The Walkmen - Pussy Cats

Rating:7/10
Modern Music Review
Garage Rock
Fresh from releasing their third album, A Hundred Miles Off, in May, the Walkmen
are showing no signs of fatigue.It's recreating of Harry Nilsson's delicious "Pussy Cats" (1974) which was produced by John Lennon.Coming along with Walkmen,this sounds funnier than the original one.

A perfect cover of "Many Rivers To Cross" shows the character of this breathtaking band.
Hamilton Leithauser uses his dominant voice without seperating his infleunces (Tom Waits,Velvet Underground). They really love noise but not unintelligibly,Noise in their music really fits with the ferocious vocals."Subterranean Homesick Blues" an insane melody,"Don't Forget Me" king of sorrow,"All My Life" my favorite cover of this album and also it's a very nostalgic tune,it was the strongest at Nilsson's record."Black Sails" impress you easly,shot you down with its deep vocals,dark pianos.

"There was no real plan. It just sounded like a really fun idea," said Walkman Walt Martin."We decided what we wanted is do it pretty fast so it would stay fun the whole time, and we got lucky somehow and were able to do it fast. It never got to where it was a real drag. It was fun the whole time, somehow."

They had always loved "Pussy Cats"-- listening to it almost incessantly in their travels together and feeling something mysterious and magical with each listen. In a great, hilarious and rollicking way the album expresses feelings about musical and personal camaraderie that hit very close to the hearts of the Walkmen.I can recommend the original version of "Pussy Cats" too.This cover album is messy and it's what we used to listen from the Walkmen.Shut up!It's a great record!
For how this cover idea crashed into their head read at Pitchfork.
MM picks:All My Life
Listen:Don't Forget Me, Many Rivers to Cross
The Walkmen official website

Promis - Promis

Underground Archive
Modern Music Review
'Old world European cabaret meets new world meets pop, dance and electronica.'
It's time to feel the melancholia in your body with singer/songwriter Jose Promis' the debut album.Mostly his music influenced by Jacques Brel,Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen.
In Fall 2005 his music was featured in the award winning musical Night Of The Black Cat, winner of the 2005 L.A. Music Award for Best Staged Musical, at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, and in early 2006 he self-released his first album,titled Promis.

Album opening "Burned by the sun" and the following songs "Under the Stars","Barfly" are three drunken piano oriented melodies."Delusions of Grandeur" is a stylish accordion weighted nostalgic melody.Thus far,it's a musical banquet for people in love with nostalgia.Sorrowful side of album never dissapears.It's possible to hear the same melancholy in electronic songs(It's a Fire,Rust).The Essence of Promis appears in songs like "When Lovers Get Bored","The Street","Wind Up a Song".

'I should have been more discreet,But I couldn’t help my heart beat,The promise in your smile was too sweet.'Lyrics from The streets.

"When Lovers Get Bored" keeps giddy vocals,slow killer melodies.Altough there are spotty vocals in songs "Could This Be Our Time?","It's a fire","barfly" but combination vocals with effective pianos are plainly worth to listen.The best vocal performance you hear near to go(Wind Up a Song)!This song brings the whole talent of songwriter Jose Promis,including the best lyrics and flying pianos."Rust" is a good-chosen closing song,it's walking around with its electronic beats.This debut seems it's tired of being punished by pain of love.Mostly it's placed in the middle of love stories.
MM picks:When Lovers Get Bored,Wind Up a Song
Promise Page

Tyrannosaurus Rex - T.rex

Modern Music classics
'Thank you, friends
I rejoice to the skies
Dear ones like you do the best I do.'
Thanks to the creative direction of guitarist/vocalist Marc Bolan (born Marc Feld).

It's quite heartfelt to thank you Marc Bolan with Big Star lyrics.If you ask me which albums don't get old?The fifth T. Rex album would be one of them(and though it was the first on which the act was billed as "T. Rex" (1970) rather than Tyrannosaurus Rex).T.rex ,a legend,Gleeful,sometimes very theatrical,sometimes a great fun.

Most of the previous Tyrannosaurus Rex albums had actually done pretty well on the British LP charts, but here Bolan made a determined move away from the cult hippie audience and toward a younger pop/rock one, simultaneously steering away from psychedelic acoustic folk-rock and toward a harder sound with electric guitars.Jewel,The Visit are way to hear amazing Marc Bolan vocals.You can't even impersonate his musical taste.I can't stop because "Root Of Star" is too much for me,Brilliant!"Beltane Walk" cheerful obsessed melody,"Is It Love" is a stylish which is a T.rex hit and one of his most contagiously underrated compositions ever.It never ends,
'we're gonna rock,is it love?Music of love?I know this sudden electric guitars solos
will kill me someday!Because the sound of T.rex is really changing life.

Don't get excited!Because you haven't listened "Summer Deep","The Wizard","Ride A White Swan" yet.'One day she came like a seagul woman!'Honestly this album is the classic of my heart.'Love you,Oh girl I do,Love you.' these lyrics from an acustic enchanting son "Suneye".So don't go to bed without listening this 1970 made T. Rex classic.

Listen this Weekend

You should put one of this songs to your playlist at least.
1.Grizzly Bear - Knife
2.Band of horses - The Great Salt Lake
3.Sleepy jackson - Devil Was In My Yard
4.The Decemberists - o Valencia
5.Lloyd Cole - Travelling Light
6.Smiths - I know it's over (Flashback!)
7.Arab Strap - Rocket, Take Your Turn
8.Robyn Hitchcock - Adventure Rocket Ship
9.Killers - When You Were Young
10.Bluetones - My Neighbour's House

As you see i put a Smiths song which is one the most romantic song of them.Grizzly Bear is our number one this week but i've been spending my whole time with Robyn's fresh record,for more Robyn Hitchock here.Also Beck's "Elevator Music" didn't appear in this chart but you may like it.You can find too many singles of The smiths at Instrumental Analysis.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus Three - Ole! Tarantula

Rating:10/10
Modern Music Review
Robyn Hitchcock is one of England's most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers, although he's been branded eccentric and quirky during the course of his long
career.

'A flawless return to garage rock.'
I know you Modern Music readers love to read warm reviews in here. I want to thank all of you who have mailed to encourage me to write more comments about the most charming music. Today we have a very special artist with his new masterpiece. That's for sure it took a place
of my heart. Actually i don't know how to write because when i try to write about a great album
i lose myself but it isn't a bad minor, only about being openhearted. I love to be openhearted when the subject is music. I called it as a flawless return because everysong is harmonious,supplemental and sometimes bloody melodies sometimes little adorable.John Lennon style cute vocals,Syd Barrett lazy tunes, stylish The Byrds atmosphere, droll lyrics and quirky melodies. He still has got punk sprit but it isn't a punk record of course only he uses sometimes joyful melodies. Opening and closing songs are just amazing.

"Adventure Rocket Ship", "Underground Sun", "Museum Of Sex", "Ole! Tarantula", "N.Y. Doll" have their own aura. Lyrically, he's still obsessed with crabs, eggs, tomatoes, and things that are fleshy, furry, and spindly...that's reminded me legend Syd Barett and his photo with onions at his head. This shows this kind of musicians really understand the meaning of living. There are a lot of great thing around us but we only prefer to see money! You'll think i'm insane but you can even love a flower.

Emotions are more precious than everyting that money can buy! Feel "Ole! Tarantula" inside of you! It's one the important release of the year. Put a smile on your face listen these sadness melodies. Learn to happy with your weak sides so realize that you can't be perfect. Oh wait,my fav. song is playing "N.Y. Doll" it's time to say goodbye.

MM picks:Adventure Rocket Ship, Museum Of Sex, N.Y. Doll
Robyn Hitchcock Home Page

Arab Strap - Ten Years Of Years

Rating:8.8/10
Modern Music Review
'Double sadness,double bliss'
The band felt it had "run its course" by fall 2006, as an official announcement was made of their disbandment. They issued the farewell, quasi-greatest-hits compilation Ten Years of Tears that November and embarked on a final U.K. tour before calling it a day.Maybe it won't be an Arab Strap album in future but we should know how to content oneself with what we've got.So we've the "Ten Years of Tears" (2006) --a great compilation of Arab Strap.

Burning your soul -- of course it depends instrumental outfits,mostly tiny glitters,opaque lyrics.
Atmospheric sound all the time.Slow-fast contradictory song Turbulence (A radically altered version of the final track from The Red Thread by the sadly missed Bis) which is one of the best
Arab Strap work and it really fits its meaning a real irregular atmospheric motion.Indie pop
absorbed by violin tunes (the shy retirer).Live version of Glided,Blood are worth to listen
without fail.Rogue version of "if there's no hope for us" is the sexiest one electronic sizzles combines with real instruments and the result is totally amazing.A pure closing song "There Is No Ending"-Also 'It's a heartache nothing but a heartache' a Bonnie Tyler cover. These are my picks but i'm sure you'll find your own special souces in this limpid record.

"Ten Years of Tears" doesn't leave its core actually it's totally slowcore.
if you love to drink slowly then i know your rising band,it's Arab Strap.Lethal experience!
MM picks:Turbulence,the shy retirer,blood (live)
You may also Like:
The Black Heart Procession,Mogwai,The For Carnation
Official Arab Strap

The Killers - Sam's Town

Modern Music Review
Rating:7/10
Flood and Alan Moulder handled production for the popular Las Vegas band's second album.

Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitar), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums) took the fashionista pop world by storm in summer 2004 with
"Somebody Told Me." The perfectly stylish song pulls from the band's influences --the Smiths, New Order, Oasis, and the Cure -- and it was just enough to get them on MTV.

Opening with title song Sam's Town which is a perfect start including determined vocals and different sound waves. It really shows that their music is growing. The different colors are dancing in the skies, fireworks running around, higher above the clouds (When You Were Young). A bit piano(Exitlude), a bit violin(Sam's Town) and marked guitar noises at the center. They also embrace some kind of metropol rock in their record. Close your eyes for escape exhausting lights of the city and listen (When You Were Young).

'Every time it tries to get real, it only winds up sounding fake, which means it's the
quintessential Vegas rock album from the quintessential Vegas rock band.'Amg

In fact i hadn't liked Hot Fuss (2004) which includes short lived songs commonly. Sam's Town
maybe kicks Hot Fuss, oh not maybe it truly kicks but it's not perfect too. Sometimes it turns
a kind of tiring air [Bling (Confessions Of A King)]. Still "Sam's Town" rescues the circumstance with the willing sound of it (For Reasons Unknown). We know that songs of these kind of band
(Muse,Strokes,Keane,Franz Ferdinand etc.) generally aren't durable. Because of the pop tunes. I hope this album ain't going to age and it'll be a way to love The killers.

It's not hard to pick the good songs (Bones,Why Do I Keep Counting?), but there are superfluous efforts in Sam's Town (Uncle Jonny,My List,Read My Mind). If you love sophisticated places, you'll have a couple nice word about this fresh bread.
Style:Alternative Pop/ Rock
MM picks:Sam's Town,When You Were Young,Bones,Why Do I Keep Counting?
Listen:When You Were Young
Official The Killers
You may also like:
Interpol - Antics

Bluetones - The Bluetones

Rating:5.5/10
Modern Music Review
I used to love Bluetones because it would be a big lie saying Expecting to Fly" (1996) and "Science & Nature"(2000) are good for nothing.They're quite great britpop albums with the hits "Bluetonic","The basement song","Talking to Clarry","Slight Return" and more addictive songs.Bluetones' the most dazzling side is evidently their bland Stone Roses,Beatles infleunced guitar enterprises.They Reunited with producer Hugh Jones ‘My Neighbours House’ sees The Bluetones back to the sounds of their classic debut ‘Expecting To Fly’ and its follow-up ‘Return To The Last Chance Saloon’.

"The Bluetones" (2006) is a quite melodic release but i should say, i'm looking for the later
strong Bluetones guitars now.It sounds quite poppy.I know they're also britpopband but "The Bluetones" sounds a little commercial too.Opening with three good pop melody following that some nonsensical songs.

I always want to listen good sides of the albums.On the other hand,i don't avoid saying weak sides of them.So if it's a bad record,i definetly don't give a shit even if they're too famous like Audioslave,Rolling Stones or U2 and i wanna say their last releases are big shit.

First three work "Surrendered","Baby, Back Up","Hope and Jump" so energic and Cheerful sunny melodies but it's hard to say the same things for the duration."My Neighbour's House" which is the brand new single proves they're still playing in their British Trad Rock garden.
They'd drizzled some slow songs to the album but they haven't got any colour,they sound usually common.However this new Lp includes ordinarily apparent songs.

You should listen "The Bluetones" if you're a fan but if this is your first meet with their music, start with "Expecting to Fly" (1996).
MM picks:Surrendered,Head On A Spike
Listen:Surrendered, Fade In/Fade Out
Official Bluetones Site
You may also like:
Supergrass - I should coco

The Smiths

The Smiths were the definitive British indie rock band of the '80s, marking the end of synth-driven new wave and the beginning of the guitar rock that dominated English rock into the '90s. Sonically, the group were indebted to the British Invasion, crafting ringing, melodic three-minute pop singles, even for their album tracks. But their scope was far broader than that of a revivalist band.
The Smiths are, or were, Mike Joyce, Johnny Marr, Stephen Morrissey and Andy Rourke.
In an intense 5 years Between 1983 and 1987 The Smiths released almost 20 singles and
7 albums, and are recognised by the critics as one of the most significant bands of
the 1980's. It is difficult to believe that Morrissey has been a solo artist longer
than 2 lifetimes of The Smiths, but his impact on the music industry declined significantly
after 1987.Here is a good History of the Smiths.
'don't forget the songs that made you smile,And the songs that made you cry!'
Smiths Albums:
The Smiths
Meat Is Murder
The Queen Is Dead (Don't miss out this masterpiece!)
Strangeways, Here We Come
Louder than Bombs