Dog Days Are Over - Florence & the Machine
Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys
Young Blood - The Naked and Famous
Undertow - Warpaint
Rill Rill - Sleighbells
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Breakneck Speed - Tokyo Police Club
Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
I have Internet!!! Real Internet, and not a connection at a hotel, either. We finally decided to settle down, and ended up choosing London as our home base. It feels right, because even though I wasn’t here long in 2004, it was the first place that really felt like home.
I’m far away from Lucy, but at least Ziggy is close by. Lucy’s been in New York for a while now, and flies over every few months.
I’m really excited to start this next chapter here. I kind of feel like an adult now, or at least a real one. Look at me, being all responsible and doing things like buying furniture and painting walls. I actually decided to get a bedframe for the first time. Anywhere else I’ve lived felt temporary, so I never spent the time or money to decorate it beyond a few posters and a shelf from Ikea, but now… I feel like I’m going to be here for a while. It’s time to nest.
Gray wants to say thank you, by the way, for all the warm comments you’ve left for him. I think he’s too scared to ever get on the Internet or social media himself, but he loves reading the comments over my shoulder, especially when they’re praising his music (you know how artist egos go).
You’ll be seeing some new music from him soon, so get ready, because I can tell you that it’s amazing. My guy is a modern-day Leonard Cohen (which he’ll hate that I’ve written, but it’s true, in my opinion).
The music this year just keeps getting better, and I’m so grateful for our little genre of indie rock and how much it’s growing. I remember the days when it was all underground, just a band you happened to find online or at a show, and now, it’s playing on the radios and burning up the charts. In some ways, it’s weird that it’s all so (relatively) mainstream, but also cool that so many people get to experience it.
I’m going to start with my favourite new artist, London’s own Florence & the Machine. First of all, what a freaking voice. It’s no wonder her debut album is called Lungs. This girl can freaking sing, and this whole dark, witchy vibe she has going on makes her music feel magical.
Dog Days are Over is the breakout for me, with an almost timid intro that builds and builds into a song you just can’t help but dance and clap to.
Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with her drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink
I feel like she wrote this song about me (and hey, maybe she did ;)) I want to be the first one to say it–we’ll be seeing a lot more from this band.
We’ve also got a new single from Arctic Monkeys, which is the lyrically rich Cornerstone. Alex Turner has been channelling his inner poet on this album, and this track feels like a short story wrapped up into a song. (Gray is a bit jealous of how much I love it, I think).
I elongated my lift home
Yeah, I let him go the long way 'round
I smelt your scent on the seatbelt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
Also, I loved the music video. If you haven’t seen it, you have to check it out.
All the way from New Zealand is new band The Naked and Famous, and their track Young Blood is an indie anthem if I’ve ever heard one. It’s full of synth and yeah yeah yeahs and is sure to be all over TV soundtracks soon.
I might get in trouble for this next one, but I’ve had the chance to listen to a demo for an upcoming British band called Warpaint, which might be the best band name ever, and I’m so freaking excited about it. The track Undertow is reminiscent of Nirvana’s Polly, and the layered vocals and dreamy guitar make it a perfect, moody tune. Their album The Fool comes out soon, so make sure you check it out and give this band the success they deserve.
Your brown eyes are my blue skies
They light up the river that the birds fly over
Better not to quench your thirst
Better not to be the first one diving in
Though you caught me and you know why
They breathe in the deepest part of the water
Carrying on this electro-rock vibe is Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells’s Rill Rill. It’s got this noise pop vibe that’s reminiscent of Sonic Youth for the modern day. It’s simple, yet avant garde, and catchy as hell. Lead singer Alexis Krauss was apparently found by Derek E. Miller when he was searching for a vocalist for his new project. Someone told me that she was walking down the street and he picked her out and asked her to be part of the band, but I feel like that one might be just the rumour mill.
We’ve also got (relative) newcomer The Black Keys bursting onto the scene with Tighten Up. This band has been around for a while, but this track is really their commercial breakout, and everyone can see why. The bluesy vocals of Dan Auerbach are really on display with the simplistic musical foundation with the help of producer Danger Mouse.
The music video is making some waves, too.
Out of Canada, I’m hearing a lot of great press about Tokyo Police Club, who hail from just north of Toronto. Their single Breakneck Speed reminds me of a dreamy Pixies mashup. Lead singer Dave Monks has a unique voice that I think will serve this band well as they forge their path. I’m liking what I’m hearing already!
Speaking of Canadian bands, I can’t end this post without talking about Arcade Fire’s latest album, The Suburbs, which is a strong follow-up to Neon Bible. The sound of The Suburbs is a lot more pop-focused, with a heavy synth foundation that’s almost 80s in feel.
The single Ready to Start has a catchy hook that will pull you in from the outset, but you’ll stick around for Sprawl Part II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), which features the vocals of Régine Chassagne.
They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night, the feelings swim to the surface
I relate to this song a lot right now. Gray’s busy working on the new album, and for the first time in my life, I feel kind of unmoored, like I don’t have anything I’m building on my own. Part of starting this new chapter is figuring out exactly what my future looks like, and what I’m going to create.
The cool thing about right now is that I feel like I have every opportunity in front of me, I just need to find that thing that’s unequivocally mine. My raison d’etre, so to speak.
Besides all of you, of course.
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