Niki N. Phaser » alternative

White Lies Are Preparing Something ‘Bigger Than Us’

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:05:33 +0000

One of 2009′s alternative promising revelations, White Lies, seem anxious to show the world that they are more than… well, one 2009′s alternative promising revelations. The indie trio, composed of the ever so serious Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave and Jack Lawrence-Brown, have been working on a new album, with producer Alan Moulder, after touring their debut To Lose My Life… as much as humanly possible.

The new album, named Ritual, will be in our reach early next year, so don’t spend all your gift cards this Christmas ! Just to assure us that they’re still as bleak as ever, despite not having ‘death’ in any of their new titles (though there is a track Holy Ghosts), White Lies have released the video to their first single from their sophomore effort, Bigger Than Us. Though still as profound and haunting as Death or Farewell to the Fairground, the new single promises a bigger sound, dilemmas of grander proportions than the intimate existential sighs from their debut. The video, which has a bit of a 1970′s human interest type SF drama feel to it, certainly strengthens this point.

Bigger Than HERE

Biffy Clyro Shower Us With ‘Bubbles’

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:19:38 +0000

Scottish grunge revelation, Biffy Clyro, are about to release a new single from last year’s successful Only Revolutions . After the well-received singles That Golden Rule, The Captain and Many of Horror, it’s time for Bubbles (no connection to The Powerpuff Girls, I was told) to persuade another wave of listeners to check out this band. With some ‘backing’ guitars by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and a feelgood-in-a-small-town Thin Lizzy vibe, we are sure that Bubbles will do its duty. With honors (or horrors ?).

If indeed, you jump on board of the Biffy craze, you’ll get plenty of chances to see them rock out their heavy complex arrangements at this summer’s festivals. And from what I gathered, they do it quite nicely. But first, get a taste:

Chase and Pop BUBBLES here

Mazzy Star – Fade Into You : The Moment When It Happens…

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:39:27 +0000

Mazzy Star’s best known song, Fade Into You, is not a very complicated track, it hardly ever crosses the acoustic border. Hope Sandoval’s vocals are also pretty steady all over. The structure is simple, the production minimal. Yet maybe it’s just these things that make Fade Into You the perfect soundtrack for that moment we all take once in a while, those few minutes when we just stop. It provides the distance we all need sometimes when looking at our lives. It might be mistaken for a love ballad, but Fade Into You just seems more like an ode to closeness. Lyrics like “I look to you and I see nothing, I look to you to see the truth” are as truthful and cynical as any relationship, no matter what are the circumstances. The demystifying of love is exactly what gives it strength and before happiness there is the warmth of a comforted heart. But then again, I’m really just guessing here, hear for yourself:

FADE INTO HERE

Expatriate Release Debut Album In UK

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:53:02 +0000

Australian indie-rockers Expatriate are releasing their debut album, In the Midst of This, in the UK, this very day. The album was initially released in their homeland back in 2007 and it certainly did not go unnoticed. It received enough indie attention to keep the band’s gig schedule quite busy and for Rolling Stone to name them “one of the most important new bands of 2007”. In 2009 they toured with fellow Riverman band, Placebo, thus being exposed to an even broader audience, which payed off, as shown by this UK breaktrough, as well as by a string of headlining gigs around Europe. As for the album, if you are into rock mythology, you should know it was recorded in Seattle, in the studio where Nirvana did their last sessions. Even though Ben King sings “A dream’s a dream, Leave it at that” on Times Like These (maybe the best track on the album), Expatriate keep on working on the architecture of their own dream and, with a second album in the demo phase, they might just become one of those bands who inspire others to dream.

Download Info HERE

Smashing Pumpkins Continue “Teargarden” Project

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:06:15 +0000

Smashing Pumpkins have premiered a new single, Widow Wake My Mind, through MySpace. The song is the second installment in Billy Corgan & co.’s 44 tracks project, entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It’s quite a different kind of tune than first single, A Song For a Son, which was made available as a free download last month. Maybe it’s just the infectious hopeful sound of this new track, but this diversity promises an interesting project. It is not set yet, but if this will be a one-by-month kind of venture, Smashing Pumpkins might become a favorited show, though waiting 30 days for a new episode is a bit frustrating. Anyway, it’s nice to always have a little pleasure to look forward to. Like the rest of the tracks which Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is comprised of, Widow Wake My Mind is a free download.

LISTEN TO THE WIDOW

Interview : Fiona Brice Talks about Touring with Placebo

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Being the sweetest lady ever, Fiona Brice, Placebo’s strings arranger for their last two albums and side member for their Battle for the Sun tour, was nice enough to give us an interview regarding her journey with les enfants terribles of alternative rock. A special thank you goes out to her for doing this.

Niki Phaser: Battle for the Sun is the second Placebo album, that you’ve worked on, after Meds. How did you first meet the band and got to collaborate with them?

Fiona Brice: I have known the band socially for many years because we have several friends in common in London, and we used to meet at gigs before Placebo became hugely successful and their tours took them away for long periods. Brian remembers seeing me playing violin with Michael J Sheehy about 10 years ago at the 12-bar club in London. At the time I was playing and writing with various bands, including Dream City Film Club. Coincidentally I was also in the band Tram for a while, and Bill Lloyd was in this band before me! Small world… But our musical paths didn’t officially merge until the band decided to use strings on the Meds album. They asked me to write with them, and we found musical material and a sound that could add something to the songs without overpowering them. It worked well and after this I collaborated with Stefan on the strings for the Hotel Persona album.

NP: Are you satisfied with how the studio sounds have been transposed into live songs?

FB: Yes I am very happy with the way the ‘string’ songs sound live. Our sound engineer is brilliant and has worked hard to ensure that combination of the samples and my live violin sound has a great impact. Using an electric violin helps with this as an acoustic violin would be overwhelmed by everything else on stage.

NP: Are there any songs that you are particularly fond of playing live?

FB: I really love playing Battle for the Sun. I feel this is an important track for the band and it is exciting to perform. Every You Every Me and Special K are amazing too. I become a ‘fan’ again because I have always loved those songs and it reminds me of being in the crowd, rather than being in front of the crowd. It’s important to remember where you’ve come from! Speak in Tongues is also very powerful. I enjoy all the songs in the set for different reasons, and I am constantly finding new things in them to keep me inspired.

NP: Could you name a few highlights, for you, of the tour so far?

FB: The whole tour has really been fantastic so far. The Bucharest gig was wonderful for me. (I am not just saying that for this interview!) We were all in a good mood on that hot summer day, and the audience were so energetic and happy, I could really feel their excitement and love on stage, it was quite emotional. I had a great experience in Mexico City and I also loved the London Roundhouse and 02 gigs. Aside from the gigs, some of my favourite experiences have been from travelling. We visited the pyramids at Teotihuacan (Mexico) which is a truly awesome place. Visiting Tokyo for the first time was exciting, as was arriving in Rouen (France) after midnight and turning a corner to find the gothic cathedral shrouded in mist and lit by moonlight. I fell in love with Lisbon too.

NP: What would be some of your least favourite aspects of touring?

FB: Touring can get tough when you are ill because there is no recovery time. We all get sick occasionally, and it can be hard to perform when you feel unwell. I try to stay healthy on the road to avoid this, but jetlag and exhaustion can get to you sometimes. Airports, flights and flight cancellations can be stressful too. Travelling by tourbus is the best! But really I have absolutely nothing to complain about because I get to play music and travel the world, and I feel privileged to do so.

NP: When you were asked to do the live tour with Placebo, was it a no-brainer, or was there some convincing required?

FB: I did not need any convincing! After the experience of playing at Angkor Wat (Cambodia) I knew I wanted to do the tour straight away. Who wouldn’t want to tour with Placebo? They’re an amazing live act!

NP: Hypothetically speaking, if you were asked to join Placebo as a permanent member, would you agree?

FB: Obviously it would be an honour to be asked to join the band permanently but it is unnecessary because I am very happy with my position in the band as it is.

Once again, thank you to Fiona Brice. Interview by Niki N. Phaser, January, 2010.

Muse Choose New Single

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:41:47 +0000

Muse selected their third single from The Resistance — it’s the title track. Resistance will be released in the UK on Monday February 22, with more info on the formats to come soon. After Undisclosed Desires, which was a bit of dividing point for Muse fans because of its mainstream sound, Resistance will patch things up, as it is an instant Muse-like classic, with catchy piano tunes, irregular structure, romantically anthemic choruses and plenty of tomwork on Dominic Howard’s part.

This video will not feature any army of evil teddy bears, but no out-of-place crump dancer either. It’s just a video of the band playing live, but, if you are familiar with a Muse show, you’ll know that’s more spectacular than any CGI legion of toys. The band posted a preview of the video, with the full thing going to premiere in a few days, on 14th January. Till then, you can feast your eyes on a recent performance of Resistance, in all its greatness. Literally.

RESIST HERE

Blink 182 Visit The Old Continent Next Summer

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:28:24 +0000

Mark Hoppus has announced that Blink 182 will be touring Europe for a few weeks, during the summer of 2010. No exact dates or locations have been published yet, but in the following months, everything will be revealed. To be sure that you are not missing anything, check the band’s official site for future information. Since the band reformed, there has been talk of a new album, but there is still nothing certain. Drummer Travis Barker has been working on his solo record, which will feature, among others, RZA and Chester of Linkin Park and Dead By Sunrise. It will be out next year, under the title Mr. Barker’s. Mark Hoppus has been in the studio also, producing a lot of new bands, while Tom DeLonge’s side project, Angels and Airwaves is about to release a new album, Love, and also an experimental movie of the same name. The first single, Hallucinations, has been released as a free download, as will the entire record. However, some sources state that the band will be working on a new Blink 182 album before touring Europe in 2010. Their last one was released in 2003.

Muse Get SNL Baptism

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:40:41 +0000

Besides the massive touring of the United States, Muse have also been selected to play at one of the most popular shows. I’m talking about Saturday Night Live, of course. The alternative brits will be the musical guest this Saturday, December 19. James Franco will be the host. A match made in heaven.

There is no point in denying that this appearance has a great symbolic value for the band’s evolution. It’s just a show, yes, two songs probably, but it’s also a great exposure to mainstream America. This is a little landmark in Muse’s campaign for conquering the States and the world, for that matter.

And if America wants more of Matt Bellamy and his henchmen, there are plenty of chances in the upcoming tour of North America and Canada, stretching from February to April.

DATES HERE

Manics Are Working On New Album

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:13:45 +0000

Well, we can all sigh with relief, Manic Street Preachers are brave enough to do a follow-up to their Richey Edwards written album, Journal for Plague Lovers. In a letter to fans posted on their official website, the three Manics are talking about working on new material: “We have been writing/demoing in Cardiff, songs, ideas and coffee have been flowing”. They also mentioning the movies and the music they are currently into, but that’s less important.

Some reports say that the working title is It’s Not War – Just the End of Love, which sounds pretty Wire-esque (I mean, it’s long enough). It will be the band’s tenth album and it will have the difficult task of following this year’s acclaimed Journal for Plague Lovers, which has the Manics feature in about every Best Albums of 2009 Top there is. And they deserve it, no doubt about it. If you still wonder why…

Question Time