The Line Of Best Fit Radio

Friday, November 10, 2006

Review: The Karabal Nightlife - The Other Shore



Murder ballads, Pixies-esque quite / loud melodies, and Jazz-fusion - and thats just in the first two minutes, The Karabal Nightlife sure know how to kick start an album. What follows is an intense, but often enjoyable 45 minutes of thought provoking indie rock.

The nice thing about this band which sets them apart from their peers is that they obviously are strongly influenced by classic rock n roll but arent afraid of putting their own unique stamp on it - rather than doing the easy thing of conforming into todays current trends. Most of the songs here could be garage rock stompers, but the band choose to challenge the listener instead - and it pays off. Though, its not for the occasional music listener - apart from the straight-ahead rockers "I Know Too Much" & "Short Years" you really have to work at this record to get the most out of it. Its full of rich harmonies and musical tapestries that only reveal themself to the listener after repeated plays. Album highlights "I Need A Girl (Who's Light On Her Feet" is a tender love song that puts frontman Jesse Davis' cracked vulnerable vocal to use beautifully, while "Sea Of Sleep" explores the bands obsession with Beatle-esque harmonies perfectly.

All in all its a strong debut, but I do have one small critiscm, though not to do with the music, and arguably it shouldnt matter, but to me it does... Its the very amatuer front cover design - looking like it was knocked up in Microsoft Word inbetween song takes. Album artwork is very important, and can often put people off the music before they've even put the disc in the player. Luckily, the inlay makes up for it and suits the style of the band perfectly - acting like a postcard from another era.

I urge you to investigate these guys futher. Visit the bands official website here, where you can purchase a copy of the album. Or preview tracks on their myspace page here.

Tim Burgess: "My girlfriend buys me underwear, it makes me feel special"

He's been around the block, up the charts and over to California. But now, with the release of a singles collection, the Charlatans' Tim Burgess is kicking back and reflecting on those important matters: like pomegranates, Christmas and underpants.

Brought to you by the nice people @ Guardian Unlimited Music.







Thursday, November 09, 2006

LCD Soundsystem new album & tour


As well as releasing a 45 minute workout song for Nike, James Murphy has been busy putting the finishing touches to his second, as yet untitled album. Due out in March 2007 he will also take his band on tour in the UK and Europe next year.

Dates as follows:

March 2007
07 Birmingham, England - Academy
08 Leeds, England - Metropolitan University
09 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
10 Manchester, England - Academy
11 Norwich, England - UEA
13 Bristol, England - Academy
14 London, England - Astoria
15 London, England - Astoria
16 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
17 Amsterdam, Holland - Melkweg MAX
19 Cologne, Germany - Stollwerck
20 Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof
21 Munich, Germany - Kleine Elserhalle
22 Milan, Italy - Rolling Stone
24 Toulouse, France - Salle de Tourefeuille
26 Barcelona, Spain - Razzamatazz
27 Paris, France - Bataclan