Music Under Fire

Look out! Its our 'Mix For The Weekend IV', something which we strayed from since the beginning of last year. Our weekend mixes are made for the sole purpose to mix some better known indie groups with some lesser known ones to give a diverse overall mix and help you hear some bands who may not be getting all of the attention they deserve. (We will note that there are one or two songs from previous years on here).

Most notable on the mix below is our most anticipated band of 2009, The Answering Machine, one of our Bands You Must Know whom we've been following since last February. If you dig Toyko Police Club and The Strokes, we feel these Londoners will be the perfect mix for you. Also on our list, Math and Physics Club has a gleeful tune, something more along the lines of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (one of our top albums of 08'. Albert Hammond, Jr's vocals practically sound like Wilco from the beginning but truly break off into his own style.

A song stuck in our heads for weeks was The Black Ghost's RAC remix of "Repetition Kills You". The original version is great too if you prefer to hear Damon Albarn (Gorillaz/Blur). Dappled Cities might be our favorite track on this mix with "Fire Fire Fire". There's also a remix out there of this song.

We dropped Kyte as one of our Songs of the Week two weeks back with "Bridges In The Sky". This version of "Solsbury Hill" is an interesting take from the version we all know and love. Sonic Flyer, another band from London, UK has been working on some great new tunes. And two new bands we've discovered, The Heartless Bastards and Beulah have some great tracks below.

MP3: Albert Hammond, Jr - GfC (buy)
MP3: Cedars - Just Off The Coast (buy)
MP3: Heartless Bastards - The Mountain (buy)
MP3: Lab Partners - Its How You Feel (buy)
MP3: Lily Allen - The Fear (buy)
MP3: Sonic Flyer - Novocaine (buy - UK store link)
MP3: The Answering Machine - Cliffer (buy)
MP3: Black Ghosts - Repetition Kills You (RAC Remix) (buy)
MP3: Electrelane - To The East (buy)
MP3: The Apples In Stereo - Energy (buy)
MP3: Dappled Cities - Fire Fire Fire (buy)
MP3: Prefuse 73 - The Class Of 73 Bells (School of Seven Bells Remix) (buy)
MP3: Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy (buy)
MP3: Kyte - Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel cover) (buy)
MP3: Beulah - Man Like Me (buy)
MP3: Math and Physics Club - Darling, Please Come Home (buy)
MP3: Journey - Any Way You Want It (Telemitry Remix)

This year has been sentimental to look back on, and although we'd love to revel in what we've discovered this year, in the great tradition of music, we must prey on what greatness is to come.

The list below is a compilation of artists we've been following over this past year, have learned to love and feel their next move could be the one that will make the blogosphere go bonkers. Although if there was one group we could really have on this list, The Shout Out Louds, who have been speculated to come out with an album in 2009, they will most likely be a bit longer. There's no doubt in our minds the bands below will be drawing much attention to themselves.

The Answering Machine

This may be the group MUF has been partial to since we named them one of our 'band you must know' back in February. Playing the role of a group in the small clubs of London this past year while inching their way towards , The Answering Machine was signed to Heist or Hit in November recording with Dave Eringa and are all ready to release their first album entitled Another City, Another Sorry. Their first single will be out in Spring 2009.

MP3: The Answering Machine - Lightbulbs (buy UK Link)

If you're a fan of the Strokes or even Tokyo Police Club, these guys have the right mix for you. The Answering Machine has found their niche. If you're looking to see what these guys can do, check out "Lightbulbs", which was finished over a year ago.

Video: The Answering Machine - Lightbulbs


Fair

These guys have been tinkering around for a few months now perfecting their subtle rock style in the studio. Even though their sophomore album is not yet completed, you can catch up with their album The Best Worst-Case Scenario released in 2006. The lead singer has a great voice, the band has a great deal of chemistry, and their music is quite good. You can check updates on their official site or on their MySpace.

From the band:

It's been almost a year since we started. The finish line is closer than before.

Band of Horses

As if everyone doesn't know about BOH already, they're currently on tour, and will be touring through the very end of December playing a New Years Eve show in Atlanta, GA. In the meantime, they've been keeping us updated with lots of photos on their tour blog.

The band announced on October 14th on their MySpace page that they would begin recording a new record. Although they haven't specified that they would finish it in 2009, they already had three months of a jump in 2008. Looking forward to lots of Band of Horses news to come in the coming months...

Wilco



Yes, Wilco is due out for their umpteenth album with Jeff Tweedy at the helm once more. "Impossible Germany" was our highlight of Sky Blue Sky, and the band seems to be carrying more and more momentum year after year. We're giddy just thinking about it.

Apparently this time around, according to Paste, Tweedy "kinda hates" all six albums to date. This is quite typical for our finickey friend whose neural system will not let him sleep over anything less than perfection. Alas, we have great confidence that Wilco can yet again achieve their overachiever status once more in 2009.

MP3: Wilco - Sunny Feeling (buy)
MP3: Wilco - One Wing (buy)

Thus far the band has shown their fans a peek at two of their songs in recent concerts with "One Wing" and "Sunny Feeling".

Vdieo: Wilco - One Wing (Live from Lalapalooza)


Doves

Its been a tough four-year gap for Doves fans as their last album left them lingering for 3 years (will be 4 in 2009). Well, the wait is over and the Doves are back with their fourth album and follow up to their most widely acclaimed album Some Cities. According to Pitchfork, the band has not yet released a title for the album, but their first single will be called "Kingdom of Rust". Sounds tasty, eh?

As of the beginning of December recording has almost been finished, which will lead the way for lots of polishing up and mixing the tracks in the months to come. The band has expressed excitement for other tracks such as "Jetstream", "The Outsiders" and "Winter Hill".

Dirty Projectors

The Dirty Projectors are back with their sixth studio album. We would love to give you a giant breakdown of everything that will be tied into this album, but Stereogum already did that. If you'd like to learn more visit their update on them.

The Strokes

According to their official site, the Strokes posed the question back in June whether they would be getting back together to continue their triumphant tour of the world with more classic Strokes songs you'll be bragging are: "Just too easy to play... why are they so famous"? Although you may admit to not having all the mojo The Strokes have managed to suck the world in with, we can assure you they'll be back at it again in February of 2009 - says bassist Nikolai Fraiture.

In the meantime, be sure to keep your hands clean of any Strokes mp3s floating out there - Sony BMG will be sure to suffocate your blog and maybe eat up a post or two of yours, which we've been hearing about so much lately. So be safe, kids...



Silversun Pickups

These guys may just pop into our #1 excitement slot in terms of upcoming albums. Carnavas, Silversun Pickups' highly touted sophomore released in 2006 and sent forth an army of newborn fans akin to the bands tumultuous rockability, snapping drums and all of the fury held by the genius himself, Brian Aubert.

Silversun Pickups new album, Swoon, does not yet have a release date, but we do know it will be comprised of 17 tracks. Aubert says "some songs are very quiet and delicate, others are just fucking loud".

MP3: Silversun Pickups - Little Lover's So Polite (Grayarea Remix) (buy)

Video: Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye



The Radio Dept



As mentioned in our post in mid November, we said The Radio Dept would be back in 2009 with Clinging To A Scheme. Their original projection of their new album was to be in the Fall/Winter of 2008. Well as of right now, their projection looks to be a bit off and will be in 2009. After their news of a new album following their EP Freddie and The Trojan Horse

Well, this isn't really news, but we get a lot of questions. So... we really don't have a release date for The Radio Dept. album. Sorry! We will however set a release date as soon as they've finished the recordings. And don't worry friends, it's well worth the wait!

While the albums date has passed, the release date will most likely not be pushed back further past 2009. Look for Clinging To A Scheme to drop this next year.

MP3: The Radio Dept - What Will Give? (buy)

The Appleseed Cast

The Appleseed Cast (Christopher Crisci and Aaron Pillar with Nate Whitman and John Momberg) have taken quite a break from their music dating their last full album release back to their 2006 Peregrine. Now back with some enlightening news, the band has not only announced that their new album will be released in January of 2009, but their first single is already on their MySpace page, called "Raise the Sails". As expected, it sounds great.

If you're looking for more Appleseed Cast in the meantime, go to their MySpace and you can purchase a song titled "The New Stage (For So Long)". You won't be dissapointed.

MP3: Appleseed Cast - Raise The Sails (buy)
MP3: Appleseed Cast - On Reflection (buy)

Video: The Appleseed Cast - Steps and Numbers

Shananigans! You can't say there's nothing good to listen to this past month. There was plenty of great music and we'd like to think we found some of the best, especially since we did have an extra day this year. The below list may not be all new music from February, but we've had it on repeat this past month nonetheless. Please, if there's a group you think we may have missed or need to check out, let us know. Here's our 'Best of February' list, enjoy!

Director - Leave It To Me (buy)
El Ten Eleven - Living On Credit Blues (buy)
Bell X1 - Bad Skin Day (buy)
The Reign of Kindo - Do You Realize (cover) (buy)
The Cribs - Don't You Want To Be Relevant? (buy)
Fields - Charming The Flames (buy)
LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum (buy)
Idiot Pilot - Last Chance (buy)
Pela - Song Writes Itself (buy)
The Answering Machine - Lightbulbs (buy)
Chris Walla - Geometry & C (buy)
Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (buy)
The Twilight Sad - And She Would Darken The Memory (buy)
Electric President - Ten Thousand Lines (buy)
Your Vegas - Troubled Times (buy)
The Bell - On and On (buy)
Fields - If You Fail, We All Fail (buy)
This Will Destroy You - Threads (buy)
Air Traffic - Come On (buy)
Bell X1 - Rocky Took A Lover (acoustic) (buy)

Well my wish has come true that The Answering Machine will now be working on an album to come out this summer! If you read my post not only a week ago, you can see what the band has been up to. Just to add to the likeability of these guys, they have a video (below) to the tune of Explosions In The Sky's "Look Into The Air", which just so happens to be in my top ten songs by them. While we're at it, lets look at my 'Best of Explosions In The Sky' list:

You can still download The Rescue from Explosions In The Sky's official website here. The Rescue was released in 2005.

If there's one band I could tell you that you absolutely need to keep your eye on right now, its The Answering Machine. The band from Manchester, UK is comprised of Martin (lead vocals/guitar), Patrick (lead guitar), Gemma (bass) and Ben (drums). They pride themselves on poppy UK rock with influences from The Strokes ,The Radio Dept., Shout Out Louds, The Brilliant Corners, and The Streets. And best yet, nobody knows about them... yet.

Previously a three-piece band, the group's focal point was once a laughable drummer, a drumkit named 'Mustafa Beat'. Mustafa was "by far the most popular member of our band." As told in an interview by Manchester News, "We've had quite a few offers from real, human drummers to play with us. We always turn them down. No one can replace Mustafa." To push things even further, 'Mustafa Beat' has its own myspace page, which the band seems to divert all of the attention from themselves to their trusty drum machine. Shall we call this humility?

That's what these guys are at the moment anyway. Modest. With very little material out, the band released their last single "Lightbulbs" (video below) back in late 2007. Their single before that was "Silent Hotels" released last May. But although their only substantial release is the two-song "Lightbulbs EP", which was released on November 5th by Regal Recordings, the band is showing much promise for more great pop rock to come. Oh, and "Lightbulbs" has also been remixed by James Yuill.

MP3: The Answering Machine - Lightbulbs (James Yuill Remix)

To listen to more of The Answering Machine's songs, go to their MySpace page.

Says the band about signing to a big record company:

"We won't need it! Our first single is just the demo recording we did in Pat's bedroom in Withington. People have told us, `Oh, you should get a big producer in and make your recordings more polished', but we'd hate that. We'd love to make a whole album in Pat's bedroom if possible. The record company can just pay for a few beers." (Manchester News)