The Big Pink ft. Dust In The Sunlight - "Love Spins On Its Axis"

Synthy shoegazers The Big Pink returns with a new single "Love Spins On Its Axis." It's a stadium-ready anthem of swooning synths, cavernous drums, and Robbie Furze's epic vocals.  

2016 Favorite Songs (Numbers 30-21)

Inching closer to the top of my countdown:

30. Solange ft. Sampha - "Don't Touch My Hair"



Stunning highlight from her masterful record A Seat at the Table.

29. Balance and Composure - "Postcard"



For me, this was a weak year for guitar based records, however, songs like this got me through.

28. The Big Pink - "Hightimes"



Fitting to its title, this song churns along on a druggy vibe.

27. Cubicolor - "One False Step"



Gorgeous electronica; love how the vocals and synths reach soaring heights at the end.

26. AlunaGeorge - "Hold Your Head High"



Awesome banger from the UK duo.

25. Broods - "Worth the Fight"



Touching song about trying to save a relationship.

24. Trentemøller ft. Jehnny Beth - "River in Me"



Gothy goodness.

23. Delorean - "Muzik"



All parties must come to an end, and this is the soundtrack to the Uber ride home.

22. Beyonce - "Sorry"



A literal middle finger to all cheating spouses, and the awakening of a new feminist anthem.

21. Banks & Steelz - "Can't Hardly Feel"



On paper, this collaboration should be a disaster, however, I was amazed at how many times I went back to this record and found something new. I love this lonely little track, and you just feel a palpable sense of loss.

Jam of the Day: The Big Pink - "Hightimes"

After the departure of founding member Milo Cordell, Robbie Furze brought in his wife Mary Charteris to handle backing vocals and keyboards. There isn't a distinct difference in this version of The Big Pink, though it does have a more feminine aura about itself. Off their EP Empire Underground, "Hightimes" lives up to its title with a suitably druggy, gauzy feel to it.

Video: The Big Pink - "Lose Your Mind"

Stylishly arty clip from the post-shoeagazers.

Coachella 2012 Day Two Wrap Up

My Coachella gang are the early goers, where we show up when the gates open and check out the less known acts and enjoy the festival grounds before the massive crowds later on. It's nice to sit in the beer garden in front of the Sahara tent and enjoy the nice weather, some good pizza, and some beer. Thankfully, the clouds from Friday disappeared and there was abundant sun. The only downside was there was also abundant wind. But I am always a trooper and soldiered on. Kurt and I went over to the Outdoor Theater for one of my favorite bands, We Were Promised Jetpacks. They did a solid and driving set of their brand of angular post-punk. It was good start to the day and had a nice effect of dispelling the bad vibes from the previous day.

I'm the guy in the blue baseball cap at the bottom/middle of the screen at the :10 mark.

Next up was the amazing Azealia Banks who rode into Coachella on a huge wave of hype and buzz for her first US appearance. Despite her set being cut short 20 minutes it was a fun/energetic show that had her crying throughout the entire duration for being so happy. Below is the clip for "212/Firestarter" that made the tent explode.

I shuffled over to the Mojave tent next for The Big Pink. They played in 2010 and I had to miss them due to a conflict so I was glad to catch them again. Their set was solid yet not amazing, playing most off the new album with a couple of tracks from the first one.

I had a lot of time to kill before my next show, so I wandered the fields awhile checking out the art installations and a few songs from Noel Gallager. I then headed over to see St. Vincent. Again, she was in the Gobi and had sound troubles, which seemed to be a theme for that tent this year. Despite not being able to hear her all that well, she put on a fun set, culminating in her crowd surfing while singing a new track.

I stayed through to Flying Lotus' set, which basically was a somewhat freshened up version of his set from 2010. The guy even had the same t-shirts in the merchandise tent. Not to say it wasn't good, there were some interesting moments throughout, but it had the feeling of being same old same old.



I joined my housemates for Miike Snow over at the Outdoor Stage. The wind had picked up and it had gotten much colder, so it wasn't the most ideal of situations. Despite the cold, we saw a really nice set from the band, although it felt a little truncated. But I was able to hear "Cult Logic" at its correct tempo and new faves "The Wave" and "Pretender" so I was very happy.



Which comes to Radiohead, which was one of the bands I wanted to see the most. However, the crowd was so horrifically douchey it turned us off from even staying long. We caught about 3 songs from them, and as they were basically the same tracks from their Atlanta show we decided to make it an early night. So I wandered home and got to bed relatively early. Sunday would be the big day.

Videos of the Week

The kick ass collaboration between Usher and Diplo finally has a video.

Keep Shelly in Athens - Our Own Dream from Thanasis Tsimpinis on Vimeo.

New video from dream synth poppers Keep Shelley in Athens.



Interesting collaboration between Chris Carter & Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle) and Nik Void (Factory Floor).



Another intense track from rap punk group Death Grips.



Amazing post punk track from Disappears.



Trippy, 90s style video for the new Big Pink track.

The Big Pink: Future This - Album Review

The Big Pink
Future This
Rating: Grrrr

Entering the music scene fully formed with their fantastic 2009 debut A Brief History Of Love, UK shoegaze revivalists The Big Pink obviously were not content to stay a cult act for long. Tracks like "Dominoes" and "Velvet" were arena-ready, full of booming drums and killer choruses, that spoke to their ambitions. After several years of touring the album and opening for bands like Muse (who wrote the template for exceeding one's modest beginnings), The Big Pink return with, while not necessarily a rehash of their debut, a slight progression, that is enough to keep the initial fans happy while opening their sound up to new fans. Future This is unabashedly a pop album for them. Almost eschewing the grinding guitars that populated the tracks on A Brief History Of Love, The Big Pink focus more on melody and beat, relying a lot more on keyboards and samples, using guitars for punctuation and not the main ingredient.

I've read a lot of reviews that comment how opening track, and first single, "Stay Gold" sounds a lot like "Dominoes," and yes, I can see the similarities, however, to me it seems more like a continuation from the first album. Acting as a touchstone before delving into the changes that the band is making. While the journey begins at the same point, by record's end it will be completely different.



"Hit The Ground (O Superman)" takes a brilliant use of a Laurie Anderson sample over funky beats and swooning keyboards, with a majestic chorus led by Robbie Furze's anthemic croon.



After this rather familiar start to the album, The Big Pink start trying new things, adding R&B samples and funk organ to the slippery "Give It Up."



"1313" adds gritty bass and more Britpop-esque shimmering guitars to a song whose focus is all about atmosphere and mood. And also shows that the band are no longer the heartless bastards from their debut, that they too are affected by love.



"Jump Music" rolls out over whizzing and buzzing synths, kicking into a banging club track, and hitting a bread and butter killer chorus.



Another change is that the lyrics and themes seem much more personal and affecting; no longer keeping the listener at arm's length, bringing them in closer. Title track "Future This" has Furze singing "I see now what you've always known/all hearts break when the light is faded/love runs faster than time," finally seeing the damage that his previous attitude could inflict.



Which all leads to the devastating final track "77," which is about the aftermaths of addiction, whether they be drug or emotional, with Furze's voice quavering, wishing he had the will to resist. The song is a lovely track, built on an echoing, hip-hop beat, plaintive pianos, and lovely strings.



Future This doesn't take its time making its intentions known. It is a BIG record, full of skyscraping production techniques, killer choruses, and music designed to get your attention. While some have complained they record doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from its predecessor, I think there is a distinct change as the record goes forward. While The Big Pink aren't playing stadiums right now, I think the question is more when will they, rather that could they?

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Coachella 2012 Countdown: 91 Days! The Big Pink - "Stay Gold"

I'm really excited to catch The Big Pink this year. Their new album Future This is really great.

Videos of the Week

Brrrrrr. Here are the videos of the week that are keeping me warm against the winter chill:



New video from The Big Pink. Not sure I like this more poppy sound they are going for, but it is a pretty good song.



MGMT's gorgeous cover of the Bauhaus track "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" gets an equally gorgeous animated video.



One of the best tracks off the debut album from WU LYF gets an interestingly suspenseful video.



Video from King Krule, the 17 year old singer-songwriter wunderkind from the UK. He is one to watch.



Hyesterically anachronistic video from the German industrial band. Directed by Jonas Ackerland.



One of the more beat heavy tracks on the new Drake cd.



Bizarre video from Los Campesinos!



Sounds like a dance act from the heyday of Factory records.