Sound Advice is back!

GUESS who's back, back again? Sound Advice is back, tell a friend!
After collecting up my hypothetical musical toys after putting the site on hold in 2010, and returning them to my blog-shaped pram, the Loughborough Echo music blog Sound Advice is officially back in business.
Click to visit the new site.

Let's be friends!

SOUND Advice has just updated it's Facebook presence and created a brand spanking new page on the social networking site.
So, buddy, log on to http://www.facebook.com/sadvice and we can be pals.

Download adds Soundgarden, Biffy Clyro, Tenacious D and more

MORE monsters of rock have been lined up for Download festival, taking place in Castle Donington this June.

Grunge legends Soundgarden will play the UK for the first time since 1996 with a visit to Donington Park.

Band member Matt Cameron said: “We are beyond psyched to play Download 2012. It will be a huge year for the band and what better way to celebrate than bring it all to our UK family at Download. See you there!”

Also coming are Scottish sensations Biffy Clyro, while Jack Black and Kyle Gass’ musical endeavour Tenacious D will also take the stage.

Dance act Chase & Status will play a live show, and some metal’s biggest names - Lamb Of God, Trivium and Machine Head - have also been added.

In addition, thrash icons Anthrax, rising stars You Me At Six, stalwarts Devildriver, metalcore act August Burns Read, cult hero Devin Townsend and classic acts Little angels and Ugly Kid Joe are also on the bill.

To listen to a playlist of confirmed Download acts visit open.spotify.com/user/isaacashe/playlist/208qRY6qTU5tWooLwnaPNe

Albums of the Year 2011 results

THE results are in - and with a record number of votes this year, the Sound Advice album of the year is...
Kanye West and Jay-Z collaboration The Throne's Watch The Throne.
The album notched 12 votes, beating Opeth's Heritage into second place with 10 votes.
Third was a three-way tie, with Radiohead – The King Of Limbs, Rival Schools - Pedals and Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure all scooping nine votes.
Phaleah - The Cold In You got eight, Ben Howard - Every Kingdom six, Little Roy - Battle For Seattle four, 40 Winks - It's The Trip three and DJ Shadow - The Less You Know, The Better two.
Thanks to everyone that voted!

Albums of the Year 2011

40 WINKS - IT’S THE TRIP

BEN HOWARD - EVERY KINGDOM

DJ SHADOW - THE LESS YOU KNOW, THE BETTER

LITTLE ROY - BATTLE FOR SEATTLE

OPETH - HERITAGE

PHAELEH - THE COLD IN YOU

RADIOHEAD - THE KING OF LIMBS

RIVAL SCHOOLS - PEDALS

THE THRONE - WATCH THE THRONE


TOM VEK - LEISURE SEIZURE

Prodigy to headline Download

THE PRODIGY have been confirmed as the third headliner for the mighty Download Festival on Friday 8 June 2012, setting the tone to one of the biggest line ups in Download history and celebrating the festival’s 10^th anniversary.

After notching up over 25 million record sales and selling out venues across the world, the masters of synth punk, The Prodigy are back doing what they do best and bringing their mind-blowing set to Donington for 2012. Expect plenty of classics from their incredible catalogue alongside some new tracks fresh from the studio.

This will be the third time the band has played Download and the first time they’ll play the main stage. The Prodigy will join headliners Metallica (Saturday 9 June) and Black Sabbath (Sunday 10 June) for one of the biggest Download Festivals EVER.

Black Sabbath back at Donington

A REFORMED Black Sabbath headed by lead singer Ozzy Osbourne have been announced as the second headliners for next year's Download Festival.

The band, who last played together at Donington Park in 2005 as part of the Ozzfest touring festival, will join Metallica at next summer's event, then embark on a world tour.

To listen to a playlist of Download 2012 acts, click here.

Metallica to darken Download's doorstep next summer

DOWNLOAD festival in Castle Donington will have Metallica onstage next summer, it has been announced.
The giants of metal are set to return to Castle Donington for the first time since 2006 - and will play 'the black album' in its entirity.
To listen to a rather empty playlist of Download 2012 acts, click here.

Young Knives to release Vision in Rags

BELTON born indie rockers Young Knives will release their new single Vision in Rags on September 12.

The track, the third to be taken from their latest album Ornaments from the Silver Arcade, will be available to download a week earlier.

Bassist Thomas ‘The House of Lords’ Dartnall said: “The lyrics were done by chopping up the original song lyrics and re-arranging them and gluing them back onto a big piece of paper.

“The final recording of this song as we used an old analogue rhythm generator set to ‘Bossa Nova’ to get the hissy drum machine noise. You can also hear congas being played by the legendary percussionist Lenny Castro, who has played with Toto, Steely Dan, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder.

“All recorded in Steely Dan’s drummer’s studio over a Woolworths keyboard and a toy steel drum, while the crickets serenaded the night sky.”

Same New Kelpe brilliance

LOUGHBOROUGH-spawned music maker Kelpe is set to release a new 7" single, Same New Era, next month.
But for those of you without a record player, you can enjoy the mind-bending video above.

Download Eve

TOMORROW sees Download Festival descend on Donington Park for 2011.
For anyone heading off tomorrow, or anyone there in spirit if not in body, here's the most comprehensive playlist of all the bands appearing that Spotify will allow.
Hail Satan, and have a lovely weekend.

Albums of the Almost-Half-Of-A-Year 2011

WITH 2011 barging recklessly into June already like a drunk in a moshpit, I thought I'd tentatively put out a longlist of possible contenders for Album Of The Year 2011 that have already been released.
Statistically, about half of them should be sitting in my rack or on my hard drive by now, surely?

• 40 Winks - It's The Trip
• And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs
• Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise
• Fink - Perfect Darkness
  
• Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
• Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
• The Haunted - Unseen
• Icicle - Under The Ice
• Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting
• The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
• Lower Than Atlantis - World Record
• Maybeshewill - I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone
• Max Raptor - Portraits
• Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
• Mr President - Number One
• PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
• Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
• Rival Schools - Pedals
• The Strokes - Angles
• Thursday - No Devolucion
• Times Of Grace - The Hymn Of A Broken Man
• Vessels - Helioscope
• Wagon Christ - Toomorrow (pictured)
  
• William Fitzsimmons - Gold In The Shadow

You can listen to samples of nearly all of these with a Spotify playlist I've compiled by clicking here.
And feel free to add your thoughts below - any corkers that I've missed? Are there any of the above you wouldn't touch with a barge pole?

Getting more for your money from Spotify

A LOT of you, like me, will have started paying for the privilege of using Spotify after they introduced limitations to the programme at the start of this month.
And I'm sure a lot of you, like me, want to make the most of the service now you've actually got your wallets out.
So here are some of the external sites you can use alongside Spotify to make the most - and of course, all of these work with the free version too, you skinflints...
FACEBOOK
Apologies if I'm running an egg-sucking course with this one, but hook up your Spotify account to your Facebook account and you can see what your friends and listening too, send and recieve tracks, and subscribe to their playlists. You can also add other users not connected to you on Facebook - feel free to add my profile to your player and drop a track or two into my inbox.
Also, while you're logged in to Facebook, join Sound Advice's Fan Page, cheers.
SHARE MY PLAYLISTS
If you want to find playlists, for any occasion, and fast, this site is also worth a visit - especially for things like Christmas and Hallowe'en compilations.
SPOTIMY
As well as compiling lists of lists of lists based on reviews of albums, the kind people at Spotimy spend each Monday putting together a playlist of all the week's new releases - an essential service in my humble opinion.
MORE TRACKS LIKE THIS
If you're on the hunt for new music, More Tracks Like This will take your song suggestions and find new songs based on the listening habits of Spotify and Last.FM users, and often throws up interesting suggestions.
LAST.FM
If recommendations are your thing however, you must, must, must be on Last.FM. Register for Last.FM, and the can then track your listening history in Spotify and other players and websites like Hype Machine, and provide you with personalised charts - see my page for examples - and more importantly recommend new music based on your preferences.
It's a goldmine, people, a goldmine.

Download top up line-up with new names

MORE new names have been shoe-horned onto this year’s epic Download Festival line-up.

The line-up has been released for the Jagermeister Rock Truck acoustic stage - including acts like Bowling For Soup, Skin and more in an intimate setting.

And elsewhere new bands have been revealed, including Slaves to Gravity, Obsessive Compulsive, Verses, Heaven’s Basement, Million Dollar Reload, Maiden United, Voodoo Johnson, Red White And Blues, Modestep, Don Broco, Kill 21, Fighting Wolves, H.E.A.T and You And What Army.

You can listen to a playlist of nearly all confirmed acts here.

Park up and listen to Driver Drive Faster

I KNOW this blog is pretty void of posts these days, but as reward for coming back just in case, here's a free mp3 for you all to enjoy.
Up-and-coming band Driver Drive Faster, of Manchester, are set to release It’s All Over It’s Everywhere ahead of their album Open House.
And they've been kind enough to offer up a free download of b-side Gravel Dents.
Grab it here.

A downpouring of bands for Download

WITH a career spanning over two-decades, New York’s hardcore rockers BioHazard are now confirmed to take to the stage at this year’s Download.
The band influenced generations as one of the initiators of ‘metal rap’, and will bring their New York cult metal sound to Donington.
After the success of their debut album All Our Kings Are Dead, and fresh from sell-out headline dates and touring with Bon Jovi and Lostprophets, UK rockers Young Guns are also ready to rock out at this year’s festival. They are joined by the mighty Skindred, known for their ‘ragga metal’ style mixing metal, punk rock and reggae.
Finnish death metal five-piece Children Of Bodom have also been added to the bill, who return to the UK to blast out some thrashing metal at Donington, and US punk rockers Anti-Flag, who are back on the cooler side of the Atlantic to heat it up at Download. Returning to Download for the second time is comedian Al Murray’s band T-34, as well as ex-Chiodos frontman Craig Owens’ hot new band Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.).
The hotly tipped LA heavy rockers Letlive, who Metal Hammer proclaimed as “one of the most important bands to hit heavy music in recent years” will jet in fresh from their US tour to get the mosh pit really jumping at Download. American metal heads Sevendust have also been added, joined by British melodic-hardcore five-piece Lower Than Atlantis and fellow UK metal quartet Deaf Havana.
In tribute to the legendary Ronnie James Dio, the Dio Disciples are also confirmed to take to the stage. Featuring members of Dio, as well as former Judas Priest vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and former Little Angels vocalist Toby Jepson, the supergroup will pay tribute to the legendary rocker’s dynasty.
Other additions include US alt rockers CKY, German country & western band Boss Hoss, funk-rocker Dan Reed and internationally acclaimed Taiwanese rockers Chthonic. Instrumental desert rockers Karma To Burn also join the bill, accompanied by gutter rock’n’ rollers Dear Superstar, British heavy rockers Malefice and Scottish post hardcore six-piece Yashin.
Roadrunner Records’ thrash rockers Baptized in Blood will make a UK stop straight from the US to play selected dates including Download ahead of their European tour. They’re joined by the Canadian Nickelback protégé My Darkest Days, pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Sweet Savage, Swedish rockers Royal Republic, US post-hardcore rockers Silverstein, the Metallica / Killswitch Engage influenced Skeletal Damage and indie pop punkers The Dangerous Summer.
Also announced are former Static-X frontman Wayne Static, heavy metal trio The Rods, electronic goth-metallers Houston, Belligerence, who will be performing material from their new self-titled EP, UK-rockers The Dead Lay Waiting, melodic metallers The Morning After, off-the-wall punk rockers Oaf and post-apocalypse style heavy rockers October File. Bringing their soaring melodies and epic energy to crowds at Donington are Starseed, joined by heavy rockers TRC and Envy of the State who return to the UK from a triumphant tour in the US. Returning to Donington for the second time are LA-metallers Rock Sugar, Brit punk rockers Blitz Kids and the fantastic Heights. Finally, the truly international Illuminatus bring their Anathema-likened progressive rock to Download, as well as Danish rockers Kellermensch.
As always, a full-ish Spotify playlist of all confirmed Download bands is here for your listening pleasure.

The Darkness to fall on Castle Donington

THE Darkness, Funeral For A Friend, Plain White T’s, Kvelertak, Framing Hanley and Hyro Da Hero are all more heading to Donington this summer!
“The idea of playing Download terrifies us,” Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins said. “We played in an early slot on the main stage in 2003 and we were frightened then.
"It's reassuring to know that nothing has changed”
“On a serious note it's the most rockest of festivals and the perfect place for us to begin the next phase of our journey.”

Skunk Anansie for Download Festival

GIMME some Skin! Another monster of rock has been added to the bill for Download Festival.
Skunk Anansie wil be gracing the Castle Donington stages with their presence, it was announced today.
A Festival spokesman said: "Right then campers - we’ve just gone and added Brit rockers Skunk Anansie to the Download line up – result!"

Seven more bands for Download

SEVEN more acts have been added to the line up for this year’s Download festival at the ‘home of rock’, Donington Park.
A spokesman said: "New kids on the block VersaEmerge, tipped to be the next Paramore (whom they share a label with) will be making their Download Festival debut, hot off the heels from the Alternative Presstour in America where they share the bill with Black Veil Brides, who are also playing this year’s Download.
"Gossip Girl and Hollywood actress Taylor Momsen will be bringing her rock outfit The Pretty Reckless to Download, following a Top Ten album in the UK charts (for 2010’s Light Me Up). Multi million selling US rockers Puddle Of Mudd, will return to the UK for the first time since 2002 to play Download for the very first time in their 19 year career, which hasseen hit singles such as ‘Blurry’ and ‘She Hates Me’.
"Roadrunner signings Times Of Grace, featuring Killswitch Engage guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, and formerKillswitch vocalist Jesse Leach will perform, along with West Yorkshire heavy metal outfit Evile, who are now writing their third album following North American dates with the likes of Kreator, Overkill and Voivod.
"Having already played the Download Festival, plus toured with metal legends such as Slipknot, Slayer and Megadeth, Suicide Silence are to hit Download once again to showcase the new material currently being written for their third full length album, with UK hardcorepunk rockers Your Demise also returning to the fray to raise hell with this year’s Download crowds."
You can listen to all of the confirmed acts at Download with this Spotify playlist.

Let's Get Rocked! Def Leppard for Download

ORGANISERS of Download Festival have poured some sugar on this year’s event, confirming legendary rockers Def Leppard as third headliner.
The British band will line-up at the top of the bill alongside Linkin Park and System Of A Down.
A spokesman for the event at Donington Park from June 10-12 said: “Def Leppard are a global rock phenomenon with hit singles spanning an incredible three decades such as Animal, Love Bites, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Lets Get Rocked and When Love And Hate Collide.”
A further 20 artists have also been confirmed. These include Bring Me The Horizon, Disturbed, Down, Madina Lake, Black Stone Cherry, The King Blues, Bowling For Soup, Frank Turner, Trash Talk, Turisas, Loaded, Twisted Sister, Cheap Trick, All That Remains, Sacred Mother Tongue, Asking Alexandria, The Devil Wears Prada, Straight Line Stitch, Jameson Raid and Ghost.
You can listen to all of the confirmed acts at Download with this Spotify playlist.

Unholy smoke! It's the Anti-Chris Mix vol 1

HERE it is, the most fun you can have for an hour with your clothes on.
Hell, take them off if you want, I know what you internet surfers are like.
Anyway, whatever you choose to do for the next 60 minutes, let the superb Anti Chris Mix vol 1 be the soundtrack, a mash-up from London-based DJ Anti-Chris who was on the Kissy Sell Out tour last year.
You can listen below, or download and check out the full track list at Soundcloud here.
Anti Chris - Anti Mix vol 1 by djantichris