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Month: October 2010

Column: The Jonas Brothers Are Good For Music

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Recently, I found myself sat in front of a Freeview box with friends and alcohol, begrudgingly watching the worst music channels on TV (You know the ones; channels with titles like Mega Tunes TV or Hit Land). All delightfully cheesy and vaguely tolerable, until, a few beers in, the corner of the screen lit up with the world’s most irritating words, “Up next, The Jonas Brothers”.

The groan in the room was universal and I myself bashed away at the remote, heroically changing to some repeat on Dave. In the aftermath of this near disaster came the rumblings of overly manly assertion that, “This Disney shit is ruining music”. As much as this puts me in a minority, I disagree. In fact, The Jonas Brothers can only be a good thing.

First things first, let me assure you, I haven’t gone entirely mad. I despise every squeaky clean, zero riffed, soul-destroying, opal ring wearing note of any brand of ‘rock’ that is produced within a ten metre radius of the band or any of their products. The same applies with Hannah Montana, Justin Beiber and the entire cast of High School Musical. Just as well really, as none of the above are really musicians so much as they are marketing tools. But the effect that their brand of corporate approved noise has is, unquestionably, worth the pain.

When The Jonas Brothers were splashed on some corporate flipchart many moons ago, we know that they were accompanied by the words ‘Aim at children.’ This is the first reason they have some worth for music. They help kids discover music earlier, which is certainly important. There was nothing more embarrassing than going to college and talking to people who’d never even heard the name Johnny Cash. Remember back to when you were a little brat. What attracted you most, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin or Cow and Chicken and Pokémon? Without The Jonas Brothers’ pre-merchandised CD’s, complete with clothing, TV shows and dolls, music would never stand a chance of attracting the younglings. Certainly not when the genuinely fantastic Peppa Pig is there to catch their eyes.

Being hooked on The Jonas Brothers so early also gets the irritating ‘phase’ stage out of the way. The phase stage is annoying, and so are kids. They may as well overlap. We all had a phase stage, where we listened to something God-awful for months, before moving on and regretting the whole experience. Most people our age had emo or nu-metal. Mine was the constant playing of a Readers Digest disco classics record and yet now, my band of choice would likely have two guitarists, heaps of spandex and crazy hair. Everybody evens out from the phase, but the sooner it starts the sooner it ends.

Whilst Disney still exists in its current form, the likes of these twerps will continue to exist, but it’ll be interesting to see who their fans like ten years from now; and if nothing else, they make everything else sound an awful lot better.

Thomas Geddes, Music Columnist

Album: Disc-Overy – Tinie Tempah

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3.5 Stars

During the eleven months that it has taken to record his debut, Tinie Tempah’s jocular, no-frills lyrical style has taken him from relative obscurity to being one of the most talked about and promising artists in the charts, and initially, Disc-Overy seems to uphold the momentum of his previous success.

 

The piercing snare of Intro accompanies the visceral utterances of the South London artist. He vociferates,“I’m an extra terrestrial, Came out the f*cking dirt like a vegetable”, asserting his formidable presence.This is followed by the sonorous bass line of ‘Simply Unstoppable’, an unsettling drone that nods towards drum and bass, but presents itself in the embodiment of grime.

 

These factors are accentuated by the urgent synth noises dotted around the core of the sound and the ever-present pop hooks that make the songs even more forceful. The cross breeding of these elements result in a ferocious new species that’s both potent and progressive. However, the introduction of other factors into the gene pool causes the model to become defected.

 

For example, the vocal on ‘Written in the Stars’ emits the odour of David Guetta-esque tackiness, and the unnecessary employment of collaborations sometimes hinder the album, making the tracks seem disparate. Invincible, featuring Kelly Rowland, is dynamically flat and adds nothing more than marketing dreariness, and the partnership with Swedish House Mafia recollects Dizzee Rascal’s collaboration with Calvin Harris.

Disc-Overy has even got a ‘Holiday’ theme to the title – ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’. At these points, the album suggests haphazard exploration rather than genuine discovery, which is a shame due to the individuality that Tinie Tempah has demonstrated in the past. The modern allusions such as “All Saints” and “SD card” also seem a little contrived.

 

Disc-Overy is a good pop album overall; it does however lose integrity at points due to Tinie Tempah’s desperation for universal acclaim.

 

Mitchell Holmes

Album: Halcyon Digest – Deerhunter

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4 Stars

 

 

Given their previous associations with so-called ‘garage rock’, this new offering from Deerhunter comes as a bit of surprise. Gone are the discordant soundscapes and experimental noise sessions that denote their previous albums. Their fourth offering has an ambient, dreamy quality to it that make it softer and possibly somewhat more palatable. This is not to say however, that the band have lost any of the original sound that sets them apart.

 

What this change shows is an evolution into what can only be described as greener pastures. There is a joyful feel here as Bradford Cox’s vocals have matured from the breathy, and at times almost monotone style embraced on Microcastle – the band’s previous LP – into a self assured melodic lilt which gives this album its magic.

 

‘Revival’ and ‘Helicopter’ are two good places to start. The former includes a catchy set of “aahs” that call to mind Grizzly Bear, which is no bad thing, whilst the latter has a melancholic drifting riff that couples wonderfully with its sombre lyrics.

 

The highlight has to be the album’s opening track ‘Earthquake’. The band layer a multitude of echoing and ambient sounds, evoking the dazed atmosphere Deerhunter so often place us in. Yet instead of the usual discords and reverb, the song moves with a soft ease not present in the band’s previously darker sound.

 

The one criticism of this album may be that for die-hard fans of a more experimental rock sound, this album lacks the grit and edge of its predecessors. In fact, it could even be a step toward a more accessible style which some may find displeasing. However, if you’re able to leave your expectations at the door, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

Emily Talbot

Live: Josh Ritter @ RNCM

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4 Stars

It’s always heartening to see a musician enjoying a gig as much as the audience, and Josh Ritter, playing to an almost full Royal Northern College of Music last Wednesday, looked positively ecstatic. At several points he literally jumped for joy, and the rest of the time contented himself with grinning wildly, resembling in sheer enthusiasm a somewhat hairier, country version of Chris Martin; although cooler, obviously.

His excitement seemed justified: I’ve rarely heard an audience of 600 people make quite so much noise. But it would have been hard to resist, with a nigh-on two-hour set of crowd-pleasers from his first five albums, a handful of well-chosen covers (Hedy West, Talking Heads and the obligatory Neil Young), and an impressive selection of tracks from his new LP, So Runs the World Away. Support came from Ritter’s wife Dawn Landes, and her band the Hounds, all of whom joined Ritter on-stage for an encore he couldn’t have avoided if he’d wanted to.

Ritter’s witty, literate Americana has always mingled delicate and mournful songs with stompy barnstormers, and live he and his dapper Royal City Band were equally effective at both, opening with a spectral, haunting ‘Idaho’ and building up to an irrestibly bouncy ‘Lillian, Egypt’.

With the confidence to step out in front of the mic and sing unamplified, a charismatic stage presence, a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed albums, and a band that definitely know what they’re doing, Josh Ritter is certainly worth seeing live.

Alec Johnson

Live: Two Door Cinema Club @ Manchester Academy

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4 Stars

Its 7:30pm, and outside the union a group of teenage girls are shelling out £40 each for a ticket. Bearing in mind the normal price was £9.50, it’s not surprising the touts are laughing their heads off. It’s also no surprise to find that at least of half of the crowd is underage, and only they seem to enjoy the overly repetitive, overly brash, and distinctly unmelodic We Have Band’s supporting set.

But as soon as the opener ‘Cigarettes in the Theatre’, also the opening track from the band’s debut album Tourist History, kicks in, the entire crowd is bouncing up and down, not just those who are too young to remember the 90s. By the time second track ‘Undercover Martyn’ begins it’s a surprise to find that the floor hasn’t given way to the perfectly synchronised bouncing of the crowd.

A new, as yet unnamed, track offers more of the same dance-tinged indie expected of Two Door Cinema Club, and if possible is even more danceable than anything yet released. Lead singer Alex seems almost overwhelmed by the deafening cheers greeting his talks to the audience between each song. ‘Come Back Home’, the band’s latest single, is undoubtedly greeted with the biggest cheer of the night, and with good reason, it’s by the far and away the highlight, with not a glum face in the house.

After a little under an hour onstage the band finishes with ‘Now I Can Talk’, to rapturous applause. It may have got a little repetitive towards the end, but with only one album’s worth of material, there’s only so much for Two Door Cinema Club to draw upon. That having been said, the atmosphere was great, and no one could fault the Northern Irish trio’s effort levels; it’s been thoroughly enjoyable.

Charlie Rawcliffe, Music Editor

Live: Dutch Uncles @ Night and Day Cafe

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About to embark on the well trodden path to Mancunion music fame are local 5 piece Dutch Uncles. Coming up in a complete new wave of Manchester electronic/dance sound, Dutch Uncles are not mere replicas of current successes, but act as a complement to this ever growing landscape. The Night & Day Café served as a dimension the band have grown accustomed to over recent years. However tonight is different, signifying somewhat of a new start. Having released their 2009 self titled debut only in Germany the band have just signed to Memphis Industries, home of The Go Team & Tokyo Police Club, in the UK. As they take to the stage the somewhat leisurely crowd suddenly become assertive, ready to see what ‘Dutch Uncles Chapter 2’ has to offer. Opener and former single ‘Face In’ sets the tone for the evening, its music quick & infectious with vocals distinctive & smooth. Now leaning towards new material the ‘Duncles’ showcase an instrument addition – the synth – while maintaining their attention-grabbing riffs and interesting lyrics. Clear no more so than on new single ‘Fragrant’, which injects a new energy midway through the set, while the memorable hook from set closer ‘The Ink’ even forces a foot tap from those lurking at the bar. Overall it’s clever: a characteristic these guys carry in abundance.

Jack Salisbury

In The City: Preview

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In the run up to this year’s festival, music editor Eoghan Bennett chats to the festival’s organisers to see what all the fuss is about.

The Mancunion: To anybody who’s not familiar with the festival, sum up what it’s all about.

In The City: In The City is a three-day music conference held in the heart of Manchester’s Piccadilly and Northern Quarter areas. For three days it takes over the city with an (in)famous music industry conference and hundreds of live music shows. Think SXSW with a bit more rain and a few less barbecues and you’ll get the idea.

M: And to anybody who’s attended in previous years, is there anything new we can expect this year?

ITC: This year has been something of a transition. We’ve left The Midland Hotel to the Labour Party and relocated in the Piccadilly area of Manchester, taking over City Inn, Malmaison, The Abode and The Place Hotels. We’ve also moved our live showcases exclusively to the Northern Quarter which will make venue hopping much easier, and focuses the music industry on one of the most creative and vibrant areas in the country.

We’ve also added slightly to the conference side of In The City with The Hive. It’s a new educational initiative aimed at grassroots and entry-level students (16+) looking to make a bit of headway into the music industry. It’s a separately ticketed event at only £60 which gives you access to two days packed full of industry debate, workshops and masterclasses, and access to all three days of In The City gigs. Bargain!

M: What do you feel In The City has to offer Manchester students in particular?

ITC: In The City gives students a great chance to experience what a major Manchester music festival has to offer. We use the best venues in the city and bring international bands to Manchester where one of the largest student populations is. We also work with the best promoters and clubnights in the city – SJM, Now Wave, Fierce Panda, Same Teens, Contort Yourself, Clique, Pull Yourself Together to name a few, so this gives new students living and studying in the city a chance to see what the best nights to go to are.

M: What’s the reason behind ITC’s decision to focus exclusively on emerging and underground acts, rather than more established bands that might sell more tickets?

ITC: This year is actually a bit of a shift away from having just brand new bands, and we have bands such as No Age, Mount Kimbie, Male Bonding, Sky Larkin, Pulled Apart By Horses and HEALTH but In The City’s focus will always be on new and emerging bands as that’s the very essence of the festival. This year we’ll be thriving on having the first UK shows of Kisses, White Ring and Oberhofer, bands who we think will go on to be really successful. The whole festival is very much about discovery, and that will always be the case.

M: There seems to be a Madchester ‘anti-revival’ emerging in Manchester, with many new acts choosing to cut themselves loose from the city’s rich musical heritage. Given that the festival was founded by Tony Wilson, what is ITC’s view on current attitudes towards the music scene in Manchester?

ITC: Kicking against the past is very much a Tony Wilson thing and he’d completely approve of the new group of bands from the city not being hung up on the past. When the Hacienda building was turned into flats Tony and Yvette actually went to see the first bit of demolition begin – looking to the future rather than the past. That spirit is in everything In The City does.

What does ITC hope to leave behind for Manchester once all the bands have packed up and the delegates have checked out of their hotels (until next year’s festival anyway)?

We hope that people will have found some of their new favourite bands for years to come.

Visit www.inthecity.co.uk for tickets and more information

Album: The Record Collection – Mark Ronson and the Business International

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Record Collection – Mark Ronson and the Business International

Three and a half stars

‘I only want to be in your record collection, and I’ll do anything it takes just to get there’, chimes the chorus on ‘Record Collection’. This is without a doubt a feeling shared by many frustrated musicians across the UK. It is all about reaching that problematic balance between maintaining integrity and musical autonomy whilst also achieving fame and recognition. Mark Ronson, under the various guises of DJ, producer, multiple instrumentalist and visual icon, appears to be one of the lucky few who appear to achieve this.

Though well received, it has been remarked upon that his second album Version is merely ‘other peoples songs with horns added’. Surely anybody can do that assuming you know the right people? Fortunately, Record Collection, is not more of the same. Instead this album of original songs is the result of Ronson’s new band and alias ‘The Business International’, together with guest rappers and singers.

It’s not too bad either. As the title suggests the album is an eclectic collection of music, uniting some unlikely genres including hiphop, 1980s synth-pop, funk and soul. The artists are diverse too with both rapper Spank Rock and Kyle Falconer from the View both appearing on ‘The Bike Song’.

Of course this could spell a recipe for disaster. Too much diversity and not enough cohesive uniting factors could result in a rather disjointed and confusing result. For some reason, however, this has not occurred. Perhaps it is because any seemingly miscellaneous bits can be labelled under the umbrella term of ‘retro’.

Record Collection is likely to be a success because Ronson is a talented producer and his success orientates around genuine musicianship and his own varied anthology of music. But of course, having an address book filled with famous and influential friends always helps.

Becca Luck

Album: Tiger Suit – KT Tunstall

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3 and a half stars

With a discography that includes two well-received albums and a handful of top 40 singles, it may come as a surprise that KT Tunstall has never had a top ten single. Maybe, it’s because she has forged a career as being more of an album artist. ‘Tiger Suit’ follows this trend of being an above average singer/songwriter album, although that’s not to say that you should overlook her singles. Her first release from the album, the beautifully crafted ‘(Still a) weirdo’, ha

Tiger Suit – KT Tunstall

s been given lots of airplay on certain radio stations – I’m looking at you oldies’ favourite Radio 2 – but that’s unlikely to make it a chart topper any time soon.

After disappearing from the music scene for a few years, Tunstall created this record on a three month sabbatical in Greenland. Whilst the album ventures into new scenes with a more electronic sound on a few tracks and the raw, folk notes evident in ‘(Still a) Weirdo’, the same upbeat pop/rock vibes that made Tunstall a household name with ‘Suddenly I See’ are revisited in ‘Come On, Get On’ and ‘Madame Trudeaux’. Maybe it’s a mismatch of different sounds, but Tunstall’s vocals and clever writing stay strong throughout, reinforcing why she was deserving of her Ivor Novello award back in 2006.

You can’t fault the girl for trying a new direction with this album. She’s admitted that she lacks confidence and hence the need for this metaphorical tiger suit to protect her. While it’s unlikely that this album will prove to be groundshaking, it’s a solid album which Tunstall should be proud of. She’s fought against the trends of mainstream pop to create a name for herself as an individual. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. So maybe she shouldn’t keep hiding away.

Catherine May

Album: Growing Pains – Dinosaur Pile Up

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4 and a half stars

Every article you’ll ever read about Dinosaur Pile-Up will contain at least one reference to the Foo Fighters, and for understandable reasons. Matt Bigland, singer, lead guitarist, and main driving force of the band has never made secret his love of Dave Grohl’s outfit, and the opening tracks of ‘Growing Pains’ reflect this. Birds & Planes and Mona Lisa, both already released as singles, reek of ‘The Colour and The Shape’ era Foos, without ever sounding like a cheap imitation.

But, it’s only later in the album, when Bigland and co deviate from this sound, that the band’s potential becomes abundantly clear. They still remain enthralle

Growing Pains – Dinosaur Pile Up

d by ‘90s Alternative Rock, with Broken Knee serving as a reminder to how great Weezer used to be, and Hey Man straying into real grunge territory. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the album’s lone acoustic track, Hey You, that comes to mind as the sublime effort on ‘Growing Pains’; wonderfully simple in its lyrics and completely in contrast to the album’s riff laden start.

For a debut album ‘Growing Pains’ really is special, and most definitely justifies the media hype that’s been building around Dinosaur Pile-Up over the past couple of years. With the opening four tracks all fast-paced and heavy on the guitars, there was always the worry of the album becoming stale, but as the sound slows and the riffs take a back seat, Dinosaur Pile-Up come into their own. The latter half of ‘Growing Pains’ is undoubtedly superior to what proceeds it, thanks to a much more varied, yet still cohesive sound.

Top ten singles may not beckon thanks to Bigland’s admirable decision to spurn major labels in pursuit of complete creative control, but with a strong live reputation already, and now a high quality debut under their belt, Dinosaur Pile-Up could fast find themselves becoming cult favourites.

Charlie Rawcliffe, Music Editor

Album: Postcards From A Young Man – Manic Street Preachers

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Postcards From A Young Man is the Manic Street Preachers’ 10th studio album. In a music industry in which a band is lucky if their second album makes any kind of impression, this is a major achievement and should make the band something of a national treasure (albeit a Welsh one). So how come the Manic Street Preachers appear to have passed so many music fans by?

Postcards From A Young Man – Manic Street Preachers

Praise of the Manic Street Preachers in the media has been almost exclusively high throughout their long career. The band has achieved almost legendary status, thanks in part to a career driven by a commitment to political commentary, coupled with insightful and often highly personal lyrics. Band members James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire have both referred to Postcards From A Young Man as “one last shot at mass communication”.  Although having a reputation for often seeming pretentious, they’re allowed to be, because that’s what the Manic Street Preachers are – and have always been – about.

There is nothing to dislike about this album, it is musically coherent and aurally inoffensive. But it doesn’t excite the soul and, despite the inclusion of both a gospel choir and full orchestra on some tracks, it cannot be described as innovative. In fact the album as a whole would be better at home in the nineties.

This album is, in essence and style, very much like the nine previous albums. Therefore chances are, if you are already a fan of the Manic Street Preachers, Postcards From a Young Man will certainly live up to expectations.

Becca Luck

Songs Sans Frontieres: Brazil

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Brazil is big. Not just big, it’s fricking enormous. It’s the fifth largest country in the world, even bigger than Australia. So, what would you expect from a country that big? Well I can tell you – a whole lotta music. There is far too much to talk about for one little box, so I’ve decided to just cover the bigwigs and some of the key genres.

Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Seu Jorge are the giants of Brazilian music. Especially Gilberto Gil, he is a really big deal because he helped kick-start the tropicália movement with Caetano Veloso and he also used to be Minister of Culture. Carmen Miranda, the lady in the tutti-frutti hat, is also worth mentioning because she popularised Brazilian music (and Brazil in general) when she burst into Hollywood in the ‘30s.

Songs Sans Frontieres – Brazil

These stalwarts have all written lots of good stuff, so I thought I would focus on giving you a taste of a few of the genres. With great size comes great variety, apart from all the obvious genres (yawn) like Brazilian Rock, Brazilian Jazz etc.there are loads of others to get your teeth into like psychedelic tropicália, chilled out bossa nova, gyration-inducing samba and the more traditional sound of forró. Enjoy:

1. Mas Que Nada – Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ‘66 (bossa nova)
2. Petrolina – Juazeiro – Trio Nordestino (forró)
3. Ando Meio Desligado – Os Mutantes (tropicália)
4. Samba da Minha Terra – João Gilberto (samba)
5. Metamorfose Ambulante – Raul Seixas

Asia Lindsay, Music Editor

Column: What would Fiddy do?

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Twitter is, at times, a beautiful thing. In its short history it has been used to document the horrendous events of the Iranian election, bypass the censorship of several oppressive countries and, perhaps most importantly, keep Stephen Fry entertained whilst he was trapped in a lift. Despite this, there is also a dark side to twitter in which we see the very worst of the human psyche, or, to put it simply, 50 Cent has a twitter account.

As part of 50 Cent’s assault on all media (his quite frankly ludicrous videogame and emotionally void film didn’t seem to be enough), ‘Fiddy’ has decided to use twitter as another machine for self publicising. Though this works for most musicians, who tweet occasionally about recording some new song or some soppy nonsense about how much their fans mean, 50 Cent seems to record every single thought in his head. Rather embarrassing really as he is certainly no modern equivalent of Oscar Wilde. Almost every word typed seems to be about sex, money or the size of his penis, which he informs us, is rather large. Though this attitude from a rap artist shouldn’t surprise us, it’s all the more surreal and unsettling when not masked behind beats and occasional auto-tune.

The more you read his tweets, the more childish you see he is. Even beyond the ‘my dick’s bigger than yours’ mantra underlying a lot of his tweets, there are acts of rebellion even the most stereotypical of teenagers would scoff at for how much of a cliché they seem. In the past few weeks, he’s argued with Justin Beiber fans, told us when he’s planning to masturbate and in one instance, he complained that he’s too rich to be taking out rubbish for his grandmother. “Fuck this I’m going home I don’t need this shit”, he protests, showing that he’s less likely to be ‘In Da Club’ so much as in his room, screaming about his parents and how nobody appreciates his poetry.

Luckily for us, beyond the childish front lies the genuinely psychologically disturbing behaviour. You could compile Fiddy’s rambling and bind them, and lo and behold you have the ideal birthday present for Sigmund Freud. One tweet in particular has Fiddy telling us that he’s glad his manhood, or poodle as he calls it at times, doesn’t come off for fear that it would otherwise be stolen. A classic case of castration anxiety for you there Freud. Or maybe he is just a dickhead.

Stolen genitalia are nothing compared to the disturbing amounts of homophobia he’s allowed to post. Threatening to “shoot up” a gay wedding after Perez Hilton called Fiddy a douche bag was particularly shocking, even if it was passed off as a joke later on. Hilarious. One has to wonder if celebrity status is the only thing keeping his account from a ban. Although you wouldn’t have to wonder for very long.

Whichever way you look at it, his account can only serve to make what was already a vile self image even worse and, quite distressingly, has you empathising with the man who shot Fiddy nine times. (And now he walks with a limp.)

Tom Geddes, Music Columnist

Interview: Paul van Dyk

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Having been twice voted No. 1 DJ in the world, and with a Grammy Award and over five million album sales under his belt, Paul van Dyk is something of a legend in the electronic music world. Music Editor Eoghan Bennett sits down with the trance DJ to discuss playing at The Warehouse Project, his new album and growing up in East Berlin.

The Mancunion: Are you excited to be playing in Manchester again?

Paul van Dyk: Absolutely. It’s been two years since I was last here, but it’s always nice to come back. And playing an event as huge as The Warehouse Project is a massive honour. I played with a couple of the other headliners in Ibiza this year so I’m looking forward to playing in a completely different environment.

M: The night is to celebrate ten years of your record label Vandit Records. How do you see the label progressing from here?

PvD: One of the unique things about Vandit Records is that we don’t really have any deals or contracts with our artists. Everybody who is on the label works with us because they want to. Our job is to give the artists advice, and some of our artists will keep giving us new music until we say, “Now you’ve nailed it”. New for this year we’ve joined forces with the Armada label to pool our resources and increase our respective audiences.

Anybody who has been privileged enough to witness the audio-visual feast that is his live shows will know that his techniques are far from orthodox. “I don’t use turntables or CD players. Instead I DJ with two laptops, MIDI keyboard controllers and a custom-made mixer, and that’s what enables me to play completely freely. For example, I could take a sample from a popular track but mix it with a different bassline or different drums, and it will feel so much more intense at the exact point of the set that I play it. I’m able to completely remix things, or even compose something new, on the fly. This creates a rather intense energy and power to the set”.

 

M: So is there a lot of planning that goes into your set, or are of a lot of decisions spur of the moment on the night?

PvD: It’s not so much planning as preparation. I need to know my music inside out in order to be able to play freely. I always try to have a really clear idea of what sound I’m trying to achieve, but everything else is always down to interaction with the crowd. So there’s some things I just can’t prepare for. It’s very much a learning process. I try to take something from every set that will help me improve.

Given the longevity of his career (he has maintained his place in the top 10 DJs in the world since 1998) you’d be forgiven for thinking that commercial success is the driving force behind one of the world’s biggest trance DJs. But Paul van Dyk puts it differently, “I think the reason for me appearing in these polls and lists so often is that I actually don’t care about them. For me it’s always about the music and the interaction with the audience. I really love what I do and that’s why musically my shows have been so popular. It’s nice to be voted one of the best DJs in the world, but that’s not what’s driving me.”

M: So if that’s not, what is?

PvD: “I know it sounds cliché but I just really love what I do. Electronic music is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I’m a freak. I’m in a very lucky position to always have a crowd in front of me that gives me so much back, and that’s what gives me the energy inspiration to continue.”

Paul van Dyk was born in a small town in Germany in 1971, and grew up in East Berlin at the peak of the cold war.

PvD: “My upbringing certainly means my approach to music is somewhat different. I was able to listen to West Berlin radio stations in the East, it was illegal but everybody did it, so we were completely aware of what was going on in the world of music. The difference was there were no record stores where we could buy music, and there were no magazines in which we could read about our favourite artists. So the idea of a pop star completely passed me by. For me it was all about the music because I didn’t know what my favourite artists looked like, or what they had to say.

Between dates on a hectic touring schedule, Paul is currently working on his sixth studio album, due for release in 2011. What can listeners expect?

PvD: “For this album I’m working completely on my own, without a production team. I’m writing it, programming it and playing all the instruments myself. It makes the whole process a little longer, but means the music is a lot more personal and intense. I’ve been playing a few of the new tracks at some of my recent shows and the crowd seems to love them, so I’m really happy so far.”

Album: Surfing The Void – Klaxons

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Klaxons are a bit like to New Rave what Hoover is to vacuum cleaner.

Klaxons – Surfing The Void

Since exploding onto the London Day-Glo party scene in the wake of fellow post-punk revivalists New Young Pony Club and Late of The Pier, the band quickly became synonymous with the genre. However, as quickly as they came to embody the psychedelia inherent in their music, they outgrew it. With Surfing the Void Klaxons faced that classic second-album dilemma: to continue in a similar vein as Myths of the Near Future, the band’s dance-infused debut, or to progress at the risk of alienating dedicated listeners.

Despite early demos of the album reportedly being rejected by the band’s label Polydor for being “too experimental”, it appears that NME protégés Klaxons have matured a little in the three years that have elapsed since their Mercury Prize-winning debut. Whether this is an organic evolution, or just an attempt to distinguish themselves from the hoards of skinny-jeaned indie bands dominating the music scene, is uncertain, but it certainly makes for interesting listening.

‘Flashover’ is a frantic, angular track that alludes to Fat of the Land-era Prodigy, while ‘Extra Astronomical’ features a bass line meaty enough to chew on. However, there is enough familiar material on the album to keep dedicated fans happy. For example, album opener ‘Echoes’ sees the band rediscover the infectious sense of melody responsible for previous hit ‘It’s Not Over Yet’, and ‘The Same Space’ appears to use the exact same vocal sample used on ‘Golden Skans’.

If Myths of the Near Future could be heard as a soundtrack to the youth subculture embodied in Skins, then Surfing the Void will sit more at home at an office party full of 20-something professionals, reminiscing a misspent youth.

Eoghan Bennett, Music Editor

Column: A Piece of Meat

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What separates a drunkard eating a kebab and Lady Gaga? I ask this question on the basis that both will eventually arrive at a party covered in meat. The former will be promptly pushed into a taxi by a disgruntled host, whereas the latter is lauded as brave, brash and above all, brilliant. So really, what separates them? At the risk of an awful pun, the answer is quite simply the fame.

For those of you living under a rock, I refer to the ridiculous spectacle seen at MTV’s Video Music Awards in which the pop superstar wore a dress made of meat. Many attempts have been made over the last week to interpret her “statement” and the issues she addressed. Where one so called expert claims it to have been a feminist statement, another suggests it was a protest in outrage at the US Army’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and so-on and so-forth (all of course accompanied by stretched metaphors in which the oppressed minority are pieces of meat.) Similarly, one could suggest that the meat represents the bullshit celebrities feed us. We’re so willing to eat it all up without question.

In today’s age of self-important shock tactics and “spontaneous” stunts, surely it would be more shocking to just state your issue. To just tell the world you disagree with the mistreatment of minority X or the hypocrisy of person type Z would command more respect from those of your devoted followers who have a brain in their head. Certainly more people would listen and certainly less offense would be caused. Whether you agree with PETA and animal rights campaigners or don’t, but to wear dead chunks of animal to further your personal cause would be akin to happy slapping the elderly as a statement on youth culture. Needlessly offensive and incredibly short sighted as to the real route to the problem.

The truth is, we all know that the dress most probably means absolutely nothing. Even on the slim chance that there is something meaningful buried behind the butchers display, let us make no mistake as to who or what received exposure from this tasteless stunt. Whatever the perceived issue, whatever the ridiculous statement, Lady Gaga was the news story. Despite how huge she is and despite her undeniable talent at what she does, the limelight still needs that extra tug to stay in her direction.

Tom Geddes, Music Columnist

Album: Man Alive – Everything Everything

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Man Alive – Everything Everything

4 Stars

Without seeming too unsympathetic towards the millions of people across the globe who are fighting tooth and nail to ‘make it’ as musicians in the world of showbiz, the brand of ‘music’ that is espoused by men like Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh is simply the worst thing that has ever happened to our society. Not only does it cheapen the efforts of all of those musicians who have actually taken the time to be original, but it creates a climate where the charts are dominated by the same music week in and week out.

It is lucky for us, then, that Man Alive, the debut album from Manchester natives Everything Everything, has arrived to shake things up a bit and upset the hegemony of bland, corporate indie music that has dominated the charts for so long. Tracks like ‘My Kz, Ur BF’ and ‘Photoshop Handsome’ take a fresh perspective on those twin themes of love and heartbreak that other bands often find it hard to look at originally, while ‘Two for Nero’ and ‘Suffragette Suffragette’ actually include the kind of intellectual lyrics that have long been absent from popular music.

While some people might not agree that Everything Everything are “Pop’s New Picassos”, as the NME has recently claimed, that tickets for next month’s show at the Deaf Institute sold out in less than four hours would be sufficient evidence to support the statement. Whether this album will inspire an entirely new school of music, or whether Everything Everything are better off as a standalone example of what music is capable of when the shackles of convention are broken, is unclear. What is certain however is that Everything Everything are one of the most interesting bands to have graced the airwaves and record shops in a long time.

Daniel Zuidijk

Interview: Two Door Cinema Club

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Two Door Cinema Club

Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam Halliday, otherwise known as Two Door Cinema Club, are sitting backstage at the Academy 2, admiring the glorious view of the building site in front of the John Rylands library. They may have just driven through the night from Glasgow, but as lead singer Alex starts talking, you can instantly tell they wouldn’t change it for the world.

Alex: We’re having a great time, it’s the fourth date of the tour tonight, the crowds have been great so far and everything’s going really well. It’s quite easy being on the bus, we can get a fair bit of sleep, but we still try to go out after the gigs. We’ve never actually been out in Manchester even though we’ve played here loads.

Kevin: We’ve done Night & Day, the Academy, Academy 3 and the Deaf Institute twice I think, but we’ve always stayed in places like the Travel Inn at the Trafford Centre. I really enjoyed the gig we did at the Deaf Institute last time, but I think they’ve all gone pretty well.

A: People seem to stand back a bit more here, and just relax and watch.

It’s quickly obvious that Baird, Two Door’s bassist, and Trimble are the sort of friends who finish each other’s sentences. Sam, the band’s intricate guitarist, is much quieter, and seems happy to let the other two battle it out to be the unofficial band spokesman.

Sam: I think the shows here have a really good vibe, a nice atmosphere.

A: It’s nice to get back to indoor venues actually, we’ve done a million festivals this summer, and sometimes people don’t know who you are, so it’s cool to come back to gigs where people are there for you

K: It’s good just to have a sound check again! But the festivals were great, Glastonbury took me back the most, it was one of the first we did, and suddenly we were on the Other Stage playing to thousands of people, it was kind of unbelievable.

A: Reading was one of the best shows I’ve ever played, the atmosphere were unbelievable. But Glastonbury was fantastic too, there weren’t really any bad ones know I think of it. Everyone’s just out to have a good time aren’t they.

K: They just want to get out a sun tan, and see some bands, so everybody’s having great fun. We saw loads of bands this summer, we shared a lot of festivals with Foals, and seeing The Strokes was amazing.

A: I think Queens of the Stone Age at Pukkelpop was the best for me.

S: And we managed to see The National about four times, and they were always brilliant. But we’ve had a pretty good summer in all, no rubbish gigs that I can remember.

K: There’s been interesting ones, like playing at a Korean beach festival where all the acts were DJs except for us and Kanye West, which seems like the strangest line-up.

A: Last year we seemed to always be getting put on the dance stages, and then this year we seem to have been put on the more commercial stages, like the Other Stage at Glastonbury, or the Radio1/ NME stage at Leeds & Reading. But yeah we always seemed to get lumped with dance bands at festivals before.

K: We seem to be back to back with Delphic at pretty much every festival.

Since their debut album Tourist History came out in March, Two Door have been on the road pretty much constantly, and following this month’s UK tour, they’re heading off to America, before coming back for a tour of mainland Europe just before Christmas, and then heading off to Asia in the new year.

K: I’m sure the tours are gonna fly by, but it’s kind of hard to see past the tour and think about new material, because it’s essentially like doing a world tour. Somebody posted on our Facebook ‘see you in Kansas in twenty days’, and it’s only now that’s really sinking in.

Charlie Rawcliffe, Music Editor

Album: Flamingo – Brandon Flowers

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Flamingo – Brandon Flowers

2 Stars

The progression from frontman to solo artist is a well documented one. Morrissey, Richard Ashcroft, Sting – all have tried their hand at breaking away from the constraints of a rock band democracy to pursue their own creative interests. But the one thing that the above have in common is that their music ends up sounding exactly like that of their associated acts, just not quite as good. And with the release of debut solo album Flamingo, Brandon Flowers can now be added to this list.

While the formulaic pop structures that Flowers has perfected over the course of three Killers albums are put to good use here (take the Sam’s Town-esque anthemic choruses and big orchestration on opening track ‘Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas’ for example), the glam-rock aesthetic that we’ve become so accustomed to has been stripped of both glamour and rock, no doubt leaving Killers fans feeling nostalgic.

The dream-like ‘Only The Young’ sees Flowers stumble upon a musical wasteland, while on annoyingly catchy bonus track ‘The Clock Was Tickin’’, he lends his southern drawl to what at first appears a homage to alt-country, but just turns into a farcical attempt at Guthrie-inspired talking blues.

But it would be unfair to judge this collection of songs by Killers standards, and there are some gems. A collaboration with Jenny Lewis on ‘Hard Enough’ brings some much-needed respite from Flowers’ dreary warbling, and the more up-beat ‘Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts’ is one of the few songs on the album with substance and direction, resembling ‘Losing Touch’ and ‘Spaceman’. And of course there’s ‘Crossfire’, the album-teaser released last month, which is basically a re-working of Killers classic ‘Human’.

However, for all its introspective musings, emotional urgency and widescreen imagery, Flamingo is just missing something. And it might just be the other three band members.

Eoghan Bennett, Music Editor

Warehouse Project: Simian Mobile Disco Preview

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With a supposed techno-based new album coming out later this year, SMD could be bringing a heavier sound to Warehouse than they ever have before. But still, expect plenty of analogue bleeping, and some of their Kitsuné remixes of Klaxons, Air and Muse. As SMD are in control of the whole line-up, it’s a bit of a mixed bag of sounds, but with real class throughout. There’s ex-Primal Scream producer and Electro DJ Andy Weatherall, the thumping Disco sounds of Hercules and Love Affair, the minimalist electro of Paris’s Smagghe, and LCD Soundsystem remixers Holy Ghost.

So it may not turn out to be the most cohesive night on the calendar at Warehouse, but all the acts are top quality in their own niches, and if anywhere’s going to make a line-up like this work it’ll be The Warehouse Project.

Charlie Rawcliffe, Music Editor