Tag Archives: Japandroids

MM Shorts 161: Anabot Covers Japandroids

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MM Shorts 161: Anabot Covers The Japandroids.

Scaling back the noise, but keeping the intensity, Anabot’s cover of The Japandroids recent release The House That Heaven Built is a treat.

Managing to retain the essence and heart of the song and keeping the rebel-yell passion in place, though restrained deliciously behind the girl group background vocals, it makes the song’s chorus, “And if they try to slow you down/Tell ‘em all to go to hell” even more air-punch worthy.

Anabot’s self-titled EP is out now. Listen via Bandcamp here.

Download Anabot – The House That Heaven Built mp3 (from Input/Output Covers)

Mad Mackerel’s 2010 Top Ten Series: No 6, Cover Songs

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Following most excellent Top Ten submissions from Starbar, Polly Pocket, Dr Roddy, Barry-Sean and Mr Popper come MM’s top ten covers of 2010.

Now, we’ve said on many occasions that we’re not great lovers of covers. However, some of the cover versions we heard in 2010 may well have done enough to change our minds permanently.

So without further ado…

10 Holly Miranda – Nobody Sees Me Like You Do mp3 (Yoko Ono cover)

9 First Aid Kit – When I Grow Up mp3 (Fever Ray cover) Link removed by DMCA – no reason given…

8 Emily Reo – On The Beach mp3 (Neil Young cover)

7 Fever Ray – Mercy Street mp3 (Peter Gabriel cover)

6 Dead Luke – Ghost Rider mp3 (Suicide cover)

5 Mumford & Sons – Unfinished Business mp3 (White Lies cover)

4 Morning Benders – Outlaw Blues mp3 (Bob Dylan cover)

3 Wooden Shjips – Drunk Girls mp3 (LCD Soundsystem cover)

2 Japandroids – Racer X mp3 (Big Black cover)

1 Port O’Brien – My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down(Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) mp3 (Ramones cover)

And an honourable mention for this 2009 cover that we only first heard this year.

Download Phosphorescent – Big Red Sun Blues mp3 (Lucinda Williams cover)

And finally, we don’t post remixes because by and large we can’t be bothered with them. This was one exception to prove our rule. The Mystery Jets given the classic spacerock treatment by The Wooden Shjips.

Download The Mystery Jets – Dreaming Of Another World (Wooden Shjips remix) mp3

MM’s Best of the Month: September

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So here we are again. A round-up of our favourite posted tracks from September, all beautifully compiled and presented for you to put on one lovely mix. And as always, a couple of new tracks for you too. Enjoy.

The Rakehells – Lost Weekend mp3

Aggressive, yet danceable pop with an in-your-face attitude and catchy hooks

The Moondoggies – It’s A Shame, It’s A Pity mp3

Ramshackle country-rock with a big nod to Neil Young

Summer Camp – Ghost Train mp3

Shambling, languid and really rather captivating

Nathan Wade & The Dark Pioneers – Lake Of Fire mp3

Mighty fine purveyors of apocalyptic, twisted Americana, offering fire & brimstone-laden tunes

Heavy Hawaii – Teen Angel mp3

Like an illicit visit to an old time carnival – full of the smell of greasepaint, sawdust and woodsmoke and populated by dark, fantastic characters and their fantastic promises. A harmony drenched, hazy gem

The Gay Blades – Try To Understand mp3

Crushing just about every musical genre going into a seething mass of their own confident construction – from sneering garage-punk to folk to dance to glammed-up funk

The Tallest Man On Earth – Like The Wheel mp3

Set-closing song that became a fans’ favourite on folk troubadour’s recent tour

Japandroids – Heavenward Grand Prix mp3

Loud, aggressive, and the slightly feral vocals are a bit more to the fore, but by slowing things down a touch they’ve added a palpable air of menace

The Widowers – Beacon Street mp3

Insistent, repetitive twang and groove that somehow manages to come across like the cocksure and impudent offspring of a Johnny Cash song overdosing on 70s US punk attitude

Sharon Van Etten – Don’t Do It mp3

Slow burning, and overwhelmingly alluring

Suuns – Up Past The Nursery mp3

Sexy, menacing electro and arena-sized psych complete with droning guitars and pulsing synths

Fresh & Onlys – Be My Hooker mp3

Jangly garage-pop perfection

Warpaint – Ashes to Ashes mp3

In a month of great covers, here is one of the standouts. Bowie given the Warpaint treatment

Pancake Breakfast – The Ballad Of Maynard Noe mp3

Catchier than a dose of crabs in a brothel!

Kurran & The Wolfnotes – Your Four Limbs mp3

Plaintive, resigned lyrics and a darker undertone than most can manage. A sinuous melody and smoothly picked guitar gives it a hook that stays with you long after the song has concluded

The Moaners – Cowboy Bob mp3

Porch-swing singalong mixing an appealing garage stomp with Mississippi style blues into a hypnotic southern groove

Blank Dogs – Northern Islands mp3

Smothered lo-fi dance-punk fuzz

And a couple of new ones to finish off: firstly in a month of many covers here is another, Mumford & Sons doing Old Crow Medicine Show. Secondly, French duo The Limianas with some rather fetching sultry garage pop and lastly from the excellent Sparrow & The Workshop comes their first new track since their much acclaimed Crystals Fall album.

Download Mumford & Sons -Wagon Wheel mp3 (BBC Radio 2 Session)

Download The Limianas – Funeral Baby mp3 (from The Limianas)

Download The Sparrow & The Workshop – Tired Of This Town mp3 (via the NME)

New from Japandroids

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The new Japandroids single is Heavenward Grand Prix and to MM’s ears may well be the best thing they’ve delivered for a good while.

It is still loud, very loud. It is still aggressive, and the slightly feral vocals are a bit more to the fore, but by slowing things down a touch they’ve added a palpable air of menace, which sets the song apart from more recent offerings.

We’re liking this a lot.

Visit their MySpace here.

Download The Japandroids – Heavenward Grand Prix mp3 (from Heavenward Grand Prix 7″)

New Japandroids Single

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The Japandroids have a second single due (out July 20th) as part of their series of 7″ records featuring previously unreleased tracks from their Post-Nothing sessions. Each single is backed with a unique cover version.

This is another high velocity anthem titled Younger Us and purchasers of the record will find a cover of X’s Sex And Dying In High Society on the reverse. It follows on from the excellent Art Czars 7″ which sold out before release! There are a series of five planned in total.

So if you’re quick, you can pre-order this one from Polyvinyl here.

Download The Japandroids – Younger Us mp3 (from Younger Us 7″)

Download The Japandroids – Art Czars mp3 (from Art Czars 7″)

Live Review: Japandroids

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The Japandroids at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford.

Loud. Relentless. Distorted. Louder. More relentless. More distorted. Ears hurt.

There is nothing else to say.

Buy Japandroids here. MySpace here.

Download Japandroids – Art Czars mp3 (from Art Czars 7″)

Download Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire mp3 (from Post-Nothing)

Download Japandroids – Darkness On The Edge Of Gastown mp3 (from No Singles)