Native Korean Rock & The Fishnets - Native Korean Rock & The Fishnets

01. OOO
02. Visits
03. Rapt
04. Sunset Sun
05. Day Go By (live)
06. Indian Summer
07. Indian Summer (live)

Native Of korean Of rock of & The Of fishnets - the project of Karen (Karen O) - [vokalistki] of the group Of yeah Of yeah Of yeahs. On the newly-made command (first concert it was played this summer) of information from nose, it is known only that its participants - New York friends of Karen and that fulfills it, on its own words, “amorous songs, written in last two years”. With the production of valuable plate or at least EP, the discussion thus far does not deal; everything that there are in the presence - several studio Low- Faye of tracks, and also audio and video recording from the concert, played on July 21 this year in the Brooklyn club “Of union Of pool”. The taken place performance can be there described as “sincere in the whimsical decorations”: on the scene fake boat with the Korean flag, musicians in the suit of seamen and Karen o- improbably pacified, dear and serene. Well matched with the new means and the usable by it songs: simply comfortable, upright and touching in their simplicity sketchings, by tenderness and by bright melancholy. Such sensation, that it fell in love itself: perhaps, into the man, and can, the object of its feelings - the entire world. In of concert, besides the songs of its own composition, counts sincere - version of the song Of the Of doors - “Indian Of summer”, whose original sounding is augmented by the party of violin. P.S. in the network the Internet arose small confusion with the name of the group: on the page Of mySpace it is registered as Native Of korean Of rock, in a number of other sources, including official YYY, figures version with the addition of the word “Of the Of fishnets”. How is explained this difference, it is authentically unknown, it is possible only to assume that in the composition Of the Of fishnets - additional sessional musicians. P.P.S. the lined archive, besides the audio- records, includes the second part of the concert in Brooklyn with duration about 10 minutes (by video from YouTube and converted from the size of flv into avi). The first part can be looked according to this reference.

The Rakes - Klang

1. You’re In It

2. That’s The Reason
3. The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker 
4. Bitchin’ In The Kitchen 
5. The Woes Of The Working Woman
6. 1989 
7. Shackleton 
8. The Light From Your Mac
9. Muller’s Ratchet 
10. The Final Hill 

Not, perhaps, the sort of thing that I write about here very often, but The Rakes always sounded round these parts as one of the best bands to emerge from the whole post-Libertines/post-punk/Britpop Nouveau thing of a few years ago. They seemed to have a fair bit more wit and interesting angles than most of their contemporaries, and maybe a healthy affinity to Elastica.

Continued...

That said, I can’t pretend to remember much about The Rakes’ second album, so the arrival of their third didn’t initially cause that much fuss. It’s really good, though: it’s called “Klang!”, possibly due to it being recorded in the band’s new hometown of Berlin. “Klang!”, however, is not much like Krautrock, being instead a lean and determined reiteration of the Rakes’ skills: choppy riffs; bug-eyed social observation; very short songs.

“Klang!” has ten songs, the longest of which comes in at less than three and a half minutes. The titles are pretty good value in themselves: “The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker”, “Shackleton”, “Mullers Ratchet”, the last of which apparently refers to a genetic disorder which manifests itself in asexual populations and is not the sort of thing you get dealed with so catchily in, say, a song by The View.

And as something like “That’s The Reason” belts past, the infectious bristling economy comes across as a neat rejoinder to the new Franz Ferdinand album, where their schtick seems so tired and needy. The price of success, maybe: if “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” finds a band so anxiously trying to cling on to fame and overcompensating as a result, “Klang!” showcases one unburdened by any such expectations.

Frankly, The Rakes’ time of hipness may have past, but the quality of these clipped dispatches – and the unglossy punch bestowed on them by Les Savy Fav producer Chris Zane – suggest a longevity uncommon in British bands of their generation. The best thing of many good things here is a song called “1989”, a roisteringly nostalgic knees-up which may have something to do with the fall of the Berlin Wall, which faintly resembles “Hong Kong Garden” with its gothic portent replaced by something at once blokey and somehow cerebral.

Everything flies past in a blur, but occasionally you catch Alan Donohue’s blurry narratives through those precisely ringing and strutting guitars, that mathematically chundering bassline. In “Shackleton”, he seems to be comparing himself to “Harry Hill on happy pills”, and though I’m fairly sure there’s more erudite references in here, that one sticks out this morning. Good record...www.uncut.co.uk

Clem Snide - Hungry Bird

1. Me No 

2. Born A Man 

3. Hum 

4. Burn The Light 

5. Encounter at 3 A.M. 

6. The Endless Ending 

7. Our Time Will Come 

8. Beard of Bees 

9. Pray 

10. With All My Heart 

The mystery of indie rock semi-legends Clem Snide's missing 6th recording 'Hungry Bird' is finally solved as the much anticipated album will finally see the light of day. Self-described by Barzelay as a 'loosely-conceived, post-apocalyptic fairytale'...www.amazon.com

Stuart & Caan - The Mayfly Dance

1. Lalita 

2. I Waited So Long 

3. Big White Boat 

4. Rosemary 

5. Isn't It Wonderful 

6. Lord Of The Cosmos 

7. Look To The Sky 

8. God Song 

9. Holy Moment 

10. Do You Want To 

11. Set Sail 

12. Land Of Stone

Stuart and Caan's The Mayfly Dance came to Knw-Yr-Own from England thanks to friends Little Wings and Devendra Banhart. After opening for the two bands on the Hair Fairies Tour, Banhart invited the gents to come over and play the United States. Needless to say, Stuart and Caan fell smartly into the middle of the new weird America musical movement, taking it all in (until they were deported). With pastoral guitars, heartbreaking melodies, and a rare sense of wide-eyed wonder, The Mayfly Dance spins a timeless Anglo-folk sound...www.insound.com

zZz - Running with the Beast

01 Lover
02 Grip
03 Spoil The Party
04 Sign Of Love
05 Majeur
06 Running With The Beast
07 Amanda
08 Loverboy
09 The Movies
10 Angel
11 Islands

zZz are band made up of an organist and a drummer who doubles up as a vocalist, and both members make one heck of a racket, but a very dark, danceable one that will appeal to the nu-wave aficionado. The group take elements of electro and goth for a weird and wonderful amalgamation of sounds; think of The Doorsin a triple-threat match alongside The Killers and The Cult and you’re nearly there. 

'Lover' is a dark and funk-infused effort that can only be appreciated at full volume. 'Grip', by contrast, is a track that has got the band some attention recently appearing on a FIAT commercial and it deserves more praise. With haunting organ drones and a militaristic drumming this tune is a great standout that really helps zZz to separate themselves from the current crop of pretenders and establish themselves as real contenders for '09. 'Spoil The Party' is an upbeat anthem with funky keys and resounding electronic elements. 'Sign Of Love'follows up nicely and is a little heavier than previous material, reminiscent of Joy Division at their most chaotic and captivating. 'Majeur' is much the same, and by this point the only criticism one could have of the two-piece is that it all does sound very similar, but there is enough variation in here to appease lovers of the growing crossover genre. Changing tactics slightly on the title track 'Running With The Beast', zZz turn it up to 11 and concentrate on a more acoustic effort focusing on the drums; it's here they do well, sounding like a more substantial and much cooler Interpol. 

'Amanda' is moody, slow and romantic and it will surely inspire you in some way upon listening, coming off like The Postal Service with a black heart. While'Loverboy' and its blend of raw and high-pitched vocals tones allow for an entertaining and altogether random song that sounds like it comes straight out of'Hedwig And The Angry Inch', making it interesting to say the very least. 'The Movies' is a noisy and rather unnecessary two minute instrumental lead into the far more sonic and powerful 'Angel', which harks back to Gary Numan's glory days. It also borrows in part from more contemporary acts like She Wants Revenge, blending soft imagery with dark subject matter for a prominent and impactful song. The final track here is the emotive 'Islands' and it's the best way they could have finished this varied record, stripping everything down for a raw and soft few minutes of quality musicianship. 'Running With The Beast' will be a relief for those who inhabit the darker side of the musical spectrum, hankering for something to go deaf to for a while...www.clickmusic.co.uk

Fiction Family - Fiction Family

1. When She’s Near 

2. Out Of Order 

3. Not Sure 

4. Betrayal 

5. Elements Combined 

6. War In My Blood 

7. Throw It Away 

8. Closer Than You Think 

9. Please Don’t Call It Love 

10. Mostly Prove Me Wrong 

11. We Ride

12. Look For Me Baby

SEAN WATKINS ALWAYS SEEMED to be the underdog of his bluegrass trio, Nickel Creek: His vocals and guitar-playing, though solid, never attracted the instant attention garnered by the honey-sweet vocals of sister Sara and the fiery mandolin melodies of Chris Thile. Instead of using Nickel Creek's indefinite hiatus to record a fourth solo album, Sean joined forces with Switchfoot's Jon Foreman on the project Fiction Family.

Despite Fiction Family's collaborative nature, its acoustic melodies and sweet vocal harmonies more closely resemble Nickel Creek's sound than Switchfoot's passionate alterna-rock. The self-titled debut is more cohesive than one would expect from a compilation of ideas swapped while each band was touring, but all those months on the road certainly influence the tone of the album. "Betrayal" and "Not Sure" convey a sense of longing and heartbreak; that air of wistfulness ties the songs on this album together. Watkins and Foreman switch vocal duties, but it isn't always immediately apparent (nor truly important) who's at the lead microphone. The resulting sweet harmonies make "Fiction Family" a solid set of near-duets from two diverse, accomplished musicians...www.washingtonpost.com

Mon-O-Phone - Mon-O-Phone

1. Go You Go
2. Nancy Archer
3. Friday Easy People
4. Mon-o-Phone
5. Evil Woman
6. Blitzka Blues
7. Everything You Are
8. I Tried
9. Death Car
10. How
11. Black Heart
12. Drive

Mon-O-Phone is a band from Limburg -the dullest province of Belgium- and brings us cool music! Driven by a single drummachine with an electric guitar and intense vocals on top, this album contains both energetic and more tranquile tracks, comparable to The Kills and stuff...jegrootmoeder.blogspot.com

Moto Boy - For Martha (Songs I Wish I Had Written) EP

1. Pie Jesu (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
2. Cigánské Melodie (Antonín Dvorák)
3. A Room Without You (Oskar Humlebo)
4. Ave Maria (Vladimir Vavilov)
5. Suo Gân (Traditional)

John Frusciante - The Empyrean

1. Before The Beginning
2. Song To The Siren
3. Unreachable
4. God
5. Dark/Light
6. Heaven
7. Enough Of Me
8. Central
9. One More Of Me
10. After The Ending
11. Today (Bonus track)
12. Ah Yom (Bonus track)