Lupe Fiasco - The Words I Never Said - BET Awards 2011 Performance

AKA how to demonstrate yourself to be fucking awesome in one performance.

A song that shows rap can still be politically aware, dangerous, questioning society and authority. Check.
Palestinian flag on US TV. Check.
#Occupy tshirt. Check.
Erykah Badu in a burkha. Check.
Full rock band performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Check.

Amazing.

Not for Arachnaphobics

This too. Good spotting from ASOS.


Sirens from Visions of Trees on Vimeo.

One Mint Julep

Love this.

Kapital KO feat Crown and Katie McKenna - Shut it Down

I've been following KO on twitter for a while, he's done some decent tracks that show Manchester isn't just home to indie bands. This new track though has been a while coming, but it is well worth the wait. Great verses and the kind of chorus that Dappy would sell his hat for.

If this is the quality of Manchester Urban music to come then London should be shitting itself about... now.

The Vaccines - Post Break Up Sex

Unusually for a much hyped major label band, The Vaccines appear to be making credible indie music with a catchy heart to it. Their first big single is getting lots of radio play and it is deserved; a great track which captures a lot of emotion without being dull or cloying.

Only slight problem is the tune being very reminiscent of 'I can't live, if living without you'... so now I keep switching songs!

Dub War - Strike It

Skindred are one of the best live bands in the world, and makers of some awesome Reggae-metal. If you dono't know what that is just go listen...

But prior to that they were in Dub War, having been meaning to listen to their stuff for ages I finally put this on... what a track. It's very mid to late 1990's, but hell this would still bring down a rock night in a pile of steam.

Nero - Me and You

I love the arcade video, clearly produced by someone with a love of old games. The punk guys are pure Streets of Rage, the lined racetrack a staple of the 80's. I love this track too. I believe it is out this week, go buy it.

Conversation - Tell me I'm the one

One of my favourite new synthpop bands is Conversation in Sheffield. They sound like Erasure in the best possible way, and I can't wait to hear more from them. With some good production they could sound incredible.

Floating Death Picnic - Is It Over Yet?

The low budget genius of Floating Death Picnic takes on Christmas. A track filled with a stupidly good melodic hook, and the kind of video that's made OJ and his cohorts the best thing to come out of Sheffield's music scene in a long time.

If you don't get it. You aren't doing it right.

The Drums - Me and the Moon

I know it's been out for a while now, but this track is just brilliant. My favourite from a really good album. The beat is so simple yet totally engrossing. One of my favourite tracks of the whole year.

The Human League - Night People

I love The Human League. I'm not embarrassed to say Dare is one of my favourite albums ever. But even hardened Human League fans would be hard pressed to name a good track from them since about 1993. I am very very happy to say the wait is over. The only sadness is that it could have been even better(it takes a while to get going), but hopefully remixes will explore that.

But as a Human League track it's probably the best thing they have out in nearly two decades. Catchy and full of rythmn, and avoiding the blandness that plagues their later work. Welcome back Mr Oakey.

Coheed and Cambria - Welcome Home

Saw them this weekend supporting Deftones. Both bands were amazing. One track from Coheed and Cambria stood out though, one of those I knew but never listened to in detail. Enjoy.

Late of the Pier - Focker

One of my favourite album of the last few years, this track is a nice reminder of how bands can sound relevant and new yet steeped in the past, to sound exciting and engaging without being one dimensional.

Talvin Singh - Ok

For me, one of the few albums that truly deserved to win their Mercury Music Prize. This track still works, has lost none of its freshness despite being 12 years old. That Talvin Singh has never managed to find major success since is a shame...

The Beatles - Helter Skelter

Probably my favourite Beatles track. I love the Kinks and some Zeppelin stuff, but at the time this must have been amazingly heavy stuff. It still holds up today as a loud noisy track that you could play in a rock club and get a great reaction to.

Floating Death Picnic - I'm having a picnic

A brilliant live act, funny, silly, but with damn good tunes.
OJ is the master of random retro sillyness.

Crystal Castles and Robert Smith - Not in Love

The Cure have always been a patchy band for me. Stretching from some of the best love songs ever written to a few albums worth of bland nothingness. That said, Robert Smith is a legend. He could do a duet with Justin Bieber and I'd still want to listen to it.

This track is from the top drawer. Crystal Castles providing a catchy but eerie sound space that allows Smith to be himself and let the magic of both artists work.

So wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully ditty...

LTJ Bukem - Demons Theme

Awesome pre-jungle drum and bass. I once reviewed a rarities album by LTJ Bukem, it was a bit bland and dull. This however is him at his best.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - The Key

Music is sadly filled with legends and stars that died far too young. Having listened to the Ou Est Le Swimming Pool album before I heard about the tragic death of their lead singer meant that finding out was a horrible shock. I think their debut album is brilliant, full of catchy yet emotion twinged tracks. This is possibly my favourite track from it, the video all the more poignant for containing footage from the festival at which the singer tragically died.

Rammstein - Sonne

Heard this last night for the first time in ages. I forgot how good a track it was, plus the video is just briliant. The best Disney story never told...