New track: 'Logic' by Operator Please

Australia's answer to er, the Gossip (that's unfair and unfounded, apologies) Operator Please are back with a teaser for their forthcoming second album.



The track is called 'Logic' and though it starts somewhat predictably - is that a cowbell? Some punk-funk bass? - it soon worms its way into your head. Listen to it on this posh streamer thingy we stole from someone else (please don't close us down, Blogger/Blogspot).

Operator Please - Logic by nmemagazine

New Musick Monday

It's BACK BACK BACK! Plus, it's early. You can't get much better then that, right?

So, seeing as there wasn't a New Musick Monday last week, let's talk about what you guys have been up to? ...wow, sounds good...aha, yep, like it...really? With the guy from work?...Serious? Lord...We figured he probably was.

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XX by The XX



Yep, them again. But it's worth all the hype and broadsheet column inches, believe us! Taking in everything from Timbaland-esque beats to spidery guitar lines somewhere between The Cure and Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game' this is a debut that reeks of understated genius. There have been some pretty special debut albums in 2009 so far but this one might just take the biscuit (that's not a metaphor, we will be giving away some biscuits in our inaugural '2009 Musick Awards').

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Temporary Pleasure by Simian Mobile Disco



This has been unfairly maligned in a lot of reviews we think. Perhaps James Ford - who makes up one half of SMD - has become too famous for his production credits (Florence, Arctic Monkeys, etc) and so people's anticipation for this album has sky-rocketed? Temporary Pleasure is a vast improvement on their patchy debut and features a stellar list of guests...and Beth Ditto*

* We went off Ditto after seeing the Gossip at a festival and despite possessing a voice that could slice through granite, we can't shake the feeling she's the physical manifestation of the Emperor's new clothes.

ALSO, BUY THIS

Watch Me Fall by Jay Reatard



Three albums you say? Isn't there a credit crunch on? We're making up for lost time. This is the first album proper Reatard has released on Matador and it's been described by its creator as "wimpy". What this means in real life is that the pace drops occasionally below 'really fucking fast' and that there are some instruments on it that aren't guitars or drums. Luckily, it's got some pretty amazing songs on it, including the new single 'It Ain't Gonna Save Me'.

New Musick Monday

This is something of a bumper edition this week, with four products on display for your delectation. But first, let's have a look at how last week's single, Gossip's 'Heavy Cross', performed yesterday...er, no.40. And people say they're a one hit wonder act with no hope of a repeat. The biggest shock was seeing Little Boots' debut album, Hands, drop from no.5 to no.40 in its second week. Fickle, you people are very fickle.

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Music For Men by Gossip



Yeah, so 'Heavy Cross' may have only sold 48 copies or something but this Rick Rubin-produced album is packed with punk-funk-disco-diva singles in waiting. Beth Ditto we all know about - big voice, big waist, big face - but it's her two faceless bandmates (although drummer Hannah's face appears on the cover) that come into their own, offering up elastic grooves and some fiery guitar lines. So what if they only have one hit single, that's one more then you'll ever have.

SECRETLY BORROW THIS FROM A FRIEND

Everything Is New by Jack Peñate



We're not going to go through it all again, but basically Peñate used to be a bit rubbish and then he hooked up with a good producer (Paul Epworth) and decided to reinvent his sound using some of today's more successful genres; bit of tropicalia here, a dash of Afrobeat there, a smattering of house and just a dose of Peruvian jazz-folk fusion. All in all, a tasty concoction. Opener 'Pull My Heart Away' is possibly the best opening track of any album listed on this page today.

YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE

As we all know, 2009 is the year of the woman or some such nonsense. Little Boots, Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith, Pixie Lott, etc, etc, all have a vagina and a voice each and are all signed to record companies and are releasing music for us to buy. Add to that list La Roux and Florence & The Machine, two people with vaginas, voices AND red hair, making them bitter rivals in the world of music. Some are calling their chart battle the musical equivalent of Israel versus Palestine, but we see it more as Venus versus Serena; two equally talented women, both capable of great things serving up a couple of aces...or something.

'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)' by Florence & The Machine



Twinkly harps, pounding drums and a voice you could wrap yourself in for weeks, this is a BIG sounding song. Written after a falling out with her record company - they asked her to make something more immediate - it's a song to be sung from the rooftops, possibly whilst drunk.

'Bulletproof' by La Roux



From the layered, lush sounds of Florence to the brittle, tinny sounds of La Roux. 'Bulletproof' is the single that was meant to make up for the failure of 'In For The Kill', but seeing as that peaked at no.2 the chances of this turning La Roux into a genuine pop are 'fair' to 'fucking obviously going to happen'.

New Musick Monday

OK, so as expected Rose Elinor Dougall ended our run of two songs crashing into the UK top 15, with the otherwise stupendous 'Start/Stop/Synchro'. We forgive her all this of course because she's proper fit, and Lord knows that gets you a long way these days, as we know only too well. We did have success, however, on the album charts where Little Boots' Hands entered at number 5, silencing the small group of naysayers who were all ready to write her off. Come on, save something for the follow-up album guys.

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Varshons by The Lemonheads



So we don't get accused of sexism by someone from The Guardian's Woman section, we'd like to state for the record that The Lemonheads' Evan Dando is also proper fit. It's that lank mane of hair, those laconic blue eyes, that voice. This is an album of cover versions (or 'varshons') ranging from the obvious (Gram Parsons' 'I Just Can't Take It Anymore') to the wonderfully bizarre ('Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera). Unfortunately he also lets Kate Moss loose on the electro-tinged 'Dirty Robot', which is about as sexy as photographing genital warts for a sexual health magazine.

REMIND YOURSELF OF THEIR BRILLIANCE

Midlife: A Beginners Guide by Blur



We've failed to mention before the fact that Blur have reunited for a slew of gigs this summer. You've probably heard all about it by now of course, but if not, then that first sentence was an EXCLUSIVE. This is a brand new collection of their biggest singles and some of their best album tracks ('Blue Jeans', 'He Thought Of Cars', 'Trimm Trabb') and is all the better for not featuring 'Crazy Beat', the nadir not just for Blur (minus Graham) but all music.

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'Heavy Cross' by Gossip



We can't seem to stop listening to this song, so with that in mind we're ignoring the fact this actually came out to download two weeks ago and will instead focus on the release of a CD version. What was that? Everyone's stopped buying CDs now? Yeah, well we're rocking it old skool, hell, we might even buy it on MiniDisc, how about that? If, like some, you think producer Rick Rubin has polished all of the Gossip's rougher edges then why not watch this brilliant live version or the official video and hope the images distract you.