February 2012
13 posts
WatchA mix of some of my favourite ever bands. Enjoy!
1 tag
2012 Albums: Pulled Apart By Horses- Tough Love
You pretty much know where you stand with Pulled Apart By Horses. Loud, fast, heavy rock dipped in lots of fun. Consequently, much like their self-titled debut, there isn’t a lot of variation on Tough Love as all of the songs have these qualities (and some ace riffs too) and barely pass the 3 minute mark. It’s not a bad thing by any means, it just gets a little tiring after a while....
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2012 EP's- British Theatre- EP
This is fucking brilliant. A year after my favourite band split up, legends Mike Vennart and Gambler have finally released the first 3 tracks of their much anticipated British Theatre collaboration. It’s 3 electronic infused tracks focused on slow keys and hazy textures, combined with Mike’s twisted vocals and minimal guitar work. There’s quite a heavy Nine Inch Nails influence...
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2012 Albums: Cloud Nothings- Attack On Memory
Cloud Nothings make retro lo-fi indie rock that would’ve sat very comfortable amongst the likes of Pavement and Archers of Loaf in the 90’s. It’d be very easy to dismiss them if they didn’t write such good songs. From the tense and paranoid opening of ‘No Future/No Past’ to the final fade out of ‘Cut You’, Attack On Memory is pretty much excellent....
Anonymous asked: best friend
Reblog if you want anonymous opinions about you. →
This could be interesting. Let’s turn on anonymous questions again for a bit.
1 tag
2012 Albums: Sleigh Bells- Reign of Terror
If you’re expecting something big, bold and new from Sleigh Bells second album you’ll probably going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for more heavily distorted pop songs that you can dance around to featuring Alexis Krauss’ almost angelic voice you almost certainly will. Reign of Terror isn’t a million miles from Sleigh Bells debut album Treats (it mostly...
1 tag
2012 Albums: Lana Del Rey- Born To Die
You probably have had the backstory of Lana Del Rey crammed forcefully down your throat from most media outlets, so lets focus on her mediocre album instead. Essentially most of the songs boil down to overly dramatic strings dominating drum beats and loops with occasional other instrumentation hidden in the mix. As most songs seem to follow this pattern there’s little room for variation...
WatchA special Valentines edition of the Halfway Home. Enjoy!
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2012 Albums: of Montreal- Paralytic Stalks
I’m very confused having listened to of Montreal’s 11th studio album. On most his albums of late Kevin Barnes has been dipping in and out of the madder part of his imagination, but on Paralytic Stalks he seems to dive in and stay there for the full 54 minutes. Whilst ostensibly an indie pop album, of Montreal as ever seem to throw in as many styles as possible into the album....
WatchA new mix for your all. Have fun!
1 tag
2012 Albums: The Twilight Sad- No One Can Ever...
The Twilight Sad are usually more well known for ear-piecingly loud shoegaze, with layers of guitars and keyboards underpinned by James Graham’s deep lyrics. On their third album however they take a drastic shift in direction. The keyboards and synth come much more to the fore and Andy Macfarlanes guitar, whilst still very noisy, is left at the back of the mix. With the bass heavier than...
January 2012
10 posts
1 tag
2012 Albums: Islet- Illuminated People
Having been completely blown away by their powerful performance at Constellations Festival in November, I’ve very much been anticipated Islet’s debut full length album with glee. Fortunately, it’s worth the wait. Islet are a bit of an experimental band, with songs shifting dynamics without warning at any given second and it certainly makes the album very intriguing. From the...
2012 Albums: The Big Pink- Future This
I saw the big pink supporting TV On The Radio way back in 2008 and I was immediately captivated by their hazy electronic sound. 3 and a bit years and one excellent debut album later, they’re onto their second album and I’m sad to say I’m a little disappointed by it. The band has shifted towards a more sleek and poppy sound for the album, which is by no means a bad thing, but...
WatchI just uploaded “The Halfway Home 14/01/12” to www.mixcloud.com - listen now!
Album's I'm looking forward to in 2012 (if they...
Well, I think I pretty much succeeded at my personal challenge to listen to more albums and get back into music again (even though I broke all the rules I set myself), so I think I might as well carry on this year. So as it’s the first week of January, here’s a list of albums which are coming out this year that I’m looking forward to:
The Big Pink- Future This Cloud Nothings-...
actsofwhimsy asked: I bet you're a closet Britney fan James, so Britney
carriebrownsteinsfringe asked: Joy Division
PUT A SINGER/BAND IN MY ASK AND I WILL TELL YOU...
jamesthegill:
messyveeevseverything:
chooseyrside:
icantbetamedcyrus:
Favourite song
Least favourite song
Favourite album
Ever seen them live?
Am I a fan?
do ittttttt
fun stuff, let’s give it a try
Do this, I’m bored.
Let’s give this a go.
WatchI just uploaded “The Halfway Home Rest of 2011” to www.mixcloud.com - listen now!
December 2011
21 posts
2011 Gig Survey
2011 Show survey
Top 5 shows of the year?
Chokebore @ La Machine du Moulin Rouge, Paris
Suede performing “Suede” and “Dogman Star” @ Brixton Academy
The Flaming Lips Performing “The Soft Bulletin” @ Alexandria Palace
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead @ Leeds Cockpit
U2 @ Glastonbury
Total number of shows? 77 gigs + 5 Festivals
First show of...
carriebrownsteinsfringe asked: Merry Christmas!
James Ether's Gigs of the Year, July to December
Let’s get onto my second half of the year with my favourite gigs:
July:
The Flaming Lips Performing “The Soft Bulletin” / Dinosaur Jr. performing “Bug” / Deerhoof performing “Milk Man” @ Alexandria Palace, London This was an incredible night. Three awesome bands performing their most well regarded albums and a crowd who loved every second. Deerhoof and...
James Ether's Gigs of the Year, January to June
So I’ve had a thought about this, but I decided it’d be useless trying to rank the gigs I’ve been to this year, seeing as I can barely remember what I did last night let alone 12 months ago. So instead, I’m going to go by month and then pick out a selection of memorable gigs, with a small blurb and maybe a picture. Let’s start with the first 6 months:
January:
The...
WatchHere’s the best of 2011 mix that I promised. Enjoy!
James Ether's Album of the Year
Well here we are. A week of gradual blogs has led to this exciting moment. But before you quake in your boots at the almighty choice I’ve made, a quick reminded of my top 20:
20. Zola Jesus- Conatus 19. I Break Horses- Hearts 18. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart- Belong 17. Elbow- Build A Rocket Boys! 16. Wild Beasts- Smother 15. M83- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming 14. PJ Harvey- Let...
James Ether's Album's of the Year #5-2
Nearly at number 1, but first the final few steps before the summit:
5. We Were Promised Jetpacks- In The Pit Of The Stomach
A phenomenally good album. Whilst still an indie rock album at its heart, there’s a increase in post-rock influences resulting in a few more lengthy, experimental tracks like Act On Impulse and Pear Tree. There’s a bigger more epic sound, but it still sounds...
James Ether's Albums of the Year #10-6
Moving swiftly onto the third part:
10. The Airborne Toxic Event- All At Once
All At Once is a massive improvement on TATE’s debut album. It’s has more ideas, features darker, more contemplative lyrics, and is more mature in every way. It’s an indie rock album with more heart and soul than some bands can fit into their entire careers. If the acoustic closer of The Graveyard...
James Ether's Albums of the Year #15-11
Let’s finally get part 2 down.
15. M83- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
This is possibly the most epic album ever. From the soaring opening of Intro, Anthony Gonzalez never lets up with huge sounds, from pop songs to the gentle ambient tracks. It’s quite dense being a 22-track double album but it’s never boring and is pure fun.
14. PJ Harvey- Let England Shake
This really...
James Ether's Albums of the Year #20-16
Here we go. The most important and revered (by me) end of year list. Let’s have 5 for now, 5 tomorrow, another 5 Wednesday and then spread the top 5 shall we? Ok then:
20. Zola Jesus- Conatus
Gothic pop has never sounded better than from Zola Jesus. Conatus has a host of incredible songs, which are dark, catchy and powered by Zola’s incredible voice. From the atmospheric Vessel to...
James Ether's EP's of the Year #5-1
As promised, here’s my rundown of my favourite EP’s released this year
5. Bright Eyes- Live Recordings
They didn’t get onto my albums list, but this 6 track EP of live tracks is absolutely brilliant. It has 3 of the strongest tracks from The People’s Key which sound much more expansive live, whilst 3 fan favourites from previous albums are performed with gusto. It shows...
James Ether's Best of Year Prelude
Like many music lovers in the world, I’ve compiled a list of albums which I think have been my favourites of the year. I found my music mojo again in 2011 after it seemed to decide to elope for fair portions of 2010, and doing this blog has been a major reason for that I feel. I’ve listened to 79 albums and 14 EP’s and the vast majority have been incredibly good, with only a few...
2011 Albums: Milagres- Glowing Mouth
I can find very little information about Milagres online, but I think this is their second album, and it’s not too shabby at all. It’s a strange brand of indie that’s soft with a very organic and rustic sound, with guitars and pianos swirling around each other, never quite making a wall of sound. the first half of the album is pretty much superb, with great vocals and...
1 tag
2011 Albums: Twin Sister- In Heaven
I’ve been meaning to listen to Twin Sister’s debut proper for sometime, and I nearly did about a month ago (and would’ve if I hadn’t fallen asleep. The perils of trying to listen to music at 1am). Anyway, In Heaven is a pretty gorgeous indie pop album. There’s a an odd mix of catchy, almost Cure-esque, guitar lines mix with a more hazey sound with trippy drumming....
Ask me my 'top 5' anything →
byronmckoy:
Johnny Foreigner - Sometimes, in the...
1 tag
2011 Albums: Japanese Voyeurs- Yolk
I’d usually put the album cover here but it slightly unsettles me so I’d rather I didn’t.
I first heard of Japanese Voyeurs when they surprisingly supported Johnny Foreigner in 2009. Surprising because they’re a metal band supporting a DIY indie band. Anyway, Their debut album Yolk was released in the summer and it’s pretty good actually. It doesn’t massively...
Anonymous asked: janet, laura, sean, juan
November 2011
17 posts
jamesthegill asked: It might be tricky leaving you an anonymous comment, as you don't have anon comments turned on :P
I will write about the following, anonymously...
messyveeevseverything:
rescuemeatsix:
Dear ex, Dear girl I hate, Dear boy I like, Dear ex bestfriend, Dear bestfriend, Dear mom, Dear dad, Dear Santa, Dear future me, Dear person I have a crush on.
c’mon, that’d be fun. (I guess)
Joining in cos I’m bored.
1 tag
2011 Albums: Little Dragon- Ritual Union
I heard of Little Dragon off the back of their lead singer Yukimi Nagano joining Gorillaz onstage at Glastonbury 2010. So it’s only taken me 18 months to actually check out their music. Ritual Union is quite a nice place to start though, showcasing the bands electronic pop sound in all its forms. There’s the bouncy pop songs to the more slower more experimental tracks, but all of...
1 tag
2011 Albums: Cold War Kids- Mine Is Yours
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this album. Having thought their debut was ok and their second album awful, I gave Cold War Kids third album the benfit of the doubt and gave it a listen, with low expectations. What I found was an album that was more focused and more confident than anything they’d done before. After the ramshackle indie of their debut and the stark lo-fi minimalism...
1 tag
2011 Albums: Florence And the Machine- Ceremonials
Despite being very excited for its release, Florence and The Machines debut album Lungs didn’t set my world apart. Despite having quite a range, it felt only half completed and had a slightly wrong song selection from their catalogue at the time. Their follow up Ceremonials was mooted to be more cohesive as it was recorded in one session (unlike lungs which was spread across several)....