Miles Kane - Don't Forget Who You Are - 2013

By the time this posts and you read it, I will be two days into my next week on the road.  I finally figured out how to schedule out the posts, that way they are available on the days I promised without being here.

Miles Kane is an anomaly to me.  Here is a young British gent with talent galore yet he's writing and singing pop songs that sound as if they were from the sixties.  It's mind blowing.  Every track sounds as if it was written more than 50 years ago, with it's upbeat, bubblegum sound, yet it still captures that flare of modern Brit Rock that I find so attractive.  He started out in 2007 with the Little Flames, then the Rascals, and then the Last Shadow Puppets with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.  His solo releases have been spectacular and well written.  They have that perfect 3-chord magic of the sixties and very simple melodies.  And it still sound fresh and relevant.  Really incredible material. 

I have all the b-sides, some instrumentals, and even a song working with Professor Green (which is interesting unto itself.)  The cover is a better representation of his handsomeness, as the original cover makes him look sort of ugly.  He's a great guy, and someone to pay attention to in the future!!!!

I'll see you on Friday....

Part One          Part Two

Beady Eye - BE - 2013

When this album came out, it annoyed me that they had to use a nude woman on the front cover.  Don't get me wrong, I like women and I don't have a problem with sensual things.  But straight up nudity really has no place on an album cover.  There are plenty of other ways to portray sexiness.

This was a pic from an article about Beady Eye's new album.  I thought it was a fabulous pic, very unique and really cool.  I had to use it.

I've got the album and the b-sides here.  I didn't make a cover for 42 42, but I'll upload that here, anyway.  As always, it's another great album from one of the Gallagher brothers.  In fact, this one is better than Noel's album.  I think Noel has written all the songs he has in him.  There doesn't seem to be much left in him.  Liam, on the other hand, is sparkling.  Edgy and poignant as ever, pop hooks galore.  A great peice.

Beady Eye - BE - 2013

42:42 - 2013

On a side note, Heavy Metal Week is coming up on Monday.  So, either get your air guitars out, or plug your ears.  You decide.

Stargazer Lilies - We Are the Dreamers - 2013

You're getting your daily update early, as I have to drive about 6 hours round trip to pick up my son tonight, and we'll be getting home late.

I randomly sample albums periodically based on my mood.  If I feel like trying something different, I generally choose something based on the genre it's catagorized under, then I look to see if I recognize any of the band members, and then I usually pick something that has a cool cover.  So, all you unsigned Indie bands out there, if your not the Beatles or Metallica, you better have an exciting damn cover.  No white covers, no black covers, because you'll get overlooked, regardless of what you sound like.

I did download this one because I was first attracted to the cover, then I noticed that they catagorized it as Post Punk Dream Pop, and that really perked my ears.  And the name of the band is Stargazer Lilies, as creative a name if I ever heard one.  So, why not?

If you are into Cocteau Twins, Lush, My Bloody Valentine and the like, you will probably like this.  The vocals are light, high and airy, while the instrumentation drifts from acoustic strumming to full on distortion, layered keyboards over guitars.  There are some great pop hooks on here, but nothing over the top.  It's a good listen, but they aren't going to make a huge name for themselves.

And sometimes that is a good thing.

Stargazer Lilies - We Are the Dreamers - 2013

Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013

So, the Boys split from their old record label, see?  And they decide to release an album on their own new record label.  And so, you had two PSB albums about 10 months apart.  Less than a year.  And, it would appear that they saved the best tracks of the last 5 years for this album.  What's great, is there's still plenty of b-sides and a billion great remixes.  So much so, I had to make it two discs.  I've got an album disc, and a mix disc.  Both are fantastic, I love Example, and the Boys sound as fresh as ever.

Disc One is the album plus the b-sides packed down the middle.  Disc Two is nothing but the best mixes of the bunch.  All of them fantastic.

Great thing about it, there was plenty of promo pics available for this album, so making a new sleeve was a piece of cake.  It's a little more commercial than your average PSB cover art, but it still works fine.

Give them a spin....

Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013 - Album Disc

 Pet Shop Boys - Electric - 2013 - Remix Disc

Violet Hours - 2013

Part of my psychosis is the endless search for that missing piece.  That part of your soul, the hole in your heart, the one little piece that will make everything alright, and end the search, end the quest.  Many people search for it for years, decades, their entire life.  Some find it, some do not.

When I mentioned in my Horrors post that they were the last great Post Punk band (according to me), I wanted to actually say the Violet Hours were.  I'm not quite sure how I found out about this band, but once I did, I was smitten.  They were my missing piece.  They were that little hidden golden gem that was waiting to be uncovered.

I grabbed these three tracks and I hold them high with joy.  These are PURE pop.  These songs ooze angst.  These songs Jangle, these songs Post, they C86 all over the place.  I can listen to these three songs on repeat over and over and over and over ad nauseam.  I am in love and there's no denying it.  Their instrumentation is spot on, creative, addictive and harmonious.  Her vocals are seductive, innocent, and mournful.  Their image is classic, like a psuedo-Joy Division.  That one guy on the end even looks a little like Peter Hook.

But, alas, these three tracks are it.  They came out sporadically in 2013 with no fanfare.  Their Facebook Page has less than 400 followers.  They put on a few shows (what songs are they playing, they only have three) made a few posts, and that was it.  Now, nothing has been said since late 2014....

But, I will always remember these three songs as the piece- and the peace- that I had been looking for.  Whenever I feel that longing, that emptiness, I play these three little songs...

I give to you....            the Violet Hours.

Violet Hours - 2013