The Rakes have announced they are set to release their third album ‘KLANG’ on the 23rd of March, with the single ‘1989′ one week earlier (16 March) on 7″ and download through V2 / Co-operative.

The album was recorded at Planet Roc Studios in Berlin and produced by Chris Zane (Les Savy Fav, The Walkmen, Passion Pit).

I am pleased to announce I may share the full tracklisting with you:

You’re In It
That’s The Reason
The Loneliness Of The Outdoor Smoker
Bitchin’ in the Kitchin’
The Woes Of The Working Woman
1989
Shackelton
The Light From Your Mac
Muller’s Ratchet
The Final Hill
Never Get Married

Also, the band managed to film a bit whilst locked away recording the album. A bike / walking tour of the facilities cut to the first single ‘1989′ is the result - but please note; it’s not official video, just a preview of what’s to come.. you can find the video on youtube by clicking here.

Check it all out! ^_^
- Luu

Hey all,

It’s that time of year and the BT Music Digital Awards are upon us. Eyemaylisten has been entered under the catagory ‘Best Music Blog’… if you think we are worthy of a rating in the awards, please click on the image below and show your support by dropping us a vote. It only takes a minute. Thanks

Back to the music..
I am about to go a little mainstream but it can’t be helped. The tunes are just so good!… here’s a taster of what has been vibrating my ear drums of late..

MP3: CSS - Alala (MP3 has now expired)

CSS will never fail to get me moving. I have been listening to these guys for a long time now.. this is my favorite vibration from their way. Check it out.

MP3: Joshua Lanes - Dead (MP3 has now expired)

A sound known as Joshua Lanes has met with my ears lately. At first admittedly I didn’t really know what to think, but somewhere between repetitively listening to the first two seconds of their track ‘Blow’ and trying to figure out if it was the end of an Incubus song, they stuck… Check out the MP3 above..

MP3: Foals - Cassius (MP3 has now expired)

It had to be done! Foals, I love ‘em. This song has been in my head so long, it’s killing me… I am actually on the video we shot when interviewing Temposhark back in June, singing it to myself.. or at least humming it? And it’s STILL in my noggin! It’s insane… I love this tune!

MP3: Stereo Total - I Love You, Ono (MP3 has now expired)

This is a cheeky catchy vibration from German; Stereo Total. I am sure many of you have heard it thousands of times before.. but I can’t help myself, it’s making me move.

Keep the emails coming folks
-Luu

Hey people… we are still alive! We have just been suuuuuper busy (well some of us, Matt on the other hand has just been nursing a hangover..)

I want to bring to light a New York based sound that’s been around for a while; Kids Of Survival. I was wondering the other day what they were up to… so got in contact with them and found out what just what’s been going on with them. If you haven’t heard them before check them out, they are a strong four piece powerpop-indie rock infusion with a strong debut album under their belts… I found out some info from Dylan, Kid Of Survivals drummer…

Lets start with the basics.. Why the band name Kids Of Survival?
Well we used to be called Stiffler then we ran in to some legal issues with that name and decided upon Kids of Survival because we really liked where it came from. Its from a youth group in the Bronx ( a borough of NYC)who created art as a way to stay off the streets and they called them selves the kids of survival. We liked that it was kids who came from nothing and made something out of their art (which is hanging in the modern museum of art and in museums around the country).

Are you still the original line up?
Well this is the original line up for Kids of Survival, however when we were Stiffler before we had vin and frank we had two different guitar players.

What are you guys up to right now?
Well we are are on tour right now, we have been out for the last 8 months. We recently parted ways with our record label Chamberlain Records. Once we get home from this tour we will be taking the rest of the year off to finish writing our follow up to our debut record Good Til Your Heart Pops.

Are you coming to the UK any time soon?
We would love to come to the UK as soon as possible. Although we have nothing in the works thus far.

Who are your inspirations?
A variety of bands including The get up kids, Jimmy eat world, Relient K, Lagwagon, Blink-182, ect.

Have you ever played a festival before?
Nope, have never played a festival before.

So now that you have dropped the record deal, what now? Thought about going independent?
I think we will be remaining independent unless a good deal comes by from a good indie or a decent major.

Hows the second album coming along?
We have a bunch of acoustic songs written which will be transfered into full band as soon as we get home. Its been so long since we released new music that we dont know what our current fans will think of our new record. We are confident it will be amazing however, its not going to be what kids expect I’m sure of that!

Any producers we should know about?
We can’t really discuss that until we lock one down we have a few great ones we are talking to, that we would be thrilled to work with.

How about an album title? Song titles?
As for album titles and songs no real titles just dumb ones to help us remember the song

MP3: Kids Of Survival - My Addiction (MP3 has now expired)

These guys are awesome. Check out track above or go onto their myspace and listen to ‘Disgraced By The Ages’ or ‘Come To Your Window’.. Just click on their image above… They are currently touring so check our their tour dates too! Get on over there, they are worth it kids.

-Luu

Yes. We finally have it.. all beautifully edited together. The exclusive Temposhark video interview. We caught up with the band at their gig in London at the nightclub Sin.

Check out the video interview here.

Also check out the videos of their performance of the songs Knock Me Out and Crime.

Just found out we are featured on the official San Miguel Hidden Depths site…

Check it out here!

Said in the best Vicky Pollard accent: ‘We are like, soooo famous’

-Luu

We have been mega mega busy these past few days (thanks for all the nudges in the way of emails) we haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth! We have some top things coming up including the winners of The Glimmers CD on Thursday, (last chance to get your entries in!!) the long over-due video interview with Temposhark and even longer over-due interview with the up and coming band Lost On Landing.

Been checking the email.. If you fancy a some floor-filling beats, feed your eardrums on this; Christopher Just’s remix on Cowgum’s dancefloor hit ‘Countryside’ (Coutryside MP3 here)

This is the second dancefloor remix, based on a song by the Berlin/Amsterdam based Cowgum project by Richard Cameron and Joost van Bellen, to hit the blogsphere in the last month. Last months Edu K remix of Cowgum’s underground track “drugggssszzz” (drugggssszzz MP3 here) is wrecking dancefloors around the world and now Cowgum’s track “countryside” is taken to the football stadium mega dance rave level by Austria’s danceproducer genius numero uno, Christopher Just. The crazy hillbilly feel of the original song is still in there and also the lyrics (about a vegan farmer growing things on his farm that are not quite legal) are spared but the merciless beats and the awesome chorus will instantly erase any thoughts of the innocent green pastures of the ‘countryside’… Over-all, something to get you moving. So get those sick moves out for the summer!

Want more??:
Richard Cameron: www.myspace.com/richardcameron
Joost van Bellen: www.myspace.com/joostvanbellen
Edu K: http://www.myspace.com/edukfrenetiko
Wannabe a star: http://www.myspace.com/jjtrash

Don’t forget to get your entries in for The Glimmers CD comp

- Luu

To celebrate the upcoming San Miguel Hidden Depths event with The Glimmers in Manchester on 10th July we are giving you the chance to win one of two copies of ‘The Glimmers Are Gee Gee Fazzi’, their album featuring ten addictive tracks!

To Win: All you need to do is send us an email and complete the following sentence with a maximum of 20 words:

‘I walked in on The Glimmers with a bottle of San Miguel and…’

Send us your name and address with your entry to: luu@eyemaylisten.com and we will get back to you via the email address you send your entry from if you are one of the winners.

All entries must be in by July 14th 2008 and winners will be announced on July 17th 2008 exactly a week after The Glimmers at San Miguel Hidden Depths in Manchester. There is no age restriction, however if you are under 16 we request that you ask the house owner before giving out your postal address. Eyemaylisten will not take responsibility for loss of items in post, however will obtain proof of postage and claim on anything not received. Any details you send us will not be shared outside of Eyemaylisten.. and we will not send you any emails/post other than to tell you if you have won.. which means… no spam! Wuhay!! ^_^ So…. get your entries in!!

Yes, we have it.. a video exclusive from the upcoming four piece rock band from Los Angeles; Drive A.

The band are currently playing the Warped tour in the states as well as a few other dates between. We featured them back in April before we moved the blog on to its own domain…

‘Drive A - I am amazed, quite frankly. Just listen to them.. even if they aren’t your thing, I am almost certain you will be shocked. These guys write all their own music and have supported some really big names. They are ‘up and coming’, in every sense of those three little words. I am pretty sure they will blow McFly out of the water.. If McFly are still in the water? check out their myspace: here.’

CHECK OUT OUR EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH DRIVE A HERE!!

We have a signed copy of their single that we are adding to the growing pile of goodies for the eyemaylisten competition (more details soon)

Luu xxx

Hey, it’s matt here, writing my first post of the new blog! ^_^

Me and Luu have been in the sprawling metropolis that is London for some important eyemaylisten business (and some important retail therapy!). More details about our trip and the juicy heap of goodies we received is to follow shortly, but Following on from Luu’s post last week, there is another new album out next week which we think you will be interested in.

The Subways - All or Nothing - 30th June.

We’ve all heard the classic ‘Rock and Roll Queen’ and ‘Oh Yeah’ from the Subways previous album, ‘Young for Eternity’. And next week, the subways are back with their new album, ‘All or Nothing’. Here at Eyemaylisten we have been lucky enough to attend an exclusive preview of the album at Warner Bros. Recordings with a handful of other critics. I wasn’t expecting very much, not having paid much attention to the band before, but…

IT BLEW ME AWAY.

Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for that, as there were no copies of the album available to take away. However, a number of the tracks have previously been performed live by the band, so many fans will have already heard some of the line-up.

The album starts slightly run-of-the-mill, with the standout track from the first half being their new single, ‘Alright’. Following from the previous album, the mix of (bordering on) acoustic tracks and slamming rock tracks is in almost the same proportion. ‘Shake! Shake!’ is an uplifting track which we thought was quite motivational, but which is by no means the best track of the album.

The second half of the album however, is absolutely mind-blowing. The last track, ‘Lostboy’, sums up the album perfectly, and with an infectious beat, persuades you to listen to the album all over again. And believe me, you will want to because this is an album that will grow on you over time, even if (like me) you are blown away first time. Towards the end of the album, the tracks seem to build up into an exhilarating finish, from ‘Turnaround’, and on to ‘Obsession’, ‘Strawberry Blonde’, and ‘Always Tomorrow’, with ‘Lostboy’ being the final epic push. From ‘Turnaround’, the flow of the album is utterly perfect (despite the car alarms and church bells common in central London breaking the silence between tracks). These are a sequence of track which you could listen to over, and over again.

One of the most exceptional tracks from the album was ‘Strawberry Blonde’. As one of the more mellow tracks, many of the other critics in the room were not as enthralled with the song as I was. Although it may not be released as a single, it is one of those songs (such as Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Eleanor Put Your Boots On’) which will quite deservingly loiter in your head.

Track listing:

1. Girls & Boys
2. Kalifornia
3. Alright
4. Shake! Shake!
5. Move to Newlyn
6. All or Nothing
7. I Won’t Let You Down
8. Turnaround
9. Obsession
10. Strawberry Blonde
11. Always Tomorrow
12. Lostboy

This is a great comeback album, surpassing the debut. I will definitely be buying it as soon as it arrives on the shelves. I recommend you do too! Stay tuned for our exclusive video interview with Temposhark at their gig at Popstarz.

I am afraid we are going to have to interrupt Matt’s pre-designated thursday spot to give you some EXCLUSIVE news, released only this morning..

It turns out the highly successful ‘Hidden Depths‘ event hosted by one of my favorite festival season beverages; the premium Spanish beer San Miguel, IS BACK. I am so excited I can’t even type fast enough! For those of you who don’t know, San Miguel hosted Hidden Depths last year and party goers were rewarded with surprise appearances from Richard Hawley and the Arctic Monkeys at the Jarvis Cocker gig! Another band involved were the amazing Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, who by all accounts gave an awesome show. Check out last years event here, where you can view videos and other exclusive content from last years events.

This year is set to be BIGGER and BETTER. This year will pray host to five special events from the 26^th June to 18^th September. Of which I can now confirm the headliners:

26th June Mark Jones and Wall of Sound Soho Revue bar, London
10th July The Glimmers Joshua Brookes, Manchester
31st July Secretsundaze T-Bar, London
21st August Chromeo The End / AKA, London
18th September It’s Pop It’s Art / Fred Deakin The Amersham Arms

Register for tickets and updates on the San Miguel website

Man, these guys are good.. you can even check out Hidden Depths on Myspace and on their Facebook group!

This is going to be an awesome series of events. And I want you guys involved NOW. I couldn’t bare the thought of our readers missing out, these events are going to be a right rave. They are very much exclusive events and very much play on the name ‘Hidden Depths’, the guest lists are highly exclusive so you guys need to get in there asap as last years events were packed out and totally raved about in the media afterwards, making many a body think ‘hell, how did I not know about this?’….. well, here’s your opportunity! I am sharing this news with you on the day of the news release, so there’s no excuse!