Au Revoir

Hello everyone, it's been a while...?

I know this is long overdue, perhaps too overdue to the point that no one gives a shit, but I thought I'd let everyone know what we're up to and say a final fairwell.

Without going in to a boring and tedious essay about the internet, mp3 blogocide and how we just don't have the time any more, it's common sense that everything has a shelf life and that people move on.

So with that in mind, I guess I should bring you up to speed on what we're up to. It made more sense to stop writing and start helping, so now our time is spent managing bands. I'm now managing Amusement and Tom manages Arthur Beatrice.

We'd originally planned on doing a series of posts or highlights feature or some funny interview thing to close the show. One where we slap ourselves on the back and our near genial sense of comedic timing and toilet humour shines through. But then we realised we'd be better served in saving that for our inevitable double-act on the club circuit once this whole music thing fizzles out.

Instead, I suppose it's fitting that we end this post and the blog on a track from each of our bands. We hope you enjoyed reading the blog as much as we did writing it, it's been emotional.


Amusement - Run Through The Door


Arthur Beatrice - Charity

Hype: Don't You Know

In a post-Beyoncé at Glastonbury summer, it's time to break out the sunscreen and put away the umbrellas, to coax the sun out of hiding and tell the clouds that we don't want them anymore. It's time for We Humans.

The Shropshire four-piece have now emerged from months spent hidden away in studios and practice rooms fully formed, armed with an arsenal of pop tunes and a string of live dates. The first of which will be The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton on 9th July, with further dates in Birmingham, Manchester and London yet to be announced.

Check out the baggy-flavoured One In A Million and head over to their Facebook here, where you can hear two even larger slices of pop music.

We Humans - One In A Million

Plug: Undiscovered Treasure

In yet more Kwes related news, he's unearthed another gem for the second release on his Bokkle label.

This time around it's Brixton via Moscow's diamond in the rough Bella Wilde with her debut single - the double sided Note / Without You.

It's the first glimpse of a number of ethereal and intensly personal tracks that Bella and Kwes (production / co-writing) have worked on together, which came about through a mutual friend and a mutual love of naturalism in sound, and you can jump on that now via iTunes here or preview Without You right here...

Bella Wilde - Without You

In Motion: We're Stuck With We

Elan Tamara - Don't Know Why (dir. Megan Sharp)

Here's the box fresh video for Don't Know Why, the lead track from long time IT favourite Elan Tamara's third EP, Organ.

Organ comes across as a far more intimate collection of tracks compared to her two previous EP's, as if there's a more grounded focus to them. It also seems to carry far more emotional weight in both the songwriting and scale of the instrumentation, which brings out even more depth in her unique vocal.

As ever, it's produced by the one and only Kwes and is out now on Big Dada. You can hear it in all its grace (and also purchase it) via Amazon here.

In Motion: Kill Time

Entrepreneurs - Fuck Tactics (feat. FOE & Ghostpoet) (dir. Daniel Swan)


Check out the complete mind-fuck that is the video for Entrepreneurs second release Fuck Tactics / Bubblegunk through Fear & Records.

It's available on CD now through Puregoove here and the lead track features partner in crime FOE as well as a guest verse from the impeccable Ghostpoet.

I hear the latter jumped on the mic during Entrepreneurs live set at Stag & Dagger recently, can anyone confirm if Hannah made it the full compliment or not?

In Motion: Shake It Up

Here's a triple-threat of moving images from IT alumni, featuring new singles from Talking Pictures, Hussle Club and Ghost Eyes.

Talking Pictures - Mirrors (dir. Laura Martínova von Schloss)


Hussle Club - Quaranteenagers (dir. Bijoux Altamirano)


Ghost Eyes - Phantom Mountain (dir. Ghost Eyes)


Visually intense.

Plug: Please Let Go

Erm... Hello? Is anyone there?

We're sorry that we've been so quiet recently as we've been crazy busy with other projects and party and bullshit. Oh, what's that? Of course we missed you too!

Anyway, I thought I'd bring things up to speed by catching up with the ghost of blog posts past and find out what's going on with our nearest and dearest.

First off, the disarmingly charming Danimal Kingdom released his debut single Vinyl Skipping Ever Backward / Through The Ice through the Slutty Fringe's love-child imprint Hot Pockets and can be heard in its entirety here:

Danimal Kingdom - Vinyl Skipping Ever Backward / Through The Ice


Featuring my second favourite Danimal track in Through The Ice (my first being Good As Gold), it's available from all good online and IRL shops.

Next up is the brooding loner that is Dave.I.D, who will release his debut album Response through his own Off The Uncertain Button imprint on !K7 Records on 13th June.

I've had the pleasure of hearing an advanced copy and it's just as heavy, pounding and darkly poppy as I'd hoped it would be after catching his impressive set at Brighton's Great Escape festival earlier in the month.

In typical celebratory fashion, here's a spectacularly acidic remix by The Horrors' synth man Tom Furse, it's an acquired taste.

Dave.I.D - Only Me I Can Save (Tom Furse of The Horrors Remix)

In Motion: After Five Long Years

Tom Vek - A Chore (dir. Ollie Evans)

A Chore is the first piece of the Leisure Seizure puzzle, which is to be released on June 6th. But I'm sure you already knew that.

Pre-order from Play.com here.

Welcome back, Sir.

Guest Mix: Beaú

Good evening.

We thought it was about time that we resurrected one of our most sacred features, reserved for only the most eclectic and distinct of our favourite music makers, the hallowed Guest Mix.

So let's get back in the New York groove and jump in at the deep end with the collective entity that is Beaú.

There's no tracklist, no half-stepping. Exist in the beautiful.

Guest Mix: Beaú

Hype: Love Driven

Other than some highly credible ramblings about Supermoons and existentialism, there's very little to know about Andrew Smith and Joe Sigee, or their Amusement.

It's too early to determine if this is by choice, circumstance or neccesity but what is important is that their brooding, melody driven electronica instantly caught my ear as I blindly navigated the dimly lit smoke filled corridors of Soundcloud.

Check out the wanton lust of Why Does Nothing Grow below and make sure you shuffle over to their Soundcloud and enjoy the equally dark tones of Take Me Alive.

Amusement - Why Does Nothing Grow

Hits The Spot: By Your Side

Dear 2011, slow the fuck down.

How it's March already is beyond me but it also means that At Home, the third single from Crystal Fighters debut album Star Of Love, dropped yesterday.

This wouldn't normally have much of an impact on my day, as I'm too busy on my quest to claim absolute victory on every front, except that the remix package features an absolute gem from the new producer on the block E. Russell.

He's rolling out magic, bro.

Crystal Fighters - At Home (E. Russell Remix)

In Motion: Milky Skinned Girl

FOE - Tyrant Song (dir. Entrepreneurs)

So we're fashionably late once more, but don't let our tardiness for dramatic effect have any bearing on matters - it's time for a brutal audio/visual one-two combo from the somewhat symbiotic pairing of Foe and the omnipresent puppet-master Entrepreneurs.

Tyrant Song is the lead track from Hot New Trash, Foe's debut EP which will be released through new label on the block Stella Mortos on April 4th both digitally and on 400 ltd vinyl.

There will be a no doubt sordid and debauched label launch party taking place on April 8th at The Macbeth, which will feature appearances from both Foe and Entrepreneurs as well as IT favourite Ghostpoet and Pettre.

Before I leave this lurid dungeon of depravity for an altogether more upmarket gathering, check out/download/freak out to the Entrepreneurs remix which is available over at RCRD LBL here.

In Motion: Ward Off My Death

Psychologist - Comes In Waves (dir. Tali Clarke prod. Woodsy)

I don't know exactly when Psychologist's conception as artist happened. I don't know how directly involved with the birth we were back when we were young. But I know that I couldn't be happier for this circle of life to have finally come full turn and to wake up today to a sort of re-birth and new beginning for Iain Woods...

Fitting then, that he should choose similar themes to introduce us to his first official release, EP Waves of OK, dropping digitally and on etched 12" vinyl via Moshi imprint Not Even 28.03.11. Lead track Comes In Waves is another hauntingly sparse and soul-baring, chest-splitting lament, accompanied by a beautifully self-produced falsidical paradox of a video that can be seen for the first time above.

Psychologist debuts Waves of OK - backed by a 12 part choir - in it's entirety on 16.03.11 at St. Matthias Parish Church, Stoke Newington - tickets here.

Hype: For Now

Born from the embers of Great Eskimo Hoax and reared in a kitchen in Selly Oak to a soundtrack of Wolfgang Voigt, DJ Koze and Thomas Fehlmann, are Worcestershire duo Pocket House.

Whilst they are no strangers to Oxford's Blessing Force collective - Dom is the drummer for Jonquil and Andrew plays live for our beloved Trophy Wife - of which they will inevitably be compared, it's the delicate little flourishes, samples and electronic touches that I find so endearing.

Exemplified perfectly in the four minutes and thirteen seconds of Pops.

Pocket House - Pops

Hits The Spot: Loves Eternal Odyssey

We first shone a light on Abe a while ago, and today the torch burns in their direction again with this remix of How To Dress Well's Can't See My Own Face.

As influenced-admirers of Tom Krell's softly-softly approach, Abe delicately re-direct his bedroom R 'n' B deeper into late night Benzo oblivion; opting not to alter the arrangement dramatically, they simply stretch the original out, introducing extended and re-worked 'tro's and a little of the warped 90's soul sound they're quickly establishing as their own.

Lifting an already fragile vocal, it's re-laid loosely over loops old and new with a second-hand stickiness that leaves it sounding barely there, curled up at the edges, close to losing it's grip on a residual reality...

What the fuck am I talking about? What does that even mean? I'll tell you: nothing. You can make your own minds up, you don't need me chatting sixth-form shit @ U.

How To Dress Well - Can't See My Own Face (Abe Remix)

In Motion: A Broken Bow

Evryone - Flamingos (dir. Entrepreneurs)

So then 2011, let's be having you. My first proper post of the year and it's a veritable IT love-in.

After introducing the wonderfully eccentric Evryone to the blog world back in August of last year, it seems fair that we offer the exclusive drop of the video for their début single Flamingos.

Such news would bring a smile to my face even at the worst of times, but that smile quickly turned to a grin once I heard that the video is directed by the ever multi-faceted Entrepreneurs, of whom I'm expecting a big year ahead.

Done.

3 TODAY

The blog has been running for 3 years today. Happy Birthday to us and Happy New Year to you.

In Motion: Fine Lines

Breton - December (dir. bretonLABS)

Check out the fresh video for December, taken from their aforementioned Counter Balance EP on Hemlock Recordings. Whilst it's buffering, cop the 12" from Pure Groove or the digital package from 7Digital.

In Motion: No One Said

Dave.I.D - Only Me I Can Save (dir. Simon Owens)

We all know that I love a bit of Dave.I.D, so obviously I'm more than happy to share the news that he'll be releasing his Gangs EP on 31st January 2011, of which the above track is taken.

As usual it will be out on his own Off The Uncertain Button imprint, which has teamed up with K7! since his last release, and if you want to brave the current mind fuck that is Myspace you can hear the EP in its entirety here.

He'll also be performing some secret shows in London in the coming weeks as well as finishing up on preperations for his debut album.

Hype: The Centre Of My World

It's a marathon, not a sprint she says.

It's a grind I think.

I don't have the puff I think.

With a last gasp I catch Abe, draw it in deep, fill my sails with it.

And the horizon burns bright her finish line.

This is beautiful I think.

Abe - Think Of More