TWITTER? RLY?

^^ Click.

Last week it was Spotify, this week it's Twitter. It's like the millennium round here at the moment! But anyway, we decided that seeing as everything's a bit hectic at the moment, twitter might be a good way to keep people interested when there's not as much going on here. So click the banner to go to the 2STEPS twitter page and start following us around and stuff. Hope this finds you well. Here are some 5th November related songs to keep you busy. Yes it's late, but I can still hear fireworks as I write this. And come on, we covered Halloween early!

Keep an eye out for end of the year fun kicking off soon. I'm told the decade is ending soon as well, so maybe we'll give that a nod like everyone else
xxcc

MP3: Alexis Taylor - Fireworks (ysi)
MP3: Animal Collective - Fireworks (ysi)

GIGS IN THE BIG CITY

So I've moved to East London, to Queen Mary University. It's good here, I finally feel like I'm not hanging around waiting anymore. And everyone likes good music! I've been to 3 gigs so far - money has stopped me from seeing more, most painfully Biffy Clyro with Manchester Orchestra and Frightened Rabbit, nice one money. Here's the run down of those I did catch.


Monday 21st September
THE VEILS w/ Swimming, So Say So - London Scala
This was an exciting one. 2 days into living in London and I was seeing one of my all time favourite bands for the first time. On the way in I met Finn Andrews, the lead singer hanging out by the merchandise stand. I shook his hand and chatted about the upcoming gig. I was struck by how timid he was, I've never met a musician like him. After he left I went to buy a t-shirt and one of the guys selling them spoke to me about the singer "yeah, all that stuff on stage is genuine, he's really like that" I didn't know what he meant but after the first line of the opener (and personal favourite) 'Not Yet' it became very clear. Between lyrics Finn would retract from the microphone and howl, his face gripped with some kind of anguish. I was stood in the front row, making for an intense set. They played a good mix of songs from all 3 albums, each one heightened by the frontman's apparent torture. It was unreal. But after the encore he told the crowd he was really happy to be back in the capital and had a great time. So did we. It's such a good feeling when an artist you love is even more impressive live. The two support bands were thoroughly enjoyable too, Swimming in particular.

Thursday 24th October
KID HARPOON - private album launch
A bunch of us one entry to this by answering 'What came first, the chicken or the egg?' The competition had actually closed by the time we submitted our answer but the Kid let us off becuase it was so funny haha, something about eggnog I think. So we went downstairs in some classy Soho bar to join friends and family for a little solo performance of songs from the new album 'Once'. If you haven't got it yet, buy it - it's pretty good stuff. The songs were really nice with just an acoustic and a piano, and ending the set with his Cohen cover 'First We Take Manhattan' was an inspired move. The night ended with everyone punching the air and shouting "Then we take Berlin!" it was awesome. After the set was over everyone hung around for a while and we met a certain Joe Lean of Jing Jang Jong fame. I was possibly more excited about meeting him than seeing Kid Harpoon and didn't waste the opportunity to ask about the album that never was. He told us the completed album is finished and is called 'Double Touch' due early next year. We did meet the star of the night afterwords too where he chatted to us for a while until we were interrupted by a wandering druggie. Harpoon signed my mates poster "No I don't have any drugs" It was a good night.


Monday 26th November
HEALTH w/ Pictureplane and PENS - Relentless Garage
A month later and I'd saved enough money to see another band. I was really looking forward to this one as HEALTH have got something of a reputation for being a powerful live experience. We turned up and joined a massive que outside, but something was very wrong. Everyone there was under 14 - literally. We were confused to say the least but waited it out til we got to the front and realised we were lining up for the gig next door, Pop Goes The Weasel apparently? I don't know who they are but they must be the new Wombats or something. After the initial shock we sauntered into the right floor and caught PENS open. Unfortunately they're one lo-fi act too far. Just because they're 3 cute thrift store girls it doesn't mean they're good. Put it this way, if they were guys, and Wavves et al weren't so popular right now, PENS would have been booed off as a high school battle of the bands disaster. They couldn't even play their instruments. But nevermind, Pictureplane was amazing and really got people moving with his technicolour electronic explosion. It was like getting punched in the abdomen by a rainbow - incredible. But then HEALTH finally took the stage and wasted no time getting loud, kicking things off with 'Triceratops' while bassist John Famigletti went absolutely mental. 'Crimewave' also went down a treat, mainly due to the double drumming. Any fan of the band will tell you that their drummer is a machine and I can now clarify that from first hand experience. Everyone went crazy when the opening synth pulse of 'Die Slow' crept in. They came back for an encore and played the thoroughly intimidating 'Courtship' in which the band scream like beasts. It was a real one off, there's no-one else quite like them right now. HEALTH are the future.

MP3: HEALTH - Die Slow (Pictureplane Remix) (ysi)
(Buy 'Get Color' here to get a t-shirt bundle, I did!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

What's up. Yes Halloween's tomorrow but I'm a busy lad so I'm giving you your presents on Christmas eve. We've made the move onto spotify, for better or worse and this means you get a spooky halloween themed playlist of 22 songs. I won't give the tracklisting because it's a scary surprise! But if you're having a house/flat party this weekend put some of this on, it's a mix of devils and dancefloors so you're set basically. Annoyingly spotify didn't have a load of stuff I wanted to put up, even some really well known stuff (Friendly Fires - Bring Out Your Dead, come on!) So I've included an mp3 of the most glaring omission.
Anyway have a good weekend, take some time to prepare a decent trick, and don't apple bob xx

Click here to listen, IF YOU DARE!! !

MP3: Metronomy - Trick Or Treatz (ys)

PHARAOHS - WE'VE TRIED NOTHING AND WE'RE ALL OUT OF IDEAS (2ND NOV)

You may not be aware of Pharaohs - yet. Their debut EP 'We've Tried Nothing And We're All Out Of Ideas' will be released through All Aboard Records next week and hopefully it'll kick things of for them. The 4 Kent based lads have played alongside Venice Ahoy, Minnaars and recent radar stars Swims, which gives you a good idea of where they're coming from. The press release for this calls it technical indie but math pop is more fitting. Pharaohs belong to the scene centred around Big Scary Monsters but have a head on most of their competitors in that they're just so damn catchy. They don't sacrifice great melodies for showy guitar moves, but they're clearly skilled at the same time. But above all, they're easier to listen to than most in the genre down to Jonny Lewis' clean and catchy vocals.

Opener 'TV' is a swipe at the media moguls forcing adverts onto us. It's a great song but if you've heard Blakfish's debut album, you'll instantly think of their song 'Scotland's Worst Invention' which follows exactly the same theme. This is like an awesome indie pop version of their hardcore tirade. Pharaohs too have a penchant for a long track title, as they show here with 'If Columbus Had A Sat Nav America Wouldn't Exist' It starts with atmospheric acapella vocals then transforms into a classic, with the rousing lyric "forget the map just like Columbus" Next up is 'Mosquito In A Bottle' which, coupled with single 'Squashed Against My Wall' kind of suggests the band have something of an insect problem. But if it's producing songs this good then bring on the bugs! Both songs are relentlessly catchy, the sound so punchy but light going at the same time.

Personal favourite 'Decorex' shows the band can do gang vocals with the best of them. They open the song then fill the outro while another harmony is sung over the top. It'll certainly fill a Colour-shaped hole for those of you gutted by the split. It all closes with a new recording of 'Traffic' - the song that first got me hooked. It's really been vamped up from the demo - in fact the whole EP is very well produced - the sound is clean without sounding polished. If you haven't heard the closer before it's the best song written about a traffic jam EVER. It's all wrapped up a softly sung "you're so alone, just wanna be home" and if by this point they're not you new favourite band you obviously weren't listening properly.

I just hope this is a success, it should be, by any account. There's literally something to love about the music for anybody with decent taste. It's fast paced, loud, catchy, simple but memorable - great vocals, great songs, great all round. It's very difficult to fault. Hopefully with new bands like Pharaohs and Tubelord emerging to new fans, it'll all take off. Good luck to them.

8.5

MP3: Pharaohs - Traffic (Demo) (ysi)
(PRE-ORDER HERE!)

THE RAKES SPLIT+ BLOG UPDATE

Music can be so mean sometimes. It gives you something you love then takes it away. News surfaced today that The Rakes have split up, cancelling the remaining dates of their tour. Basically I'm gutted - these guys made straight forward indie with just the right amount of wit and edge. Their debut 'Capture/Release' came out on my 14th birthday and I still remember getting it that day and playing it all the way through, reading the lyrics in the booklet. The band released this statement on the reason for the split:

"The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100 per cent to every gig we've ever played. If we can't give it everything then we won't do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one. After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can't give it 100 per cent any more and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day...Genuinely, thanks for the good times...that was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep"

I suppose that's a pretty good reason to split, and I respect them for their 'all or nothing' approach. But what a shame, I enjoyed all 3 of their albums and in Alan Donohoe they had one of the most charismatic frontmen in recent years. I remember seeing them live a couple of times - he's so angular and rakey, and he danced like Ian Curtis. Well best of luck to them in whatever they do next. I've included possibly my favourite Rakes tune at the end.

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Meanwhile, I realise this is my first post in a very long time but as some of you may already know, I've just started uni in London. So I've been pretty busy indeed. But I'll do my best - look out for a gigs run-down next week covering the bands I've seen live since being in the big city, featuring The Veils, Kid Harpoon and HEALTH. There's been a lot of good stuff around too so I'll get something down about new bits coming out.

To close, it sucks when a band you've liked for ages split. But there's new music coming out all the time, and for every band that dies, another just as good emerges. Look on the bright side, try to discover new things. Keep your ears to the ground xx

MP3: The Rakes - Terror (Extended Mix) (ysi)
[Buy their stuff for cheaps here]

ON THE RADAR::SWIMS

I should've written about these guys ages ago. SWIMS are 4 lads from Worthing (that's near Brighton for you Northerners) who play intricate yet catchy math pop that is quite frankly impossible to resist. And what's more, they're all under 18. I remember seeing them play in a dodgy end of town when they were all about 14 and called Llama Guns and they were amazing then. The tunes have the perfect formula of gang vocals, handclaps, tapping and driving rhythm which makes the songs pretty unbeatable. 'Hitler Was A Bad Man' encompasses it all in 3 and a half minutes. Henry Milne's lead vocals are smooth and heartfelt, a little like Orlando Weeks but more powerful. The lyrics are simple but awesome (and not really about Hilter.) The line "Take the good with the bad and the bad with the good and you'll come out on top just like I knew that you would" is the one that'll be stuck in your head. Lead guitarist Frank Styles has got a serious knack for a melody while Jo Smith and Sean Stapleton hold it all down without breaking a sweat, keeping the songs, and your feet, moving.

With the rise of this genre, SWIMS are certainly in the right place at the right time. Think Colour (RIP!) or Pharaohs (more on them another time) but younger and more exciting. They've been on Lamacq's show on Radio 1 this summer so they're getting more attention, so catch 'em while they're hot. Grab 'Hitler..' below and check out another fantastically punchy demo 'Martin #1' on the myspace. This is raw talent.

MP3: SWIMS - Hitler Was A Bad Man (ysi)

SINGLE: O CHILDREN -DEAD DISCO DANCER 7"

If - using some sort of futuristic machine - I could produce the coolest sounding band possible right now, they would be roughly half as cool as O Children. I got into them late last year off the back of some spine-tingling demos, and this week at last they release their first proper single. And they're starting to gain the attention they undoubtedly deserve. Sure, most publications are making a big deal of the Nick Cave homage of the band's name, but singer Tobi O'Kandi conjurs the ghost of Ian Curtis more than any dark wave band yet.

Similar to Joy Division, 'Dead Disco Dancer' is dark as night but still dance-worthy - the rumbling bassline, jangling guitar and clean, scattering drumbeat - it all fits together irresistibly. Then there's O'Kandi's booming voice echoing through the song like something damned. It's also the lyrics that make this such a great song, they tell a story of sorts, climaxing with the terrifying revelation "I am the disco dancer's son and through my soul he's gonna linger on, I'm grey" It's also the only song of it's genre that sneaks in the line "You gotta hide that gun or they'll finger you fo' sho" whilst still sounding ice cold.

B-side 'Dead Eye Lover' - whilst not quite as good as the A-side - still stands as one of the best songs of the year. The chorus is even more dark-yet-bright like something you'd dance maniacally to while feeling miserable. But too much has been made of them being gothic etc etc
and not enough recognition of their unrivalled understanding of a good beat, and great songwriting. I'm genuinely so excited about an album, it's crazy. Single of the year? Maybe.

Watch them in action - even more impressive

MP3: O Children - Dead Eye Lover (ysi)
Buy the 7" here but be quick! Or buy MP3s here