Daydreamin: The XX - "Performance" (I See You, 2017)

If I scream at the top of my lungs, Will you hear what I don't say?:
Πανέμορφο τραγούδι από το φετινό δίσκο των ταλαντούχων Λονδρέζων, που μπορεί να μην κυκλοφόρησαν το album της χρονιάς, απέδειξαν ωστόσο για μία ακόμη φορά, πως αξίζουν της αναγνώρισης που απολαμβάνουν. Το "Performance" δε στηρίζεται στις ενορχηστρώσεις του, παρά μόνο στη σαγηνευτική φωνή  της Ronnie και τους υπέροχους στίχους του. Απλά και και διακριτικά βρίσκεται στα  ομορφότερα κομμάτια της χρονιάς.


The Band: The XX (London, UK)
Line Up: Romy Madley Croft (vocals, guitar), Oliver Sim (bass, vocals), Jamie Smith [Jamie xx] (drum machine, samples)
The Track: "Performance"
The Album: I See You (2017)
The Sound: Indie, Indie Pop, Indietronica
And Says...

If I scream at the top of my lungs
Will you hear what I don't say?
If I dance like I'm on a stage
Will you see I seem out of place?
If I put on a disguise
Will you think everything's alright?
If I leave before the end
Will you forget that I was there?

When you saw me leaving
Did you think I had a place to go?
Since you stopped believing
I've had to put on my own show

I'll put on a performance
I'll put on a show
It is a performance
I do it all so
You won't see me hurting
When my heart it breaks
I'll put on a performance
I'll put on a brave face

Even when I was hiding
You could always find me
Now you've stopped looking for me
But I'm still playing hide and seek
I want you to notice
But you just don't see
The show is wasted on you
So I perform for me

When you saw me leaving
Did you think I had a place to go?
Since you stopped believing
I've had to put on my own show

I'll put on a performance
I'll put on a show
It is a performance
I do it all so
You won't see me hurting
When my heart it breaks
I'll put on a performance
I'll put on a brave face

Don't Stop Groovin: The Last Shadow Puppets - "Used To Be My Girl" (Everything You 'Ve Come to Expect, 2016)

The odyssey, came down, kind of hard on me:
Χρειάζονται συστάσεις? Ο Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) & ο Miles Kane είναι ουσιαστικά ορόσημα σε αυτό που ονομάζουμε Βρετανικό Indie rock από τα 00s και μετά. Δημιούργησαν το 2007 το project group Last Shadow Puppets και με τη δισκάρα The Age Of Understatement του 2008, μας ανάγκασαν να αναμένουμε με αγωνία τον διάδοχο, που ήρθε τελικά οκτώ ολόκληρα χρόνια αργότερα. To περσινό Everything You Have Come To Expect όμως δεν ανταποκρίθηκε στις προσδοκίες μας τελικώς και ήταν επιεικώς μέτριος δίσκος. Είχε ωστόσο τις πολύ καλές στιγμές του. Το "Used To Be My Girl" έχει Indie rock σφραγίδα και είναι σίγουρα μία από αυτές.


The Band: The Last Shadow Puppets (Sheffield, UK)
Line Up: Alex Turner (vocals, guitar, tambourine), Miles Kane (vocals, guitar), James Ford (drums, percussion)

The Track: "Used To be My Girl"
The Album: Everything You 've Come To Expect (2016)
The Sound: Indie, Indie rock, Chamber Pop
And Says...

Colour pictures of re-entry
Voices calling down the hall
I wanted you to know
You’re the only one that bent me
This far out of shape
Don’t make no mistake

I’m a liar, I’m a cheat, a leech, a thief
The outside looks no good and there ain’t nothing underneath
Darling can’t you see, my heart melted in the heat
My heart melted in the heat like yours

First impressions of the century
Two way mirror one way street
Good cop bad cop routine
Black-light animal print boogie
Left in a heap a kiss on either cheek

I’m a phoney, I’m a fake, a fraud, a snake
Gimme all your love so I can fill you up with hate
Girl I’m in a state, my heart melted yesterday
My heart melted yesterday like yours

The odyssey, came down kind of hard on me
The here and now so suddenly
Became a different world
Finally, I slipped out of reality
It must all be imaginary
She used to be my girl

Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl
Used to be my girl

Listen & Score: Radical Face - "Everything Costs" (The Family Tree:The leaves, 2016)

Dreams, like coins down a well: Ο Radical Face είναι ουσιαστικά ο τριάντα-πεντάχρονος Αμερικανός τραγουδιστής/τραγουδοποιός/μουσικός Ben Cooper. Με το παρόν σχήμα έχει κυκλοφορήσει 5 δίσκους, με πιο πρόσφατο το εικονιζόμενο The Family Tree:The Leaves του 2016. Ουσιαστικά πρόκειται για το τελευταίο μέρος της τριλογίας The Family Tree και διαδέχθηκε το The Roots (2011) και The Branches (2013). Και τα τρία κινούνται στο χώρο, του indie folk/pop και τα τρία είναι υπέροχα. Στην ιστορία του The Leaves πρωταγωνιστεί η Οικογένεια "The Northcotes" ξεδιπλώνοντας μας τη ζωή τους. Από το δίσκο ξεχωρίζω τα "Rivers In The Dust", "The Road To Nowhere", "Bad Blood" και τέλος το αγαπημένο και μοναδικό "Everything Costs" που ακούμε παρακάτω. Μόλις το ακούσετε και το λατρέψετε και εσείς, ασχοληθείτε και με τον υπόλοιπο δίσκο αλλά και γενικά με τον ταλαντούχο κύριο B. Cooper, γιατί το αξίζει πραγματικά.

                                                                                                        Listen & Score: 8/10
The Band: Radical Face (a.k.a Ben Cooper) (Jacksonville, USA)
The Track: "Everything Costs"
The Album: The Family Tree:The leaves (2016)
The Sound: Indie, Indie folk, Indie pop
And Says...

Dreams, like coins down a well
Till I realized I was dumb for believin'
To the bird with no flight
The skies don't ever offer respite
So I wandered off
And went to fill the halls of my shadow
But everything costs
Proof was etched into the backs of my hands

I heard you say that you'd lost, you'd lost, you'd lost your way
But I don't think you had much to lose, that house was never built for you
And I ain't gonna hang my head for them, for them
And I ain't gonna let them paint the truth with sin
And I ain't gonna tell you it's okay but at the end of the day
You were just something they'd blame

Face, pressed into your hands
Couldn't tell if you were crying or laughing
They both sound the same
when you ain't got no skin in the game
So I took up the fight
And the roaring in my head was like the thunder
Until I uncurled my fists
And allowed myself to not give a damn

I heard you say that we'd lost, we'd lost, we'd lost, we'd lost our way
But I don't think we had much to lose that path was never built for us
And I ain't gonna hang my head for them, for them
And I ain't gonna let them paint the truth with sin
And I ain't gonna tell you it's okay but at the end of the day
You were just something they'd blame

Daydreamin: Linkin Park - "One More Light" (One More Light, 2017)

There is a light that never goes out: Έχουν πλέον περάσει δύο μήνες και φυσικά δε μπορείς να πεις ότι το έχουμε χωνέψει ακόμη. Ούτε λίγο.

Το video clip των Linkin Park για το "One more light" είναι αφιερωμένο στον Chester και εμείς χαζεύουμε, συγκινούμαστε, απορούμε και ανησυχούμε... 

Στα υπόλοιπα νέα, η μπάντα ανακοίνωσε το πρώτο live της μετά Bennington εποχής των Linkin Park, που θα γίνει στο Los Angeles, στις 27 Οκτωβρίου με συμμετοχή πολλών καλλιτεχνών, φυσικά προς τιμήν του.

The Band: Linkin Park (Los Angeles, USA)
Line Up: Mike Shinoda (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brad Delson (guitar), Rob Bourdon(drums), Mr. Hahn (DJ, turntables, samples), Chester Bennington (vocals), Dave Farrell
The Track: "One More Light"
The Album: One More Light (2017)
The Sound: Alternative Rock, Nu Metal
And Says...

Should've stayed. Were there signs I ignored?
Can I help you not to hurt anymore?
We saw brilliance when the world was asleep.
There are things that we can have but can't keep.

If they say,

Who cares if one more light goes out
In the sky of a million stars?
It flickers, flickers.
Who cares when someone's time runs out
If a moment is all we are?
Or quicker, quicker.
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well, I do.

The reminders pull the floor from your feet.
In the kitchen one more chair than you need.
Oh.
And you're angry, and you should be, it's not fair.
Just 'cause you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

If they say,

Who cares if one more light goes out
In the sky of a million stars?
It flickers, flickers.
Who cares when someone's time runs out
If a moment is all we are?
Or quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well, I do.

Who cares if one more light goes out
In the sky of a million stars?
It flickers, flickers.
Who cares when someone's time runs out
If a moment is all we are?
Or quicker, quicker.
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well, I do.
Well, I do.

Don't Stop Groovin: Editors - "Sugar" (The Weight Of Your Love, 2013)

There's sugar on your soul: Τώρα που πλέον πέρασαν αρκετά χρόνια και δοκιμάστηκε αρκετά (στα αυτιά μας), ήρθε η ώρα να κάνουμε μία ειλικρινή παραδοχή για το "Sugar". Δεν είναι απλά ένα "καλό single" (σ.σ. δίσκος Weight of your love, 2013). Είναι ΚΟΜΜΑΤΑΡΑ, με στιχάρες. Ο Tom Smith (όπως αναμενόταν) το απογειώνει με τη φωνάρα του, αλλά το "special" που τελικά το κάνει να ξεχωρίζει οφείλεται σε... αυτό το μπάσο-ρυθμό, που μπαίνει και σε "παίρνει" μαζί του καθ όλη τη διάρκεια του και του δίνει μία ατελείωτη ένταση. Αναπόσπαστο μέρος πλέον των set list της μπάντας, αξίζει πραγματικά να δείτε και να ακούσετε αυτήν την εκτέλεση από το περσινό Best Kept Secret Festival στην Ολλανδία, όπου όλη η  μπάντα και κυρίως ο χαρισματικός T.Smith δίνουν ένα εξαιρετικό performance.

The Band: Editors (Stafford, England)

Line Up: Tom Smith (vocals, guitar, piano), Russell Leetch (bass, synthesizer, backing vocals), Ed Lay (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Justin Lockey(lead guitar), Elliott Williams (keyboards, synthesizer, guitar, backing vocals)
The Track: "Sugar"
The Album: The Weight of Your Love (2013)

The Sound: Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative Rock

And Says...

Don't leave, don't leave,
I want you to realize when I'm gone.
My my, my my,
You are the only thing I want to own.

There's sugar on your soul,
You're like no one I know,
You're the life of another world.

You swallow me whole,
With just a mumbled hello,
And it breaks my heart to love you, it breaks my heart to love you.

Don't leave, don't leave,
When you're lost in the moment, I am home.
I tried, I tried
To make you realize when I'm gone, gone, gone.

There's sugar on your soul,
You're like no one I know,
You're the life of another world.

You swallow me whole,
With just a mumbled hello,
And it breaks my heart to love you, it breaks my heart to love you.

It breaks my heart to love you.

There's sugar on your soul,
There's sugar on your soul.

There's sugar on your soul,
You're like no one I know,
You're the life of another world.

You swallow me whole,
With just a mumbled hello,
And it breaks my heart to love you, it breaks my heart to love you.

Don't leave, don't leave,
I want you to realize when I'm gone.

Don't Stop Groovin: Vampire Weekend - ''A Punk'' (Vampire Weekend, 2008)

Look outside at the raincoats coming: Μας έχει φάει η αναμονή για το νέο δίσκο των Vampire Weekend και εκεί που νομίζαμε πως είχε μείνει στον πάγο για λίγο, ήρθε ο Ezra Koenig (κιθάρα, φωνητικά) να μας αναθερμάνει με δηλώσεις του, λέγοντας πως είναι έτοιμο το 80% του διάδοχου του Modern Vampires of the City (2013). Δεν θα το περιμένουμε λογικά μέσα στο 2017,  γιατί όπως ο ίδιος ο Koening είπε "το 20% είναι πάντα το πιο δύσκολο". Δεν πειράζει όμως! Πάμε να φτιάξουμε τη μέρα μας με το τραγούδι-ύμνο που τους έβαλε στις καρδιές μας βαθιά. Προτιμήστε το ένα πρωινό που δε θα ξυπνάτε να πάτε για δουλειά. Σκοπός είναι να χορεύετε στον καθρέφτη δέκα λεπτά αργότερα. Δοκιμάστε το!

The Band: Vampire Weekend (New York, USA)
Line Up: Ezra Koenig (vocals, guitar), Christopher Tomson (drums), Chris Baio (bass)

The Track: "A-Punk"
The Album: Vampire Weekend (2008)

The Sound: Indie, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Baroque Pop, Indietronica
And Says...

Johanna drove slowly into the city
The Hudson River all filled with snow
She spied the ring on His Honor's finger
Oh-oh-oh

A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lilywhite hand
Showed no fear - she'd seen the thing
In the Young Men's Wing at Sloan-Kettering

Look outside at the raincoats coming, say OH

His Honor drove southward seeking exotica
Down to the Pueblo huts of New Mexico
Cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas
Oh-oh-oh

I saw Johanna down in the subway
She took an apartment in Washington Heights
Half of the ring lies here with me
But the other half's at the bottom of the sea

Daydreamin: Michael Kiwanuka - "Cold Little Heart" ( Love & Hate, 2016)

One day at a time: Μπήκε για τα καλά στις ζωές μας, με το δεύτερο δίσκο του Love & Hate και το ομώνυμο υπέροχο κομμάτι (Click). Τον θαυμάσαμε με το γεμάτο νόημα, αλλά και soul ρυθμό "Black Man In A White World". Αυτό εδώ όμως είναι αξεπέραστο. 11 λεπτά που απλά ευχαριστιέσαι τη μουσική, χαζεύεις το εξαιρετικό παίξιμο αυτών των ταλαντούχων μουσικών. Οι "Φλοϋδικές" επιρροές είναι διάχυτες και αποδίδονται εντυπωσιακά. Ναι, αυτό είναι το ευαίσθητο σημείο μας και παρότι οι στίχοι του είναι "πικροί" και απαισιόδοξοι, σε γεμίζει τόσο όλο αυτό που έχεις ακούσει, που σου αφήνει ένα οξύμωρο χαμόγελο. Εξαιρετικό κομμάτι από έναν -ήδη- αγαπημένο καλλιτέχνη, που έχει δείξει πως μπορεί να κάνει σπουδαία πράγματα και να μείνει στη μουσική ιστορία. Μένει να το αποδείξει.

The Artist: Michael Kiwanuka (London, UK)
The Track: "Cold Little Heart"

The Album: Love & Hate (2016)

The Sound: Soul, Contemporary Folk, blues

And Says...

Did you ever want it?
Did you want bad?
Ohhh, my
It tears me apart
Did you ever fight it?
All of the pain, so much power
Running through my veins
Bleeding, I'm bleeding
My cold little heart
Oh I, I can't stand myself

And I know
In my heart, in this cold heart
I can live or I can die
I believe if I just try
You believe in you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I

Did you ever notice
I've been ashamed
All my life
I've been playing games
We can try and hide it
It's all the same
I've been losing you
One day at a time
Bleeding, I'm bleeding
My cold little heart
Oh I, I can't stand myself

And I know
In my heart, in this cold heart
I can live or I can die
I believe if I just try
You believe in you and I
In my heart, in this cold heart
I can live or I can die
I believe if I just try
You believe in you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I
In you and I

Maybe this time I can be strong
But since I know who I am
I'm probably wrong
Maybe this time I can go far
But thinking about where I've been
Ain't helping me start