The Devil Has The Best Tuna

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Rushing In From Texas It's...

Alexander Speed
Genre: Rock / Indie / Minimalist
From: Austin, Texas, United States

Tonight the Devil brings you a band so new they are still covered in placenta and the umbilical cords still attached. Austin's Alexander Speed slipped down the birth canal of Moses and the Burning Bush (see The Devil Gets Religious) less than a month ago and have already got an EP's worth of tracks on their myspace site. They're so new that they've not even hit the 100 friends on myspace and have only had 247 profile views (and at least 200 was the band going to check if anyone was looking !).

Alexander Speed push the Moses lo-fi grungy sound on a notch or two and give it a lick of spit 'n polish. 'Expression Injection' reminds me of the garagey splendour of Devil's favourite The Monolators while the simplicity of 'Wonderful' is kinda like an underproduced The Shins. But the real tour de force is 'Your Empire' which crams more lo-fi indie cool into four minutes than Pavement/ on a glaciar, and has more ideas than a mensa brainstorm. It starts off like The Fall before turning into the The Smashing Pumpkins and then straying at the end into Radiohead territory.

Alexander Speed may be as fresh as a newly minted coin but they've already crammed more into their first four songs than Coldplay have managed in their career.

Go Visit

Alexander Speed - Myspace

If you like these you'll love Alexander Speed...

MP3 - The Shins - Sea Legs

Buy The Shins 'Chutes Too Narrow' from Amazon

MP3 - The Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula

Buy The Smashing Pumpkins 'Adore' from Amazon

MP3 - The Fall - Industrial Estate

Buy The Fall 'Grotesque (After The Gramme)' from Amazon

MP3 - Radiohead - Karma Police (Amnesty International Festival Paris)

Buy Radiohead 'In Rainbows' from Amazon

MP3 - Pavement - Box Elder

Buy Pavement 'Terror Twilight' from Amazon

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Mowgli Syndrome

Feral Children
Genre: Experimental / Indie / Rock
From: Seattle, Washington,United States

Like Liverpool bands since the Beatles Seattle bands have a lot to live up to. Being born in the shadow of a global phenomena makes it incredibly difficult for bands to carve out their own niche, to make their way in the world. It must be like being Roger Clinton, Billy Carter or Dannii Minogue. Well here come the exception to the rule, drum-crazy Seattle quintet Feral Children. Maybe it's because they're adopted sons of Seattle having been born in Maple Valley as Blood Alley but, with their set of pounding angst infused tunes with vaguely anthemic choruses and the odd spontaneous feral yelp, Feral Children are no mere second sons. Like Modest Mouse and Bloc Party playing mixed doubles with Talking Heads and TV on the Radio, Feral Children have impeccable taste and know how to stir it up.

Nirvana who are they?

Go Try

MP3 - Feral Children - Spy Glass/House
MP3 - Feral Children - Jaundice Giraffe

Go Visit

Feral Children - Myspace

Go View

Feral Children
Spy/Glass House

Go See

26 Jul 2008, 13:00, Capitol Hill Block Party with devotchka,les savy fav& vampire weekend, Seattle, Washington

If you like these you'll love Feral Children...

MP3 - TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun

Buy TV on the Radio 'Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes' from Amazon

MP3 - Modest Mouse - Dashboard

Buy Modest Mouse 'We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank' from Amazon

MP3 - Bloc Party - Banquet
MP3 - Bloc Party - Helicopter

Buy Bloc Party 'Silent Alarm' from Amazon

MP3 - Talking Heads - Life During Wartime

Buy Talking Heads 'Fear of Music' from Amazon

Friday, June 27, 2008

You Cannot Be Serious...

Rubber Clown Car
Genre: Indie / Powerpop / Alternative
From: Oswego, Illinois United States

I get the impression that this band aren't entirely seriously. There's the name for a start, do you think that Radiohead would have achieved world domination if they'd been called Rubber Clown Car? No neither do I. Then there's the selection of pictures of childish toys on their myspace site, not exactly death metal!

The band themselves describe their music as a mixture of XTC, Bob Mould, The Damned, The Who, and Matthew Sweet or, alternatively, The Beatles on Quaaludes. This is approximately 50% accurate 25% ambition and 25% wishful thinking. But they do have a song called Dear Julia (which it's true does sound like the Beatles on Quaaludes) which shares it's name with my daughter (that is she's called Julia, not Dear Julia which would be almost as stupid as calling a band Rubber Clown Car!!) so they get the Devil's vote.

Go Try

MP3 - Rubber Clown Car - Coward

Go Visit

Rubber Clown Car - Myspace // Website

If you like 50% of these (you'll have to work out which 50%) then you'll love Rubber Clown Car...

MP3 - XTC - Poor Skeleton Steps Out

Buy XTC 'Oranges & Lemons' from Amazon

MP3 - Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us

Buy Bob Mould 'Body of Song' from Amazon

MP3 - The Damned - Love Song

Buy The Damned 'Damned Damned Damned' from Amazon

MP3 - The Who - Who Are You

Buy The Who 'Tommy' from Amazon

MP3 - Matthew Sweet - The Devil With The Green Eyes

Buy Matthew Sweet 'Girlfriend' from Amazon

MP3 - The Beatles - Julia

Buy The Beatles 'The White Album' from Amazon

Tings Can Only Get Better...

Today's "Daily Fix" takes you backstage with the hottest duo du jour from the UK, the Ting Tings.

From the wreckage of their previous four-piece band, the male/female team behind 'Shut Up and Let Me Go,' are bringing their brand of raw energy to the stage, the studio, and even iPod commercials.

"Daily Fix" host Douglas Caballero got an exclusive interview with the pair purveying infectious loops, yelps, drums and distortion.

If you can't catch the duo on their upcoming tour or Lollapalooza, catch them on Current's Daily Fix courtesy of the Devil.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In...

Vincent Black Shadow

Genre: Psychedelic / Garage / Hardcore
From: Baltamont, Maryland, United States

Baltimore's psychedelic noiseniks Vincent Black Shadow (not to be confused with Vancouver's Long Blonde alikes The Vincent Black Shadows) come highly recommended by the great honorary scouser Julian Cope which is a real mark of quality in the Devil's book.

Taking their name from Hunter S Thompson's motorcycle of choice VBS have quickly achieved notoriety after getting kicked out of their own SXSW showcase and being banned in cities across the US. They've also gained a reputation as one of the loudest, hardest, heaviest live bands around. Their new album 'More Deeper' is genuine down deep 'n dirty punk speckled rawk 'n roll as agressive as a half starved pit bull and as heavy as a blue whale on steroids.

As nihilistic as the teenage Sex Pistols as heavy as Motorhead as pure rock n roll as The Stooges and as hardcore as The Blood Brothers, VBS are the genuine article, a real punk rock jigsaw with snot caked metal pieces.

Go Try

MP3 - Vincent Black Shadow - Shamanix
MP3 - Vincent Black Shadow - Wooden Kimono
MP3 - Vincent Black Shadow - Volume One

Go Listen