News
Reviews
Articles
Surveillance
Interview: Tapes 'n' Tapes
After storming this year's SXSW festival, and signing to major label XL, Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes' debut album The Loon has finally been released in the UK. As the band prepare for another UK tour, Chimpomatic talked to Matt Kretzmann about their new-found success - as well as Minneapolis's most famous miniature rock-star. read article
3rd Aug 2006 - Add Comment
Tapes 'n Tapes Interview
After storming this year's SXSW festival, and signing to major label XL, Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes' debut album The Loon has finally been released in the UK. As the band prepare for another UK tour, Chimpomatic talked to Matt Kretzmann about their new-found success - as well as Minneapolis's most famous miniature rock-star.
Links
Click here for the Chimpomatic interview.
Tags
3rd Aug 2006 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Search
Beever
As noted by c71, Julian Beever's chalk-on-the-pavement murals are almost as strangely/cheesily compelling as that crazy juggling guy.
1st Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Billy 4 by Bob Dylan from the Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid soundtrack.
As an album it's a bit long, but this song (and Billy's 1 & 7 for that matter) is fantastic.
Links
Tags
1st Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Jackass Number Two
The inventively titled Jackass Number Two is out in September, while Jackass 1.0 is on Channel 4 this Saturday (Paramount's highest grossing movie of 2002 ?!).
I know it's stupid and dangerous, but it's funny.... and has a great theme tune.
Links
Tags
1st Aug 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Moguls Of New Media
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the New Moguls Of New Media (NMoNM's (TM Chimpomatic))... and it's the contributors, rather than the people behind the technology that we're talking about here.
Links
Tags
31st Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Two songs have been stuck in my head all weekend. The currently-very-annoying Frosties theme tune, and the beautiful Heaven by Talking Heads - from the difficult / brilliant album Fear of Music. One of those is today's Song Of The Day.
Links
Tags
31st Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
NASA Image Of The Day
NASA's Image Of The Day feature (also available with a custom Google homepage) is distracting me on a near-daily basis at the moment. In true NASA style there are hi-res images available for nothing on their site - as the Earth belongs to all of us, man.
28th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Vice
While the once 'gritty' and 'realistic' TV pilot recently fell apart during a 6pm ITV4 screening, the upcoming movie version of Miami Vice is getting good reviews and is out stateside tomorrow (August 4th in the UK).
The website has been updated with new clips and stuff - including an 'over 18's' section (which non-US readers will struggle to infiltrate). The movie looks great and for me this is looking like the first movie to be making the most of shooting on HD video, after the dry run of Michael Mann's own Collateral.
There's already talk of sequel(s) "if the numbers come in", although Mann's never done a sequel before. Not as if that stopped Red Dragon/Brian Cox, who'd previously said the same thing...
27th Jul 2006 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Post Space Race
Some nice space pictures by Dan Holdsworth over at Store Gallery.
24th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Tindersticks II at The Barbican
Tindersticks will be playing a one off show at the Barbican, as part of the ATP Don't Look Back strand, playing Tindersticks II in it's entirety. Wonder if that's the CD re-issue version, which is what Mudhoney played for Superfuzz Bigmuff.
Links
Tags
22nd Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
M Ward Signs to 4AD
M Ward has signed to UK label 4AD, who will release his new record Post-War in September.
That album is produced by one of Bright Eyes (no, the other one) and features chimp favourite Jim James amongst others.
M Ward is also on tour in the UK August 11th:
Friday 11th // London Bush Hall
Saturday 12th // Oxford Zodiac
Sunday 13th // Birmingham Glee Club
Tuesday 15th // Manchester Late Room
Wednesday 16th // Glasgow ABC2
Tursday 17th // Shefield Leadmill
Saturday 19th // Bristol Fleece & Firkin
Sunday 20th // London Bush Hall
20th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Bat Stamps
DC Comics are getting their own stamps printed in the US, featuring Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman amongst others. Maybe we should have UK stamps with Dennis the Menace or Desperate Dan.
Links
Tags
20th Jul 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Surfing In Dirty Water
I spent the evening channel surfing last night, amazingly managing to simultaneously watch Rising Sun on Channel 5, The Poseidon Adventure (the TV mini-series-with-Steve Guttenberg-version) on Sky 3 and the Richard Gere classic Internal Affairs on Sky Movies.
Guttenberg literally walked through his part, Internal Affairs still holds up quite well and Rising Sun was worse than I could have possibly remembered. I think Wesley Snipes is long overdue a career evaluation.
20th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Sheena Is A Parasite Video
The new Chris Cunningham video for The Horrors is now online over at You Tube.
It's not bad - kind of like a twisted performance video.
17th Jul 2006 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Ronald's Ray Gunz
Wired are running an article about Christopher Howarth's Ray Gun collection.
They look good, but they're not a patch on this one. Another step towards Judgement Day.
Personally, I never go anywhere without a good blaster by my side.
14th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Animal Collective Astoria Review
Marmot was at last night's Animal Collective / Battles gig at the Astoria. Reviewed here.
Links
www.paw-tracks.com
www.bttls.com (nice site)
Tags
14th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Weezer Break Up
No, not the title of a new single. MTV are reporting that Weezer may be splitting up, following Rivers Cuomo's marriage and departure for Japan. Just sounds to me like his girl troubles are over for now and we'll see the usual hiatus between albums.
13th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Tapes 'n Tapes 'n Dates
August
Thursday 24th // Sheffield Plug
Friday 25th // Leeds Festival
Sunday 27th // Reading Festival
Wednesday 30th // London Dingwalls
Thursday 31st // Liverpool Evol Club
Links
Review: Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
Tags
13th Jul 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Miami Vice Movie Review
It seems that there's hope for Miami Vice yet, even with numbnutts Jamie Foxx attached. Ain't It Cool have seen it and are reporting good things...
Links
Aint It Cool Review
Miami Vice Trailer
Tags
13th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Harrowdown Hill, a great track from Thom Yorke's debatable solo effort The Eraser.
Click here to see all songs in this compilation so far.
12th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Computers On My Mind
As Judgement Day edges ever closer (wasn't it supposed to be in '97?), Arnie's image recognition system is finally under construction.
Links
Stop. Go back. Give me a hard copy right there.
Tags
12th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
We're Putting The Band Back Together
Links
Guttenberg in comeback shocker
Tags
12th Jul 2006 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Review from The Forum
Some new reviews online, plus more pictures from Friday's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah gig at The Forum in Kentish Town.
Links
Clap Your Hands Review: Live at The Forum
Sufjan Stevens Review: The Avalanche
Nathan Fake Review: Drowning In A Sea Of Love
Tags
11th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The Forum, Kentish Town, London
We've been loving the Clap Your Hands album this year, so were looking forward to this gig at The Forum (high on the favourite venues list). Support band The Boy Least Likely To... sucked, following the recent "branding+website+aren't-we-wacky, c'mon sing along=boy least likely to be bought by me" formula of quite a few UK bands. Once they were out of the way and most of the balloons had been popped the show really started. Clap Your Hands were kind of as expected (with the exception of the Scarecrow hat and actual country styles) - serious but not too serious, straight down to business and thoroughly holding the crowd's attention. They were soon onto the one of my favourites, In This Home On Ice - and the crowd were loving it. Almost every song seemed like your favourite, including several new songs - all sounding good. The band few us a few red herrings, starting songs with a bit of blues finger picking before rolling into Is This Love, or stretching things out. The sound didn't seem to do much to lift the muffled lyrics out of the music at first, but pretty soon everyone was picking out the zeitgeist (sub: please check my grammar) highlights, like sex, and drugs, and rock and rock and rock and rock and roll. Lead singer Alec Ounsworth didn't have much to say, but the couple of the other guys chipped in now and then with some banter and a couple of song introductions.
One thing I did overlook when anticipating this gig was my own rule of not seeing bands with less than three albums under their belt - and that's where these guys loose points. They were undoubtedly great performers, putting in amped up performances of nearly their entire album, many of which are already near classic songs.... however, take away the two skimpy ditties and the entire album clock in at barely 35 minutes. A not-enough-songs scenario ensued, with the band huddling between nearly every song to discuss how to proceed. They did everything you'd expect, and while the new songs were certainly good ("Satan Said Dance" in particular) they were still unknown, not bringing anything like the same crowd response as Details Of The War or The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth. A harsh critic may say it was like seeing Radiohead in support of Pablo Honey, where they were playing mystery songs of their forthcoming album second album. A more generous one may say it was like seeing Oasis just before Definitely Maybe.
The awesome Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood has always had the promise to be stretched out as a 10 minute Free Bird -style jam, and it looked briefly like that might close the set, however an enthusiastic stage diver managed to unplug Alec Ounsworth's guitar, bringing that dream to an somewhat abrupt conclusion.
The band came back on with a new song (or was it a cover?) and although the encore was padded out with the un-listenable Clap Your Hands even that song sounded good live, before Heavy Metal finished the set and upped it's position on the grid.
Looking forward to the "Sophomore Plus" world tour of London.
Click here for pictures.
www.clapyourhandssayyeah.com
11th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3.5 star reviewsRocky Balboa Trailer: Get Back In The Ring
I never even saw 5, so I'm not vouching for this - but as cj says, the music always gets you going.
Links
Tags
11th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Online Fopping
To conicide with the opening of their new megastore on Tottenham Court Road, Fopp have souped up their website to add online ordering.
Now you can snap up The Rakes over-enthusiastically released debut album for £3 - from the comfort of your own home.
7th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Film4 Somerset House Screenings
This year's outdoor film screenings at Somerset House have been announced:
10 Aug North by Northwest
11 Aug School of Rock & Nacho Libre
12 Aug The Shining
13 Aug The Outsiders
15 Aug The Night of the Hunter
16 Aug Howl's Moving Castle
17 Aug Brazil
18 Aug Starship Troopers & Aliens
19 Aug The Big Lebowski
7th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Tapes 'n Tapes
The Loon
Every now and then comes a band who seem to be exactly what you are looking for. For the last couple of weeks, that band has been Tapes 'n Tapes (cool name too).
Coming from Minneapolis, (home of Husker Du AND Prince - both who might well have added a pinch of salt to their influences) Tapes 'n Tapes recorded a home-produced 4 track demo before The Loon and were snapped up by XL after a bidding frenzy following theis year's SXSW festival. "Nine packed-out, fun-filled gigs in four days" - and I imagine they looked like the melon-farming lounge band in Repoman for the most part of it.
Sounding like they must have listened to all my favourite records shortly before making this one, Tapes 'n Tapes bring a lot of classic elements to the party (Minutemen, Pixies, Talking heads, er... Gypsy Kings), but always keep it sounding modern (Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, Constantines). Insistor grabbed early pole position with it's jangling Mexican guitars and seemingly ever-accelerating drums, but it's by no means the only high point of the album.
Though the playing is nothing special, the mathematical construction of the songs is tight, conscise, immediate and catchy without ever sounding conventional. Shuffling ryhthms and emotional vocals add a layer of personality to the records tracks. Just Drums is a great opener, and The Iliad is a Greek Epic, in a mini 2 minute package. As things move on the tracks become slightly less frantic. Manitoba and the excellent Omaha in particular are slightly more ambitious in scope - spelling good things for future records.
Although things are maybe slightly flatter on what would be the B-Side, it's never boring and I'm pretty sure that's just a matter of time until more gems surface and then I find it hard to believe that Insistor was the best. This is the record I'd want to make if I formed a band, so The Loon has already bagged it's place in my best-of-2006 list.
Read our interview with Tapes 'n Tapes here.
7th Jul 2006 - 7 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 4 star reviews
Fire Eye'd Boy Single
Football squad-sized Canadian band Broken Social Scene have got a new Spike Jonez-esque video out for their single Fire Eyed Boy, which is out on July 17th.
Links
Windows Media Video
Quicktime Video
Tags
7th Jul 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
The Wedding Present
Search For Paradise
Quick on the heel's of 2005's comeback album Take Fountain comes this compilation disc from The Wedding Present. Pulling together the A and B-sides from a mere three singles racks up a total of 14 tracks and a DVD of the accompanying videos.
In an age when B-Sides seem to be rare (I'm talking about Interpol, Kings of Leon, The Strokes here... c'mon, a 2-part single with one new track?) it's refreshing to see a band still kicking out singles with 3 or 4 tracks on, especially when only the odd one is a remix or live version. The awesome Interstate 5 is is cut down to a single mix compared to the epic album version, but rather than working like the castrated single mix of I Am The Resurection, it's actually beefed up by an extra guitar, seeming more immediate. Some of the B-sides are more like Cinerama than the re-born Weddoes, and the remix of I'm Further North Than You merely adds to my unwarranted annoyance with that track (I know the album version ends in a rock-out, but it just makes my skin crawl). The frantic rock of Ringway To Seatac is followed by two more developed tracks - the creepy piano coda of break-up track Shivers, and the pumped up American Tan.
They're weren't even on the singles, but for good measure there's an acoustic version of each single. Even without amps these guys still rock. If you liked last year's angry return from The Wedding Present, then this makes an excellent companion disc. If you don't have that, then you don't have Interstate 5 - and you're missing out.
6th Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 3 star reviewsBlack Hellc0ck
From the Black Hellcock mailing list:
Please spend 5 mins by going to the NME website and voting for Black Hellc0ck. You need to log in (which will take 2 mins) and then vote vote vote (a further 1 min - so actually the whole enterprise will only take 3 minutes). Feel free to deface the page with your sarky comments. Then get your work colleagues to do it. Just make us famous, then you won't have to come to any more gigs yourselves.
Links
Tags
6th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Uncontainable 1.5 at the NFT
There's a mini festival at the NFT this weekend, with documentaries, short films and live performances including 'Danielson: A Family Movie' with Sufjan Stevens, "Dave Markey vs. Sonic Youth" (?), plus films & live performance based around Tapestry Goes West in the NFT Bar.
Links
Tags
5th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Sheena Is A Parasite
Prior to not making a feature film, part-time director Chris Cunningham has found time in his schedule to make a new video for jnr-Ramones-look-a-like band The Horrors. The video will hit the airwaves on July 24th apparantly.
5th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Fre eMusic
There's a free download sampler for the upcoming Pitchfork Music Festival over at eMusic. It's a good line up, with 24 tracks, featuring Spoon, Tapes 'n Tapes, Mission of Burma etc...
4th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ladyfuzz Video
Fear of Music alumni Lady Fuzz have got a new video for their track Oh Marie over at their website. It's not a cover of the Louis Prima classic, but the 7" does feature a cover of Tom Waits' I Never Talk To Strangers, recorded with Absentee.
4th Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
Insistor, by Tapes 'n Tapes, from their album The Loon. We're loving this in the office. Review soon.
3rd Jul 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Southland Tales
It seems that potentially over-rated director Richard Kelly's new film Southland Tales was mauled by various critics following it's Cannes screening, with it now struggling to get guaranteed distribution.
Casting The Rock always has a certain whiff of danger. I can't wait for Spy Hunter: Nowhere To Run.
3rd Jul 2006 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Vive Les Bleus!
England's defeat last night was made vaguely more bearable by France beating Brazil. Paris went crazy, as every car started tooting their horn.... even though anyone in a car was clearly not interested enough to be actually watching the game. Check surveillance for a few more pictures and some video.
Meanwhile, back at the fashion show we've just been chatting to Brix Smith.
2nd Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Paris Fashion: Weak
This season's work/holiday out in Paris has been upset by England's defeat at the hands of Portugal, thanks to dumbass Rooney's inflated ego. Our laptop based Freeview software put in a worthy performance however, attracting many visitors to our stand at the fashion show.
It's also exposed us to the overlooked american classic The Sentinel (starring 24's Alan York as a cop with psychic powers) - effortlessly resurrected by France's appaling TV policy.
2nd Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Beastie Boys Movie Screenings
"THE GREATEST CONCERT MOVIE OF ALL TIME
On 9th October 2004, the Beastie Boys handed out 50 cameras to audience members at their sold-out performance in New York's Madison Square Garden.
These 50 different passionate perspectives, shot from the point of view of the audience,
take the viewer deep inside the world of a live Beastie Boys show, capturing the experience of a live musical performance like no film has ever done.
ONE NIGHT ONLY DIGITAL SCREENING AT CINEMAS NATIONWIDE THIS MONDAY JULY 3RD
- CURZON SOHO
- RITZY BRIXTON
- SHEFFIELD SHOWROOM
- EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE
- MANCHESTER CORNERHOUSE"
Links
Tags
1st Jul 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume III
On Parade from the album The Power Out, by Brighton's Electralane. Loving these ladies at the moment.
29th Jun 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
The National Interview
Following their UK tour in support of Editors and a headline gig at Koko at the end of May, the artist formerly know as bear/chimp caught up with Matt Berninger of The National for an interview.
Links
Tags
27th Jun 2006 - 4 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Interview: The National
Following a UK tour in support of Editors and a headline gig at Koko in May, Chimpomatic's BC caught up with Matt Berninger of The National to talk about Alligator, Shakespeare and more. read article
27th Jun 2006 - Add Comment
The New KLF
Kick Out The Rock alumni and music journalist Matt 'Matalan' Allen has made the news, by pulling the wool over Alan McGee's jaded eyes and seducing him to court pseudo band Hope Against Hope.
Links
The Times
The Guardian
The Independent
Tags
27th Jun 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet
My Morning Jacket European Tour
My Morning Jacket are finally (hopefully) coming back to Europe for some shows in August/September, including a stint supporting Pearl Jam.
HEADLINE DATES:
22 Aug - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
23 Aug - Manchester, UK - Academy
25 Aug - Glasgow, UK - ABC
26 Aug - Edinburgh, UK - Cabaret Voltaire
29 Aug - Birmingham, UK - Academy 2
22 Sep - London, UK - Astoria
Tickets don't seem to be on sale for most venues yet (leave a comment if you spot some), but there's an unlisted Brighton gig available on seetickets.com
27th Jun 2006 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Director's Showcase 2006
Some good stuff in this years New Director's Showcase, including some of the world's smallest video clips.
26th Jun 2006 - Add Comment - Tweet