Toronto - Attic Lights are a Scottish band that formed a few years ago. They have a single out now called ‘Wendy’ that I am totally addicted to. The single also contains a remix done by Camera Obscura, if that gives you an indication of what their music sounds like. I wished this was released in the summer, because the song would probably make my summer compilation, its got that laid back summery vibe to it I think.

This has become one of my favorite things associated with the word “Wendy” along side the junior bacon cheeseburger and the rest of the 1.79 menu.

 

 Attic Lights - Wendy: Play Now

Toronto - The third installment of Suedeview features *gasp* an a-side. We Are The Pigs was the lead single off Dog Man Star. The video features people running around setting things on fire while wearing russian gas masks. This is the first Suede song which features a long guitar solo. Maybe this was a sign that Bernard Butler wanted to branch out. It’s a rocker. It’s post-apocalyptic. It’s the world gone mad, it’s a warning for humans against humans. The initial intro sounds almost like hells bells are ringing, if done by guitar. Brett warns the people “stay at home tonight”. Overall, it’s a pretty dark view of the impending future. This was the song that got me into the band, and I love the chorus, horns, trumpets and all.

“We are the pigs, we are the swines…we are the stars of the firing line!”

Maybe England is a depressing place to live, judging from all the music that comes from it. Another song that features the infamous Ohhh

“Ohhhhh…Ohhhhhhh… we will watch them burn!”

Look out for the little kids cameo in the end. Dramatic.

Well the church bells are calling
Police cars on fire
And as they call you to the eye of the storm
All the people say “Stay at home tonight”
I say we are the pigs we are the swine
We are the stars of the firing line

We will watch them burn

 

 Suede - We are the Pigs: Play Now

Toronto - You know you got a bit of uphill climb for indie cred when wikipedia lists you as a ‘Piano Rock Band’. This was the battle that faced Tom Chaplin and the rest of the Sussex crew when Keane first hit the scene in 2004 with their #1 album Hope and Fears. What the hell am I saying? They’ve had two number 1 albums in their brief careers, middle age woman hold crying parties and eat ice cream when they listen Tom Chaplin’s angelic voice sing about love and love that could have been. They don’t need no hipsta lovin.

Despite all that success, one of the most shocking news stories from 2006 was that Tom Chaplin, the lead singer for the band Keane went into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. Whaaaa? That would be classified as one of the more unexpected moments of music. 2008 sees the return of the Keane, and a new album. It’s called “Perfect Symmetry“. How is it? if you are a video/music programmer at VH1 or an easy listening station, and you want to provide your audience with what you think is something “funky” while still maintaining that adulty Starbucks sound, then man, this is the album for you.

This album is definitely a bit more rockier, a bit louder and a bit more edgier then previous albums. A bit more edgier by Keane standards, which is equivalent to a person double dipping into a communal ketchup collection edgy. All jokes aside, this album is okay. The first track - Spiraling, is damn catchy. It’s not a typical Keane sounding song, and I think Tom Chaplin stole this song from Robbie Williams in rehab or something, because it sounds exactly like a Robbie Williams song. The rest of the album is a bit of a mix bag of pop melodies. I guess the dude does have quite a voice and that saves a lot of songs from descending into camp.

I guess this album is okay if you are planning on having a wine and cheese party with your parents.

2.5/5

ps. despite my insults about the album “Spiraling” is f’n catchy.

 

 Keane - Spiraling: Play Now

Toronto - FINALLY …. The Panic Manual has come to some bar! Ricky, Wade, Gary and Mark will be at the Tap on Friday to provide some music choices. They might be good, they might be bad, they might be awful. It’ll be fun. Come join us!

Panic at the Tap

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Toronto - Welcome back to Suedeview, I am your host, sit back and relax. We are going for a ride. Europe is Our Playground is surprisingly, not a Bernard Butler baby, but a Neil Codling one. I consider this song to be one of my show stoppers. What is that, you say? I think there’s a handful of songs in everyone’s life, where when the song plays, the world slows down, and you just lose yourself in the song. For me, this is one of them.

This song is dominated by Richard Oakes guitar work, and features a song that is frequently used on the Coming Up album, it’s a different kind of song then the ones that were on the DMS and the debut album. From the sneering, winding intro all the way to the end, It’s more glammy sounding and a good precursor for what was to follow with the revamped Suede sound.

Europe is Our Playground is a song about escape, or maybe an inability to escape. It’s an awfully dramatic song. This song is for those rainy Sunday afternoons, when it’s you feel like the world is against you.

Run with me baby, let your hair down
Through every station, through every town
Run with me baby, let’s take a chance
From Heathrow to Hounslow, from the Eastern Block to France

Europe is our playground, London is our town
So run with me baby now…

 

 Suede - Europe Is Our Playground: Play Now

Toronto - Everyone once in awhile, you get something in your hands that just blows your mind. Enter The Twelves. The Twelves are remixers from Rio De Janeiro. They have remixed a lot of artists, including Black Kids, Kylie Minogue and Radiohead among others. In August, they released a mixtape called Episode II - here is the track listing:

01. zeigeist - humanitarianism (the twelves replay)
02. radiohead - reckoner (the twelves replay)
03. mirwais - naive song
04. of montreal - gronlandic edit
05. david e. sugar - to yourself
06. the virgins - rich girls (the twelves replay)
07. daft punk - voyager
08. jupiter - chip
09. fleet foxes - white winter hymnal (the twelves replay)
10. metronomy - heartbreaker
11. the twelves - works for me (the twelves replay)
12. lykke li - dance dance dance (the twelves replay)

This mixtape just frickin rocks.

Here is a zshare link to it: zshare

Here is another link to the mixtape

Here is a link to another compilation from the Twelves, courtesy of BIGSTEREO

 

 Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (The Twelves Remix): Play Now