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30
Mar
12

Tiger Bites: Vol.2 (Bosco Delrey, Screaming Females, Liz Green)

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Categories: Radass Videos, Sick Tracks and Tiger Bites
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BoscoMemphisI know what you guys want because it’s Friday and I want it too – something, anything to kill some time and bring the weekend on a little faster.

Good new is I got just the thing for ya. This week is 70’s psychedelic stoner rock legends Bosco Delrey, weirdo grungey basement dwellers Screaming Females and old school acoustic blues siren Liz Green.

And then, right at the end of it all, I’m going to throw in something mellow to ease you into the weekend gently and who knows? Maybe give you something to smile about.

Let’s kick it off with ol’ Bosco Delrey first with their video for “Baby’s Got A Blue Flame” because it’s my favourite of the three and has a blonde bass guitarist that is going to completely fuck your shit up.

 

 

Next up it’s five foot hellraiser Marissa Paternoster belting out “It All Means Nothing” off the Screaming Females upcoming album Ugly.

If you don’t know this band I can almost guarantee you that when you hear … sing you will be overcome with a strong desire to punch her in the throat, but give this track a little time and play it again in a day or so and you just might have one of those, “Huh… it’s actually pretty cool” moments.

The video is pretty rough though. Maybe go back to whatever it was you were doing and just let the song play in the background.

Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. It’s like she read my “Stray Cat Recipes” post and took that shit to heart…

 

 

We’re going to tone things right down with this sombre little piece from Liz Green. The video was painstakingly made entirely from paper and filmed with stop animation.

I think it’s on a whole other level. Definitely show this to your friends.

They will think you are very cool.

 

 

Lastly, here’s the surprise I promised. Are ya ready kids?

I tracked down the new Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros single for you, it’s called “Man On Fire”.

Admittedly it’s no “Home” but I still really like this song and am stoked they’re back with album number two cause number one was a real game-changer for me.

 

 

Have a killer weekend party people and look after your bad selves Winking smile

-ST

28
Mar
12

Treefiddy Review: Blood Red Shoes – In Time To Voices

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Categories: Album Reviews and Sick Tracks
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BloodRedShoesInTimeToVoices600Gb150312The Down Lizzo:

Blood Red Shoes’ first two albums, 2008’s Box Of Secrets and 2010’s Fire Like This were packed with huge, aggressive punk-pop hooks that surged with energy and kicked like a mule.

Now this Brighton-based duo are branching out with In Time To Voices on which, singer/guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer/vocalist Steve Ansell tone things down considerably.

It takes some getting used to, and fans of their acerbic brand of punk-pop will find the album lacking the punch-to-the-gut force of Box Of Secrets and Fire Like This, but to be perfectly frank another album like the first two would have buried this band as surely as Billy Talent’s last effort buried them.

 

 

It’s the golden rule of writing albums. Find a sound that works with the first one, hone that sound on the second and change it on the third. In Time To Voices follows this formula and in doing so, breathes new life into this band.

Killer Tracks:

The first single off In Time With Voices, “Cold” is definitely one of the finest tracks on the album. From Ansell’s throbbing double bass pedal drumming to Carter’s lurching power chords, it’s a track that smacks of grungey goodness with a healthy dose of anthemic pop-punk thrown in for good measure.

The tension in the verse of “Lost Kids” builds quickly, exploding in the chorous with Carter and Ansell singing “Let it all come undone / cut it down, down to none”.

 

 

“Night Light” wanders into full on Smashing Pumpkins Ava Adore territory. It’s a track rich with acoustic melodies interwoven with melancholy piano parts that really drive home the chorous line “It’s the ghost you made of me…”

“Stop Kicking” and “Slip Into The Blue” are both tight, deceptively infectious tracks that Carter and Ansell play like hidden aces near the end of the album.

Their vocal interplay has never sounded sweeter than it does on In Time With Voices. Ansell in particular has taken on more of the vocal duties which, considering how intense his style of drumming is, might not have been the best call for their live performances, but I’ll reserve judgement on that one until some kind benefactor and reader of this site sponsors a flight to the UK so I can watch them live.

 

Should You Give A Shit?

Are the Kennedys gun-shy? Of course you should give a shit! It’s a crying shame how many people don’t give a shit about this band.

My advice is buy all three of their albums so you can track just how much this band has blossomed on In Time To Voices and then let’s have this conversation again.

In the meantime, here’s “Slip Into The Blue” to get you in the mood.

 

 

Final verdict: 8/10

-ST

23
Mar
12

Tiger Bites: Vol.1 (The Shins, Miniature Tigers, Guards)

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Categories: Radass Videos, Sick Tracks and Tiger Bites
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guardsYep. It’s official, I’m bringing Tiger Bites back from the dead and posting them on my site every Friday so you crazy kids have something cool to zone out to before the weekend.

And all you lazy basterds have to do is hit the site on a Friday to hear some sick new music every week and then brag to your friends about how rad you are.

This week I’m posting The Shins playing their new track on Letterman, a video from Miniature Tigers featuring large-breasted female doctors, Lana Del Ray’s new video for “Blue Jeans” which isn’t shit (isn’t great either) and a fucking KILLER track by a band called Guards that I know you’ll dig.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome, ne?

Have a killer weekend party mense. See ya’ll on the flipside.

-ST

21
Mar
12

Treefiddy Review: Mark Lanegan – Blues Funeral

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Categories: Album Reviews and Sick Tracks
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Layout 1The Down Lizzo:

Over the course of his 27 year career, Mark Lanegan has played with everyone from Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) to PJ Harvey and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age).

He cut his teeth in The Screaming Trees in the late 80s and 90s and then went on to start an on-again, off-again solo career as The Mark Lanegan Band.

Seven solo albums later, the self professed “shadow king” is back with Blues Funeral – a potent mix of 80s synth-laden robot rock and growling whisky-soaked blues laced with a funeral dirge sentiment that haunts and enthrals at every turn.

Sick Tracks:

Blues Funeral swings between rumbling, psychedelic anthems like the pile-driving opener “The Gravedigger’s Song”, the relentless, Zepplinesque “Riot In My House” (on which Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme shreds throughout) and my personal favourite, the stoner rock classic “Quiver Syndrome” to quieter, more introspective tracks like “Bleeding Muddy Water” and “Deep Black Vanishing Train”.

The battle-weary resignation of a life spent plunging the shadows of the human experience only to emerge with a handful of shaky half-truths smoulders in the gravel-pit tone of Lanegan’s most powerful asset, his sand-paper baritone.

 

 

Without it, Blues Funeral is an interesting melting pot of a number of different influences and genres, but nothing that would warrant a second or third listen.

With it, and the bold synth-pop experimentation Lanegan indulges on tracks like “Gray Goes Black” and “Ode To Sad Disco”, there is more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

Should You Give A Shit:

Look, the album’s called Blues Funeral so don’t go anywhere near it expecting an easy-listening, foot-tapping, head-bopping album of accessible radio-friendly rock tunes.

But come with an open mind and a taste for the darker things and I can almost guarantee Blues Funeral will give you something to sink your fangs into.

Give “Quiver Syndrome” a listen and see how it grabs you:

 

 

Final Verdict: 7/10

-ST

16
Mar
12

New Music From Your Tiger Pal

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Categories: Radass Videos and Sick Tracks
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1c467365-e8cf-4619-a8ec-71720523351eI used to write this weekly feature on www.pulpmag.co.za called “Tiger Bites” that got some decent traffic.

It was a weekly round-up of everything going on in the music world. I used to bust my balls to find to best content from the music sites I trawl and then mix it all into one post. It melted faces.

So here’s something in a similar vein. This week it’s new tracks from the Blood Red Shoes, Temper Trap, Garbage (yes they’re dropping a new album and yes, the single is SICK) and The Shoes with their video for “Time To Dance” featuring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Dig it.

 

 

 

 

Fair warning before you play this next one. It’s fucking badass, got my hands on it courtesy of my man Nick Bouwer. Check his site out for more good shit.

 

 

Have a killer weekend party people! See y’all on the other side Winking smile

-ST

14
Mar
12

Bushmills Whiskey-barrel Sunglasses

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Categories: Sick Tracks
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bodega-shwood-the-bushmills-sunglasses-01I love Bushmills Irish Whiskey. I can openly say that now without any fear of backlash or recrimination in any way because I don’t work on the brand anymore.

But I used to. And during that time I fell in love with that whiskey. It’s just such a cool and totally underrated brand with one of the most badass stories to tell.

How many other whiskies out there can say they licensed their distillery over FOUR HUNDRED years ago? Bushmills is the staple when it comes to authentic, iconic Irish Whiskey. And now they’re taking their street cred to a whole other level, the badasses.

 

 

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a pair of sunglasses so badly in my entire life. See the way he threw a dram of whisky in the wood polish? That’s 100% legit.

Even cooler is when you buy then they get delivered in that wooden case with a mini crowbar to open it up with.

I want those beautiful, whisky-soaked sunnies on my face. God life would be awesome if I could get my filthy mitts on those sunnies…

 

 

Mark my words, I will track those sunnies down. I’m dead serious. I want to drink Bushmills with those bad boys on my face and listen to The Pack A.D.

Wait, what’s that? You don’t know who The Pack A.D. are?

Siddown buddy. Take a load off and soak this shit up, courtesy of my good buddie Van Barman.

 

 

Are we on the same page here?

Atta boy Winking smile

-ST

31
Jan
12

New Music Tuesday – Sharon Van Etten

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Categories: Sick Tracks
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sharon van etten 520I go nuts for bands who stream their albums before they get released. It’s just a very humble, thoughtful thing to do y’know?

It’s like they’re saying, “Here’s what we did, if you like it, spread the word and buy the album and if you don’t, no biggie, just carry on with your life and let’s pretend like this never happened, ok?”

With Sharon Van Etten’s new album Tramp, you’re gonna want to buy it when it gets released though – one listen to the first single “Serpents” and I was instantly hooked and as for the rest of the album, well let’s just say I thought it was pretty damn decent.

 

 

Besides the fact that Van Etten has a dead sexy voice and a natural songwriting ability, the album is produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner and there’s a distinct flavour he adds to the tracks on Tramp that fans of The National will pick up on instantly.

Give “Serpents” a listen below and if you dig it, hit this link to stream the whole album.

 

 

She’s got something, some kinda magic happening there that I think is pretty cool.

What do you crazy cats think?

-ST

25
Jan
12

A Post On Leonard Cohen

By SlickTiger 4 Comments
Categories: Sick Tracks
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leonard-cohen-19-09-09You can very broadly divide the world into two distinct camps – those who love Leonard Cohen and those who think all his music is good for is slitting your wrists to.

It’s pretty funny when you stop to think about them, the wrist-slitting brigade.

You take an artist and you give him or her a blank canvas, be it a recording studio, a film set or literally a canvas, and they fill that creative space it with something real, visceral, beautiful and true.

They fill it with something that captures the tragedy and the majesty of the human spirit and communicates that so powerfully that people’s immediate reaction is run away screaming about how they’re going to slit their wrists.

“I have enough shit to deal with in my life without listening to that!” they invariably say. But I’ll tell you one thing that you can pretty much take to the bank – if they run from difficult emotions in the music they listen to, or the movies they watch, they’ll run from those same emotions in life as well.

 

 

Maybe I’m a mopey, sad, Mr Loserpants, but I like art that makes me think and in some cases, makes me sad. Is that weird? I dunno, I just find that sometimes there’s a certain comfort in being sad that the wrist-slitting brigade will never understand.

And when I’m in moods like that, my friend Mr Leonard Cohen comes around in his famous blue raincoat and we share a whisky together, sighing eternally.

Here’s the first single off the album that lands next week Tuesday, it’s called “Show Me The Place”.

 

 

Expect a full review soon as I get my mitts on that album, it’s called Old Ideas so keep an eye out.

Or slit your wrists now, your call Winking smile

-ST

12
Jan
12

Summerland

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Categories: Being Slick and Sick Tracks
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500767899_323b1db527When I was in highschool, I used to track down all these songs that I’d listen to on rainy days and as a typical troubled adolescent, I had a lot of those.

From time to time, when that same crippling feeling of sadness and loss gets the better of me, I go back to those songs, seeking comfort.

Isn’t it amazing that music can do that? Doesn’t that blow your mind, because it blows mine.

The thought that the right collection of chords and notes and sounds played at the right time, in the right pattern can somehow make you feel less alone.

Everclear’s “Summerland” is one of those songs. Over time, it’s come to mean a lot to me, especially today when, standing in the ruins of what once was, this one simple line is cutting me up:

 

I think I lost my smile

I think you lost yours too

We have lost the power to make each other laugh…

 

I thought I could fix things, but I just made them a million times worse. I always thought you could fix anything, but I see now that I was wrong.

My kingdom for a rewind button.

-ST

13
Dec
11

Treefiddy Review: The Black Keys – El Camino

By SlickTiger 1 Comment
Categories: Album Reviews and Sick Tracks
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BlackKeys_DannyClinch_150The Down Lizzo:

Two years ago you had no idea who they were, then Brothers dropped and their muddy, garage-blues slowly started creeping into your life.

So you got your mitts on the album and before you knew it, you were telling everyone that would listen about how much you love The Black Keys (you still haven’t heard anything earlier than Attack & Release though).

And now you find yourself reading this to find out what your Tiger pal thinks of their new album, El Camino, even though you probably already own it.

Well, I fucking love it, and here’s why.

Sick Tracks:

Instead of folding under the pressure to produce a worthy follow up to Brothers, Pat (Carney) and Dan (Auerbach) stepped up to the challenge, got into studio with Danger Mouse (the producer behind Gorillaz’ Demon Days, Gnarles Barkley’s St Elsewhere and the Black Keys album Attack & Release to name a few) and proceeded to record one of the best albums I’ve heard this year.

From the rusty guitar riffs and insanely catchy chorous of “Lonely Boy” to the righteous, foot-stompin’ grooves of “Sister” and the almost Zepplinesque prog rock ballad that is “Little Black Submarines”, the Keys keep the monster hooks coming and pull no punches in this noteworthy follow up to Brothers.

And don’t even get me started on “Gold On The Ceiling”, which emerges like a mutated Thin Lizzy track bursting at the seams with hand-clap percussion, skuzzy organs and a pre-chorous that sounds like it was written specifically for strip club scenes in Robert Rodriguez films.

 

Should You Give A Shit?

Damn straight you should give a shit! In fact, stop fucking around reading this, go out there and buy this album if you haven’t already.

Does it live up to Brothers? At 11 tracks and 38 minutes, unfortunately it will never be able to top the 15 track masterpiece that was Brothers simply because there’s less of it.

HOWEVER, El Camino is sheer filthy, raucous, soulful, ballsy, unrepentant rock ‘n roll the way God himself intended it, so by all means give it a spin or two and you’ll quickly see why I fucking love this album.

Here’s a teaser in the meantime. It’s called “Sister” and it goes a little something…

Like this Winking smile

 

 

Final verdict: 9/10

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