The Best Kaiser Chiefs Song of, like, Ever

No, I don’t have it… yet, anyway. However, Kaiser Chief drummer Nick Hodgson tells XFM that they are “going to record (new songs) and then put them out” separately because “albums are a bit boring at the moment,” but they will “consider that later”, he then goes to say, “I honestly think it’s our best song ever, but I’m not going to tell you what it’s called. I’m really excited about the new ones because everyone who’s heard them, basically in our crew, are going on about them and saying they’re the best ones we’ve ever done… which is good.”

Hmm, albums are boring? I beg to differ. Maybe he meant Kaiser Chief albums are boring… lazy hooks and shallow melodies don’t really float my boat. They will never match the Arctic Monkeys’ or Blur’s precision and observing storytelling edge. Even still, is a complete, coherent album too much to ask for?

MP3 | Kaiser Chiefs vs Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You’d Look Good In A Riot

Arctic Monkeys B-Sides and Rarities Project

The goal of this series of posts is fairly simple, I am going to write a post about all of the Arctic Monkeys B-Sides, Non-Album Tracks, and other rarities. I have no clue how long this will take, or even if I will finish it, but it should be a fun ride. Why the Arctic Monkeys? Well, I have been a huge fan of the Arctics since, well, they were forced into my life back in 2004, and I am quite familiar with their music, albums and other mediums.

“When The Sun Goes Down” (aka Scummy Man) gets credit as one of the Arctic’s signature songs. Of course, after “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” got annoying, non-fans jump on “Scummy Man” as if on autopilot. With good reason too, Scummy is the only true three-dimensional song on Whatever… and illustrates prolific storytelling swamped between extraordinary meat’n'potatoes guitars.

While a standout single, “7″, a b-side on the When The Sun Goes Down EP, still stands as one of the Arctic Monkeys’ best non-album tracks to date. The track has Alex Turner’s signature teen awkward expertise written all over it, even down to the la la la’s. Alex spits witty I want you now‘s over raw jumpy guitars. This song is pretty damn near perfect for any twentysomething year old (or 19 year old in Turner’s case) feeling that initial attraction clumsiness: “Well I’m looking and you kept staring/ Your thoughts bearing up with mine/ And when you’re so pretty and I’m so shy/ You probably didn’t give me the eye but I’m sure you did.”

MP3 | Arctic Monkeys – 7 (from ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ EP )

Amy Winehouse – Monkey Man

Thank Jebus Amy Winehouse is as good as all this hype says she is! By passing the trainwreck alert, judge Amy for her prolific musical talent and not her cruising personal life. She’s not fucking Britney Spears, she actually has something going for her.

Catch her fantastic cover of Toots and Maytal’s of “Monkey Man” as performed at G-A-Y.

MP3 | Amy Winehouse – Monkey Man

Monday Morning Sonic Tonic #1

Don’t we all love your New Yorker Music Sluts? They have a little ol’ blog segment called MMM (Monday MP3 Madness), and its simply divine! I will do my best to mimic them, just kidding, but I will offer some amazing music every Monday morning to sober out you naughty weekend party-goers. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, you party, mess yourselves up, I clean up the mess with some homemade sonic tonic.

MP3 | Mark Ronson ft. Phantom Planet – Just (Radiohead Cover) [Excellent!]
MP3 | Kate Nash – Nicest Thing
MP3 | New Young Pony Club – Get Lucky (MSTRKRFT Remix)
MP3 | Black Kids – Listen To Your Body Tonight
MP3 | Diplo ft. Daft Punk – Work Is Never Over [Amazing!]
MP3 | Arcade Fire & Bruce Springsteen – Keep the Car Running

PrettyMuchAmazing! Finds The Music!

• It’s Hard to Find a Friend reminds us why Sufjan Steven makes our hearts flutter. Other than the fact he’s indie’s pretty boy.
  MP3 | Sufjan Stevens – I Went Dancing With My Sister
• The Official In Rainbows artwork has been revealed. I really like the fanart a whole lot more.
• The MP3 Blog Reinvented: Now with royalties and stuff… sigh.
• The World Forgot and Their Weekend With Weezer
• Good Weather For Airstrikes has an amazing remix of Bloc Party’s “Flux”. Thank you!
  MP3 | Bloc Party – Flux (JFK Remix)
• Some vintage !tashed, sorta.
  MP3 | Amy Winehouse vs Peter Bjorn & John – Young Folks In Rehab

Bloc Party On Third Studio Album

Right before playing at The Big Top in the Pheonix Park, Bloc Party Frontman, Kele Okereke sat down with Hotpress and talked about Bloc Party’s third long player.

“I guess if A Weekend In The City was a record about complaining about going out, this record will be concerned with intimacy and human relationships,” Kele explained. “It will be about interior spaces, thoughts and desires. It won’t be personal in the sense of being autobiographical, but personal in the sense of asking what is desire, and trying to explain how the mind justifies itself.” More on the album and Kele’s blunt views on LCD Soundsystem and Radiohead when the new issue of Hotpress hits newsstands 11.29.07

MP3 | Bloc Party – Hero

Fe e ding/The_Machine/ V: radiohe_ad thumbs_down

As per all your emails, here are some mp3s from Radiohead’s thumbs_down webcast. It was quite amazing, you can catch the videos on youtube. Thanks to the Hype Machine and Stereogum for being so helpful in tracking these mp3s down.

MP3 | Radiohead – Unravel (Pocket Mix)
MP3 | Radiohead – Arpeggi In A Parking Lot (thumbs_down)
MP3 | Radiohead – Ceremony (thumbs_down)
MP3 | Radiohead – Faust Arp (thumbs_down)
MP3 | Radiohead – I Might Be Wrong (thumbs_down)
MP3 | Radiohead – Reckoner (thumbs_down)
MP3 | Radiohead – The Headmaster Ritual (thumbs_down)

The Coolest Daft Punk Flier Ever!

Those Japenese sure know how to promote their shows. This flier is so bad ass, just looking at it makes me want to go DaFunkFest, well, I guess the whole Daft
Punk thing might have something to do with it.

Oh how I would love to have one of those babies!

MP3 | Daft Punk – Digital Love

Fall Out Boy is in their “First Trimester”

Yes, Fall Out Boy front man blue-eyed soul man Patrick Stump told MTV that the band is in their “first trimester” stage of their 4th Studio album (3rd according to the band, the refuse to awknowledge Take This To Your Grave as an album). The band has also dismissed rumors that their “next album will not be a folk album”. Oh darn! Patrick Stump also denied any rumors about collaborating with labelmates Cobra Starship. Check out your hip-hopped out Fall Out Boy remix below:

MP3 | Fall Out Boy – Arms Race (Remix) ft. Kanye West, Travis from Gym
Class Heros, Tyga, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Wall, Skin Head Rob & Lil Wayne (holy crap!)

Arctic Monkeys Belittled By Leona Lewis

“X Factor” winner Leona Lewis might just smash the Arctic Monkey’s record for fastest selling debut album. Lewis’ album “Spirit” moved 130,000 units by Monday night, weekend projected sales exceed 400,000. That would squish the Arctic Monkey’s 363,735 units sold of “Whatever They Say I Am, Its What I’m Not” during its first week.

It seems Leona Lewis is the next big thing. Big is an understatement really. REALLY, REALLY. On Sunday she snatched the crown for the best-selling single of the year, as “Bleeding Love” chalked up total sales of 490,000.

Last month the track smashed the 2007 record for the most singles sold in a first week of release, with sales of 218,000.

Her debut single, “A Moment Like This”, broke records when it was downloaded 50,000 times in the first half hour on release last December and sold 600,000 copies in its first week.

MP3 | Arctic Monkeys – You Probably Couldn’t See For The Lights, But You Were Looking Straight At Me