The Sound of Arrows - Magic, out July 25th

The Sound of Arrows continue their quest to make mini-movies, rather than simple music videos, with the wondrous four-minute story of Magic.

In a world whose adult inhabitants have vanished, we see events through childlike eyes as Lucas and Ana do the things normal kids might do - trash some stuff, raid the shops, and write a message in a bottle ("Mama and Papa, wherever you are, we are safe.").

Watch the video for the fairly astounding last two minutes of Magic - and try to make some sense of it for yourself. I found it strangely moving and very uplifting.


That's not all - because we're so generous, you can also check out the Chad Valley remix of Magic below. It's quite different from the original, but if nothing else it's a chance to work out some of the lyrics that aren't so easy to hear on the single version.



Head over to the The Sound of Arrows SoundCloud page to download the remix for free.

The single release of Magic is due out on July 25th.

Japanese Voyeurs - Yolk

This is certainly not a week for the faint-hearted, as Japanese Voyeurs follow up the recent single release of Cry Baby with their new album, Yolk.

Prepare to make the neighbours complain as you crank up the volume and blast out some original but very traditional hard rock - a dozen songs of big riffs, crashing drums and snarling vocals.

It's little wonder that Yolk is claiming its territory in some corners of the online music community - Japanese Voyeurs are hard to ignore, to say the very least. Look out for more single releases in the months to come, as this is one of those albums where any one track could hold its own without the support of its tracklist neighbours.

Ganglians - Free Track 'Sleep' and Tour Details

Ganglians fans will be counting the days until September 17th and the start of the group's European autumn tour.

Kicking off in the Netherlands, the tour lands in the UK on September 18th for two nights, returning on the 26th for a further four.

In honour of the upcoming tour - and ahead of the August 29th release of Ganglians' album Still Living - the track Sleep has been made available to stream and download for free online.

You can preview it below, or head over to Soundcloud for the free download.



UK Tour Dates:
Sep 18th: Split Festival, Sunderland
Sep 19th: Night and Day, Manchester
Sep 26th: Harley, Sheffield
Sep 27th: Nice 'N Sleazy, Glasgow
Sep 29th: Corsica Studios, London
Sep 30th: Prince Albert, Brighton

Moon Duo - Fallout

Moon Duo's new single Fallout might not be at the top of the charts, one week on from its July 4th release date, but that doesn't mean so much these days. Downloads have changed everything, with songs like Aloe Blacc's I Need A Dollar and Adele's Someone Like You sticking around in the Top 40 for weeks, and weeks, and weeks.

It's the age of the slow burner, so it would be great to see Fallout make its way up the rankings over the weeks to come - Moon Duo's album Mazes already has its place in the Popsiculture CD collection so we'll be keeping an eye on this one.

You can do your bit to get Fallout to its well deserved place in the UK singles chart by heading over to iTunes for a sneaky download - at over five and a half minutes long, it's definitely value for money.

The Joy of SFX

I love sound effects. From the rumbling bass of an airborne Terminator appearing over the horizon, to the shrill wheels-on-tarmac squeal of a Transformer as it adopts vehicle form, the SFX have made some recent action movies into more than they would otherwise have been.

But there's an important element in this love affair that deserves closer attention, and the Logitech Z-5500 speakers pictured top-left of this post are a clue to what it is. I'm talking about surround sound.

All the SFX in the world couldn't help a movie out if it weren't for the ability to place them in a realistic direction from the viewer - or listener, in the case of the audio. And while so many people overlook the quality of the soundtrack to a movie, for me it's an integral part of the experience.

Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

Patrick Wolf has succeeded in a rare feat, producing on his new album Lupercalia two songs that I'll listen to for the rest of my life.

Since its single release earlier in the year, The City has been an essential component in my weekend preparations, at once an upbeat anthem and an emotional appeal.

Now I have Armistice to carry me through my contemplative times - a genuinely astonishing, subtle yet soaring anthem for anyone who ever felt alone.

Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island

I've been hanging on to Chad VanGaalen's new release Diaper Island all week and only just got around to writing this review. If you haven't heard it yet, I highly recommend you track down a copy or download a track or two from iTunes.

Diaper Island is definitely one for the grown-ups, with a lo-fi sound reminiscent of the late 60s and early 70s that, for once, seems thoroughly intended. This is no copycat production hanging off the coattails of the glory days; many of the tracks are innovative while containing the kinds of lingering musical strains you might hear on a Hawkwind LP.

Thomas Tantrum live at Night and Day, Manchester, June 11th 2011

Thomas Tantrum, fronted by the eponymous Megan Thomas, released their second album Mad By Moonlight this weekend and the select few discerning enough to be at Night and Day in Manchester on Saturday night were among the first with the chance to get their hands on it.

We reviewed the album at the start of the month and headed down to the venue to see if the Southampton group's live performance could live up to the 85 per cent Mad By Moonlight scored in our assessment.

127 Hours, True Grit, The Fighter, The Adjustment Bureau: June DVD & Blu-ray Round Up

June 6th

127 Hours was the movie Danny Boyle made after his surprise success with Slumdog Millionaire meant that he had the freedom to do as he pleased. An unusual choice perhaps, Boyle didn't take the studio's dollar and make the overblown epic of his dreams (it's hard to truly believe Boyle has such dreams), instead he decided to film the unfilmable true-story of Aron Ralston, a rather arrogant and unlikeable rock climber, forced to reassess his whole attitude to life when a climbing accident leaves him pinned under a boulder for the titular 127 hours.

127 Hours is an uncomfortable watch, it is meant to be. The crucial scene, which most will probably know of, but which I won't give away for those who don't, is near-unbearable, and will have even hardened horror fans squirming in their seats. But helmed by a filmmaker at the top at the very top of his game, and featuring a tour-de-force performance from James Franco as Ralston, this the film is far more than a single gruesome set piece, addressing themes of hubris, hope and redemption.

Thomas Tantrum - Mad By Moonlight, out June 12th

Thomas Tantrum's second album is a delightful devil-may-care collection from the Southampton indie-popsters.

Megan Thomas throws away character-filled vocals like they were pennies into a wishing well, at once a collision of carefully judged drawl and instinctual departure from anything you could write down as sheet music.

It's a mature and self-assured performance that provides a lyrical pivot point around which the backing vocals and instrumanetal support can spin and soar.