I've been away from my laptop for the past month back in Melbourne, hence the overly lengthy break in posts. However, whilst I've been away in Australia I've come across and been introuced to quite a few new discoveries that I'm stoked to bring over to the UK with me. There's so much quality new talent coming from Australia, and this is just the tiniest snippet of what I found out about there.

CLOWNS
Luckily for me whilst I was in Melbourne, Foo Fighters were on tour. If you've been following this blog for any amounth of time you're probably aware of my love for Foo Fighters and so obviously there was no wat I was going to pass up seeing them; which brings us to Clowns. Hailing from Melbourne themselves they brought this "take notice" attitude to stage and backed it up with some serious, serious tunes. The lead singer's stage presence was electric and to be able to shine through on a bill supporting both Weezer and Foo Fighters, you've got to be doing something right.


SAMPOLOGY 
A friend of mine told me about a DJ set that was happening at Melbourne Museum and even before I'd even heard about the DJs playing I was onboard. After having a look at the bill and having a listen to Sampology's tracks on Spotify I was even more excited about the show. His beats reminded me of so many different things I've been vibing with these past couple of years (mt. Marcy and Kaytranada to name a couple), and they translated 10 times better live.

 


TOTAL GIOVANNI 
Next up on the very same bill for that show was Total Giovanni. My friend let me know that they were a pretty big deal and so I had to really do my research with this one. They took a little bit longer for me to get into if I'm honest. Their beats had a nostalgia attached to them that I couldn't quite get my head around at first, but nonetheless I could never get past a funky beat, and they do funky well.




MALLRAT 
Towards the end of my trip I went to St Kilda Festival to check out some of Australia's upcoming and established talent. Unfortunately (as is alway the case with festivals), I didn't get to make it to all the sets I was hoping to, however a friend of mine strongly recommended checking out Mallrat. I didn't get to see the set but I definitely did my research and loved what I heard. Next time, I see her name on a line up, I know who I'm choosing to see.




HELLIONS
After doing a little bit of browsing at 24hundred, I'd seen a few bands' names pop up a fair amount - Tonight Alive (whom we know and love), Violent Soho, and of course, Hellions. I made a mental note of the names I hadn't listened to before and vowed to check them out. Before I could even think twice about it, I'd struck up a conversation with somebody who turned out to be a pretty big Hellions fan. After listening through some of their material it brought back those ADTR, Dangerkids-esque riffs I haven't heard in so long and refreshed it for me. Definitely want to see these guys live as soon as possible.

As much as I like this band, I never thought that one of their albums would make it onto my favourite albums list! Especially not above Foo Fighters. Some of their songs are actually some of my favourite songs ever but I've never listened to a full record of theirs as much as I did this one.

My sixth favourite album of the year is .5: The Gray Chapter by Slipknot. After I heard the first single from this record "The Devil In I", I was psyched. Such a brilliant song. Perfect way to introduce a new album in my opinion. Initially, I thought the video was a bit too much/over the top. However, when I found out what it was actually about, I thought that it was genius! Slipknot as a collective just continue to impress me. This being their first album in six years, first album since their drummer Joey left and first album since Paul's death - I had pretty high expectations for it (which they fulfilled). The perfect way to honour their late bassist Paul Gray.

It's not often that an album released so late on in the year (the 20th of October) makes it onto this list, literally just because there isn't normally enough time for me to overplay and analyse it the way that I can with the earlier albums. However, with Slipknot's album, I didn't even listen to it in full until November but after first listen I already knew that I'd have to say something about it for sure. My first favourite songs were "AOV" and "Skeptic". It just has so many levels to it and as the record went on, I realised that it did too. "The One That Kills The Least" and "If Rain Is What You Want" bringing a slightly softer element to the supercharged, metal record. My only criticism would be that, being a 16 track record, it does begin to drag a little bit towards the end. However, individually, each song is quality.

This album was such a hit for Slipknot that I don't think I'd feel too upset if it was their last. I mean, what an awesome note to end on! Real icons and outstanding musicians. Corey Taylor is always surprises me and particularly lyrically, he is just brilliant. Great album.

Starting off this week's proceedings is probably the most surprisingly controversial album on the list...

My seventh favourite album of 2014 is Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters. I really went back on forth about whether to even include this or not. To be honest, even as I'm writing this I'm still not 100% sure whether it should take the spot but let's lay out the pros first...

Musically this album definitely left me wanting at points, but to me, this is one of the most important records of 2014. When I saw the trailer for the series that they wanted to attach to this album, immediately I was buzzing. To record 8 songs in 8 different cities across the USA, whilst conducting 100s of interviews and featuring several artists on tracks, to then release a record and a TV series along side each other?! What a huge, huge task! Foo Fighters managed to execute it pretty damn well.

In my opinion, it is absolutely imperative for musicians to be aware of musical influences and genres besides their own. This record is not only aware of them, but somehow includes them each in the record whilst still maintaining rock genre status. Watching the series, I don't remember the last time I was that inspired by something. If one of these episodes doesn't make you want to join a band or be involved in music, I don't know what will! Seeing people make it musically with almost no experience or even no real instruments, whilst we're sitting here in the 21st Century with all these resources and connections easily available to us.... We should be some of the best artists the world will ever see! I don't know, because of this project I am just full to the brim with ideas, and I don't even know where to start. It's like I always say, a great record will make you feel/do something, and if I'm going by that, then this is a pretty great record!

One of my favourite tracks on the album (and in 2014) is "Something From Nothing". So musically diverse and that breakdown transition (you know the one)! Genius! "Feast And The Famine", "In The Clear" and "Outside" are my other favourites on the album. Definitely not the best album of the year or even the best Foo Fighters album, but it's timeless in my eyes and I'm looking forward to hearing it played live at Wembley Stadium next year!

So we've pretty much reached the mid point of November and people are starting to think about Christmas presents and all sorts. Lucky that we have so much new music being released this month, it'd be impossible not to find a present for someone amongst all the releases!




HOOKWORMS - THE HUM
Their debut record Pearl Mystic was really interesting. I remember listening to it last year and thinking that they sounded like nothing else I'd really heard before. This is how I felt with Alt-J's debut but their sophomore couldn't match up. Now let's see if Hookworms are up to task on the 10th of November.






FOO FIGHTERS - SONIC HIGHWAYS
FINALLY! The album is finally here and I can stop writing and blabbering on about it for a while. One last time though - I don't think that this is Foo's best album but I love the idea behind the writing. Always thinking of unique and inspiring ways to produce music! Get your hands on it on the 10th of November and check out the TV docu-series too.







CHERYL - ONLY HUMAN
Well Cheryl is officially back then. I didn't think she'd actually put out anymore music after her big hit "Call My Name" but here we are. I didn't really like the first single from this album - "Crazy Stupid Love" but I think that I can still be swayed. This hits the shelves on the 10th of November.

 




JON HOPKINS - ASLEEP VERSIONS
To be honest, I don't think that I've heard any of Jon Hopkins solo material before but I see his name around A LOT. I can't believe that it's taken me this long to get round to it but it might finally be time for me to check him out. Albums hits shelves on the 10th of November.







TEMPLES - SUN RESTRUCTURED
Well Temples are releasing this album of remixes from their debut record Sun Structures. If it's anywhere near as good as Django Django's version of theirs, this might be a good shout. Their debut wasn't half bad so it'd be interesting to hear it remixed. Have a listen on the 10th of November.







PARQUET COURTS - CONTENT NAUSEA
The Brooklyn rockers are back after their critically acclaimed Tally All The Things That You Broke EP last year. Again they've released it under the pseudonym "Parkay Quarts" and again it's sounding good. I like "Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth" taken from it, will definitely give it a gander on the 11th of November.






CULT OF YOUTH - FINAL DAYS
I actually found out about this band on soundcloud because of free downloads of their songs "Man And Man's Ruin" and "Lace Up Your Boots". I really liked "Man And Man's Ruin", listened to it for a while and then pretty much forgot all about them. Would be nice to revisit them as a band with this new album out on the 11th of November.

I don't think I've ever done so many "Music News" posts in the space of two months before, this year is insanely music busy.Check out some things you might have missed these past few days...

BILLY TALENT NEW MUSIC VIDEO "KINGDOM OF ZOD"
Well I knew that Billy Talent were releasing a new album called Hits but I stupidly just assumed it would be a compilation album of their greatest hits. I was wrong. This track is a banger! I am buzzing to hear the other new track "Chasing The Sun" on this album. Have a listen to "Kingdom Of Zod" here.


ALT-J NEW MUSIC VIDEO "LEFT HAND FREE"
Honestly, I was disappointed with Alt-J's sophomore album and thought it was a little bit boring but this was one of my favourites in the end. As always, Alt-J have a cool video to match the single that you just know you'll be seeing and hearing for a while to come. Have a watch here.


ROYAL BLOOD COVER PHARRELL'S "HAPPY"
When I saw this pop up on my Facebook news feed I was a bit shocked if I'm honest. This is probably the last song I would've imagined them covering but in keeping with Royal Blood style, they smash it. They really make the song sound like they wrote it - here.


SAM SMITH NEW SINGLE "LIKE I CAN"
After his ridiculously huge debut record In The Lonely Hour Sam is still going. Another fabulously sung single by himself here and all these tour dates he's been doing - the world won't be forgetting about Sam Smith any time soon.


AZEALIA BANKS NEW SINGLE "CHASING TIME"
Speaking of debut records, Azealia Banks has just announced the release of hers - Broke With Expensive Taste and here is an upcoming single from it. It's safe to say that I've missed having Azealia's music in my life. This sounds very UK, but it's definitely a radio hit.


FOO FIGHTERS STREAM ENTIRE SONIC HIGHWAYS ALBUM
The build up to Foo Fighters' eighth album Sonic Highways has been thoroughly entertaining to say the least but the time is finally here! Stream the full album here. I had a listen to it earlier and already love "Outside" and "In The Clear". Great album in my opinion.


NICKI MINAJ LYRIC VIDEO "ONLY"
I've been hearing a lot about this single recently and finally decided to check it out and see what all the commotion was about. Still don't understand all of the chatter but I like the single anyway. Packed with bass and rhymes. Listen to Nicki Minaj's single featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown here.


BAD SIGN NEW LYRIC VIDEO "FATHER"
After seeing them support Arcane Roots last week (review to come soon), I've been keeping an eye out for news about Bad Sign's debut EP and anything to do with more shows. Earlier this week, they released this sweet new single here.


LITTLE DRAGON NEW MUSIC VIDEO "UNDERBART"
A band that I've actually had an eye for ages now, always giving me something new and interesting to enjoy. I really liked this album - Nabuma Rubberband - and Little Dragon released all of the singles that I wanted them to, this being one of them. Have a listen here.


KENDRICK LAMAR NEW MUSIC VIDEO "i"
Apparently a lot of people aren't pleased with this new video/single but I can't see why. Kendrick will always be a great rapper in my opinion. This song still shows that and as far as the video goes, I'd say it's pretty damn cool. Check it out here.


JAWS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "SWIM"
Brummy boys JAWS have released the music video to their latest single "Swim" for the debut record Be Slowly. The lads are a huge sensation here in Birmingham and it's definitely understandable. This is a cool song and the video is okay too! See for yourself here.


TRAMPOLENE NEW SINGLE "NEWCASTLE BROWN LOVE SONG"
I haven't heard much from these boys in terms of digital music since their single "You Do Nothing For Me" and so it's good to hear something new from them amidst their few London gig appearances. Especially when they're giving you their music for free here. Still waiting for a debut record though.

Every time I write that blog title, I'm happier than the last. I think I could get used to new Foo Fighters music every Friday! Foo Fighters are releasing a new single every week alongside their new eight part TV series Sonic Highways (which premieres in the UK on Channel 4 this Sunday). Last week it was the absolute corker of an opening track - "Something From Nothing", and now this...

FOO FIGHTERS - The Feast And The Famine

The music world is blowing up this month! I thought September was the month to beat but October isn't going without a fight. New bands, new albums, new singles, new EVERYTHING coming out left, right and centre.

FKA TWIGS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "#THROUGHGLASS"
2014's topic of conversation. As much buzz as Royal Blood have created this year, I think FKA Twigs has actually managed to match that. It's like as soon as I learnt her name, so did the rest of the world. This self-directed video (here) is art. Fantastically directed, super interesting and such a fresh idea! This is what I love FKA for, BUT I think that it overshadowed the song in quality and took focus away from it too.


CLEAN BANDIT & JESS GLYNNE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "REAL LOVE"
How could we go wrong with another Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne collabo? The answer is, we couldn't. A match made in heaven right now. Doubt it'll be as big a hit as "Rather Be" but it's a banger nonetheless. Jess Glynne's voice is just fabulous anyway and I love the slight 'old school' vibe there is about it. Check out the cool new video here.


FOO FIGHTERS NEW LYRIC VIDEO "SOMETHING FROM NOTHING"
If you haven't already heard the single, I wrote about it here a few days ago. However, now it has a killer new lyric video to go with it and I didn't think it would have much an impact but I think it actually made me like this song even more! I am literally buzzing for the new Foo Fighters record. Learn the lyrics before the rest of the album drops here.



SAINT RAYMOND NEW LYRIC VIDEO "FALL AT YOUR FEET"
Still waiting for an album! I know that when we eventually get a debut record it will be fabulous but until then, this awesome single and the few great EPs already available will have to do! I really love this song. I feel like Saint Raymond's debut might sound like what I originally wanted Ed Sheeran's debut to sound like. Watch the lyric video here.


CHANCE THE RAPPER NEW SINGLE "NO BETTER BLUES"
After watching Chance at Glastonbury here, I've been keeping an eye out for him since. He's releasing a collaborative album before the end of the year with The Social Experiment entitled Surf. This new single is actually taken from that record and if it's anything to go by, I don't know how I'll feel about the rest of the album - not sure what I even think of the song yet! Have a listen here.


GENGAHR NEW SINGLE "BATHED IN LIGHT"
I keep forgetting how I ever got into Gengahr, but regardless, I'm glad I did. This is an interesting track. Sounds a bit Tame Impala-esque at times and if I'm honest I was waiting for a bigger development/change towards the end but it's a solid song no doubt. Check out the new single here.


DARLIA NEW MUSIC VIDEO "STARS ARE ALIGNED"
When I started listening to Darlia, around "Napalm" and "Queen Of Hearts" times here, they were a lot more of a Grunge band. Now they seem very Pop Rock. Not sure if I'm complaining though because I love the instrumental on this song here. The video isn't great. I'm not sure where I stand with this band to be honest, I'll just have to wait for an album or a live performance.


PISSED JEANS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BORING GIRLS"
An old song with a new video - I like. However, video is super random. Song is super random. But the reason I was ever interested in this song was because there's only one chord throughout. I don't think it's something that I'll ever really get into but I admire Pissed Jeans for what they've done. Have a listen and a watch here.


BRING ME THE HORIZON NEW SINGLE "DROWN"
I LOVE this song. There was a lot of expected controversy as this song sounds 'lighter' than most of the songs on their most recent record Sempiternal but despite the slight change, they still kill it in my opinion. It's still the same Bring Me The Horizon, people need to calm down. Nobody freaked out when D.R.U.G.S. put out "I'm Here To Take The Sky". In my opinion, old bmth fans should embrace this new single here.


ENTER SHIKARI NEW SINGLE "THE LAST GARRISON"
I feel like Enter Shikari should've stopped after "Paddington Frisk". I really hate this song. It sounds like CHVRCHES tried and failed to remix this song. Sadly, they did this to themselves. I'm actually upset that they chose to release a new album - The Mindsweep but who knows, their first three albums still give me a little bit of faith that they might just surprise me. Here's the new single.


GWEN STEFANI NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BABY DON'T LIE"
I forget that Gwen Stefani makes pop music when she's solo, but I really like this song. If I'm honest, I could really imagine Nicole Scherzinger singing it instead or at least her collaborating. However, this is still a very catchy pop song and a big radio hit. In regards to the video, it's great to have the harajuku girls back on my screen. Watch it all here.

ALL RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSEEEEEEEE!!! Foo Fighters are most certainly back with a bang! I definitely think that this is the most excited that I've been for an album all year! Here's the first single from their upcoming eighth album - Sonic Highways.

FOO FIGHTERS - Something From Nothing

There have been so many new singles dropped these past couple of weeks. I have been a little AWOL as I was caught up in the huge Foo Fighters secret UK set drama. I've already mentioned some new songs in other posts or on the blog's Twitter account here but for those that might not have had a mention yet, here...

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS - Emily
So it's reached that point with LTA now. The point where you've had enough of the singles - JUST GIVE US THE ALBUM ALREADY! As it stands, in my opinion, none of the singles that they've released since "Here We Go" have been as good yet, but I just know that when they come together as an album I'll love it. So, after this alright and catchy single, the next thing I want to hear is the full record.


JAMIE T - 40/40 ICU
Jamie T may have changed his style a little but he still has the same Jamie T sound. Between this single and "Zombie", I know that his album out this month will leave a big impression on 2014. Looking forward to his tour in November!


THE NIGHT VI - Drops (Jungle Cover)
Ever since writing about them as a new discovery here I've been liking them more and more. Now the fact that they've covered a Jungle song has just added to that. Great cover too - a little London Grammar-ish. Looking forward to an album by them.



SPRING OFFENSIVE - Cut The Root
Another band that I've continued to like since their new discovery post here. This isn't their best song in my opinion but it's still great. I would love to see them live. They would really put on a good show. I also would really like to hear this properly recorded.


PRINZE GEORGE - Don't Speak To Me
I feel like Prinze George are a little hit and miss from time to time so I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to get from this song, but I actually really like it. Super laid back vibe and I love the vocals on it too. Yet again, new discoveries here, there and everywhere.



KELE OKEREKE - Doubt
YAY! I wasn't actually sure if Bloc Party would be putting out any new music again and so when I found out that Kele was going to drop a solo album, I was excited to say the least. This song has affirmed my excitement. Not anything like Bloc Party, but still great.


MARY J. BLIGE - Right Now (prod by. Disclosure)
We've already seen what Disclosure can do when on a team with Mary J. Blige so now they're back at it again giving us more club bangers before Mary releases her upcoming record (actually recorded entirely in the UK) The London Sessions.


FALL OUT BOY - Centuries
Okay so I was really disappointed by their last album here, but I don't think it was bad enough for me to lose respect for them as a band. Although, I am a little skeptical about what's next to come. I actually quite like the sound of this song though, so right now, any future album that they release could really go either way for me...


TINY MOVING PARTS - Always Focused
After discovering them on soundcloud I was super anxious to hear an album by them just so I could have more than one track to distinguish the sound of the band and now they have Pleasant Living. They sound a little Blink 182, I'm still not 100% sure about them. A bit of an odd video/song but I actually like it.


MALLORY KNOX - Shout At The Moon
This should be a standout album in October for sure.  All of the singles they've released from it to date have been great, and as a whole body of work, I can only imagine great things. Right now it seems a little more tame than Signals but I'll have to see next month...


SBTRKT - Higher (feat. Raury)
Another huge album, out later this month. It sounds like it's going to have so many different levels and elements too it. As with any album, each feature artist should bring something new to the table but not only that, SBTRKT has brought something new to the table for each artist. I am stoked.


KWABS - Walk
SO MANY UPCOMING ARTISTS!I did used to get Kwabs confused with Kwes quite a bit but now that Kwabs has really managed to distinguish himself as a new different artist and it's nice to see him grow into his own.


JULIAN CASABLANCAS + THE VOIDZ - Where No Eagles Fly
I still am rooting for new Strokes music always but until that day comes, a little Julian Casablancas can never go amiss. I love this video, the song is a bit flat at times but it's not bad. As my first actual sample of Julian + The Voidz, I'd give it a 6/10.


CALVIN HARRIS - Blame (feat. John Newman)
One of the most consistent pop producers out there right now! He came up with David Guetta pretty much and as much as I love to hate Guetta, he is great at what he does but so is Calvin! Liked his last album and I really like this track...

Now that we've just entered the month of June, I thought that it would be appropriate to catch up on all of the music news that we may have missed in the past few days leading up to this month...

DIAMOND YOUTH RELEASE NEW EP "UK OK"
Diamond Youth, whom I wrote about as a new discovery here almost two years ago, have been wanting to cross the pond and come over to the UK for a long time now. It would seem that they finally have the chance as they are set to support Citizen on tour here in the coming months. However, they have to buy their own tickets. So they've released this EP available for a short amount of time to try and raise money towards it. Help them out and buy it for $4 here.


FOO FIGHTERS ANNOUNCE HBO SERIES "SONIC HIGHWAYS"
It's no secret that Foo Fighters are releasing their eight album this year (in November) but now we find out that they're also releasing a HBO documentary series detailing the recording process - as they recorded a song in eight different cities across America. This has never before been done as far as I know, and to have it done by one of my favourite bands ever makes me even more excited for it. Watch the trailer here.


CARIBOU NEW SINGLE "CAN'T DO WITHOUT YOU"
In fairness, I haven't heard much from Caribou since their album - Swim - and so it is very refreshing to hear this new track from them, and just in time for summer too! It's got such a nice light hearted vibe. I'm really looking forward to the new record Our Love out on the 6th of October. Until that release date, here's the latest track.


MALLORY KNOX NEW SINGLE "QODII"
I'd been hearing about Mallory Knox working on their sophomore album a little bit this year but I had no idea that they were already ready to release new singles from it, and ones as good as this at that! I was a little bit unsure about it at first but after a couple of listens, I definitely like it - am looking forward to listening to the entire album soon. Check out the single here.


WAYWARD DAUGHTER NEW MERCH LAUNCH
All you Wayward fans are definitely going to want to get your hands on the new Wayward Daughter merch. It's all pretty minimalist but stylish at the same time. I'm personally most excited about the custom plectrums, however the new "My Bones Are Like Feathers" tee is very nice too. Give it all a look, and maybe even make a purchase here.


DARLIA NEW MUSIC VIDEO "DEAR DIARY"
Since Darlia's last single "Candyman", I've been really excited to hear new stuff from them, and now I have both a song and a video to sample?! Yes. I absolutely love this song and I'm expecting exciting things from their debut album, they're a very interesting new band right now. Hopefully I'll catch them at a festival this summer but until then, here's their new video.


BIPOLAR SUNSHINE NEW VIDEO "DECKCHAIRS ON THE MOON"
After seeing Bipolar Sunshine live a couple of months ago here, I've been keeping an eye on his movements and he actually released this single a few weeks ago but he's finally put out a video for it, and thank goodness he did - it is definitely a worthy single. Such a nice summer chill vibe. This will definitely be getting a lot of play time these next few months. Treat your eardrums and eyeballs here.


FALL OUT BOY WRITING NEW MUSIC
After their last, and very disappointing, album Save Rock And Roll, I'm not entirely sure that this is a good thing. However, seeing as the last few Fall Out Boy albums were so great I feel like there is still hope for an awesome new album - I suppose we'll have to wait and see just what this new writing will bring.


CIRCA WAVES NEW SINGLE "YOUNG CHASERS"
After chatting with the boys (here) during their NME Awards Tour, I've been waiting for news about them, and here they are with their latest single. As expected it's an indie rock festival anthem - it will definitely be a hit for them at their upcoming Glastonbury appearance. Circa Waves are really trailblazing right now, I expect big things from them over the next year. Have a listen to the new one here.


LIMP BIZKIT NEW SINGLE "ENDLESS SLAUGHTER"
Limp Bizkit announced the release of a new single this week and actually stated that they'd be releasing it on cassette. After their single release around this time last year, featuring Lil' Wayne (here), who knows what this new track will sound like?! I suppose I'll have to dig out my old walkman and have a listen.


INTERPOL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM "EL PINTOR" 
Another band that I've been keeping an ear out for since the NME Awards Tour here and how could I not?! They absolutely smashed their set that night and since doing my research on their back catalogue, I would can now call myself a fan. I'm looking forward to hearing Interpol's new record in the near future.


Find out what you might have missed last month in the music world here...

Had a huge number of tunes from records out in March here and it's time for April to give us some more! Seeing as we're already a week into April, I've definitely missed a couple of good releases, but here are some others that you can expect later this month...



SOHN - TREMORS
I haven't really kept track of SOHN since seeing him at Latitude last year, and if I'm honest, it's because I wasn't that impressed. However, I'm all for second chances and so look forward to giving this new album a chance later today now that it's been released.






THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS - AMPHETAMINE BALLADS
I've been talking about these lads for quite a while now since discovering them here and when I initially heard of them, nothing could be found about or by them except the one song "Tesitfying Time". Now, finally, it seems that we might have a whole album's worth of music to listen to. Get excited for the 14th of April.






THE BIRDS OF SATAN - THE BIRDS OF SATAN
Foo Fighters are one of my favourite bands and Taylor Hawkins is one of my favourite drummers Therefore, anything with either of these components in it - I am guaranteed to make an effort to listen to. Taylor has started this side project with Wiley Hodgden and Mick Murphy and I suspect that it will melt faces. Have a listen on the 15th of April.





KELIS - FOOD
I have been hearing things about this album since summer last year and it's finally here!! After all of this waiting and speculating, I'm interested to hear what this record actually sounds like. I wasn't too sure about the single "Jerk Ribs" at first but I've come to like it. Hopefully when the album drops on the 21st of April I'll like it from the get-go.





BRODY DALLE - DIPLOID LOVE
Again, favour by association. Another one of my favourite bands - QOTSA happen to be associated with Brody and I've actually been hearing quite a lot about her of late, so of course it makes sense to check her out! If she's anything like I've heard, I think I'm going to like this album on the 28th of April.







DAMON ALBARN - EVERYDAY ROBOTS
I've always kind of regretted never really listening to much of Blur's material back when they were still active. However, now that frontman Damon Albarn is moving in a solo direction, I'm using this as my chance to experience a little bit of what I've missed. Damon's solo album hits shelves on the 28th of April.





PIXIES - INDIE CINDY
YES! IT'S TRUE! Pixies' first record in over two decades is coming out this month. It's been a long journey for the group but I have no doubts that they've come out with some brilliant songs because of it. Excited would be an understatement. I expect to overplay this quite a bit when it comes out on the 28th of April.






LAYLA - BLACK MUD EP
After just talking about her in this week's music news, here, I've found out that she is set to release a new EP later this month on the 28th of April. This girl is most definitely one to watch, her songs are beautifully produced, her vocals are enchanting and she's just completely in love with music. Absolutely ecstatic about this release.





Here's a look at some other musical gems that you can catch later this month:

Animal Collective - Enter The Slasher House, Iggy Azalea - The New Classic, Odonis Odonis - Hard Boiled Soft Boiled, Fear Of Men - Loom, Eels - The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett, Thee Oh Sees - Drop, Mac DeMarco - Salad Days, Playlounge - Pilot, Rat King - So It Goes and Neon Trees - Pop Psychology.

There have been quite a few unexpected outcomes in the music industry of late and I thought I'd highlight some of the ones that I personally found a little odd.

NUMBER ONE:
The first of these unexpected outcomes being NIN, QOTSA, Dave Grohl & Lindsey Buckingham's Grammy Performance. Literally even writing this I'm not sure if I just wrote that correctly. That combination of artists on a live stage performance is absolutely perfect. Trent Reznor a (somewhat controversial) musical chameleon, Josh Homme a beautiful, beautiful musician/riff-god, Dave Grohl one of the world's best drummers, frontmen and just all round people, Lindsey Buckingham guitar hero in the fabulous, Fleetwood Mac and to top it off, the youngest drummer ever to play Woodstock - Ilan Rubin! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A BLESSING. Sadly, many people left during the performance leaving the arena more than half empty AND the TV network broadcasting it even cut the set short. I am still astounded at how such an injustice could have occurred. Either way, if you haven't yet watched the full thing, here it is...