It’s late on in 2010, but four Mancunian students are making a quick break from the underground electro/indie scene, under the moniker of Egyptian Hip Hop. Some Reptiles Developed Wings is a four track EP released by the quartet who’ve been very much at the helm of the indie radar all over the UK in the last few months.

They’ve seen every single small stage and tent at festivals across Europe during the summer, taking with them a growing fanbase to which they now present their debut EP.

Opening with the synth heavy ‘Moon Crooner’ the track sounds like something the 80s threw out, vocalist Alexander Hewett douses the track with his lazy, teenage boy vocals that give the band their unique selling point. “I won’t play around/I won’t let you down/My Girl” sings Hewett, making this somewhat the ballad of the EP.

‘Rad Pitt’ follows suit in terms of Alex’s “I’ve-just-woken-up” vocals and seems to be the earliest known crowd favourite before the band started to get picked up by the blogosphere and respected journalists. This track, unlike the opener, puts the lead guitar into the limelight, delivering a twinkly sound reminiscent of Foals, The Maccabees and similar acts.

But fear not electro fans, it’s not all twee-pop as track three sounds like a Late Of The Pier B-side meets the futuristic stylings of early Klaxons remixed with Gary Numan. ‘Middle Name Period’ is the sole instrumental on Some Reptiles Developed Wings, delivering a captivating musical interlude into the closing track of the EP.

Concluding the EP is ‘Native’, which plays like a musical backdrop to a documentary about jungle exploration. It feels like a metaphor for the start of the journey Egyptian Hip Hop are about to embark on into the deep dark depths of the music industry.

It’s a huge release for the boys and although lacking debut single ‘Wild Human Child’, a track which illustrates the funkier side of the band, this is an essential EP for anyone who takes even a passing interest in Egyptian Hip Hop or experimental music.

8/10

Digitally released September 20th 2010 via Moshi Moshi.

For fans of Late Of The Pier/Klaxons/Foals

Canadian legends Arcade Fire celebrated the release of their highly anticipated album, The Suburbs, on August 2nd with a concert at the Mann Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was lucky enough to be in attendance for a show I’ll never forget.

Opening act Spoon delivered a fairly solid set opening with ‘Black Like Me’ from Ga Ga Ga Ga and closing with ‘Jonathon Fisk’. It was slightly disappointing that the majority of the thousands of fans attending the concert hadn’t even found their seats by the time Spoon’s set was over, yet this is to be somewhat expected when opening for a band such as Arcade Fire, whose iconic image surpasses that of Spoon and most other artists right now.

As soon as Arcade Fire hit the stage the crowd excitedly rose from their seats in anticipation. Opening with ‘Ready to Start’, which is taken from the new album, could have been risky if the crowd hadn’t already been somewhat acquainted to the song, with many fans even belting out the lyrics. The song ending with the ever so fitting phrase “Now I’m ready” which seemed fitting as the band and crowd were definitely ready for what was to come during the rest of the night.

Following with ‘Neighborhood #2′ from Funeral and ‘No Cars Go’ from Neon Bible, the band then moved on to an amazing, standout performance of ‘Haiti,’ fronted by Régine Chassagne, who energetically held the stage. As the set progressed Win Butler announced simply “This is a song by Jay Reatard” followed by the band blasting out their rendition of the late Jay Reatard’s song, ‘Oh, It’s Such a Shame’, delivering it in a way which dramatically transformed it into their own.

Returning for an encore the band began with ‘Neighborhood #1 (tunnels)’ followed by ‘Modern Man’ from The Suburbs before concluding with the most breathtaking performance of the night ‘Wake Up’. As the classic anthem began the reaction of the crowd was astounding, all those in attendance began belting out the lyrics and dancing along with the band, making for absolutely breathtaking atmosphere. It was a truly moving, powerful performance which proved the band had surpassed all expectations, delivering what may have been the perfect live performance from a band truly reaching their prime.

Dot To Dot 2010 took place over the bank holiday weekend, heading to Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester. I stopped in at Nottingham to check out the wide range of artists and bands the festival had to offer.

The first act I ventured out to see were Chapel Club, the London based band offered up a brooding combination of synths and guitars. By the time the band took to the stage quite a crowd had gathered, the atmosphere seemed subdued and it appeared these guys lack a track or two to liven up a crowd. Comparisons with the likes of Editors, White Lies and even Coldplay (frontman Lewis Bowman has the look of a young Chris Martin circa ‘Yellow’) have been thrown around over the past few months; thankfully it seems Chapel Club have enough about them to step out of the shadows and offer up their own individual sound.

Washed Out followed Chapel Club on the Trent Uni main stage. Producer Ernest Greene, who goes by the Washed Out stage name, held a lonely figure on stage as he tweaked his way through the opening tracks. Thankfully Brooklyn based band Small Black took to the stage for the rest of the set and provided strength in depth to popular tracks ‘Belong’ and ‘New Theory’ with live drums, guitar and keyboards. Greene’s jovial mood and enthusiasm to engage with the audience ensured that by the time set ending track ‘Feel It All Around’ was in full flow the sombre crowd’s spirits and willingness to dance had been truly lifted.

Sadly I only managed to catch the end of what seemed to be a highly enjoyed set from Wild Beasts. The band finished on a high with popular single ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues’ and received a great reception from the crowd.

Ellie Goulding was surely lined up to be the show stealer at this years festival; a big position to fill for such a new artist. Thankfully hype is something Ms. Goulding must surely be used to by now and as she took to the Rock City main stage the beckoning crowd, which by this time had totally packed out the venue, seemed to pose no problem for the 23 year old as she launched in to her set. Playing new single ‘Guns & Horses’ near the beginning of her 45 minute slot Goulding left the crowd waiting with baited breath for sing-a-long singles ‘Under The Sheets’ and ‘Starry Eyed’, the latter of which receiving the biggest reception as the set’s final track. Backed up by her live band, Ellie commanded the stage with all the confidence of a veteran, mirroring the stage presence of more experienced female leads such as Hayley Williams of Paramore, a great spectacle from someone who’s debut single came out only 8 months ago. The addition of a single drum and cymbal played by Goulding added to the performance and offered up a little bit of something different.

After the amazing reception Ellie Goulding received Mystery Jets had a tough act to follow as they headed out on to the Rock City main stage as the headlining band. Unsurprisingly the boys from Eel Pie Island delivered emphatically, using the festival as a chance to preview a number of new tracks from their upcoming new album Seratonin. After most of the crowd dispersed following Ellie Goulding I was concerned they wouldn’t return, however come the set opener the crowd had returned in force to add their intoxicated chorus vocals to the likes of ‘Half In Love With Elizabeth’, ‘Two Doors Down’ and ‘Flakes’. New material, including album title track ‘Seratonin’ and the already previewed ‘Flash A Hungry Smile’, were well received and promise more of the same from Mystery Jets. The band themselves were in great spirits, William and Kai bounced around the stage throughout the set, enjoying themselves just as much as every fan inside the venue.

Next up were Manchester youngsters Egyptian Hip Hop at The Rescue Rooms. By the time the band had finished their soundcheck and took to the stage quite a crowd had gathered to see a band who have been receiving a large amount of press lately. Sadly the band seemed to lack the stage presence of some of their peers and seemed uneasy with themselves in front of such a large crowd. Some temporary sound issues seemed to hinder the band and gave pockets of the crowd an excuse to leave before the band found their feet for popular tracks ‘Wild Human Child’ and ‘Heavenly’.

Back at Rock City Jakwob was spinning his dubstep remixes of the likes of Ellie Goulding, Deadmau5 and more to an appreciative audience who were now in full flow each time the heavy bass beat dropped and shook the room. This was too much for Zane Lowe to follow, who couldn’t offer up the same high standard with his somewhat dated drum & bass sound. For a man who provides the country with so much new music on a weekly basis it seems his DJ set lacked that killer edge Jakwob had just provided the crowd.

Overall Dot To Dot 2010 was a huge success. There were no late acts and I didn’t spot a single queue all day. Over it’s six year existence Dot To Dot has made it’s name offering a wide range of different sounds; this year’s festival continued that tradition, offering a different experience to each individual depending on where you headed to throughout the day.

The world islet refers to a very small island with minimal vegetation and no wildlife. The band Islet is certainly none of these things, being as far away from the word small as you could possibly imagine. Their sound is huge, and it challenges you with something new around every corner, the only problem being that there isn’t much you can say to actually describe Islet’s sound.

Many of the Islet descriptions around the web all seem to head in a similar direction, proclaiming things like “Islet shuns the web” and “They don’t even have a Myspace” and that “They evade all description possible”. While all of these things may or may not be true, it doesn’t necessarily seem to be hurting Islet much at all. Islet hails from Cardiff in the UK, and chances are their music is going to catch you so off guard you won’t know what the hell hit you.

The six track ‘mini-album’ clocks in at just under a half-hour long, and it’s bursting with energy from end to end. The opening track ‘We Shall Visit’ starts off sounding like you’re in the middle of a jungle somewhere participating in a ritualistic ceremony, being huddled around the fire while summoning the gods above you. In other words, it sounds like the music you would hear in a tribal gathering. The use of the tom toms and the click-clack of the rim hits work wonders for that primitive sound, not to mention all the subtle little chants and yelps you can hear in the background. There are even some crazy whistling sound effects that bring the song to an end.

Immediately you’re throw into the next track, the ground shaking ‘Iris’. This track features some noisy guitar work, and strangely enough, they actually manage to work a sort of ‘solo’ into the madness. I’m not sure if that’s what you’d want to call it, but the bass and guitar go at it together and bring the noise full force, all on top of the relentless crash of the cymbal.

The following track ‘One of These Worlds’ is dominated by a pulsating bass line throughout, and it all transforms into this huge, otherworldly jam session at the end, as everybody in the band would probably be going ape-shit on their instruments at this point in the song. The next track ‘Jasmine’ could arguably be one of the more accessible songs on the album. They challenge you to get up out of your seat on this one and dance along to the beat. The singers howl over the mix like a frantic wolf in heat, as they never quite sing in this one. It’s mostly just howls and yelps. Towards the end the tom-toms get a nice beating, making that primal element of their sound come through once again.

‘Holly’ is definitely an intense one, but then again, they all are. A short bit past the halfway mark and you’ll hear some quick tom-toms rolls filled in with the rim shots again. Then the lead singer starts singing “Holly’s in your head, head, Holly’s in your mind,” all why the drumming goes seemingly perfect over the vocals. This is sure to keep you head swaying along with the beat. Last but not least comes ‘Rowan’, in which they actually take a step back on the madness. This one is a bit more laid back and easy going as they finally give you a chance to catch your breath.

Tracklist

We Shall Visit
Iris
One of These Worlds
Jasmine
Holly
Rowan

Rating

9/10

Release Date

June 14th via Shape (Turnstile).

Links

Official Website
Record Label

Off the back of their sold out gig at the Electric Ballroom, a tired looking Foals performed a free gig at Brick Lanes infamous Rough Trade East on Tuesday night.

The record store was packed out with fans lucky enough to get their hands on wristbands. A mixed audience consisting of everyone from the indie kids to suited middle aged men, crammed in to hear some of their new critically acclaimed album ‘Total Life Forever’. This is probably the smallest venue you’ll see them play this year, Yannis himself can be quoted saying “this is going to be cramped” as the band took to the miniature stage situated at the back of the store.

The venue itself is awkward to say the least, after all it is a record store, this had an evident effect on the fans, who all seemed a little quieter than the usual following, even provoking Yannis to ask “are you guys alright, as hung over as we are?” Despite the lack of energy amongst the head-bobbing crowd, excluding one or two elderly women at the front (who appeared to be reliving their youth), the band played a great set lasting just over half an hour.

Kicking off with the title track, they took us through some of the best cuts from their new album; standouts were ‘Miami’ and ‘Spanish Sahara’ (which received the the best reception). At times you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking they are miming, with their live performances sounding near spot on to the recorded material.

Finishing the set with old favourite ‘Two Steps Twice’, the fans finally showed some excitement. With Yannis managing to liven things up, aimlessly pushing through the crowd, with a frustrated security guard tagging along behind. One thing, even more evident when played live, was the contrast in vocal styles and energy between their new album and old. The new material being a lot calmer, more polished and vocally stronger, whereas their previous cuts ooze with a youthful energy and whether the band like it or not, will excite the audience that little bit more!

Considering the current hype surrounding the five Oxford lads, it says a lot when they are still happy to go and play a free gig. It wont got down as their most memorable gig, that’s for sure, but none-the-less would of meant a lot to the hundred or so fans that squashed in to see them.

The release of the first Wild Nothing full length is finally upon us. How perfect. The album is coming out just in time for summer.

‘Gemini’ starts off on a good note, beginning with the song ‘Live in Dreams’. It welcomes you at the door and beckons you to come in for more, and chances are you’re going to find it hard to resist. Jack Tatum tells us right away that “Our lips won’t last forever,” and that’s exactly why he wants to live in dreams. This way, if you’re living in dreams, you can’t die. This song is bursting at the seams with hovering, gorgeous sound effects. As you listen to the album you’ll pick up on all the subtle effects and sounds that are thrown into the mix, but you have to listen carefully! The following track ‘Summer Holiday’ is one that many of us have probably already heard, but in no way is that a bad thing. Up next on the album would be the totally blissed out track ‘Drifter’, with it’s heavenly sound effects and the ability to bring you to that special paradise you could only reach in your dreams. This is the type of song where you lose all train of thought while you become completely immersed in the sounds – like I said earlier, once you’re stuck in it, it’s difficult to get back out.

Skipping ahead to the halfway point of the album brings us to the song ‘Bored Games’. Lots of quick and little intricate sounds dominate this song, all over top of a muffled bass line that’s sure to keep your head bobbing along to the beat. For about the last minute of the track, Tatum delivers a laid-back guitar solo as the song comes to an end and slowly fades out. Next up would be the other somewhat familiar track on the album, ‘Confirmation’. Just like the songs on the 7″ records, this track has been floating around on the web for awhile now, but it did not come on either of the 7 inches. Moving right along to another highlight from the album, ‘Chinatown’. ‘Chinatown’ is drenched in more heavenly, spaced out sound effects that are present throughout the entire song, while Tatum’s voice continues to saturate everything even more, giving this track (and most of these other tracks) a real sense of longing. Second to last on the album comes the song ‘Our Composition Book’, which is a glamorous, picture-perfect pop song complete with shimmering sound effects and some excellent guitar playing by none other than Mr. Tatum himself.

In looking back on this album, I’d have to say it was quite a refreshing listen. Just about every last track sounds like it’s been dunked in a pool of spaced out, glamorous and almost ambient sound effects, which goes a long way for giving this album an otherworldly quality. If you’re still not sure what to think, then the best suggestion I’d have for you is to listen to these few songs below. After listening, it shouldn’t take long for you to decide whether or not you’re a fan of Wild Nothing.

Tracklist

Live in Dreams
Summer Holiday
Drifter
Pessimist
O, Lilac
Bored Games
Confirmation
My Angel Lonely
The Witching Hour
Chinatown
Our Composition Book
Gemini

Rating

7/10

Release Date

June 1st on Captured Tracks.

Links

Wild Nothing
Captured Tracks

‘Color Your Life’ certainly does just what says. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that either. Right off the bat they’re going for the gold, and if that means we get to listen to more “dream sequence” music like this, then keep it coming!

The album starts off with the track ‘The Other Side of Your Face’, which sort of leaves you on a dreamy, mysterious path right at the beginning of the album. Not long into listening you will notice that the music is drowned in an increasingly atmospheric environment, almost as if you can reach out and grasp the sounds themselves (hence the “dream sequence” comment above). The last minute and a half brings out some entrancing sound effects, and suddenly the song takes a random turn into a land of ridiculously spaced out guitar and an unexpected, almost dancey drum beat. Then it all stops and you’re listening to the next song, ‘Lady Daydream’, which is probably the most accessible on the album. The twangy guitars that dominate the song do a great job of holding everything together, while the bass guitar does a great job of guiding us through the song. Not only does it act as a guide, but it’s guaranteed to keep your feet tapping along to the beat.

Next up is ‘Milk & Honey’. This track starts off slow with the organ until that twangy, metallic sounding lead guitar comes back in to kick off the song. Shortly after the one minute mark the song suddenly takes an unexpected turn in a direction that you probably didn’t see coming at first. The repeating bass line takes charge and pulsates through the rest of the song until it’s suddenly cut short by the intro to the next track, ‘All Around and Away We Go’. Definitely one of the more accessible songs on the album again right here. Once again, the bass line in this one is sure to keep you moving. Right before the three minute mark everything stops except for some heavenly sound effects, and shortly after the bass line and drums start up again. Now you probably have this unexpected urge to dance, and you’re not really even too sure how it happened. This song sounds like it could have been straight out of the 80′s.

Instrumental track ‘Galaxy Plateau doesn’t quite serve as an instrumental track – it’s more of a soundscape, or a dreamscape if you will. This song sort of came out of nowhere; I wasn’t expecting anything like this, but it’s a hell of an experience. The first minute or so is incredibly creepy, as you can hear a bell ringing far away in the distance. It sounds pretty gruesome, almost as if this were the foreshadowing music to somebody’s death in a movie. This first part really leaves you wondering what direction this song is going to take, but suddenly, right before the two minute mark, it changes directions significantly. You’re greeted by an organ and shimmering, icy sound effects, which almost gives you the feeling that you’re somehow in a wintry atmosphere now. The shimmering sounds you hear remind me of those days when you would trek through the Ice Cavern as adult Link in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Along with the shimmers you can hear harsh winds, and footsteps trudging through what sounds like snow, with the crunching sound of the snow being mashed up under your feet. It’s almost like you’re in an abandoned snow-town in the dead of winter with nobody else around but the menacing sound of a distant bell calling your name, slowly but surely driving you mad. The way they paint the picture here is bound to leave you speechless, and possibly even begging for more. The last 30 seconds of the song reveals a transition which leads you into the final track of the album, ‘Phenomenons’. Unlike the previous track, the good vibes really come through on this one. Everything sounds like it’s going to be okay now, almost as if you made it out of that wintry wasteland you were just trapped in. They way the end the album here should leave any listener with high hopes for the next release from Twin Sister.

Tracklist

The Other Side of Your Face
Lady Daydream
Milk & Honey
All Around and Away We Go
Galaxy Plateau
Phenomenons

Rating

8/10

Release Date

Available to download now, available physically May 25th on Infinite Best Recordings.

Before the release of hit single ‘Nothing On You’, which at the time of writing sits at the top of the U.S charts, B.o.B was pretty much unheard of to the large percentage of music fans, but any true hip-hop head will know he has been waiting in the wings for years, he was just a volcano waiting to explode.

After being noticed by award winning producer Jim Jonsin, Bobby Ray or B.o.B, as he’s better known, has been on a rollercoaster journey: Releasing a number of E.P’s and mix tapes, being named amongst the class of 09, in the coveted XXL freshmen issue, working with everyone from Ludacris to UK emcee Giggs and signing with Atlantic records. But even after securing his deal with Atlantic, it remained a bumpy ride for the Atlanta emcee; his album was pushed back numerous times and two noteworthy singles ‘Ill be in the Sky’ & ‘Haters’ both went unnoticed, failing to make any impact the charts, luckily for Bobby Ray (and his label) he was finally given a release date and 2010 is now fast becoming the year of B.o.B.

I don’t think many people predicted number one success when his first single was released, accompanied by a relatively unknown vocalist Bruno Mars, Bobby Ray managed to craft the perfect pop record, a ridiculously catchy ode to that one special lady. Managing to avoid of the typical cringeworthy lines that plague rap’s finest love songs, the duo produced a fantastic and truly heartwarming cut, which not for one-moment sounds forced or plastic.

With the infectious hook of his now platinum first single still ringing in the ears of music fans far and wide, he was always going to be hard tasked to match its climb to the peak of the U.S charts, but B.o.B had an anthem for the masses lying in wait, featuring none other than Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Successfully steering clear of the novelty sticker, which is inevitably stamped on most rap/rock collaborations, they produce a flawless piece of musical brilliance in the form of ‘Airplanes’. Already reaching 8th spot in the Billboard Hot 100, that without the release of an accompanying video; We are reminded why B.o.B got his props as a rapper, as he takes us through his slow journey to the top, met with a truly breathtaking hook (‘Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now’) which Hayley executes to perfection. If things couldn’t get any better, Eminem joins in on part two and delivers a verse nothing short of genius, flipping the original concept, talking us through his life without a rap career.

Another highlight is ‘Fame’, B.o.B tells us the ups and downs of being famous, over dazzling production courtesy of mentor Jim Jonsin.

Taking into account he enlisted vocalist’s from Paramore and Weezer, produced a cover of a Vampire Weekend hit and that he’s a pretty decent guitarist, we get the idea Bobby Ray is a bit of a budding rock star. Sadly though his apparent love of indie rock isn’t always necessary when applied to his own music.

His collaboration with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, titled ‘Magic’, lacks just that. On this cringe-fest, not even a magician could save the Weezer vocalist from sounding extremely uncomfortable. Something about him bragging, telling us how he makes the track ‘turn to gold’, doesn’t quite go down too well. B.o.B’s contribution? Lets just say I didn’t quite make it that far!

As for the remake of Vampire Weekend’s ‘The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance’, its perfectly listenable, but lacks any creativity, borrowing the hook and using the most basic rhyme scheme B.o.B has in his armoury. Not at all a bad song, just lazy and unnecessary.

To mistake Bobby Ray for just a rapper would be criminal, he takes up production duties on three of the albums cuts, displaying his skills behind the board’s amongst numerous other musical talents: singing, rapping, writing, arranging, as well as being a talented multi-instrumentalist. Opener ‘Don’t Let Me Fall’ displays all of these talents but sadly the hook is too annoying to bear more than once. His second offering ‘Ghost in the Machine’ however, comes off a lot better, armed with a emotion packed chorus, eerie keys and a few guitar licks, he tells the tale of a lost soul searching for something more. Rounding of a trio of self produced tracks, ‘Lovelier Than You’ feels like a more personal take on ‘Nothing On You’, as Bobby soulfully croons over an acoustic backdrop.

What this album shows is that B.o.B, despite sounding like Andre 3000, isn’t ever going to be the best rapper on earth, but he makes up for that with a soulful voice, production skills and the ability to write a ridiculously catchy hook. On his debut offering he has produced one of the most eclectic Hip Hop albums in years and although at times it lacks direction, we cannot put him down for trying to be different in a scene saturated with imitators.

Highlights

Airplanes Ft. Hayley Williams
Airplanes Part II Ft. Hayley Williams & Eminem
Ghost In The Machine
Nothing On You
Fame

Rating

8/10

Release Date

Available now on Atlantic/Grand Hustle/Rebel Rock.