So far, 2010 is looking like a great year for indie and alternative rock.
Browse playlist mixes with hundreds of free, legal MP3s.
New Posts and Playlists
Recent Releases We Almost Missed, VII: Sam Billen,...Best New Releases of the Week: Avi Buffalo, Alcoho...
IRC Band to Watch: New York's The Rassle
New York Times Will Stream The National's New Albu...
Recent Releases We Almost Missed VI: Owen Pallett,...
Best New Releases of the Week: Radio Dept., Rory E...
Yoko Ono Talks to IRC About Her Dance Hits, Musica...
Record Store Day: The Importance of Record Stores,...
One Man Band Series: Ben's Imaginary Band, 200 Lur...
Recent Releases We Almost Missed, Vol. V: The Libr...
best indie albums 2008
Recent Comments
So what's up with the crap coming from drummer Ed Lay's mouth recently?
In July, The Cambridge Evening News in the U.K. caught up with the petite drummer outside a club in Cambridge:
Umm, did you really say that, dude?"When we catch up with drummer Ed Lay to chat about the band's phenomenal rise, he's unloading all the bands equipment from a van to set up for rehearsals - proof that even if you have a number one album and a shower of critical acclaim under your belt, you still have to get your hands dirty occasionally.
"I had to hire my own van and go and pick all our stuff up," he moans. "See, it's not all glamorous you know. Nobody does my washing either."
Hey Ed, I can guarantee you that fans of the Editors don't want to hear you whining, especially about moving your own equipment or, wait a minute, washing your own clothes!?
Did you grow up in the Queen's Palace? And, just to make you feel a bit better you pissy wanker, look on the 'bright' side - it won't be long, if it hasn't already happened, before you'll be hauling your own vans of bloody money to the bank, bitch!
If, Ed, you are saying that Editors' amazing success in the U.K. in the span of two years is not good enough for you, there are thousands of more humble, appreciative and better drummers in the U.K. alone that would gladly take your place in a drum beat, and it's almost a bet they'd never complain about washing their own clothes or moving their own equipment.
No, Editors are not Westlife or Maroon 5 (and that's good, right?), but again, Ed, you're not garnering any sympathy by complaining, especially among the kind of fans Editors attract - indie and alternative rock fans.
This is not just a remark, but what seems to becoming a trend for the band itself - there are simply rockers out there who can't stand you guys, and in a way it comes across on stage when the band plays. But worse than all of that is to whine like a baby about stupid little things - a violation of a serious aspect of the indie rock etiquette (we'd expect to hear someone like Paris Hilton whine about washing her own clothes, but a drummer for a goth indie rock band? Ugh...)
Not cool, dude.
On another note, for all the gals out there that dig Editors' guitarist Chris Urbanowizc for more reason than one, here's something he told the BBC in January of 2005 - as the Editors began to attract a lot of attention from radio and television - about returning to his hometown of Nottingham to play.
Urbanowizc talks about his stage fright and his preference to play for "more intimate audiences of 150 people, in a small dark venue with sweat dripping off the low ceilings." Hot!
Editors' Links
- Singles from An End Has A Start, the Editors' second album released in July
- Wrapping Up U.S. Tour, Editors Return to U.K. for Next Tour
- Summer Rock Festivals Growing in Popularity, and Profits
Labels: The Editors
eMusic's FREE Daily Download!
Submit Your Music Get the IRC Feed IRC on WeAreHunted
The promotional efforts leading up to the launch of the band's sixth studio album included the advanced release of the melodic hit single and music video "It Means Nothing", plus the title track, from this summer's online only Bank Holiday Monday EP [see videos links below].
Here's a clip from the band's press release on Monday: "If you want to download a digital copy of the album, it’s available through iTunes together with two bonus tracks, a video and the digital booklet."
To watch the band's new promotional video for Pull The Pin, click on the image below.
- V2 Records press release for Pull The Pin
- Music videos and MP3s from Pull The Pin
- Read Pull The Pin reviews from Gigwise and WGA
- View official Stereophonics multimedia files (videos, films, photos and more)
- Watch Stereophonics' YouTube videos
- Download free Stereophonics' MP3s
- See the Stereophonics Fall 2007 tour schedule
- View concert and still images, including Stereophonics album art, concert posters, etc.
- Interesting biography of The Stereophonics
- Stereophonics' MySpace page
- Stereophonics' official website
- Stereophonics' fan website
- Stereophonics' lyrics
plus check out lyrics, mp3 and music videos of Stereophonics' music at IndieRockSongs.com
The Stereophonics: Keeping It Real; Hope It Sticks
The Stereophonics sold out many show on their previous tours of America, but the band failed to gain the momentum other bands like Oasis have due largely to the failure of radio disc jockeys and MTV to play their music.
The trio, made up of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones (no relation) and Stuart Cable, grew up as friends in the south Wales down of Cwmaman.
The blokes can write and perform great rock/pop songs - that's been established. In fact, The Stereophonics are arguably one of the most solid indie rock bands of the past decade, but as with so many artists featured here on IRC, they simply do not get the level of attention and "fame" they deserve.
For many fans, that's a good thing, but the shame is that so many people are otherwise missing out on hearing great music.
There's no question that indie rock artists - such as Muse, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, The Pixies, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, and so on - transcend the normally cloaked world of indie music and ascend to a new level of popularity.
The Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire were propelled into a new dimension of stardom last summer when they appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
So far, it hasn't destroyed them. So far. In fact, with the growing popularity of indie rock around the world, many independent artists are now becoming, um, should I say, 'mainstream'? (Ekk!)
But for now, Stereophonics are not a household name in the U.S. and it doesn't help that the band does not have any known plans for an upcoming tour of North America. While some fans are bummed that "The Stereophonic Express" won't make its way to the Western Hemisphere, others find comfort in the band's low profile.
There are always die-hard fans who grimace at any major press given to their favorite artists - for those fans, it disturbs their sense of closeness to the group and of course makes them worried about the band becoming well polished by corporate executives and 700-page contracts.
I have a feeling the guys with stay with V2 Records (who's line-up also features Peter Bjorn and John, Ray Davies (The Kinks), like a death sentence. Stereophonics are not new on the indie rock scene - the leather-strapping lads from the U.K. have been belting out melodic rock and pop for the past decade, but their main fan base is in the U.K. and Europe.
Few fans know that Stereophonics were the first artists to be signed to V2 Records, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, back in 1996. To see The Stereophonics complete tour schedule for the rest of this year, go to IndieRockConcerts.com. (Josh Henry, an IRC reader, contributed to this report.)
*Check back often as these posts are frequently updated with new links, information and photos
Labels: The Stereophonics
eMusic's FREE Daily Download!
Submit Your Music Get the IRC Feed IRC on WeAreHunted
Older Posts