School of Seven Bells

I slipped these guys surreptitiously into my last post but now it's time to term the limelight upon them. Oo exciting.
I came across them by chance on the wonder that is Last.fm. I was trawling through god knows what and came across them god knows how but the important thing is I did.
School of Seven Bells or SVIIB formed many moons ago in 2007 after meeting at an Interpol gig. (They get massive bonus points for just that fact alone.) The band consists of twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia and Benjamin Curtis. I found lots of reviews and band blurbs describing them as ethereal and dreamy - yup pretty much. Abstract? Not so much. Reading the lyrics they're pretty fluid and usually make sense. According to an interview they did with nrp music, the band write the lyrics first and fit the music afterwards - whacky. To coin an overused but nicely fitting phrase 'they take me to another place'. Ta very much.

I bloody love them. Since I found out about them I had played them on Spotify to destruction and p
purchased their 2008 album Alpinisms (re-released July this year). Personal favourites include 'Iamundernodisguise' , 'White Elephant Coat' and this little beaut:



Go on, have a listen. Or maybe five million like myself.

SouthernHeart~

Listening to: School of Seven Bells - For Kalaja Mari

La Roux to start work on second album

In an interview for BBC 6 Music Ellie Jackson stated "I think there will be a natural instrument or two on there though, which will make a change from the first record."

Which brings me to my reasons:
1. The first album was one too many.
2. It'll just sound the same all the way through. For a second time.

oh and:
3. No being on earth should be able to sing that high, Mika is in good company it seems.

SouthernHeart~

Listening to: School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise

Arcade Fire 2010 album...

...well potentially.
Nearly 3 years since Neon Bible and it looks like Arcade Fire are due to go back into the recording studio to make tracks on a new album.

Oh yes, this Heart is pumping with excitement. I must confess I hope they double back around to a Funeral-esque album. Oh contraire dear reader, I liked Neon Bible but it just didn't have that flair and plain old sing-along frivolity that Funeral did. Bands change and develop, yes I know but I don't think it hurts to have a bit of the tried and tested floating around too...

We shall see.

SouthernHeart~

Listening to: Nizlopi - JCB Song

The Bear is Back ..

Minus The Bear have been around for a fair few years - 7 if you want to be pedantic - and have picked up a fair few fans along the way. Myself included.
It's been 2 years since Planet of Ice and already I'm chomping at the bit for more of their music. You can follow them on Twitter previously you could have seen snatches of recording equipment and the last few weeks it has been sites on their 4 week tour of the US of A. Whatever they've been doing I can't wait to hear the results. October saw them release a two song single Into The Mirror. Whilst its unmistakeably MTB it seems a little more refined than their previous sound - particularly in comparison with the album Menos El Oso. You'll find it all over The Tube but because I'm a nice person I have put it up on this very website for you to marvel over.




Good times ahead, if this track is anything to go by.
If you've not already listened to MTB I suggest you check out the album Menos El Oso as a starting point; it's where I fell in love with the band so I hope it may contribute to the emotional downfall (in a nice way) of a few others. They're a good band and definitely not to be overlooked. These dudes are cool and creative and to be honest there's not much more I look for in a band.
I wish you well on your quest.

SouthernHeart~

Listening to: John Mayer - Assassin.

The Futureheads offer up latest track free of charge

Christmas time is a time for giving, The Futureheads seem to enjoy Christmas! This year they will again play a small intimate gig, this time down in London. They did the same last year in Darlington and they're carrying on the tradition.

The Futureaheads are also offering their fans a free song "Struck Dumb" for Christmas as well!

And it's not a drab downloaded track you will only listen to once or twice. It's full of all the energy you would expect from The Futureheads. You can download the track free of charge here (be quick, offer ends on the 2nd December)

Whether this track will feature on their upcoming album next year remains to be seen but one things for certain, if Struck Dumb is anything to go by, Futureheads will be producing another album of pop indie dancefloor fillers which will surely keep fans interested and excited.


Northern Soul


Currently Listening To:

The Futureheads - Struck Dumb

Skunk Anansie Return with greatest hits and new tracks

Skunk Anansie, you know them? the band that sang "Just Because You Feel Good" and "Weep"?

They are for many I feel, a band who were always there, always the band people didn't know by name but play a song of theirs like the ones mentioned above and they would instantly know who you're talking about.

Anyway, Skunk Anansie have returned and hooray. Skunk Anansie are in my opinion hugely underrated, they offer everything you could want, they can rock your socks off with songs such as "All I want", they can appeal to your emotional side with songs such as "Weep", they can appeal to your rebelious side with songs like "Yes, It's F*cking Political!"

Yet Skunk Anansie kinda slipped under the radar after the success of Stoosh in 1996. I'm the first to admit that I'm not what you would call a fan. I didn't follow their news regularly, I didn't buy a single album of theirs shockingly! (borrowing my dads copy of Stoosh was good enough for me). Yet Stoosh is a superb rock album delivering everything I have just talked about above.

Skunk Anansie announced their split 2001, with their members all going their seperate ways. All members had agreed that they had taken the band as far as they could. Skin was certainly the busiest of all the former members. Under the same Alias she released two albums. Not forgetting about Ace and Cass however, they too had their own projects.

2009 came news of a reunion, a release of a greatest hits album with new tracks as well as a european tour.

"Basicially we have never done a greatest hits album. We have been bugged to do it for ages and ages from various places but only now does everyone have time and want to do it. It will have new songs on it and you will start to hear some amazing remixes from rock and rave to dubstep, all very exciting." - Skin

This may be your last time to see a band with something different, Skins powerful lyrics will blow you away or draw you in. With a backing band who are equally comfortable playing love ballards or heavy rock, Skunk Anansie will offer something for most rock fans.

Smashes & Thrashes is available to buy now (It's also on Spotify if you want to listen there), The band will be touring the UK and tickets are available here

Apologies by the way! I didn't realise they would be touring the UK so soon! best be very quick if you wanna catch them! I fear I've missed my chance but at least I have the music to comfort me :)




Northern Soul



Currently Listening To:

Skunk Anansie - Smashes & Thrashes - Twisted

Elbow

You'll no doubt have heard about the band Elbow. Their latest album, released last year, experienced tremendous commerical success and won a whole clutch of musical awards. It's beautiful and lovely and very deserving but I'm not interested in that album.

I want to talk to you about their very first album, 'Asleep In The Back'. First things first, yes you'll hear elements of Radiohead influences slinking throughout the album. I'm not interested in that either - it's a given during the 90s and early noughties that you find many bands influenced by such kings of music. Don't let that blind you (if you're that way inclined) this is a truly brilliant album in it's own right.
It took Elbow 4 albums over a period of 7 years to break on to the commerical scene and I can't understand why this album is so overlooked. Well, I lie, I can.
'Commerical' I balk at this word more and more frequently, if only because to be successful a band has to be deemed commericial. On the flip side, I also become agitated when people label bands or artists as rubbish simply because they are commerical. I am a confused character, I'll admit that readily. Either way, in Elbow's case it annoys me because they weren't commerical and weren't successful. The title track is infinitely beautiful and so skillfully woven between other album tracks you'll become lost in a mirage of bliss. 'Newborn' follows a similar vein, but listen to the lyrics, they're painful but the melody is crafted in such a way that you may never notice.

I feel myself turning into one of those 'contemporary' reviewers desperately trying to convert the unconverted, so I shall stop. Needless to say, I want you to go out and listen to the album straightaway. If you listen to one song and one song only, ' Asleep in the Back' is the one to grace your ears with.

...and maybe 'Newborn'.
And you should probably give 'Powder Blue' a few moments of your time.
'Bitten By the Tailfly', too...

'Red'?

SouthernHeart ~

Listening to: Elbow - Newborn

The Heart and Soul

I though I'd make myself known. Northern Soul has been a busy little bee and posted up a few thing already but I'll take this resting point to edge in and say 'hello'!

I love music and thankfully, music loves me. Ever since I can remember anything worth remembering, I've loved music. I think it must be the same for a lot of people - as Northern Soul says, there is music for all occasions and that's the beauty of it.
All the while I've known him, Northern Soul will always manage to edge music into a conversation, apart from when he talks about football. I think it no bad thing, the first time we met was at a gig and I think that cemented our music love together from that point onwards.

For me this blog is about sharing what we love; sharing what we may not love and finding new loves along the way. Neither of us are reviewers by profession - far from it, but we hope that our passion for music comes through in our writing however grammatically unstable it may be.

We want opinions, criticisms, vocal outcries, adorations and declarations of undying love...and that's just about us; if you want to do the same for our reviews, feel free!


SouthernHeart ~

Listening to: Airiel - Sugar Crystals

Interpol return to TOTBL

This has me all excited! I am a massive Interpol fan. Luckily enough I've managed to catch them live a few times and their gigs never fail to impress.

Songs from Our Love To Admire may not have been in the true "interpol style" of obstacle 1 or NYC, but when performed live Paul Banks vocals backed with that haunting guitar of Kessler produces something quite magic indeed.

Pioneer to the falls especially is a personal favourite when performed live.

On the whole though, their last album wasn't their best and many listeners were left thinking "what the hell". Amidst rumours of splitting up four times along the way, you wouldn't have been frowned upon for thinking this would be their last offering.

With two years since OLTA, News!! A new album, and more promisingly Fogarino says Interpol have returned to their debut sound! This surely must excite a lot of people not least of all me! I was literally jumping for joy when I heard the news.

“The new record falls back towards the first,” Fogarino says “In trying to move forward, there was an unspoken realization that you can’t let go of your sonic-defining tag. There was an effort in Daniel’s guitar tone; he rediscovered it playing in his loft space for a year without anybody. The quality of that tone, played in a big room, is just beautiful. It creates an atmosphere.”

So there you have it, Interpol are returning and even better they're returning to their earlier sound. Their first offering since 2007 will be out early 2010. Needless to say, this Soul is quite excited!!

Catch the full interview with sam here at paste magazine:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/11/interpol-drummer-explains-new-album-out-in-early-2.html


Northern Soul



Currently Listening to:

The xx - xx - Night Time

Trev Gibb

Trev Gibb

Newcastle's own Trev Gibb is the first new artist I will be recommending, He's not someone I know much about nor is he someone I have been listening to for a while. But he's certainly had me listening to his songs a few times tonight.

As It happens I have just strolled across his music today after a bit of random myspace surfing.

I'm currently listening to "sad song" a sort of remorseful song, a painful break up maybe? "bitterness why do you keep holding on?"
A lot of people I'm sure, will know the feeling! I'm terrible at trying to read lyrics and their meaning but I portray the last two verses of the song (see below) to mean he's accepted the end of the relationship, if you look hard enough you might see something which isn't there. Painful but time for him to go, theres a new moon the old one has passed

You can hear Trev Gibb at his myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/trevgibb

Songs I like are Sad Song, Nervous and Corrina's Nylon Strings

"sad song"

you're so soft,
wish you would stand up for yourself.

If you sing a sad song,
I'll sing a sad song too.

Last night we saw the new moon,
but there's an old moon in our hearts.

but there's little we can do,
you know it's true, little we can do

Bitterness, bitterness why do you keep holding on?
If you think you're hard enough,
why don't you just let go?

Last night I saw the new moon,
but there's an old moon in your heart

you always sing a sad song
I sing a sad song too.

If you look hard enough,
you might see people in the trees

Everything's an echo,
at least thats what I heard them say to me

Northern Soul

Currently Listening to:

Trev Gibb - Sad Song

Hey all hello!

Welcome to the first blog of Northern Soul Southern Heart.

What we're aiming to do here is to introduce each other to new music we stumble across. We're also hoping that along the way we pick up some new followers, some fans and they too will be able to find some new music.

Both myself (Northern Soul) and Southern Heart have a great love for music, I personally regard it as one of the most important aspects of life. There is music for all emotions, be it high, low, reflective, contemplative. There is always something you can listen to, Such an expressive art.

I can't promise in depth reviews with journalistic style writing as to why I like a band or song, but I can try my best to portray why I like it, and I'm sure Southern Heart will do the same as well!

Anyway, Thank you for reading and I hope we can achieve our goal of spreading music we may not have found otherwise.

Thank you


Northern Soul


Currently Listening to:

British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power - Lately