Big Troubles -- Bite Yr Tongue

BIG TROUBLES "BITE YR TONGUE" from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.

HUGELY distorted riffs are the "in thing" for a lot of hot new bands at the moment and Big Troubles' Bite Yr Tongue embraces it with wide-open arms.
The New Jersey outfit crank the distortion up to ten for this dizzying ride complete with highly-echoed vocals and a tinny drum beat.
A breath of fresh air, Big Troubles sound like a summery Jesus and Mary Chain - if such a thing is possible.

Kanye West -- Power

Errr...
IT'S simple. Kanye West is, in his eyes, the world and this ritualistic promotional clip portrays the superstar as an almost god-like being.
Titled Power, which LP assumes is a track from his up-coming album, Kanye's clearly let the power go to his head.
At least the music is strong, similar to Jesus Walks, and a return to form following the slightly underrated 808s and Heartbreak.
This and his Twitter stunt earlier in the week means this guy has got some genius PR staff.

Janelle Monae -- Cold War

JANELLE Monae's video for Cold War has to be one of the most simple, riveting and intriguing released in the past five years.
I urge anyone not to be transfixed watching this.

The energised Cold War can be found on her acclaimed album The ArchAndroid - out now.

Plants and Animals -- The Mama Papa Song (Paris Basement mix)

PARIS Basement's mix of The Mama Papa Song is like an out-of-control tank, destroying everything in its vicinity. A vast improvement on the Montreal three-piece's original (which is pretty good anyway), this remix triples the tempo with hard-hitting guitars Queens of the Stone Age would be proud of.
Check it.

Via Rcrd Lbl.

Clinic -- I'm Aware

Spewing fabric all over the place.
CLINIC return with this quintessentially psychedelic number complete with woozy backing strings and delicate jingle jangles, making it a perfect addition to your lazy Sunday afternoon soundtrack.
This is a welcome return for Ade Blackburn and co.
Thanks to Pitchfork for the video.

Album review: Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs

THE Suburbs, Arcade Fire’s third full length album, sees the masters of huge, stadium-filling rock take a more guitar centred approach – and it’s welcomed.
Arcade Fire don’t really tend to stray from the "start off slow but grow into something huge" formula, and to be fair there is evidence of this in The Suburbs, but the songs here are songs – not in the same ilk as the garish and unlistenable Wake Up or No Cars Go from Neon Bible.
The Canadian crew, led by Win Butler, seem to have discovered a solid, tight new sound - and they're enjoying it.
The songs are upbeat, such as Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), featuring the vocals of Win’s wife Regine Chassagne, which has a rocking piano riff Spoon would be proud of.
The stand-out song here is We Used to Wait, a sparkling number that kicks off with a Sparks-esque jarring piano and a rumbling bassline, and showcases Win Butler as an imposing and talented front man.
Empty Room is a violin and adrenaline-filled tour-de-force, and Month of May, although a tad cheesy, is just sheer rock ‘n’ roll.
Arcade Fire will continue to gain fans with their slightly-odd, quirky demeanour and ability to blow audiences away, but The Suburbs shows we now have a band capable of making songs, not bold, brash statements.

Sean Bones -- Let's Do Somethin Else

Bones 4 U.
NEW York’s Sean Bones continues to make 2010 his own with the release of the delightful Let’s Do Somethin Else.
Carefree and colourful, it boasts a catchy organ hook and Sean’s soft vocals are understated yet perfectly absorbing.
Better still, the track concludes with a surprising rock-out, much in the same way Rumba Beat finished with its hands-in-the-air dance floor attack.
The video is pretty funny too.
Let’s Do Somethin Else is out now on Frenchkiss Records.