vamos

Just presumed it'd be a good, solid DiS inclusion as it's occurred in lots of those posts on the Music board about 2010 best albums.

Plus - quite obviously - I like it...

Seriously?

That's nuts.

If I so much as see a whiff of Weezer or Warpaint or anyone else beginning with a W taking it's place, I'm not going to be happy.

I REALLY hope they get great again soon.

My thoughts pretty much exactly, though I quite like 'Undertow' actually vocal-wise.

Spot on about The Organ too.

Your writing is very good. Also, to add to the Essex love, Underworld's new album is sort of about 'Barking'.

It's the place to be.

I may have to buy this now...

I remembered at the time he hated it. But it didn't bother me one bit as it was a funny caning plus he generally likes all the stuff I personally don't so expected no less.

I'd miss his input, be it stupidly opinionated or not. Anyhow, this is out TODAY people, so get buying.

But I just presumed you'd downloaded the wrong one as you said it was all folky? Plus, you didn't ever finish it off, so that opinion became null and void.

However, the fact my Last FM tells me that I've listened to it 40+ times in a fortnight bodes well...

I consume more music than ever now, but find I don't 'love' it like I used to. I wondered at first if this was due to my age, but don't think it is as I genuinely loathe most of the records I bought in the 90s and far prefer much of what I have bought in the last 5 years or so.

I do think a part of it comes down to listening to music beforehand on a record player or CD player with the booklet in hand; whereas now it's something I fit in around other stuff.

But I can honestly say that whilst I don't actively leap around at gigs anymore or get so obsessed with being at a record shop at 9am, I love music more than ever in the 2010s.

Music will find a way to stay relevant and profitable I'd hazard a guess at. But people who have no interest in it at the top or else music makers unwilling to do it all themselves to bring home the bacon might struggle I reckon.

As much as I love them, and spent a wonderful hour in conversation with Karl Hyde this week for this site, this is probably their weakest album to date. The Underworld bits are great, like 'Bird1' and 'Hamburg hotel', but the lead tracks which will be singles just don't have that mystique to them which made the band so different from their pretenders to the throne.

It's doubly painful because early versions of these tracks played live over the last 4 years hinted that it'd be a stonkingly great return to form, and I fear these remixers, years in development and collaborators have lost some of that early promise.

But fair play to them for trying something different, even if it's not (all) to my taste. And I'm pretty sure they'll return with something great once again before you know it...

Sweet Lord, it's rather decent.

That's why I added the line about new material taking time to bed in, as I know I could look back on this setlist as a thing of beauty. But I've had 'Downpipe' and 'Scribble' for months now and neither would be in my top 40 Underworld tracks.

And I take your point entirely about following Rez / Cowgirl with a new tune. Which is why I was so surprised to find 'Bird1' quite as interesting as I did. I have high hopes for that one.

I was also a little way back so perhaps didn't get the full party crowd atmosphere that you did, it's just that having seen the band 7 times before and knowing how great they CAN be, it felt like Saturday night's show was a mere taste of what they're capable of. Not helped by the lack of visuals at times or bright lighting for the TV cameras admittedly...

Sums up that transitional phase of seeing a band you love 'grow' perfectly.

I shall rectify this.

That I hung around after this interview to see the band and that they are terrific live. Great fun and great musicians.

Highly worth seeking them out.

Dyer know what I mean >>>>> Gas Panic > Fuckin' in the bushes > Songbird

That lead single off the third record is my favourite Oasis song ever. By a quite considerable margin.

I'd have written the almost exact same review, but I enjoyed the middle part of Liars set when they played the stuff off the self-titled record and would have given them a 5 or 6. But they were painfully below par and almost castrated of what made them so vital in the past.

I'm not sure where they go from here, but despite their new stuff being great on record, it fails in the live arena due to the records lacking the 'flow' and space of the 2nd and 3rd albums. It felt like a very average 'Best of' set by a garage rock band alas.

Largely because I agree with your views on every track and the album as a whole.

It's bookended with 2 belters and is an insanely catchy listen but never really comes close to being a classic. A great listen and one I'll likely still listen to (at least bits of) in years to come, but I think it's a 7/10 if ever I heard one.

Pretty much agree with all of that James, though I'm not quite as madly keen on the closing track as you are or 'Lemonworld', which sounds a bit like a rehashed 'Slow show' to me (though it has grown on me). Otherwise, with you all the way.

One of the 3 best of the year already.

But the one on there isn't on here alas.

I do love The Juan Maclean

This new one runs both close though. It's a(nother) really great record.

Other than maybe The XX?

I'd just want my travel expenses backdated in return for that one...

I know what you mean about sounding heavily like every other shoegaze band, but once you get past that production style then they have their own unique attributes. It's a bit like how Urusei Yatsura and Seafood were essentially more 'tuneful' versions of Pavement or Sonic Youth.

Like the review format too.

http://www.7digital.com/artists/emma-pollock/the-law-of-large-numbers/

Though you won't get the nice artwork.

You can also download one of the best songs for free to get a taste of whether or not it's for you...

B-B-B-B-B-B-Bonkers?

1) Most indie fans loved 'Overload' for being independent and not marketed. And 'Freak like me' for referencing Gary Numan.

2) They aren't conventionally attractive and slutty, hence meaning that most of the folk who dwell in 'indiedom' would prefer them for having slightly pixie-esque features, a tattoo or a loose-fitting cardigan.

3) I created an equation where I proved as much involving the all important variable factors of 'tunes, height of boots and reader's sense of humour'. Fortunately due to a change in National Curriculum test paper marking I wasn't required to show my working...

I really really love this band.

Anyone know if is it worth getting the super-expensive version of the album for the remixes? Are they much cop?

so that I could show all you non-believers just how great pop music 'can' be.

Sadly, this record has done nothing to aid my argument...

Glad I pre-ordered this now. I shall look forward to it immensely.

Nah, not really. Great piece...

WHOEVER YOU ARE

That link reckons that Reese Witherspoon is now the highest paid actress on the planet.

What kind of a crazy world do we live in??!?!

And agree with you about already standing a good shot at album of the year.

In fact, I reckon Hot Chip, These New Puritans, Four Tet and GSHeron would all have been higher up in my chart from last year than all but 3 records I bought.

Want me to do a 3,000 word piece on why the last Rihanna album was a stonking record hidden under the facade of a truly terrible one?

After the initial few listens, other than the opening trio and 'Reversing' I was a bit undecided too as to how much of a departure it is - hence my comments about his 'ownable sound'; I think it's hard to hear past it sometimes.

But then after a second week of listening the second half of the record started to come into it's own and grow on me; usually the sign of a good long-term LP I reckon.

Maybe I'm slightly biased as this is pretty much what I wanted from a new Four Tet record. A refinement of his sound that had more of a nod to his more brash, electronic side as opposed to a revolution, taking in some of his past 4 years worth of experimentation.

I certainly wrangled over how gushing to be as I think 8s and 9s are given away far too readily in the modern age. But so far it's the best record I've heard this year and I've never felt the need to give a 9 to anything before...