Maximo Park remain one of my favorite British bands of recent years. More than Bloc Party, The Futureheads, or even Art Brut, here is a group that lives up to the hype time and again, and manages to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Maximo Park are preparing to release their new album, Quicken The Heart, due out next Monday (May 11). The first single, The Kids Are Sick Again, was released today and gives a great impression of what to expect from the LP.

I’m eagerly awaiting the new album but lead singer Paul Smith recently told The Daily Star about his worries for the release. The making of Quicken The Heart was apparently a little tricky, with different members of the group wanting to head in different directions.

Read more

I’ve been a fan of Maximo Park since they released their debut album, A Certain Trigger, in 2005. Two years later they released their second album, Our Earthly Pleasures, which unlike their peers’ (The Futureheads and Bloc Party) efforts managed to live up to the promise of their first release.

Maximo Park are one of those bands who have a really intense and loyal following but don’t quite ever manage to move into the mainstream. But they have another chance to do exactly that with new album, Quicken The Heart.

The first single to be released from Quicken The Heart is The Kids Are Sick Again, a rousing little number that certainly signals the fact Maximo Park are back again. Video and review after the cut.

Read more

2009 has arrived so I’m actually overdue in rounding up my best of Brit Music Scene from 2008. Here we find out what the biggest stories and talking points between the months of July and September.

July

Most bands now love having their songs featured in video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, but Led Zeppelin made a stand against the grain by refusing permission for their songs to be used. Meanwhile, Mani claimed that Ian Brown was the main thing stopping a Stone Roses reunion from happening.

There were claims that John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols had racially attacked Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke at the Summercase festival in Spain. While the moment that the Sex Pistols swore on live TV was voted as the most requested clip ever.

Read more

The Ting Tings have probably been the biggest band to have emerged from the UK this year, certainly they’re the biggest indie/alternative band to have made their début in 2008. But Katie White and Jules De Martino aren’t going to sit back and watch the money and awards roll in.

Instead, the duo from Salford are going to immediately launch in to writing and recording their next album, the follow-up to the insanely successful, and oh-so catchy, We Started Nothing.

According to the NME, The Ting Tings are looking to start recording the album in early 2009.

Read more

Snow Patrol are, without doubt, one of the best bands to emerge from the UK over the past few years. But, what has stopped me falling completely and utterly head over heels in love with them is that the songs are all so sad. Seriously, cheer up will you, it might never happen.

The Scottish and Northern Irish super group that is Snow Patrol have obviously succeeded in to turning the sad love song in to a sort of art form, but when every song plays on the breaking up of a relationship or some other kind of unfortunate incident, it can make listening to a full album somewhat of an effort: an effort not to kill yourself.

But, it seems those of us who desperately want to adore Snow Patrol wholeheartedly but can’t quite bring ourselves to risk suicide may be in luck. Lead singer Gary Lightbody has gone on record to claim that the band’s new album, A Hundred Million Suns, is somewhat of a departure from what has come before.

Read more

Wow, totally out of the blue, Bloc Party have announced their new album, Intimacy, is to be released this Thursday, August 21st. The news of a sudden shock release came from a webchat with fans on the official BlocParty.com website.

It was thought until today that the album wouldn’t be released until very late 2008 or even early 2009, but the band have seemingly brought it forward by months.

This follows similar strategies by Radiohead and The Raconteurs.

You can pre-order the album from the official site now. For £5, fans can get an mp3 bundle which will be delivered on August 21st, or for £8, they can get a CD which will be delivered on October 27th. £10 buys you both, which means you’ll have the digital copy to listen to from Thursday and then the physical release in two months time.

Read more

John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has allegedly been involved in a racial attack on Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke at the Summercase festival in Spain. Reports first emerged of a scuffle between Foals front man Yannis Philippakis, but the details have since been filled in by the lead singer of British indie rockers Bloc Party.

The incident apparently happened as Lydon socialised with a bunch of British acts backstage at the festival. Kele then claims to have approached Lydon to ask him if there was any chance of him reforming Public Image Ltd., one of his favourite bands.

Bloc Party then claim, in an official statement, that Lydon “became intimidating and aggressive while his entourage responded with a racist tirade including the statement ‘Your problem is your black attitude’.” Okereke then had a scuffle with Lydon’s associates, until Philippakis, and Kaiser Chiefs front man Ricky Wilson, stepped in to calm everything down.

Read more

Wow, this is huge. Bloc Party have revealed heir new single, and it is completely different than anything they have released before, and I’m not too sure whether I like the direction the band are going in.

It all started with a countdown timer on the official Bloc Party website, which suddenly appeared, and pointed towards something big happening on Monday.

The timer then expired, and in its place were instructions to listen to Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show.

At 7.30pm, Zane played Mercury for the first time ever, and well, it doesn’t really sound like the Bloc Party I know and love.

Lead singer and front man Kele Okereke spoke to Zane about the new song, and impending third album, saying:

“It’s a song we finished a little while ago that we’re really proud of so we thought we’d let everyone hear it. I’m still somewhat in awe.”

“I think we’re making the record I always wanted us to make. We’re kind of just in the middle of it, we’re still writing songs and mixing stuff.”

I’ve reviewed the song and video in full over on Killed By The Video Star today, but here it is for you to make your own mind up (after the fold)…

Read more

Some of the bloggers here on the b5 music channel decided to record our Soundtrack For A Day yesterday. This could take different forms, be it all the songs you listened to on that day, a selection from certain moments, or a particular album.

I decided to stick my media player on random and note down the first 50 songs it played, and here is the result.

As a full time blogger who works from home, music is very important to me as it can change the mood of my day. Pressing the random button is therefore a bit of a gamble but this time it didn’t let me down.

Notice the amount of British songs in the collection! That’s not engineered in any way, just proof that that is where my big love in music lies. There are also some brilliant American and Irish bands in there too, and of course, Abba…

Stereophonics - Mr Writer
The Feeling - Join With Us
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
Art Brut - Stand Down
The Killers - On Top
Coldplay - Spies
The Kooks - Got No Love
Radiohead - Videotape
The Hoosiers - Worried About Ray
Maximo Park - By The Monument
The Jam - All Around The World
Girls Aloud - Long Hot Summer
Snow Patrol - Gleaming Auction
Jimi Hendrix - House Burning Down
Therapy? - Knives
Tricky - Ponderosa
Lily Allen - Everything’s Just Wonderful
The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman
Linkin Park - Nobody’s Listening
Rage Against The Machine - People Of The Sun
Nina Simone - Feeling Good
REM - It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
The Young Knives - Another Hollow Line
Paul Simon - The Boy In The Bubble
The Specials - Too Much Too Young

See the second half of my 50 song list after the cut…

Read more

A few of us here on the b5 music channel have decided to get together and talk about our favourite gigs. I’ve been to far too many to list them all, so instead, I’ll focus on my experiences of the last year.

I have quite a broad taste in music, loving everything from Bjork and Joanna Newsome, through the Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party, up to Megadeth and The Hives, so my gig history is kind of fragmented.

My first gig was the Stereophonics back in the day (when they were good, or at least better than they are at the moment), and that kind of set the tone for my experiences since then.

All I remember about that gig was not being able to hear anything afterwards, and wondering why. Now I’m used to it, and know that my hearing will be relatively back to normal the next day.

Since I’ve started writing Brit Music Scene, I’ve reviewed the gigs I’ve been to, except Megadeth earlier this year because I didn’t know how interested my readers would be.

For the record, it was mind-blowingly good. It was my first metal gig, and one I’ll never forget. From seeing the master, Dave Mustaine, have the crowd eating out of his hand, to getting drenched in sweat that came flying from the long haired goon standing in front of me every time he rocked out, it was an unforgettable night.

Read more