Future Dust, and Future Rust is a month old today. Please raise a glass or just your middle finger to all things not so great in the wonderful world of Reading and Leeds

Enjoy

This weeks indie album releases:

Tom Vek – Leisure Seizure

2005 was the year the hotly tipped Tom Vek first appeared on music’s street with the amazing breathe of fresh air debut LP We Have Sound. He’s back almost six years later and he means business, we have no real reason why he was away for so long (rumours of alien abduction made me chuckle) perhaps he waited for the charts for the charts to become overrun by bubblegum sweethearts and London rappers to come in one fell swoop to make the world of indie sit up and realize that ”…six years have passed”.

He may have even been ashamed that We Have Sound was tipped for big things, but sold not as much as the world of hype of music would have warranted. Well done to Island for waiting this long to release Leisure Seizure, I do find myself thinking at certain moments (“Seizemic”) that this is a rich man’s Calvin Harris, then Vek comes back with a rhythmatic beat I to say ‘Hell no isn’t this Mr Harris’. Not many tracks had me hooked from the word go, I pretty much only enjoyed the lead single “A Chore”, understandable the only real decent song the charts can handle. During “APOLOGY” I felt like I walked into a wannabe sync teenager boy’s bedroom, very “Unicorn Kid”.

Strictly Our Opinion: I was quite disappointed, after a huge break from the world of music I honestly thought Vek would come back and smash it. Frankly I did found Leisure Seizure dated and it would have been better suited in the Calvin Harris and Unicorn Kid days [2.0/5.0]

Black Lips - Arabia Mountain

I guess I can’t really not name drop the deadly man that is Mark Ronson, who was somewhat involved in the making of Arabia Mountain, rumour has it he almost died (if only). Right Ronson done, back to Black Lips, while listening to Arabia Mountain, I did feel like I was just listening to one big chuck of dumb arse garage rock which ended in a big blank downy face from me. I’m no fan of Black Lips, but I always get drawn to them, maybe its the Beach Boys surfy type of tones that keep me coming back, even if for only one or two listens.

“Modern Art” I did enjoy, it’s summer time on a cocaine infested beach in the 80′s (not glamorises drugs, just saying.) “Go Out and Get It” offered us listeners lyrically fun themed humorous lines throughout.

Strictly Our Opinion: Compared to the downer that was 200 Million Thousand, I do find Arabia Mountain a little bit more enjoyable, more light hearted and fun, but still I don’t understand the need for Black Lips [2.5/5.0]

My album of the week:

Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See

The Monkeys are back to the wordy, catchy songs we longed to love with Whatever People Say… and Favourite Worst Nightmare. Third album Humbug didn’t quite deliver, gone was the fun, replaced with darker, slow, heavier tracks (During 2009 headline slot at Reading this was increasingly boring)

Now back with fourth studio album The Monkeys have brought back good old British indie-rock sound like with a mixture of The Smiths touch.

Arctic Monkeys are nothing more than an indie-rock with a dash of the pop bubbles band. Going heavy Queens Of The Stoneage rock didn’t work out quite right for them.

Suck it And See starts off with my favourite two songs “She Thunderstorms” and “Black Treacle”, both just echo perfect songs. On “Library Pictures” The Arctic Monkeys got to show of their experimental side. Josh Homme also makes another appearance on “All My Own Stunts”, once again showing off with his rock skills. Move away Josh. Move away.

For a more in depth detailed review on Suck It And See read Strictly Dave’s review upon the leak.

Strictly Our Opinion: Suck It And See is almost the perfect sing along played it safe just in time for festival season album, but I just wanted more, much more.. Singles “Brick By Brick” and “Don’t Sit Down Because I Moved Your Chair” where quite misleading. Suck It And See I found somewhat too slow and ballady  for my indie taste buds. I wish Josh Homme would just stick to Queens Of The Stoneage and keep his rock hands of the best selling indie band of my generation [3.5/5.0]

My single of the week:

WU LYF – DIRT

The most secretive two fingers up to record labels band WU LYF, sure do deliver hard bitten songs, which have almost every A&R in the country screaming at full voice offering ridiculous amounts of money for WU LYF to sign a contract with them. Afraid not, these guys are hard and refuse to buckle down to a contract, many new bands are seeing this as the way forward. Why the need to get paid a huge advance to work on your record? Which band wants that?

“DIRT” makes me think of the conservative hating opinions that The Kings Blues had once upon a time, actually WU LYF, don’t sign a record deal you may end up selling your soul. The footage to go along with “DIRT” follows the action happening on the University fee’s protest that saw London transform into a bomb site as messy students got one over on the police. Its quite hard to understand what lead singer Ellery Roberts is singing without watching the video, which handily comes with subtitles.

Caught live this week:

The Kills with support from Cat’s Eyes and S.C.U.M. – Roundhouse 3rd June

It all began with heavy swipe of eyeliner and mascara and ended with a fist of lipstick.

First up the ever-dramatic flared suit wearing S.C.U.M. You could just about understand what Thomas aka Tom was singing about, all I know is I missed the first half due to drinking raspberry favoured beer across the road (was rather tasty too) and playing with a friends cream cake (I like poking cakes, better than eating them). I have seen S.C.U.M many times before, but if you have seen them the once you’ve seen them enough.

Next stop Cat’s Eyes; the band obsessed with the 60′s pop girl band approach the same, simple direct fun lyrics.

The Horrors front man Faris and sphere opera lady Rachel claim not to be a dark band, then why the need to wear all black with only dark gleamed lights around? Huh?

“Sunshine Girls”  just bursts 60′s colourful fun.  I do wonder how Cat’s Eyes would go down at an elderly care home.With the stage maxed out to the max with musical instruments, a choir in the backing for a ‘church’ sort of feel.  ”Face In The Crowd” was one of my highlights. Faris pretty much stayed on the side of the stage, hair covering face while Rachel, the voice of an angel, breathed her way casually through the set. “The Lull” sounds like something straight out of a Disney movie, being at a Kills gigs you would think this would be out of place, but not tonight.

The Kills are just a little around 15 minutes late to enter the stage (my guess is a few cheeky cigarette or a box on the garden terrace) never the less, I would have waited all night for the presence of one of today’s finest rock n roll bands. Playing it cool in front of a ever changing leopard print background (I want this) heavily based on new record Blood Pressure still managing to squeeze in fan pleasers; “Tape Song’, “U R Fever” and “Sour Cherry” with “No Wow” setting it all off, they completely worked it. The ever so effortless too cool almost deadly Kills have got tighter and tighter as a duo, every live sighting seems fresher. I guess I have to mention the sexual atmosphere which once again had the Roundhouse dripping in sweat. I even heard someone say ‘I need a hot dog’ please use your imagination this person is a male friend of mine.

Indie News:

Kasabian are planning to play new material at Isle Of Wight festival.

They released first single “Switchblade Smile” from the new ‘jukebox album’ Velociraptor! (Their words not mine) last night on Zane Lowe’s BBC radio one show.

“Switchblade Smile” sounds very messy, in a good way. If you took huge amounts of drugs and wanted to go a little bit mad too, “Switchblade…” would be perfect. Move over Prodigy.

Are Kasabian our future Reading and Leeds headliners?

Also If anyone cares Beady Eye are going to be filming a new music video at Isle Of Wight, how fun, using cameras apparently.

This is your lot. Peace.

Each and every record mentioned above is worth a trip to your local record store/itunes for (apart from Beady Eye) If you don’t go, I may just haunt you, I can do this. I am special. Honestly you won’t regret it (the buying I mean, not me haunting you.)