Torr

Artist To Watch: AMPOP

Los Angeles and New York are in luck as Icelandic trio AMPOP are headed your way for their first ever U.S. shows (besides SXSW a couple years back.) I'll be catching the Silverlake Lounge show, cause I'm an old man, so I love early shows. Here are a couple tracks from their latest album, 2006's Sail To The Moon.

• "Gets Me Down" [2:19, One of their jauntier number.]
• "Two Directions" [3:29, Kinda sounds like Saybia.]

AMPOP U.S. tour dates:

• Jan 30 LA - Cinespace
• Jan 31 LA - Silverlake Lounge (7pm)
• Feb 5-6 NYC - Pianos

UK Chart Report

Here's the decent stuff that entered the UK charts this weekend.

Singles:

• #13 Bloc Party - "The Prayer" [Vid. 1st single from new album.]
• #23 Keane - "A Bad Dream" [Vid. 4th single off Under the Iron Sea.]

Indie-label singles chart:

• #16 Sky Larkin - "One Of Two" [7"-only debut from female-fronted English trio.]
• #18 Bobby Cook - "Gone So Far" [Vid. Debut from London guy.]
  The Hours - "Back When You Were Good" [7"-only 2nd single from big, brooding English band] sadly did not chart.

Albums:

• #1 The View - Hats Off to the Buskers
• #2 The Good The Bad & The Queen - Self-titled
• #33 The Cooper Temple Clause - Make This Your Own

In other news:

• Kelly Jones has a 10-track solo album streaming on his MySpace.
  Remember when he did that great acoustic tour around the time of JEEP? Yeah, well, it's not near as good as that. Standout tracks are "Emily" and "Jean."

• I saw Keane the other night, they were great. Read my recap @ Filter blog.
   

mp3: new Brett Anderson single

Here is Brett Anderson's first solo single...

• "Love Is Dead" [3:29, radio-rip]

Thankfully it's better than the song on his myspace ("Scorpio Rising"), but it's still nothing too special. 1:30-1:45 is the best bit, and a quite like the guitar riff 3/4 of the way thru.

The self-titled debut solo album by the former Suede frontman is released in the UK on March 26th via Drowned in Sound Recordings. Preceding the album is the single 'Love Is Dead', released on March 12th. The album was co-written and co-produced by a guy named Fred Ball, who sometimes releases stuff under the name Pleasure.

Out in the UK on Monday

Here's the good stuff that's out in the UK on Mon Jan 29th...

SINGLE OF THE WEEK:

Findlay Brown - "Come Home" [Vid above. London singer's debut album is out soon.]

Camera Obscura - "If Looks Could Kill" [Vid. Great 3rd single from their latest album.]

The Coral Sea - "Look At Her Face" [Vid. Great song from California band's debut album.]

Pop Levi - "Sugar Assault Me Now" [Vid. LA guy's debut album is out soon.]

Paperlung - "Do What Thou Will" [Vid. 2nd single from Sice's new band.]

Kasabian - "Me Plus One" [Vid. Not bad 3rd single from Empire.]

Assembly Now - "Leigh On Sea" [7"-only 2nd single from London quartet.]

The Little Ones - "Oh MJ" [2nd single from LA band's mini-album.]

Albums:

Little Barrie - Stand Your Ground [2nd album from bluesy London trio.]

Little Man Tate - About What You Know [Debut from another post-Libertines band.]

My Coachella Picks

Ultra8201 has links to the myspace page of every single artist playing Coachella! Well, except whoever that "Yeva" guy is.

Here's who I'm interested in seeing...

Fri April 27th:

• Jarvis Cocker [I never saw Pulp, so I guess this will have to do!]
• The Jesus and Mary Chain [I was never the biggest fan, but still cool.]
• Rufus Wainwright [I haven't seen him live since 1998!]
  
• Interpol [Though I bet ya the next album will be just like the first two.]
• Silversun Pickups [Well look who's all growns-up.]
  
  I might catch 'em, just for the hell of it:
• DJ Shadow [I wish he'd just play "You Made It" over and over.]
• Arctic Monkeys

Sat April 28th:

• Travis [I really hope the new album is good.]
• The Decemberists [I always like their pop-songs.]
• The Good, the Bad and the Queen [Though the album is just okay.]
• Fields [Can't wait for their full-length debut album.]
• Peter, Bjorn and John [Though I'll have see 'em on Feb 1st at The Roxy.]
  
  I might catch 'em, just for the hell of it:
• The Arcade Fire
• Sparklehorse
• The Frames
• The Fratellis
• Pop Levi

Sun April 29th:

• Air [Even though Pocket Symphony is utterly forgettable.] 
• Kaiser Chiefs [Though i'm worried the new album isn't gonna be very good]
• Placebo [Yes Meds is crap, but they're so great live]
• Mando Diao [The new album is actually not bad. It's kinda like The Coral.]
• Explosions in the Sky [Cause I've never properly checked this band out.]
  
  I might catch 'em, just for the hell of it:
• Happy Mondays [Though they never had the tunes of their baggy peers.]
• Lily Allen [Didn't like her stuff at first, but it's growning on me.]
• Mika [A one-man Scissor Sisters.]

Stream new Travis song

Not sure why Travis' people decided to make a YouTube file of just audio, but here ya go...

I think it's good, though very low key and with a drum pattern like they've never used before. I find it hard to believe that this will actually be the first UK cd single from the new album. I'm thinking it might just be a 7" or a download. BTW: Nigel Godrich is back producing 'em on this album. I look forward to seeing Travis at Coachella!

Mp3: Keane cover The Cult

Here's Keane covering The Cult:

• "She Sells Sanctuary" [4:36]
  + here's the video for The Cult's original.

The track is a b-side to the "A Bad Dream" single.

I like that they try to replicate the guitar sounds using effects-laden keyboards.

Does anyone have Keane's cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence"? It's only on the USB-stick single of "A Bad Dream."

Keane played a special set for competition winners the other day, and on a few songs they used acoustic guitar and live bass guitar. Virgin Radio will air a few songs from it on Thursday. I can't wait to hear it.

Now who's got extra tix to the show at the Wiltern on Friday?

Out in the U.S. on Tuesday

Here's the stuff that interests me which is out in the U.S. on Tues Jan 23rd...

The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On [Debut from LA power-pop 5-piece.]

Echo & The Bunnymen - The Very Best Of... [10 tracks added to '85 compilation.]

The Good The Bad & The Queen - Self-titled [Debut from Damon Albaern & Co.]

Mew - Frengers [Their great 2003 album finally gets a U.S. release.]

Placebo - Meds [Re-release w/ three UK b-sides including "Running Up That Hill" cover.]

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away [Third album from Portland quartet.]

For a full list of what's out in the U.S. this week check out my entry at the FILTER blog.

James To Reform!

He's scary looking now, isn't he?

TimBooth.co.uk says:

Tim will be rejoining James in early 2007 for a series of live shows to be announced very soon.   More details will be posted on the official James site www.jamestheband.com (which is due to be revamped) and fansite www.oneofthethree.co.uk

I guess he wised up after that awful solo album. Now someone please get them to play Coachella!

And here's a picture that I just think is fun:

[credit]

UK Chart Report

Here's the good stuff that entered the UK charts this weekend.

Singles:

• #7 The Ordinary Boys - "I Luv U" [Vid. 3rd single from How to Get Everything...]
• #20 The Good... - "Kingdom Of Doom" [Vid. 2nd single from self-titled debut.]
• #27 Guillemots - "Annie Let's Not Wait [single mix]" [Vid. 3rd single from Through the Windowpane.]

These singles did not chart:

• Field Music - "A House Is Not A Home" [Vid. 1st single from Tones of Town.]
• Husky Rescue - "Nightless Nights" [Vid. 1st single from Ghost Is Not Real.]
• Joan As Police Woman - "Ride" [Vid. 3rd single from Real Life.]
• The Procession - "Don't Hesitate" [Vid above. Debut 7" from good LA-based band!]