, like they were sharing a bag of pick 'n' mix. One band member in particular had his work cut out, multitasking between synth, guitar, vocals, and a baffling array of pedals, although this threatened to be his undoing at one point as he struggled to regain control of a rogue foot pedal that was evidently not supposed to be playing an escalating synth sound. However, apart from the more pronounced midrange of the song, he seemed to get away with it, and you could almost sense his relief as he pulled the plug out of the pedal at the end of the song. Overall, though, their set was reminiscent of the Friendly Fires kind of vibe, with happy, quirky, jig-inducing songs which were ever so slightly cheesy but in a good way. And they were the antithesis of the set that was to follow by the main act, which was a stroke of genius by whoever planned the gig.

From the moment they began, Bloc Party absolutely blew the roof off the venue. Kicking off with 'Octopus' from the new album, they pounded through their set like James Bond being chased by an angry herd of rhinos, but with more pace and precision. Matt Tong thrashed the drums with such fervour that at one point a technician had to come and revive a bit of kit that he'd killed. By the time they got to 'Hunting For Witches', I was regretting being stuck on a seat on the balcony rather than jumping around like a thing possessed on the floor below (although, due to a neck and shoulder injury it's probably just as well). The pace continued with the band concentrating mostly on the tracks from 'Four', supported by some old favourites from their other 3 albums. But with each new stomper the mood in the mosh pits got increasingly more alarming. By the time they broke into the truly mental 'Coliseum' the fists had started flying and I could see at least 2 people with blood all over their faces. I will never understand why some people think this type of behaviour is acceptable at a gig (or anywhere else for that matter). It was clearly spoiling the enjoyment of the gig for the gig goers that inadvertently got embroiled in the action at floor level, and from my viewpoint on the balcony I could see a lot of people on my level being completely distracted by what was unfolding below (myself included).

Despite the mentalness of the moshpit, the band delivered sparkling performances for every single song. They succeeded in bringing things down a notch with 'The Prayer' and 'V.A.L.I.S.', only to bring the set to a shuddering climax with 'We Are Not Good People', which sent the troublemakers in the moshpit into an absolute frenzy.

All too quickly the first encore was upon us, with a few of their more subdued songs being thrown in before the mighty 'Helicopter', which was my absolute highlight of the gig. They deployed a genius trick of turning the lights off and on with military precision in time with the stops and starts of the song in the run up to the chorus, which added perfectly to the tension of the song. Of course the musicianship of Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes, Kele Okereke (the lead singer) and Matt Tong really shone through, and it showed what a fantastically tight band they are.

Finally, for the second encore, they dusted off 'Ares', one of only two tracks played from their 'Intimacy' album. The bass drops absolutely shook the venue. They finished on a slightly odd choice, 'This Modern Love'. At that point I'd have prefered the final song to be something like 'Banquet' or 'Talons' (both of which were played earlier in the set). But all in all it was a truly fantastic gig, marred only slightly by a few mindless, lairy thugs who seemed intent on getting fisty in the moshpit.

My review score: 9.5/10

Did you see the gig? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Sunday Seven (14/10/12)

It's that time of the week again, where we all hang on to the last few moments of the weekend in an effort to avoid the inevitable slide into the rat race and Monday morning.

To help you cling on to the weekend for just a little bit longer here's this week's Sunday Seven. So pull up a chair, turn up the volume, and lose yourself in the following hidden gems:

1) 7 Seconds - Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry
YouTube Amazon
What a classic! I think this is perfect for Sunday, it's so chilled and mesmerising. From a composition point of view it's very simple but extremely effective. Their voices work really well together too. Perfect!

2) Everything Is Everything - Lauryn Hill
YouTube Amazon
The video concept for this one is absolute genius! Basically, New York is a 7" single of the song, and it's being played by a scratch DJ. Go watch it and see what I mean!

3) Golden Skans - Klaxons
YouTube Amazon
Great song, but I'm not so sure about the video. I mean, the production is good, but the concept is a bit WTF?!? Still, I guess it's memorable...but is it for the right reason?

4) Do You Love - Sigma & T-Phonic
YouTube Amazon
No video for this one, although the urge to dance is so strong when it starts that really a video would be a waste of time! Wicked!

5) Rocking Music - Martin Solveig
YouTube Amazon
Another one to shake your booty to, but this time it's funky, funky, funky!

6) Went Away - The Maccabees
YouTube Amazon
Another perfect Sunday song. The thing I like about the Maccabees is their use of soaring guitars, and this one does not disappoint on that score. For me, this is a great "feel good" song.

7) Let's Go Round Again - Average White Band
YouTube Amazon
What a disco stomper! It's the epitome of disco - strings, brass, a disco "kick, snare, kick, snare", funky disco bass and lead guitar and, of course, the feel good factor. When I first heard this song (many years ago) I thought (along with a lot of other people, I suspect) that they were a US funk band with a soulful black singer. It just goes to show that the Scots can work a glitterball with the best of them! Brilliant!

I hope you've enjoyed today's selection. As usual I would love to hear your comments on any of the gems I've put up on my blog. Indeed, if you have any comments on the blog itself, let me know!
I hope Monday's not too painful for you... :-)

UNEARTHING MUSICAL GEMS - Tuesday Ten (09/10/12)

Are you ready for this week's collection of golden nuggets?

As it's Tuesday I've listed the first ten that came up on this morning's shuffle of my i-Pod, just because "Tuesday" begins with a T, and so does "ten"...I thought doing only two would miss the point really...

So here they are:

1) Ill Manors (The Prodigy remix) - Plan B
YouTube iTunes
You can tell immediately that this is a remix from The Prodigy! A great song and remix using a catchy sample from "Alles neu" by Peter Fox.

2) Feeling So Real - Moby
YouTube iTunes
Ahhhh, this takes me back to my serious clubbing days! I remember listening to the bass sweep throughout the song and desperately wanting to recreate it. Good times!

3) You And I - Will Young
YouTube iTunes
Yes, I know...I bet you're wondering if I've been possessed! Well, I actually did buy this as soon as I heard it because I love the chord progression, particularly from the verses to the chorus, and back again. I still think this is a really beautiful song.

4) Low - Coldplay
YouTube iTunes
From their album, "X&Y", this is not one of my more favoured Coldplay songs, but it's still a strong song.

5) Carte Blanche - Veracocha
YouTube iTunes
This one brings back a specific memory for me...a charity skydive that I did about 13 or 14 years ago. I was petrified as I hate flying, but as soon as I was launched out of the plane my fears completely disappeared. The entire dive was filmed and I asked them to use this track, as well as a couple of others, as the soundtrack. For me, this track sums up the euphoria of falling out of that plane perfectly!

6) Push It - Garbage
YouTube iTunes
I love Garbage, and I particularly love the album that this song featured on, "Version 2.0", and the one before it (their debut), "Garbage". Their lead singer, Shirley Manson, has a great way of literally spitting out lyrics, which I love. I also love their producer and bandmate, Butch Vig. He's produced some of my favourite albums, including "Nevermind" by Nirvana.

7) Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
YouTube Amazon
Ah, the mighty Led Zep! This is an absolute stomper!

8) Love Missile F1-11 - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
YouTube (note: uncensored version) iTunes
I cackled with glee when this one came on! I remember seeing this lot on Top Of The Pops when it came out and being absolutely transfixed by what I saw. They were madder than a bag of ants! I was always drawn to the more outlandish bands at that age...I loved Adam and the Ants for the same reason.

9) Relocate You - Nightbox
YouTube Last.fm
I saw this band at Reading Festival in 2011 and they were brilliant. They were one of my favourite sets of that entire weekend, and are on my list of "best new bands discovered at a festival". Sadly I haven't seen much from them since, but now this has jogged my memory I'm going to check them out again and see what's new.

8) Anjunabeach - Above & Beyond
YouTube iTunes
This song is the reason I got into Above and Beyond's music. For me it's got a similar vibe to Veracocha's track above - very euphoric and perfect for losing yourself in a dark room. It never fails to lift my mood.

I hope that you enjoy the tracks. As always, let me know what you think of them.