TRACK: Jamie xx- Sleep Sound

It's hard not to be at least a little bit enamored with Jamie xx's Midas touch; everything he touches seems to turn to gold in the most effortless route possible. His latest track 'Sleep Sound' displays more of his laid back house-vibe and is predictably incredibly. Electronic music for people looking for a few less 'wub-wubs' (or however you're supposed to spell a dubstep bassline)

 

Sleep Sound comes out on 12" from Young Turks in May

GIG: Nathan Salsburg, Wild Island, Alan Lomax

Go out on a Sunday! It's mother's day, but I'm sure what your mum really wants is for you to take her to to hear the refreshingly schtickless guitar of Nathan Salsburg with support from the beached-out awesome of Wild Island and a showing of deep-south documenting films from the Alan Lomax Archive. It's on at South Street and entry is £7.20; don't miss out!

GIG: Forever Pavot, Mondo Fuzz

Make your Saturday psychedelic! The incredible soundtrack-meets-psychadelia outfit Forever Pavot are down from Paris to play at the Global Cafe tomorrow alongside vinyl spinning from record junkies Mondo Fuzz. Entry from 20:00 on Saturday. Get down.

TRACK: Swans- A Little God in My Hands

Swans have such a perfected vibe of negativity, it's hard to imagine just what Michael Gira would do if he woke up in a good mood one day. His career would be effectively ruined, which would probably end his brief spell of happiness. Sucks to be Gira then I guess.

For everyone else, the circular misery of Swans isn't such a problem when their output stays this good. Their latest song "A Little God In My Hands" takes down the full on heaviness from 2012s sonic-assault "The Seer", and includes a wonky as hell bass line that wouldn't sound out of place in a Fall song.

TRACK: Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks- Strange Colores

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks' previous cut 'Little Fang' was awesome, but it lacked the demented twist promised with the name of Avey Tare's Animal Collective side-project.

Dementia's definitely delivered on the outfit's latest track 'Strange Colores' which throws you right in the middle of an Amsterdam rave without exit signs. "Dark colours, bright colours, yellow colours, temperamental!" Avey sings again and again over insane keyboard stabs and whirling drums while the music video does its best to contend with Kanye West and Pokemon's ability to instantly induce siezures.

Enter the Slasher House comes out on the 7th April on LP, CD and Download from Domino

Post-War Tuberculosis Grooves

Not-So-Happy Monday everyone! It's World Tuberculosis Day, which is pretty much the most depressing theme for any day of the year. But sometimes terrible events can kick start people to really great stuff, like the work the Stop TB Partnership do to fight against the millions of people that don't receive proper treatment for Tuberculosis.

In a similar rubbish-situations-leading-to-good-stuff way, the depressing post-war environment of Germany in the late 1960s led a whole load of bands to produce some of the most interesting music in Europe. Bands like Amon Düül II, Can, Faust, Kraftwerk, Neu and Tangerine Dream all worked to form a genre of music that wasn't tainted by Germany's holocaust and Nazi-uprising. The result was a completely indescribably form of experimental classical-jazz-rock fusion that was free of association with anything else. By the time these bands started hitting England they were not-so-affectionately termed 'Krautrock'. Here's a live version of Kraftwerk's flute-freakout Ruckzuck because it's easy to forget Kraftwerk's output from before when they completely changed the face of electronic music:

ALBUM: The War On Drugs- Lost In The Dream

Despite having one of the coolest nicknames in rock and roll , there's something about all the power ballads and soaring guitar solos that means no amount of Glastonbury performances can prevent Bruce Springsteen being considered permanently uncool.

War on Drugs is probably what "The Boss" would sound like if he was a little more Fonz, and their latest album 'Lost In The Dream' is a great follow up to 2011's 'Slave Ambient' or Kurt Vile's recent solo output. The Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine influence isn't as prevalent as the last few releases but is still present, particularly in the ambient track 'The Haunting Idle'. Stadium rock for people who hate U2.

Lost In The Dream is available on LP, CD and Download from Secretly Canadian

GIG: The Papers, Jack Cade, Dolly & The Clothes Pegs

Cure boredom and fight homelessness! The smooth hip-hop funk of The Papers, surf-blues of Jack Cade and mellow tones of Dolly & the Clothes Pegs are teaming up to raise money for Reading's own homelessness charity Launchpad. Entry is £3 from 7pm at the Global Cafe. Get on down!

TRACK: Perfect Pussy- Interference Fits

It's been around a year since Perfect Pussy's demo 'I Have Lost All Desire For Feeling' came out which is probably enough time to shift focus from their name to their music; which is a crashing wave of raw melodic punk.

Their latest track 'Interference Fits' is easily enough to get excited about their upcoming album 'Say Yes To Love'. Socio-political mantras are yelled over early Sonic Youth-esque sounding guitars. It's all really high octane, blink and you'll miss it. Which is probably why the song holds a forty second outro of white noise where you can ingest exactly what you were just hit with.

'Say Yes To Love' can be pre-ordered now from Captured Tracks

ALBUM: White Sun- Totem

Since the advent of rock and roll, people have been trying to reduce music to its most economically expressive form. Bands like Boredoms and White Suns achieve this by circumventing chords and notes altogether in places of CRAAAKKCKs, and WRRRRKKs and other fairly untypable sounds.

There's not really an established language for describing White Suns so here's my best attempt: White Suns make really loud noises with their instruments, then hit drums and shout sporadically over them. They're also definitely worth listening to if the complete atonalism of their sound isn't enough to put you off. And their latest album ''Totem" is some of their best stuff to date.

White Suns album Totem can be ordered on LP from The Flenser

Twee Naps and Tiger Traps

Happy Monday everyone! Don't work yourself too hard though. It's National Napping Day which has to be a contender for the best day of the year. In line with that, here's Beat Happening's ode to shut eye 'Sleepy Head'.

If you haven't heard them before, Beat Happening were a pioneer of a jangling, easy-going style of Indie known as Twee. Their front man Calvin Johnson co-founded cult record label K Records, which had a great roster of bands demonstrating Olympia's Spin of the late 80s minimalist strain of Indie Rock. Built to Spill, The Crabs, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Mecca Normal and Tiger Trap are all classic examples of Olympia at its best. These bands managed to take the stripped back approach of punk's a-musicality but without the angst. They're also gems in a forgotten pocket of time before Sub-Pop and Nirvana broke, when it was cool to be carefree.

All these artist have releases still available from K-Records

TRACK: Glass Animals- Gooey

Weekend's here! Naturally lots of you will be waking up with sore heads tomorrow. If you're not quite in the mood for pumping dubstep first thing; take two aspirin, stay hydrated and let the effortless grooves of Glass Animals' new single 'Gooey' float you into the day. Pop music at it euphoric best from the Oxford four-piece.

Glass Animal's 'Gooey' is available now on Digital Download

GIG: White House Studio DJS- Bare Groove

I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like Northern Soul even a little bit. Which is reason enough not to get bored in paradise this weekend: White House DJs continue their residency at the Global Cafe (top floor) from 20:00 on Saturday and admission is donation based. Soul tunes spun on vinyl all night long; keep the faith.

GIG: Seamus Fogarty, The Pawnbroker, Quiet Victories

Nothing on tonight? Not if you live in the bustling metropolis of the world. Seamus Fogarty plays his blend of alt-folk that you'd have to try really hard to hate at South Street Arts Centre from 20:00. Support from the slow burning instrumentals of Quiet Victories and the stripped back piano melodies of The Pawnbroker. Entry is £8.20. Get on down!

TRACK: Archie Bronson Outfit- Two Doves on a Lake

Archie Bronson Outfit announced their upcoming LP today, after four years of not releasing very much, with the official audio release of Two Doves on a Lake. Hurtling riffs, warbling vocals, killer guitar and dissonant trumpets? If the rest of the album is as good, Wild Crush might be worth getting excited about.

Wild Crush is out on the 19th May on Domino Records

TRACK: Big Deal- In Your Car

Winter's over, but it's still really far from summer. If you crank up your radiator, and play London based Big Deal's not-all-that-new single real loud, it's almost the same. Well, maybe not the same; it's a bit like drinking in Tesco's car park and claiming you've been out wine-tasting. Still, it's a really good track with big vibes and massive synth for fan's of the retro appeal of Yuck and Speedy Ortiz.

 Big Deal's album June Gloom is available on CD, LP and Download from Mute Records.

Sex Pistols VS The Queen

Happy National Anthem Day! Personally, I never really know how to feel about coming from a country that still has a monarch. When I was sixteen I drew a picture of a sixty foot Queen attacking London and stuck it to my guitar amp thinking I was really cool and rebellious. Ultimately though, it's pretty hard to get genuinely outraged at a group that's the political equivalent of an appendix. This wasn't a problem the Sex Pistols had when they released there version of God Save The Queen which is pretty firmly anti-monarch. Being a patriotic lot, most radio stations refused to play it at the time.