I've left it far too long since I last posted in here, so i've got looooaads to recommend!
Firstly, two albums i've bought recently that i'd highly recommend.
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Yes, its got the most clumsy title in the world, ever, but once again, Coldplay are the one nice, middle-of-the-road band that manage to keep me interested. I liked Keane, and then got bored of them, I like Feeder but I got bored of them, but Coldplay, they always manage to just be that bit different and interesting with every release, and that's without considering Chris Martin's faux-wacky personality. In some ways, its similar to all other Coldplay releases, in that its not dramatic departure from their tried and tested formula, but as with every Coldplay album before it, it has different styles and a very different feel to it. 'Parachutes' was a new indie band coming out with a very strong debut. 'A Rush of Blood To The Head' was a development into a very stadium-oriented feel, 'X&Y' developed again by adding an electronic edge, and now, 'Viva La Vida...' strips down to sound again, but it doesn't sound similar to the early material, somehow its a lot different. Its a very upbeat and positive album, very light and listenable. I've never disliked anything Coldplay have done, and the new album is no exception.
New single 'Viva La Vida' is one of the better songs off the album:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd29aIFuqGg[/youtube]
The 2nd album i've got my hands on, after 4 years of waiting for it, is the 3rd album from The Music. A lot of people will know The Music have historically been my favourite band, and probably about 50% of the avatars i've ever used have been related to them somehow. Understandably then, i've been looking forward to this album for some time. It was getting to the point though, where I was pretty much expecting to be disappointed because i'd hyped it up to myself for so long. How could it possibly live up to the hype? Well, it has. Its not quite The Music of old, its a bit more mature, which is to be expected after 4 years away from the scene. Its still got some of the elements that helped me love the band so much though. The soaring, energetic choruses are still there, and in the large part, the songs are still very dancy. Rob Harvey's voice is still as strong as ever too, and really complements the energy in the music. We could never expect anything to the same level as their eponymous debut back in 2003, but they've probably helped themselves by not trying to emulate it and moving on a bit. They're still the same band, and I still love them all the same.
New single - Strength in Numbers:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7h1NVEti54&feature=related[/youtube]
Now for a few other songs that EVERYONE should listen to.
Firstly, a DJ from Canada by the name of Deadmau5. His stuff ranges from Trance to House (sublime to ridiculous) and some of his chilled, atmospheric trance is very good indeed. If you like epic electronic music, listen plz.
http://www.myspace.com/deadmau5
Another song that i've become seemingly obsessed by recently is by a young German fella going by the name of Get Well Soon. He generally play slightly folky indie music, and its pretty good too, but his one outstanding number comes from his interpretation of the .NUXX mix of Underworld's 'Born Slippy', a classic in itself. You'd never think an indie version of the popular house track could work but my god it really does work! Its haunting, especially with it being accompanied all the way by a piano, with the deep sung vocals, rather than the more shouted ones on the original, its very different but very good at the same time.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqQIFgbpfXY[/youtube]
Finally (yes, i'll shut up in a minute) is the new single from The Subways. After a slightly longer than planned absence after the vocalist, Billy, had an operation on his vocal cords, and he and his ex-fiancee and bassist in the band separated, but both carried on in the band together, they're back. The new single, Alright, is pure summery pop-rock and quite possibly the tune of the summer for me. Its happy, its laid-back, its the sort of song you'd happily just lie on the beach listening to. Yes, its very poppy, but its damn good at what it does.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqRm0GDUTtE[/youtube]