Kasabian - In Love With A Psycho

1. Who are Kasabian? 

Kasabian are an indie rock/dance band from Leicester, England, making music since 1997. The band are commercially successful with their last four albums making it to number one in the U.K. album charts. In Love With A Psycho (March’17) is the first single from their sixth album For Crying Out Loud (April’17). 


2. What have they got? 

In Love With A Psycho is radio-friendly meh that grows on you insidiously. A hummable chorus that becomes a bit of an earworm. Playlist filler.


3. Who do Kasabian sound like?

They are often compared to Primal Scream, The Stone Roses, and The Happy Mondays.

4. What have people said about In Love With A Psycho?  

“A sweet and hypnotic single” – 411 Mania.

“A naggingly catchy perfect pop tune” – Louder Than War.

“Amiable and still enjoyable” – The Edge.

5. Which bands have inspired Kasabian? 

Key influences on this album are Public Enemy, Bruce Springsteen and The Stooges. Elsewhere they have mentioned Oasis and Led Zeppelin as big influences.

6. Why should I listen to In Love With A Psycho? 

Because it's a good 'un. Because it's a gateway to better Kasabian songs.

7. What are Kasabian's best songs?

Comeback Kid, an album track from the new album, is a sublime retro-sixties banger. Bumblebee has swagger and a taint breaking chorus. From there it's "hey diddle diddle and straight down the middle" with two of their breakthrough hits from their debut album; Club Foot and Eez-Eh. 

8. Any more words?

Kasabian guitarist, Serge Pizzorno, wrote and produced For Crying Out Loud. 

Time To Change, a mental health organization in England, weren’t thrilled with Kasabian’s choice of lyrics saying they had used a “sad and tired” stereotype.

“Jibber, jabber, at the bargain booze,

And reciting Charles Bukowski, I got nothing to lose”

Shortstraw are a popular indie rock band from Johannesburg, South Africa. They have been making music since 2007 and have made three albums. Shortstraw sound like Good Charlotte, New Politics and Al Bairre. They are influenced by Foals, Paul Simon and Taking Back Sunday. Keep It In The Family (Nov'16) is the third single from the mini-album Those Meddling Kids (March'17). Keep It In The Family is mosh-pit filling, pop punk, with a stone to throw at absent fathers.

“Go tell your father in Santiago,
I got his daughter tied to my tree”

Holy Ghost! - Crime Cutz

1. Who are these clean cut chaps?

Holy Ghost! are an indie dance rock duo from New York City who have been making music together since 2007 and have one long player to pin to their pole. Crime Cutz (Feb'16) bubbles off their E.P. of the same name Crime Cutz (April'16).

2. What kind of tune are we rolling with?

Crime Cutz is a dance groove with all the best disco trimmings.

3. Who do Holy Ghost! sound like?

Holy Ghost! have been compared to LCD Soundsystem, New Order, Depeche Mode and Talking Heads.

4. What do the cut and paste brigands have to say about Crime Cutz?

“Super funky beat that builds to a monstrous crescendo before a cool down with soothing oohs and pretty synths” – Stereogum.

“A seven minute space fun jam” – Consequence Of Sound.

“One of the catchiest blasts of indie rock disco you’ll ever hear” – Stereo Embers.

 

 

 

5. Who put the funk in Holy Ghost! groove?

The drummer Nick Millhiser mentioned having Nirvana, ABBA and Chic in mind when crafting Crime Cutz.

6. Why should I give Crime Cutz a whip past the brain holes?

Crime Cutz has more angles than a Compton pimp. Innovative dance music that keeps surprising you.

7. Do Holy Ghost! have any more bangers?

It Gets Dark is good as gold.

8. Any more grist for the machine?

Holy Ghost! are signed to DFA Records part owned by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. Holy Ghost! have remixed LCD Soundsystem songs and James Murphy has had input into Holy Ghost! recordings.

“You lift me up and up”

Empires are an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois with three albums to their credit. How Good Does It Feel (2014) comes off the E.P. of the same name and is a tune COS compared to The Killers.

“The raw night holds a different kind of man”

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - The Strypes

The Strypes are some Irish lads with a rhythm and blues background who blew up fast. Their first short player was self-funded and promoted while they were still in high school. There first album was number 2 on the charts in Ireland and there second Little Victories (Aug’15) topped the charts. There singer is still 17. They count Dave Grohl and Noel Gallaher as big fans and are represented by Elton John’s management company who said,"They have a knowledge of R&B and blues at 16 years of age that I have only amassed in my 65 years. They're just like a breath of fresh air." They are influenced by Lead Belly, Muddy Waters, The Who and The Rolling Stones but there third single What A Shame was influenced by the Arctic Monkeys.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Get Into It (Jun'15) the first single off their second album, sounds pure English indie with a side of rhythm and blues and minded more than one reviewer of an Arctic Monkeys tune. I was minded more of a more contemporary vibe, say The Academic, KONGOS or even Peace. This reviewer says the song is "...dripping with swagger". A song about the joys and travails of online dating it has a gritty big groove and a joyous seize the day chorus. Fucking get amongst it because The Strypes have turned in a tune here as tight as a nuns cunt and easily one of the best indie tunes of 2015.

"Love’s easy on the wrist"

 

 

Shit you need to know:

Not everyone likes the change of style with the Guardian reviewer critical of the albums lack of contemporary relevance, fucking knob jockey, and making comparisons to vintage Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys while noting the album was “all singalong ladrock choruses.”

NME were similarly nonplussed saying The Strypes "attack album two with abandon, largely at the expense of quality".

The Strypes have been compared in the past to Dr. Feelgood but the new album more to Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood, The Fratellis and Oasis.

The band crack wood to The Foo Fighters and grew up smashing out Kaiser Chief’s I Predict A Riot.

Julien Temple who is most famous for his docs of the Sex Pistols and The Clash is doing the same for The Strypes.

The guitarist isn’t into posers, “I was in Shoreditch the other night and it was all about beards and hipsters and I thought, ‘That shite doesn't do anything for me’.”

Other Strypes songs to rip a hole in your shit box are What A Shame, Blue Collar Jane and Hometown Girls.

 

Slippery seconds is a change of pace. Minneapolis indie rockers Step Rockets and their biggest hit, the dance rock tune Kisser (2013).

“Leave a light, leave a little loving light”

 

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - Ball Park Music

 

 

Ball Park Music’s Trippin’ The Light Fantastic (Jun’14) has the dance rock thing going for it. Don’t be fooled by the title Ball Park Music totally rock out as well as inspiring you to get on the good foot.

  Trippin’ The Light Fantastic is off the Brisbane bands second album Puddinghead  (April'14).


Ball Park Music have a chubby for Radiohead and the Beatles amongst many others.
Others songs to put a smile on your dial include She Only Loves Me When I'm There, It's Nice To Be Alive and All I Want Is You.

Ball Park Music have toured in support of rock gods Weezer but this support slot goes to Loon Lake, who have supported Ball Park Music on tour, and Cherry Lips (2012).

Cherry Lips is a Stonesy-lite ecstatic little rocker, turn up the volume and avert your eyes from the screen, worse videos have been made but they usually involve donkeys in Tijuana.