Flashback Friday.. Maximo Park - 'Apply Some Pressure'

Last night I went on a night out to see some friends and, as per usual, we ended up in Planet - a rock/metal nightclub for those of you who don't have the (dis)pleasure of living in Wolves.

I remember three things.

1. My friend going to the toilet and mysteriously disappearing into the abyss of space and time.
2. The DJ playing a really strange alternate version of The Smiths 'This Charming Man', which I now can't find.
3. This song being played for the first time in an age and my re-realising of what a belter it is!

Maximo Park are one of those bands that are capable of producing some really fantastic songs, yet still manage to pass under the radar of being memorable. Especially, it seems, in recent years, as I can account for myself not investing time and effort into their music since their second album, 2007's Our Earthly Pleasures (I'm beaming 'Listen. Now' into your subconsciousness!), and their following albums, Quicken the Heart and The National Health passed me by completely (cue a task for later!), but odds are that, whether you realise it or not, you probably (really) know the ins and outs of at least one Maximo Park song.

Which, in regards to that, is most likely this one, seeing as 'Apply Some Pressure' is probably the most known of Maximo Park's songs back in their heyday, as it pretty much encapsulates all that puts Maximo Park in the higher tier of 00's popular indie bands. The song is catchy and punchy, the lyrics - witty and confessional, and it becomes apparent in some of Maximo Park's other songs that singer and lyricist, Paul Smith is an intelligent poet.

Maximo Park are currently on a European tour, to support The National Health, before coming back to the UK and then jetting off to Australia!

http://maximopark.com/

http://www.facebook.com/maximopark

https://twitter.com/maximopark
http://soundcloud.com/maximo-park-1

Flashback Friday.. Robyn - 'Be Mine'

Or Flashback Saturday, as it appears! I'll make it quick today!

I've been listening to a lot of pop music all week, and one of my favourite female pop artists is Robyn.

Robyn is a Swedish singer who was originally molded by her label for mainstream consumption, however, she began writing more alternative pop songs and started her own label, Konnichiwa Records, on which she released her 2005/07 album, Robyn, and 2010 series of albums entitled Body Talk.

The song that I'm going to put up today is taken from Robyn, and is one of the songs that broke her internationally. 'Be Mine' is a brilliant pop song that sounds surprisingly upbeat whilst discussing heartbreak in the end of a relationship and seeing that person move onto another. It wasn't as successful in the UK charts as her UK number 1 'With Every Heartbeat' (feat. Kleerup), however, in my opinion it is easily one of the standout tracks on the album.

http://www.robyn.com/
http://www.facebook.com/robyn
https://twitter.com/robynkonichiwa

Flashback Friday's.. Bloc Party - 'The Prayer'

This week's honour of Friday Flashback goes to 'The Prayer' by British indie band, Bloc Party!

They burst onto radars back in 2005 with their critically acclaimed debut album, Silent Alarm, which spawned hit songs such as 'So Here We Are', 'Banquet', 'Two More Years' and 'Helicopter'. 'The Prayer', however, is taken from their second album A Weekend in the City, and sees Bloc Party broadening their sound. 'The Prayer' is funky and addictive with a swooping synthesised chorus, the song documenting nightclub environments and the drug use that takes place there.

'The Prayer' may not be one of the most well known Bloc Party songs - those seem to reside on the first album - but it is certainly one of the most fun and unique!

Recently, Bloc Party have reformed and are currently making their fourth album, imaginatively entitled Four ;)

http://www.blocparty.com/
http://www.facebook.com/blocpartyofficial