BOY KILL BOY

Well, they just keep on coming... these groups (usually British, or at least trying to be) with their vaguely '80s, neo-New Wave sounds. The latest appears to be the London-based four-piece Boy Kill Boy, whose new album, Civilian, has been out in the UK for about a week now and will be available to U.S. audiences on June 6th (albeit as an import, I do believe).

These guys are generating that infamous NME/"Next Big Thing" buzz across the pond, though I'd rate their current quality closer to the Killers and the Bravery than, say, Franz Ferdinand. Still, there are at least five songs on the record that rate solidly, and they're certainly worthy of a cursory glimpse/listen.

(My favorite track from the album, "On and On," will appear on my upcoming "Best of May" mix, which I should have up here sometime on Friday.)

[MP3] "Back Again"

[MP3] "Ivy Parker"

THOM YORKE - THE ERASER

And so it begins... the leak of the week....

Thom Yorke's solo album isn't due out till early July, but here's a taste...

[MP3] "Analyse"

[MP3] "Harrowdown Hill"

MOJAVE 3

I've been awaiting the new Mojave 3 album, Puzzles Like You, with great anticipation. For about a decade now, Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell & Co. have been putting out solidly melodic records that inspire quiet contemplation and peaceful, easy feelings. At times, some of the slower stuff has come to sound a little "same-y" to me, but perhaps that's just the band's unconscious ode - or intended tribute - to their Slowdive shoegaze roots.

Whatever the case, I tend to like it when they up the tempos a bit. Hard rockers they'll never be, but a little extra kick of giddy-up in the mix helps to keep this attention span-challenged listener from slipping into siesta. Fortunately, the new record seems to feature at least a few tunes that fit me and my attention span to a T. Feel free to try them on for size yourself...

From the LP Puzzles Like You, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Breaking the Ice"
[MP3] "Puzzles Like You"

From the LP Excuses for Travellers, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "In Love With a View"
[MP3] "Krazy Koz"

From the LP Out of Tune, 1998 >>>
[MP3] "Give What You Take"

PET SHOP BOYS

I've been a closet (ahem!) Pet Shop Boys fan for ages now - perhaps beginning with "West End Girls," but truly gaining traction with "Opportunities" and "It's a Sin."

The Boys' new album, Fundamental, will "come out" (oh dear) in the U.S. on June 27th. I've been a bit underwhelmed by some of the slower tracks I've heard thus far (as well as by lead single "I'm with Stupid"), but the "dancier" tracks below work pretty decently for me. (I'm also including a favorite "dance-y" track from their last effort.) So... disco!

From the LP Fundamental, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Integral"
[MP3] "Minimal"

From the LP PopArt, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Flamboyant"

ART GARFUNKEL

You know, every now and again I get to feeling sorry for Art Garfunkel. Poor, pathetic fella... always trapped in Paul Simon's little-big-man shadow, both in the S&G days and the subsequent solo ones (though Simon's star has decidedly dimmed these past 20 years; so take heart, Art!).

Plus, another thing: ol' Art's constantly got the cops on his ass. I mean, come on... can't a 64-year-old dude smoke a little reefer in peace?

On the positive side, Mr. Garfunkel's still got that amazing, white-man-Bozo 'fro. And he still has that sweet, helium-high voice that reminds me, somehow, of childhood.

You're the man, Art. (And everybody knows your old partner's a prick.)

These should do nicely for a Sunday morning...

[MP3] "Bright Eyes"

[MP3] "All I Know"

[MP3] "99 Miles from L.A."

JAMES (1982-2001)

[Oops. Fell off the wagon and down a rabbit-hole the past few days. Back now, slightly the worse for wear. Withdrawal is fun. Vivid, vivid dreams. Slightly scary.]

I haven't made an entry in my "dead" bands series for a while, so maybe the time has come to take a look at the blandly-named UK group James. They started out way-the-hell back in the '80s and were seen by some (possibly even Morrissey himself) as the second coming of the Smiths. I didn't really discover them until their 1993, Brian Eno-produced album Laid, which spawned the semi-hit title track (and is still their best album, IMO).

I always thought of lead singer Tim Booth as being sort of Bono-lite. Certainly, he has an affection for falsetto, which is fine by me. But one also gets the impression that the band saw themselves as risk-taking innovators throughout their career, which I can't quite buy. True, their sound did change over time, but they remained - for the most part - a pleasant folk-pop outfit whose ultimate demise was noticed by few, and mourned by still fewer. Certainly worth a look (and a listen) on this "dry" Friday eve...

From the LP Laid, 1993 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Laid"

From the LP Whiplash, 1997 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "She's a Star"

From the LP Millionaires, 1999 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "We're Going to Miss You"

From the LP Seven, 1991 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Seven"

From the LP Pleased to Meet You, 2001 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Alaskan Pipeline"

From the compilation Alternative NRG, 1993 >>>
[MP3] [SaveFile] "Ring the Bells" [live]

THE '80s - VOL. 2

Well, I certainly don't want to go to this well too often (and I won't), but after last Sunday's '80s nostalgia-fest here at a Plague of A., it seemed at least reasonably appropriate to offer a second serving of said nostalgia-fest. In part, this is because the '80s were such a significant part of my now not-so-glorious life (not that it was all that glorious back then, either, but still...). Beyond that, though, with so many bands aping the '80s in one way or another to gain fortune and fame here in the '00s... well... perhaps that's rationalization enough for another 80 minutes of '80s pop poofery.

Please left-click [here] for said pop poofery.

TRACKLIST >>>

01) The Buggles/Video Killed the Radio Star
02) Blondie/Call Me
03) Dead or Alive/You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)
04) The Go-Go's/We Got the Beat
05) A Flock of Seagulls/I Ran (So Far Away)
06) Greg Kihn Band/The Break-Up Song
07) ABC/The Look of Love
08) Billy Idol/Dancing with Myself
09) Toni Basil/Hey Mickey
10) Gary Numan/Cars'
11) Yaz/Only You
12) Duran Duran/The Reflex
13) Katrina & the Waves/Walking on Sunshine
14) The Fixx/One Thing Leads to Another
15) Sparks & Jane Wiedlin/Cool Places
16) Modern English/I Melt with You
17) Men at Work/Who Can It Be Now?
18) The Romantics/What I Like About You
19) Talk Talk/It's My Life
20) Tommy Tutone/867-5309/Jenny
21) Alphaville/Forever Young [extended version]