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SoundsXP Presents

Friday 6th April 2012
All Day BBQ Festival

Sparrow and the Workshop
6 Day Riot
The Nuns
Singing Adams
Y Niwl
Colours
Dignan Porch
+more tbc

The Windmill
Brixton
Price tbc

On Our iPod

Golden Grrrls - New Pop 7”

Chris Devotion & The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital (album)

Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester (album)

Throwing Up - Mother Knows Best 7”

Howling Wolf - Complete Chess Masters 1951-60

The Ketamines - A Rotten Bond/1 Yr (from Oddbox Singles Club Pt 2)

Cardinal - Hymns (album)

Proper Ornaments - Taking the Gamble Out of Buying 12”

Darren Hayman - January Songs (album)

Various: Marshall Teller EP 12”

Latest Forum Posts

Album Review

Various Artists
Stolen Compilation 2 Stolen Recordings

Article written by Ged M - Aug 1, 2007

Even better than last year’s 21 track compilation, Stolen’s second compilation collects 23 examples of the sound of now. There’s a real sense of spontaneity about this record, of capturing the moment, and the label augments the Stolen roster with bands on other UK labels and further afield (Sweden, Japan and New Zealand). You might not like every track – difficult when it goes from guitar noise assaults, extreme electronica and gentle folkadelica – but everything is new, wired and vital.

There are so many good songs that everyone could programme their own compilation of favourites from this record. Mine would start, as this album does, with Matthew Sawyer and the Ghosts whose Modern Lovers-style bright pop chaos of ‘Heartbreaker’ contains a thrilling swirl of darkness. Stolen release the Blue Birds Blood album in September (it’s out on Catbird in the US now) and on the basis of this song I’m desperate to hear it now. To my tracklisting of faves I’d add another Catbird artist, Pet Politics, whose pine-scented Swedish Americana, ‘Dark Blue Sea’, is redolent of Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

Stolen’s own Pete and the Pirates produce some short but pacey clatterpop on ‘Knots’ while the wonderful Tap Tap pound away on ‘If You Can Dance’. Hot Silk Pockets would easily find a way in with their rhythmic dance pop (‘Panda Eyes’ - shades of Love is All). For noise, Screaming Tea Party’s punky-pop ‘Between Air and Air’ stands comparison with the mighty Mclusky while Shimmy Rivers and Canal have the same C86 atonal blasts as Bogshed and Big Flame on ‘Hadrian’s Wall’. For variety I’d add the Abba meets My Bloody Valentine tortured but melodic electropop of The Temporary Shelters’ ‘Tearaway’, The Blanket’s ethereal goth-folk weirdness of ‘Vroom Vroom Bang Bang Bang’ and the shy girlie indiepop of Jesus Licks and their ‘Marry Me’.

If you’re ever feeling jaded by all the Kooks, Nashs and Penates stinking up the indie world, throw this brilliant record in your CD player for a breath of what’s fresh.

Links:
http://www.stolenrecordings.co.uk