I have to be super quick with this because my bus is in 10 minutes and I’m not a fast walker.
Right, you know how much I am in love with 2:54 right? You know their record is my favourite of the year? Since May I have had it on constant repeat. Every song moves me in ways no other band can do. They warm my bones and blow my mind. I love love LOVE them. I’ve been in love with them for the 2 years of so. Creeping, the original version felt like a wave of euphoria take me over. This happened multiple times as I played their debut record. I felt alive. I felt so much, and I still.
ANYWAY.
New single is my favourite track off the record, Sugar. I play the record when I’m at the gym and abusing the rowing machine. Sugar always makes me go faster and nearly break stuff. Including myself. I realised recently that Sugar would be an amazing lap-dancing song wouldn’t it? I have my pervy/weird moments, this song brings it out fully. Colette’s vocals on this track are perfect. It’s like she is seducing you and you can imagine her staring at you with prowling eyes..getting deep into your soul. Taking you over. It’s not just Colette that does that to you. Throughout the whole album Joel, Alex and Hannah take you over. This song is a prime example of it; and all the more reason for you to go buy the record.
Over the past few weeks..maybe months I have ended up playing the same few songs every day on repeat. Fully aware no one will care about what I’m listening to, but maybe one person does. If one person does, then goes to listen to the following songs and likes them- then I’m okay with that. I have no idea how many I’m going to list as there’s a few. I’ll try cut it down.
My love for Jesca is BIG. Big love for her. Her voice is stunning. She is a fascinating artists. She needs to be huge. I want her to take over the world and as many hearts as possible in the process. This song is bloody brilliant. Born To is quite inspirational, then again it depends on the kind of person you are really. Anyway, I think the chorus is just beautiful. I love her..that’s all there is to it really.
POLIÇA are SO good. This is the kind of music you just zone out to. Nothing really matters when you listen to them. That’s what you need, you need something that just cancels everything out. It’s sort of like having a friend or whatever that means more to than anything, and no one or nothing can take you away from it. I could be wrong. It’s a beautiful song. Their debut record is utterly perfect. It’s like Heaven in record form.
Alright, I cannot put into words how much I love Metric and how excited I am that their new record is FINALLY here. Was it worth the wait? It’s Metric! Of course it bloody well was. I love this song SO much. Probably my favourite off the album, and if you don’t have it- why not? Mug someone for the money if you must, and buy it. I just love it. Artificial Nocturne is such a wonderful opener to Synthetica. I love the lyrics so much. “I’m just as fucked up as they say I can’t fake the daytime . Found an entrance to escape into the dark. Got false lights for the sun. It’s an artificial nocturne. It’s an outsider’s escape for a broken heart.” Think I’ve found my favourite lyric of the year.
You know how much I love Crocodiles. They’ve pretty much been my life since 2009. They’ve dragged me out of hell and into whatever I seem to be in now. All three of their records mean a lot to me. Endless Flowers is EASILY in my Top 3 favourites of the year. I cannot fault, why would I want to? How could you find fault in this band? You just can’t. Endless Flowers is going to get me through Summer. I’m going to need all the help I can get. I did want to choose another track, but I think (I may be wrong) Endless Flowers is the next single. It’s bloody excellent anyway!
THEESatisfaction are a duo that pretty much, again back up my theory that duos are the best. There’s something about two people making music. You feel more connected because you know they probably work harder as there’s less of them. Just look at The Kills, Beach House etc- you can feel the connection so deeply. You cling onto every word. THEESatisfaction are incredible. Their record will blow your mind. They’re one band I am utterly desperate to see live.
I never would’ve listened to this song if I didn’t know Shirley Manson had co-written this song. I never would’ve known Sky had a new song out if it wasn’t for Sky. I’ve had this on repeat most of the day. And yes, I love the video. Sky is beautiful. I can ignore the bastarding thing with 8 legs that’s all up in this video and accept it is art. I really can. The bass in the intro reminds me of that song, Owner Of A Lonely Heart for some odd reason. I absolutely ADORE this song. And you know, regardless who co-wrote it or not- this song is fucking insane. It feels like a massive “FUCK YOU.” For that reason alone, it reminds me of Garbage’s Stupid Girl. I just love this song. And if her new record sounds like this, I’m buying it. Actually, I’ll probably buy it anyway. So long as there are no more spiders featured…
My love for Cold Cave is EXACTLY like my love for Crocodiles. I discovered them both at the same time. On the same day. I’ll always remember it. Something so miserable turned into something worth sticking around. I’ve ALWAYS had much love for Wes (I was a fan of American Nightmare.) I love his lyrics. He’s extremely clever, dark and intense. Everything I love really. I just love this b-side a hell of a lot. His lyrics never cease to amaze me.
Patti Smith’s new record, Banga is perfect. That’s the only word to describe it. I could pick any song off the record, but I had to..I just had to pick her tribute to Amy Winehouse. We’re sadly (it never should’ve happened) approaching a year since Amy died. I’ve not listened to her music since that day. No part of me has been able to sit down and listen to it. I just cannot do it. I wish I could because I used to play her music every single day. Since she died..I physically cannot do it. Patti’s tribute to Amy Winehouse is just beautiful. I hope her family hear it, I really do. For someone such as Patti to do this is truly wonderful. Most just give Amy a quick mention in thank yous or whatever- but Patti has created such a beautiful tribute. You take it as a reminder that Amy was so delicate and loving, no matter what- we must never forget that.
Swim Deep put out the best song of the year with King City. Don’t question it, don’t doubt it. These lads are the best thing to have come out of Birmingham in such a long time. They’re just fucking insane. Beach Justice is equally as perfect as King City. King City mentions Jenny Lee Lindberg from Warpaint, so obviously I’m going to have a lot of love. Beach Justice has a more, and as much as I hate to use it, “dream-pop” feel to than other songs I’ve heard from them. I’ve pretty much abused my soundcloud account listening to Swim Deep all the time. I’m not even sorry. Swim Deep truly show London up. Don’t always assume London is where it is at! Pay close attention to Swim Deep. Best new band of the year. Easily.
2:54 have no doubt, put out the best debut record of the year. I could’ve picked any song off the record. I probably would’ve put the whole thing up, but I settled with Easy Undercover because for some reason (which I am currently trying to forget) the lyrics mean the most. I’ve had the record on constant repeat since it came out. I cannot bring myself to take the cd out of my cd player. I cannot go outside and listen to anything but this band. Since 2010 I’ve been in love with them. The first few seconds of Creeping stole my heart away. You know how I feel about Warpaint? Well, it happened with 2:54. They just have something that is not in any other band around right now. Every song they’ve done (album and b-sides) well, they’re just everything I love about music. I’m going to stop before this turns into a “Reasons as to why I love 2:54” thing again.
Sometimes a band does something to you that makes you feel like you have felt the most wonderful feeling ever in life. When you hear this band or a specific song, everything you feel is heightened. You cannot control what your limbs do and all that floats around your head. You fall out of yourself and you find something else to sink so deep into. It’s like being in love, but without the nagging. It is a sense of freedom and feeling utterly content with your surroundings. I first felt this way when I first heard A Forest by The Cure. How that song makes me feel, I compare to most bands/singers. If I don’t feel this way when I listen to something, I won’t be a fan. However, sometimes my affections are delayed. It all depends. How I feel about Warpaint, well, you know how I feel about them. Everything they make me feel is EXACTLY how I felt the first time I heard A Forest. Every single time I play Warpaint my whole frame of mind changes. It is almost like meditating in a way. I don’t know what the exact word is for how I feel; but it truly is like being in a euphoric state. Warpaint have had this reign over me since 2009, I know it won’t go away. Yet, could I ever feel this way about a band again? YES. In short, YES. Late 2010 I heard a song called Creeping. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but every so often I’d listen to it and just feel something I couldn’t put into words. Then I delved deeper into the band, and it became much like how I feel about Warpaint. By “much like” I mean EXACTLY the same.
2:54 make me sway, shut my eyes and go some place where another could never take me. I’ve been waiting for their debut record for SO long. I think this proves just how patient I am. My love for my favourite musical siblings (best siblings in music) goes beyond. To even try put into words how much I love their debut record is going to mentally exhaust me. It’s cool because I’ve had hardly any sleep, and when that happens I have an outburst. I have no idea how I function most of the time. I’ll try to write this in a way that makes sense. It won’t though.
Their debut record sounds like something a band that have been going decades would create. The production is so bloody perfect. Everything. The bass, the drums, the guitar, the vocals. All of it. It is just like a chunk of Heave echoing in your ears, making your bones tremble and shake. You find yourself slipping into some strange trance as you listen to this album. Part of you wants to stay still, the other part of you seems to think jolting your body is the best way to go about this. Do what you want.
This record will make you happy. It’ll make you aroused. Your body will move, your will nod your head in a way that may cause a headache afterwards. You will feel every beat in every song. You just cannot sit still. There is something extremely special about this record. It has a haunting feel to it that just sounds so powerful and beautiful. For every nightmare you have, there is a dream waiting to come out from it. From every demon you have to chase away, something good will eventually happen after the fight, This record is like a symbol of this. It’s something so truly special, I really cannot express it enough. I’m going to call it as DEBUT record of the year. There’s no other way of putting it. It’s on a different level to everything out now, which is probably why it’ll be overlooked. Dear Sod’s Law, kindly piss off.
2:54 have this way of making you feel as if you are leaving your body as you listen to them. When the record ends, the only way to deal with the harsh reality is to keep playing the record. I spent most of today travelling from Birmingham back to my mum’s (Isle of Man, sadly.) I had the album on repeat. Everything just felt better. I’m trying my hardest to write this in a way that isn’t personal, but I can sense I am about to fuck up soon. Although I am trying to do this, I hold a lot of sentimental value to the album. Easy Undercover is lyrically my favourite, probably because it sums up how I feel right now. “If you go, you will never know.”I am terribly good at leaving something and never finding out. I just adore the album.
When you wait for so long, you sometimes become a bit dubious and wonder if it’ll be worth waiting for. The impression a debut record leaves will always be greater than any other. A false start can fuck it up forever. Obviously 2:54 have gone beyond all expectations. Every song has creepy riffs and haunting vocals that are enough to make you want to start your own band. (I really want to start a Garage rock tribute band of the Backstreet Boys and call ourselves Alleyway Whores..anyone?!)
They have a hold on you that you are fully okay with. To let go or to even turn a blind eye to 2:54 would be utterly foolish. They really do deserve to be bloody huge. I have a feeling it is going to be how I listen to Warpaint- an utterly sacred experience.
I could easily have summed all of this up by saying it is brilliant, but when you know a band have put their all into something- then you must do the same in return. This is an extremely atmospheric record that will cover you in goose-bumps, and for every part of you that you feel is lost- you will find it in this record. Their debut record has the darkness of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the eerie feel that is found in Seventeen Seconds by The Cure and the power of sending you deep into another universe much like Warpaint. Put that all together and you have something truly remarkable and something you must treasure. Colette’s vocals remind me of Siouxsie Sioux. The way she lingers on every word, and sings with such passion really does place a firm hold around your heart.
If you buy this record, your collection will look a billion times sexier.
ANOTHER mind-blowing, eerie and euphoric track from my favourite duo right now, 2:54. I fell in love with them when I first heard Creeping back in 2010. I just think they’re one of the best bands around. They have that haunting feel that you will find in The Cure’s Seventeen Seconds. Like you are being chased through an abandoned forest, with no hope of getting out. Do you even want to?
You’re Early is bloody brilliant. 2:54 are on tour next week :
4/02 – Norwich, UK – Waterfront Studio 4/04 – Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institue 4/05 – Glasgow, UK – Captain’s Rest Glasgow 4/10 – Bristol, UK – Thekla 4/11 – Brighton, UK – The Green Door Store 4/12 Tumbridge Wells, UK – Forum 4/13 Liverpool, UK The Shipping Forecast 4/14 Leeds, UK – Cockpit 6/07 London, UK – Scala
Go see them. It’ll be like an outer body experience. Much like when you listen to them really.
2:54 are the best duo around- I don’t count The Kills in this because, if I did- then..well. Whatever, basically 2:54 are incredible. If you love bands such as The Organ, The Cure, that lovely eerie sound that The Jesus And Mary Chain had- then 2:54 will probably blow your mind.
They’ve got a new track out, Got A Hold and a lot are saying “OH SHIT THIS SOUNDS LIKE WARPAINT!” NO. Both bands are wonderful, but I don’t hear how they are the same. The vocals remind me of Katie Sketch from The Organ. Which is obviously an amazing thing.
Scarlet is one of my favourite tracks and video of the year. Then they come out with Got A Hold, and it just blows you away. However, I still love Creeping.
Dear any bands I have declared my love for over the years, you are seriously going to have to compete for my affections starting….NOW! 2:54 are a band I’ve had a LOT of love and admiration for over the past year and a bit. Creeping blew my mind last, and they’ve gone and done it again with their new one Scarlet.
If you love The Cure (I want to be your friend), Beach House, Warpaint- then you SHOULD fall in love with 2:54. If you don’t, then hey- can’t like everything can we.
The video to Scarlet fits the song perfectly. It is dark, intense and creepy. I love anything that is dark, intense and creepy. I’ve never claimed to be normal, mainly because normal does not exist. If it seems a bit odd, I’ll probably enjoy it. 2:54 are EASILY the UK’s best band right now (along with some others. I know, I know.)
I can safely say that this is my favourite video of the year. It’s just brilliant. I love how it is shot, it’s just perfect.
Beautiful isn’t it? A hint of strange with a touch of sheer beauty.
Easily one of the best bands around right now. Creeping is one of my favourite songs I’ve heard in a long time, even though it’s well over a year old- it still sounds as good now as it did back then.
If you love bands such as Warpaint, Summer Camp and Cults- you will adore 2:54.
Beat In My Bones. 